Cleaner

• US 10,433,688 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Nam, Bohyun, Kim, Namhee, Kim, Jinju, An, Hyeonjeong, Hwang, Jungbae
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David
• Application Number:
  US16/050,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20180333023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 15353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/149 Emptying means; Reusable bags
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1616 Multiple arrangement thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• 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

A cleaner includes: a suction unit; a suction motor that generates suction force for sucking air through the suction unit and includes an impeller; a dust separation unit that includes one or more cyclone units generating cyclonic flow to separate dust from air flowing inside through the suction unit; a dust container that stores dust separated by the dust separation unit and is disposed under the suction motor; a battery disposed behind the dust container to supply power to the suction motor; and a handle disposed behind the suction motor, wherein a rotational axis of the impeller and an axis of the cyclonic flow vertically extend and an extension line from the rotational axis of the impeller passes through the one or more cyclone units.

Claims

1. A cleaner comprising:

a suction unit configured to guide air into the cleaner;

a dust separation unit comprising;

a first cyclone unit configured to separate dust from air that is suctioned into the cleaner through the suction unit; and

a second cyclone unit comprising a plurality of cyclone bodies that are configured to secondarily separate dust from air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

a suction motor configured to drive a rotation of a rotary impeller via an impeller shaft to generate a suction force that suctions air into the cleaner through the suction unit;

a first filter configured to receive and filter air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit, wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, the first filter is arranged at an upper portion of the suction motor; and

a second filter that is configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner and that is configured to receive and filter air that has passed through the suction motor, the rotary impeller, and the first filter, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the second filter is arranged circumferentially around the first filter and above the rotary impeller.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the first filter being arranged at the upper portion of the suction motor comprises:

at least a portion of the first filter being disposed above the suction motor.

3. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, at least a portion of the first filter is disposed above the rotary impeller and the impeller shaft.

4. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the rotary impeller is arranged at an upper end of the suction motor.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first filter is configured to filter at least a portion of the air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit before the air is filtered by the second filter.

6. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second filter is circumferentially arranged around an axis along which the impeller shaft is longitudinally aligned, and

wherein an axis of a first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is aligned with the axis of the impeller shaft.

7. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that is configured to form an outer appearance of the cleaner and that houses the suction motor therein; and

a discharge cover comprising a receiving portion that is configured to receive the second filter,

wherein the discharge cover is separably coupled to the housing of the cleaner.

8. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein an axis along which the impeller shaft is aligned is configured to pass through the first filter.

9. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second cyclone unit, the suction motor, and the second filter are sequentially arranged along an axis of the impeller shaft.

10. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) that is operably connected to the suction motor,

wherein the PCB is located between the rotary impeller and the second cyclone unit.

11. The cleaner of claim 10, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the PCB is disposed at a lower end of the suction motor and the rotary impeller is disposed at an upper end of the suction motor.

12. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction:

the rotary impeller is disposed under the second filter, the rotary impeller is disposed at an upper end of the suction motor, and the second cyclone unit is disposed under the suction motor.

13. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction motor comprises an outer surface that defines a passage configured to guide the air discharged from the second cyclone unit towards the first filter.

14. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction motor has at least one opening through which air around the suction motor flows into the suction motor and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller, and

wherein an outer surface of the suction motor defines an air passage that guides air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit into the suction motor through the at least one opening of the suction motor.

15. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first cyclone unit is configured to generate a helical flow of air that separates the dust from the air, and

wherein an axis of the helical flow of air is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction.

16. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a handle that is configured to be held by a user to operate the cleaner using only one hand.

17. The cleaner of claim 16, wherein the handle comprises a stopper that is configured to be arranged between an index finger and middle finger of a hand of the user in a state in which the handle is held by the user.

18. The cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a battery housing that is arranged at a base of the handle and that is configured to house a removable battery for powering the cleaner.

19. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a dust container that is disposed under the suction motor in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, and is configured to store dust that is separated by the dust separation unit.

20. The cleaner of claim 19, wherein the dust container is at least partially transparent to provide visual access to an interior of the dust container from an outside of the cleaner.

21. The cleaner of claim 19, further comprising a dust cover disposed at a bottom of the dust container in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and that is configured to be opened to provide access to an interior of the dust container.

22. A cleaner comprising:

a suction unit configured to guide air into the cleaner;

a dust separation unit comprising;

a first cyclone unit configured to separate dust from air that is suctioned into the cleaner through the suction unit; and

a second cyclone unit comprising a plurality of cyclone bodies that are configured to secondarily separate dust from air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

a suction motor configured to drive a rotation of a rotary impeller via an impeller shaft to generate a suction force that suctions air into the cleaner through the suction unit;

a first filter configured to receive and filter air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit; and

a second filter configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner and configured to receive and filter air that passed through the suction motor, the rotary impeller, and the first filter, wherein the second filter is arranged circumferentially around the first filter.

23. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein an outer surface of the suction motor defines an air passage configured to guide the air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit towards the first filter.

24. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein the suction motor has at least one opening through which air around the suction motor flows into the suction motor and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller, and

wherein an outer surface of the suction motor defines an air passage that guides air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit into the suction motor through the at least one opening of the suction motor.

25. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, the first filter is arranged at an upper portion of the suction motor.

26. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, at least a portion of the first filter is disposed above the rotary impeller and the impeller shaft.

27. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein the first filter is configured to filter at least a portion of the air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit before the air is filtered by the second filter.

28. The cleaner of claim 22, further comprising:

a housing that is configured to form an outer appearance of the cleaner and that houses the suction motor therein; and

a discharge cover comprising a receiving portion that is configured to receive the second filter,

wherein the discharge cover is separably coupled to the housing of the cleaner.

29. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein an axis along which the impeller shaft is aligned is configured to pass through the first filter.

30. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction:

the rotary impeller is disposed under the second filter, the rotary impeller is disposed at an upper end of the suction motor, and the second cyclone unit is disposed under the suction motor.