Liquid aspirator for drawing off and sucking up liquids

Abstract

A liquid vacuuming device for drawing off and vacuuming up liquids may include a housing (1), an extractor device formed by at least one extracting lip (7) for extracting and collecting the liquid in front of at least one vacuum mouth (5), a vacuuming device that features a motor-driven vacuum subassembly and is able to vacuum an air/liquid flow mixed with the liquid to be vacuumed up along a flow pathway from the vacuum mouth (5) through an intake channel (4) into the housing (1), a separating device (13) for separating the liquid from the air and a tank for receiving the separated liquid. The device may further include an on/off function that turns on the motorized drive or increases the motor power when pressure is exerted upon the extracting lip (7) and turns off the motorized drive or reduces the motor power when the pressure decreases. Similar functionality may be implemented by an orientation switch.

Claims

1. A liquid vacuuming device for drawing off and vacuuming up liquids, including: a housing, an extractor device, including at least one extracting lip configured to extract and collect liquid in front of at least one vacuum mouth, a vacuuming device including a motor-driven vacuum subassembly and configured to vacuum an air/liquid flow that includes the liquid to be vacuumed up along a flow pathway from the vacuum mouth through an intake channel into the housing, a separating device configured to separate the liquid from the air, a tank configured to receive the separated liquid, an exhaust air channel configured to discharge the air from the housing, and a switch configured to turn on a motorized drive of the vacuum subassembly or to increase the motor power when pressure is exerted upon the extracting lip and to turn off the motorized drive or to reduce the motor power when the pressure decreases.

2. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a pressure switch formed by a support of the extracting lip and a sensor, wherein the extracting lip is supported on the housing and is configured to be pivoted against the force of a return spring.

3. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, further including a delay switch configured to delay the turning off of the motorized drive or the reduction of the motor power such that a brief pivoting motion of the liquid vacuuming device does not affect the function of the motorized drive.

4. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, further including a timer configured to turn off or power down the motorized drive of the vacuum subassembly after a predetermined period of time.

5. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, further including a level sensor disposed within the tank and configured to turn off the motorized drive when a certain level of the liquid is reached.

6. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, wherein the separating device comprises a flow deflection arrangement in the form of a rotor on an air intake side that is arranged on the intake channel in front of an inlet of the air/liquid flow into the tank or in the tank, and which is configured to deflect the air/liquid flow being taken in radially outward into the tank, the device further including a flow labyrinth that is arranged in front of an inlet into the exhaust air channel.

7. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum mouth is rotatably supported relative to the housing.

8. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a receptacle socket for a pole on a rear side that lies opposite the vacuum mouth.

9. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 1, wherein the extracting lip and the vacuum mouth are realized in the form of a separate component configured to be inserted into the housing, and wherein the vacuum mouth is connected to the intake channel by means of a sealed plug-type pipe connection.

10. A liquid vacuuming device for drawing off and vacuuming up liquids, including: a housing, an extractor device, including at least one extracting lip configured to extract and collect liquid in front of at least one vacuum mouth, a vacuuming device including a motor-driven vacuum subassembly and configured to vacuum an air/liquid flow including the liquid to be vacuumed up along a flow pathway from the vacuum mouth through an intake channel into the housing, a separating device configured to separate the liquid from the air, a tank configured to receive the separated liquid, an exhaust air channel configured to discharge the air from the housing, an orientation switch configured to realize an on/off function, wherein said orientation switch is configured to turn off or power down a motorized drive of the vacuum subassembly when the housing is tilted or pivoted out of an upright position, in which the extracting lip is arranged on top of the liquid vacuuming device when the liquid vacuuming device is in an upright position, or when the extracting lip points downward, and a delay switch configured to delay the turn-off function such that a brief pivoting motion of the liquid vacuuming device does not affect the function of the motorized drive.

11. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 10, further including a timer configured to turn off or power down the motorized drive of the vacuum subassembly after a predetermined period of time.

12. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 10, further including a level sensor disposed within the tank and configured to turn off the motorized drive when a certain level of the liquid is reached.

13. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 10, wherein the separating device comprises a flow deflection arrangement in the form of a rotor on an air intake side that is arranged on the intake channel in front of an inlet of the air/liquid flow into the tank or in the tank, and which is configured to deflect the air/liquid flow being taken in radially outward into the tank, the device further including a flow labyrinth that is arranged in front of an inlet into the exhaust air channel.

14. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 10, wherein the vacuum mouth is rotatably supported relative to the housing.

15. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 10, wherein the housing includes a receptacle socket for a pole on a rear side that lies opposite the vacuum mouth.

16. The liquid vacuuming device according to claim 10, wherein the extracting lip and the vacuum mouth are realized in the form of a separate component configured to be inserted into the housing, and wherein the vacuum mouth is connected to the intake channel by means of a sealed plug-type pipe connection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment is presented with reference to the drawings. In these drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a partially sectioned top view of an inventive liquid vacuuming device,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectioned side view of the liquid vacuuming device illustrated in FIG. 1 with a first embodiment of the separating device,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectioned side view of the liquid vacuuming device illustrated in FIG. 1 with a second embodiment of the separating device,

(5) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged illustration of the region of the rotor of the liquid vacuuming device illustrated in FIG. 3,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a detailed illustration of switching arrangement shown in FIG. 2,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a sub-assembly according to various embodiments, and

(8) FIG. 7 shows a further arrangement according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

(9) An inventive liquid vacuuming device is illustrated in FIG. 1. In this figure, the upper region is not illustrated in sectioned form, wherein the lower region is illustrated in sectioned form, but the illustration of the sectioned edges of the housing 1 was omitted in order to provide a better overview.

(10) In its front region, the device features an extracting lip 7 that is able to draw off liquid from a surface. The classic application of this device is drawing off water from a window surface. A vacuum mouth 5 is arranged behind the extracting lip 7 and realized in the form of a broad nozzle in this case, wherein the width of the vacuum mouth essentially corresponds to the width of the extracting lip 7. The liquid/air mixture is vacuumed into a hollow chamber 2 through an intake channel 4, the hollow chamber 2 serving as a separation chamber with a separating device capable of separating the liquid from the air flow.

(11) The further function of the device is described in greater detail below with reference to the sections illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, as well as the detail illustrated in FIG. 3:

(12) A central tank-like component in the form of the hollow chamber 2 is provided in the housing 1. This hollow chamber 2 combines different functions of the liquid vacuuming device with one another. On the one hand, it forms the tank, in which the liquid separated from the liquid/air mixture can be collected. On the other hand, it also integrates the separation space, in which the separation of the air from the liquid takes place. The hollow chamber 2 ultimately also forms a protection against the escape of the separated liquid.

(13) The exhaust air channel 3 and the intake channel 4 respectively protrude into the hollow chamber 2 with a pipe nozzle. These two channels are arranged concentric to one another and extend toward one another, wherein the separating device 13 is arranged between the ends of the two channels.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the invention with a rigid separating device 13 that is realized in the form of a stator in this case and deflects the flow radially outward into the tank.

(15) This embodiment has an on/off function that turns on the motorized drive 19 of the vacuum subassembly or increases the motor power when pressure is exerted upon the extracting lip 7 and turns off the motorized drive 19 or reduces the motor power when the pressure decreases. For this purpose, the vacuum nozzle is held in position by means of a lower return spring 16 and a switch in the form of a T-shaped sensor 15 is provided on top.

(16) The exhaust air channel 3 protrudes into the tank in the rear region thereof. In order to prevent splash water from being admitted into the exhaust air channel 3, the exhaust air channel 3 realized in the form of a pipe nozzle is provided with a flow labyrinth 12 that forces the flow to reverse its direction twice as indicated with the schematic air flow arrow and thereby separates the air from residual water that remains in the tank.

(17) In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, a gap remains between the discharge channel 3 and the intake channel 4 and a rotor 6 is arranged in this gap. This rotor 6 is driven via a drive shaft 9, wherein the drive shaft 9 is arranged concentric to the exhaust air channel 3. The rotor 6 laterally protrudes beyond the exhaust air channel 3 and into the hollow chamber 2 with impact surfaces.

(18) In its end region, the exhaust air channel 3 features a flow guiding profile 10 that is realized in the shape of an internally hollow truncated cone in this case. This truncated cone diverts the mixture of water and air taken in through the intake channel 4 outward such that it impinges on the outer region of the rotor 6 that forms the impact surface at this location. As a result, the liquid/air flow being taken in is accelerated in the radial direction, as well as in the circumferential direction of the rotor 6, wherein the more inert liquid describes a different trajectory than the lighter air.

(19) According to FIG. 3, the motorized drive 19 and the vacuum subassembly are located in the rear region of the housing 1, in which the power supply in the form of a battery is also arranged. As a result, the center of gravity of the device is shifted toward the rear such that it can be very easily moved along a window pane or another surface in the upright position.

(20) The extracting lip 7 is arranged in the front region and the vacuum mouth 5 is provided behind the extracting lip. From this location, the flow channel extends into the hollow chamber 2 via the intake channel 4.

(21) FIG. 4 once again shows the region of the rotor 6 within the hollow chamber 2 in the form of an enlarged illustration. According to this figure, the rotor 6 protrudes into the flow guiding profile 10. For this purpose, it features an annular pipe nozzle that is directed forward from the rotor wheel 6 and projects in the direction of the intake channel 4.

(22) Small gaps remain between this region of the rotor 6 and the flow guiding profile 10 such that the air to be vacuumed off produces a labyrinth seal in that it initially flows outward on the outer side of the flow guiding profile 10 along the inner arrows, is then drawn into the interior of the flow guiding profile 10 along a tight inward curve and ultimately drawn into the exhaust air channel 3 through the internally hollow rotor wheel 6. The more inert liquid cannot follow a trajectory with such a small curvature radius and therefore is conveyed outward radially and in the circumferential direction of the rotor wheel along the outer arrows. As a result, the liquid collects in the hollow chamber 2, particularly on the inner wall, and flows into the lower region of the hollow chamber 2, which then serves as a tank, when the device is in the upright position.

(23) The illustrated embodiment of the liquid vacuuming device only represents one conceivable option for utilizing the basic principle of the invention. An important aspect of the invention is the fact that a separate separation chamber is no longer provided and that the liquid/air flow is directly diverted onto a rotor wheel 6, which due to its rotation utilizes the different dynamic inertias of the air and the liquid for separating both flows from one another. Furthermore, the rotor wheel 6 may be driven via a drive shaft 9 through the exhaust air channel 3 as shown, wherein the rotor wheel 6 alternatively may naturally also be driven by a separate drive.

(24) A level sensor 18 may be provided in the hollow chamber 2, wherein said level sensor may be formed, for example, by an electric contact and turns off the motor once a certain liquid level is reached, beyond which it is no longer ensured that liquid can escape through the exhaust air channel 3 or the intake channel 4.

(25) The battery arranged in the rear region of the device is preferably connected to the housing 1 in a detachable fashion such that it can be removed. Furthermore, the rear region of the housing 1 may feature a mounting option in the form of a receptacle socket 14 for a pole such that the device can also be used at greater heights.

(26) Another advantageous embodiment features an extracting lip 7 in the form of an extractable rubber lip that is mounted, for example, on a holding rod protruding into the housing 1 such that it is arranged in front of the vacuum mouth 5. In this case, the holding rod may be realized in the form of a suction pipe and detachably inserted into the housing 1, wherein this provides the advantage that the user can remove the extracting lip 7 for smaller meticulous tasks that do not require a vacuuming effect and use the extracting lip as a lightweight extracting tool.

(27) FIG. 5 shows a schematic detail of the switch formed by the sensor 15, the easily movable support of the vacuum mouth 5 and the return spring 16.

(28) FIG. 6 shows a subassembly that can be inserted into the intake channel and contains the vacuum mouth and the extracting lip. Furthermore, the device may be turned on/off, or suction power increased/reduced, as explained above, by means of an orientation switch 17.

(29) FIG. 7 shows the intermediate arrangement of a hose 20 between the subassembly illustrated in FIG. 6 and the housing. In this way, the heavy device can be held in the hand or placed on the ground while the lighter subassembly is used for drawing off liquid.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(30) 1 Housing

(31) 2 Hollow chamber

(32) 3 Exhaust air channel

(33) 4 Intake channel

(34) 5 Vacuum mouth

(35) 6 Rotor

(36) 7 Extracting lip

(37) 9 Drive shaft

(38) 10 Flow guiding profile

(39) 11 Intake nozzle

(40) 12 Flow labyrinth

(41) 13 Separating device

(42) 14 Receptacle socket for attaching a pole

(43) 15 Sensor

(44) 16 Return spring

(45) 17 Orientation switch

(46) 18 Level sensor

(47) 19 Motorized drive

(48) 20 Hose