Intake nozzle and vacuum cleaner having the same

• US 20060021185A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Dong Youl
• Application Number:
  US11/192,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20060021185A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/387
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0416 driven by fluid pressure, e.g. by means of an air turbine

Abstract

An intake nozzle and vacuum cleaner having the same are disclosed, by which a rotational speed of an agitator is variable. The present invention includes a nozzle case, a first air intake port provided to a bottom of the nozzle case to suck an air containing dust by an air intake force generated from driving an air intake device, an agitator rotatably provided to the first air intake port to agitate the dust on a floor, and a speed adjusting device varying a rotational speed of the agitator.

Claims

1. An intake nozzle of a vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a nozzle case;

a first air intake port provided to a bottom of the nozzle case to suck an air containing dust by an air intake force generated from driving an air intake device;

an agitator rotatably provided to the first air intake port to agitate the dust on a floor; and

a speed adjusting device varying a rotational speed of the agitator.

2. The intake nozzle of claim 1, wherein the speed adjusting device raises the rotational speed of the agitator if the nozzle case is landed on the floor and wherein the speed adjusting device lowers the rotational speed of the agitator if the nozzle case is separated from on the floor.

3. The intake nozzle of claim 1, wherein the speed adjusting device varies the rotational speed of the agitator according to a status of the floor on which the nozzle case is landed.

4. The intake nozzle of claim 1, the speed adjusting device comprising:

a rotational turbine provided to an air passage formed within the nozzle case to rotate the agitator, the rotational turbine rotated by a flow of the air introduced via the first air intake port; and

an air flow adjusting device provided to the nozzle case to vary a rotational speed of the rotational turbine by adjusting a flux of the air introduced into the first air intake port.

5. The intake nozzle of claim 4, the air flow adjusting device comprising:

a chamber provided to the air passage of the nozzle case, the chamber provided with a second air intake port through which the air introduced via the first air intake port passes and an external air supply port via which an external air introduced via one side of the nozzle case passes, the chamber accommodating the rotational turbine rotated by the air introduced via the second air intake port; and

a cut-off unit adjusting an opening degree of the external air supply port to adjust a flux of the air passing through the second air intake port.

6. The intake nozzle of claim 5, the cut-off unit comprising:

a cut-off plate opening/closing the external air supply port; and

a lever unit connected to the cut-off plate to adjust the cut-off plate, the lever unit increasing a flux of the air sucked into the first air intake port in case of being pressed by the floor.

7. The intake nozzle of claim 6, the lever unit comprising:

a first lever having one side connected to the cut-off plate and the other side rotatably connected to a rotational shaft provided within the nozzle case; and

a second lever having one side configured to apply a force to the first lever and the other side configured to be pressed by the floor by being projected beneath the nozzle case.

8. The intake nozzle of claim 7, wherein the first lever is elastically supported by a first spring and wherein the first spring returns the cut-off plate in a direction of opening the external air supply port.

9. The intake nozzle of claim 7, wherein a prescribed position between both ends of the second lever is rotatably connected to a lower part of the nozzle case.

10. The intake nozzle of claim 7, wherein a display window is provided to a topside of the nozzle case to check out the opening degree of the external air supply port.

11. The intake nozzle of claim 7, wherein the second lever moves the cut-off plate connected to the first lever to a position in the vicinity of the external air supply port.

12. The intake nozzle of claim 10, wherein the cut-off plate completely cuts off the external air supply port by an intake force within the chamber at a position in the vicinity of the external air supply port.

13. The intake nozzle of claim 5, the air flow adjusting device further comprising:

an auxiliary air passage guiding the external air to an inside of the chamber to rotate the rotational turbine; and

a passage opening/closing portion selectively opening the auxiliary air passage to prevent the air passage form being blocked.

14. The intake nozzle of claim 13, the passage opening/closing portion comprising an elastic member opened/closed by a difference between a pressure within the chamber and an atmospheric pressure outside the nozzle case.

15. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body provided with a dust collector collecting dust by separating dust; and

an intake nozzle communicating with the dust collector of the cleaner body, the intake nozzle moving along a floor to suck an air including the dust, the intake nozzle comprising;

a nozzle case;

a first air intake port provided to a bottom of the nozzle case to suck the air including the dust by an air intake force generated from driving an air intake device;

an agitator rotatably provided to the first air intake port to agitate the dust on the floor; and

a speed adjusting device varying a rotational speed of the agitator.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15, the speed adjusting device comprising:

a rotational turbine provided to an air passage formed within the nozzle case to rotate the agitator, the rotational turbine rotated by a flow of the air introduced via the first air intake port; and

an air flow adjusting device provided to the nozzle case to vary a rotational speed of the rotational turbine by adjusting a flux of the air introduced into the first air intake port.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, the air flow adjusting device comprising:

a chamber provided to the air passage of the nozzle case, the chamber provided with a second air intake port through which the air introduced via the first air intake port passes and an external air supply port via which an external air introduced via one side of the nozzle case passes, the chamber accommodating the rotational turbine rotated by the air introduced via the second air intake port;

a cut-off unit adjusting an opening degree of the external air supply port to adjust a flux of the air passing through the second air intake port;

an auxiliary air passage guiding the external air to an inside of the chamber to rotate the rotational turbine; and

a passage opening/closing portion selectively opening the auxiliary air passage to prevent the air passage form being blocked.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, the cut-off unit comprising:

a cut-off plate opening/closing the external air supply port; and

a lever unit connected to the cut-off plate to adjust the cut-off plate, the lever unit increasing a flux of the air sucked into the first air intake port in case of being pressed by the floor.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18, the lever unit comprising:

a first lever having one side connected to the cut-off plate and the other side rotatably connected to a rotational shaft provided within the nozzle case;

a second lever having one side configured to apply a force to the first lever and the other side configured to be pressed by the floor by being projected beneath the nozzle case; and

a first spring elastically supporting the first lever to return the cut-off plate in a direction of opening the external air supply port.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the second lever moves the cut-off plate connected to the first lever to a position in the vicinity of the external air supply port and wherein the cut-off plate completely cuts off the external air supply port by an intake force within the chamber at a position in the vicinity of the external air supply port.