Cyclone assembly for surface cleaning apparatus and a surface cleaning apparatus having same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surface cleaning apparatuses with cyclonic cleaning stages often require a pre-motor filter to catch particulate matter not removed by cyclonic stages, which can become clogged, necessitating user intervention for cleaning or replacement, a task users find undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A cyclone assembly with a first and second cyclonic cleaning stage, where the second stage has a greater number of cyclone chambers than the first, with taller cyclone chambers and adjusted inlet areas to reduce backpressure and enhance particle removal, potentially eliminating the need for a pre-motor filter by effectively capturing all particulate matter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pre-motor filter is provided to protect the suction motor by filtering out particulate matter, then the suction motor is protected from damage, but the filter becomes clogged with particulate matter requiring user cleaning or replacement which users find undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the filtering function from a separate pre-motor filter component and integrates it into the cyclonic separation system itself. By enhancing the cyclone chambers to achieve complete particulate removal, the need for a separate filter that requires user maintenance is eliminated, while motor protection is maintained through the improved cyclonic separation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the airflow itself to continuously clean the cyclone chambers and prevent clogging. The high-velocity airflow automatically removes accumulated particulate matter from the separation surfaces, enabling the system to maintain its filtering capability without user intervention, thereby eliminating the maintenance burden associated with traditional filters
2Reliability
If the second cyclonic cleaning stage includes a greater number of cyclone chambers to remove all particulate matter, then particle removal efficiency is improved, but backpressure increases which reduces airflow velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the particle removal function into multiple parallel cyclone chambers in the second stage, rather than using a single large chamber or a filter. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high particle removal efficiency while maintaining lower backpressure, as the parallel configuration distributes the airflow across multiple pathways
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the geometric parameters of the cyclone chambers, particularly the height-to-diameter ratio, to enhance separation efficiency while minimizing pressure drop. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the system achieves complete particulate removal without creating excessive backpressure that would reduce airflow velocity
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
The design reduces backpressure and enhances particle removal efficiency, potentially eliminating the need for a pre-motor filter by ensuring that all particulate matter is removed by the second cyclonic cleaning stage, thereby simplifying maintenance and operation.
Implementation Method 1
particles entrained in the airflow in the second stage cyclone will experience a greater centrifugal force than they experienced in the first stage cyclone, which may promote the dis-entrainment of smaller particles from the airflow in the second cyclonic cleaning stage
Implementation Method 2
Surface cleaning apparatus that use one or more cyclonic cleaning stages to remove particulate matter (e.g. dust and dirt) from an airstream are known
Data Source
AI summary
A cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus has a first cyclonic cleaning stage and a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the first cyclonic cleaning stage. The second cyclonic cleaning stage has more air inlets than the first cyclonic cleaning stage. The second cyclonic cleaning stage has a second stage air inlet cross-sectional area in a direction transverse to a direction of air flow entering the second stage cyclone chamber that is 1.1-2 times larger than a first stage air inlet cross-sectional area in a direction transverse to a direction of air flow entering the first stage cyclone chamber.