Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,512,378 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• 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, Seo, Jonghyun, Lee, Jinwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/445,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 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 9/102 Dust separators cyclones A47L9/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/106 Dust removal
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust 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 9/2805 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 base configured to form a lower surface of a cleaner body; moving wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body and rotated for travel of the vacuum cleaner and also configured to support the cleaner body to be rotated in normal and reverse directions; and a dust container installed at a front of the moving wheels and configured to collect suctioned dust, wherein the base includes a center portion; a first half portion configured to extend to be inclined upward from a front end of the center portion; and a second half portion configured to extend to be inclined upward from a rear end of the center portion, and a rotating center of the moving wheels is located between the first half portion and the second half portion.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a base that defines a lower surface of the cleaner body;

wheels provided at both side surfaces of the cleaner body, the wheels being configured to allow the vacuum cleaner to travel on ground and to allow the cleaner body to rotate about the wheels in forward and reverse directions;

a detecting part configured to detect an inclination of the cleaner body;

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

a main motor configured to generate suction force and located inside the cleaner body, the main motor being positioned rearward of a rotating shaft of the wheels;

a battery configured to provide electric power for driving the main motor and the wheel motor assembly, the battery being positioned rearward of the rotating shaft of the wheels; and

a PCB configured to cause the wheel motor assembly to be driven according to the inclination of the cleaner body detected by the detecting part,

wherein the base includes;

a center portion,

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, and

wherein a rotating center axis of the wheels is located between the first half portion and the second half portion.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the first half portion forms a greater inclination angle with respect to the center portion than the second half portion.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body is configured such that an angle between the center portion and the ground is greater based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary as compared to the vacuum cleaner travelling in a forward direction.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate about the wheels such that the center portion is inclined with respect to the ground based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the first half portion is inclined 20°

with respect to the center portion, and the second half portion is inclined 17°

with respect to the center portion.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the first half portion includes a front wheel that is configured to rotate based on making contact with the ground or an object.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a wheel unit provided at the center portion and configured to make contact with the ground, the wheels and the wheel unit providing a three-point support based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a dust container that is configured to receive suctioned dust and that is detachably coupled to the first half portion, the dust container being configured to be inclined based on a slope of the first half portion such that an upper end thereof is located further rearward than a lower end thereof based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the first half portion includes a seating part that defines a recessed portion for accommodating the dust container and that exposes a front part of the dust container to the outside of the cleaner body.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein, based on the vacuum cleaner travelling in a forward direction, an angle between the first half portion and the ground is less than when the vacuum cleaner is stationary, and an angle between the second half portion and the ground is greater than when the vacuum cleaner is stationary.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein a center of gravity of the cleaner body is located further rearward than a rotating center axis of the wheels.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the center portion is maintained in a substantially parallel state with the ground while the cleaner body is travelling.

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

a dust container located forward of the wheels and configured to receive suctioned dust.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate about the wheels such that a rear end of the base is closest to the ground based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate about the wheels such that a front end of the base is farthest away from the ground based on the vacuum cleaner being stationary.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the cleaner body is configured to rotate about the wheels such that a rear end of the base becomes farther from the ground based on the vacuum cleaner starting to move in the forward direction.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the base includes a front portion that is inclined upward in the forward direction.