Cleaner

• US 10,568,474 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• 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:
  US16/050,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20180333024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• 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;

an air exhaust configured to discharge air from the cleaner;

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

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;

an exhaust filter that is configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner and that is configured to receive and filter air that has been discharged from the suction motor and the rotary impeller before the air is discharged through the air exhaust; and

an air guide that is disposed circumferentially around the rotary impeller and that comprises a surface that is configured to guide air from a first passage of the cleaner to a second passage of the cleaner, in which (i) the first passage is configured to guide air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit past an outer surface of the suction motor and towards at least one opening of the suction motor through which air flows to the rotary impeller, and (ii) the second passage is configured to guide air that flows from the rotary impeller towards the exhaust filter.

2. The cleaner of claim 1,

wherein the rotary impeller is disposed at a first end of the suction motor, and the second cyclone unit is disposed at a second end of the suction motor, opposite the first end.

3. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the rotary impeller being disposed at the first end of the suction motor comprises:

the rotary impeller being arranged inside the first end of the suction motor and the suction motor circumferentially surrounding the rotary impeller.

4. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the air guide is disposed circumferentially around at least a portion of the suction motor.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that is configured to form an outer appearance of the cleaner and that comprises the air guide therein; and

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

wherein the discharge cover is separably coupled to the housing of the cleaner, and

wherein, in a state in which the discharge cover is separated from the housing, the air guide is accessible from an outside of the housing.

6. The cleaner of claim 5, wherein, in a state in which the discharge cover is coupled to the housing, a first portion of the discharge cover is received in an interior of the housing and a second portion of the discharge cover is mounted at an end of the housing.

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

the air guide is disposed under the air exhaust and surrounds the rotary impeller, the rotary impeller is disposed at an upper end of the suction motor, a lower end of the suction motor is disposed under the air guide, and the second cyclone unit is disposed under the suction motor.

8. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first cyclone unit is arranged to have an axis of cyclonic flow that extends along a same direction as the impeller shaft.

9. 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.

10. The cleaner of claim 9, further comprising a pre-filter that circumferentially surrounds at least part of the suction motor, and that is configured to filter air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit of the dust separation unit and before the air enters the suction motor through the at least one opening of the suction motor.

11. The cleaner of claim 10, wherein detaching the exhaust filter from the cleaner exposes at least part of the pre-filter to an outside of the cleaner.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. The cleaner of claim 13, 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.

15. The cleaner of claim 13, 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.

16. 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.

17. The cleaner of claim 16, 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.

18. The cleaner of claim 16, 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.

19. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the air guide is further configured to guide air from the first passage that was discharged from the second cyclone unit to flow past the rotary impeller and into the second passage.

30. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the air guide is further configured to guide air from the first passage that was discharged from the second cyclone unit to flow past the rotary impeller and into the second passage.

20. 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 configured to separate dust from air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

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

an air guide that is disposed circumferentially around the rotary impeller and arranged between a first passage of the cleaner and a second passage of the cleaner such that air flowing from the first passage flows past the air guide and into the second passage, with (i) the first passage configured to guide air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit towards an opening of the suction motor, through which the air flows into the suction motor and subsequently through the rotary impeller, and (ii) the second passage configured to guide air that is discharged from the suction motor towards an outside of the cleaner; and

a dust container configured to store dust that is separated by dust separation unit.

21. The cleaner of claim 20, wherein the rotary impeller is disposed at a first end of the suction motor, and the second cyclone unit is disposed at a second end of the suction motor, opposite the first end.

22. The cleaner of claim 21, wherein the rotary impeller being disposed at the first end of the suction motor comprises:

the rotary impeller being arranged inside the first end of the suction motor and the suction motor circumferentially surrounding the rotary impeller.

23. The cleaner of claim 20, further comprising:

an air exhaust configured to discharge air from the cleaner; and

an exhaust filter that is configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner and that is configured to receive and filter air that has been discharged from the suction motor and the rotary impeller before the air is discharged through the air exhaust.

24. The cleaner of claim 23, further comprising:

a housing that is configured to form an outer appearance of the cleaner and that comprises the air guide therein; and

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

wherein the discharge cover is separably coupled to the housing of the cleaner, and

wherein, in a state in which the discharge cover is separated from the housing, the air guide is accessible from an outside of the housing.

25. The cleaner of claim 24, wherein, in a state in which the discharge cover is coupled to the housing, a first portion of the discharge cover is received in an interior of the housing and a second portion of the discharge cover is mounted at an end of the housing.

26. The cleaner of claim 20, 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 at an upper end of the suction motor, a lower end of the suction motor is disposed under the air guide, and the second cyclone unit is disposed under the suction motor.

27. The cleaner of claim 20, further comprising a pre-filter that circumferentially surrounds at least part of the suction motor, and that is configured to filter air that was discharged from the second cyclone unit before the air enters the suction motor through the opening of the suction motor.

28. The cleaner of claim 20, 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.

29. The cleaner of claim 20, further comprising a dust cover disposed at a bottom of the dust container in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, and that is configured to be opened to provide access to an interior of the dust container.