Efficient vacuum cleaner fan inlet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10398266-B2
Application number	US-201514879207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A vacuum comprising a canister and a removable lid assembly that is configured to couple to the canister. The lid assembly includes a motor, an impeller coupled to the motor, a filter mounting structure configured to receive a filter element, and an impeller inlet with curved inner walls. These curved inner walls help to minimize air flow path disruptions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a canister having a hose inlet; and
a removable lid assembly that is configured to couple to the canister, the lid assembly including—
a motor,
an impeller coupled to the motor, the impeller defining an impeller inlet, and
an impeller throat with a curved inner wall upstream of the impeller inlet, wherein the impeller throat includes opposed vertical walls that define a shrouded recess, at least one of the opposed vertical walls extending upward along a radial inner side of the impeller inlet, the impeller inlet positioned within the shrouded recess, wherein the curved inner wall is convexly curved at a top of the inner wall to shape airflow entering the impeller.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat has a circular cross section.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat has an elliptical cross section.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat has a bezier curve cross section.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat has a quadratic bezier curve cross section.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat has a quadratic bezier curve cross section.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat is cylindrical.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the throat is conical.

9. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a canister having a hose inlet; and
a removable lid assembly that is configured to couple to the canister, the lid assembly including
a motor,
an impeller coupled to the motor,
an impeller inlet with a curved inner wall, and
an impeller throat with a curved inner wall, the curved inner wall convexly curved at a top of the inner wall to direct airflow entering the impeller, wherein the impeller throat includes opposed, upwardly-extending walls that define a shrouded recess, at least one of the upwardly-extending walls extending upward along a radial inner side of the impeller inlet, the impeller inlet positioned within the shrouded recess.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the inner wall of the throat is circular in horizontal cross section and arcuate in vertical cross section.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the inner wall of the impeller inlet has a circular cross section.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the inner wall of the impeller inlet has an elliptical cross section.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the inner wall of the impeller inlet has a circular cross section.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the inner wall of the impeller inlet has an elliptical cross section.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the inner wall of the impeller inlet has a bezier curve cross section.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the inner wall of the impeller inlet has a quadratic bezier curve cross section.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the inner wall of the impeller inlet has a bezier curve cross section.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the inner wall of the impeller inlet has a quadratic bezier curve cross section.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the impeller inlet is cylindrical.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the impeller inlet is conical.

Assignees

• Emerson Electric Co

Inventors

• Holsten Stuart V

Classifications

• F05D2250/51

  Inlet · CPC title

• F04D29/441

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D29/4226

  Fan casings · CPC title

• F04D29/4213

  suction ports · CPC title

• F04D29/162

  of a centrifugal flow wheel · CPC title