Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,321,796 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David
• Application Number:
  US15/445,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 15DIG 1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/36 Suction cleaners with hose between nozzle and casing; Suction cleaners for fixing on staircases; Suction cleaners for carrying on the back
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• 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 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• 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 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body including a suction motor for generating suction force and a suction part communicating with the cleaner body to suck in air and dust. The cleaner body includes a main body, wheels for moving the main body, and a battery detachably provided at a back side of the main body to supply power to the main body.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body including a suction motor, the suction motor being configured to generate suction force; and

a suction part in communication with the cleaner body and configured to suction air and dust,

wherein the cleaner body further includes;

a main body,

wheels for moving the main body, and

a battery that is detachably provided at a back side of the main body and configured to supply power to the main body,

wherein the main body is configured to rotate about a rotation center of the wheels,

wherein, based on the battery being detached from the cleaner body, a center of gravity of the main body is located forward of a vertical extension line passing through the rotation center of the wheels,

wherein, based on the battery being attached to the cleaner body, the center of gravity of the cleaner body is located rearward of the vertical extension line passing through the rotation center of the wheels, and

wherein, based on the battery being attached to the cleaner body, a center of gravity of the battery is located vertically lower than the rotation center of the wheels.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein, based on the battery being detached from the cleaner body, a front side of a bottom of the main body is configured to contact a floor on which the cleaner body is placed.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a battery attachment part into which the battery is inserted is defined at the back side of the main body, and

wherein an insertion direction of the battery into the battery attachment part forms an acute angle with respect to the vertical extension line.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the insertion direction of the battery into the battery attachment part forms an acute angle with a floor on which the cleaner body is placed.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the battery includes a battery cover that is configured, based on the battery being mounted within the battery attachment part, to cover the battery attachment part.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a supporter provided on a bottom of the main body and configured to restrict a backward rotation range of the main body.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the supporter includes an auxiliary wheel that is configured to rotate based on contacting a floor.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the supporter includes an extension, one side of the extension being rotatably connected to the main body.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the supporter includes an elastic member that is configured to provide an elastic force to the extension.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a motion of the main body; and

a controller configured to cause the wheels to be driven according to information sensed by the sensor.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured, based on the sensor being turned on, to control the driving of the wheels such that the center of gravity of the cleaner body is located along the vertical extension line passing through the rotation center of the wheels.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured, based on the sensor being turned off, to cause the wheels to stop driving.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, further comprising a driving unit configured to drive the wheels, wherein the controller controls the driving unit.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein, based on the battery being detached from the cleaner body and the sensor being turned off, the center of gravity of the main body is located forward of the vertical extension line.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a dust canister for storing dust suctioned through the suction part is provided at a front portion of the main body.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a grip part configured to be gripped by a user is provided on the main body.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls the wheels of the cleaner body to automatically follow a movement of a user.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein a bottom of the cleaner body includes a first bottom and a second bottom that are respectively inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first bottom,

wherein, based on the battery being detached from the cleaner body, the first bottom is configured to contact a floor and the second bottom is configured to be separated from the floor, and

wherein, based on the battery being mounted within the cleaner body, the first bottom is configured to be separated from the floor and the second bottom is configured to contact the floor.

19. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body including a suction motor, the suction motor being configured to generate suction force; and

a suction part in communication with the cleaner body and configured to suction air and dust,

wherein the cleaner body further includes;

a main body,

wheels for moving the main body, and

a battery that is detachably provided at a back side of the main body and configured to supply power to the main body,

wherein the main body is configured to rotate about a rotation center of the wheels,

wherein, based on the battery being detached from the cleaner body, a center of gravity of the main body is located forward of a vertical extension line passing through the rotation center of the wheels,

wherein, based on the battery being attached to the cleaner body, the center of gravity of the cleaner body is located rearward of the vertical extension line passing through the rotation center of the wheels,

wherein the cleaner body is configured to, based on the cleaner body being moved in a forward traveling direction by the wheels, rotate about the rotation center of the wheels in a first direction such that the battery becomes farther from ground based on the cleaner body travelling in the forward traveling direction as compared to the cleaner body being stationary, and

wherein, based on the battery being attached to the cleaner body, a center of gravity of the battery is located vertically lower than the rotation center of the wheels.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 19, further comprising one or more auxiliary wheels positioned rearward of the wheels, wherein the one or more auxiliary wheels are configured to, based on the cleaner body being stationary, contact ground, and configured to, based on the vacuum cleaner travelling in the forward traveling direction, become separated from ground.

21. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 19, wherein the suction part is located at a front side of the cleaner body based on the cleaner body travelling in the forward traveling direction.