Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,682,029 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• 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): Carlson, Marc
• Application Number:
  US15/444,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• 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 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/108 Dust compression means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• 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 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner that includes: a cleaner body; a wheel; a dust container; a cover member that is configured to (i) rotate, about an axis that is outside of a plane of the cover member, between a first position and a second position and (ii) cover, based on the cover member being located at the first position or the second position, the first opening of the cleaner body and a portion of the dust container; a cover member coupling portion that couples the cover member to the cleaner body and that is configured to rotate about the second axis with the cover member; a suction nozzle that is coupled to the dust container and that is configured to guide dust into the dust container; and a display that is coupled to the cover member and that is configured to display operating information of the vacuum cleaner is disclosed.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body that includes;

a main motor that is configured to generate suction force,

an interior area that accommodates the main motor, and

a first opening to the interior area;

a wheel that is coupled to a first surface of the cleaner body and that is configured to rotate about a first axis to move the cleaner body;

a dust container that is configured to store dust and that is detachable from the cleaner body;

a cover member that is configured to (i) rotate, about a second axis that is outside of a plane of the cover member, between a first position and a second position and (ii) cover, based on the cover member being located at the first position or the second position, the first opening of the cleaner body and a portion of the dust container;

a cover member coupling portion that couples the cover member to the cleaner body and that is configured to rotate about the second axis with the cover member;

a suction nozzle that is coupled to the dust container and that is configured to guide dust into the dust container; and

a display that is coupled to the cover member and that is configured to display operating information of the vacuum cleaner,

wherein the cover member coupling portion includes;

a bent portion that is bent at a first angle and that includes a first end and a second end, the first end being coupled to the cover member, and

an extending portion that is coupled to the second end and that extends from the second end,

wherein the vacuum cleaner further comprises a rotating link that includes;

a third end that is coupled to the bent portion, and

a fourth end that is coupled to the cleaner body, and

wherein the fourth end is configured to (i) move from a first portion of the cleaner body to a second portion of the cleaner body based on a position of the cover member and (ii) is temporarily fixed in the second portion of the cleaner body.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a wheel motor that is configured to generate driving force to move the wheel.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, further comprising:

a battery unit that provides electric power (i) to the main motor to generate suction force and (ii) to the wheel motor to generate driving force.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the display is configured to display battery level information of the battery unit.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the battery level information includes a charging state of the battery unit.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner body includes:

a first portion located at a first side of the first axis, and

a second portion located at a second side of the first axis, and

wherein the second portion is heavier than the first portion such that, in a state in which the vacuum cleaner is stationary, (i) the cleaner body is configured to rotate about the first axis, (ii) the first portion is lifted from ground, and (iii) the second portion contacts ground.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, further comprising:

a wheel motor that is configured to generate driving force to move the wheel; and

a battery unit that provides electric power (i) to the main motor to generate suction force and (ii) to the wheel motor to generate driving force,

wherein the battery unit is located at the second side from the first axis.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner body includes:

a coupling portion that is located in the interior area of the cleaner body, that is covered by the cover member based on a position of the cover member, and that is coupled to the cover member coupling portion,

wherein the second axis is adjacent to the coupling portion of the cleaner body.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover member coupling portion is configured to guide a display cable that is connected to the display into the interior area of the cleaner body.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the cover member coupling portion includes:

a guide recess that accommodates the display cable, and

a cable hole that is configured to guide the display cable from the display into the interior area of the cleaner body.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover member coupling portion includes:

a pair of first cover member coupling portions, each of the first cover member coupling portions (i) being spaced apart from each other and (ii) including;

a bent portion hole (i) that is located on a first surface of the first cover member coupling portion and (ii) that is coupled to the rotating link such that the rotating link supports the cover member in a fixed position based on a position of the cover member.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein each of the first cover member coupling portions includes:

a cover rotating shaft (i) that is located on a second surface of the first cover member coupling portion, (ii) that couples the first cover member coupling portion to the cleaner body, and (iii) that is configured to rotate with the first cover member coupling portion.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover member coupling portion includes:

a pair of first cover member coupling portions, each of the first cover member coupling portions being spaced apart from each other, and

wherein the vacuum cleaner further includes;

a stopper that is located between the pair of first cover member coupling portions and that is configured to block the cover member from rotating beyond the second position.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover member coupling portion includes:

a first cover member coupling portion, and

a second cover member coupling portion that is spaced apart from the first cover member coupling portion, and

wherein the first cover member coupling portion is configured to guide a display cable that is connected to the display into the interior area of the cleaner body and the second cover member coupling portion is configured to guide one or more first cables.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover member includes:

a second opening that couples the suction nozzle to the dust container and through which dust passes from the suction nozzle to the dust container.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover member includes:

a cover base that defines a bottom surface of the cover member and that is configured to cover the first opening;

an outer cover that is connected to the cover base and that defines an upper surface of the cover member; and

a grip portion disposed on the cover member and configured to be gripped by a user'"'"'s hand, and

wherein the display is disposed within a space defined between an upper surface of the cover base and a lower surface of the outer cover, and the cover member covers an entire portion of the display.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the outer cover is made of a transparent material, disposed at a position corresponding to the display, and configured to transmit light such that the operating information on the display is viewable from an outside of the vacuum cleaner through at least the portion of the outer cover.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein an entire portion of the outer cover is made of the transparent material.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a locking assembly that is disposed at the cover base and the grip portion and that is configured to couple and decouple the cover member and the cleaner body,

wherein at least a portion of the locking assembly is configured to, based on a user manipulation, move into the space defined between the upper surface of the cover base and the lower surface of the outer cover to decouple the cover member from the cleaner body.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the upper surface of the cover base faces the lower surface of the outer cover, and a lower surface of the cover base defines the bottom surface of the cover member.