Vacuum Cleaner with Motor Cooling Air Filtration

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner has cooling air from an agitator motor ported to a working air conduit upstream of an inlet to a fan motor assembly.

1 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a housing;   a cleaning head assembly in the housing having a suction nozzle and a working air path therethrough;   a dirt separator in the housing for removing dirt from a dirt-containing airstream;   a suction source having an inlet connected to the dirt separator and adapted to draw the dirt-containing airstream from the suction nozzle and through the dirt separator, and an outlet;   a first motor mounted in a motor housing;   an air inlet provided in the motor housing for supplying cooling air to the first motor;   a conduit extending from the motor housing to the suction source inlet downstream of the dirt separator to pass the cooling air from the motor housing to the suction source inlet; and   a filter mounted in the housing and in fluid communication with and downstream of the suction source outlet for removing contaminants from the air that passes from the suction source outlet.   
   
   
       2 . A vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , and further comprising an agitator that is driven by the first motor, and wherein the suction source further comprises a second motor. 
   
   
       3 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 1 , wherein the filter is a HEPA filter. 
   
   
       4 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a handle assembly pivotally connected to the cleaning head assembly at a pivot axis and the conduit passes through the pivot axis. 
   
   
       5 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 4 , wherein the suction source is mounted in the handle assembly. 
   
   
       6 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 4 , wherein the filter is mounted in the handle assembly. 
   
   
       7 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a housing;   a cleaning head assembly in the housing having a suction nozzle, an agitator, and a working air path therethrough;   a dirt separator in the housing for removing dirt from a dirt-containing airstream;   a suction source having an inlet connected to the dirt separator and adapted to move the dirt-containing airstream from the suction nozzle and through the dirt separator, and an outlet;   a first motor driving the agitator and mounted in the cleaning head assembly;   a source of cooling air supplied to the first motor;   a conduit extending from the first motor to the suction source inlet to pass the cooling air from the first motor to the suction source inlet; and   a filter mounted in the housing and in fluid communication with and downstream of the suction source outlet for removing contaminants from the air that passes from the suction source outlet.   
   
   
       8 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 7 , wherein the first motor is mounted within a motor housing in the cleaning head assembly and the cooling air passes from a first side of the motor housing to a second side. 
   
   
       9 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 8 , wherein the conduit is attached to the motor housing at the second side. 
   
   
       10 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 7 , wherein the conduit is connected to the suction source inlet downstream of the dirt separator. 
   
   
       11 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 7 , wherein the filter is a HEPA filter. 
   
   
       12 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 7 , wherein the housing comprises a handle assembly pivotally connected to the cleaning head assembly at a pivot axis and the conduit passes through the pivot axis. 
   
   
       13 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 12 , wherein the suction source is mounted in the handle assembly. 
   
   
       14 . The vacuum cleaner from  claim 12 , wherein the filter is mounted in the handle assembly.