Cyclone Vacuum Cleaner Without Vortex Finder to Reduce Back Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum cleaners with smaller suction motors produce less suction, reducing cleaning efficiency due to back pressure from vortex finders, which also increase weight and reduce battery life in battery-operated models.
Innovation Solution
Removing or reducing the size of the vortex finder in the cyclone chamber and using a screen to prevent hair and larger particles from exiting, allowing for improved airflow and cleaning performance without significant impact on cyclone efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a smaller suction motor is used to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but suction power and cleaning efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The vortex finder is removed from the cyclone chamber, eliminating the component that created back pressure and restricted airflow. This extraction allows the smaller motor to operate more efficiently by reducing flow resistance, thereby maintaining cleaning performance despite reduced motor size and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the airflow parameters by removing the vortex finder, which alters the pressure distribution and flow velocity characteristics within the cyclone chamber. This parameter change enables smaller motors to achieve sufficient airflow velocity for effective cleaning without requiring high power input.
2Reliability
If a vortex finder is provided in the cyclone chamber, then hair and larger particles are prevented from exiting, but back pressure increases and airflow velocity at the dirty air inlet decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The vortex finder is completely removed from the cyclone chamber. Instead of using a traditional vortex finder design, the patent employs alternative structures (such as screens positioned elsewhere in the system) to achieve particle separation while eliminating the back pressure problem that reduced airflow velocity at the inlet.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than preventing particle exit at the cyclone outlet with a vortex finder, the patent inverts the approach by using screens positioned in the air outlet passage or other locations to achieve particle separation. This inversion eliminates the restriction at the cyclone outlet, maintaining high airflow velocity throughout the system.
3Reliability
If a vortex finder is provided in the cyclone chamber, then particle separation is achieved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vortex finder component is extracted from the cyclone chamber design. The patent achieves the same particle separation function through simpler means, such as screens positioned in the air outlet passage or other streamlined configurations, thereby reducing device complexity and component count while maintaining cyclone efficiency.
4Reliability
If a vortex finder is provided in the cyclone chamber, then particle separation is achieved, but battery life is reduced in battery-operated vacuum cleaners
Solution Approach 1:
The vortex finder is removed from the system, eliminating the source of back pressure that forced the motor to consume excessive power. This reduction in power consumption directly extends battery life in battery-operated vacuum cleaners while maintaining effective particle separation through alternative screening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power consumption parameters by eliminating the vortex finder-induced back pressure. This parameter change reduces the energy required for operation, thereby extending battery life without compromising the particle separation efficiency of the cyclone chamber.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances cleaning performance by increasing airflow velocity at the dirty air inlet, reducing weight, and extending battery life in battery-operated vacuum cleaners.
Implementation Method 1
Air is drawn into the vacuum cleaners through a dirty air inlet and conveyed to a cyclone inlet. The rotation of the air in the cyclone results in some of the particulate matter in the airflow stream being disentrained from the airflow stream.
Implementation Method 2
The rotation of the air in the cyclone results in some of the particulate matter in the airflow stream being disentrained from the airflow stream.
Implementation Method 3
a screen is provided around the opening of the vortex finder to prevent hair and larger dirt particles from exiting the vacuum cleaner
Data Source
AI summary
A surface cleaning apparatus has a cyclone bin assembly having a cyclone chamber. The cyclone chamber with a physical filtration member defining the cyclone air outlet. The physical filtration member extends from the cyclone air inlet end of the cyclone chamber towards an openable bottom end of the cyclone chamber. The physical filtration member comprises a conical section which decreases in diameter towards the openable bottom end of the cyclone chamber, wherein a projection of the conical section meets at a location that is positioned between the physical filtration member and the openable opposed end. An openable bottom end of the cyclone bin assembly and the openable bottom end of the cyclone chamber are openable concurrently.