U.S. patent application number 17/059322 was filed with the patent office on 2021-05-13 for cleaning appliance.
This patent application is currently assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is LG ELECTRONICS INC.. Invention is credited to Jonguk HER, Kietak HYUN, Sangchul LEE.
Application Number | 20210137336 17/059322 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005356219 |
Filed Date | 2021-05-13 |
![](/patent/app/20210137336/US20210137336A1-20210513\US20210137336A1-2021051)
United States Patent
Application |
20210137336 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HYUN; Kietak ; et
al. |
May 13, 2021 |
CLEANING APPLIANCE
Abstract
A cleaning appliance including: a housing provided in a hollow
cylinder shape, having an intake unit and an exhaust unit; a fan
provided to include an impeller located in the housing, a rotary
shaft to which the impeller is fixed, and a motor rotating the
rotary shaft; a particle separator provided inside the housing to
provide a path for guiding the air entering the intake unit to the
impeller; a battery housing located at a point spaced apart from a
the intake unit, as much as 180.degree., in a space provided by a
circumferential surface of the housing and protruded to be far away
from the circumferential surface of the housing; a battery provided
in the battery housing, supplying a power to the motor; and a
handle provided to connect the circumferential surface of the
housing with the battery housing.
Inventors: |
HYUN; Kietak; (Seoul,
KR) ; HER; Jonguk; (Seoul, KR) ; LEE;
Sangchul; (Seoul, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LG ELECTRONICS INC. |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
1000005356219 |
Appl. No.: |
17/059322 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
May 21, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2019/006074 |
371 Date: |
November 27, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/1683 20130101;
A47L 9/1666 20130101; A47L 9/22 20130101; A47L 9/122 20130101; A47L
9/1625 20130101; A47L 5/24 20130101; A47L 9/2884 20130101; A47L
9/322 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/16 20060101
A47L009/16; A47L 5/24 20060101 A47L005/24; A47L 9/12 20060101
A47L009/12; A47L 9/22 20060101 A47L009/22; A47L 9/28 20060101
A47L009/28; A47L 9/32 20060101 A47L009/32 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 31, 2018 |
KR |
10-2018-0062623 |
Claims
1. A cleaning appliance comprising: a housing provided in a hollow
cylinder shape, having an intake unit and an exhaust unit; a fan
provided to include an impeller located in the housing, a rotary
shaft to which the impeller is fixed, and a motor rotating the
rotary shaft, moving the air entering the housing through the
intake unit to the exhaust unit; a particle separator provided
inside the housing to provide a path for guiding the air entering
the intake unit to the impeller, separating particles from the air
by using a centrifugal force; a battery housing located at a point
spaced apart from a pint where the intake unit is located, as much
as 180.degree., in a space provided by a circumferential surface of
the housing and protruded to be far away from the circumferential
surface of the housing; a battery provided in the battery housing,
supplying a power to the motor; and a handle provided to connect
the circumferential surface of the housing with the battery
housing, wherein the rotary shaft is inclined at an angle greater
than 0.degree. and smaller than 90.degree. toward a direction where
the handle is located based on a vertical line passing through the
center of gravity of the particle separator.
2. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the rotary shaft is
inclined at an angle of 30.degree. to 60.degree. toward a direction
where the handle is located based on a straight line passing
through the center of gravity of the particle separator.
3. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the rotary shaft is
inclined at an angle of 45.degree. toward a direction where the
handle is located based on a straight line passing through the
center of gravity of the particle separator.
4. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the housing includes:
a first housing providing a space in which the particle separator
is stored, provided with the intake unit on a circumferential
surface; a second housing providing a space in which the fan is
stored, inclined from an upper end of the first housing toward a
direction where the handle is located; a first cover provided to
open or close a lower surface of the first housing; and a second
cover provided to open or close an upper surface of the second
housing and provided with the exhaust unit.
5. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the angle of the
second housing inclined toward the handle based on the vertical
line passing through the center of gravity of the particle
separator is set to be equal to the angle of the rotary shaft
inclined toward the handle.
6. The cleaning appliance of claim 5, wherein the handle includes:
a bar shaped handle body extended from the battery housing toward
the second housing; and a bar shaped connection body connecting the
handle body with a circumferential surface of the second
housing.
7. The cleaning appliance of claim 5, wherein a length of the
battery from the circumferential surface of the first housing
toward a direction headed for the handle is set to be longer than a
length of the battery toward a height direction of the first
housing and a length of the battery toward a diameter direction of
the first housing.
8. The cleaning appliance of claim 5, wherein the center of gravity
of the fan is located between the center of gravity of the particle
separator and the center of gravity of the battery, and the center
of gravity of the battery is located between the center of gravity
of the fan and the center of gravity of the handle.
9. The cleaning appliance of claim 8, wherein the center of gravity
of the fan is located above a reference line passing through the
center of the intake unit, the center of gravity of the particle
separator and the center of gravity of the battery are located
below the reference line, and the center of gravity of the handle
is located on the reference line or below the reference line.
10. The cleaning appliance of claim 9, wherein the center of
gravity of the fan, the center of gravity of the particle
separator, the center of gravity of the battery and the center of
gravity of the handle are all located on a single vertical line
that includes the reference line.
11. The cleaning appliance of claim 4, wherein the particle
separator includes: a partition provided inside the housing,
partitioning the first housing and the second housing from each
other; a partition through hole provided to pass through the
partition; chamber bodies provided in a hollow cylinder shape,
having one end fixed to the partition and the other end which is in
contact with the first cover, and partitioning an inner space of
the first housing into a first chamber communicated with the intake
unit and a second chamber communicated with the partition through
hole; a body partition partitioning an inner space of the second
chamber into a first space communicated with the partition through
hole and a second space which is not communicated with the
partition through hole; a communication hole provided to pass
through the chamber bodies to communicate the first space with the
first chamber; a path body provided in a pipe surrounding the
partition through hole, having one end fixed to the partition and
the other end communicated with the second space by passing through
the body partition; a discharge pipe provided as a pipe extended
from the partition through hole toward the body partition and
provided inside the path body; an inlet provided to pass through
the path body, guiding the air supplied to the communication hole
to the inside the path body; and an air flow forming portion
provided in a screw shape between the discharge pipe and the path
body, rotating the air entering the inlet inside the path body.
12. The cleaning appliance of claim 11, wherein the fan includes: a
case provided in the second housing, storing the impeller therein;
a case intake hole provided on one surface of the case headed for
the partition through hole to allow the air to enter the inside of
the case; and a case exhaust hole provided on one surface of the
case headed for the exhaust unit to discharge the air inside the
case to the outside.
13. The cleaning appliance of claim 12, further comprising: a first
filter located between the partition through hole and the case
intake hole, filtering the air; and a second filter located between
the case exhaust hole and the exhaust unit to filter the air,
wherein the second filter is provided to filter particles smaller
than those filtered by the first filter.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a cleaning
appliance.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A cleaning appliance is an appliance for cleaning the indoor
by sucking particles such as dust. It is general that a
conventional cleaning appliance includes a housing provided with an
intake unit and an exhaust unit, a fan for moving the air entering
the intake unit to the exhaust unit, a separator for separating
particles from the air moving by the fan, a battery for supplying a
power to the fan, and a handle provided in the housing.
[0003] Meanwhile, the conventional cleaning apparatus has a problem
in that the center of gravity of the appliance is formed at a
position far away from the handle because the intake unit is
provided on a front surface of the housing, the handle is provided
on a rear surface of the housing and the separator and the fan,
which are heavy parts, are provided inside the housing.
[0004] The case that the center of gravity of the cleaning
appliance is far away from the handle means that the center of
gravity of the cleaning appliance is far away from a user's wrist,
and if the center of gravity of the cleaning appliance is far away
from a user's wrist, a problem occurs in that a big force is
required for direction switching or position change of the cleaning
appliance.
[0005] Also, the fan provided in the conventional cleaning
appliance is generally provided to discharge the air toward the
handle. However, in this case, since the air is discharged to the
user's hands which are gripping the handle, a problem occurs in
that displeasure is caused to the user.
SUMMARY
Technical Problem
[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaning
appliance of which handling is easy.
[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a
cleaning appliance which is capable of preventing the air from
being discharged toward a user's hands.
Technical Solution
[0008] The present disclosure provides a cleaning appliance
including a housing provided in a hollow cylinder shape, having an
intake unit and an exhaust unit; a fan provided to include an
impeller located in the housing, a rotary shaft to which the
impeller is fixed, and a motor rotating the rotary shaft, moving
the air entering the housing through the intake unit to the exhaust
unit; a particle separator provided inside the housing to provide a
path for guiding the air entering the intake unit to the impeller,
separating particles from the air by using a centrifugal force; a
battery housing located at a point spaced apart from a pint where
the intake unit is located, as much as 180.degree., in a space
provided by a circumferential surface of the housing and protruded
to be far away from the circumferential surface of the housing; a
battery provided in the battery housing, supplying a power to the
motor; and a handle provided to connect the circumferential surface
of the housing with the battery housing, wherein the rotary shaft
is inclined at an angle greater than 0.degree. and smaller than
90.degree. toward a direction where the handle is located based on
a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the
particle separator.
[0009] The rotary shaft may be provided to be inclined at an angle
of 30.degree. to 60.degree. toward a direction where the handle is
located based on a straight line passing through the center of
gravity of the particle separator.
[0010] The rotary shaft may be provided to be inclined at an angle
of 45.degree. toward a direction where the handle is located based
on a straight line passing through the center of gravity of the
particle separator.
[0011] The housing may include a first housing providing a space in
which the particle separator is stored, provided with the intake
unit on a circumferential surface; a second housing providing a
space in which the fan is stored, inclined from an upper end of the
first housing toward a direction where the handle is located; a
first cover provided to open or close a lower surface of the first
housing; and a second cover provided to open or close an upper
surface of the second housing and provided with the exhaust
unit.
[0012] The angle of the second housing inclined toward the handle
based on the vertical line passing through the center of gravity of
the particle separator is set to be equal to the angle of the
rotary shaft inclined toward the handle.
[0013] The handle may include a bar shaped handle body extended
from the battery housing toward the second housing; and a bar
shaped connection body connecting the handle body with a
circumferential surface of the second housing.
[0014] A length of the battery from the circumferential surface of
the first housing toward a direction headed for the handle may be
set to be longer than a length of the battery toward a height
direction of the first housing and a length of the battery toward a
diameter direction of the first housing.
[0015] The center of gravity of the fan may be located between the
center of gravity of the particle separator and the center of
gravity of the battery, and the center of gravity of the battery
may be located between the center of gravity of the fan and the
center of gravity of the handle.
[0016] The center of gravity of the fan may be located above a
reference line passing through the center of the intake unit, the
center of gravity of the particle separator and the center of
gravity of the battery may be located below the reference line, and
the center of gravity of the handle may be located on the reference
line or below the reference line.
[0017] The center of gravity of the fan, the center of gravity of
the particle separator, the center of gravity of the battery and
the center of gravity of the handle may all be located on a single
vertical line that includes the reference line.
[0018] The particle separator may include a partition provided
inside the housing, partitioning the first housing and the second
housing from each other; a partition through hole provided to pass
through the partition; chamber bodies provided in a hollow cylinder
shape, having one end fixed to the partition and the other end
which is in contact with the first cover, and partitioning an inner
space of the first housing into a first chamber communicated with
the intake unit and a second chamber communicated with the
partition through hole; a body partition partitioning an inner
space of the second chamber into a first space communicated with
the partition through hole and a second space which is not
communicated with the partition through hole; a communication hole
provided to pass through the chamber bodies to communicate the
first space with the first chamber; a path body provided in a pipe
surrounding the partition through hole, having one end fixed to the
partition and the other end communicated with the second space by
passing through the body partition; a discharge pipe provided as a
pipe extended from the partition through hole toward the body
partition and provided inside the path body; an inlet provided to
pass through the path body, guiding the air supplied to the
communication hole to the inside the path body; and an air flow
forming portion provided in a screw shape between the discharge
pipe and the path body, rotating the air entering the inlet inside
the path body.
[0019] The fan may include a case provided in the second housing,
storing the impeller therein; a case intake hole provided on one
surface of the case headed for the partition through hole to allow
the air to enter the inside of the case; and a case exhaust hole
provided on one surface of the case headed for the exhaust unit to
discharge the air inside the case to the outside.
[0020] The cleaning appliance of the present disclosure may further
include a first filter located between the partition through hole
and the case intake hole, filtering the air; and a second filter
located between the case exhaust hole and the exhaust unit to
filter the air, wherein the second filter may be provided to filter
particles smaller than those filtered by the first filter.
Advantageous Effects
[0021] The present disclosure may provide a cleaning appliance that
improves a user's convenience (handling) by decentering the center
of gravity of components constituting the cleaning appliance based
on a user's wrist.
[0022] Also, the present disclosure may provide a cleaning
appliance which is capable of preventing the air from being
discharged toward a user's hands.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a cleaning appliance,
consistent with the disclosed embodiments.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a cleaning appliance,
consistent with the disclosed embodiments.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a particle separator,
consistent with the disclosed embodiments.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a particle separator,
consistent with the disclosed embodiments.
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates the center of gravity of main components
of a cleaning appliance, consistent with the disclosed
embodiments.
[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates the center of gravity of main components
of a cleaning appliance, consistent with the disclosed
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described with
reference to drawings and embodiments, which specifically specify
components of the present disclosure but are used to assist
understanding of the present disclosure.
[0030] Also, specific components in the following embodiment may be
exaggerated or downsized for convenience of description and
understanding. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to
the embodiment described below, and various corrections and
modifications may be made from the embodiment by the person with
ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure
pertains.
[0031] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an example of a cleaning appliance
100 of the present disclosure. The cleaning appliance of the
present disclosure includes a housing 1 provided in a hollow
cylinder shape, an intake unit 15 and an exhaust unit 17 provided
in the housing 1, a fan 5 (see FIG. 2) provided inside the housing,
moving the air from the intake unit 15 to the exhaust unit 17, a
particle separator 4 (see FIG. 3) guiding the air entering the
intake unit 15 to the fan 5 and separating particles from the air
by using a centrifugal force, and a handle 8 provided in the
housing 1 to allow a user to grip it.
[0032] The handle 8 may be provided to be located at a point (point
spaced as much as) 180.degree. symmetrical to a point, in which the
intake unit 15 is located, from a space provided by a
circumferential surface of the housing 1.
[0033] The housing 1 may include a first housing 11 providing a
space in which the particle separator 4 is stored, and a second
housing 13 provided to be communicated with the first housing 11,
providing a space in which the fan 5 is stored. FIG. 1 illustrates
an example of a case that the second housing 13 is located above
the first housing 11.
[0034] The first housing 11 and the second housing 13 may be
provided in a hollow cylinder shape, and the second housing 13 may
be provided to be inclined from an upper end of the first housing
11 toward a direction (direction of a position of the handle)
opposite to a position of the intake unit 15.
[0035] The intake unit 15 is provided on a circumferential surface
of the first housing 11 to allow the external air to enter the
inside of the first housing. As shown in FIG. 2, the intake unit 15
may include an intake hole 153 provided to pass through the first
housing 11, and an intake pipe 151 extended from the intake hole
153 toward a direction (direction far away from the handle, Y-axis
direction) far away from the center of the first housing 11.
[0036] Although not shown, the cleaning appliance of the present
disclosure may further include an extension pipe detachably
provided in the intake pipe 151, and a nozzle provided on a free
end of the extension pipe to move particles to the extension
pipe.
[0037] The exhaust unit 17 is provided to pass through an upper
surface or a circumferential surface of the second housing 13 and
discharges the air inside the second housing 13 to the outside.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a case that the exhaust unit 17 is
provided on the upper surface of the second housing 13.
[0038] The exhaust unit 17 may include an upper through hole 171
(see FIG. 1) provided to pass through the upper surface of the
second housing 13, a cover 173 (second cover) provided to open or
close the upper through hole, and an exhaust hole 175 provided to
pass through the second cover.
[0039] Since the second housing 13 is provided to be inclined
toward the handle 8 and the exhaust hole 175 is located on the
upper surface of the second housing 13, the air discharged through
the exhaust hole 175 is not headed for the handle 8.
[0040] If the exhaust unit 17 is provided on the circumferential
surface of the second housing 13, the exhaust unit 17 may be
provided with a plurality of exhaust holes passing through the
circumferential surface of the second housing 13. In this case, the
exhaust holes should be provided in an area, which is opposite to
the position of the handle 8, in a space provided by the
circumferential surface of the second housing 13. This is to allow
the air discharged from the exhaust hole to prevent from being
headed for the handle 8.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the first housing 11 may further be
provided with a discharge unit 18 for discharging particles stored
in the housing 1 to the outside. The discharge unit 18 may include
a lower through hole 181 provided to pass through a bottom surface
(one surface of the first housing located to be opposite to the
exhaust hole) of the first housing 11, and a cover 183 (first
cover) for opening or closing the lower through hole.
[0042] The first cover 183 may rotatably be provided in the first
housing 11. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, a shaft 12 forming a
rotation center of the first cover and a fastening unit 14 provided
to face the shaft 12 may be provided on the circumferential surface
of the first housing 11, and a first fastening unit 185 coupled to
the shaft 12 and a second fastening unit 187 provided on a free end
of the first cover 183 and detachably coupled to the fastening unit
14 may be provided in the first cover 183.
[0043] Moreover, a sealing portion 189 compressed between the first
housing 11 and the first cover 183 when the lower through hole 181
is closed may further be provided in the first cover 183.
Preferably, the sealing portion 189 is made of an elastic body such
as rubber.
[0044] As described above, the fan 5 is provided in the second
housing 13 to move the air of the housing 1 to the exhaust unit 17,
and the particle separator 4 is provided in the first housing 11
and provides a path for guiding the air entering the intake unit 15
to the fan 5. Particles such as dust contained in the air are
separated from the air by a centrifugal force while the particle
separator 4 is moving to the fan 5 along the path. A detailed
structure of the particle separator is as follows.
[0045] The particle separator 4 includes a chamber forming portion
41 for forming a first chamber 41a and a second chamber 41b inside
the first housing 1, and a cyclone forming portion 42 for forming
an air current arousing a centrifugal force while supplying the air
inside the second chamber 41b to the fan 5.
[0046] The chamber forming portion 41 may include a partition 411
provided inside the housing 1, partitioning the first housing 1 and
the second housing 13 from each other, chamber bodies 413 and 415
provided as a cylinder having one end fixed to the partition 411
and the other end which is in contact with the first cover 183,
partitioning an inner space of the first housing into two chambers
41a and 41b, and a body partition 417 for partitioning the second
chamber 41b formed inside the chamber body 415 into a first space
418 and a second space 419.
[0047] The partition 411 may be provided even in any shape that can
partition the inner space of the first housing from an inner space
of the second housing. The partition 411 is provided with a
partition through hole 412 provided to pass through the
partition.
[0048] The chamber bodies may be provided as a first body 413 fixed
to the partition 411 and a second body 415 fixed to the first body.
In this case, the partition through hole 412 should be provided to
communicate the second chamber 41b with the inner space of the
second housing. That is, the first body 413 should be provided in a
shape surrounding the partition through hole 412.
[0049] The first body 413 and the second body 415 may be provided
in a hollow cylinder shape, and the second body 415 may be provided
such that its one end is fixed to a free end of the first body 413
and its other end is in contact with the sealing portion 183 of the
first cover.
[0050] A plurality of communication holes 414 for communicating the
first chamber 41a with the first space 418 are provided on a
circumferential surface of the first body 413. Therefore, the air
entering the first chamber 41a through the intake unit 15 may be
supplied to the first space 418 of the second chamber 41b through
the communication holes 414.
[0051] A discharge hole 416 (see FIG. 3) is provided on one surface
of the second body 415 which is in contact with the sealing portion
189 of the first cover. The particles stored in the second body 415
may be discharged to the outside of the housing through the
discharge hole 416 when the first cover body opens the lower
through hole 181.
[0052] The body partition 417 is fixed to any one of the first body
413 and the second body 415 to partition the inside of the second
chamber 41b into two spaces 418 and 419. The first space 418 is a
space communicated with the partition through hole 412, and the
second space 419 is a space which is not communicated with the
partition through hole 412.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, the cyclone forming portion 42 may
include a path body 421 of which one end is fixed to the partition
411 and the other end is communicated with the second space 419 by
passing through the body partition 417, a discharge pipe 424
located inside the path body 421 and communicated with the
partition through hole 412, an inlet 423 provided to pass through a
circumferential surface of the path body 421, and an air flow
forming portion 425 provided between an outer circumferential
surface of the discharge pipe 424 and an inner circumferential
surface of the path body.
[0054] The path body 421 is provided as a pipe surrounding the
partition through hole 412, and the discharge pipe 424 is located
inside the path body 421. The path body 421 is communicated with
the second space 419 through a particle discharge hole 422 provided
one a free end (bottom surface of the path body). The path body 421
may be provided to have a diameter which becomes smaller toward the
free end. This is to strongly maintain intensity of the air flow
formed in the path body 421.
[0055] The air flow forming portion 425 is provided in a screw
shape, and the inlet 423 is located to be higher than the air flow
forming portion 425. Therefore, the air entering the path body 421
through the inlet 423 when the fan 5 is operated will move (cyclone
movement) to be rotated inside the path body 421 in the middle of
moving to the discharge pipe 424 through the air flow forming
portion 425.
[0056] If cyclone movement occurs inside the path body 421, the
particles contained in the air move to a rim (the circumferential
surface of the path body) of the path by means of a centrifugal
force and then will be discharged to the second space 419 by means
of gravity.
[0057] Unlike the shown drawing, the inlet 423 may be provided as a
hole provided to pass through an upper surface of the path body
421. In this case, an upper end of the path body 421 should be
provided to be spaced apart from the partition 411 without being
fixed to the partition 411. Since the path body 421 is fixed to the
partition 411 through the air flow forming portion 425 and the
discharge pipe 424, the path body 421 may maintain a state fixed to
the partition 411 even though the upper end of the path body 421 is
spaced apart from the partition 411.
[0058] The cyclone forming portion 42 having the aforementioned
structure may be provided with a plurality of cyclone forming
portions. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a particle separator 4
provided with nine cyclone forming portions 42.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 2, the fan 5 may include a case 51 provided
in the second housing 13, an impeller 57 rotatably provided inside
the case, and a motor 54 fixed to the case, rotating the impeller
57.
[0060] The case 51 is provided with a case intake hole 511 and a
case exhaust hole 513, and it is preferable that the case intake
hole 511 is provided on one surface of the case 51 headed for the
partition through hole 412 and the case exhaust hole 513 is
provided to pass through one surface of the case 51 headed for the
exhaust hole 175. This is to minimize path resistance between the
partition through hole 412 and the exhaust hole 175.
[0061] The motor 54 is fixed to a support 515 provided in the case
51. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a case that the support 515 is
located between the case intake hole 511 and the case exhaust hole
513 and a rotary shaft 545 is connected to the impeller 57 by
passing through the support 515. That is, the motor 54 may include
a fixed unit 541 fixed to the support 515, a stator 543 provided
inside the fixed unit, and a permanent magnet 546 fixed to a free
end (one of a rotary shaft located inside the fixed unit) of the
rotary shaft 545.
[0062] The motor 54 may be provided to be supplied with a power
through a power source provided indoor, or may be provided to be
supplied with a power through the battery 7 detachably provided in
the housing 1.
[0063] Meanwhile, for filtering particles which are not removed
through the particle separator 4, the present disclosure may
further include at least one of a first filter 91 and a second
filter 92. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a case that the first
filter 91 and the second filter 92 are provided in the cleaning
appliance 100 of the present disclosure.
[0064] The first filter 91 may be located between the second
communication hole 19 and the case intake hole 511 and provided to
filter the air, and the second filter 92 may be located between the
case exhaust hole 513 and the exhaust hole 163 and provided to
filter the air.
[0065] The first filter 91 and the second filter 92 may be provided
to filter particles having the same size, or may be provided to
filter particles having different sizes. In the latter case, it is
preferable that the second filter 92 filters particles smaller than
those filtered by the first filter 91. This is to minimize the
amount of fine dust discharged to an indoor space.
[0066] Hereinafter, an operation process of the cleaning appliance
having the aforementioned structure will be described with
reference to FIG. 4.
[0067] If a power is supplied to the motor 54 to rotate the
impeller 57, the air enters the first chamber 41a through the
intake pipe 151 and the intake hole 153. A guide 155 for allowing
the air discharged from the intake hole 153 to enter the first
chamber 41a along a tangent direction of a circumferential surface
of the first chamber 41a is provided in the intake pipe 151.
Therefore, the air entering the first chamber 41a will cyclone move
along the circumferential surface of the first chamber 41a.
[0068] If the air cyclone moves inside the first chamber 41a,
particles will move to the circumferential surface of the first
chamber 41a by a centrifugal force and then move to the first cover
183 provided on the bottom surface of the first housing by gravity,
and the air will enter the second chamber 41b through the
communication holes 414.
[0069] The air entering the second chamber 41b moves to the path
body 421 through the inlet 423, and the air entering the path body
421 will cyclone move during the process of passing through the air
flow forming portion 425.
[0070] If cyclone movement occurs in the path body 421, the
particles contained in the air move to the circumferential surface
of the path body 421 by a centrifugal force and then discharged to
the second space 419 by gravity, and the air will be discharged to
the outside of the housing 1 through the discharge pipe 424, the
partition through hole 412, the case intake hole 511, the case
exhaust hole 513, and the exhaust hole 175.
[0071] A user may remove the particles collected in the second
space 419 and the first chamber 41a by rotating the first chamber
183 to open the lower through hole 181.
[0072] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, it is preferable that a
straight line V2 passing through the center of gravity G2 of the
fan 5 is provided to be inclined at an angle A greater than
0.degree. and smaller than 90.degree. based on a straight line V1
passing through the center of gravity G1 of the particle separator.
That is, it is preferable that the rotary shaft 545 is provided to
be inclined at an angle A greater than 0.degree. and smaller than
90.degree. based on a straight line V1 passing through the center
of gravity G1 of the particle separator toward a direction where
the handle 8 is located.
[0073] If the rotary shaft 545 is provided in a direction
orthogonal to the straight line V1 passing through the center of
gravity G1 of the particle separator, the air may be discharged
toward a direction where the handle 8 is located, whereby problems
may occur in that displeasure is caused to a user and fine dust is
sprayed to a user.
[0074] Meanwhile, if the particle separator 4 and the fan 5 are
located up and down and thus the rotary shaft 545 is located on a
straight line V1 passing through the center of gravity of the
particle separator 4, a problem may occur in that the center of
gravity G1 of the particle separator and the center of gravity G2
of the fan are all located in front of the handle 8. The case that
the center of gravity of the cleaning apparatus is far away from
the handle 8 means that the center of gravity of the cleaning
apparatus is located to be far away from the user's wrist, and if
the center of gravity of the cleaning appliance is far away from
the user's wrist, a problem occurs in that a big force is required
for direction switching or position change of the cleaning
appliance.
[0075] The angle A set in the rotary shaft 545 may solve the above
two problems. That is, since the angle of the rotary shaft 545 is
smaller than 90.degree., the air is not discharged to the direction
where the handle 8 is located.
[0076] Also, since the center of gravity G2 of the fan is close to
the handle 8, if the angle A of the rotary shaft with respect to
the straight line V1 passing through the center of gravity of the
particle separator is 0.degree., the center of gravity of the
cleaning appliance may move to the direction where the handle 8 is
located. Therefore, the user may handle the cleaning appliance 100
by using a relatively small force.
[0077] Meanwhile, it is preferable that an angle of the second
housing 13 inclined toward the handle with respect to a vertical
line passing through the center of the first housing 11 is set to
be equal to the angle A of the rotary shaft 545 inclined toward the
straight line V1 (straight line orthogonal to the first cover)
passing through the center of gravity of the particle
separator.
[0078] However, it is preferable that the inclined angle A of the
rotary shaft 545 with respect to the straight line V1 passing
through the center of gravity of the particle separator is set to
30.degree. or more and 60.degree. or less. This is because that it
is difficult to expect a big difference from the conventional
cleaning appliance having an incline angle of 0.degree. if the
inclined angle A is less than 30.degree. and it is difficult to
expect a big difference from the conventional cleaning appliance
having an incline angle of 90.degree. if the inclined angle A is
60.degree. or more.
[0079] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a case that an inclined
angle A of the rotary shaft 545 with respect to the straight line
V1 passing through the center of gravity of the particle separator
is set to 45.degree.. According to an experiment, in this case, it
is evaluated that load felt by a user in handling of the cleaning
appliance is the lowest.
[0080] As described above, the motor 54 provided in the fan may be
provided to be supplied with a power through the battery 7
detachably provided in the housing 1. In this case, the
circumferential surface of the first housing 1 should be provided
with a battery housing 6 for storing the battery 7.
[0081] The battery housing 6 provided in the present disclosure is
located at a point (spaced point of 180.degree.) located to be
opposite to the point where the intake unit 15 is located, in the
space provided by the circumferential surface of the first housing
11. Also, the battery housing 6 is provided to be protruded toward
a direction far away from the circumferential surface of the first
housing 11.
[0082] The battery 7 may detachably be inserted into the battery
housing 6 through an insertion hole 61 (see FIG. 1) provided to
pass through a bottom surface of the battery housing 6 a side of
the battery housing 6.
[0083] In this case, one end of the handle 8 may be fixed to the
circumferential surface of the second housing 13 and the other end
of the handle 8 may be fixed to an upper surface of the battery
housing 6. That is, the handle 8 may include a bar shaped handle
body 81 extended from the battery housing 6 toward the second
housing 13 and a bar shaped connection body 83 connecting the
handle body 81 to the circumferential surface of the second housing
13.
[0084] The handle body 81 may be provided to have an inclined angle
of 70.degree. to 80.degree. with respect to a reference line L1
passing through the center of the intake unit. FIG. 5 illustrates
an example of a case that a straight line L2 passing through the
center of the handle body 81 has an inclined angle of 75.degree.
with respect to the reference line L1.
[0085] If a height of the battery housing 6 is increased, since a
length of the handle body 81 may be reduced to cause inconvenience
of a user, it is preferable that a length (length of Y-axis
directional battery) of the battery 7 from the circumferential
surface of the first housing 11 to a direction where the handle
body 81 is located is set to be longer than a length (length of
Z-axis directional battery) of the battery 7 with respect to a
height direction of the first housing 11 and a length (length of
X-axis directional battery) of the battery with respect to a
diameter direction of the first housing 11.
[0086] Moreover, it is preferable that the center of gravity G2 of
the fan is located between the center of gravity G1 of the particle
separator and the center of gravity G3 of the battery and the
center of gravity G3 of the battery may be provided to be located
between the center of gravity G2 of the fan and the center of
gravity G4 of the handle 8. This is to allow a user to handle the
cleaning appliance by using a small force by arranging each of the
centers of gravities G1, G2 and G3 to be closed to the center of
gravity G4 of the handle.
[0087] Meanwhile, even though the center of gravity G2 of the fan
is located between the center of gravity G1 of the particle
separator and the center of gravity G3 of the battery and the
center of gravity G3 of the battery is located between the center
of gravity G2 of the fan and the center of gravity G4 of the
handle, if the centers of gravities G1, G2 and G3 of the fan, the
particle separator and the battery are located on one straight
line, the center of gravity of the cleaning appliance will be far
away from the handle 8.
[0088] Therefore, it is preferable that the center of gravity G2 of
the fan is located above the reference line L1 passing through the
center of the intake unit 15 and the center of gravity G1 of the
particle separator and the center of gravity G3 of the battery are
located below the reference line L1 passing through the center of
the intake unit.
[0089] However, the center of gravity G4 of the handle may be
located on the reference line L1 passing through the center of the
intake unit, or may be located below the reference line L1 passing
through the center of the intake unit.
[0090] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable that the center
of gravity G2 of the fan, the center of gravity G1 of the particle
separator, the center of gravity G3 of the battery, and the center
of gravity G4 of the handle are provided on a single plane (height
directional section of the cleaning apparatus). That is, it is
preferable that the center of gravity G2 of the fan, the center of
gravity G1 of the particle separator, the center of gravity G3 of
the battery, and the center of gravity G4 of the handle are all
located on a single vertical surface including a straight line
passing through the center of the intake unit. This is because that
the case that the centers of gravities G1, G2, G3 and G4 are all
located on a height directional section (Z-axis direction) of the
cleaning apparatus is more favorable for handling of the cleaning
apparatus.
[0091] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the
present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the
disclosure. Thus, the above embodiments are to be considered in all
respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the
disclosure should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the
appended claims and all change which comes within the equivalent
scope of the disclosure are included in the scope of the
disclosure.
* * * * *