Vacuum cleaner

• US 9,661,966 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Jong Gook, Kim, Ki Man, Kim, Dong Jun, Kim, Hyoun Soo, Baek, Seok Bong, Naruhiko, Suzuki, Lee, Dong Hyun, Jeon, Kyoung Hui, Choe, Jun Hoo, Park, Joung Soo, Lee, Jin Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US15/000,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• 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 9/10 Filters in general B01D; cyclones B04C; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters for machines for cleaning floors A47L11/40

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a main body including a fan motor to generate suction force, a suction unit connected to the main body to suction foreign matter from a surface to be cleaned in a state of contacting the surface, a dust collector separatably mounted to the main body to separate and collect dust from air suctioned by the suction unit, and a wheel assembly to move the main body, wherein the wheel assembly includes frames provided at a lower part and left and right sides of the main body and wheels rotatably mounted to the frames provided at the left and right sides of the main body, each wheel having a negative camber angle.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main body comprising a fan motor to generate a suction force;

a suction unit connected to the main body to suction foreign matter from a surface to be cleaned using the suction force;

a dust collector separably mounted to the main body to separate and collect dust from air suctioned by the suction unit; and

a wheel assembly to move the main body, wherein the wheel assembly comprises;

first and second frames provided at opposite sides of the main body, respectively, and

a first wheel and a second wheel rotatably mounted to the first and second frames, the first and second wheels arranged such that a first centerline and a second centerline extend from a surface, respectively pass through respective centers of the first wheel and the second wheel, and meet each other above the main body.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

wherein a front of each of the first and second wheels is directed inwardly of the main body and a rear of each of the first and second wheels is directed outwardly.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a center of gravity of the main body is located behind a center of rotation of each of the first and second wheels.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first frame and the second frame at an lower part of the main body is greater than that at a upper part of the main body.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the main body comprises at a bottom thereof a caster rotatable in all directions, and

the caster comprises:

a steering shaft mounted at the bottom of the main body,

a caster frame rotatable about the steering shaft in all directions,

a rotary shaft mounted to the caster frame, and

a caster wheel rotatable about the rotary shaft.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the rotary shaft is spaced from a straight line extending from the steering shaft by a predetermined distance.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the main body is rotatable independently of the wheel assembly such that when the main body has rotated to change a movement direction thereof, the main body is movable in the changed direction by the wheel assembly.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, wherein a lower frame provided at a lower part of the main body, the lower frame comprising a first rotation guide in a protruding state.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the main body comprises at a bottom thereof a receiving unit to receive the first rotation guide.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the receiving unit comprises at an inside thereof a second rotation guide in a protruding state, the second rotation guide functioning as a rotary shaft of the main body.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the lower frame comprises an elastic member.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein

the main body comprises at a bottom thereof a pressing unit to press the elastic member, and

the pressing unit presses the elastic member when the main body rotates to change the movement direction of the main body.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the wheel assembly is rotated in a direction in which the main body is directed by elastic force of the elastic member.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the lower frame comprises an elastic member mounting unit to receive the elastic member.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the elastic member mounting unit is provided at a side thereof with a hole, through which the pressing unit presses the elastic member.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein an inside of the receiving unit interferes with the elastic member mounting unit or a stopper provided at the lower frame to restrict a rotational angle of the main body.

17. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main body; and

a wheel assembly, to which the main body is rotatably mounted, to move the main body, wherein the wheel assembly comprises;

first and second frames provided at the opposite sides of the main body, respectively; and

a first wheel and a second wheel rotatably mounted to the first and second frames, the first and second wheels arranged such that a first centerline and a second centerline extend from a surface, respectively pass through respective centers of the first wheel and the second wheel, and meet each other above the main body.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the main body is rotatable independently of the wheel assembly such that when the main body has rotated to change a movement direction thereof, the main body is movable in the changed direction by the wheel assembly.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17,

wherein a front of each of the first and second wheels is directed inwardly of the main body and a rear of each of the first and second wheels is directed outwardly.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein a center of gravity of the main body is located behind a center of rotation of each of the first and second wheels.