The invention relates to a sucking device, in particular a domestic or industrial vacuum cleaner that sucks a dry or liquid product from surfaces such as floors, furniture, furnishing elements or the like.
Vacuum cleaners are known comprising a plurality of sucking elements, such as, for example, fans, each driven by a respective motor. Each sucking element comprises a sucking opening through which air is sucked to generate a vacuum in relation to the outside environment. The sucking openings of all the sucking elements are connected to a same sucking pipe of the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is able to suck an air flow rate that is substantially the same, less the head losses, as the sum of the air flow rates of the single sucking elements.
A drawback of the vacuum cleaners disclosed above is that although they are able to suck significant air flow rates they are unable to generate great vacuums.
Vacuum cleaners are further known comprising a multistage aspirating element, such as, for example, a fan, driven by a respective motor.
A drawback of the vacuum cleaners disclosed above is that, although they generate a high vacuum they are not able to suck great air flow rates, unless driving motors are installed of the multistage sucking element that are very powerful and therefore very costly.
An object of the invention is to improve known sucking devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a sucking device in which the sucked air flow rate and the vacuum can be varied simply.
According to the invention, there is provided a sucking device, comprising first sucking means having a first sucking opening and second sucking means having a second sucking opening, characterised by further comprising switching means that enables said sucking device to assume alternatively a first operating configuration, in which said first sucking opening and said second sucking opening are both connected to a sucking element of said sucking device arranged for interacting with a product to be sucked and a second operating configuration, in which said first sucking opening is connected to said sucking element and said second sucking opening is connected to a discharging opening of said first sucking means.
Owing to the invention, it is possible to obtain a sucking device provided with a significant flexibility and, thus, able to adapt to various conditions of use, these conditions being able to depend on the quantity and type of product to be sucked.
The sucking device can operate according to two distinct operating modes.
In a first operating mode, the first sucking means and the second sucking means are connected in parallel. In this case, the sucking device enables a large air flow rate to be sucked.
In a second operating mode, the first sucking means and the second sucking means are connected in series. In this case, the sucking device enables a great vacuum to be generated. In conclusion, the sucking device can pass with extreme simplicity from a work configuration - corresponding to the aforesaid first operating mode - characterised by a preset air flow rate and by a preset vacuum - to a further work configuration - corresponding to the aforesaid second operating mode - characterised by a lesser air flow rate and by a greater vacuum, or vice versa.
The invention can be better understood and implemented with reference to the attached drawings, which show an embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example, in which:
The sucking device 1 comprises first sucking means 5, for example a fan driven by a corresponding motor, provided with a first sucking opening 6 and with a first discharging opening 22, and second sucking means 20, for example a further fan driven by a corresponding motor, provided with a second sucking opening 19 and with a second discharging opening 23.
The motors that drive the aforesaid fan and the aforesaid further fan can be single-phase or three-phase electric motors.
In an embodiment that is not shown, the first sucking means 5 can comprise two or more fans. Similarly, also the second sucking means 20 can comprise two or more fans.
The sucking device 1 further comprises collecting means 2, configured, for example, as a casing, such as a barrel of a vacuum cleaner intended for receiving the aforesaid waste material removed by the sucking device 1.
The collecting means 2 is provided with a hole, which is not shown, to which a sucking element is connected with which the sucking device 1 is provided. The sucking element is intended to interact with the aforesaid waste material. The sucking element may comprise a flexible pipe having a first end connected to the aforesaid hole and a second end connected to a cleaning tool, such as a brush, or the like. Inside the collecting means 2 a filtering element can be provided that separates the aforesaid waste material from the current of air generated by the first sucking means 5 and by the second sucking means 20.
The first sucking opening 6 faces the collecting means 2 directly and is thus connected thereto.
The first discharging opening 22 leads into a first chamber 12 having an outlet passage 15 that communicates with a discharging conduit 13. The discharging conduit 13 is intended for evacuating into the external environment the air sucked by the sucking device 1. At the outlet passage 15 there is provided first valve means 14 - for example an automatic valve - that enables the air to pass from the first chamber 12 to the discharging conduit 13 and prevents air from passing from the discharging conduit 13 to the first chamber 12.
The sucking device 1 further comprises a second chamber 11 provided with an inlet passage 8 connected to the collecting means 2. At the inlet passage 8 there is provided second valve means 9 - for example an automatic valve - that enables the air to pass from the collecting means 2 to the second chamber 11 and prevents air from passing from the second chamber 11 to the collecting means 2.
The second sucking opening 19 faces and is thus connected to the second chamber 11.
The second discharging opening 23 leads into the discharging conduit 13.
Between the first chamber 12 and the second chamber 11 switching means 18 is interposed. The switching means 18 comprises a valve 24 - which is drivable by a user - positioned in passage means 25 extending between the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12. The valve 24 is movable between an open position Y, in which the valve 24 does not obstruct the passage means 25, enabling air to pass from the first chamber 12 to the second chamber 11, and a closed position X, in which the valve 24 obstructs the passage means 25, preventing air from passing from the first chamber 12 to the second chamber 11.
The switching means 18 allows to pass from an operating configuration A (shown in
In the operating configuration A, the first sucking means 5 and the second sucking means 20 are connected parallel. In this case, in fact, both the first sucking opening 6 and the second sucking opening 19, the second sucking opening 19 through the inlet passage 8 (as will be disclosed in greater detail below), are connected to the collecting means 2. Similarly, both the first discharging opening 22, through the outlet passage 15 (as will be disclosed in greater detail below), and the second discharging opening 23 are connected to the discharging conduit 13.
When the sucking device 1 is in the operating configuration A the valve 24 is in the closed position X.
In the further operating configuration B, the first sucking means 5 and the second sucking means 20 are connected in series. In this case, in fact, the second sucking opening 19 is connected to the first discharging opening 22, through the first chamber 12 and the second chamber 11.
When the sucking device 1 is in the further operating configuration B the valve 24 is in the open position Y.
With reference to
The flow F is separated into two flows, i.e. into a first flow F1 sucked by the first sucking means 5 and into a second flow F2 sucked by the second sucking means 20.
As the valve 24 is in the closed position X, the first flow F1 and the second flow F2 remain separated from one another and do not come into contact, the first flow F1 traversing the first chamber 12 and the second flow F2 traversing the second chamber 11.
The first flow F1 is sucked by the first sucking means 5 through the first sucking opening 6 and is introduced inside the first chamber 12 through the first discharging opening 22. As the pressure inside the first chamber 12 is greater than the pressure inside the discharging conduit 13, the first valve means 14 moves from a closing configuration K1, shown in
As the pressure inside the second chamber 11 is lesser than the pressure inside the collecting means 2, the second valve means 9 moves from a closing configuration K2, shown in
The second flow F2, after traversing the second chamber 11, is sucked by the second sucking means 20 through the second sucking opening 19 and is introduced inside the discharging conduit 13 through the second discharging opening 23.
With reference to
As the valve 24 is in the open position Y, the flow F3 is not separated into two flows, as occurs in the operating configuration A, but successively traverses the first sucking means 5 and the second sucking means 20.
The flow F3 is sucked by the first sucking means 5 through the first sucking opening 6 and is introduced inside the first chamber 12 through the first discharging opening 22. The flow F3 passes from the first chamber 12 to the second chamber 11 traversing the valve 24. As the pressure inside the second chamber 11 is greater than the pressure inside the collecting means 2, the second valve means 9 is maintained in the closing configuration K2.
The flow F3 is sucked by the second sucking means 20 through the second sucking opening 19 and is introduced inside the discharging conduit 13 through the second discharging opening 23.
As the pressure inside the discharging conduit 13 is greater than the pressure inside the first chamber 12, the first valve means 14 is maintained in the closing configuration K1.
As the first valve means 14 is maintained in the closing configuration K1 and the second valve means 9 is maintained in the closing configuration K2, the flow F3 is induced to traverse in succession the first sucking means 5, the first chamber 12, the second chamber 11 and the second sucking means 20 to reach the discharging conduit 13.
A user, by acting on the switching means 18, can move very simply and rapidly from the operating configuration A to the further operating configuration B, and vice versa.
The sucking device 1 is consequently very versatile inasmuch as the air flow rate sucked and the vacuum generated can be varied according to requirements, for example to adapt to the various quantities and/or type of waste material that has to be sucked.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.