U.S. patent application number 11/391434 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-16 for motor assembly and vacuum cleaner having the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG GWANGJU ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Sung-cheol Lee, Hyun-jun Oh, Hwa-gyu Song.
Application Number | 20060257269 11/391434 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36753984 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060257269 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Sung-cheol ; et
al. |
November 16, 2006 |
Motor assembly and vacuum cleaner having the same
Abstract
A motor assembly includes: a motor including at least a motor
body and a motor blade portion; at least one inner motor casing
configured to enclose at least a part of the motor; and at least
one outer motor casing configured to enclose at least a part of the
at least one inner motor casing, wherein air in the motor is caused
to change direction when passing along at least one of the at least
one inner motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing.
Inventors: |
Lee; Sung-cheol;
(Gwangju-city, KR) ; Song; Hwa-gyu; (Gwangju-city,
KR) ; Oh; Hyun-jun; (Gwangju-city, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLANK ROME LLP
600 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20037
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG GWANGJU ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
|
Family ID: |
36753984 |
Appl. No.: |
11/391434 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/313 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/0081 20130101;
A47L 9/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/313 |
International
Class: |
F04B 53/00 20060101
F04B053/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 13, 2005 |
KR |
2005-40203 |
Claims
1. A motor assembly, comprising: a motor including at least a motor
body and a motor blade portion; at least one inner motor casing
configured to enclose at least a part of the motor; and at least
one outer motor casing configured to enclose at least a part of the
at least one inner motor casing, wherein air at the motor is caused
to change direction when passing along at least one of the at least
one inner motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing.
2. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air is
caused to change direction by substantially 90.degree. to
substantially 180.degree. when flowing from a first air passage
formed between the motor and the at least one inner motor casing to
a second air passage formed between the at least one inner motor
casing and the at least one outer motor casing.
3. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least
one inner motor casing is configured to enclose the motor body of
the motor, and the at least one outer motor casing is configured to
enclose the motor body and the motor blade portion.
4. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least
one inner motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing each
include a plurality of air passing holes to allow air escaping from
the motor to pass therethrough.
5. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plurality
of air passing holes include at least one first air passing hole
defined at a circumference of the at least one inner motor casing
and at least one second air passing hole defined at the at least
one outer motor casing.
6. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one
second air passing hole is defined at a rear of the at least one
outer motor casing,
7. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least
one first passing hole is defined around the circumference.
8. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least
one first passing hole is defined around the circumference.
9. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaner body including at least a
dust collecting chamber and a motor chamber; a brush assembly
configured to be connected to the dust collecting chamber; a motor
disposed at the motor chamber and including at least a motor body
and a motor blade portion; at least one inner motor casing
configured to enclose at least a part of the motor; and at least
one outer motor casing configured to enclose at least a part of the
at least one inner motor casing, wherein air at the motor is caused
to change direction when passing along at least one of the at least
one inner motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing.
10. The vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least
one inner motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing each
include at least one air passing hole configured to allow air
escaping from the motor to pass therethrough.
11. The vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least
one air passing hole is formed at a rear of the at least one outer
motor casing.
12. The vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least
one outer motor casing is configured to entirely enclose the at
least one inner motor casing.
13. A motor assembly, comprising: a motor; at least one inner motor
casing configured to enclose at least a part of the motor; at least
one outer motor casing configured to enclose at least a part of the
at least one inner motor casing; and means for changing a direction
of air flow between the at least one inner motor casing and the at
least one outer motor casing.
14. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the means
for changing changes the direction of the airflow between
substantially 90.degree. and substantially 180.degree..
15. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 13, further comprising
at least one air passing hole formed at at least one of the at
least one inner motor casing and the at least one outer motor
casing.
16. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least
one air passing hole includes a plurality of air passing holes.
17. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein a portion of
the plurality of air passing holes is formed at the at least one
inner motor casing.
18. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein a second
portion of the plurality of air passing holes is formed at the at
least one outer motor casing.
19. The motor assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least
one air passing hole of the second portion is provided at a rear
portion of the at least one outer motor casing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119 from Korean Patent Application No. 2005-40203,
filed May 13, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated
herein by reference. This application may also be related to
commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/851,243,
filed May 24, 2004, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/206,905,
filed Aug. 19, 2005, as well as to attorney docket no.
116511-00202, entitled "MOTOR ASSEMBLY AND VACUUM CLEANER HAVING
THE SAME". The contents of each of these three applications are
incorporated herewith.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more
particularly, to a motor assembly configured to reduce noise
generated in a motor and a vacuum cleaner having the same.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A vacuum cleaner draws in dust using a suction force
generated by a motor and collects the dust in a dust collecting
chamber. The vacuum cleaner employs a high output motor having a
high number of RPMs. However, such a high output motor causes a
large volume of noise when it is driven.
[0006] Korean Patent Publication No. 1997-32650 describes a motor
casing including a noise absorbing member and a noise blocking
member. The noise blocking member encloses the noise absorbing
member and has diffusion perforations formed on a surface thereof.
Japanese Patent Publication No. H01-268524 describes a motor casing
including a first penetrating hole formed on a side surface, a
second penetrating hole formed on a rear surface, and a noise
absorbing member disposed at the first and the second penetrating
holes.
[0007] However, since the disclosures of the Korean Patent
Publication No. 1997-32650 and Japanese Patent Publication No.
H01-268524 require the extra noise absorbing member to reduce
noise, their structures are complicated and their manufacturing
cost is high.
[0008] Also, although both disclosures can reduce a blade passing
frequency (BPF) and the entire noise level, they do not effectively
reduce a low frequency band noise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention has been developed in order to solve
the above problems in the related art. A first aspect of the
present invention is to provide a motor assembly having a
simplified configuration and a vacuum cleaner having the same.
[0010] To this end, the present invention provides a motor assembly
that includes: a motor including at least a motor body and a motor
blade portion; at least one inner motor casing configured to
enclose at least a part of the motor; and at least one outer motor
casing configured to enclose at least a part of the at least one
inner motor casing, wherein air in the motor is caused to change
direction when passing along at least one of the at least one inner
motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing.
[0011] Another aspect of the invention provides a vacuum cleaner
that includes: a cleaner body including at least a dust collecting
chamber and a motor chamber; a brush assembly configured to be
connected to the dust collecting chamber; a motor disposed at the
motor chamber and including at least a motor body and a motor blade
portion; at least one inner motor casing configured to enclose at
least a part of the motor; and at least one outer motor casing
configured to enclose at least a part of the at least one inner
motor casing, wherein air in the motor is caused to change
direction when passing along at least one of the at least one inner
motor casing and the at least one outer motor casing.
[0012] Another aspect provides a motor assembly, which includes: a
motor; at least one inner motor casing configured to enclose at
least a part of the motor; at least one outer motor casing
configured to enclose at least a part of the at least one inner
motor casing; and means for changing a direction of air flow
between the at least one motor casing and the at least one outer
motor casing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] These and other aspects of the present invention will become
apparent and more readily appreciated from the following
description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings of which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a cleaner body
in which a motor assembly according to a non-limiting embodiment of
the present invention may be mounted;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the motor assembly of FIG. 1,
in which a contour line of an outer motor casing is expressed by a
dashed line such that only an inner motor casing is shown;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
motor assembly of FIG. 2; and
[0017] FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a noise reduction effect
achieved by the motor assembly according to a non-limiting
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Hereinafter, a motor assembly and a vacuum cleaner having
the same according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings. For reference, arrows in the drawings indicate an air
flow direction.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a cleaner body in which a
motor assembly according to a non-limiting embodiment of the
present invention is mounted. Referring to FIG. 1, the cleaner body
10 may include a dust collecting chamber S1 and a motor chamber
S2.
[0020] The dust collecting chamber S1 may be a space that may be
partitioned from the motor chamber S2 by a partition 10a and may be
formed in a front portion of the cleaner body 10. The dust
collecting chamber S1 may have a dust collector to separate and
collect dust. In this embodiment, a dust bag 11 may be provided as
the dust collector. Instead of the dust bag 11, a single or
multi-cyclone dust collecting apparatus (capable of being used
repeatedly) may be provided in the dust collecting chamber S1.
[0021] A suction pipe 12 may be disposed at an upper portion of the
dust collecting chamber S1 and may protrude to the outside of the
cleaner body 10 as well as to the inside of the cleaner body 10.
Dust may be drawn in through the suction pipe 12. The suction pipe
12 may be connected to a flexible hose 14 outside the cleaner body
10 and to the dust bag 11 inside the cleaner body 10. The flexible
hose 14 may be connected to a brush assembly (not shown) through an
extension pipe (not shown). The brush assembly may draw in dust
from a cleaning surface therethrough.
[0022] According to the above-described configuration, the dust
drawn in through the brush assembly (not shown), the extension pipe
(not shown), the flexible hose 14, and the suction pipe 12 may be
collected in the dust bag 11, whereas the air may escape from the
dust bag 11 in the direction of arrow and may flow into the motor
chamber S2 through a filter 40.
[0023] The motor chamber S2 may include a space that is partitioned
from the dust collecting chamber S1 by partition 10a and may be
formed in a rear portion of the cleaner body 10. The motor chamber
S2 may include a first motor chamber S21 and a second motor chamber
S22.
[0024] The first motor chamber S21 may be enclosed by an upper wall
10b and a side wall 10c and may be located in front of the second
motor chamber S2. A motor assembly 19 may be disposed in the first
motor chamber S21. A motor 20 may use a high-output motor capable
of generating a high number of revolutions per minute (RPMs). The
high output motor may generate a large volume of noise when it is
driven. In order to reduce the noise, the motor assembly 19 may be
provided in the first motor chamber S21. The second motor chamber
S22 may be formed in the rear portion of the motor chamber S2 by
the side wall 10c.
[0025] A discharge pipe 16 may be disposed at a rear upper portion
of the motor chamber S2 to discharge the air to the outside
therethrough. A discharge filter 30 may be disposed in an outlet of
the discharge pipe 16 to filter dust included in the air.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the motor assembly 19 according
to an embodiment of the present invention may include the motor 20
which may include a motor body 20a and a motor blade portion 20b. A
motor casing 100 may also be provided to enclose the motor 20 and
may include an inner motor casing 110 and an outer motor casing
120. The configuration of the motor 20 may be similar to those
known to those of skill in the art.
[0027] The inner motor casing 110 may enclose the motor body 20a
and may be spaced away from the motor body 20a by a predetermined
distance such that a first air passage P1 (see FIG. 1) may be
formed between the motor 20 and the inner motor casing 110. A
plurality of first air passing holes 110a may be formed along a
circumference of the inner motor casing 110. The inner motor casing
110 may include a first securing protrusion 111 formed at a
circular edge of the inner motor casing 110 and may include a first
securing hole 110b through which a screw is inserted. The outer
motor casing 120 may include a front casing 121 and a rear casing
122, which may be separable from each other.
[0028] The front casing 121 may enclose the motor blade portion 20b
and may have a second securing protrusion 121b formed at a circular
edge of the front casing 121 to be connected to the rear casing
122. The securing protrusion 121b may include a second securing
hole 121bb corresponding to the first securing hole 110b of the
first securing protrusion 111.
[0029] The rear casing 122 may enclose the inner motor casing 110,
which may be spaced from the inner motor casing 110 by a
predetermined distance such that a second air passage P2 (see FIG.
1) may be formed between the inner motor casing 110 and the rear
casing 122. The rear casing 122 may have a plurality of second air
passing holes 122a defined on a surface (e.g., a rear surface) of
the rear casing 122 in a radial direction. The second air passing
holes may be omitted from the center of the rear casing 122. Of
course, the arrangement of the second air passing holes 122a may
extend to the center of the rear casing 122.
[0030] The rear casing 122 may have a third securing protrusion
122b formed at a circular edge thereof to be connected with the
front casing 121. The third securing protrusion 122b may include a
third securing hole 122bb corresponding to the first and the second
securing holes 110b, 121bb of the first and the second securing
protrusions 111, 121b.
[0031] Although the inner motor casing 110 may enclose only the
motor body 20a in this non-limiting embodiment, it may also be
designed to enclose the motor blade portion 20b as well as the
motor body 20a. Also, the outer motor casing 120 may be designed to
enclose the entire motor 20 or to enclose only the motor body 20a.
Also, variations of the air channel are possible. For example, two
or more outer motor casings 120 may enclose the inner motor casing
to reduce noise.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, when the air escapes from the motor 20,
it may be deflected by the first air passage P1, may pass through
the first air passing holes 110a, may again be deflected by the
second air passage P2, and then may pass through the second air
passing holes 122a. At this time, the air may change its direction
when it flows from the first air passage P1 to the second air
passage P2. For example, the air may change its direction by
substantially 90.degree. to 180.degree. when it flows into the
second air passage P2 from the first air passage P1.
[0033] When the air is deflected by the first air passage P1,
passes through the first air passing holes 110a, is again deflected
by the second air passage P2, and then passes through the second
air passing holes 122a, its flow velocity changes. Also, when the
air changes its direction as it flows from the first air passage P1
to the second air passage P2, noise is reduced.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a noise reduction effect
achieved by the motor assembly. Referring to FIG. 4, noise is
measured as 73.5 dBA if the motor assembly 19 is provided, whereas
noise is measured as 78.7 dBA if there is no motor assembly 19. In
other words, the noise is reduced by as much as 5.2 dBA. The amount
of noise reduction is large in a low frequency band (0.about.2000
Hz).
[0035] Hereinafter, the operation of the vacuum cleaner employing
the motor assembly 19 will now be described. Referring to FIG. 1, a
suction force is generated when the motor 20 is driven, and dust is
drawn in through the brush assembly (not shown), the extension pipe
(not shown), the flexible hose 14, and the suction pipe 12 by the
suction force, and collected in the dust bag 11.
[0036] Cleaned air escapes from the dust bag 11 and flows into the
motor 20 disposed in the first motor chamber S21 after passing
through the filter 40. When the air escapes from the motor 20, it
is deflected by the first air passage P1 by 90.degree.. Then, the
air passes through the first air passing holes 110a, is again
deflected by the second air passage P2, and then passes through the
second air passing holes 122a. After that, the air may be
discharged from the cleaner body 10 through the second motor
chamber S22, the discharge pipe 16, and the discharge filter
30.
[0037] According to the present invention as described above, the
motor assembly 19 and the vacuum cleaner having the same have the
following advantages.
[0038] First, since the motor assembly 19 may include the inner
motor casing 110 having the first air passing holes 110a and the
outer motor casing 120 having the second air passing holes 122a,
and may not require an extra noise-absorbing member, the motor
assembly 19 has a simplified configuration and its manufacturing
costs decrease.
[0039] Second, the air changes its flow velocity while being
deflected by the first air passage P1, passing through the first
air passing holes 110a, being again deflected by the second air
passage P2, and then passing through the second air passing holes
122a. Also, since the air changes its direction while moving from
the first air passage P1 to the second air passage P2, a noise is
reduced. Especially, a low frequency band noise is effectively
reduced. Accordingly, a user can clean without much noise.
[0040] The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely
exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present
invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other
types of apparatuses. Also, the description of the embodiments of
the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to
limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications,
and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
* * * * *