Cleaner

• US 10,582,821 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• 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, Hwang, Philjae, Hwang, Mantae, Sung, Eunji, Lee, Taekgi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jennings, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US16/051,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20180333031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/22 with rotary fans
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• 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 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/16 Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1633 Concentric cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1675 movable, revolving or rotary
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• 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 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

Abstract

A cleaner includes: a suction motor that generates suction force; a dust separation unit that separates dust from air sucked by the suction force; a motor housing that covers the suction motor; a flow guide that surrounds an outer side of the motor housing and guides air discharged from the dust separation unit to the suction motor; and a body that forms an external appearance by surrounding the flow guide and guides air discharged from the suction motor together with the flow guide.

Claims

1. A cleaner comprising:

a suction unit configured to guide air into the cleaner;

a rotary impeller configured to rotate about an impeller shaft to generate a suction force that suctions air into the cleaner through the suction unit;

a motor that is disposed under the rotary impeller in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, and is configured to drive a rotation of the rotary impeller via the impeller shaft;

a dust separation unit that is disposed under the motor in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the dust separation unit comprising;

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

a second cyclone unit that is disposed under the motor in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and is configured to separate dust from air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit; and

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

2. The cleaner of claim 1, 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.

3. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the second cyclone unit, the motor, the rotary impeller, and the air exhaust are sequentially arranged in order along an axis that is parallel to the impeller shaft.

4. 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.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, 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 motor.

6. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a motor housing that is configured to house the motor, with and that surrounds the rotary impeller disposed at an upper end of the motor housing in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction,

wherein the motor housing has at least one opening through which air around the motor housing flows into the motor housing and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller within the motor housing, and

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

7. The cleaner of claim 6, further comprising a pre-filter that circumferentially surrounds at least part of the motor housing, 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 motor housing through the at least one opening of the motor housing.

8. The cleaner of claim 7, 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 motor,

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

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

the rotary impeller being arranged inside an upper portion of the motor housing and the motor housing circumferentially surrounding the rotary impeller.

10. 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.

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

12. 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.

13. The cleaner of claim 12, 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.

14. 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.

15. The cleaner of claim 14, 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.

16. A cleaner comprising:

a suction unit configured to guide air into the cleaner;

a dust separation unit comprising;

a first cyclone unit configured to generate a first cyclonic flow that separates dust from the air that is suctioned into the cleaner through the suction unit; and

a second cyclone unit that is configured to generate a second cyclonic flow that separates dust from air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

a rotary impeller that is disposed above the dust separation unit in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with an axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along a vertical direction, and that is configured to generate a suction force that suctions air into the cleaner;

a motor that is disposed under the rotary impeller and above the second cyclone unit in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and that is configured to drive a rotation of the rotary impeller; and

a dust container that is disposed under the motor in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and that is configured to store dust that is separated by the dust separation unit.

17. The cleaner of claim 16, 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 axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, the air exhaust is disposed above the rotary impeller.

18. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the second cyclone unit, the motor, the rotary impeller, and the air exhaust are sequentially arranged in order along an axis that is parallel to the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit.

19. The cleaner of claim 16, wherein the motor is configured to drive the rotation of the rotary impeller via an impeller shaft, and

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

20. The cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a filter unit that is disposed above the rotary impeller in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and

that is configured to filter air that has passed through the motor.

21. The cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a motor housing that is configured to house the motor, with the rotary impeller disposed at an upper end of the motor housing in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction,

wherein the motor housing has at least one opening through which air around the motor housing flows into the motor housing and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller, and

wherein an outer surface of the motor housing defines an air passage that guides air that

was discharged from the second cyclone unit into the motor housing through the at least one opening of the motor housing.

22. The cleaner of claim 21, further comprising a pre-filter that circumferentially surrounds at least part of the motor housing, 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 motor housing through the at least one opening of the motor housing.

23. The cleaner of claim 22, 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 motor,

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

24. The cleaner of claim 21, wherein the rotary impeller being disposed at the upper end of the motor housing comprises:

the rotary impeller being arranged inside the motor housing and the motor housing circumferentially surrounding the rotary impeller.

25. The cleaner of claim 16, 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 axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction.

26. The cleaner of claim 16, wherein the second cyclone unit comprises a plurality of cyclone bodies that are configured to secondarily separate dust from the air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit.

27. The cleaner of claim 16, 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.

28. The cleaner of claim 27, 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.

29. 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.

30. The cleaner of claim 29, further comprising a dust cover disposed at a bottom of the dust container in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the axis of the first cyclonic flow of the first cyclone unit arranged longitudinally along the vertical direction, and

that is configured to be opened to provide access to an interior of the dust container.