Summary of Filtration Requirements in Standards of Vacuum Cleaners and Cleaning Robots

Foreword

In August 1901, Buse, an Englander, applied for the patent of vacuum cleaner, which is the earliest prototype of vacuum cleaner in the world. Since then, vacuum cleaners have experienced decades of development, from no brush head to equipped with brush heads suitable for various occasions; From fuel oil to electricity; From heavy to the need to use a carriage to pull, to a person can easily move the operation.

In western countries in the middle of the 20th century, vacuum cleaners gradually entered the middle class from luxury goods and became high-end daily necessities. With the improvement of living standards, this kind of household appliances has been more applied. Especially in the past two years, a large number of domestic vacuum cleaners and cleaning robots have entered people's homes and become essential household appliances.

There are also many enterprises engaged in the production of such filter elements. In the face of such emerging products, they are more produced according to specific user requirements, and there are inconsistent test methods and index requirements. This paper interprets the relevant standards, hoping to help understand the relevant domestic and international regulations.

Standards

With the development and gradual maturity of the vacuum cleaner industry, the standards for this kind of products are also gradually developed and perfected.

Standard list of vacuum cleaner and sweeper

The above standards cover the general requirements, particular requirements and performance test methods of vacuum cleaners and sweeping robots. It can be seen that there are mainly two categories of standards: IEC and ASTM. IEC standard is the International Electro technical Commission, which is the earliest non-governmental international Electro technical Standardization Organization in the world. Europe, Australia, China and other countries follow IEC standards, which are adopted identical in China and modified in other countries. Therefore, this paper mainly interprets the standards of IEC and ASTM.

Interpretation of standards

1. General and particular requirements

1) General requirements

IEC 60335-1 is a general requirement for household and similar electrical appliances, that is, all household appliances should meet the requirements. It is mainly about electrical safety.

2) Particular requirements

Particular requirements are put forward for a certain type of products. For example, IEC 60335-2-2 is mainly for vacuum cleaners and water-suction cleaning appliances, and IEC 60335-2-69 is mainly for wet and dry vacuum cleaners for industrial and commercial use.

The test items involved in the two standards are consistent with the general requirements. But the particular test methods and requirements are different according to the product type.

In terms of filtration performance, IEC 60335-2-69 puts forward requirements for vacuum cleaners used in hazardous environments. According to different hazard levels, it puts forward requirements of filter efficiency for the testing of filter materials, filter elements and assembled machine. L and M hazard levels, it is required to test the filter material and the assembled machine. The filter material needs to be tested according to AA 22.201.1 or AA 22.201.2, the assembled machine shall be tested according to AA 22.201.3. If the hazard level is H, it is required to test the filter element and the assembled machine, and the filter element shall be in accordance with AA 22.201.2, the whole machine needs to be tested according to AA 22.201.3. Moreover, the test of filter material, filter element and assembled machine are different in terms of test aerosol. The aerosol of filter material test is broad-spectrum quartzite, the assembled machine is tested with poly disperse limestone, and the filter element is tested with aerosols such as paraffin oil, DOP or NaCl.

2. Methods for measuring the performance

1) Vacuum cleaner

The Standard IEC 60312-1 and IEC 62885-2 set requirements for the performance test method of household dry vacuum cleaners. The cleaning test method of dry-type vacuum cleaner is specified, including the dust removal effect on the floor, carpet, wall, etc., the performance of the dust collector under the condition of ash load, the filtration efficiency of the vacuum cleaner, etc. And the test methods of hybrid test, including motion resistance, impact test, life test, noise, energy consumption, etc. In terms of filtration efficiency, only the test cover is specified. At the same time, it is stated that the device of ASTM F1977 can also be used to record the filtration efficiency results. There is no requirement for specific indicators of filtration efficiency.

IEC 62611 stipulates the performance test methods of vacuum cleaners for commercial use, and the specific contents are not different from that of household vacuum cleaners. Among them, the "HEPA filtration equivalence of vacuum cleaner" is worthy of attention. The main filter or primary filter needs to determine the MPPS in accordance with EN 1822. According to ASTM F1977, the MPPS efficiency is greater than 99.95%, which corresponds to HEPA class H13 specified in EN 1822. The vacuum cleaner shall be discharged according to the method specified in ASTM F2608.

ASTM F1977 specifies the test method for determining initial, fractional efficiency of vacuum cleaner system. The test aerosol specified in this standard is KCl after electrostatic neutralization, and the detector is a 6-channel discrete particle counter.

2) Sweeping robot

As a branch of vacuum cleaner, floor sweeping robots are complied with IEC 62885-7, which mainly stipulates automatic navigation and dirt cleaning ability. There are no special requirements for the filtration efficiency and discharge of the filter element and the assembled machine.

Summary

In the current standard, detailed and clear provisions are made for the electrical safety and general performance of vacuum cleaners and cleaning robots according to different use occasions. In terms of filtration performance, there are test requirements for the filtration efficiency and dust discharge of the assembled machine, but there are no specific index requirements. In terms of vacuum cleaners used in commercial or toxic and harmful environments, in view of the harm of secondary pollution, it is required that the class of the filter should reach H12 grade or even higher.

Since 2020, the domestic air filter material industry has developed rapidly, and filter element manufacturers have more and better choices for filter materials. Therefore, brand manufacturers will have requirements for filter element, such as H11 grade or even above H12. According to the requirements for the use of air filter elements, it is expected that the next development direction will be the competition of lower resistance values.