Dirt collection chamber for a surface cleaning apparatus

1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and including a suction motor;

(b) a cyclone chamber provided in the air flow path and comprising a cyclone air outlet, a longitudinally extending axis, and a cyclone chamber wall extending between a first end and second end that is axially spaced apart from the first end, the cyclone chamber wall having a rear portion comprising a cyclone air inlet and an opposing front portion comprising a cyclone dirt outlet, the cyclone dirt outlet comprising a slot extending circumferentially part way around the cyclone chamber wall between a first slot end and a second slot end that is downstream from the first slot end in a direction in which air circulates within the cyclone chamber, the dirt outlet being provided toward the first end of the cyclone chamber;

(c) a dirt collection chamber having first and second axially spaced apart ends, a first portion extending from the dirt collection chamber first end towards the dirt collection chamber second end, a second portion extending from the dirt collection chamber second end towards the dirt collection chamber first end, the dirt collection chamber second portion having a central longitudinally extending axis, the dirt collection chamber first portion is in communication with the cyclone dirt outlet wherein at least a portion of the cyclone chamber is in the dirt collection chamber first portion and the cyclone chamber is non-symmetrically positioned with respect to the central longitudinally extending axis of the dirt collection chamber second portion, the dirt collection chamber second end is axially spaced away from the cyclone chamber second end and the dirt collection chamber first portion comprises an inner side adjacent the cyclone chamber and an outer side transversely spaced from and facing the cyclone chamber and defined by a dirt collection chamber sidewall; and,

(d) a rib disposed within the dirt collection chamber circumferentially between the first slot end and the second slot end and extending from a position in the first portion of the dirt collection chamber radially from one of the dirt collection chamber sidewall and the cyclone sidewall toward the other one of the dirt collection chamber sidewall and the cyclone sidewall, the rib comprising an upstream side that is orthogonal to the direction in which air circulates within the cyclone chamber and an opposing downstream side and all of the upstream and downstream sides are exposed to the air in the dirt collection chamber.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rib extends longitudinally from a lower end that is proximate the second end of the cyclone chamber to a position that is longitudinally closer to the slot than to the second end of the cyclone chamber.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection chamber first portion comprises a dirt inlet in communication with the cyclone dirt outlet and wherein the rib comprises first and second axially spaced apart ends, the first end of the rib is provided in the first portion and is spaced from the dirt inlet.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection chamber first portion comprises a dirt inlet in communication with the cyclone dirt outlet and wherein the dirt inlet is positioned adjacent the first end of the dirt collection chamber.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the dirt collection chamber comprises a dirt collection area that is provided at the dirt collection chamber second end wherein the second end of the dirt collection chamber faces the second end of the cyclone chamber.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 5 wherein, when the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber are vertically disposed with the cyclone chamber positioned above the dirt collection chamber, the dirt inlet is at an upper end of the dirt collection chamber and the dirt collection area is in a lower portion of the dirt collection chamber.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection chamber sidewall has a first portion and an axially spaced second portion, each of the first and second portions having a cross-sectional area transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the cross-sectional area of the first portion that is different to the cross-sectional area of the second portion and the interface of the first and second portions defines at least one discontinuity.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the rib is provided between the cyclone dirt outlet and the discontinuity.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein a portion of the dirt collection chamber sidewall extends inwardly at a position along its length.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein a portion of the dirt collection chamber sidewall extends outwardly at a position along its length.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone dirt outlet comprises an outlet height in the longitudinal direction and the rib has a rib height in the longitudinal direction that is greater than the outlet height.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the cyclone chamber air outlet comprises an air exit duct that is provided at the second opposed end of the cyclone chamber and extends longitudinally toward the first end of the cyclone chamber, the air exit duct having an exit duct height in the longitudinal direction that is less than the height of the rib.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rib is equally spaced between the first slot end and the second slot end.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 13 wherein, when the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber are vertically disposed with the cyclone chamber positioned above the dirt collection chamber, the first end of the cyclone chamber is an upper end of the cyclone chamber.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an annular flow chamber exterior to the cyclone chamber, the annular flow chamber having a first end and a second end spaced from the first end and in communication with the dirt collection chamber.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 15 wherein the annular flow chamber comprises a volume contiguous with the dirt collection chamber and located between the first end of the annular flow chamber and the rib.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein the rib has an end facing the first end of the annular flow chamber and the end is spaced from the first end of the annular flow chamber.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection chamber first portion comprises a dirt inlet in communication with the cyclone dirt outlet and wherein the cyclone dirt outlet is the dirt collection chamber dirt inlet.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rib comprises first and second axially spaced apart ends and the first end is provided in the first portion of the dirt collection chamber and the second end of the rib is spaced from the second end of the dirt collection chamber.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rib extends between the inner side and the outer side.

21. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and including a suction motor;

(b) a cyclone chamber provided in the air flow path and comprising a cyclone chamber wall extending between first and second axially spaced apart ends, a cyclone air inlet provided at a first location on the cyclone chamber wall, a cyclone air outlet, a longitudinally extending axis and a cyclone dirt outlet comprising a slot extending circumferentially part way around the cyclone chamber wall, the cyclone dirt outlet being provided at a second location on the cyclone chamber wall that is circumferentially spaced apart from the first location and is longitudinally spaced from the second end;

(c) a dirt collection chamber having a first portion having a first end, a second portion having a second end that is axially spaced from the first end, a dirt collection chamber sidewall having a first portion and an axially spaced second portion, each of the first and second portions having a cross-sectional area transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the cross-sectional area of the first portion that is different to the cross-sectional area of the second portion, the dirt collection chamber first portion is in communication with the cyclone dirt outlet wherein at least a portion of the cyclone chamber is in the dirt collection chamber first portion, the dirt collection chamber second end is axially spaced away from the cyclone chamber second end and the dirt collection chamber first portion comprises an inner side adjacent the cyclone chamber and an outer side transversely spaced from and facing the cyclone chamber and defined by the dirt collection chamber sidewall; and,

(d) a rib disposed at least partially within the dirt collection chamber first portion, circumferentially aligned with the cyclone dirt outlet and extending orthogonally from a surface of one of the inner side and the outer side of the dirt collection chamber first portion toward the other one of the inner side and the outer side of the dirt collection chamber first portion, the rib extending longitudinally from a lower end that is proximate the second end of the cyclone chamber to a position that is longitudinally closer to the slot than to the second end of the cyclone chamber.

22. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 21 wherein the cyclone chamber is non-symmetrically positioned with respect to a central longitudinally extending axis of the dirt collection chamber second portion.

23. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the rib includes an upstream side facing a flow of air in the dirt collection chamber first portion, and an opposing downstream side and wherein all of the the upstream and downstream sides are exposed to air in the first portion.