VACUUM CLEANER

• US 20170245712A1
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Published: 08/31/2017
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,362,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• 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 9/0081 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 9/108 Dust compression means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• 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 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings
• 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 9/2805 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 9/327 for suction cleaners with hose between nozzle and casing

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum cleaner including a cleaner body of which a center of gravity is disposed at a rear side further than a rotating center thereof; one pair of moving wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body and configured to rotatably support the cleaner body and also to be rotated for travelling; and a rear wheel unit provided at a bottom surface of the cleaner body and configured to elastically support the cleaner body at a rear of the pair of moving wheels, wherein the rear wheel unit includes a supporting part rotatably installed at the bottom surface of the cleaner body and rotated in a rotating direction of the cleaner body; an elastic portion configured to extend from one side of the supporting part and to be elastically deformed by being in contact with the bottom surface of the cleaner body when the supporting part is rotated; a rotating member shaft-coupled to the supporting part and installed to be rotatable in a direction intersecting with a rotating direction of the supporting part; and a rear wheel installed at the rotating member and rolled while being in contact with the ground.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a pair of wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body and configured to rotate about a rotating center; and

a rear wheel unit provided at a bottom surface of the cleaner body and configured to provide an upward elastic force at a position rearward of the rotating center of the pair of wheels,

wherein the cleaner body is configured to pivot about the rotating center and has a center of gravity that is located closer to a rear end of the cleaner body than the rotating center,

wherein the rear wheel unit includes;

a supporting part that is rotatably coupled to the bottom surface of the cleaner body and configured to rotate in a pivoting direction of the cleaner body,

an elastic portion that is coupled to the supporting part and that is configured to be elastically deformed based on the supporting part being rotated,

a rotating member that is rotatably coupled to the supporting part and configured to rotate in a direction that is transverse to the rotating direction of the supporting part, and

a rear wheel that is provided at the rotating member and configured to roll on ground.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body includes:

a center portion that defines a lower surface of the cleaner body;

a first half portion that is inclined upward in a forward direction from a front end of the center portion; and

a second half portion that is inclined upward in a rearward direction from a rear end of the center portion,

wherein the rear wheel unit is located at the center portion.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rear wheel unit is located at a center between the pair of wheels such that the rear wheel unit is a same distance from a first of the pair of wheels and from a second of the pair of wheels.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion extends from one side of the supporting part that is curved toward the bottom surface of the cleaner body, the elastic portion being configured to be elastically deformed based on being pressed by the cleaner body based on the cleaner body rotating in response to the vacuum cleaner coming to a stop after travelling.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

a lower surface of the cleaner body defines a recessed wheel accommodating portion that is configured to accommodate the rear wheel unit;

the supporting part includes a pair of installation protrusions about which the supporting part rotates relative to the cleaner body; and

the wheel accommodating portion includes an installation portion that is configured to receive the pair of installation protrusions to thereby rotatably couple the real wheel unit to the cleaner body.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the supporting part defines an opening portion between the pair of installation protrusions, and the elastic portion extends from one end of the opening portion toward the lower surface of the cleaner body.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein an end of the elastic portion that extends from the one end of the opening portion includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs that are spaced apart along a width direction of the elastic portion.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the supporting part defines a rotating installation portion that is configured to accommodate the rotating member, and a rotation hole through which a rotating shaft that defines a rotating axis of the rotating member is defined at a center of the rotating installation portion.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein an upper surface of the rotating member includes open voids, and the rotating member includes a shaft boss at a center of the upper surface of the rotating member that is configured to receive the rotating shaft.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein rotating member includes a plurality of rotating member reinforcing ribs at the upper surface that radially extend from the shaft boss to an inner circumference of the rotating member.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the rotating member defines a wheel accommodating portion that is recessed from an outer surface of the rotating member toward the shaft boss and is configured to accommodate the rear wheel.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising:

a wheel motor assembly that is connected to the cleaner body and configured to rotate the pair of wheels;

a detecting part that is located inside the cleaner body and configured to detect a rotation angle of the cleaner body; and

a PCB that is configured to cause the wheel motor assembly to be driven according to the rotation angle detected by the detecting part,

wherein the cleaner body is configured to, based on the vacuum cleaner coming to a stop after travelling, rotate such that the second half portion becomes closer to the ground.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the cleaner body is configured to, based on the vacuum cleaner traveling in a forward direction, rotate in a forward direction such that the rear wheel unit does not contact the ground, and the cleaner body is configured to, based on the vacuum cleaner coming to a stop after travelling, rotate in a reverse direction such that the rear wheel unit contacts the ground.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the wheel motor assembly is configured to be driven such that the bottom surface of the cleaner body is maintained in a parallel state with the ground based on the vacuum cleaner travelling in the forward direction.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate in a forward direction while travelling such that a first angle formed between the center portion and the ground based on the vacuum cleaner travelling in the forward direction is smaller than a second angle formed between the center portion and the ground based on the vacuum cleaner coming to a stop after travelling.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion extends from one side of the supporting part and is configured to be elastically deformed based on contact with the bottom surface of the cleaner body.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is shaft-coupled to the supporting part and is configured to rotate about a shaft axis that is orthogonal to the rotating direction of the supporting part.