Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,426,310 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• 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, Seo, Jonghyun, Lee, Jinwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Marc
• Application Number:
  US15/445,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• 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 9/0081 Means for exhaust-air diffusion; Means for sound or vibration damping
• 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 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/248 Parts, details or accessories of hoses or pipes nozzles A47L9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum cleaner including a cleaner body; a moving wheel installed at both side surfaces of the cleaner body to be rotatable for travel of the cleaner body and configured to rotatably support the cleaner body; and a wheel motor assembly provided between an outer surface of the cleaner body and the moving wheel and configured to rotate the moving wheel for the travel of the cleaner body, wherein the wheel motor assembly is rotatably coupled to the moving wheel at a rear of a vertical extension line of a rotating center of the moving wheel.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body, the wheels being configured to allow the vacuum cleaner to travel on ground and to allow the cleaner body to rotate about the wheels in forward and reverse directions;

a wheel motor assembly provided between an outer surface of the cleaner body and each of the wheels, the wheel motor assembly being configured to rotate at least one of the wheels;

a detecting part provided at the cleaner body and configured to detect an inclination of the cleaner body; and

a PCB configured to cause the wheel motor assembly to be driven according to the inclination of the cleaner body detected by the detecting part,

wherein the wheel motor assembly is positioned rearward of a vertical extension line of a rotating center of the wheels such that a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located closer to a rear end of the cleaner body than its front end, and

wherein the center of gravity of the cleaner body is located rearward of rotating centers of the wheels such that the cleaner body is configured, based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary, to be inclined toward the reverse direction.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wheels include a wheel gear that is coupled to the wheel motor assembly and configured to receive torque from the wheel motor assembly.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the wheel gear is rotatably coupled at a side portion of the cleaner body and configured to be rotated by the wheel motor assembly, the wheel gear being fixed to a rotating shaft of the wheels.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the wheels include:

a wheel gear installing portion to which a coupling member coupled to the wheel gear is fastened; and

a wheel cap that is detachably attached at an outer side of the wheel gear installing portion and configured to shield the coupling member.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body includes side portions that are spaced apart from each other and that are vertically oriented, the side portions defining both side surfaces of the cleaner body, and wherein each of the wheels is provided at one of the side portions.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the wheel motor assembly is attached to at least one of the side portions.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the side portions includes a detecting part.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the detecting part is positioned vertically higher than a rotating shaft of the wheels.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the detecting part includes a gyro sensor.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the side portions includes a detecting part and a PCB, the detecting part and the PCB being included in a single module.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the detecting part and the PCB are attached at a detecting part fixing member, wherein at least one of the side portions defines a detecting part fixing hole, and wherein the detecting part fixing member includes a fixing hook that is configured to be inserted into and become fixed to the detecting part fixing hole.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein each of the side portions includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs that extend in a vertical direction.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wheel motor assembly includes:

a wheel motor;

a moving gear configured to transmit power of the wheel motor to the wheels; and

a wheel motor case configured to accommodate the wheel motor and the moving gear.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the wheel motor is a brushless DC electric (BLDC) motor.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the wheel motor is provided at a lower portion of the wheel motor case at a location that is vertically lower than the moving gear.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, further comprising a wheel boss to which at least one of the wheels is shaft-coupled and that serves as a rotating center of the cleaner body, wherein the wheel boss is included at both side surfaces of the cleaner body, and wherein the wheel motor case defines a case installing groove that is recessed in a shape corresponding to that of the wheel boss and that is configured to accommodate at least a part of the wheel boss at a position rearward of the wheel boss.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein the wheel motor assembly includes a wheel motor and one or more moving gears configured to transmit a rotating force of the wheel motor to the wheels, and

wherein the wheel motor and the moving gears are arranged in a vertical direction.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the wheel motor assembly shifts a center of gravity of the cleaner body rearward such that that the center of gravity is located rearward of the vertical extension line of the rotating center of the wheels.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the moving gears are positioned vertically higher than a rotating shaft of the wheels, and the wheel motor is positioned vertically lower than the rotating shaft of the wheels.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the one or more moving gears and the wheel motor are located rearward of the vertical extension line of the rotating center.

21. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wheel motor assembly is rotatably coupled to the wheel at a position rearward of a vertical extension line of a rotating center of the wheel.

22. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body, the wheels being configured to allow the vacuum cleaner to travel on ground and to allow the cleaner body to rotate about the wheels in forward and reverse directions;

a wheel motor assembly provided between an outer surface of the cleaner body and each of the wheels, the wheel motor assembly being configured to rotate at least one of the wheels;

a detecting part provided at the cleaner body and configured to detect an inclination of the cleaner body; and

a PCB configured to cause the wheel motor assembly to be driven according to the inclination of the cleaner body detected by the detecting part,

wherein the wheel motor assembly is positioned rearward of a vertical extension line of a rotating center of the wheels such that a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located closer to a rear end of the cleaner body than its front end, and

wherein the PCB is configured to cause the wheel motor assembly to be driven based on an angle between the cleaner body and the ground detected by the detecting part being smaller as the vacuum cleaner travels than when the vacuum cleaner is stationary.

23. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body, the wheels being configured to allow the vacuum cleaner to travel on ground and to allow the cleaner body to rotate about the wheels in forward and reverse directions;

a wheel motor assembly provided between an outer surface of the cleaner body and each of the wheels, the wheel motor assembly being configured to rotate at least one of the wheels;

a detecting part provided at the cleaner body and configured to detect an inclination of the cleaner body; and

a PCB configured to cause the wheel motor assembly to be driven according to the inclination of the cleaner body detected by the detecting part,

wherein the wheel motor assembly is positioned rearward of a vertical extension line of a rotating center of the wheels such that a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located closer to a rear end of the cleaner body than its front end, and

wherein the PCB is configured to control the wheel motor assembly such that an angle between the cleaner body and the ground becomes substantially horizontal based on the vacuum cleaner travelling.