Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,945,570 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 03/16/2021
• 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): Keller, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US15/445,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 15347
• 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 9/0081 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 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust 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

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum cleaner including a cleaner body; a dust container installed at the cleaner body and of which at least a part is exposed to an outside through a front surface of the cleaner body; a cover member installed to open and close a part of the cleaner body and configured to selectively accommodate an upper portion of the dust container; a suction hose of which one side is connected to a suction part for suctioning dust and the other side is connected to a front end of the cover member; a grip portion provided at the cover member and operated to open and close the cover member; and a locking assembly provided inside the cover member and disposed at both sides based on the suction part to be restricted in the cleaner body.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a dust container that is located at the cleaner body, at least a portion of the dust container being exposed to an outside of the cleaner body through a front surface of the cleaner body;

a cover member that is connected to the cleaner body and that is configured to selectively cover an upper portion of the dust container;

a suction hose that is configured to receive dust through a suction part at one end and that is connected to a front end of the cover member at the other end;

a grip portion that is located at the cover member and that is configured to be gripped by a user to open and close the cover member; and

a locking assembly that is located inside the cover member and that is configured to selectively lock the cover member to the cleaner body or release the cover member from the cleaner body,

wherein the cover member comprises;

a cover base that is configured to cover an upper surface of the cleaner body, the cover base including a cover restricting protrusion that protrudes outward from an outer surface of the cover base, and

an outer cover that is coupled to the cover base and that defines a space for accommodating the locking assembly and a sensor configured to check an obstacle disposed outside of the cleaner body, the outer cover defining a protrusion entrance that passes through a side surface of the outer cover and is configured to receive the cover restricting protrusion to allow the cover restricting protrusion to protrude outward relative to the side surface of the outer cover,

wherein the cleaner body defines a protrusion restricting hole disposed at an inside surface of the cleaner body and configured to receive the cover restricting protrusion protruding outward relative to the side surface of the outer cover, the inside surface of the cleaner body being configured to cover the side surface of the outer cover and the outer surface of the cover base, and

wherein the cover restricting protrusion is configured to, based on the cover restricting protrusion passing through the protrusion entrance of the outer cover, protrude outward relative to an outer circumference of the outer cover and insert into the protrusion restricting hole of the cleaner body.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

the front surface of the cleaner body includes an open space in which the dust container is located, and

the cover member includes a cover coupling portion that extends from a rear end of the cover member and that is rotatably coupled to the cleaner body.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the locking assembly is configured to laterally protrude outward from sides of the cover member based on a user'"'"'s operation to become selectively restricted to the cleaner body.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the grip portion is coupled to the outer cover.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the grip portion includes a push member that is configured to operate the locking assembly based on a user'"'"'s operation.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the locking assembly comprises:

a push member that is configured to open or close the cover member based on a user'"'"'s operation;

a main link that is located below the push member and that is configured to rotate based on the push member being pushed down by the user'"'"'s operation; and

a sub-link that is connected to an end of the main link, the sub-link being configured to reciprocate linearly based on rotation of the main link and to selectively protrude to an outside of the cover member.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the main link includes:

a through portion that is configured to be shaft-coupled to the cover member;

a first extending portion that extends from the through portion toward the push member and that is configured to move based on the push member being pushed down; and

a second extending portion that extends from the through portion in a direction intersecting with the first extending portion, an extended end of the second extending portion being rotatably connected to the sub-link.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the main link comprises a pair of main links, the first extending portion of each main link being aligned to each other and overlapping with each other at an end of the first extending portion, and wherein an extending portion inclined surface is provided at a surface of the first extending portion that is configured to contact the push member.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the push member is located at a grip portion body of the grip portion, configured to move up or down based on a user'"'"'s operation, and configured to maintain a protruded state by having an elastic member support.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the locking assembly comprises a transmission member that is connected to a lower portion of the push member and that is configured to rotate the main link based on the transmission member contacting the main link.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the grip portion includes a transmission member guide that is configured to guide the transmission member toward the main link.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein a lower end of the transmission member includes:

a guide inclined surface that is in contact with the transmission member guide, that slopes from a vertical section of the transmission member, and that is configured to guide the transmission member toward the main link; and

a transmission member inclined portion that intersects the guide inclined surface at the lower end of the transmission member, that is configured to contact the main link, and that is configured to rotate the main link based on the transmission member inclined portion contacting the main link.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the transmission member includes a pair of separation preventing protrusions at an upper end of the transmission member, and

the push member includes a separation preventing rib that is located between the pair of separation preventing protrusions and that is configured to limit rotation of the transmission member.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein:

the protrusion entrance is configured to receive an end of the sub-link that protrudes outward from an inside of the cover member; and

the cover member further comprises a link guide that extends from an inner surface of the cover member, the cover member being configured to receive the sub-link and to guide movement of the sub-link toward the protrusion entrance.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the sub-link includes:

a third extending portion that is shaft-coupled to the main link and that extends laterally toward an outer surface of the vacuum cleaner;

a fourth extending portion that extends downward from an end of the third extending portion; and

a cover restricting protrusion that extends from an end of the fourth extending portion toward the outer surface of the vacuum cleaner and that protrudes through the cover member.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the sub-link includes the cover restricting protrusion that protrudes to an outside of the cover member and to the protrusion restricting hole of the cleaner body and that includes an inclined surface that is configured to contact the cleaner body.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cover restricting protrusion is further configured to, based on the cover restricting protrusion inserting into the protrusion restricting hole of the cleaner body through the protrusion entrance of the outer cover, be covered by an outside surface of the cleaner body.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the obstacle disposed along a travel direction of the cleaner body.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a front sensor configured to detect a front obstacle disposed forward of the cleaner body.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 19, wherein the sensor further comprises a side sensor disposed rearward of the front sensor and configured to detect a side obstacle disposed outside of a lateral side of the cleaner body.