Cleaner

• US 10,568,476 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): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US16/050,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20180333026A1
• 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;

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 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; and

a printed circuit board (PCB) that is configured to control an operation of the suction motor, and that is disposed between the rotary impeller and the second cyclone unit of the dust separation unit.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed closer to the second cyclone unit than the rotary impeller.

3. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the rotary impeller is disposed at a first end of the suction motor, and

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

4. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein the printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed at the second end of the suction motor.

5. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein the impeller shaft being arranged at the first end of the suction motor comprises:

the impeller shaft being arranged inside a first portion of the suction motor at the first end of the suction motor.

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

7. The cleaner of claim 6, wherein the rotary impeller being disposed at the upper end of the suction motor comprises:

the rotary impeller being arranged inside an upper portion of the suction motor.

8. 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.

9. The cleaner of claim 8, 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.

10. The cleaner of claim 9, 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.

11. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an air exhaust configured to discharge air that has passed through the rotary impeller,

wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, the air exhaust is disposed above the rotary impeller.

12. 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.

13. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a filter unit that is disposed above the rotary impeller in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, and that is configured to filter air that has passed through the suction motor and through the rotary impeller.

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 14, 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 at least one opening of the suction motor.

16. The cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a filter unit that is configured to be removable from the cleaner and that is configured to filter air that has passed through the suction motor,

wherein removing the filter unit from the cleaner exposes at least part of the pre-filter to an outside of the cleaner.

17. 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 a vertical direction in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction.

18. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second cyclone unit comprises a plurality of cyclone bodies that secondarily separate dust from the air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit.

19. 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.

20. The cleaner of claim 19, 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.

21. A cleaner comprising:

a suction unit configured to guide air into the cleaner;

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 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; and

a printed circuit board (PCB) that is configured to control an operation of the suction motor,

wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction;

the rotary impeller is accommodated within a first covering at an upper end of the suction motor, and

the PCB is accommodated within a second covering at a lower end of the suction motor.

22. The cleaner of claim 21, wherein the second covering at the lower end of the suction motor comprises a lower surface over which air passes after the air is discharged from the second cyclone unit and before the air enters the suction motor.

23. The cleaner of claim 21, wherein the first covering and the second covering form an upper portion and a lower portion of the suction motor, respectively, with the rotary impeller and the PCB both accommodated inside the suction motor.

24. The cleaner of claim 21, wherein, as compared to the first covering, the second covering is disposed closer to the second cyclone unit.

25. The cleaner of claim 21, 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.

26. The cleaner of claim 25, wherein the at least one opening of the suction motor is formed in the first covering at the upper end of the suction motor.

27. The cleaner of claim 21, further comprising an air exhaust configured to discharge air that has passed through the rotary impeller,

wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the air exhaust is disposed above the rotary impeller.

28. The cleaner of claim 21, further comprising a pre-filter that is configured to circumferentially surround 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.

29. The cleaner of claim 28, further comprising a filter unit that is disposed above the rotary impeller in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and that is configured to filter air that has passed through the pre-filter and through the rotary impeller.

30. The cleaner of claim 29, wherein the filter unit is configured to be detachable from the cleaner, and

wherein detaching the filter unit from the cleaner exposes at least part of the pre-filter to an outside of the cleaner.