Patent Application
20240398188
The present application claims the benefit of priority to Korea Patent Application No. 10-2023-0072394, filed Jun. 5, 2023, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.
The present disclosure relates to a cleaner nozzle and more particularly to a cleaner nozzle which includes a damper for enhancing a suction performance and protects the damper from cleaning environment.
A vacuum cleaner refers to a device that uses a suction force generated by a suction motor installed within the body of the cleaner and sucks dust and air, and separates the dust from the air to collect the dust.
Such a vacuum cleaner is classified into a canister vacuum cleaner, an upright vacuum cleaner, a stick vacuum cleaner, a hand vacuum cleaner, and a robot vacuum cleaner. In the case of the canister vacuum cleaner, a suction nozzle for sucking dust is provided separately from the vacuum cleaner body, and the suction nozzle is connected to the vacuum cleaner body by a connecting device. In the case of the upright vacuum cleaner, the suction nozzle is rotatably connected to the vacuum cleaner body. In the case of the stick vacuum cleaners and the hand vacuum cleaner, a user uses them while holding the vacuum cleaner body with hand. However, in the case of the stick vacuum cleaner, the suction motor is disposed close to the suction nozzle (low center of gravity), and in the case of the hand vacuum cleaner, the suction motor is disposed close to a grip portion (high center of gravity). The robot vacuum cleaner performs cleaning by itself while traveling by itself through an autonomous driving system.
The suction nozzle refers to a portion that sucks directly dust and air in contact with the floor. The suction force generated by the suction motor installed within the vacuum cleaner body is transferred to the suction motor, and by this suction force, the dust and air is sucked into the suction nozzle.
The suction nozzle is equipped with a rotating cleaning part (or agitator). The rotating cleaning part scrapes out the dust from the floor or carpet while rotating, thereby enhancing the cleaning performance.
Also, the user moves the suction nozzle back and forth, and the suction nozzle sucks the dust on the floor surface. Here, the suction nozzle should maintain the close contact with the floor surface, except for the space where the dust is introduced, in order to increase the suction performance.
Generally, the suction nozzle forms a front opening or bottom opening through which the dust is introduced.
Also, in order to clean the floor surface, when the suction force is generated from the suction nozzle, dust, etc., is introduced through the front opening or bottom opening.
Here, air flows from the rear to the front, and as a result, the suction force at the front decreases, leading to degradation in cleaning performance.
In prior art documents such as Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0044366 (May 2, 2018), a vacuum cleaner head is disclosed which moves based on the cleaner nozzle and is equipped with a rear part (damper) for sealing the rear of the cleaner nozzle.
However, when the cleaner cleans a floor surface with irregularities or with various obstacles such as a raised spot, etc., the damper collides with the obstacles and gets caught, causing excessive deformation. When the damper collides with sharp irregularities or raised spot, the damper is torn and damaged.
Also, the upper surface of the damper is exposed. Therefore, as the upper surface collides with the vacuum cleaner nozzle during the travel of the vacuum cleaner nozzle, the dust with fluidity is accumulated on the upper surface of the damper, and the dust remains on the upper surface of the damper. As a result, inconvenience in use is caused. Alternatively, since the dust on the upper surface of the damper moves back to a cleaning object, cleaning is required again.
The present disclosure is designed to overcome the above-described problems of a conventional cleaner nozzle, and its purpose is to provide a cleaner nozzle equipped with a cover that protects a damper.
Also, the purpose is to provide the cleaner nozzle equipped with the cover that prevents the collision between the damper and obstacles by colliding with the obstacles prior to the damper during the travel of the cleaner nozzle, thereby preventing excessive deformation of or damage to the damper.
Furthermore, the purpose is to provide the cleaner nozzle in which at least a portion of the damper has an increased thickness, particularly, a portion of the damper, which collides with low-height obstacles has an increased thickness, so that, even when the collision of the damper occurs, excessive deformation of or damage to the damper can be minimized.
Also, the purpose is to provide the cleaner nozzle that prevents dust from accumulating on the upper surface of the damper during the travel of the cleaner nozzle.
In particular, the purpose is to provide the cleaner nozzle in which the upper surface of the damper is positioned inside the cover, and thus, the cover covers the upper space above the upper surface of the damper, and the cover and the damper are in close contact with each other during the travel of the cleaner nozzle, preventing dust from accumulating on the upper surface of the damper.
The purposes of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems. Other purposes not mentioned above can be clearly understood based on the following description by those skilled in the art.
One embodiment is a cleaner nozzle including: a nozzle housing in which a suction inlet that sucks dust-containing air is formed; a damper which is provided behind the suction inlet of the nozzle housing and elastically supports a cleaning object; and a cover which is provided behind the damper of the nozzle housing and covers at least a portion of the damper.
The damper may be supported by the cleaning object and elastically deformed when the nozzle housing is placed on the cleaning object.
The cover may be disposed to be spaced apart from the damper in the front-rear direction.
When the damper is elastically deformed, the damper may protrude rearward and become in contact with the cover.
The damper may be elastically deformed while being compressed in a direction perpendicular to the cleaning object and extended rearward.
The damper may be provided on the nozzle housing and has an inner empty space. The damper may include: a floor support portion which supports the cleaning object; a rear inclined portion which is disposed to be inclined to be spaced from the cleaning object toward the rear from the floor support portion; and a front inclined portion which is disposed to be inclined to be spaced from the cleaning object toward the front from the floor support portion.
The cleaner nozzle may further include an imaginary line extending from the rear inclined portion. The cover may be disposed to intersect the imaginary line.
The damper may have a non-uniform thickness.
The thickness of the floor support portion may be greater than the thicknesses of the rear inclined portion and the front inclined portion.
The floor support portion may further include a convex portion protruding toward the cleaning object.
The inclination angle of the front inclined portion with respect to the cleaning object may be smaller than the inclination angle of the rear inclined portion with respect to the cleaning object.
The cover may include: a cover body which is connected to the nozzle housing; and a flap which is formed to protrude from the cover body toward the cleaning object, is formed to be spaced from the cleaning object by a predetermined distance. The damper becomes in contact with the flap according to the elastic deformation of the damper.
Another embodiment is a cleaner nozzle including: a nozzle housing in which a suction inlet that sucks dust-containing air is formed; and a damper which is provided behind the suction inlet of the nozzle housing and elastically supports a cleaning object. The damper may be provided on the nozzle housing, may have an inner empty space, and may have a non-uniform thickness.
Other details of the present invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.
The above-described cleaner nozzle of the present disclosure has one or more of the following effects.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaner nozzle is equipped with the cover that protects the damper. The cover prevents the collision between the damper and obstacles by colliding with the obstacles prior to the damper during the travel of the cleaner nozzle, thereby preventing excessive deformation of or damage to the damper.
Also, since at least a portion of the damper has an increased thickness, particularly, a portion of the damper, which collides with low-height obstacles has an increased thickness, so that, even when the collision of the damper occurs, excessive deformation of or damage to the damper can be minimized.
Furthermore, the cleaner nozzle prevents dust from accumulating on the upper surface of the damper during the travel of the cleaner nozzle, so that user inconvenience can be prevented.
Specifically, since the upper surface of the damper is positioned inside the cover, the cover covers the upper space above the upper surface of the damper, and the cover and the damper are in close contact with each other during the travel of the cleaner nozzle, preventing dust from accumulating on the upper surface of the damper.
Advantageous effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described effects and other unmentioned effects can be clearly understood from the description of the claims by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As the present invention can have various embodiments as well as can be diversely changed, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. While the present invention is not limited to particular embodiments, all modification, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention are understood to be included therein.
Hereinafter, a cleaner nozzle according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to accompanying drawings.
With reference to
The cleaner nozzle 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be used in connection with a hand vacuum cleaner or a canister vacuum cleaner.
That is, the cleaner nozzle 1 may be detachably connected to a cleaner body (not shown) or an extension pipe 3. The cleaner nozzle 1 may be connected to the cleaner body or the extension pipe 3, so that a user can clean a cleaning object (floor surface) 40 by using the cleaner nozzle 1. Here, the cleaner body to which the cleaner nozzle 1 is connected can separate dust from air using a multi-cyclone method.
The cleaner nozzle 1 may operates by receiving power from the cleaner body. Specifically, the cleaner nozzle 1 may operates by receiving power from a battery (not shown) provided in the cleaner body.
The cleaner body may include a suction motor (not shown), and a suction force generated by the suction motor may be applied to the cleaner nozzle 1.
Therefore, in the embodiment, the cleaner nozzle 1 may perform a function of sucking foreign substance and air from the cleaning object (floor surface) 40 and of guiding them to the cleaner body.
The cleaner nozzle 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a nozzle housing 100, a driving unit (not shown), at least one agitator 10, a damper 200, and a cover 300.
For reference, directions used in the present disclosure will be described as follows.
In the present disclosure, based on the state where the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the cleaning object 40, a direction away from the cleaning object 40 may be referred to as an upward (upper) direction, and a direction closer to the cleaning object 40 may be referred to as a downward (lower) direction. Also, based on the agitator 10, a direction in which the extension pipe 3 is disposed may be referred to as the rear of the cleaner nozzle 1, and an opposite direction to the direction may be referred to as the front of the cleaner nozzle 1.
The nozzle housing 100 may include, for example, a housing body 110 and a side cover 120. The housing body 110 may have an internal space opened on both sides, and the side cover 120 may be coupled to both sides of the housing body 110 in such a manner as to cover the openings on both sides. Also, an auxiliary suction inlet 121 composed of a plurality of holes may be formed in the side cover 120. The housing body 110 may be composed of an upper housing and a lower housing.
The nozzle housing 100 may form the outer shape of the cleaner nozzle 1, and the extension pipe 3 may be coupled to the nozzle housing 100. The driving unit and the agitator 10 may be disposed within the nozzle housing 100.
A suction inlet 111 may be formed in the nozzle housing 100. Specifically, the suction inlet 111 may be formed in the lower surface of the housing body 110. The suction inlet 111 refers to a space into which dust-containing air can be introduced. With this configuration, when the suction motor of the cleaner body is operated, dust and air present around the floor surface may be sucked into the inside of a flow path of the cleaner nozzle 1 through the suction inlet 111.
Also, the housing body 110 may have a suction guide 112 that is connected to the suction inlet 111 and forms a flow path. The suction guide 112 is provided in the lower portion of the housing body 110 and allows the dust and air sucked through the suction inlet 111 to flow into the flow path. One side end of the suction guide 112 may be connected to the housing body 110 and the other side end may be provided with the suction inlet 111. Also, the other side end of the suction guide 112 may be disposed adjacent to the cleaning object 40.
Within the nozzle housing 100, a printed circuit board (not shown) for controlling the driving unit that drives the agitator 10 may be installed.
Also, a flow path which communicates with the suction inlet 111 and guides the air introduced from the suction inlet 111 to the cleaner body may be formed in the nozzle housing 100.
The flow path may be disposed within the nozzle housing 100, the lower end of the flow path may communicate with the suction inlet 111, and the upper end of the flow path may be connected to the extension pipe 3.
Here, the flow path connecting the suction inlet 111 and the extension pipe 3 may be formed approximately along the up-and-down direction. With this configuration, the path through which dust-containing air is sucked can be minimized, and the flow loss can be minimized.
Also, at least one wheel 20 that can roll along the floor surface (ground surface) may be rotatably coupled to the rear of the nozzle housing 100.
With the wheel 20 provided, when the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the floor surface, the wheel may contact the floor surface. Therefore, when the cleaner nozzle 1 is moved through the operation by the user, friction between the nozzle housing 100 and the floor surface can be reduced, and the mobility of the cleaner nozzle 1 can be improved.
Also, the cleaner nozzle 1 may further include at least one auxiliary wheel 30 that can roll along the cleaning object 40. The auxiliary wheel 30 may be rotatably coupled to the nozzle housing 100. When the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the cleaning object 40, the auxiliary wheel 30 together with the wheel 20 may contact the cleaning object 40.
At least one agitator 10 is installed in the nozzle housing 100 and serves to separate foreign substances from the cleaning object 40. The agitator 10 may be disposed in the front of the cleaner nozzle 1 and may be rotatably coupled to the nozzle housing 100.
The agitator 10 may be formed in a cylindrical shape and may be disposed along the left and right direction of the nozzle housing 100. In other words, the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the agitator 10 may be arranged in a direction crossing the front-rear direction of the cleaner nozzle 1.
A brush or a member capable of increasing the frictional force may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the agitator 10.
At least one or more gears may be provided on the agitator 10 and may receive a rotational force from the driving unit.
The agitator 10 may guide external dust and air to the suction inlet 111 by the rotation thereof. The agitator 10 may rotate in a direction in which the outer circumferential surface facing the floor surface moves toward the suction inlet 111. In other words, when the cleaner nozzle 1 is viewed from the left side thereof, the agitator 10 may rotate in a counterclockwise direction. With this configuration, the external dust and air may be guided toward the suction inlet 111 while generating friction with the agitator 10.
On the other hand, the agitator 10 may be replaceably coupled to the nozzle housing 100. Therefore, the agitator 10 can be replaced and cleaned according to the cleaning environment.
The driving unit may include a reducer. The reducer may include at least one gear and be gear-coupled between the driving unit and the agitator 10 respectively, and transmit a rotational force. The reducer can reduce the rotation speed of the agitator 10 through a gear ratio. This allows precise control of the rotation of the agitator 10 and provides a relatively large force to the agitator 10.
Meanwhile, the cleaner nozzle 1 may include the damper 200 in order to improve the suction force of the cleaner nozzle 1 and may include the cover 300 in order to protect the damper 200.
The damper 200 may be provided to block the flow of air flowing from the rear to the front when the suction force is generated in the cleaner nozzle 1. Also, the damper 200 prevents that dust escapes to the rear without being sucked into the suction inlet 111 between the cleaner nozzle 1 and the cleaning object 40, thereby allowing the cleaner nozzle 1 to effectively suck the dust on the cleaning object 40.
Such a damper 200 is provided on the nozzle housing 100 and contacts the cleaning object 40. The damper 200 may also apply a supporting force to the cleaning object 40, and thus, can contact the cleaning object 40 without gaps. In other words, the damper 200 may be provided to elastically support the cleaning object 40.
The damper 200 may be provided adjacent to the suction inlet 111 of the nozzle housing 100. The damper 200 may be provided behind the suction inlet 111 of the nozzle housing 100, so that the damper 200 can block the flow of air flowing from the rear to the front when the suction force is generated in the cleaner nozzle 1. In particular, the damper 200 may be provided between the suction inlet 111 of the housing body 110 and the auxiliary wheel 30. Alternatively, although not shown in the drawings, the damper 200 may be provided in front of the suction inlet 111 of the nozzle housing 100. Alternatively, the damper 200 may be provided both in front of and behind the suction inlet 111 of the nozzle housing 100.
The damper 200 may be provided to elongate along the left and right direction of the nozzle housing 100 behind the suction inlet 111 of the nozzle housing 100.
When the nozzle housing 100 is placed on the cleaning object 40, the damper 200 is supported by the cleaning object 40 and elastically deformed. In other words, the damper 200 may first contact the cleaning object 40 before at least one of the wheel 20 and the auxiliary wheel 30 of the nozzle housing 100 contacts the cleaning object 40. Then, when at least one of the wheel 20 and the auxiliary wheel 30 contacts the cleaning object 40, the damper 200 may be elastically deformed by being pressed against the cleaning object 40.
Here, the damper 200 may be elastically deformed while being compressed in a direction perpendicular to the cleaning object 40 and extended in the front-rear direction. Specifically, as the damper 200 is extended while being compressed in a direction perpendicular to the cleaning object 40, so that it may contact the cover 300 to be described later.
The damper 200 may be formed in a hollow shape and coupled to the housing body 110, or may be coupled to the housing body 110 and may have an inner empty space. The damper 200 may form an inner empty space together with a portion of the housing body 110, and the empty space may be formed to be open in the left and right direction of the cleaner nozzle 1.
The damper 200 includes a fixed end 260 coupled to the housing body 110 and a close contact end 270 supporting the housing body 110. The fixed end 260 and the close contact end 270 may refer to cut-opened both ends of the hollow-shaped damper 200 with one side cut, and they are provided to elongate along the left and right direction of the damper 200.
The housing body 110 may include a damper coupling portion 114 and a damper support portion 113 to or by which the fixed end 260 and the close contact end 270 of the damper 200 are coupled or supported, respectively.
The damper coupling portion 114 may be provided behind the suction guide 112 of the housing body 110, and the fixed end 260 of the damper 200 may be coupled to the damper coupling portion 114. One side of the damper coupling portion 114 may be formed in a hollow shape with one side cut and may elongate along the left and right direction. In the damper coupling portion 114, a slit 114b into which the fixed end 260 is inserted may be formed to elongate along the left and right direction between the cut-opened both ends. The damper coupling portion 114 has, for example, an insertion hole 114a which is formed in the form of a hollow rectangular frame and elongates within the damper coupling portion 114 along the left and right direction. Also, the damper coupling portion 114 may have the slit 114b which is formed to pass through the lower surface thereof and elongates along the left and right direction.
The fixed end 260 may include an insertion portion 261 that is inserted into the slit 114b and a flange 262 that is provided at the end of the insertion portion 261 and supports the inner surface of the insertion hole 114a. The fixed end 260 may be provided in a bent shape from an upper surface 210 to be described later. The fixed end 260 may protrude from the front end of the upper surface 210 in such a manner as to be inserted into the slit 114b. For example, the fixed end 260 may be formed perpendicular to the upper surface 210.
The insertion portion 261 refers to a portion inserted into the slit 114b of the fixed end 260 and may be provided to connect the flange 262 to be described later and the upper surface 210 of the damper 200. In other words, with the insertion portion 261 provided, the upper surface 210 of the damper 200 is installed to be spaced apart from the damper coupling portion 114, providing a space for the upper surface 210 of the damper 200 to elastically deform.
The flange 262 is provided at the end of the insertion portion 261 and supports the inner surface of the insertion hole 114a. The flange 262 may protrude forward and backward from the end of the insertion portion 261 and support the inner surface of the insertion hole 114a. The flange 262 may support the lower surface of the insertion hole 114a and may be disposed to be spaced apart from an upper surface of the insertion hole 114a. The flange 262 may be inserted and coupled into the insertion hole 114a, or may be inserted into the insertion hole 114a in such a way as to be movable in the up-and-down direction. However, the fixed end 260 may be coupled to the housing body 110 by inserting the insertion portion 261 into the slit 114b and by supporting the inner surface of the insertion hole 114a by the flange 262.
The damper support portion 113 may be provided behind the suction guide 112 of the housing body 110, and the close contact end 270 of the damper 200 may be fixed to the damper support portion 113. The damper support portion 113 may be located in front of the damper coupling portion 114 on the housing body 110. The damper support portion 113 may be fixed in contact such that the close contact end 270 applies the supporting force. Also, the damper support portion 113 may allow the close contact end 270 to be fixed through a separate fastening member.
The close contact end 270 may be supported by the lower surface of the damper support portion 113, which faces the cleaning object 40. The close contact end 270 may have an upper surface corresponding to the lower surface of the damper support portion 113. A stepped portion 113a of the damper support portion 113, which is formed to be stepped and protrudes from the lower surface of the damper support portion 113, supports an end 272 of the close contact end 270. The stepped portion 113a may have a support surface 113b by which the end 272 of the close contact end 270 is supported. Accordingly, when the damper 200 is compressed in the vertical direction and is extended in the front-rear direction, the end 272 of the close contact end 270 is supported by the support surface 113b, so that the damper 200 does not extend forward and the rear end of the damper 200 may protrude rearward and be extended.
Also, the close contact end 270 may have a protrusion 271 protruding from the upper surface corresponding to the lower surface of the damper support portion 113. The protrusion 271 may support the rear surface of the damper support portion 113. Therefore, since the protrusion 271 and the end 272 support the rear surface and the support surface 113b of the damper support portion 113, respectively, the damper 200 protrudes rearward and is extended, when elastically deformed.
Also, the damper 200 may include the upper surface 210, a floor support portion 220, a front inclined portion 240, and a rear inclined portion 250. The fixed end 260 may be provided at the end of the upper surface 210, and the close contact end 270 may be provided at the end of the front inclined portion 240.
The damper 200 may have the flat planar upper surface 210 provided in a bent shape that forms a predetermined angle with the fixed end 260. The upper surface 210 may protrude rearward from the lower end of the fixed end 260 and be formed to elongate along the left and right direction. The upper surface 210 may be arranged parallel to the cleaning object 40. For example, when the damper 200 is elastically deformed, the upper surface 210 may be elastically deformed such that the angle formed between the damper 200 and the fixed end 260 decreases and the upper surface 210 is inclined toward the housing body 110 toward the rear end.
The damper 200 includes the floor support portion 220 for supporting the cleaning object 40. The floor support portion 220 may be disposed in the lower side of the damper 200. For example, the floor support portion 220 may be provided in a planar shape parallel to the upper surface 210 or may be provided in an edge shape formed by connecting the front inclined portion 240 and the rear inclined portion 250 to be described later.
The rear inclined portion 250 is disposed to be inclined to be spaced from the cleaning object toward the rear from the floor support portion 220. The upper end of the rear inclined portion 250 is connected to the rear end of the upper surface 210 in a curved manner, and the lower end of the rear inclined portion 250 is connected to the floor support portion 220. The rear inclined portion 250 may elastically deform to protrude convexly rearward when the damper 200 is elastically deformed.
The front inclined portion 240 is disposed to be inclined to be spaced from the cleaning object toward the front from the floor support portion 220. The front inclined portion 240 has the close contact end 270 on the upper end thereof. The lower end of the front inclined portion 240 is connected to the floor support portion 220. Here, referring to
When the front inclined portion 240 is elastically deformed as the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the cleaning object 40, the angle formed with the cleaning object 40 decreases. In other words, the angle between the front inclined portion 240 and the cleaning object 40 after the damper 200 is elastically deformed is smaller than the angle between the front inclined portion 240 and the cleaning object 40 before the damper 200 is elastically deformed.
Also, the angle between the front inclined portion 240 and the cleaning object 40 before the damper 200 is elastically deformed is smaller than the angle between the rear inclined portion 250 and the cleaning object 40. In other words, the inclination angle of the front inclined portion 240 with respect to the cleaning object 40 is smaller than the inclination angle of the rear inclined portion 250 with respect to the cleaning object 40. Accordingly, when the damper 200 is elastically deformed, the angle formed with the cleaning object 40 decreases and the front inclined portion 240 may extend rearward and elastically deform.
At least one side of the damper 200 may have an increased thickness. In other words, the damper 200 may have a non-uniform thickness. The damper 200 may have a non-uniform thickness in such a way as to be elastically deformed into a desired shape. In addition, a portion of the damper 200 where friction or collision occurs may have an increased thickness. For example, the thickness of the floor support portion 220 of the damper 200 may be increased. In other words, the thickness of the floor support portion 220 may be greater than the thicknesses of the rear inclined portion 250, the front inclined portion 240, and the upper surface 210.
The floor support portion 220 has a convex portion 221 protruding toward the cleaning object. The lower surface of the convex portion 221 may be formed as a convex curved surface connected to the lower surfaces of the rear inclined portion 250 and the front inclined portion 240. The most convex point of the convex portion 221 may be located behind the fixed end 260 and closer to the rear end of the damper 200 than the front end of the damper 200.
Also, during the elastic deformation of the damper, a portion of the convex portion 221 may support the cleaning object 40, and another portion may be exposed between the cover 300 to be described later and the cleaning object 40, so that an obstacle passing through the cover 300 may collide with the damper 200. In other words, the portion of the damper 200, which collides with the obstacle, is intended to have an increased thickness, so that it is possible to prevent that the damper 200 is excessively deformed due to the collision with the obstacle.
The cover 300 is provided on the nozzle housing 100 in order to protect the damper 200. The cover 300 is formed to elongate along the left and right direction and is provided behind the damper 200 of the nozzle housing 100, and covers at least a portion of the damper 200. The cover 300 is provided to cover an upper space 301 of the damper 200 and prevents a portion of the rear end of the damper 200 from colliding with the obstacle. In other words, when the cleaner nozzle 1 travels rearward, the cover prevents the obstacle placed on the cleaning object 40 from colliding with the damper 200.
The cover 300 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the damper 200 in the front-rear direction. In other words, cover 300 may form a gap D1 with the rear end of the damper 200, and the gap D1 may be filled when the damper 200 is elastically deformed. The elastically deformed damper 200 may protrude rearward and become in contact with the cover 300 and may apply a supporting force to the cover 300. Also, when the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the cleaning object 40 while the upper space 301 of the damper 200 is opened backward or downward through the gap D1, the damper 200 comes in close contact with the cover 300, and the rear side or lower side of the upper space 301 is scaled.
The cover 300 may include a cover body 310 and a flap 320 and may be connected to the cover coupling portion 115 of the nozzle housing 100.
The cover coupling portion 115 may be located behind the damper coupling portion 114 of the housing body 110, and the upper end of the cover body 310 may be coupled to the cover coupling portion 115. Here, the cover 300 may be provided integrally with the cover coupling portion 115, and may be formed by extending the lower end of the cover coupling portion 115.
The upper end of the cover body 310 may be connected to the cover coupling portion 115, and may be fixed to the cover coupling portion 115 by a separate coupling member. The cover body 310 may have a support portion 311 that protrudes forward to support the housing body 110. The support portion 311 may, for example, support the rear surface of the damper coupling portion 114. Also, the support portion 311 may have an auxiliary support portion 312 formed by protruding forward with a step at the end of the support portion 311. The auxiliary support portion 312 may support the upper surface of the damper coupling portion 114, and may assist the cover 300 to be installed more firmly on the housing body 110.
The flap 320 is formed to protrude from the cover body 310 towards the cleaning object 40 and covers at least a portion of the damper 200. The flap 320 is formed to be spaced from the cleaning object 40 by a predetermined distance D2 in such a manner as to prevent collision with the cleaning object 40 and to allow the cleaner nozzle 1 to smoothly travel on the cleaning object 40. In other words, when the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the cleaning object 40, the end of the flap 320 toward the cleaning object 40 side is spaced from the cleaning object 40 by the predetermined distance D2.
However, the flap 320 is formed to cover at least a portion of the damper 200, and specifically, the flap 320 is disposed to intersect an imaginary line “A” extending from the rear inclined portion 250. Here, the imaginary line “A” may be a straight line included in a plane formed by extending the lower surface of the rear inclined portion 250. Referring to
The flap 320 may be formed to protrude from the cover body 310 toward the cleaning object 40, and may protrude toward the rear. The end of the flap 320 may be located behind the cover body 310. Also, the flap 320 is disposed to be spaced apart from the damper 200 by the gap D1, and the damper 200 may become in contact with the flap 320 according to the clastic deformation of the damper 200.
On the other hand, the cover 300 may have wings protruding forward from both left and right ends. The wings may be formed to cover at least a portion of a space which is open to the left and right between the housing body 110, the damper 200, and the cover 300. In other words, the space which is open to the left and right between the housing body 110, the damper 200, and the cover 300 is only partially open by the wings.
Hereinafter, the damper 200 will be described in detail with reference to
The damper 200 is elastically deformed to be inclined such that the upper surface 210 becomes farther from the cleaning object 40 toward the rear end thereof and the upper surface 210 and the floor support portion 220 get closer to each other. Specifically, as the relatively thin rear inclined portion 250 protrudes rearward, the rear inclined portion 250 may contact the cover 300 and the front inclined portion 240 may be smoothly inclined. Also, a portion of the floor support portion 220 may support the cleaning object 40 and another portion is disposed to be exposed between the cover 300 and the cleaning object 40, so that obstacles placed on the cleaning object 40 may collide with the damper. an obstacle having a height greater than that of the end of the flap 320 among the obstacles placed on the cleaning object 40 may collide with the cover 300, and an obstacle having a height lower than that of the end of the flap 320 may collide with the damper 200. The obstacle having a height lower than that of the end of the flap 320 may collide with the floor support portion 220 of the damper 200.
Furthermore, when the cleaner nozzle 1 is placed on the cleaning object 40, the gap D1 between the damper 200 and the cover 300 disappears, thereby preventing dust from accumulating on the upper surface 210 of the damper 200.
Although the present invention has been described above by way of the specific embodiments, this is for describing the present invention in detail. The present invention is not limited thereto and it is clear that the present invention can be modified or improved within the spirit of the present invention by those of ordinary skill in the art.
All simple modifications or changes of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention. The specific scope of protection of the present invention will be apparent by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0072394 | Jun 2023 | KR | national |
