CLEANER

Abstract

A cleaner is provided. The cleaner includes a housing, a filtering member provided to form a dust collecting chamber inside the housing, and a main body configured to be moved relative to the housing. The main body includes a dirt removal member configured to be moved on the dust collecting chamber, an opening and closing device configured to open and close the dust collecting chamber and provided to interlock with the dirt removal member, and a connecting frame configured to connect the dirt removal member and the opening and closing device, the connecting frame including a guide rib provided to prevent rubbish, which is contained in air flowing into the dust collecting chamber, from rotating in the dust collecting chamber.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosure relates to a cleaner. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a cleaner including an improved structure.

2. Description of Related Art

A cleaner is a device that cleans a room by removing rubbish, and a vacuum cleaner is generally used at home. The vacuum cleaner suctions air by using a suction force of a fan motor unit, and then separates rubbish from the sucked air with a device such as a filter, thereby cleaning the room. The vacuum cleaner is classified into a canister type and an upright type. Recently, a robot cleaner has been popular. The robot cleaner performs cleaning work by autonomously traveling in a cleaning area without user manipulation and sucking rubbish such as dust from the surface to be cleaned.

In order to filter out rubbish contained the suctioned air, the vacuum cleaner includes a dust collecting chamber to allow rubbish to be filtered out by a certain filtering device. The filtering device includes a porous filter unit in which rubbish is forcibly filtered out while air passes through a porous filter, and a cyclone-type dust collector in which rubbish is filtered out during a cyclone flow of air.

Rubbish such as hair, animal hair, dust, etc. is tangled inside the dust collecting chamber during the filtering process, and thus a user has to separate the rubbish directly from the dust collecting chamber. Accordingly, the vacuum cleaner is unsanitary and cumbersome to use.

In addition, rubbish contained in the air sucked into the dust collecting chamber is dispersed and accumulated as the rubbish rotates inside the dust collecting chamber. Even when a small amount of rubbish clogs an inlet or outlet of the dust collecting chamber, the suction power of the cleaner may be reduced. That is, there is the inconvenience of having to frequently empty the dust collecting chamber.

The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide a cleaner capable of preventing entanglement of rubbish in a dust collecting chamber.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a cleaner including an improved structure capable of allowing rubbish to be sequentially accumulated in a dust collecting chamber.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a cleaner having improved usability.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a cleaner is provided. The cleaner includes a housing, a filtering member provided to form a dust collecting chamber inside the housing, and a main body configured to be moved relative to the housing. The main body includes a dirt removal member configured to be moved on the dust collecting chamber, an opening and closing device configured to open and close the dust collecting chamber and provided to interlock with the dirt removal member, and a connecting frame configured to connect the dirt removal member and the opening and closing device, the connecting frame including a guide rib provided to prevent rubbish, which is contained in air flowing into the dust collecting chamber, from rotating in the dust collecting chamber.

The guide rib may be a first guide rib, and the connecting frame further includes a second guide rib arranged to face the first guide rib.

Each of the first guide rib and the second guide rib includes a first lateral portion spaced apart from an inner circumferential surface of the filtering member by a first distance, and a second lateral portion positioned opposite to the first lateral portion and spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member by a second distance greater than the first distance.

The first lateral portion may be disposed adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member.

A distance between the first guide rib and the second guide rib may be increased from the first lateral portion toward the second lateral portion.

The guide rib may guide air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to allow the air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to be moved to a direction away from the guide rib.

Each of the first guide rib and the second guide rib further includes a curved member formed, in such a way that at least a portion from the first lateral portion to the second lateral portion is curved, so as to form a flow of air in the dust collecting chamber.

The curved member includes a shape extending along a circumferential direction of the dust collecting chamber.

The guide rib may be biasedly disposed inside the dust collecting chamber.

The main body may be configured to be slidable between a first position for closing the dust collecting chamber and a second position for opening the dust collecting chamber. In response to the main body being moved from the first position to the second position, the connecting frame may be moved from an inside of the housing to an outside of the housing.

The connecting frame further includes a first frame on which the dirt removal member is mounted, and a second frame on which the opening and closing device is mounted.

The main body further includes a dirt separation device disposed above the dust collecting chamber to remove rubbish from air passing through the dust collecting chamber.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a cleaner is provided. The cleaning includes a housing, a filtering member provided to form a dust collecting chamber inside the housing, and a main body configured to be moved relative to the housing. The main body includes a dirt removal member configured to be moved on the dust collecting chamber, an opening and closing device configured to open and close the dust collecting chamber and provided to interlock with the dirt removal member, and a connecting frame provided to connect the dirt removal member and the opening and closing device, the connecting frame including a first guide rib and a second guide rib arranged to face each other. The first guide rib and the second guide rib are biasedly disposed in the dust collecting chamber so as to allow rubbish contained in air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to be sequentially accumulated from one side in the dust collecting chamber.

The first guide rib includes a first lateral portion spaced apart from the filtering member to allow air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to flow into a space between an inner circumferential surface of the filtering member and the first guide rib, and a second lateral portion disposed adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member to prevent rubbish contained in the air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, from rotating in the dust collecting chamber.

The second guide rib includes a first lateral portion spaced apart from the filtering member to allow air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to flow into a space between the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member and the second guide rib, and a second lateral portion disposed adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member to prevent rubbish contained in the air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, from rotating in the dust collecting chamber.

A distance between the first guide rib and the second guide rib may be increased from the first lateral portion toward the second lateral portion.

Each of the first guide rib and the second guide rib further includes a curved member in which at least a portion is curved so as to form a flow of air in the dust collecting chamber.

The curved member includes a shape extending along a circumferential direction of the dust collecting chamber.

The main body may be configured to be slidable between a first position for closing the dust collecting chamber and a second position for opening the dust collecting chamber. In response to the main body being moved from the first position to the second position, the connecting frame may be moved from an inside of the housing to an outside of the housing.

The main body further includes a dirt separation device disposed above the dust collecting chamber to remove rubbish from air passing through the dust collecting chamber.

A cleaner may prevent rubbish from being entangled in a dust collecting chamber.

Further, a cleaner may sequentially accumulate rubbish in a dust collecting chamber.

Further, a cleaner may improve convenience of use by discharging rubbish neatly when emptying a dust collecting chamber.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a cleaner shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaner shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of portion A shown in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion B shown in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state in which dust is emptied from a cleaner shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an inside of a housing when a main body shown in FIG. 2 is in a first position with respect to the housing according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an inside of a housing when a main body shown in FIG. 2 is in a second position with respect to the housing according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a dust collecting chamber according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a connecting frame shown in FIG. 9 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a view of the connecting frame shown in FIG. 10 when viewed from another direction according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the connecting frame shown in FIG. 10 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the connecting frame shown in FIG. 10 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an inside of a dust collecting chamber along a line X-X shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an inside of a dust collecting chamber along a line Y-Y shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line Y-Y shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

Also, the terms used herein are used to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit and/or restrict the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, the terms “including”, “having”, and the like are used to specify features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more of the features, elements, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, but elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, a first element may be termed as a second element, and a second element may be termed as a first element. The term of “and/or” includes a plurality of combinations of relevant items or any one item among a plurality of relevant items.

In the following detailed description, the terms of “front end”, “rear end”, “upper portion”, “lower portion”, “front surface”, “rear surface” “upper end”, “lower end” and the like may be defined by the drawings, but the shape and the location of the component is not limited by the term.

Hereinafter one embodiment according to the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 3, a direction to which a head assembly 11 of a suction head 10 is directed may be defined as forward, and a direction to which a head switch 13 of the suction head 10 is directed may be defined as rearward. However, the shape and location of each component are not limited by the terms.

In the description, ‘rubbish’ refers to an object to be cleaned, and may collectively refer to dust, hair, animal hair, and lint that can be sucked through a cleaner 1.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the cleaner shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaner shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of portion A shown in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion B shown in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state in which dust is emptied from the cleaner shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an inside of a housing when a main body shown in FIG. 2 is in a first position with respect to the housing according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the inside of the housing when the main body shown in FIG. 2 is in a second position with respect to the housing according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaner 1 may include the suction head 10 provided to suction rubbish such as hair from a surface to be cleaned by air suction force. The cleaner 1 may include a housing 20 connected to the suction head 10. The cleaner 1 may include a main body 30 configured to be moved inside the housing 20.

The suction head 10 may be provided to suction rubbish such as dust placed on a surface to be cleaned while moving on the surface to be cleaned. The suction head 10 may include the head assembly 11, a neck member 12, and the head switch 13.

An air flow path may be formed inside the head assembly 11. The air flow path formed inside the head assembly 11 may communicate with the housing 20 through the neck member 12. Outside air and rubbish introduced through the head assembly 11 may move into the housing 20 through the neck member 12.

The neck member 12 may be connected to one end 21 of the housing 20 that is a lower end. The neck member 12 may be rotatably coupled to the head assembly 11. As the neck member 12 is rotated relative to the head assembly 11, the head assembly 11 may be rotated relative to the housing 20 connected to the neck member 12. Accordingly, a degree of freedom of driving the cleaner may be improved.

The head switch 13 may be configured to fix or release a coupling state between the suction head 10 and the housing 20. A user can separate the housing 20 from the suction head 10 by operating the head switch 13. As the head switch 13 is disposed on the suction head 10, a user can separate the housing 20 from the suction head 10 by operating the head switch 13 using a foot without bending the waist.

The housing 20 may form a part of an exterior of the cleaner. The one end 21 of the housing 20 may be mounted on the suction head 10. The other end 22 of the housing 20 may be movably fixed to the main body 30. The housing 20 may include a hollow 23 in which the main body 30 is inserted and movable.

For example, the housing 20 may have a substantially cylindrical shape. In addition, the housing 20 may include a front portion 20a provided to face the head assembly 11 of the suction head 10 and a rear portion 20b provided to face the head switch 13 of the suction head 10.

The main body 30 may be provided to be movable relative to the housing 20. The main body 30 may be slidably fixed to the housing 20. The main body 30 may be released from the housing 20 in order to discharge rubbish, which is filtered out in dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 to be described later, to the outside.

Particularly, the main body 30 may be fixed to the housing 20 by a fixing device 93. The fixing device 93 may be operated by a fixing release button 92. For example, the fixing device 93 may allow the main body 30 to be released from the housing 20 by the fixing release button 92. That is, as a user operates the fixing device 93 to release the main body 30 from the housing 20, the user can move the main body 30 relative to the housing 20, and empty rubbish accumulated in the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82.

The main body 30 may be slidably coupled to the housing 20. The main body 30 may be moved between a first position (refer to FIG. 7) of closing the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 relative to the housing 20, and a second position (refer to FIG. 8) of opening the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 relative to the housing 20.

A guide device 26 may be provided between the housing 20 and the main body 30. The guide device 26 may guide and support the movement of the main body 30 relative to the housing 20. The guide device 26 may be fixed to the housing 20. In addition, the guide device 26 may be provided in plurality at predetermined intervals along a moving direction of the main body 30 so as to stably support the main body 30. FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate that a single guide device 26 is provided, but the number of guide devices 26 is not limited thereto. Therefore, two or more of the guide devices 26 may be provided.

For example, the guide device 26 may include a plurality of rollers and may roll on an outer surface of the main body 30.

The main body 30 may include an extension member 31 forming a part of the exterior of the cleaner. A space 31a for receiving a wire extending toward a manipulation switch 91 may be formed inside the extension member 31.

The main body 30 may include a handle 90. For example, the handle 90 may be disposed on an upper side of the extension member 31. The handle 90 may be disposed at the other end opposite to one end of the main body 30 in which an opening and closing device 60 is disposed. When a user uses the cleaner, the user can hold the handle 90 so as to push or pull the suction head 10.

The manipulation switch 91 for controlling the operation of the cleaner may be provided on the handle 90. The manipulation switch 91 may be configured to receive a command for operating the cleaner from a user. The manipulation switch 91 may be disposed adjacent to the handle 90 to allow a user to operate the cleaner while moving the cleaner when the user performs cleaning.

The main body 30 may include a battery mounting member 32. A battery 33 may be mounted in the battery mounting member 32. One or two or more of the batteries 33 may be provided. The battery mounting member 32 may be located inside the housing 20.

A fan motor unit 40 configured to generate a suction force required to suction rubbish on the surface to be cleaned may be provided in the main body 30. The fan motor unit 40 may be configured to suction outside air through the suction head 10 and discharge the suctioned air through an exhaust port 24 of the housing 20. The fan motor unit 40 in a state of being mounted on the main body 30 may be disposed inside the housing 20. The fan motor unit 40 may include a fan motor 42. The fan motor unit 40 may be located above the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, when the main body 30 is coupled to the housing 20, the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 may be formed in the cleaner 1. Particularly, when the main body 30 is in the first position relative to the housing 20, a first dust collecting chamber 81 and a second dust collecting chamber 82 may be formed inside the cleaner 1. For example, the second dust collecting chamber 82 may be located above the first dust collecting chamber 81.

An outer case 83 forming the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 and an inner case 84 arranged inside the outer case 83 may be provided in the housing 20. The outer case 83 may be disposed between the housing 20 and the inner case 84.

The outer case 83 may form a case flow path 85 together with the inner case 84. The case flow path 85 may guide the air passing through the first dust collecting chamber 81 to the second dust collecting chamber 82. The inner case 84 may be disposed inside the outer case 83.

The first dust collecting chamber 81 may be provided inside the housing 20. Particularly, the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be provided inside the inner case 84. For example, a filtering member 86 may be provided in the inner case 84, and a space surrounded by the filtering member 86 may be the first dust collecting chamber 81. That is, the filtering member 86 may be provided to form the first dust collecting chamber 81 inside the housing 20 while the main body 30 is coupled to the housing 20. The first dust collecting chamber 81 may collect rubbish that is filtered out when the air introduced through the suction head 10 passes through the filtering member 86.

The filtering member 86 may primarily filter out rubbish from the air introduced through the suction head 10. The filtering member 86 may extend along a portion of an inner surface of the inner case 84. Rubbish filtered out by the filtering member 86 may be collected in the first dust collecting chamber 81. For example, the filtering member 86 may be provided with a mesh member.

The inner case 84 may include a case opening 87 through which air guided through the case flow path 85 flows into a dirt separation device 51.

Air introduced into the dirt separation device 51 through the case opening 87 may be secondarily filtered in the dirt separation device 51. The rubbish filtered out by the dirt separation device 51 may be collected in the second dust collecting chamber 82. The second dust collecting chamber 82 may be provided inside the inner case 84. For example, the second dust collecting chamber 82 may be provided between the dirt separation device 51 and the first dust collecting chamber 81. The air filtered in the dirt separation device 51 may move toward a motor filter 46.

Further, the main body 30 may include the opening and closing device 60 configured to open and close the first dust collecting chamber 81. The opening and closing device 60 may be disposed at an end of the main body 30 facing the suction head 10. The opening and closing device 60 may be provided to interlock with a first dirt removal member 70 and a second dirt removal member 75.

As the opening and closing device 60 interlocks with the first dirt removal member 70 and/or the second dirt removal member 75, it is possible to prevent the first dust collecting chamber 81 from being opened unintentionally, and it is possible to allow the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 to be opened only when desired. The opening and closing device 60 may include an opening and closing member 61, an opening and closing cover 62, and an opening and closing sealing member 63.

The opening and closing device 60 may be configured to move in a direction away from the housing 20 to open the first dust collecting chamber 81 when the first dirt removal member 70 slides and is withdrawn from the first dust collecting chamber 81. The opening and closing device 60 may be configured to move in a direction closer to the housing 20 to close the first dust collecting chamber 81 when the first dirt removal member 70 slides and is inserted into the first dust collecting chamber 81.

The opening and closing member 61 may open and close the first dust collecting chamber 81 as the main body 30 slides relative to the housing 20. The opening and closing member 61 may include a chamber inlet 61a formed to allow air introduced from the suction head 10 to flow into the first dust collecting chamber 81. The chamber inlet 61a may be opened and closed by the opening and closing cover 62.

The opening and closing cover 62 may include a material having elasticity. The opening and closing cover 62 may open the chamber inlet 61a in a direction in which air flows into the first dust collecting chamber 81. On the other hand, the opening and closing cover 62 may be provided so as not to open the chamber inlet 61a in a direction opposite to the direction in which air flows from the first dust collecting chamber 81. That is, the opening and closing cover 62 may open the chamber inlet 61a when the cleaner suctions rubbish from the surface to be cleaned, but the opening and closing cover 62 may prevent the chamber inlet 61a from being opened in the direction in which dust is discharged from the first dust collecting chamber 81. Accordingly, when the housing 20 is separated from the suction head 10, it is possible to prevent rubbish from scattering.

The opening and closing cover 62 may include a cover hinge 62a. When the fan motor unit 40 generates a suction force, the opening and closing cover 62 may be elastically deformed in a state in which the cover hinge 62a is fixed, thereby opening the chamber inlet 61a. When the fan motor unit 40 does not generate a suction force, the opening and closing cover 62 may return to a position of closing the chamber inlet 61a by an elastic force.

The opening and closing sealing member 63 may be provided to seal between the inner case 84 and the opening and closing member 61. The opening and closing sealing member 63 may be disposed along an edge of the opening and closing member 61. The opening and closing sealing member 63 may include a material having elasticity. The opening and closing sealing member 63 may include a material that is more flexible than the opening and closing member 61. The opening and closing sealing member 63 may be in close contact with the inner surface of the inner case 84 and seal the first dust collecting chamber 81. Accordingly, the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure may prevent rubbish from leaking from the first dust collecting chamber 81.

The main body 30 may include the first dirt removal member 70 provided to discharge rubbish from the first dust collecting chamber 81. The first dirt removal member 70 may be provided to slide on the first dust collecting chamber 81. The first dirt removal member 70 may include a first mounting member 71 and a first dirt remover 72 mounted on the first mounting member 71.

The first dirt remover 72 may include a material having elasticity. The first dirt remover 72 may be provided to closely adhere to an inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86. When the main body 30 slides relative to the housing 20, the first dirt remover 72 may slide while being in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86. When the main body 30 slides into the housing 20, the first dirt remover 72 may scratch the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86 and remove rubbish accumulated on the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86.

The first dirt removal member 70 may move from a first position, which is between the filtering member 86 and the dirt separation device 51, to a second position protruding out of the housing 20. Accordingly, the first dirt removal member 70 may discharge rubbish placed in the first dust collecting chamber 81 to the outside. In addition, as the first dirt removal member 70 protrudes to the outside of the housing 20, dust collected in the second dust collecting chamber 82 may be discharged to the outside.

The main body 30 may include a first connecting frame 100 connecting the first dirt removal member 70 and the opening and closing device 60. In addition, the main body 30 may include a second connecting frame 79 connecting the first dirt removal member 70 and the second dirt removal member 75. Hereinafter for convenience of description, the “first connecting frame 100” may be referred to as the “connecting frame 100”. A detailed description thereof will be given later in the related section.

The main body 30 may include the dirt separation device 51. For example, the dirt separation device 51 may include a cyclone. The dirt separation device 51 may be provided to remove rubbish from the air passing through the first dust collecting chamber 81. Particularly, the dirt separation device 51 may centrifugally separate rubbish, which is not filtered out in the first dust collecting chamber 81, from the air. The rubbish separated by the dirt separation device may be collected in the second dust collecting chamber 82. As the dirt separation device 51 separates rubbish from the air, which passes through the filtering member 86, in a different way from the filtering member 86, the cleaning efficiency of the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be increased.

The main body 30 may include the second dirt removal member 75 configured to discharge rubbish from the second dust collecting chamber 82. The second dirt removal member 75 may be provided to slide on the second dust collecting chamber 82 and the first dust collecting chamber 81. The second dust collecting chamber 82 may be formed between the first dirt removal member 70 and the second dirt removal member 75. The second dirt removal member 75 may include a second mounting member 76 and a second dirt remover 77 mounted on the second mounting member 76.

The second dirt remover 77 may include a material having elasticity. When the main body 30 slides relative to the housing 20, the second dirt remover 77 may slide in a state of being in close contact with the inner surface of the inner case 84, so as to discharge rubbish from the second dust collecting chamber 82. When the main body 30 slides relative to the housing 20, the second dirt remover 77 may slide in a state of being in close contact with the inner surface of the inner case 84 and remove rubbish from the second dust collecting chamber 82.

The main body 30 may include the second connecting frame 79 connecting the first dirt removal member 70 and the second dirt removal member 75. The second connecting frame 79 may be disposed in the second dust collecting chamber 82. The second dirt removal member 75 and the first dirt removal member 70 may interlock with each other by the second connecting frame 79.

The motor filter 46 may be provided in the main body 30. The motor filter 46 may be provided to once again filter out rubbish from air before being introduced into the fan motor unit 40. The motor filter 46 may be disposed between the fan motor unit 40 and the dirt separation device 51. The motor filter 46 may filter out rubbish from air that passes through the dirt separation device 51. The motor filter 46 may be provided as a mesh member.

The motor filter 46 may be detachably mounted on a filter case 47. The motor filter 46 in a state of being mounted on the filter case 47 of the main body 30 may be disposed inside the housing 20. By using the motor filter 46, the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure may prevent the fan motor unit 40 from being damaged by rubbish or the like. Accordingly, the cleaner may discharge relatively clean air.

The fan motor unit 40 may be provided to generate a suction force to the first dust collecting chamber 81 and the second dust collecting chamber 82. Air passing through the motor filter 46 may be discharged from the housing 20 after passing through the fan motor unit 40.

The fan motor unit 40, which is relatively heavier than the battery 33, is disposed below the battery 33 in the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and thus the center of gravity may be positioned relatively lower. Accordingly, because the center of gravity of the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure is relatively lowered, the convenience of use may be increased.

In the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure, a portion of the main body 30 in which the fan motor unit 40 is disposed may be provided to be partitioned from the battery mounting member 32. That is, the air flowing by the fan motor unit 40 may be directly discharged through a motor exhaust port 41 and the exhaust port 24 of the housing 20 without moving to the battery mounting member 32 and the handle 90. Accordingly, the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure may minimize air discharged toward a user.

A controller 36 may be arranged between the fan motor unit 40 and the battery mounting member 32. The controller 36 may be provided as a printed board assembly (PBA). The controller 36 may be configured to control the operation of the cleaner.

When the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure performs a cleaning operation with the above-mentioned configuration, air, which contains rubbish and flows from the suction head 10, may be primarily filtered by the filtering member 86 of the first dust collecting chamber 81. Thereafter, the air, which is moved to the dirt separation device 51 through the case flow path 85 may be filtered secondarily. The air filtered by the dirt separation device 51 may be collected in the second dust collecting chamber 82. The air passing through the dirt separation device 51 may be thirdly filtered by passing through the motor filter 46, and then pass through the fan motor unit 40. The air passing through the fan motor unit 40 may be discharged through the motor exhaust port 41 and the exhaust port 24 of the housing 20.

When a user wants to remove the rubbish collected in the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 after the cleaning operation, the user may slide the main body 30 relative to the housing 20. At this time, the user may operate the fixing device 93 to disengage the main body 30 from the housing 20.

When the main body 30 slides inside the housing 20, the opening and closing device 60 disposed at one end of the main body 30 may open the first dust collecting chamber 81, and the first dirt removal member 70 may slide on one surface of the filtering member 86, on which rubbish is present, and the second dirt removal member 75 may slide on the inner surface of the second dust collecting chamber 82 and slide on one surface of the filtering member 86 on which rubbish is present. The first dirt removal member 70 may separate the rubbish present in the filtering member 86 and discharge the rubbish to the outside of the first dust collecting chamber 81. The second dirt removal member 75 may discharge rubbish from the second dust collecting chamber 82 to the outside and at the same time, the second dirt removal member 75 may secondarily separate rubbish from the filtering member 86 and discharge the rubbish to the outside of the first dust collecting chamber 81.

For this end, the first dirt removal member 70 and the second dirt removal member 75 may be moved to a position of protruding outward from the housing 20. Unlike this, in the main body 30, only the opening and closing device 60 may be exposed to the outside of the housing 20, and the first dirt removal member 70 and the second dirt removal member 75 may be moved so as not to be exposed to the outside of the housing 20. Alternatively, in the main body 30, only the opening and closing device 60 and the first dirt removal member 70 may be exposed to the outside of the housing 20, and the second dirt removal member 75 may be moved so as not to be exposed to the outside of the housing 20.

When the discharge of the rubbish from the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 is completed, a user can move the handle 90 of the main body 30 in a direction away from the housing 20, and accordingly, the opening and closing device 60 may be moved to a position of closing the first dust collecting chamber 81.

With this configuration, the cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure may easily empty the rubbish in the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 with a relatively simple operation. In addition, the opening and closing device 60 may be configured to open and close the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 only when the rubbish of the dust collecting chambers 81 and 82 is discharged, and thus even when the housing 20 is separated from the suction head 10, it is possible to prevent rubbish from scattering.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a dust collecting chamber according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a connecting frame shown in FIG. 9 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 11 is a view of the connecting frame shown in FIG. 10 when viewed from another direction according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 12 is a front view of the connecting frame shown in FIG. 10 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 13 is a rear view of the connecting frame shown in FIG. 10 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an inside of the dust collecting chamber along a line X-X shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 17 is a view illustrating the inside of the dust collecting chamber along a line Y-Y shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line Y-Y shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, the connecting frame 100 may be provided to connect the first dirt removal member 70 and the opening and closing device 60. The first dirt removal member 70 and the opening and closing device 60 may interlock with each other by the connecting frame 100.

When the main body 30 is in the first position relative to the housing 20, the connecting frame 100 may be located in the first dust collecting chamber 81. When the main body 30 is in the second position relative to the housing 20, the connecting frame 100 may be located outside the housing 20.

Referring to FIGS. 10 to 13, the connecting frame 100 may include a first frame 110 provided on a side facing the suction head 10 and a second frame 120 provided on a side facing the handle 90. For example, the first frame 110 may be provided on a lower end of the connecting frame 100, and the second frame 120 may be provided on an upper end of the connecting frame 100. The first frame 110 and the second frame 120 may be spaced apart from each other.

The first frame 110 may include a first mounting member 110a on which the opening and closing device 60 is mounted. The second frame 120 may include a second mounting member 120a on which the first dirt removal member 70 is mounted.

The connecting frame 100 may include at least one guide rib 130. The guide rib 130 may connect the first dirt removal member 70 and the opening and closing device 60. Particularly, the guide rib 130 may allow the first dirt removal member 70 and the opening and closing device 60 to interlock with each other.

The guide rib 130 may be provided to connect the first frame 110 and the second frame 120. For example, the guide rib 130 may be provided to extend along a direction, in which the main body 30 extends, on the first dust collecting chamber 81. The guide rib 130 may be elongated in a vertical direction. The guide rib 130 may include a substantially vertically extending shape.

In addition, the guide rib 130 may be provided in plurality. A discharge opening 130a may be provided between the plurality of guide ribs 130. The discharge opening 130a may be formed between the first dirt removal member 70 and the opening and closing device 60. When discharging the rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81, the opening and closing device 60 may open the first dust collecting chamber 81, and the rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be discharged to the outside through the discharge opening 130a (refer to FIG. 6).

The guide rib 130 may include a first guide rib 131 and a second guide rib 132. For example, the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may be provided to face each other with respect to the center of the first dust collecting chamber 81. The first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may be provided to face each other.

For example, the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may be provided as a pair of guide ribs 130. In the drawings, it is illustrated that the guide rib 130 includes the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132, but is not limited thereto. Accordingly, one or three or more of the guide ribs 130 may be provided. Hereinafter for convenience of description, the guide rib 130 may be described as an example of a pair of guide ribs including the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132.

The guide ribs 131 and 132 may be arranged to be biased in the first dust collecting chamber 81. For example, referring to FIGS. 15 and 18, a rear portion of the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be referred to as one side 81b, and a front portion of the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be referred to as the other side 81a. The guide ribs 131 and 132 may be biased toward the other side 81a. For example, the guide ribs 131 and 132 may be biased toward the front portion 20a of the housing 20.

The guide rib 130 may be provided to prevent rubbish, which is included in the air flowing into the first dust collecting chamber 81, from rotating within the first dust collecting chamber 81. For example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the guide rib 130 may include a first lateral portion 140 disposed adjacent to the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86. At this time, the term “adjacent” includes a meaning that two components are adjacent to each other, and excludes a meaning that two component is in contact with each other. Particularly, the first lateral portion 140 may be disposed as close as possible to the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86. Accordingly, rubbish contained in the air flowing into the first dust collecting chamber 81 through the suction head 10 may be prevented from passing between the first lateral portion 140 and the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86. As a result, the guide rib 130 may prevent rubbish from rotating in the first dust collecting chamber 81, and prevent rubbish from being entangled.

In the conventional manner, between the connecting frame and the filtering member 86, a space is provided to allow the air introduced into the first dust collecting chamber 81 to flow smoothly. By this configuration, rubbish contained in the air flowing into the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be caught between the connecting frame and the filtering member 86 while rotating inside the first dust collecting chamber 81. That is, in the first dust collecting chamber 81, rubbish is frequently entangled in the connecting frame. Therefore, when rubbish is entangled in the connecting frame, the suction power of the cleaner is reduced, and thus the cleaning efficiency is limited. In addition, when a user removes the rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81, the user has to manually remove the rubbish tangled in the connecting frame by the hand.

In contrast, it is possible to prevent the entanglement of rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81 because the guide rib 130 according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes the above-described first lateral portion 140. The first lateral portion 140 may be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86 by a first distance. Particularly, a gap G may be provided between the first lateral portion 140 and the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86, and the gap G may mean a minimum gap that rubbish does not pass through. For example, the gap G may be about 0.1 mm to about 0.3 mm, and it is appropriate that the gap G is about 0.2 mm. However, it is not limited thereto, and the gap G may vary depending on the components and structure of the cleaner 1.

Rubbish such as hair collides with the first lateral portion 140, and rotation of the rubbish is hindered. Accordingly, rubbish is not entangled in the first dust collecting chamber 81. In other words, rubbish contained in the air flowing into the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be filtered out by the filtering member 86 in a state in which the rubbish is not rotated. Therefore, between the connecting frame 100 and the filtering member 86, the rubbish may not be entangled. Accordingly, a user does not have to manually remove the rubbish when emptying the rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81. That is, rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be discharged neatly without a separate cumbersome operation.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 14, the guide rib 130 may include a second lateral portion 150 positioned on the opposite side of the first lateral portion 140. The second lateral portion 150 may be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86 by a second distance greater than the first distance. That is, the second lateral portion 150 may be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86 by a larger distance than the distance between the first lateral portion 140 and the filtering member 86. Particularly, the second lateral portion 150 may be spaced apart at a wider distance than the gap G. Accordingly, air may flow into the space between the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86 and the second lateral portion 150.

Each of the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may include the first lateral portion 140. The first guide rib 131 may include a first lateral portion 141, and the second guide rib 132 may include a first lateral portion 142.

Each of the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may include a second lateral portion 150. The first guide rib 131 may include a second lateral portion 151, and the second guide rib 132 may include a second lateral portion 152.

A distance between the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may not be constant. A distance between the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may be increased from the first lateral portion 140 to the second lateral portion 150. For example, a maximum distance L1 between the first lateral portion 141 of the first guide rib 131 and the first lateral portion 142 of the second guide rib 132 may be less than a maximum distance L2 between the second lateral portion 151 of the first guide rib 131 and the second lateral portion 152 of the second guide rib 132.

The guide rib 130 may guide air introduced into the first dust collecting chamber 81. The guide rib 130 may guide air introduced into the first dust collecting chamber 81 to allow the air to be moved toward a direction away from the guide rib 130. Accordingly, the guide rib 130 may allow rubbish, which is contained in the air flowing into the first dust collecting chamber 81, to be sequentially accumulated from the one side 81b inside the first dust collecting chamber 81 (refer to FIG. 18).

The guide rib 130 may include a curved member 133. Each of the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may include the curved member 133. The curved member 133 may be formed in such a way that at least a portion from the first lateral portion 140 to the second lateral portion 150 is curved. For example, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the curved member 133 may be provided to extend along a circumferential direction of the first dust collecting chamber 81.

Air in the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be guided to a predetermined direction by the curved member 133 and thus the curved member 133 may form an air flow in the first dust collecting chamber 81. For example, referring to FIG. 18, air may be guided to be directed to the inside of the first dust collecting chamber 81 along an inner circumferential surface of the curved member 133 of the first guide rib 131 and an inner circumferential surface of the curved member 133 of the second guide rib 132. The air guided to the inside by the curved member 133 may be prevented from rotating by the first lateral portions 141 and 142 disposed adjacent to the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86. The air may collide with the inner circumferential surface 86a of the filtering member 86 and then move in a direction away from the guide rib 130. However, the flow of air is merely example, and is not limited thereto.

For example, referring to FIG. 18, in the first dust collecting chamber 81, a region provided to correspond to a space between the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may be referred to as a first region S1, and a region provided to communicate with the first region S1 and arranged outside the first region S1 may be defined as a second region S2. At this time, the first guide rib 131 and the second guide rib 132 may guide air, which is introduced into the first dust collecting chamber 81, to be moved toward the second region S2.

With the configuration described above, the rubbish contained in the air flowing into the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be guided in a predetermined direction by the air flow formed in the first dust collecting chamber 81, and then accumulated. That is, the rubbish may be sequentially accumulated from the one side 81b of the first dust collecting chamber 81, rather than being distributed and accumulated in the first dust collecting chamber 81. For example, the rubbish may be sequentially accumulated from the second region S2.

In the conventional manner, rubbish is dispersed and accumulated inside the dust collecting chamber as the rubbish is rotated. That is, when the inlet or outlet of the dust collecting chamber is blocked as even a small amount of rubbish is distributed and accumulated, the suction power of the cleaner may decrease. In addition, there is an inconvenience in that the dust collecting chamber has to be emptied frequently.

In contrast, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rubbish in the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be sequentially accumulated from a predetermined region (e.g., the second region S2) of the first dust collecting chamber 81 by the guide rib 130, and thus the inlet or outlet of the first dust collecting chamber 81 corresponding to a region (e.g., the first region S1) other than the predetermined region may not be blocked. Accordingly, through the inlet and the outlet of the first dust collecting chamber 81 in a region in which the rubbish is not accumulated, the rubbish may be normally suctioned.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rubbish may be sequentially accumulated inside the first dust collecting chamber 81, and thus until the rubbish is accumulated in the entire first dust collecting chamber 81, it is not required for a user to empty the first dust collecting chamber 81. In other words, a cycle for emptying rubbish of the first dust collecting chamber 81 may be extended, and the convenience of use may be improved.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A cleaner comprising: a housing;a filtering member provided to form a dust collecting chamber inside the housing; anda main body configured to be moved relative to the housing,wherein the main body comprises: a dirt removal member configured to be moved on the dust collecting chamber,an opening and closing device configured to open and close the dust collecting chamber and provided to interlock with the dirt removal member, anda connecting frame configured to connect the dirt removal member and the opening and closing device, the connecting frame comprising a guide rib provided to prevent rubbish, which is contained in air flowing into the dust collecting chamber, from rotating in the dust collecting chamber.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide rib is a first guide rib, andwherein the connecting frame further comprises a second guide rib provided to face the first guide rib.

3. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein each of the first guide rib and the second guide rib comprises: a first lateral portion spaced apart from an inner circumferential surface of the filtering member by a first distance; anda second lateral portion positioned opposite to the first lateral portion and spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member by a second distance greater than the first distance.

4. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein the first lateral portion is disposed adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the filtering member.

5. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein a distance between the first guide rib and the second guide rib is increased from the first lateral portion toward the second lateral portion.

6. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide rib guides air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to allow the air, which flows into the dust collecting chamber, to be moved to a direction away from the guide rib.

7. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein each of the first guide rib and the second guide rib further comprises: a curved member formed, in such a way that at least a portion from the first lateral portion to the second lateral portion is curved, so as to form a flow of air in the dust collecting chamber.

8. The cleaner of claim 7, wherein the curved member comprises a shape extending along a circumferential direction of the dust collecting chamber.

9. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guide rib is biasedly disposed inside the dust collecting chamber.

10. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body is configured to be slidable between a first position for closing the dust collecting chamber and a second position for opening the dust collecting chamber, andwherein in response to the main body being moved from the first position to the second position, the connecting frame is moved from an inside of the housing to an outside of the housing.

11. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the connecting frame further comprises: a first frame on which the dirt removal member is mounted; anda second frame on which the opening and closing device is mounted.

12. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises a dirt separation device disposed above the dust collecting chamber to remove rubbish from air passing through the dust collecting chamber.