Dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner having two cyclone chambers

Abstract

A double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner includes a lower cyclone body having an air suction port and an air discharge port for separately collecting dust entrained in air which is drawn in through the air suction port, an upper cyclone body having a main body for sequential secondary separation of fine dust particles after the primary dust separation of the air flowing from the lower cyclone body, and an upper casing providing a fine dust collecting chamber by covering the surface of the main body, and an air path for guiding the air which is cleaned in the upper cyclone body by the secondary dust separation step into the upper and lower cyclone bodies, and discharging the air through the air discharge port. The dust particles entrained in the air can be separately and sequentially collected according to the size of the dust particles.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner comprising: 
 a lower cyclone body having an air suction port and an air discharge port for initially collecting dust entrained in air which is drawn in through the air suction port in a primary dust separation step;    an upper cyclone body having a main body for secondary dust separation of fine dust particles, after separation of the air flowing into the upper cyclone body from the lower cyclone body, and an upper casing providing a fine dust particle collecting chamber by covering the surface of the upper cyclone main body; and    an air path for guiding the air, after it is cleaned in the secondary dust separation step in the upper cyclone body, from the upper and lower cyclone bodies, and discharging the cleaned air through the air discharge port.    
     
     
         2 . The double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the lower cyclone body further comprises: 
 the air suction port and the air discharge port being formed on a sidewall of the lower cyclone body and being disposed at a predetermined distance from each other;    a lower cyclone center hole formed on an upper plate of the lower cyclone body;    a lower cyclone outlet formed on one side of the lower cyclone center hole; and    a lower cyclone grill vertically disposed adjacent the lower cyclone center hole.    
     
     
         3 . The double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the cyclone main body of the upper cyclone body further comprises: 
 a bottom plate having an upper cyclone center hole and an upper inlet, adjacent and corresponding to the lower cyclone center hole and the lower cyclone outlet of the lower cyclone body, respectively; and    an upper cyclone grill disposed in the upper cyclone center hole having a vertical orientation and surrounding the upper cyclone center hole.    
     
     
         4 . The double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner of  claim 3 , further comprising an upper casing of the upper cyclone body removably connected to the cyclone main body, and 
 a means for detachably connecting the upper casing and the cyclone main body that comprises:    a connection hole portion formed as a longitudinally extending hole disposed on an upper plate of the upper casing; and    an operation knob mounted on the upper part of the upper cyclone grill extendable through the connection hole portion, the operation knob, when extending through the connection hole portion, being rotatable from a locked position, in which the connection hole portion is releasably locked therewith, to an unlocked position, in which the connection hole portion is unlocked therefrom.    
     
     
         5 . The double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the lower cyclone body generates a rotating air current when the air flows in through the air suction port for centrifugally separating the dust in a primary dust separation step, and 
 the dust receptacle is removably connected to the lower cyclone body adjacent a lower part thereof.    
     
     
         6 . The double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the upper cyclone body further comprises a filter to be connected to an outside of the upper grill for further filtering dust particles entrained in the air stream.  
     
     
         7 . The double cyclone dust collector for a vacuum cleaner of  claim 6 , further comprising a dust amount sensor unit for sensing the amount of dust, which has been separated and collected in the upper cyclone body.