Vacuum cleaner

Claim 1

A vacuum cleaner which comprises a first whirl chamber, a motor, a compressor impeller rotatably driven by said motor to pull air through said first whirl chamber, means to introduce air laden with heavy, light, and very light dust particles into said first whirl chamber in a manner to impart a rotary motion to said air to substantially separate the heavy and light dust particles therefrom, a dust-collection compartment positioned and arranged with respect to said first whirl chamber for reception of said separated dust particles, a second whirl chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inlet end communicating with said first whirl chamber, vanes rotatably mounted to said motor and positioned in the inlet end of said second whirl chamber to impart a rotary motion to the very light dust particle-laden air entering thereinto, said vanes being driven by said motor, the length of said second whirl chamber being sufficient to assure that all of the very light dust particles reach the inner wall of said second whirl chamber, an intermediate chamber arranged at the outlet end of said second whirl chamber for reception of the very light dust particle-containing air, a separate impeller rotatably mounted to said motor and positioned in said intermediate chamber and driven by said motor, said second whirl chamber having at its outlet end a centrally disposed outlet tube extending through said intermediate chamber for passage of substantially dust-free air to the compressor impeller, an annular opening situated around said outlet tube and communicating with said intermediate chamber, and air-passage means separately connecting said intermediate chamber with the first whirl chamber for return of the very light dust particle-containing air thereto.