Cleaner

• US 10,617,270 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• 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): Horton, Andrew A
• Application Number:
  US16/050,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20180333029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 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 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 receive air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit, the second cyclone unit comprising a plurality of cyclone bodies that are configured to separate dust from the air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

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 motor housing that is configured to house the suction motor;

a pre-filter configured to be removable from the cleaner and that is configured to, in a state of being inserted into the cleaner, filter air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit and before the air flows into the motor housing and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller; and

an air exhaust that is configured to receive air that flowed through the rotary impeller and the suction motor and to discharge the air to an outside of the cleaner,

wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along a vertical direction, a top of the second cyclone unit is disposed below a bottom of the suction motor, and

wherein the pre-filter is configured, in the state of being inserted into the cleaner, to circumferentially surround at least a part of the motor housing and to discharge the filtered air in an inward direction toward the motor housing.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, the air exhaust is disposed above the rotary impeller.

3. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, the rotary impeller is disposed above the suction motor.

4. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second cyclone unit, the suction motor, the rotary impeller, and the air exhaust are sequentially arranged in order along an axis that is parallel to the impeller shaft.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an exhaust filter having a circular cross-sectional shape with an axis that is aligned with the impeller shaft, and that is configured to filter air that has passed through the rotary impeller before the air is discharged through the air exhaust.

6. The cleaner of claim 5, further comprising a dust container that is configured to store dust that is separated in the dust separation unit,

wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, the dust container is disposed under the motor, and the air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit flows upward to the suction motor and passes through suction motor, and subsequently passes through the exhaust filter.

7. The cleaner of claim 5, further comprising:

a cleaner body that is configured to accommodate the pre-filter in an interior of the cleaner body; and

a filter frame that supports the exhaust filter and that maintains the pre-filter within the interior of the cleaner body, and that is configured to be separably coupled to the cleaner body,

wherein the filter frame is configured to be separated from the cleaner body in an upward direction in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction.

8. The cleaner of claim 7, wherein in a state in which the filter frame is removed from the cleaner body, at least part of the pre-filter is exposed to the outside of the cleaner.

9. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the pre-filter is disposed concentrically around the motor housing.

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 elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction.

11. 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; and

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.

12. The cleaner of claim 11, 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 1, further comprising a dust container that is disposed under the motor in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, and is configured to store dust that is separated by the dust separation unit.

14. The cleaner of claim 13, 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 elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, and that is configured to be opened to provide access to an interior of the dust container, and

wherein the dust container is at least partially transparent to provide visual access to the interior of the dust container from the outside of the cleaner.

15. 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 receive air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit, the second cyclone unit comprising a plurality of cyclone bodies that are configured to separate dust from the air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

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 motor housing that is configured to house the suction motor, wherein an outer surface of the motor housing defines an air passage that guides air from the second cyclone unit into at least one opening of the motor housing, from which the air subsequently flows through the rotary impeller; and

an air exhaust that is configured to receive air that flowed through the rotary impeller and the suction motor and that was discharged from the motor housing, and to discharge the air to an outside of the cleaner,

wherein, in a state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along a vertical direction, a top of the second cyclone unit is disposed below a bottom of the suction motor.

16. The cleaner of claim 15, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, the air exhaust is disposed above the rotary impeller.

17. The cleaner of claim 16, wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, the rotary impeller is disposed above the suction motor.

18. The cleaner of claim 15, wherein the second cyclone unit, the suction motor, the rotary impeller, and the air exhaust are sequentially arranged in order along an axis that is parallel to the impeller shaft.

19. The cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a dust container that is configured to store dust that is separated in the dust separation unit,

wherein, in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, the dust container is disposed under the motor, and the air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit flows upward to the motor housing, enters the motor housing, and subsequently passes through the rotary impeller.

20. The cleaner of claim 15, further comprising:

a cleaner body that is configured to accommodate the motor housing in an interior of the cleaner body; and

a filter system that is configured to be detachably coupled to the cleaner body, the filter system comprising;

a first filter that is configured to filter air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit and before the air enters the motor housing and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller; and

a second filter that is configured to filter air that has flowed through the first filter and through the rotary impeller and the suction motor, and that was discharged from the motor housing, and before the air exits the cleaner body through the air exhaust.

21. The cleaner of claim 20, wherein the first filter is disposed concentrically around the motor housing.

22. The cleaner of claim 20, further comprising:

a cleaner body that has an opening to which the filter system is configured to be detachably coupled; and

wherein the filter system is configured to be separated from the cleaner body in an upward direction in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction.

23. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein removing the filter system from the cleaner body exposes at least part of the first filter to the outside of the cleaner.

24. The cleaner of claim 15, 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 elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction.

25. The cleaner of claim 15, further comprising:

a handle that is configured to be held by a user to operate the cleaner using only one hand; and

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.

26. The cleaner of claim 25, 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.

27. The cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a dust container that is disposed under the motor in the state in which the cleaner is oriented with the impeller shaft elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, and is configured to store dust that is separated by the dust separation unit.

28. The cleaner of claim 27, 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 elongated longitudinally along the vertical direction, and that is configured to be opened to provide access to an interior of the dust container, and

wherein the dust container is at least partially transparent to provide visual access to the interior of the dust container from the outside of the cleaner.

29. 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 receive, and to separate dust from, air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

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

a motor housing that is configured to house the suction motor;

a pre-filter that is configured to filter air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit and before the air flows into the motor housing and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller;

an air exhaust that is configured to receive air that flowed through the rotary impeller and the suction motor in the motor housing and to discharge the air to an outside of the cleaner; and

an exhaust filter having a ring shape with an axis that is aligned with the impeller shaft, and that is configured to filter air that has passed the rotary impeller before the air is discharged through the air exhaust,

wherein an outer diameter of the exhaust filter is greater than an outer diameter of the pre-filter.

30. 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 receive, and to separate dust from, air that is discharged from the first cyclone unit;

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

a motor housing that is configured to house the suction motor;

a pre-filter that is configured to, in a state of being received in the cleaner, filter air that is discharged from the second cyclone unit and before the air flows into the motor housing and subsequently flows through the rotary impeller,

a cleaner body that is configured to accommodate the pre-filter in an interior of the cleaner body;

an air exhaust that is configured to receive air that flowed through the rotary impeller and the suction motor in the motor housing and to discharge the air to an outside of the cleaner;

an exhaust filter that is configured to filter air that has passed the rotary impeller before the air is discharged through the air exhaust; and

a filter frame that supports the exhaust filter and that is configured to be separably coupled to the cleaner body,

wherein, in a state in which the filter frame is removed from the cleaner body, at least part of the pre-filter is exposed to the outside of the cleaner.