Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,188,249 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Jungkyu, Nam, Bohyun, Park, Jaeyong, Bae, Sehwan, Jung, Geunyong, Ha, Gunho
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US15/445,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 15DIG 1, 15339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/102 Dust separators cyclones A47L9/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes: a cleaner body including a battery chamber; a motor provided in the cleaner body to provide suction force; a battery detachably mounted in the battery chamber to provide electric power to the motor; a battery cover rotatably mounted in the cleaner body to open and close the battery chamber; and a charging stand on which the cleaner body is held and which includes an opening prevention rib located on a rotation path of the battery cover in a state in which the cleaner body is held on the opening prevention rib and preventing opening of the battery cover.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner system comprising:

a cleaner body that defines a battery chamber;

a motor that is located in the cleaner body and configured to provide a suction force;

a battery that is detachably provided in the battery chamber and configured to provide electric power to the motor;

a battery cover that is rotatably coupled to the cleaner body and configured to open and close the battery chamber; and

a charging stand that is configured to couple to the cleaner body, wherein the charging stand includes an opening prevention rib that is located along an opening path of the battery cover to thereby prevent the battery cover from opening based on the cleaner body being coupled to the charging stand.

2. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 1, wherein, the opening prevention rib is located, based on the battery chamber being closed by the battery cover, between the battery cover and a bottom surface of the cleaner body.

3. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 2, wherein the opening prevention rib is configured to contact an end of the battery cover to thereby restrain rotation of the battery cover.

4. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 2, wherein the opening prevention rib protrudes upward from an upper surface of the charging stand.

5. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 1, wherein the battery cover comprises:

a cover body; and

a mounting part that extends from an end portion of the cover body and that is rotatably fastened to the battery chamber,

wherein the battery cover is configured to rotate about a rotation axis to open and close an opening of the battery chamber.

6. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 1, further comprising a charging terminal unit that is located in the battery chamber and that is configured to be electrically connect to a battery terminal part of the battery.

7. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 6, wherein the charging stand comprises an output terminal unit that is configured to be connected to the battery terminal part of the battery based on the battery being separated from the battery chamber.

8. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 6, wherein the cleaner body comprises an input terminal part at a bottom surface of the cleaner body,

wherein the charging stand comprises an output terminal part, and

wherein the input terminal part is configured to be connected to the output terminal part based on the cleaner body being coupled to the charging stand.

9. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 1, wherein the cleaner body further comprises movable wheels that are configured to move the cleaner body, and

wherein the battery chamber is configured such that a direction in which the battery is inserted into the battery chamber forms an acute angle with respect to a vertical line passing through a rotation center of the movable wheels.

10. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a suction motor that is configured to generate a suction force;

a suction part that is configured to suction in air and dust and communicate with the cleaner body;

movable wheels that is configured to move the cleaner body; and

a battery that is detachably mounted at a rear surface of the cleaner body and configured to supply electric power to the cleaner body,

wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate about a rotation center axis of the movable wheels,

wherein the cleaner body is configured such that a direction in which the battery is inserted into the cleaner body forms a first acute angle with respect to a vertical line passing through a rotation center of the movable wheels, and a second acute angle with respect to a floor based on the cleaner body being placed on the floor, and

wherein the first acute angle is greater than the second acute angle.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located between a rear of the vacuum cleaner and the rotation center axis based on the battery being coupled to the cleaner body, and

wherein the center of gravity of the cleaner body is located between a front of the vacuum cleaner and the rotation center axis based on the battery being separated from the cleaner body.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein a bottom surface of the cleaner body includes:

a first bottom surface; and

a second bottom surface that slopes at a predetermined angle with respect to the first bottom surface,

wherein, based on the battery being separated from the cleaner body, the first bottom surface is in contact with the floor and the second bottom surface is spaced apart from the floor.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 12, wherein the second bottom surface includes a supporter that is configured to limit a rotation range of the cleaner body toward a rear side of the cleaner body.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the supporter includes an auxiliary wheel that is configured to rotate by friction between the auxiliary wheel and the floor.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the supporter comprises an extension that is rotatably connected to the cleaner body.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15, wherein the supporter comprises an elastic member that is configured to provide an elastic force to the extension.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein based on the battery being mounted in the cleaner body, the first bottom surface is spaced apart from the floor and the supporter comes into contact with the floor.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the cleaner body comprises a battery attachment part that is configured to couple to the battery, and

wherein the battery comprises a battery cover that is configured to cover the battery attachment part based on the battery being accommodated in the battery attachment part.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the cleaner body comprises:

a battery attachment part that is configured to couple to the battery is coupled; and

a battery cover that is rotatably coupled to the cleaner body and that is configured to cover the battery attachment part based on the battery being accommodated in the battery attachment part.