Cleaner

• US 10,258,212 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Nam, Bohyun, Shim, Inbo, Sung, Jihoon, Park, Sojin, Song, Seunghyun, Lee, Sangkyu, Sun, Changhwa, Kim, Sangjo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/598,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0405 Driving means for the brushes or agitators
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means

Abstract

A cleaner includes: a cleaner body having therein a module mounting portion; a rotation driving portion provided at one side of the module mounting portion; and a cleaning module detachably mounted to the module mounting portion through one side of the cleaner body, wherein the cleaning module includes: a holder linearly inserted into or withdrawn from the module mounting portion in a side direction of the cleaner body; and a cleaning member supported by the holder so as to be inserted or withdrawn into or from the module mounting portion, together with the holder when the holder is inserted thereinto or withdrawn therefrom, and the cleaning member rotated by a driving force provided from the rotation driving portion.

Claims

1. A cleaner, comprising:

a cleaner body having a module mounting portion defining an interior space, the module mounting portion having a first opening in a first side and a second opening on a bottom; and

a cleaning module detachably mounted in the interior space, the cleaning module including;

a cleaning member including a roller body and at least one cleaning element attached to the roller body,

a holder having a first side surface, a second side surface, and one or more connection members that extend between the first side surface and the second side surface,

wherein;

the first side surface of the holder covers the first opening when the cleaning module is mounted in the interior space,

axial ends of the roller body are rotatably supported between the first side surface and the second side surface of the holder to position the cleaning element in the second opening to clean a surface under the cleaner body, and

the cleaning member and the holder are concurrently inserted into or withdrawn from the interior space through the first opening.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a driving module provided within the interior space, wherein the driving module transmits a driving force to an end of the cleaning member to rotate the cleaning member around a rotational axis that corresponds to an inserting direction or withdrawing direction of the cleaning module.

3. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the driving module is coupled to one of the first side surface or the second side surface of the holder, and

wherein the cleaning member is mounted between the driving module and a supporting surface at another one of the first side surface or the second side surface of the holder facing the driving module.

4. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein the supporting surface includes a slit to receive one of the axial ends of the roller body, and wherein the slit is oriented to allow the axial end of the roller body to move within the slit toward or away from the second opening.

5. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein:

the driving module includes an accommodation groove,

the cleaning module includes a protrusion at one of the axial ends that is shaped to be inserted into the accommodation groove when the cleaning module is supported by the holder,

driving module applies the driving force to rotate the accommodation groove, and

the rotating of the accommodation groove transfers the driving force to the protrusion to rotate the cleaning module.

6. The cleaner of claim 5, wherein one or more holes are formed in the accommodation groove, and

wherein the protrusion of the cleaning body include one or more extensions that pass into the one or more holes of the accommodation groove to couple the cleaning module to the driving module.

7. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the driving module includes a first component providing the driving force to one end of the cleaning module, and a second component providing the driving force to another end of the cleaning module.

8. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner body further includes:

a main housing, the main housing defining a space to accommodate one or more of a suction motor to apply a suction force to the second opening or a dust container to store contaminants collected by the cleaning module; and

a cleaning module housing coupled to the main housing, the cleaning module housing defining the module mounting portion.

9. The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the cleaning module housing defines a second side surface cover positioned near the second side surface of the holder, and

wherein the first side surface of the holder defines a first side surface cover, the first and the second side surface covers being symmetric.

10. The cleaner of claim 9, wherein the cleaning module housing is formed to enclose an edge of the second side surface cover.

11. The cleaner of claim 9, wherein a sealing member is coupled to an edge of the second side surface cover.

12. The cleaner of claim 9, wherein the holder includes a release button provided at the second side surface cover, and the cleaning module is separated from the cleaning module housing when user input is applied to the release button.

13. The cleaner of claim 12, wherein the holder further includes hook coupling portions in the second side surface cover and that are linearly moveable by the user input applied to the release button.

14. The cleaner of claim 13, wherein the cleaning module housing includes an inner cover at a position to face the second side surface cover, and

wherein the inner cover includes:

a cleaning module inserting hole corresponding to the module mounting portion; and

hook coupling portion inserting holes corresponding to the hook coupling portions,

wherein the hook coupling portions protrude from the second side surface cover towards the inner cover, and

wherein if the cleaning module is mounted to the module mounting portion through the cleaning module inserting hole, the hook coupling portions are coupled to the inner cover through the hook coupling portion inserting holes.

15. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein the inner cover includes a protrusion inserting hole, and

wherein the second side surface cover includes:

a first member provided at a position to face the inner cover, and having a protrusion passing hole corresponding to the protrusion inserting hole;

a second member provided above or below the first member, integrally formed with the hook coupling portions, and linearly moved by a user'"'"'s input applied to the hook manipulator; and

a third member provided outside the first and second members, exposed to outside together with the hook manipulator, forming an appearance corresponding to the first side surface cover, and having a protrusion inserted into the protrusion inserting hole via the protrusion passing hole.

16. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the one or more connection members of the holder include a first connection portion and a second connection portion spaced apart from each other, and positioned between the first side surface and the second side surface of the holder.

17. The cleaner of claim 16, wherein the holder further includes a plurality of third connection portions spaced apart from each other, and

wherein the plurality of third connection portions extend in a direction crossing an extending direction of the first and second connection portions, and are configured to connect the first and second connection portions.

18. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein an inner side surface of the module mounting portion is formed to enclose the cleaning member, and is provided out of a rotation radius of the cleaning member.

19. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the holder prevents the cleaning member from being inclined when the cleaning module is removed from the interior space through the first opening.

20. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a connection passage coupled to the module mounting portion to receive a suction force.