Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,575,690 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• 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): Scruggs, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/445,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 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 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum cleaner including a cleaner body disposed at a position distant from the ground; moving wheels rotatably installed at both sides of the cleaner body and configured to rotatably support the cleaner body; a dust container installed at a front surface of the cleaner body located at a front of the moving wheels and configured to collect suctioned dust; and a suction hose connected to the front surface of the cleaner body and through which the dust is suctioned, wherein a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located at a rear side further than a vertical extension line of a rotating center of the moving wheels, and a rear end of the cleaner body becomes closer to the ground when travel of the vacuum cleaner is stopped.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body comprising a seating part, the seating part comprising;

a lower surface portion that defines a lower surface hole of the seating part, a front end of the lower surface portion being higher than a rear end of the lower surface portion, and

a circumferential portion that extends upward along an edge of the lower surface portion that has a front portion defining a front opening of the seating part, wherein the lower surface portion and the circumferential portion define a seating space;

moving wheels rotatably installed at both sides of the cleaner body and configured to rotatably support the cleaner body;

a rear wheel unit installed at a bottom surface of the cleaner body and located rearward of a rotating axis of the moving wheels;

a front wheel unit installed at the bottom surface of the cleaner body and located forward of the rotating axis of the moving wheels;

a suction hose connected to a front surface of the cleaner body and configured to guide dust to the cleaner body;

a dust container configured to be detachably accommodated in the seating space through the front opening of the seating part, the dust container being configured to receive suctioned dust;

a wheel motor assembly installed in the cleaner body at a position rearward of the rotating axis of the moving wheels;

a main motor that is located within the cleaner body, that is disposed vertically above the wheel motor assembly, and that is configured to generate suction force, the main motor being located rearward of the rotating axis of the moving wheels; and

a battery unit that is disposed vertically below the main motor and that is disposed rearward of the wheel motor assembly,

wherein based on the wheel motor assembly, the main motor, and the battery unit being located rearward of the rotating axis of the moving wheels, a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located rearward of the rotating axis of the moving wheels.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the cleaner body includes a center portion, a first half portion that is inclined upward from a front end of the center portion in a forward direction, and a second half portion that is inclined upward from a rear end of the center portion in a rearward direction.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the seating part and the front wheel unit are disposed at the first half portion.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the rear wheel unit is disposed at the second half portion.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the rear wheel unit includes an elastic portion that provides an elastic force to the second half portion based on the cleaner body being rotated in a first direction.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the rear wheel unit is located rearward of the moving wheels, and the moving wheels and the rear wheel unit provide a three-point support to the cleaner body based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the cleaner body includes side portions that extend vertically upward from both side ends of the center portion, and wherein the moving wheels are provided at each of the side portions.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate in a first direction based on the vacuum cleaner initiating travel in the forward direction, and to maintain the center portion in a substantially parallel state with a ground while the vacuum cleaner is travelling.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a cover member that is configured to be rotatably opened and closed and that is provided at an upper surface of the cleaner body, the cover member being configured to cover an upper portion of the dust container based on the cover member being in a closed state.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the cover member includes a connector to which the suction hose is connected, the suction hose being in communication with a suction port of the dust container via the connector.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate such that an angle between a front end of the cleaner body and a ground is greater based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary as compared to the vacuum cleaner travelling in a forward direction.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate such that an angle between a rear end of the cleaner body and a ground decreases based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary as compared to the vacuum cleaner travelling in a forward direction.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the cleaner body is maintained in a substantially parallel state with a ground based on the vacuum cleaner travelling in a forward direction.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the suction hose is connected to the cleaner body at a location that is forward of and vertically higher than the rotating axis of the moving wheels, and the cleaner body is configured to rotate about the moving wheels based on the suction hose being pulled by a user.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body is configured to, based on the cleaner body starting to move in a forward direction, rotate such that a rear end of the cleaner body becomes farther from a ground.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the main motor is disposed rearward of the wheel motor assembly.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the battery unit is disposed rearward of the main motor.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the battery unit and the main motor are disposed at positions rearward of the moving wheels and spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction.