WET AND DRY VACUUM CLEANER

Abstract

A wet and dry vacuum cleaner having a vacuum cleaner head, having a dirt container and having an inlet fitting which is designed for the connection of a suction hose, wherein the inlet fitting is connected in terms of flow to an inlet connector, which is situated in the wet and dry vacuum cleaner, of the wet and dry vacuum cleaner such that dirt particles that are drawn in can pass via the inlet connector into the dirt container, wherein the inlet connector is designed as a diffuser with horizontal outflow. Furthermore, the inlet connector of the wet and dry vacuum cleaner may have a Y shape in the sense that the inlet connector comprises one inflow opening for the suction flow and two outlet openings.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A wet and dry vacuum cleaner comprising: a vacuum cleaner head having a dirt container and having an inlet fitting designed for the connection of a suction hose, the inlet fitting being connected in terms of flow to an inlet connector situated in the wet and dry vacuum cleaner such that dirt particles drawn in can pass via the inlet connector into the dirt container, the inlet connector being designed as a diffuser with horizontal outflow.

17. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner recited in claim 16 wherein a suction flow through the inlet connector designed as the diffuser is directed toward an inner wall of the dirt container.

18. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 17 wherein the inner wall of the dirt container is a side wall of the dirt container.

19. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 17 wherein the inlet connector has a diffuser opening, a wall spacing of the diffuser opening with respect to the inner wall being less than one fifth of a container width of the dirt container.

20. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 wherein a cross-sectional area of a diffuser opening of the diffuser is at least 50 percent larger than a cross-sectional area of the inlet fitting in a region of the wall passage into the dirt container.

21. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 wherein the inlet connector is arranged in a volume defined by the dirt container.

22. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 21 wherein the inlet connector is arranged exclusively in the volume.

23. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 further comprising an electric turbine arranged in the vacuum cleaner head.

24. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 further comprising a dirt filter positioned, in relation to the suction flow, downstream of the inlet connector.

25. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 wherein the inlet connector is formed as a single piece.

26. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 wherein the inlet connector is formed integrally on the dirt container.

27. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 wherein the inlet connector is composed of plastic.

28. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 16 wherein the inlet connector has an end portion in a region of the diffuser opening, wherein the end portion has an inflow opening for the suction flow and has an outflow region including two outflow openings.

29. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 28 wherein the inflow opening is formed so as to be inclined in relation to a substantially planar top surface of the end portion.

30. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 28 wherein the outflow openings include in each case one wall region, wherein the wall regions of the outflow openings are formed parallel to a planar top surface of the end portion of the inlet connector.

31. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 28 in that the end portion is, via a shape, designed to divert a direction of the suction flow.

32. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 28 wherein the inflow opening of the end portion is arranged above a maximum fill level of the dirt container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0030] Further advantages will become apparent from the following description of the figures. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention in which FIG. 1 schematically shows a wet and dry vacuum cleaner and FIG. 2 shows the Y-shaped end portion 29 of the inlet connector 27 of the wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100.

[0031] The figures, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. A person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them to form expedient further combinations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] A preferred exemplary embodiment of a wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100 according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100 has a vacuum cleaner head 10, a dirt container 20 and an inlet fitting 25 designed for the connection of a suction hose 200.

[0033] The suction hose 200 to be connected to the inlet fitting 25 is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1.

[0034] The wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100 furthermore has an inlet connector 27, which is connected in terms of flow to the inlet fitting 25 such that dirt particles P that are drawn in can pass via the inlet connector 27 into the dirt container 20.

[0035] As can be seen from FIG. 1, the inlet connector 27 is designed according to the invention as a diffuser with horizontal outflow.

[0036] As can be seen from the figure, the inlet connector 27 designed as a diffuser is arranged exclusively in a volume V defined by the dirt container 20. Furthermore, the diffuser designed as an inlet connector 27 is arranged such that a suction flow S is oriented directly toward an inner wall 21 of the dirt container 20. In other words, the suction flow S flows through the diffuser opening 28 of the inlet connector 27 in a horizontal direction H toward the inner wall 21, rebounds from the latter, and passes, having been slowed, into the lower region of the dirt container 20, whereby the dirt particles P can be introduced in layered fashion without swirling or at least with considerably reduced swirling.

[0037] As can likewise be seen from FIG. 1, the diffuser opening 28 of the inlet connector 27 has a wall spacing WA to the inner wall 21, wherein the wall spacing WA is less than one fifth of the container width B of the dirt container 20.

[0038] A cross-sectional area Q1 of the diffuser opening 28 is, in the present exemplary embodiment, at least 50% larger than a cross-sectional area Q2 of the inlet fitting 25 in the region of the wall passage into the dirt container 20.

[0039] The wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 furthermore has an electric turbine arranged in the vacuum cleaner head 10. The suction flow S is generated by means of said electric turbine, by means of which suction flow the dirt particles P are drawn into the dirt container 20 in the course of a wet application or a dry application.

[0040] The wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100 furthermore has a dirt filter 17 which, in relation to the suction flow S, is positioned downstream of the inlet connector 27 designed as a diffuser. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, the dirt filter 17 is arranged at the transition between vacuum cleaner head 10 and dirt container 20.

[0041] The vacuum cleaner head 10 lies on the dirt container 20 from above and is locked on the latter. In the preferred exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the inlet connector 27 designed as a diffuser is formed as a single piece and is formed integrally directly on the dirt container 20. Here, both the inlet connector 27 and the dirt container 20 are composed of plastic.

[0042] In alternative embodiments, the dirt container 20 may be manufactured for example from metal, into which, for example, there is fitted an inlet connector composed of plastic, elastomer or polymer together with an inlet fitting 25 composed of plastic or polymer.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the Y-shaped end portion 29 of the inlet connector 27 of the wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100. The top side of the end portion 29 is formed by a substantially flat, that is to say planar, top surface. An inflow opening 30 is present in said top side of the end portion 29. Through said inflow opening 30, the fluid-particle mixture passing from the suction hose 200 flows into the dirt container 20 of the wet and dry vacuum cleaner 100. The suction flow S, as it passes through the end portion 29, is advantageously diverted such that the fluid-particle mixture exits the end portion 29 preferably in a direction which is not the same as the inflow direction. A diversion of the flow direction by the end portion 29 of the order of for example 90 degrees into the direction of the end side of the dirt container 20 is particularly preferred.

[0044] In the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, the inflow opening 30 is formed so as to be inclined in relation to the substantially planar top side of the end portion 29. An imaginary virtual central axis can be drawn through the inflow opening 30, which axis encloses an inclination angle with a surface normal of the substantially planar top surface of the end portion 29. Said inclination angle preferably indicates the degree to which the inflow opening 30 is tilted relative to the top side of the end portion 29. The inflow opening 30 preferably has an elliptical, in particular circular, base area, the diameter of which may lie for example between 3 and 8 cm, preferably between 4 and 7 cm, and very particularly preferably between 5 and 6 cm.

[0045] The end portion 29 furthermore has an outflow region 31 which is formed by two outflow openings 32. In the context of the invention, it is also possible for one outflow opening 32 or more than two outflow openings 32 to be provided, wherein, in each case, the area of the outflow openings 32 should be enlarged in relation to the size of the one inflow opening 30. The outflow openings 32 preferably span an outflow plane which is configured to be substantially orthogonal with respect to the substantially planar top surface of the end portion 29. The outflow plane preferably lies substantially parallel to a rear wall of the end portion 29 and substantially perpendicular to wall regions 33 of the end portion 29, which wall regions preferably form a base or lower termination of the end portion 29.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0046] 10 Vacuum cleaner head [0047] 15 Electric turbine [0048] 17 Dirt filter [0049] 20 Dirt container [0050] 21 Inner wall [0051] 25 Inlet fitting [0052] 27 Inlet connector [0053] 28 Diffuser opening [0054] 29 End portion [0055] 30 Inflow opening [0056] 31 Outflow region [0057] 32 Outflow openings [0058] 33 Wall regions [0059] 100 Wet and dry vacuum cleaner [0060] 200 Suction hose [0061] B Container width [0062] H Horizon [0063] P Dirt particles [0064] Q1 Cross-sectional area of the diffuser opening [0065] Q2 Cross-sectional area of the inlet fitting [0066] S Suction flow [0067] V Volume of the dirt container [0068] WA Wall spacing