Cleaner
11612289 · 2023-03-28
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
A47L9/1683
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A47L9/2884
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
Abstract
A cleaner is disclosed. The cleaner includes: a housing having an introduction opening through which air is introduced; a filtering unit configured to be mounted in an inner space of the housing, and defining a dust collection space between the filtering unit and an inner surface of the housing; and a cleaning unit configured to surround the filtering unit, and configured to be raised and lowered inside the dust collection space along with a manipulation unit, wherein, when the cleaning unit is in an initial position, at least a portion of the cleaning unit is connected to an air introduction path extending from the introduction opening to form a guide flow path to guide a flow of introduced air.
Claims
1. A housing having an introduction opening through which air is introduced; a filtering unit configured to be mounted in an inner space of the housing, and defining a dust collection space between the filtering unit and an inner surface of the housing; a cleaning unit configured to surround the filtering unit, and configured to be raised and lowered inside the dust collection space along with a manipulation unit, wherein, when the cleaning unit is in an initial position, at least a portion of the cleaning unit is connected to an air introduction path extending from the introduction opening to form a guide flow path to guide a flow of the introduced air; and a guide fence disposed along an outer edge of the cleaning unit and facing the inner surface of the housing, the guide fence extending along the inner surface of the housing to form the guide flow path, wherein the cleaning unit comprises a guide wall configured to extend continuously in a circumferential direction, the guide wall comprising an inclining surface and a lower portion comprising a guide edge, Wherein the guide fence extends parallel to the guide wall and is spaced radially outward from the guide wall and, wherein the guide flow path is formed between the guide wall and the guide fence.
2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide fence comprises a front portion configured to protrude to a position closer to the introduction opening than an intersection point of the air introduction path and the guide flow path.
3. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein an air introduction part is disposed in a portion of the cleaning unit connected to the introduction opening, the air introduction part being configured to connect the guide flow path with the introduction opening.
4. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide fence comprises a front surface part formed on a front portion of the guide fence facing the introduction opening, and wherein a degree of protrusion of the front surface part in a direction toward an air introduction part of the cleaning unit varies along a direction in which the cleaning unit is configured to be raised and lowered.
5. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide fence comprises a front surface part facing the introduction opening, the front surface part comprising at least one of a continuous curved surface or an inclined surface along a direction in which the cleaning unit is configured to be raised and lowered.
6. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide fence comprises a front surface part facing the introduction opening, the front surface part comprising: a flat surface disposed on a first portion of the front surface part facing the inner surface of the housing, and at least one of a curved surface or an inclined surface disposed on a second portion of the front surface part facing an inner portion of the guide flow path.
7. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit comprises: a cleaning body configured to surround the filtering unit and connect to the manipulation unit to operate in cooperation with the manipulation unit, wherein the guide flow path is included in the cleaning body; and a guide edge extending from a lower portion of the cleaning body toward a bottom of the dust collection space, the guide edge having a guide inclination surface provided on a surface of the guide edge facing the inner surface of the housing; wherein a gap between the guide inclination surface and the inner surface of the housing is configured to increase gradually in a direction toward the bottom of the dust collection space.
8. The cleaner of claim 7, further comprising a guide wall disposed in the cleaning body along a circumferential direction of the cleaning body, the guide wall being inclined in a direction in which the cleaning unit is configured to be raised and lowered such that, when the cleaning unit is located at the initial position, the cleaning unit is configured to guide a flow of the air introduced through the introduction opening.
9. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: an air introduction part disposed in a portion of the cleaning unit connected to the introduction opening to communicate the guide flow path with the introduction opening; and a duct blade disposed at one side of the air introduction part such that: the guide flow path extends along the duct blade, and an imaginary extension line extending along a direction of the air introduction path meets an inner surface of the guide flow path.
10. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: an introduction housing connected to the housing and defining the introduction opening; a guide blade disposed in the introduction housing to block one side of an introduction flow path; and a duct blade disposed in the cleaning unit and being arranged along an imaginary extension line with the guide blade.
11. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: a connecting plate extending from a cleaning body of the cleaning unit in a direction in which the cleaning unit is configured to be raised and lowered; a connection bracket configured to connect the connecting plate to the manipulation unit; and a blocking wall extending from the connecting plate in a direction opposite to a direction in which air flows along the guide flow path.
12. The cleaner of claim 11, wherein the blocking wall comprises a curved surface facing the inner surface of the housing, wherein a width of the blocking wall gradually decreases between an upper portion of the blocking wall facing the inner surface of the housing and the connection bracket.
13. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a filter rib protruding from at least one of a side of the inner surface of the housing or an outer surface of a connecting plate facing the inner surface of the housing.
14. The cleaner of claim 13, wherein the filter rib is disposed adjacent to a channel along which a connection bracket of the connecting plate is configured to be raised and lowered, the filter rib further being disposed at a position close to an entrance of the guide flow path, the entrance being configured to guide the air flow along opposite sides of the channel.
15. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: a connection bracket connected to the manipulation unit and protruding from the cleaning unit; and a discharge inclining surface formed on an upper surface of the connection bracket and having a height that gradually decreases toward a bottom of the dust collection space.
16. The cleaner of claim 15, wherein the height of discharge gradually decreases along a direction of the air flow formed by the guide flow path.
17. The cleaner of claim 15, wherein the connection bracket comprises a flat surface portion formed parallel to a direction in which the connection bracket is configured to be raised and lowered, the flat surface portion facing a direction of the air flow famed by the guide flow path, wherein a highest position of the discharge inclining surface is formed at an upper end of the flat surface portion.
18. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: a connecting plate extending from a cleaning body of the cleaning unit along a direction in which the cleaning unit is configured to be raised and lowered, the connecting plate comprising a plate facing the inner surface of the housing and gradually decreasing in width; and a connection bracket disposed on a portion of the connecting plate configured to connect to the manipulation unit.
19. The cleaner of claim 18, further comprising a reinforcement plate coupled to the connecting plate, wherein the connection bracket is disposed in the reinforcement plate to connect the reinforcement plate to the manipulation unit.
20. A cleaner comprising: a housing having an introduction opening through which air is introduced; a first cyclone part configured to be mounted to the housing and to separate dust from the air introduced through the introduction opening; a second cyclone part configured to be mounted in an inner space of the housing, and defining a dust collection space between the second cyclone part and an inner surface of the housing; a cleaning unit configured to surround the second cyclone part, and configured to be raised and lowered inside the dust collection space, wherein, when the cleaning unit is in an initial position, at least a portion of the cleaning unit is connected to an air introduction path extending from the introduction opening to guide a flow of introduced air; a manipulation unit connected to the cleaning unit and disposed at least partially inside the housing, the manipulation unit being mounted to the housing such that the cleaning unit is raised and lowered based on the manipulation unit being raised and lowered; a manipulation lever disposed on the manipulation unit and configured to protrude outside of the housing; and a guide fence disposed along an outer edge of the cleaning unit and facing the inner surface of the housing, the guide fence extending along the inner surface of the housing to form a guide flow path, wherein a front portion of the guide fence is configured to protrude to a position closer to the introduction opening than an intersection point of the air introduction path and the guide flow path, wherein the cleaning unit comprises a guide wall configured to extend continuously in a circumferential direction, the guide wall comprising an inclining surface and a lower portion comprising a guide edge, Wherein the guide fence extends parallel to the guide wall and is spaced radially outward from the guide wall, and wherein the guide flow path is formed between the guide wall and the guide fence.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(24) Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components have the same reference numerals when possible, even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the present disclosure, the detailed description is to be omitted.
(25) In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, a, and b may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature or order of the components is not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being “connected” or “coupled” to another component, that component may be directly connected to or coupled to another component. However, it should be understood that another component may be “connected” or “coupled” to each component therebetween.
(26) The present disclosure relates to a cleaner, and more particularly, relates to a cleaner which separates dust from air by using a cyclone flow of air. Particularly, the cleaner of the present disclosure may include a cleaning unit 110 capable of compressing dust accumulated inside the dust container by using a manipulation lever at the outside of the of a housing without opening an entrance of a dust container. Hereinafter, the present disclosure is described to be applied to a handheld vacuum cleaner as an example, but may be applied to other types of cleaners such as a canister cleaner.
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(28) An inner space S1 may be provided inside the first housing 2. The cleaning unit 110 and an inner housing 40, including a filtering unit 30 to be described below, may be mounted in the inner space S1. The shapes of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are shown by way of example, and may be modified in various ways. A dust collection space S1 may be provided between the inner surface of the first housing 2 and the outer surface of the filtering unit 30. The dust collection space S1 may be regarded as the inner space of the first housing 2. Here, the inner surface 20 of the first housing 2 refers to an inner circumferential surface of the first housing 2 corresponding to an opposite side of the outer surface of the first housing 2 exposed to the outside.
(29) A handle part 5 may be provided at one side of the housing 1. The handle part 5 may be configured to be separated from the housing 1 and may be assembled with the housing 1, or at least a portion of the handle part 5 may be integrated with the housing 1. The handle part 5 may be a portion which a user grasps, and a switch 6 manipulated to be turned on and off may be provided at one side of the handle part 5. In some embodiments, a battery 7 may be mounted at the lower side of the handle part 5 to supply power for the operation of the cleaner.
(30) An introduction opening 8 may be provided at one side of the housing 1. The introduction opening 8 may protrude to the opposite side of the handle part 5, and an introduction space 8′ may be provided therein. When the cleaner operates, a suction force generated by a motor unit 10 may be transmitted to the introduction opening 8, and external air having dust may be introduced to the inner space S1 of the cleaner through the introduction opening 8 and the introduction space 8′. In
(31) The air having dust is described above, and foreign matter having various sizes may be included in the dust. That is, the dust may include foreign matter of very fine sizes, or foreign matter of various sizes such as hair, sand, or cookie crumbs. Hereinafter, the various foreign matter may be referred to as dust for convenience.
(32) Although described again below, a manipulation unit 150 will be described first for better understanding. As illustrated in
(33) Referring to
(34) Referring to
(35) An air guide surface 23 guiding the flow of air may be provided on the upper portion of the air guide 21 and may have an inclining shape. The diameter of the air guide 21 may gradually decrease toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1, such that the air guide surface 23 is a naturally inclining surface. When the cleaning unit 110 to be described below is located at an initial position (see
(36) For reference, the initial position refers to a position at which the cleaning unit 110 moves to a top position and communicates with an air introduction path of the introduction opening 8, and the lowered position refers to a position at which the cleaning unit 110 lowers, compresses dust contained in the dust collection space S1, and scrapes off dust on the outer surface of the filtering unit 30.
(37) A combination end 24 may protrude at the lower side of the air guide surface 23. The combination end 24 may be a part by which the air guide 21 may be assembled with the filtering unit 30 to be described below, and may be correspond to a part protruding more than the lower side of the air guide surface 23 thereto. An assembly key 27 may protrude from the combination end 24. The assembly key 27 may be inserted to an assembly groove 36 of the filtering unit 30, so the assembling of the air guide 21 and the filtering unit 30 to each other may be performed. The assembly key 27 and the assembly groove 36 may be assembled to each other in a rotating manner.
(38) An assembly boss 26 may protrude from the air guide 21 by extending in a direction of the upper side thereof, that is, in a direction of the second housing 3. The assembly boss 26 may allow the air guide 21 to be assembled even with the motor case 12 located inside the second housing 3. The assembly boss 26 may be assembled with the motor case 12 by a fastener such as a bolt.
(39) A holding end 28 may be formed on the edge of the upper end of the air guide 21. The holding end 28 may be formed by surrounding the edge of the upper end of the air guide 21. When the air guide 21 is assembled with the inner housing 40 to be described below, a corresponding holding portion 48 located on an edge of the inner side of the inner housing 40 may be held in the holding end 28. Such a configuration can be clearly seen in the enlarged view of
(40) The air guide 21 may be assembled with the filtering 30. A cyclone part may be provided inside the filtering unit 30. More precisely, In some embodiments, a first cyclone part (a reference numeral not assigned) and a second cyclone part 37 may be provided inside the cleaner. The second cyclone part 37 may be provided inside the filtering unit 30. Dust may be more effectively filtered due to the provision of the first cyclone part and the second cyclone part 37. In some embodiments, the first cyclone part may not be provided as a separate component, but may be formed by the inner surface 20 of the housing 1, the air guide 21, and the cleaning unit 110.
(41) The filtering unit 30 may be mounted at the center of the inner space S1 of the first housing 2, and may define the dust collection space S1 between the filtering unit 30 and the inner surface of the first housing 2. The dust collection space S1 may be defined at the lower side of the inner space S1 of the first housing 2, and may be regarded as a first dust storage part S2 in which dust is accumulated.
(42) In this case, the second cyclone part 37 may be located inside the first cyclone part such that the size of the housing 1 is minimized. Referring to
(43) A dust guide 31 may be provided at the lower side of the second cyclone part 37. The dust guide 31 may include a guide body 32 having a width that gradually decreases toward the lower side thereof like a kind of hopper, and a second dust storage part S3 may be provided inside the guide body 32 to store dust separated from the air in the second cyclone part 37. The second dust storage part S3 may be formed at the center of the housing 1 and may be separated from the first dust storage part S2 by the guide body 32.
(44) Referring to
(45) The dust separated from the air may flow downward (as shown by the direction of arrow 2), and may be stored in the first dust storage part S2. The air separated from the dust may flow to the second cyclone part 37. In this case, the air may flow through the filtering unit 30 (as shown by arrow 3). In the process of passing through the filtering unit 30, the air may pass through a mesh net 35 located on the outer surface of the filtering unit 30. In the process, dust having large particles may also be filtered through narrow holes formed in the mesh net 35.
(46) In addition, the air flowing to the second cyclone part 37 may be once again separated from the dust by centrifugal force. The dust separated from the air in the second cyclone part 37 may move downward, and be stored in the second dust storage part S3 (as shown by arrow 4).
(47) Meanwhile, air separated from the dust in the second cyclone part 37 may be discharged from the second cyclone part 37 and rise toward the motor unit 10 (in the direction of arrow 5). The risen air may pass through a pre-filter (not shown) located at the outer side of the motor unit 10. Air passing through the pre-filter may pass through the motor unit 10, and then pass through a HEPA filter located at the discharge space S4 of the second housing 3, and be discharged to the outside (in the direction of arrow 6) through an air discharge opening 3′. In some embodiments, at least one of the pre-filter or the HEPA filter may be omitted.
(48) In this case, the dust separated from the cyclone part may be accumulated in the first dust storage part S2 and the second dust storage part S3. The weight of the dust is light, so when a user opens the first housing 2 (which is the dust container), the dust may scatter to the outside. That is, the dust collected inside the dust container may not be brought together into one lump, and may be difficult to be emptied. In some embodiments, to solve such a problem, a cleaning module 100 may be provided. The cleaning module 100 may include the cleaning unit 110 compressing dust and the manipulation unit 150 for moving the cleaning unit 110.
(49) For reference, in
(50) Referring back to
(51) The inner housing 40 may be mounted to the upper portion of the filtering unit 30. The inner housing 40 may be provided in the inner space S1 of the housing 1. In some embodiments, a portion of the inner housing 40 may be arranged inside the first housing 2, and the remaining portion thereof may be arranged inside the second housing 3. The inner housing 40 may have the shape of an approximate circular frame, and may surround the outer sides of the air guide 21 and the cleaning unit 110 when mounted inside the inner space S1.
(52) A through-space 41 open in an upward and downward direction may be defined at the center of the inner housing 40. The air guide 21 and the cleaning unit 110 may be located in the through-space 41. As illustrated in
(53) A communication window 42 may be open at one side of the inner housing 40. The communication window 42 may be a portion connecting the introduction flow path 51, which is connected to the introduction opening 8, to the inner space S1. In some embodiments, as shown in
(54) A sealing member 43 may be provided on the outer surface of the inner housing 40. The sealing member 43 may be provided along the outer surface of the inner housing 40 and may limit an air flow between the upper portion and the lower portion of the sealing member 43 relative thereto. That is, the sealing member 43 may induce air to flow only along a formed path. For reference, the inner housing 40 may be omitted, or the first housing 2 or the second housing 3 may be intentionally provided.
(55) Referring to
(56) Next, the cleaning module 100 will be described below. The cleaning module 100 may generally include the cleaning unit 110 and the manipulation unit 150 allowing the cleaning unit 110 to be operated. As illustrated in
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(59) Referring to the structure of the manipulation unit 150, the manipulation housing 151 of the manipulation unit 150 may be coupled to the outer surface of the housing 1 described above, and may extend in a vertical direction from the first housing 2 to the second housing 3. Two or more rails may be provided in the manipulation housing 151, which may include a fixed rail 172 and a movable rail 175. The fixed rail 172 and the movable rail 175 may be mounted in longitudinal directions (the vertical directions) of the manipulation housing 151. The fixed rail 172 may be in a fixed state, and the movable rail 175 may raise and lower together with the cleaning unit 110. In some embodiments, each of the fixed rail 172 and the movable rail 175 may have the shape of a thin and long rod.
(60) The manipulation lever 160 may be connected to the fixed rail 172, and may raise and lower along fixed rail 172. The button part 165 may be provided in the manipulation lever 160. The manipulation lever 160 may be located inside the manipulation housing 151 and may not be exposed to the outside, but the button part 165 may be exposed to the outside of the manipulation housing 151 such that a user may press the button part 165. When the user presses the button part 165, the manipulation lever 160 may lower the movable rail 175 while lowering along the fixed rail 172.
(61) More precisely, a connection block 170 may be connected to the button part 165. The connection block 170 may be located at the inner side of the manipulation housing 151 and may raise and lower along the button part 165. The connection block 170 may be fitted over the fixed rail 172 so as to raise and lower along fixed rail 172 and may be connected to the movable rail 175. Accordingly, the connection block 170, together with the button part 165, may raise and lower along the fixed rail 172, and in the process, may raise and lower the movable rail 175. As illustrated in
(62) Reference numeral 173 refers to the spring 173. The spring 173 may be assembled with the fixed rail 172 by being fitted thereover and may be located at a position lower than a position of the manipulation lever 160. The spring 173 may be compressed in as the connection block 170 is lowering together with the manipulation lever 160. When a force of pressing the button part 165 is released, the spring 173 may restore the manipulation lever 160 to an initial position, that is, to the state shown in
(63) The movable rail 175 may be mounted to the manipulation housing 151 and be connected to the manipulation lever 160, and thus may raise and lower together with the manipulation lever 160. One end of the movable rail 175 may be connected to a connecting plate 128 (hereinafter, also referred to as a connection part) of the cleaning unit 110, as described below. Accordingly, the movable rail 175 and the cleaning unit 110 may raise and lower together. The movable rail 175 and the connection part of the cleaning unit 110 may be parts on which a load is focused due to an external force, and thus may be easily damaged or deformed. Structures of the connecting plate 128 and a reinforcement plate 140 for solving this problem will be described in detail below.
(64) In
(65) A connection bracket 149 provided in the cleaning unit 110 may be fitted over the raising/lowering channel GH, and may be connected to the movable rail 175 of the manipulation unit 150 while being fitted over the raising/lowering channel GH. As described again below, the connection bracket 149 may be provided in the reinforcement plate 140 reinforcing the connecting plate 128 of the cleaning body 120 constituting the cleaning unit 110.
(66) A filter rib R may protrude from the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. The filter rib R may extend along the raising/lowering direction of the connection bracket 149 and may function to reduce the gap between the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 and the outer surface of the connecting plate 128. The filter rib R may be provided along a portion of the entire height of the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. In some embodiments, the filter rib R may be formed to have the same length as or length longer than the length of the raising/lowering section of the connection bracket 149.
(67) Of course, the filter rib R may be formed to have length shorter than the length of the raising/lowering section of the connection bracket 149. For example, at the initial position of the cleaning unit 110 of the cleaner by which cleaning is performed while outside air is introduced, the filter rib R may be formed in the vicinity of the connection bracket 149. In this case, the entire length of the filter rib R may be shorter than the length of the raising/lowering section of the connection bracket 149.
(68) The filter rib R may be provided to be adjacent to the raising/lowering channel GH, and may be provided at a position close to the entrance Ea of a guide flow path E, which guides the air flow, of the opposite sides of the raising/lowering channel GH. Accordingly, the filter rib R may prevent a portion of air flowing along the guide flow path E from being introduced to the gap between the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 and the cleaning unit 110, and thus may prevent dust contained in the air from being introduced to the inside of the raising/lowering channel GH and the connection bracket 149.
(69) As illustrated in
(70) As shown in
(71)
(72) In addition, when the cleaning unit 110 lowers, the cleaning unit 110 may be separated from the air guide 21, and may pass by the surface of the filtering unit 30 while moving to the lower side of the dust collection space S1. In the process, the cleaning unit 110 may compress dust contained in the dust collection space S1 and may scrape off dust on the mesh net 35 located on the outer surface of the filtering unit 30.
(73) As illustrated in
(74) In this case, the cleaning unit 110 may not be restored to the initial position, as illustrated in
(75) Next, the cleaning unit 110 will be described again. The cleaning unit 110 may be mounted to surround the filtering unit 30, and may be raised and lowered inside the dust collection space S1 by the manipulation unit 150. In this case, at least a portion of the cleaning unit 110 located at the initial position thereof may communicate with the air introduction path extending from the introduction opening 8 and thus the cleaning unit may function to guide the flow of the air. Here, the connection of the portion of the cleaning unit 110 and the air introduction path to each other may mean that at least the portion of the cleaning unit 110 is located in the air introduction path. The air introduction path may be regarded to include the introduction space 8′ of the introduction opening 8 and the introduction flow path 51 of the introduction housing 50.
(76) That is, the cleaning unit 110 (i) may function to guide the flow of the introduced air at the initial position, (ii) to compress dust contained in the dust collection space S1 in the process of lowering, (iii) to allow a guide edge GE thereof to scrape the mesh net 35 of the filtering unit 30 and remove dust thereon while raising and lowering.
(77) Referring to
(78) As described again below, referring to the entrance Ea of the guide flow path E, the guide flow path E may include a first guide flow path E1 located at a relatively upper portion and formed between a guide wall 121 and a guide fence 124B of the cleaning body 120, and a second guide flow path E2 located at a relatively lower portion and formed between the guide edge GE and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1.
(79)
(80) Referring back to
(81) In this case, when flat foreign matter P is introduced to the entrance Ea in an upright orientation (in an orientation of height larger in size than width), the foreign matter may efficiently pass through the entrance Ea of the guide flow path E which is narrow in width. However, when the foreign matter P is introduced to the entrance Ea with strong force in a vertical orientation (in an orientation of width larger in size than height), the foreign matter P may collide with the cleaning unit 110, and then be bounced toward the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 or the inner surface of the inner housing 40 by a reaction force to the collision and may be held therebetween. However, in the present disclosure this may be prevented by the guide edge GE, as described below.
(82) In some embodiments, a guide blade 55 may be provided in the introduction housing 50. As illustrated in
(83) Referring to
(84) As illustrated in
(85) Next, referring to
(86) The cleaning body 120 may have an approximate ring shape surrounding the filtering unit 30, and may be connected to the manipulation unit 150. The cleaning body 120 may include the guide wall 121 and the guide fence 124B. The guide wall 121 and the guide fence 124B may be configured to be integrated with each other. The guide wall 121 may continuously extend in the circumferential direction of the cleaning body 120, and have the inclining surface on the surface thereof, and the guide edge GE may be provided on the lower portion thereof.
(87) In addition, the guide fence 124B may extend parallel to the guide wall 121 and may be spaced apart from the guide wall 121 in a direction of the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. Accordingly, the guide flow path E which is the air flow path may be famed between the guide fence 124B and the guide wall 121. As illustrated in
(88) More precisely, since the guide fence 124B is omitted in the air introduction part 123, the guide flow path E may be formed between the outer surface of the guide wall 121 and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. In a side further inward from the air introduction part 123, the guide flow path E may be formed between the outer surface of the guide wall 121 and the inner surface 124BI of the guide fence 124B (see
(89) As for the guide fence 124B, the guide fence 124B may be provided along the outer edge of the cleaning body 120 constituting the cleaning unit 110, and may face the inner surface 20 of the housing 1, so that the guide fence 124B may form the guide flow path E at the inner side thereof by extending along the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. That is, the guide fence 124B may be in close contact with the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 or may be spaced apart by a predetermined distance therefrom, such that air may be prevented from flowing to a position between the guide fence 124B and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1.
(90) As illustrated in
(91) More precisely, as illustrated in
(92) Referring to
(93) That is, at an initial stage, the introduced air may flow along the air introduction path (see M of
(94) In this case, as described above, the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B may extend up to a position closer to the introduction opening 8 than the meeting position K of the air introduction path and the inner surface of the guide flow path E of the cleaning unit 110. The end portion K of an imaginary extension line M extending along the direction of the air introduction path may meet the inner surface of the guide flow path E instead of meeting the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B.
(95) In this case, before the introduced air is fully rotated and accelerated, the air may meet the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B to prevent the introduced air from escaping to the gap N (see
(96) In other words, this means that the introduced air may not be introduced to another path, but may flow only through the guide flow path E. Accordingly, the dust separation efficiency of the cleaner may be improved. Furthermore, the introduced air may be prevented from being introduced to the gap N between the inner surface 41 of the inner housing 40 and the guide fence 124B such that dust contained in the air does not fall on the upper surface of the connection bracket 149 while the air flows over the outer surface of the guide fence 124B.
(97) The degree of protrusion of the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B toward the air introduction part 123 may be formed to be different along the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110. Referring to
(98) When the degree of protrusion of the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B toward the air introduction part 123 is formed to be different along the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110, an area in which the introduced air first collides with the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B may be decreased. For example, if the front surface part 124B′ is a flat surface in which the degree of protrusion of the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B toward the air introduction part 123 is formed to be the same along the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110, the introduced air may collide with the entirety of the front surface part 124B′, and thus dust contained in the air may have high probability of being trapped therein.
(99) However, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, dust may naturally flow to one side along the front surface part 124B′. In some embodiments, the upper portion 124B1 of the front surface part 124B′ may protrude further toward the air introduction part 123 than the lower portion 124B2 relative to the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110 (a vertical direction relative to
(100) In addition, to guide dust more efficiently, the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B may be famed to gradually become thinner toward the air introduction part 123. In this case, the area in which the introduced air collides with the guide fence 124B may be further reduced. For example, the opposite edges of the front surface part 124B′ may be slanted such that the front surface part 124B′ may gradually become thinner. However, as illustrated the enlarged view of
(101) As illustrated in
(102) The guide wall 121 may be provided in an inclining direction to the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110, and may guide the flow of the air introduced through the introduction opening 8 when the cleaning unit 110 is located at the initial position. Referring to
(103) Preferably, the guide wall 121 of the cleaning body 120 may extend to incline such that a gap between the guide wall 121 and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 increases downward toward the guide edge GE, and may induce the flow of air downward, and the width of the guide wall 121 may be increased to improve the air flow.
(104) In addition, referring to
(105) The connecting plate 128 may be provided in the cleaning body 120. As illustrated in
(106) The cleaning body 120 may be configured to extend in the form of a cantilever from the manipulation unit 150 (see
(107) The connecting plate 128 may extend from the cleaning body 120 while gradually becoming narrower in width in left and right directions toward a position far from the cleaning body 120. Due to the widths in the left and right directions gradually becoming narrower, the volume of the connecting plate 128 occupying the dust collection space S1 therein may be decreased and air flow may not be prevented. Furthermore, a connection bracket 149 connected to the manipulation unit 150 may be provided in an end portion of the connecting plate 128 that decreases in width, such the connecting plate 128 may be connected directly to the manipulation unit 150. However, In some embodiments, the connecting plate 128 may be connected to the manipulation unit 150 by the reinforcement plate 140, as described below. In
(108) Referring to
(109) Meanwhile, an upper cleaning part 125 may be formed on the upper surface of the cleaning body 120 corresponding to the opposite side of the guide flow path E. The upper cleaning part 125 may be provided as a continuous path along the circumferential direction of the cleaning body 120. When air flows toward the upper cleaning part 125, dust accumulated on the upper surface of the cleaning body 120 may be removed. Most of the introduced air may flow along the guide flow path E, but some of the air may be introduced to the upper side of the cleaning body 120 such that dust may accumulate on the upper surface of the cleaning body 120. Even when air is introduced while the cleaning unit 110 is lowered, dust may accumulate on the upper surface of the cleaning body 120. The dust may be removed through the structure of the upper cleaning part 125.
(110) Referring to
(111) In this case, the height of the upper cleaning part 125 may decrease from the first section 125a toward the third section 125c, but the height of a middle portion therebetween may slightly increase. For example, to reinforce the strength of the cleaning body 120, a section in which the height of the upper cleaning part 125 increases may be provided. In some embodiments, the height of a portion of the second section 125b may slightly increase and then decrease.
(112) An upper fence 125′ may protrude from the edge of the cleaning body 120. The upper fence 125′ may form the flow path of air flowing in the upper cleaning part 125. The upper fence 125′ may protrude upward from the edge of the upper surface of the cleaning body 120, and thus may constitute a portion of the upper cleaning part 125, and face the inner space S1 of the housing 1. The upper fence 125′ may be provided from the first section 125a to the second section 125b, but may not be omitted in the third section 125c. This is because the third section 125c may be a section in which the air flowing along the circumferential direction of the cleaning body 120 is discharged.
(113) Referring to
(114) Referring to
(115) The guide flow path E may be the path through which air flows. Referring to the entrance Ea of the guide flow path E, the guide flow path E may include the first guide flow path E1 located at a relatively upper portion and formed between the guide wall 121 and the guide fence 124B of the cleaning body 120, and the second guide flow path E2 located at a relatively lower portion and formed between the guide edge GE and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. The first guide flow path E1 and the second guide flow path E2 may be connected to the air introduction part 123, and the air introduction part 123 may be regarded as a portion of the guide flow path E. The first guide flow path E1 and the second guide flow path E2 may be formed in the same way at the entrance Ea of the guide flow path E and along the guide flow path E.
(116) The guide wall 121 may be provided in the cleaning body 120 constituting the cleaning unit 110. The gap between the guide wall 121 and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 facing the guide wall 121 at the same height may gradually increase in the direction toward the bottom surface of the dust collection space S1. Accordingly, the inclining surface may be formed on the outer surface of the guide wall 121 and may induce air downward.
(117) The coupling end part 122 may be located at the lower end of the guide wall 121. The coupling end part 122 may constitute the guide edge GE together with the cleaning ring 130, as described below. The guide edge GE may extend toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1, and the surface of the guide edge GE facing the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 may extend to be inclined to gradually increase the gap between the surface of the guide edge GE and the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 at the same height in a direction toward the end portion of the guide edge that is directed toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1.
(118) In other words, the guide edge GE may extend such that the diameter of the cleaning unit 110 gradually becomes smaller toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1. Accordingly, the guide inclination surface 135 may be formed on the surface of the guide edge GE, and the width of the guide flow path E may increase toward the lower portion of the guide edge GE. Furthermore, the cleaning ring 130 may slant such that it is close to the surface of the second cyclone part 30 in the direction thereof toward the end portion of the cleaning ring toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1, so that the guide inclination surface 135 is formed on the surface of the cleaning ring 130 facing the inner surface 20 of the housing 1.
(119) In some embodiments, the cleaning ring 130 may be coupled to the lower end of the guide wall 121 of the cleaning body 120. The cleaning ring 130 may be coupled to and may raise and lower with the coupling end part 122 located at the lower end of the guide wall 121. The cleaning ring 120 may function to compress dust and scrape off dust on the mesh net 35 while raising and lowering. The cleaning ring 130 may be made of an elastic material, for example, rubber or silicone, and may be transformed to some extent in the process of the compression such that the cleaning unit 110 may more efficiently raise and lower. The cleaning ring 130 being made of an elastic material may be advantageous in scraping off the dust on the outer surface of the mesh net 35.
(120) The cleaning ring 130 may be approximately ring-shaped. In some embodiments, the cleaning ring 130 may be coupled to the coupling end part 122 of the guide wall 121 through double injection. The front surface 135 of the cleaning ring 130 coupled to the coupling end part 122 may face the inner surface 20 of the housing 1, and the rear surface 134 of the cleaning ring 130 may face the surface of the filtering unit 30 as the cleaning unit 110 is lowered. The front surface 135 of the cleaning ring 130 may be the guide inclination surface 135, so the same reference numeral is assigned thereto.
(121) As the coupling portion of the cleaning ring 130 and the guide wall 121 to each other is seen in
(122) Accordingly, the coupling force between the upper surface 132 of the cleaning ring 130 and the lower surface of the guide wall 121 engaged with each other may be weaker compared to the coupling force between the cleaning ring 130 and the guide wall 121 when the front surface 135 and the rear surface 134 of the cleaning ring 130 are engaged with the guide wall 121. However, In some embodiments, a support rib 126 may be provided in the guide wall 121 to compensate for this.
(123) Referring to
(124) Multiple support ribs 126 may be provided on the circumference of the cleaning body 120, and at least a portion of each of the support ribs 126 may protrude up to or more than the lower end of the cleaning ring 130.
(125) In some embodiments, the cleaning ring 130 may be coupled to the cleaning body 120 through double injection. In the process of the double injection, the cleaning ring 130 may be deformed due to high temperature, but the support rib 126 may prevent the deformation. Furthermore, even in the process of the raising and lowering of the cleaning unit 110, the support rib 126 may prevent the cleaning ring 130 from curling. The cleaning ring 130 may be attached to the cleaning body 120 by an adhesive or other attachment means, or may be assembled therewith in various ways such as a forcible fitting manner or a protrusion coupling manner.
(126) In addition, a gap maintenance rib 127 may protrude from the support rib 126. The gap maintenance rib 127 may extend in the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110, and may prevent the cleaning unit 110 from being off center in the process of the raising and lowering of the cleaning unit 110. Without the gap maintenance rib 127, when the cleaning unit 110 is off center, the cleaning ring 130 (which may be made of a flexible material) may be curled up or turned over while rubbing against the mesh net 35. The gap maintenance rib 127 may solve such a problem.
(127) Referring to
(128) Referring to
(129) That is, the air introduced through the air introduction part 123 may flow along the guide flow path E located between the guide wall 121 and the guide fence 124B constituting the cleaning body 120. Of course, some of the introduced air may be introduced to the upper cleaning part 125. However, the air introduced to the upper surface of the cleaning body 120 may flow along the upper cleaning part 125 due to the structure of the upper cleaning part 125 described above, and then may be discharged in the direction of the dust collection space S1.
(130)
(131) As for the structure of the assembly body 141, the first assembly body 142 and the second assembly body 143 may be provided in the assembly body 141. The first assembly body 142 and the second assembly body 143 may be bent relative to each other. In some embodiments, the second assembly body 143 may protrude from the first assembly body 142 may be bent therefrom. The first assembly body 142 and the second assembly body 143 may extend in an overall arc shape and may be coupled to a section of the cleaning body 120.
(132) More precisely, the assembly body 141 may be inserted to and coupled to the guide flow path E formed between the guide wall 121 and the guide fence 124B of the cleaning body 120 to correspond to the guide flow path E. As illustrated in
(133) As illustrated in
(134) The connection bracket 149 may be provided at a side of the reinforcement body 148 of the reinforcement plate 140. The connection bracket 149 may protrude from the lower portion of the reinforcement body 148 in the direction of the inner surface 20 of the housing 1. The connection bracket 149 may be connected to the lower end of the movable rail 175 of the manipulation unit 150 so that the movable rail 175 and the reinforcement plate 140 raise and lower together. Although not shown, the connection bracket 149 may be raised and lowered while being inserted to a raising/lowering channel provided in the inner surface 20 of the housing 1, and may be assembled with the movable rail 175 by a separate fastener such as a bolt.
(135) Such a reinforcement plate 140 may be made of various materials. For example, the reinforcement plate 140 may be made of synthetic resin or metal. In some embodiments, the reinforcement plate 140 may be made of aluminum, and the cleaning body 120 may be made of synthetic resin.
(136) Referring to
(137) The outer blocking wall 128c may be regarded to be a portion in which the area of the connecting plate 128 is further increased. That is, the outer blocking wall 128c may be regarded to be a portion in which a portion of the connecting plate 128 is further extended.
(138) In some embodiments, as illustrated in
(139) With the outer surface of the outer blocking wall 128c facing the inner surface 20 of the housing 1, due to the presence of the outer blocking wall 128c, a section in which dust contained in air is introduced to space between the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 and the outer blocking wall 128c and reaches the connection bracket 149 may become longer. As a result, the dust may be prevented from being accumulated on the upper portion of the connection bracket 149.
(140) Since the reinforcement plate 140 may be coupled to the connecting plate 128, an inner blocking wall 148c having the same shape as the shape of the outer blocking wall 128c may be formed on the reinforcement plate 140. As illustrated in
(141) As shown in
(142) The reinforcement plate 140 may be coupled to the cleaning body 120. As shown in
(143) In some embodiments, the reinforcement plate 140 may be coupled to the cleaning body 120 to increase the strength of the connection part. Accordingly, the reinforcement plate 140 may prevent the connection part from being warped or bent by an external force. As described above, the shape of the reinforcement body 148 of the reinforcement plate 140 may correspond to the shape of the connecting plate 128, so a contact area therebetween may be relatively large. As illustrated in
(144)
(145) In this case, a discharge inclining surface 149a having a height that gradually decreases toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1 may be formed on the upper surface of the connection bracket 149 relative to the raising/lowering direction of the cleaning unit 110. The discharge inclining surface 149a may be formed to have a height that gradually decreases along the direction of the air flow formed by the guide flow path E (e.g. along the direction of arrow A). Accordingly, although dust is accumulated on the discharge inclining surface 149a, the dust may fall toward the side of the bottom of the dust collection space S1 by gravity (e.g., along the direction of arrow B).
(146) In addition, a flat surface portion 149b may be formed on a surface of the connection bracket 149 parallel to the raising/lowering direction of connection bracket 149 at a side facing the direction of the air flow formed by the guide flow path (i.e. direction of arrow A). As illustrated in
(147) In this case, the flat surface portion 149b may block air introduced along the direction (the direction of arrow A) of the air flow. When the air flows through the upper side of the flat surface portion 149b and the dust contained in the air falls from the upper side thereof and sits on the connection bracket 149, the dust may slide downward (in the direction of arrow B) along the discharge inclining surface 149a. Accordingly, dust accumulated on the upper surface of the connection bracket 149 may be minimized.
(148) As illustrated in
(149) In some embodiments, a relatively small portion of the air may be introduced to the gap between the surface of the connecting plate 128 and the inner surface of the housing 1. However, although dust contained in the introduced air falls from above and sits on the connection bracket 149, the dust may slide downward (in the direction of arrow B) along the discharge inclining surface 149a.
(150) As a summary, dust may be prevented from being introduced to the upper portion of the connection bracket 149 because (i) first, before the introduced air is rotated in full scale and accelerated, the air may meet the front surface part 124B′ of the guide fence 124B so that the introduced air may be prevented from escaping to the gap N between the inner surface 20 of the housing 1 and the guide fence 124B, (ii) blocking walls 128c and 148c may be provided in the connecting plate 128 by extending from the connecting plate 128 in the opposite direction of the direction A of the air flow so that dust moving along the air flow may be blocked from being introduced to the connection bracket 149, (iii) the filter rib R may be provided at the position close to the entrance Ea of the guide flow path E, which guides the air flow, of the opposite sides of the raising/lowering channel GH so that the air may be blocked once again by the filter rib R, and (iv) although a portion of the air is introduced to the gap between the surface of the connecting plate 128 and the inner surface of the housing 1, dust contained in the portion of the air may slide toward the bottom of the dust collection space S1 along the discharge inclining surface 149a of the connection bracket 149.
(151) Regarding the structure in which the reinforcement plate 140 is assembled with the connecting plate 128, as illustrated in
(152) The first assembly part 145 may be inserted into and hooked to the first assembly hole H1. Referring to
(153) As described above, just because all the components constituting of the cleaner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure have been described as being combined into one or operating in the combination, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, if it is within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure, all the components may be selectively combined into more than one and operated. In addition, terms such as “include,” “constitute,” or “have” described above, unless otherwise stated, mean that the corresponding component may be present. Accordingly, it should be construed that other components are not excluded, but may be included. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs, unless defined otherwise. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in the dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the context of the relevant technology, and in the present disclosure, unless explicitly defined, should not be interpreted as having an ideal or excessively formal meaning.