WO2005011459A1

WO2005011459A1 - Device for the aspiration of liquids

Info

Publication number: WO2005011459A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/008177
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hartmut Wrede; Heinz Grunert
Original assignee: Hartmut Wrede; Heinz Grunert
Priority date: 2003-07-31
Filing date: 2004-07-22
Publication date: 2005-02-10
Also published as: DE10335531A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for absorbing liquids, comprising an air suction apparatus (1) that is provided with a receptacle, and a liquid pump which is disposed in a separate, airtightly sealable collecting tank (3), said collecting tank (3) being provided with an airtight connection to the air suction apparatus (1). A wet vacuum cleaner (1) or a dry vacuum cleaner can be used as an air suction apparatus while the liquid pump is embodied as a float pump. The inventive device further comprises a mechanism for filtering the liquid that is to be absorbed before said liquid enters the liquid pump, and a removable lid for the collecting tank (3). A suction hose (4) for the liquid that is to be absorbed is connected to the collecting tank (3) via an inlet port, or the air suction apparatus (1) is removably fixed to the top face of the collecting tank (3) while the suction hose (4) is connected to the air suction apparatus, in which case a hose section or pipe section that connects an opening located on the bottom face of the receptacle to the connection port on the top face of the collecting tank (3) is provided as an airtight connection.

Description

Device for sucking up liquids

The invention relates to a device for sucking up liquids with an air suction device, which has a collecting container, and with a liquid pump.

Air suction devices are known in many different designs. Most air suction devices work on the principle that an air flow is generated by means of a blower, which pulls the suction material to be picked up into a collecting container through an intake hose. The collecting container is gradually filled with the vacuumed suction material and must be emptied at intervals. In addition to vacuum cleaners for living rooms, industrial vacuum cleaners or wet vacuum cleaners are also known which can vacuum small amounts of liquids or moist suction material.

There are additional devices for vacuum cleaners known (DE 100 47 274 AI), in which the suction line first leads into a pre-collector equipped with a filter, which in turn is connected to the vacuum cleaner. A vacuum is generated in the pre-collector by the vacuum cleaner, so that larger amounts of grinding dust can be sucked into the pre-collector and separated there by the filter system. In this way, frequent changing of the filters not designed for such requirements within the vacuum cleaner is avoided.

Additional devices for vacuum cleaners are also known (G 87 08 592.5) by means of which a conventional vacuum cleaner can be converted to a wet vacuum cleaner. This will also An airtight closable antechamber is arranged between the suction hose and the vacuum cleaner, in which larger quantities of moist or liquid suction material can be accumulated. As soon as this pre-chamber is filled, it must be emptied.

However, all of the above-mentioned designs have in common that the size of the collecting container or the upstream additional device limits the maximum capacity for the suction material to be extracted. The larger the additional devices described, for example, the more suction material can be accumulated between the individual empties, but this also makes their handling more difficult and the space requirement increases both during operation and during storage. But even with comparatively large-volume designs, larger quantities of liquids can only be extracted with great effort and with great effort.

Of course, large amounts of liquid, which collect after heavy rain or flooding in full basements or living rooms, for example, can also be drained using a submersible pump. Often, however, there is no pump sump necessary for immersing the pump, so that pumping out by means of a submersible pump is only possible up to a certain minimum liquid level. But even if this liquid level is only a few centimeters, the remaining amount of liquid can quickly reach the area of cubic meters if the flooded area is large enough. Sucking off such amounts of liquid is included Wet vacuum cleaners or modified vacuum cleaners of the type described are complex and cumbersome.

A wet vacuum cleaner of the type mentioned at the outset is known (DE 101 16 125 AI), in which a liquid pump is integrated in the collecting container of the wet vacuum cleaner. Such a wet vacuum cleaner with an integrated suction pump is specially designed for the requirements when vacuuming large amounts of liquid. However, since the integrated liquid pump significantly reduces the maximum filling volume of the collecting container of the wet vacuum cleaner, such a modified wet vacuum cleaner is only suitable for use as a wet vacuum cleaner without the operation of the liquid pump. If the volume of the collecting container of the wet vacuum cleaner is increased, the wet vacuum cleaner becomes unwieldy due to the larger space requirement and its weight, which is additionally increased by the liquid pump.

The object of the invention is therefore to design a device for sucking up liquid in such a way that larger quantities of liquid can be sucked off. The device should be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the liquid pump is arranged in a separate, airtight closable collection container and the collection container has an airtight connection to the air suction device. During the operation of the air suction device, a negative pressure is also generated in the collecting container via the airtight connection. The Liquid to be extracted can be sucked in via a suction hose and introduced into the collection container. The suctioned liquid can be continuously pumped out of the collection container by means of the liquid pump arranged there. The collecting container can be dimensioned sufficiently small to ensure easy handling of the device. The liquid pump arranged in the collecting container enables uninterrupted operation of the device, since the liquid introduced into the collecting container can be pumped out continuously. A suitably adapted length of the suction hose and of the drain hose leading away from the liquid pump can ensure that, despite a connection of the liquid pump to an external, fixed drain, the device and in particular the collecting container are sufficiently mobile to also suction larger areas around the fixed drain ,

It is preferably provided that the air suction device is a wet vacuum cleaner. When using commercially available wet vacuum cleaners as an air suction device, only a collection container provided with a liquid pump and corresponding connections has to be purchased in order to use the wet vacuum cleaner in connection with the additional device as a device for vacuuming up large amounts of liquid. When separated, the wet vacuum cleaner can be used without restrictions as a conventional wet vacuum cleaner, which increases the range of applications of the combined device for vacuuming liquids. The additional device can be used in combination with the wet vacuum cleaner as required, but requires otherwise little additional space is required for separate storage.

Of course, any other air suction device can be used instead of a wet vacuum cleaner. For example, it is entirely possible to use a commercially available vacuum cleaner as an air suction device and to connect it to the collection container. In order to achieve a similar level of operational safety as when using a wet vacuum cleaner, additional devices or a design of the collecting container adapted to this can be provided in order to largely rule out the ingress of liquid into the vacuum cleaner.

It is advantageously provided that the liquid pump is a float pump. A liquid level within the collection container can be specified via the float, which automatically switches the liquid pump on or off. In this way, it can be ensured in a simple manner that, regardless of the amount of liquid sucked in and located in the collection container, the liquid pump is only operated when pumping liquid out of the collection container is necessary or sensible. A further device, for example in the form of an additional float, can also be provided which, if a critical quantity of liquid in the collecting container is exceeded, causes the device for suctioning liquids to be switched off, for example in order to avoid malfunction or damage to the device. According to an advantageous embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that a connection opening for a connecting hose from the collecting container and the air suction device is arranged as far as possible above the maximum liquid level provided in the collecting container. Since a continuous air flow is generated from the collection chamber through the connecting hose into the air suction device during operation and there is therefore a risk that liquid is also carried away from the collection container and into the air suction device, this can and should be largely prevented by suitable measures. In the simplest case and for most applications, it is sufficient to arrange the connection opening as far up as possible, for example in the cover of the collecting container.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that an outlet opening for the liquid pump is arranged above the maximum liquid level provided in the collecting container and is connected to the liquid pump by means of a hose or pipe section.

It is advantageously provided that a check valve is arranged between the outlet opening and the liquid pump. This prevents liquid or air that has already been pumped out from being sucked into the collecting container by the negative pressure existing in the collecting container. The response force required to open the valve can be selected so that a low liquid pressure when the valve starts up Liquid pump is sufficient to open the check valve and allow the liquid to be pumped freely.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that the device has a filter device for filtering the liquid to be suctioned off before it enters the liquid pump. In this way it is prevented that impurities sucked off together with the liquid are filtered out in order to ensure trouble-free operation of the liquid pump. The filter device can expediently be arranged in the collecting container in such a way that simple maintenance and, if appropriate, quick replacement of the filter device are possible.

According to one embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that the collecting container has a removable lid. If the cover is removed, quick access to the filter device and the liquid pump is possible if necessary. If the liquid pump does not work properly, the liquid that has previously accumulated in the collection container can be emptied from the collection container via the lid opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that a suction hose for the liquid to be suctioned is connected to the collecting container via an inlet opening. In this case, the air suction device connected to the collecting container via the airtight connecting hose is only used for this purpose used to generate a corresponding negative pressure in the collecting container. The liquid to be suctioned is fed directly into the collection container through the suction hose. In this version, no liquid gets into the air suction device, so that the use of a normal household vacuum cleaner is also possible. The collecting container and the air suction device, for example a vacuum cleaner, are connected to one another via a flexible connecting hose and can be moved independently of one another according to the length of the connecting hose, which simplifies and makes handling the device easier.

It is advantageously provided that the inlet opening and the connection opening are arranged at a distance from one another in the lid of the collecting container. The liquid sucked into the collection container through the suction hose splashes out of the inlet opening into the collection container. The greatest possible distance between this inlet opening and the connection opening for the connecting line ensures that even smaller liquid droplets are not caught by the air flow through the connecting hose and entrained into the air suction device. Should it be necessary due to the small dimensions of the collecting container and the high suction power required, additional deflection elements or separating elements can be provided between the inlet opening and the connection opening.

It is advantageously provided that the filter is removably arranged in the collecting container between the inlet opening and the liquid pump. in the In the simplest case, this can be achieved by using a suitable basket made of sieve material, which is tightly fitted into the collecting container between the inlet opening and the liquid pump. If larger particles or impurities get stuck in the individual filter openings and impair their functionality, the basket can be removed and cleaned with one hand.

According to a preferred embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that the connection opening has an adapter device for receiving differently shaped connecting hoses. By means of such an adapter device, connecting tubes of very different shapes or their connecting pieces can be connected in an airtight manner to the connecting opening of the collecting container. This ensures that a large number of commercially available vacuum cleaners, industrial vacuums and in particular wet vacuums can be connected to the collecting container as an air suction device. The adapter device can enable either a positive or non-positive connection of the connecting hose to the connection opening. Accordingly, the connecting hose can be tightly connected or disconnected to the collecting container either by opening an attached closure or simply by applying sufficient force.

According to another embodiment of the inventive concept, it is provided that the air suction device can be detachably attached to the top of the collecting container. For certain requirements, it may well be advisable not to have two independently moving devices, but only a rigidly connected combination of the two devices are to be handled during operation. For example, small wet vacuum cleaners are available on the market, the low weight and size of which makes it easily possible to attach such a wet vacuum cleaner to the collecting container and to use the combined device for suctioning liquids. Furthermore, since the liquid to be pumped out is collected in the collection container and therefore the center of gravity of the entire device is usually in the lower region of the collection container, the arrangement of a small wet vacuum on the collection container does not lead to a significant deterioration in the stability and manageability of the entire device.

It is preferably provided that the air suction device can be fastened in an airtight manner on the upwardly open collecting container and has an opening in the underside of the collecting container for an airtight connection of the air suction device to the collecting container. For this purpose, the upper edge of the collecting container which is open at the top is suitably designed such that the air suction device can finally be placed on the collecting container in an airtight manner. Sealing rings or other sealing devices can also be provided which support an airtight connection of the collecting container with the air suction device attached. For fastening, for example, clamps, notches, spring tongues or screwing devices can be provided on the upper edge of the collecting container. It is advantageously provided that the upper side and / or the lid of the collecting container are shaped in such a way that the air suction device can be securely attached to the collecting container. Air suction devices such as vacuum cleaners or wet vacuum cleaners often have protruding rollers or sliding surfaces on their underside in order to increase their mobility. By providing recesses on the upper side of the collecting container which are adapted to this, it can be achieved that the air suction device lies with the underside of the housing on the collecting container over a large area and does not merely touch the collecting container with the projecting rollers or sliding surfaces.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided that, as an airtight connection, a piece of pipe or hose connects the opening in the underside of the collecting container with the connection opening in the upper side of the collecting container. Such an opening in the underside of the collecting container can be retrofitted with simple means in the vacuum cleaner or wet vacuum cleaner provided for use with the collecting container, if this is necessary and the vacuum cleaner or wet vacuum cleaner does not have a suitable opening. It is of course also conceivable that a suitably adapted connecting piece of the collecting container is connected directly to the opening in the collecting container. The size of the openings can be adapted to the respective requirements with regard to the suction power. If a wet vacuum cleaner is attached to the collection container, two different design variants are possible. Either the suction hose of the wet vacuum cleaner is used to suck off the liquid, so that the suctioned liquid first gets into the collecting container of the wet vacuum cleaner and through the opening in the bottom of it into the collection container, or the suction hose is connected directly to the collection container and the corresponding opening in the Wet vacuum sealed. In the latter embodiment, the wet vacuum cleaner only generates the negative pressure necessary for sucking the liquid into the collecting container, without coming into contact with the liquid to be sucked off. The use of the suction hose connected to the wet vacuum cleaner offers the advantage that there is little effort in connecting and disconnecting the wet vacuum cleaner to the collecting container. The liquid to be suctioned is fed through the suction hose into the wet vacuum cleaner and collects at the bottom of it before it runs off through the pipe or hose piece into the collecting container.

According to an embodiment of the concept of the invention, it is provided that the pipe or hose piece projects into the collecting container. Heavy particles or impurities in the liquid sucked into the wet vacuum cleaner collect on the bottom of the collecting container and are prevented by the projecting pipe or hose section from getting directly into the collecting container.

It is advantageously provided that the pipe or hose section has a filter or a sieve. Around Even in the case of a larger proportion of dirt to prevent it from entering the collecting container, sieves or similar filter devices on the top side or within the tube or hose section represent a simple constructive measure to achieve this. The filter or the sieve can expediently simply be detached from the pipe or hose piece so that it can be removed or cleaned in the event of permanent contamination.

It is particularly preferably provided that the opening in the collecting container for the airtight connection can be closed in an airtight manner. If the air suction device is detached from the collecting container, the opening in the underside of the collecting container can be closed in order to ensure the operation of the air suction device as a vacuum cleaner or wet vacuum cleaner even without a collecting container.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated below, as shown in the drawing. It shows :

1 schematically shows an embodiment of the device for sucking up liquids, in which a wet vacuum cleaner is connected to a collecting container via a flexible connecting hose,

2 is a schematic partial view in the area around a lid detached from the collecting container,

3 shows a schematic representation of the opened collecting container, Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the collecting container and

Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of the device for vacuuming liquids, in which a wet vacuum is attached to the top of the collecting container.

The exemplary embodiment shown schematically in FIG. 1 has a commercially available wet vacuum cleaner 1, which is connected to a collecting container 3 via a flexible airtight connecting hose 2. When the wet vacuum cleaner 1 is operating, a negative pressure is also generated in the collecting container 3. An intake hose 4 is also connected to the collecting container 3. Due to the negative pressure generated in the collecting container 3, the liquid to be suctioned can be sucked into the collecting container 3 via the suction hose 4. The wet vacuum cleaner 1 and the collecting container 3 have rollers 5 and 6, which are rotatably fastened on their underside, which enable simple movement and handling of the collecting container 3 and the wet vacuum cleaner 1.

2 and 3 show the collecting container 3 in a more detailed partial view. A float pump 7 is located in the collecting container 3, the float not being shown. The float pump 7 has a connection 8 for energy supply and an upwardly directed pipe section 9, which connects the outlet of the float pump 7 to an outlet opening 10. The outlet opening 10 has a bayonet connection piece 11 for the simple connection of the outlet opening to a external drain on. Instead of a float pump 7, a pump with an electronic level switch can also be used.

A filter device 12 in the form of a filter basket is also arranged in the collecting container 3. The individual side parts of the filter basket can, for example, be made of a textile or metallic sieve material, the mesh size of which determines the filter properties. Clamps 13 for attaching a cover 14 to the collecting container 3 are fastened to the side wall of the collecting container 3. The lid 14 has a circumferential rubber seal 15, by means of which the lid 14 can close the collecting container 3 in an airtight manner. The suction hose 4 opens into an inlet opening 16 in the cover 14, which is arranged in such a way that the liquid introduced through the suction hose 4 into the collecting container 3 first squirts into the sludge trap, so that coarser particles and impurities can be filtered out. The inlet opening 16 has a connection piece 17 which is adapted to accommodate commercially available suction hoses 4.

At the greatest possible distance from the inlet opening 16, a connection opening 18 is arranged in the cover 14, which has an adapter device 19 for connecting the flexible connecting hose 2 to the wet vacuum cleaner 1. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the adapter device 19 essentially consists of a variable rubber seal 20, which enables an airtight reception of connecting tubes 2, for example with a diameter in the range of 30-55 mm. The The connection opening 18 is further arranged such that it is also separated from the inlet opening 16 by the sludge trap, so that it is almost impossible for liquid droplets injected through the inlet opening to be drawn into the connecting hose 2.

4 shows the individual connections and their arrangement on the collecting container 3 without the respective hose connections for better understanding.

In the other exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a wet vacuum cleaner 21 is detachably fastened on the collecting container 3. A circumferential rubber seal 22 ensures that the wet vacuum cleaner 21 fastened with the clamps 13 on the collecting container 3 is connected to the collecting container 3 in an airtight manner.

The wet vacuum cleaner 21 has a collecting container 23 in its interior, which has an opening 24 on its underside in the region of the floor. A pipe piece 25 protruding into the collecting container 23 connects the opening 24 of the collecting container 23 to an adapted inlet opening 26 of the collecting container 3, not shown. The pipe piece 25 is covered with a sieve 27 on the side of the collecting container 23. The wet vacuum cleaner 21 also has a suction hose 4 which opens into the collecting container 23 of the wet vacuum cleaner 21.

When the wet vacuum cleaner 21 is operating, the liquid to be sucked up is sucked through the suction hose 4 into the collecting container 23 of the wet vacuum cleaner 21. The liquid accumulates increasingly on the bottom until the Liquid level in the collecting container 23 extends beyond the level specified by the pipe section 25. As soon as further liquid is sucked into the collecting container 23, liquid flows through the sieve 27 and the pipe section 25 into the collecting container 3 and can be pumped out of it by means of the float pump 7. Coarser particles and impurities sucked in via the suction hose 4 initially collect at the bottom of the collecting container 23 and are first separated there. The sieve 27 ensures that even with larger amounts of impurities or a high liquid throughput, which prevents efficient deposition of the impurities on the bottom of the collecting container 23, the liquid entering the collecting container 3 is sufficiently filtered to ensure trouble-free operation of the pump 7 to ensure.

The diameter of the pipe section 25 is sufficiently large to ensure a uniform negative pressure inside the collecting container 23 and the collecting container 3. The diameter of the pipe section 25 should also be dimensioned such that the liquid flowing out of the collecting container 23 due to the force of gravity into the underlying collecting container 3 can run off quickly and at the same time the air displaced from the collecting container 3 can rise into the wet vacuum cleaner 21.

Claims

Patent claim device for sucking up liquids

1. Device for sucking up liquids with an air suction device, which has a collecting container, and with a liquid pump (7), characterized in that the liquid pump (7) is arranged in a separate, airtight sealable collecting container (3) and the collecting container (3 ) has an airtight connection to the air suction device (1, 21).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the air suction device is a wet vacuum cleaner (1, 21).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the liquid pump is a float pump (7).

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a connection opening (18) for a connecting hose (2) of the collecting container (3) and the air suction device (1,21) as far as possible above the maximum liquid level provided in the collecting container (3) is arranged.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an outlet opening (10) for the liquid pump (7) is arranged above the maximum liquid level provided in the collecting container (3) and by means of a hose or pipe section (9) with the liquid pump (7) is connected.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that between the outlet opening

(10) and the liquid pump (7) a check valve is arranged.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device comprises a filter device (12) for filtering the liquid to be suctioned off before entering the liquid pump (7).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collecting container (3) has a removable lid (14).

9. Device according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that an intake hose (4) for the liquid to be extracted is connected via an inlet opening (16) to the collecting container (3).

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the inlet opening (16) and the connection opening (18) are arranged at a distance from each other in the lid (14) of the collecting container (3).

11. The device according to claim 9 or claim 1, characterized in that the filter (12) is removably arranged in the collecting container (3) between the inlet opening (16) and the liquid pump (7).

12. Device according to one of claims 9-11, characterized in that the connection opening (18) has an adapter device (19) for receiving differently shaped connecting hoses (2).

13. Device according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the air suction device (1, 21) on the top of the collecting container (3) is releasably attachable.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the air suction device (1, 21) can be fastened in an airtight manner on the upwardly open collecting container (3) and an opening (24) in the underside of the

Has collecting container (23) for an airtight connection of the air suction device (1,21) with the collecting container (3).

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the top and / or the lid (14) of the collecting container (3) are shaped such that the

Air suction device (1, 21) can be securely attached to the collecting container (3).

16. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that as an airtight connection, a hose or pipe piece (25), the opening (24) in the underside of the collecting container (23) with the connection opening (18) in the top of the collecting container (3) connects.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that the hose or tube piece (25) in the

Collection container (23) protrudes.

18. Device according to one of claims 16 or 17, characterized in that the hose or tube piece (25) has a filter or a sieve (27).

19. Device according to one of claims 16-18, characterized in that the opening (24) in the collecting container (23) for the airtight connection can be closed airtight.