Cleaner

• US 10,568,475 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:
  US16/050,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20180333025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 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 suction motor that is configured 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;

a cleaner body that is configured to accommodate the suction motor, and that has a first opening that provides access to an interior of the cleaner body;

an exhaust filter that is configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner body at the first opening of the cleaner body, the exhaust filter configured to receive and filter air that has passed through the suction motor;

a filter cover that is configured to cover the first opening of the cleaner body at which the exhaust filter is configured to be coupled;

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; and

a dust container that is configured to store dust that is separated by the dust separation unit and that comprises a dust cover configured to cover a second opening of the dust container that provides access to an interior of the dust container,

wherein the second opening of the dust container and the first opening of the cleaner body are located on opposite sides of the dust separation unit, with an axis of a first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit configured to pass through the first opening and through the second opening, and

wherein, in a state in which the first opening is uncovered, the pre-filter is configured to be inserted through the first opening to surround at least part of the suction motor.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first opening provides access to the interior of the cleaner body in a first direction, and the second opening provides access to the interior of the dust container in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

3. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in a state in which the filter cover is opened to uncover the first opening and the dust cover is opened to uncover the second opening:

the first opening is configured to face in a first direction and the second opening is configured to face in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

4. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction motor is disposed between the exhaust filter and the dust container.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust container comprises a dust storage guide that is configured to partition an internal space of the dust container into (i) a first dust storage unit configured to store dust separated in the first cyclone unit, and (ii) a second dust storage unit configured to store dust separated in the second cyclone unit.

6. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction motor includes a rotary impeller, the suction motor configured to drive a rotation of the rotary impeller via an impeller shaft to generate the suction force that suctions the air into the cleaner through the suction unit, and

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.

7. The cleaner of claim 6, 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.

8. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein removing the filter cover and the exhaust filter from the cleaner body exposes at least part of the pre-filter to an outside of the cleaner body.

9. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in a state in which the filter cover is opened to uncover the first opening and the dust cover is opened to uncover the second opening:

the exhaust filter is configured to be inserted into the first opening of the cleaner body in a first direction, and

the dust container is configured to release the dust stored therein through the second opening in the first direction.

10. 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,

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.

11. The cleaner of claim 6, further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) that is operably connected to the suction motor, and that is disposed between the rotary impeller and the dust separation unit.

12. The cleaner of claim 11, wherein the PCB is disposed at a first end of the suction motor, and the exhaust filter is disposed at a second end of the suction motor opposite the first end.

13. The cleaner of claim 1, 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.

27. The cleaner of claim 6, wherein the pre-filter circumferentially surrounds at least a part of the rotary impeller.

28. The cleaner of claim 6, wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, the second cyclone unit is disposed below the suction motor.

14. A cleaner comprising:

a suction unit configured to guide air into the cleaner;

a suction motor that is configured 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;

a cleaner body that is configured to accommodate the suction motor, and that has a first opening that provides access to an interior of the cleaner body;

an exhaust filter that is configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner body at the first opening of the cleaner body, the exhaust filter configured to receive and filter air that has passed through the suction motor;

a filter cover that is configured to cover the first opening of the cleaner body at which the exhaust filter is configured to be coupled;

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; and

a dust container that is configured to store dust that is separated by the dust separation unit and that comprises a dust cover configured to cover a second opening of the dust container that provides access to an interior of the dust container,

wherein the second opening of the dust container and the first opening of the cleaner body are located on opposite sides of the dust separation unit,

wherein, in a state in which the first opening is uncovered, the pre-filter is configured to be inserted through the first opening to surround at least part of the suction motor, and

wherein, in a state in which an axis of a first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, and in which the filter cover is opened to uncover the first opening and the dust cover is opened to uncover the second opening;

the first opening is configured to face in an upward direction and the second opening is configured to face in a downward direction.

15. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and in which the filter cover is opened to uncover the first opening and the dust cover is opened to uncover the second opening:

the exhaust filter is configured to be inserted into the first opening of the cleaner body in a downward direction, and

the dust container is configured to release the dust stored therein through the second opening in the downward direction.

16. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the suction motor is disposed below the exhaust filter and above the dust container.

17. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein the dust container comprises a dust storage guide that is configured to partition an internal space of the dust container into (i) a first dust storage unit configured to store dust separated in the first cyclone unit, and (ii) a second dust storage unit configured to store dust separated in the second cyclone unit.

18. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein the suction motor includes a rotary impeller, the suction motor being configured to drive a rotation of the rotary impeller via an impeller shaft to generate the suction force that suctions the air into the cleaner through the suction unit, and

wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the rotary impeller is disposed at an upper end of the suction motor and the second cyclone unit is disposed at a lower end of the suction motor.

19. The cleaner of claim 18, 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.

20. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein removing the filter cover and the exhaust filter from the cleaner body exposes at least part of the pre-filter to an outside of the cleaner body.

21. The cleaner of claim 14, further comprising a handle that is configured to be held by a user to operate the cleaner using only one hand,

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.

22. The cleaner of claim 18, further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) that is operably connected to the suction motor,

wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the PCB is disposed below the rotary impeller and above the dust separation unit.

23. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the PCB is disposed at a lower end of the suction motor, and the exhaust filter is disposed at an upper end of the suction motor.

24. The cleaner of claim 14, 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.

25. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the first opening of the cleaner body is located above the dust separation unit, and the second opening of the dust container is located below the dust separation unit, and

wherein the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is configured to pass through the first opening and through the second opening.

26. The cleaner of claim 14, wherein, in the state in which the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit is arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction:

the first opening provides access to the interior of the cleaner body in a downward direction, and the second opening provides access to the interior of the dust container in an upward direction.

29. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the pre-filter circumferentially surrounds at least a part of the rotary impeller.

30. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, the second cyclone unit is disposed below the suction motor.