U.S. patent application number 11/036225 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-29 for vacuum cleaner having a controllable cleaning brush.
Invention is credited to Joung, Myoung-sun, Lee, Byung-jo, Moon, Dae-yeoun, Moon, Joo-sung.
Application Number | 20050210625 11/036225 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34464817 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050210625 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Joung, Myoung-sun ; et
al. |
September 29, 2005 |
Vacuum cleaner having a controllable cleaning brush
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner comprises a suction port assembly having a
suction inlet, a rotatable drum, a driving pulley that drives the
rotatable drum, a driven pulley that is driven by a motor and a
free-wheeling idler pulley that can rotate irrespective of the
driven pulley. A drive belt between the motor and the driven pulley
can be moved off the driven pulley and onto the free-wheeling idler
pulley. When the drive belt from the motor rides on the idler
pulley, the rotatable drum is disconnected from the motor, allowing
it to stop. The drive belt is move onto and off of the idler pulley
by a user-operable two-position guide member. In a first position,
the drive belt is connected to the driven pulley. In the second
position, the drive belt is directed onto the free-wheeling idler
pulley. A user of the vacuum cleaner can selectively activate and
deactivate the rotatable drum during cleaning thereby saving power,
reducing wear on the rotating drum and its bristles and reducing
noise.
Inventors: |
Joung, Myoung-sun;
(Gwangju-city, KR) ; Lee, Byung-jo; (Gwangju-city,
KR) ; Moon, Joo-sung; (Seoul, KR) ; Moon,
Dae-yeoun; (Gwangju-city, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LADAS & PARRY LLP
224 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
SUITE 1600
CHICAGO
IL
60604
US
|
Family ID: |
34464817 |
Appl. No.: |
11/036225 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/390 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/0444 20130101;
A47L 9/0411 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/390 |
International
Class: |
A47L 005/30 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 29, 2004 |
KR |
2004-21061 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a suction port assembly body having
a suction inlet for drawing in dust on a surface being cleaned and
connected to a body of the vacuum cleaner such that the suction
inlet is fluidly communicated with the cleaner body; a rotatable
drum mounted in the assembly body; a driven pulley that is
connected to and drives the rotatable drum; a free-wheeling idler
pulley that rotates freely with respect to the driven pulley; a
driving source that supplies rotational power; a first drive belt
that delivers the rotational power from the driving source to at
least one of the driven pulley and the free-wheeling idler pulley;
a guide member that moves between a first position and a second
position, said guide member first position directing the first
drive belt onto the driven pulley, said guide member second
position directing the first drive belt onto the free-wheeling
idler pulley.
2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a cam member,
rotatably mounted in the suction port assembly body to move the
guide member between said first and the second positions.
3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, further comprising a return unit
for biasing the guide member toward at least one of the first
position and the second position.
4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the return unit comprises
a resilient spring.
5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the resilient spring
member extends from the guide member to an inner wall of the
suction port assembly body.
6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the guide member and the
resilient spring member are plastic and integrally formed by
molding.
7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a rotation
knob which includes: a handle part rotatably mounted in a mounting
hole of the suction port assembly body and exposed to the outside
of the suction port assembly body; and a cam member disposed in
contact with the suction port assembly body.
8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein one of the mounting hole
and the rotation knob comprises at least two fixing grooves, and
the other one of the mounting hole and the rotation knob comprises
a fixing projection elastically inserted in one of the at least two
fixing grooves when the rotation knob is rotated to a predetermined
position.
9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: a middle
shaft having an axis and being rotatably mounted in the suction
port assembly between the rotatable drum and the driving source,
said driven pulley and said free-wheeling idler pulley rotating
about the axis of said middle shaft; and a second drive belt
delivering a rotational power of the driven pulley of the middle
shaft.
10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the guide member is
slidably mounted within the suction port assembly body to enable
the guide member to move between the first and the second
positions.
11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, further comprising: a cleaner
body pivotably connected to the suction port assembly body; a
projection protruded from a portion of the cleaner body, the
portion adjacent to the suction port assembly body; and an
auxiliary guide member for moving the guide member between its
first and second positions when the cleaner body moves between its
own first and second positions.
12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary guide
member comprises: an auxiliary guide body slidably mounted within
the suction port assembly body; and an auxiliary guide projection
projected from a side of the auxiliary guide body to come into
contact with the guide member when the cleaner body is
substantially upright.
13. A suction port assembly connected to a cleaner body for fluid
communication to draw in dust on a surface being cleaned upon
driving of a vacuum cleaner, the suction port assembly comprising:
a suction port assembly body having a suction inlet for drawing in
dust on a surface being cleaned and connected to the cleaner body
such that the suction inlet is fluidly communicated with the
cleaner body; a rotatable drum mounted in the assembly body to
rotate; a driven pulley, operatively connected to the rotatable
drum; an idler pulley rotating irrespective of the driven pulley; a
driving source for supplying rotation power to the rotatable drum;
a first drive belt for coupling rotational power from the driving
source to one of the driven pulley and the idler pulley; a guide
member having a guide part moved between a first position and a
second position, the first position being where the first drive
belt rides over the driven pulley and the second position being
where the first drive belt rides over the idler pulley; and a cam,
operatively coupled to the the suction port assembly body, said cam
operating to move the guide member between the first and the second
positions.
14. The suction port assembly of claim 13, further comprising a
resilient spring member for biasing the guide member toward at
least one of the first and the second positions.
15. The suction port assembly of claim 14, wherein the resilient
spring member is extended from the guide member and contacts an
inner wall of the suction port assembly body.
16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, further comprising a rotation
knob which includes: a handle part rotatably mounted in a mounting
hole of the suction port assembly body and exposed out of the
suction port assembly body; and the cam disposed in contact with
the suction port assembly body.
17. The suction port assembly of claim 13, further comprising: a
middle shaft rotatably mounted between the rotatable drum and the
driving source in the suction port assembly body and comprising the
driven pulley and the idler pulley; wherein, when the driven pulley
is driven in connection with the first drive belt, the rotatable
drum is driven by rotational power at the middle shaft transmitted
through a second drive belt.
18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the guide member is
slidably mounted within the suction port assembly body to enable
the guide part to move between the first and the second positions.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2004-21061, filed Mar. 29, 2004, in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a vacuum cleaner,
and more particularly, to a suction port assembly comprising a
rotatable drum mounted at a suction inlet, and a vacuum cleaner
having the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A general vacuum cleaner includes therein a vacuum source
such that, when the vacuum source is driven, the vacuum cleaner
draws in contaminants using a suction force generated at a suction
inlet, thereby cleaning a surface being cleaned. Recently, a
rotatable drum is further provided to the vacuum cleaner for more
complete cleaning of stubborn dust or dust on a surface difficult
to be cleaned simply by the suction force. The rotatable drum is
generally mounted adjacent to a suction inlet and provided with a
plurality of brush members on an outer periphery thereof. When the
rotatable drum is driven, the brush members are moved in contact
with the surface being cleaned, thereby cleaning stubborn dust and
dirt on surfaces such as carpet and bedclothes.
[0004] However, as can be understood from the above, the rotatable
drum is not always necessary. A vacuum cleaner that is capable of
selectively using the rotatable drum according to the conditions of
the surface being cleaned or the cleaning environment, would be an
improvement over the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] An aspect of the present invention is to solve at least the
above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the
advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present
invention is to provide a suction port assembly capable of
selectively driving a rotatable drum according to conditions of a
surface being cleaned, and a vacuum cleaner comprising the
same.
[0006] In order to achieve the above-described aspects of the
present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner body housing
a vacuum source, a suction port on the vacuum cleaner body having a
suction inlet for drawing in dust on a surface being cleaned and
connected to the cleaner body such that the suction inlet is
fluidly communicated with the cleaner body. A rotatable drum is
mounted in the suction inlet to rotate by a driven pulley connected
to the rotatable drum for power transmission. A free wheeling idler
pulley that rotates without regard to the driven pulley. A driving
source for supplying rotational power to the rotatable drum, drives
a first drive belt for that can be selectively connected to either
one of the driven pulley and the idler pulley. The first drive belt
is moved from the driven pulley to the idler pulley by a guide
member having a guide part that is moved between a first position
and a second position, the first position being where the first
drive belt is connected to the driven pulley and the second
position being where the first drive belt is connected to the idler
pulley. A cam member rotatably mounted to a suction port assembly
having the suction inlet is moved to one of the first and the
second positions by contact with the cam member to selectively
drive the rotatable drum member.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
suction port assembly and the vacuum cleaner comprise a resilient
spring member for elastically biasing the guide member toward any
one of the first and the second positions.
[0008] The resilient spring member is extended from the guide
member and contacted by its free end with an inner wall of the
suction port assembly body. The guide member and the resilient
spring member are preferably formed from molded plastic.
[0009] The suction port assembly and the vacuum cleaner further
comprise a rotation knob, which includes a handle part rotatably
mounted in a mounting hole of the suction port assembly body and
exposed out of the suction port assembly body, and the cam member
disposed in contact with the suction port assembly body. One of the
mounting hole and the rotation knob comprises at least two fixing
grooves, and the other one of the mounting hole and the rotation
knob comprises a fixing projection elastically inserted in one of
the at least two fixing grooves when the rotation knob is rotated
to a predetermined position.
[0010] The suction port assembly and the vacuum cleaner according
to an embodiment of the present invention further comprise a middle
shaft rotatably mounted between the rotatable drum and the driving
source in the suction port assembly body and comprising the driven
pulley and the idler pulley, and a second drive belt for connecting
the middle shaft to the rotatable drum, and wherein, when the
driven pulley is driven in connection with the first belt, the
rotatable drum is driven by power transmitted through the second
drive belt. The guide member is slidably mounted within the suction
port assembly body to enable the guide part to move between the
first and the second positions.
[0011] The vacuum cleaner includes therein a driving source for
generating a suction force in the suction inlet and further
comprises a cleaner body pivotably connected to the suction port
assembly body, a projection protruded from a portion of the cleaner
body, the portion adjacent to the suction port assembly body, and
an auxiliary guide member for moving the guide member, being moved
by contact with the projection, when the cleaner body is pivoted
and postured in a certain position with respect to the suction port
assembly body.
[0012] The auxiliary guide member comprises an auxiliary guide body
slidably mounted within the suction port assembly body, and an
auxiliary guide projection projected from a side of the auxiliary
guide body to come into contact with the guide member when the
cleaner body is postured in a certain position, thereby moving the
guide part.
[0013] Accordingly, when applying an embodiment of the present
invention to an upright-type vacuum cleaner, the driving of the
rotatable drum is automatically controlled according to posture of
a cleaner body which is pivotably connected to the suction port
assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0014] The above aspect and other features of the present invention
will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary
embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawing figures,
wherein;
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exterior of a vacuum
cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing an inner structure of
a suction port assembly of FIG. 1; and
[0017] FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a bottom view,
respectively, showing the operation of main parts of an embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing
figures.
[0019] In the following description, reference numerals are used
for the same elements even in different drawings. The matters
defined in the description such as a detailed construction and
elements are nothing but the ones provided to assist in a
comprehensive understanding of the invention. Thus, it is apparent
that the present invention can be carried out without those defined
matters. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not
described in detail since they would obscure the invention in
unnecessary detail.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows an upright-type vacuum cleaner 100. The vacuum
cleaner 100 comprises a cleaner body 110 and a suction port
assembly 150.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaner body 110 includes therein a
vacuum source (not shown for brevity but well known to those of
ordinary skill in the art) that is driven by a motor 120 and a
dust-collecting chamber (not shown). The cleaner body 110 and the
suction port assembly 150 are connected to each other such that a
suction inlet 161 (FIG. 2) formed at a bottom of the suction port
assembly 150 fluidly communicates with the vacuum source and the
dust-collecting chamber. As the vacuum source operates, it provides
or generates a suction force at the suction inlet 161. Dust on a
surface being cleaned is thereby drawn into the collecting chamber
with surrounding air by the suction force through the suction inlet
161. The vacuum source may be mounted within the suction port
assembly 150.
[0022] In the preferred embodiment, the suction port assembly 150,
as shown in FIG. 2, comprises an assembly body 160, a rotatable
drum 170, a middle shaft 180, a first drive belt 220, a second
second drive belt 220, a guide member 190 and a rotation knob 200.
The rotatable drum 170 is mounted adjacent the suction inlet 161
and has several brush members 171 (FIG. 3) on an outer periphery
thereof. The rotatable drum 170 is driven by the rotational power
of a driving source through one or more drive belts. For the
driving source, a turbine (not shown) rotated by the air drawn into
the cleaner body 110, and the motor 120 used as the vacuum source
may be adopted. In this embodiment, the motor 120 is adapted for
the driving source.
[0023] The driving motor 120 is mounted in the cleaner body 110 so
that rotation of the motor's shaft 121 is exposed into the suction
port assembly 150 when the cleaner body 110 is connected to the
suction port assembly 150. The driving motor 120 also functions to
drive the vacuum source.
[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the middle shaft 180 is rotatably
mounted in the assembly body 160 between the rotatable drum 170 and
the driving motor 120. The middle shaft 180 comprises a driving
pulley 182 that drives the rotatable drum 170 through a second
second drive belt 220. The assembly body 160 also includes a driven
pulley 181, so named because it is driven by rotational power
supplied to it from the motor 120 through a first drive belt 220.
An idler pulley 183 lies alongside, i.e., adjacent to the driven
pulley 181 so that the first drive belt 220 can be selectively
directed to ride over either the driven pulley 181 or the idler
pulley 183. As shown in FIG. 3, all three of these pulleys 181, 182
and 183 rotate about the same axis, which coincides with the middle
shaft 180 axis of rotation. Accordingly, the driving pulley 182 and
the driven pulley 181 are driven by the motor 120 about the middle
shaft 180. The idler pulley 183 is mounted on the middle shaft 180
so that it can freely rotate about the middle shaft 180. The idler
pulley 183 is therefore considered to be "free wheeling" meaning
that it can freely rotate about the middle shaft 180, irrespective
of the driving and the driven pulleys 181 and 182. Rotation of the
idler pulley 183 requires little or no energy, i.e., only the
energy required to overcome frictional losses of the pulley's
bearings.
[0025] Depending on the position of the guide member 190, the
driven pulley 181 and the idler pulley 183 are selectively
connected to the motor 120 through the first drive belt 220. The
driven pulley 181 and the driving pulley 181 are fixed to the
middle shaft 180, however, such that both pulleys 181 and 182
rotate together, through the middle shaft 180. The second drive
belt 220 therefore delivers power to the rotatable drum 170 from
the driving pulley 182, which is in turn driven by the middle shaft
180. Since the driving pulley 182 and the driven pulley 181 are
effectively locked to the middle shaft 180, the driving pulley 182
is driven by the driven pulley 181. The driven pulley 181 is in
turn driven by the motor 120 through the first drive belt 220.
Power from the motor 120 can be removed from the driven pulley 181
and therefore removed from the rotatable drum 170 by moving the
first drive belt 220 from the driven pulley 181 onto the idler
pulley 183 instead. The first drive belt 220 is moved sideways to
ride over the idler pulley 183 by movement of the guide member 190
in the direction of the arrow "A" as shown in FIG. 3.
[0026] The guide member 190 translates as shown by the arrow "A"
and directs the first drive belt 220 to run over either the driven
pulley 181 or the idler pulley 183. The guide member 190 includes a
belt guide part 195 for restraining flank sides of the first drive
belt 220. The guide member 190 is slidably mounted in the assembly
body 160 such that the guide part 195 is slid between a first
position, where the first drive belt 220 and the driven pulley 181
are connected, and a second position, where the first drive belt
220 and the idler pulley 183 are connected, along a direction A of
FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3.
[0027] A rotation knob 200 is provided on the top of the suction
port assembly 150 for moving the guide member 190 according to a
user's operation, so that the guide part 195 is placed in one of
the aforementioned first and the second positions. To do this, the
rotation knob 200 as shown in FIG. 3 is rotatably mounted through a
mounting hole 163 (FIG. 1), which is formed through an upper
surface of the assembly body 160. The rotation knob 200 comprises a
handle part 201 formed at an upper part thereof and exposed out of
the assembly body 160, and a cam member 205 formed at a lower part
thereof and disposed in the assembly body 160. The cam member 205
contacts with one side of the guide member 190 and has a
non-circular transection. When the cam member 205 is rotated by
operating the handle part 201, the guide member 190 is moved by the
contact with the cam member 205 in a manner that a first slide
projection 165 slides along a slide slot 193. By the movement of
the guide member 190, the first drive belt 220 is connected to one
of the first driving pulley 181 and the idler pulley 183.
[0028] Although not illustrated, in an alternate embodiment the
guide member 190 may be mounted to pivot about a pivot shaft (not
shown).
[0029] In another alternate embodiment not illustrated, the first
driven 181 and the idler pulley 183 may be formed directly on the
rotatable drum 170. In this case, the structure of the suction port
assembly 150 can be simplified by omitting the middle shaft
180.
[0030] When the rotation knob 200 moves the guide member 190, the
guide member 190 and the cam member 205 are preferably in constant
contact with each other. A resilient spring member 191 is therefore
provided in the preferred embodiment, that biases the guide member
190 against the cam member 205. In the preferred embodiment, the
resilient spring member 191 extends from one side of the guide
member 190 to contact by a free end thereof, an inner wall of the
assembly body 160 not shown in FIG. 3. The resilient spring member
191 may be integrally formed with the guide member 190. The
resilient spring member 191 is preferably formed by molding a
synthetic resin.
[0031] When rotation of the rotatable drum 170 is controlled by
assistance of the resilient spring member 191, as described above,
noise and vibration can be caused by the first drive belt 220 as it
rotates. To reduce noise and vibration, at least two fixing grooves
209 are formed on an outer circumference of the rotation knob 200,
and an fixing projection 169 is protruded from an inner
circumference of the mounting hole 163 (FIG. 1), which corresponds
to the outer circumference of the rotation knob 200. According to
this structure, once the rotation knob 200 is rotated so that the
fixing hole 209 is engaged with the fixing projection 169, movement
of the guide member 190 can be prevented until the rotation knob
200 is forcibly rotated by a user, thereby restraining noise and
shiver.
[0032] Application of the suction port assembly 150 shown in the
figures is not limited to an upright-type vacuum cleaner 100.
Although not illustrated, a canister-type vacuum cleaner in which a
suction port assembly is separately disposed from a cleaner body
may employ the suction port assembly 150, expecting the same
function and effect.
[0033] When the suction port assembly 150 is applied to the
upright-type vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the
present invention, rotation of the rotatable drum 170 is controlled
according to a posture of the cleaner body 110. Especially when an
auxiliary suction tool (not shown) is used instead of the suction
port assembly 150 in a state that the suction port assembly 150
connected to the cleaner body 110, noise from the rotatable drum
170 unnecessarily rotated in the suction port assembly 150 needs to
be prevented. For this, the vacuum cleaner 100 of this embodiment
comprises a projection 115 and an auxiliary guide member 210. The
projection 115 protruded on the main body 110 adjacent to the
suction port assembly 150. The auxiliary guide member 210 comprises
an auxiliary guide body 211 mounted in the assembly body 160 to
slide along a direction B of FIG. 3, and an auxiliary guide
projection 215 projected from a side of the auxiliary guide body
211. The auxiliary guide projection 215 engages and displaces the
guide member 190 to move the belt 200 onto the idler pulley 183
when the cleaner body 110 is in a certain position with respect to
the suction port assembly 150. In a preferred embodiment, when the
cleaner body 110 is upright with respect to the suction port
assembly 150, the auxiliary guide projection 215 is moved to
contact and displace the guide member 190 as shown by arrow B. As
the cleaner body 110 becomes upright, and when the suction port
assembly 150 is therefore not in use, the auxiliary guide
projection 215 gradually moves the guide member 190 until the first
drive belt 220 is moved onto the idler pulley 183.
[0034] As can be appreciated from the above description of the
vacuum cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present
invention, driving of the rotatable drum 170 can be selected by a
simple operation of the rotation knob 200. Accordingly, the
cleaning work can be adaptively performed according to conditions
of the surfaces being cleaned.
[0035] Especially in the upright-type vacuum cleaner applying an
embodiment of the present invention, the driving of the rotatable
drum 170 is automatically controlled according to the posture of
the cleaner body 110, thereby enabling a convenient cleaning
work.
[0036] While the invention has been shown and described with
reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details
may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *