CLEANER

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cleaner, more particularly, a vacuum cleaner having a pre-filer and a HEPA filter.

BACKGROUND

In general, a cleaner refers to an electrical appliance that draws in small garbage or dust by sucking air using electricity and fills a dustbin provided in a product with the garbage or dust. Such a cleaner is generally called a vacuum cleaner.

The cleaners may be classified into a manual cleaner which is moved directly by a user to perform a cleaning operation, and an automatic cleaner which performs a cleaning operation while autonomously traveling. Depending on the shape of the cleaner, the manual cleaners may be classified into a canister cleaner, an upright cleaner, a handy cleaner, a stick cleaner, and the like.

The canister cleaners were widely used in the past as household cleaners. However, recently, there is an increasing tendency to use the handy cleaner and the stick cleaner in which a dustbin and a cleaner main body are integrally provided to improve convenience of use.

In the case of the canister cleaner, a main body and a suction port are connected by a rubber hose or pipe, and in some instances, the canister cleaner may be used in a state in which a brush is fitted into the suction port.

The handy cleaner (hand vacuum cleaner) has maximized portability and is light in weight. However, because the handy cleaner has a short length, there may be a limitation to a cleaning region. Therefore, the handy cleaner is used to clean a local place such as a desk, a sofa, or an interior of a vehicle.

A user may use the stick cleaner while standing and thus may perform a cleaning operation without bending his/her waist. Therefore, the stick cleaner is advantageous for the user to clean a wide region while moving in the region. The handy cleaner may be used to clean a narrow space, whereas the stick cleaner may be used to clean a wide space and a high place that the user's hand cannot reach. Recently, modularized stick cleaners are provided, such that types of cleaners are actively changed and used to clean various places.

As a prior art, there is an invention relating to a handy cleaner having a pre-filer and a HEPA filter. The prior art includes a suction tube, an air current generator generating an air current along the suction tube, a separator communicating with the suction tube to separate garbage and dust from an air flow, and a handle allowing a user to operate a portable cleaner. The handle includes a hand grip including a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis, and a power supply unit disposed adjacent to the second end of the hand grip and supplying power to the air current generator. The air current generator is arranged directly adjacent to the first end of the hand grip, the longitudinal axis passes through at least a portion of the air current generator, the handle is disposed between the air current generator and the power supply unit, and the separator includes a cyclone separator.

According to the prior art, the air is introduced into the air inlet, dust is separated through the cyclone, and is filtered while the air passes through the pre-filter. After passing through the motor, the air is introduced into the HEPA filter, dust is filtered while the air passes through the HEPA filter, and the filtered air is discharged to the outside of the cleaner. According to the prior art, the motor, the handle, and the battery are arranged on a straight line when viewed from the top, and the center of mass is disposed at the handle unit.

According to the prior art, the pre-filter is disposed vertically, and dust is filtered while the air flows rearward from a forward position. In addition, the HEPA filter is disposed in a forward and rearward direction, and dust is filtered while the air flows from a lower side to an upper side. Such an arrangement is considered appropriate for effectively making use of the internal space when the components are arranged in the same way as those of the prior art.

However, according to the prior art, the air is discharged upward in the cyclone, whereas the air should flow rearward in the pre-filer, thereby a flow direction of the air is bent. Further, the flow direction of the air is bent once more since the air flows rearward in the motor, whereas the air should flow upward in the HEPA filter. According to the prior art, since the air flowing inside the cleaner is bent at least twice or more, a pressure loss occurs, which causes the performance of the cleaner to be deteriorated.

Moreover, there were problems in that when the user tried to detach the pre-filter by pulling the pre-filter, even a slight deviation of an angle at which the pre-filter is detached from the insertion axis of the pre-filter made it difficult to detach the pre-filter, as a lower end of the pre-filter was locked, since the longitudinal axis of the handle was disposed to be nearly parallel to the insertion axis of the pre-filter, and a user's hand that gripped the handle was likely to slip from the handle.

In addition, according to the prior art, the air flow is intensively generated in an area which overlaps the suction motor in a forward and rearward direction among surfaces of the pre-filter, accordingly, dust is intensively sucked in the overlapped area, and the air flow is relatively small in another area which does not overlap the suction motor, and as a result, dust is rarely sucked in the another area. Therefore, there is a problem in that the actual lifespan of the pre-filter is reduced and there is an inconvenience that the pre-filter must be washed more frequently.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaner allowing the pre-filter to be detached easily without slip of a hand from the handle, when the user grips the handle with one hand and detaches the pre-filter with the other hand.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaner that can minimize a pressure loss that may occur during an air flow, by minimizing the number of bending of an air flow direction.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaner that includes a structure configured to improve an effective area in which the pre-filter filters dust.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaner configured to have a center of mass that is optimized for a human body, by minimizing the vibration transmitted to the user in a state the user grips the handle.

Technical objects to be achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned objects, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains may evidently understand other technical objects from the following description.

One embodiment is a cleaner, including: a housing; a suction unit disposed in one side of the housing and configured to allow air containing dust to be sucked; a suction motor disposed inside the housing and configured to generate an air flow for allowing the air to be introduced into the suction unit; a cyclone unit coupled to the housing, disposed between the suction unit and the suction motor, and configured to communicate with the suction unit to separate dust from the air; a pre-filter disposed upstream of the suction motor, disposed insertably in an insertion axis direction into the housing, and configured to filter dust from the sucked in air; and a handle disposed in one side of the housing, and formed long in one direction, and when the pre-filter is mounted to the cleaner, an extension line extending in a direction into which the pre-filer is inserted crosses a longitudinal axis of the handle.

The insertion axis of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis form an obtuse angle.

The pre-filter may be disposed insertably in the housing from a forward position of the housing in the insertion axis direction, and a forward end of the insertion axis of the pre-filer may be disposed to position upper than a rear end of the insertion axis of the pre-filer.

The cleaner may further include: a HEPA filter disposed downstream of the suction motor, and coupled to the suction motor in an opposite direction to a direction into which the pre-filter is inserted.

The pre-filter may be formed long in the insertion axis direction, and formed to have a tubular shape with a space formed inside.

The pre-filter may be disposed at an upper part of the cyclone unit.

The cyclone unit may include an axis of a cyclone flow about which the air is rotated for separating dust, and the axis of the cyclone flow may pass through the pre-filter.

A flow direction of the air introduced into the HEPA filter may be parallel to a flow direction of the air discharged from the suction motor.

The cleaner may further include: a battery spaced apart from the suction motor below the suction motor, and a lower surface of the handle may be coupled to an upper end of the battery and an upper surface thereof is spaced apart from a lower end of the suction motor.

The details of other embodiments of the present disclosure are included in the written description hereof as well as the appended drawings.

The cleaner according to the present disclosure has one or more effects as below.

First, since an extension line extending in a direction into which a pre-filter is inserted on the basis of a time when the pre-filter is mounted crosses a longitudinal axis of the handle, an end of the pre-filter is rarely locked in the housing, and the hand is not slipped from the handle even if the user grips the handle with one hand and detaches the pre-filter with the other hand, therefore, it is advantageous in that the pre-filter can be easily detached from the housing.

Second, it is advantageous in that a pressure loss may be minimized as the air flowing in the filter and the motor stays on a straight line at most times, since the pre-filter and the HEPA filter are arranged on an extension line of the center axis about which the suction motor rotates.

Third, it is advantageous in that the user may easily and quickly replace the filter since the pre-filter is inserted into the housing in a forward and rearward direction to be mounted in the housing.

Fourth, it is advantageous in that the vibration of the motor is not transmitted to the handle and at the same time, the handle can be supported firmly, since an upper end of the handle includes a support member that is spaced apart from the motor, and protrudes from the handle in the middle thereof and connected to the housing.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects and other effects which are not described herein may be derived by those skilled in the art from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main body of a cleaner according to the present disclosure,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main body of a cleaner according to the present disclosure,

FIG. 3 is a front view of a cleaner according to the present disclosure,

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a cleaner according to the present disclosure,

FIG. 5 is a right side view of a main body of a cleaner according to the present disclosure,

FIG. 6 is a right side cross-sectional view of part A of FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a flow direction of the air of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a state in which a filter is separated in FIG. 5,

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of part B of FIG. 2, and illustrates a cleaner having a pre-filter according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the pre-filter according to the first embodiment of FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of part B of FIG. 2, and illustrates a cleaner having a pre-filter according to a second embodiment,

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the pre-filter according to the second embodiment of FIG. 11,

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of part B of FIG. 2, and illustrates a cleaner having a pre-filter according to a third embodiment,

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the pre-filter according to the third embodiment of FIG. 13.

BEST MODE

Advantages and characteristics of the present disclosure and a method of achieving the advantages and characteristics will be clear by referring to exemplary embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to exemplary embodiment disclosed herein but will be implemented in various forms. The exemplary embodiments are provided by way of example only so that a person of ordinary skilled in the art can fully understand the disclosures of the present disclosure and the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure will be defined only by the scope of the appended claims. Like reference numerals generally denote like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, a cleaner according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a front view of the cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure, FIG. 4 is a rear view of the cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure, and FIG. 5 is a right side view of the cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure.

According to FIGS. 1 to 5, the cleaner 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a main body 2. The main body 2 may include a suction unit 10 that sucks air containing dust.

One direction in which the suction unit 10 is disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis A1 is a forward direction, and the other direction in which a motor unit 20 to be described later is disposed is a rearward direction. With respect to the main body 2 illustrated in FIG. 1, the upper side is defined as an upward direction, and the lower side is defined as a downward direction.

An outer appearance of the main body 2 is defined by a housing 3.

A handle 40 is formed in the housing 3.

The suction unit 10 is coupled to a front of the housing 3.

A dustbin 60 is coupled to a front of the housing 3. An opening is formed in a portion where the housing 3 and the dustbin 60 are coupled, and the housing 3 and the dustbin 60 are communicated with each other.

A battery 50 is coupled to a bottom part of the housing 3.

A motor unit 20 is coupled to an upper part of the housing 3. The motor unit 20 may be coupled to a rear upper part of the housing 3.

The suction unit 10 has a cylindrical shape with an opening formed inside, is configured to suck in air containing dust, and may provide a suction flow path through which air containing dust may flow. The air containing dust may be guided to the main body 2 through the suction unit 10.

The suction unit 10 is communicated with an inlet 311 of a cyclone unit 30. Air sucked in a nozzle passes through the suction unit 10, and is introduced into the cyclone unit 30 through the inlet 311.

The main body 2 may further include a suction motor 20, the cyclone unit 30, the handle 40, and the battery 50.

Here, the suction motor 20 is a component for generating an air flow (that is, an air current) such that air containing dust may be introduced into the suction unit 10.

The suction motor 20 is disposed inside the housing 3.

The suction motor 20 is disposed at a rear of the dustbin 60. In other words, the suction motor 20 is disposed at a rear of the cyclone unit 30.

A center axis A2 of the suction motor 20 will be defined. The center axis A2 of the suction motor 20 corresponds to a rotation axis of a shaft of the suction motor 20. Since an axial fan is disposed in the suction motor 20 according to the present disclosure, the center axis A2 of the suction motor 20 is parallel to a flow direction of air that passes through the suction motor 20.

When the cleaner is viewed from the top, the center axis A2 of the suction motor may be disposed to vertically overlap a longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit, and may be disposed to vertically overlap an insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter.

The suction motor 20 may be the BLDC (Brushless DC) motor. The BLDC motor is a type of a DC motor without a brush. Since the BLDC motor does not have a brush, which is a wearable part, the BLDC motor not only has an advantage of having little electrical and mechanical noise, but also has no problem in a high-speed rotation and generates low rotation noise.

Referring to FIG. 6, the suction motor 20 has a center of mass Gm. The center of mass Gm of the suction motor 20 is disposed more forward than a center of mass Gb of the battery.

The cyclone unit 30 is communicated with the suction unit 10 and is a configuration to which a principle of a dust collector using a centrifugal force to separate dust sucked into an inside of the main body 2 through the suction unit 10 is applied.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cyclone unit is coupled to the housing, and disposed between the suction unit and the suction motor.

The cyclone unit 30 is disposed at a front of the housing 3. In the housing 3, a groove is formed for allowing the cyclone unit 30 to be mounted to the housing 3, and the cyclone unit 30 is inserted into the groove to be mounted to the housing 3. The groove may be formed at a lower front of the housing 3, and the cyclone unit 30 may be inserted into the housing 3 upward at a downward position to be mounted to the housing 3.

The cyclone unit 30 is disposed between the suction unit 10 and the suction motor 20. The suction unit 10 is disposed upstream of the cyclone unit 30, and the suction motor 20 is disposed downstream of the cyclone unit 30. The suction unit 10 is disposed forward of the cyclone unit 30, and the suction motor 20 is disposed rearward of the cyclone unit 30.

For example, the cyclone unit 30 may include a first cyclone 310 that can separate dust by a cyclonic flow. The first cyclone 310 may be communicated with the suction unit 10. The air and dust sucked through the suction unit 10 will helically flow along an inner circumferential surface of the first cyclone 310.

An axis A3 of the cyclone flow of the first cyclone 310 may vertically extend.

The cyclone unit 30 may further include a second cyclone 330 that secondarily separates dust from the air discharged from the first cyclone 310. At this instance, the second cyclone 330 may be disposed inside the first cyclone 310 to minimize a size of the cyclone unit 30. The second cyclone 330 may include a plurality of cyclone bodies arranged in parallel. The air discharged from the first cyclone 310 may pass through the plurality of cyclone bodies in a split manner.

At this instance, the axis A3 of the cyclone flow of the second cyclone 330 may also extend vertically, the axis A3 of the cyclone flow of the first cyclone 310 and the axis A3 of the cyclone flow of the second cyclone may be parallel to each other.

The axis A3 of the cyclone flow may be collectively referred to as the axis A3 of the cyclone flow of the cyclone unit 30.

The axis A3 of the cyclone flow crosses a center axis A1 of the suction unit. More particularly, the axis A3 of the cyclone flow may be disposed parallel to the center axis A1 of the suction unit. Therefore, the sucked air flows rearward along the center axis A1 of the suction unit, and is vertically introduced into the cyclone unit 30 in a direction of the axis A3 of the cyclone flow. By having such an arrangement, a pressure loss is not generated when the air is introduced into the cyclone unit 30 from the suction unit 10.

The main body 2 may further include a cyclone filter 350 disposed to surround the second cyclone 330. The cyclone filter 350 is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, and guides air separated from dust in the first cyclone 310 to the second cyclone 330. The cyclone filter 350 may filter dust while the air passes therethrough.

To this end, the cyclone filter 350 may include a mesh portion having a plurality of holes. The mesh portion may be formed of a metal material, though not limited thereto.

The air present in the first cyclone 310 flows into a second cyclone 320. At this instance, the air passes through the cyclone filter 350 from a radially outside of the cyclone filter 350 and flows radially inward of the cyclone filter 350.

Meanwhile, as another example, it is possible that the cyclone unit 30 has a single cyclone, and in such a case, the axis A3 of the cyclone flow may also vertically extend.

Referring to FIG. 2, an inlet 311 of the cyclone unit 30 is formed in a radial direction of the dustbin 60. The inlet 311 is disposed on the center axis A1 of the suction unit. The intake air flows rearward along the center axis A1 of the suction unit, and is introduced into an inside of the dustbin 60. The air introduced inside the dustbin 60 has a helical flow path while flowing inside the cyclone unit 30, and dust is separated from the air by the centrifugal force during such a process.

The cyclone unit 30 has an outlet 312 formed in a longitudinal direction of the dustbin 60. In other words, the outlet 312 is formed in a direction of the axis A3 of the cyclone flow. The air from which dust is separated while flowing inside the cyclone unit 30 flows along the direction of the axis A3 of the cyclone flow and is discharged in the longitudinal direction from the dustbin 60 to be introduced into the housing 3. The air introduced into the housing 3 passes through a filter 70 and the suction motor 20.

The handle 40 is configured to be gripped by a user to move the cleaner 1, and is disposed in the opposite direction to the suction unit 10 with respect to the cyclone unit 30. The handle 40 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has an axis A4 in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the handle 40 may be disposed in a way that an upper part thereof is tilted forward.

The battery 50 is a component for supplying power to the suction motor 20. The battery 50 is disposed in a way that an upper side thereof is adjacent to the handle 40, and a front side thereof is adjacent to a lower portion of an outer circumferential surface of the dustbin 60 to be described later.

Referring to FIG. 6, the battery 50 has a center of mass Gb. The center of mass Gb of the battery 50 is disposed rearward than the center of mass Gm of the suction motor. By this arrangement, when the user grips the cleaner 1, a moment when a front side of the cleaner 1 tilts downward takes place, and the cleaning module is pressurized downward, resulting in the cleaning operation to be made easier.

The main body 2 may further include the dustbin 60 for storing dust separated while passing through the cyclone unit 30.

The dustbin 60 may include a dust collecting body 610 having a cylindrical shape. As an example, it may be possible that the dust collecting body 610 serves as the first cyclone 310, without having the first cyclone 310 separately. The whole or at least a part of the second cyclone 330 may be positioned inside the dustbin 60.

Inside the dust collecting body 610, a dust storage guide 604 for guiding storage of dust separated in the second cyclone 330 may be disposed. The dust storage guide 604 may be coupled at a lower side of the second cyclone 330.

The dust storage guide 604 partitions a space inside the dust collecting body 610 into a first dust storage unit 602 in which the dust separated in the first cyclone 310 is stored and a second dust storage unit 606 in which the dust separated in the second cyclone 330 is stored. In other words, an inner space of the dust storage guide 604 is the second dust storage unit 606, and a space between the dust storage guide 604 and the dust collecting body 610 is the first dust storage unit 602.

Referring to FIG. 6, an arrangement relationship of each component will be described hereinafter.

Referring to FIG. 6, the center axis A2 of the suction motor 20 is disposed parallel to the center axis A1 of the suction unit 10, and parallel to a bottom B of the battery 50. At this instance, the center axis A1 of the suction unit 10 is disposed to be parallel to the bottom B of the battery 50.

Referring to FIG. 6, the suction motor 20 is disposed in the opposite side to the battery 50, with respect the handle 40. More particularly, the motor unit 20 is disposed on the opposite side to the battery 50 with respect to the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle. For example, the suction motor 20 may be disposed on an upper part of the handle 40, and the battery 50 may be disposed on a lower part of the handle 40. Alternatively, the suction motor 20 may be disposed rearward on the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle 40, and the battery 50 may be disposed forward on the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle 40.

The upper part of the handle 40 may be disposed forward than the center of mass Gm of the suction motor, and the lower part of the handle 40 may be disposed rearward than the center of mass Gb of the battery 50.

By this arrangement, it is advantageous in that the user may operate the cleaner 1 more easily. If the center of mass Gm of the suction motor 20 and the center of mass Gb of the battery 50 are not symmetrical about the handle 40, the weight of the cleaner 1 that the user feels firsthand may become heavier. For example, if both the center of mass Gm of the suction motor 20 and the center of mass Gb of the battery 50 are disposed forward of the handle 40, a center of mass of the cleaner 1 is disposed forward of the handle, resulting in the uncomfortable operation of the cleaner 1. Conversely, if both the center of mass Gm of the suction motor 20 and the center of mass Gb of the battery 50 are disposed rearward of the handle 40, a front side of the cleaner 1 is lifted upward, resulting in the operation made uncomfortable. Therefore, by disposing the center of mass Gm of the suction motor 20 and the center of mass Gb of the battery 50 on both sides about the handle 40, the advantageous effect may be achieved in that the cleaner 1 is not tilted toward one side, and thus, easily operated.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the filter 70 will be described hereinafter.

The filter 70 is disposed on the air flow path and is a component for filtering dust contained in the air. The filter 70 installed in the cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure has the pre-filter 71 and the HEPA filter 73.

The pre-filter 71 is a component for filtering dust that has not been collected in the cyclone unit 30.

The pre-filter 71 is disposed upstream of the suction motor 20. Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter 71 is disposed on an upper part of the cyclone unit and forward of the suction motor. Since the air is discharged to the upper part of the cyclone unit, and introduced into the suction motor on the forward side of the suction motor, the pre-filter 71 is disposed upstream of the suction motor.

The pre-filter 71 removes big foreign substances contained in the air which have been introduced into the suction motor at the upstream of the suction motor. The pre-filter 71 has a plurality of hollow holes formed therein, and may perform physical filtration by filtering out foreign substances that are greater than a size of the hollow hole.

The pre-filter 71 may be a mesh filter having a cylindrical shape. For example, the pre-filter 71 may include materials such as nylon and spun-bonded nonwoven fabric. The spun-bonded nonwoven fabric is a type of nonwoven fabric made by spinning synthetic fibers such as polypropylene (PP) and then bonding them by applying heat.

The main body 2 may further include the HEPA filter 73 that is disposed between the pre-filter 71 and the motor unit 20. The HEPA is the abbreviation for the high efficiency particulate air filter, and is a filter having a high performance for filtering out particles.

The HEPA filter 73 serves to filter out fine dust that has not been filtered out in the pre-filter 71 once and for all, and may be accommodated in the housing 3.

The air that has been discharged from the cyclone unit 30 and passed through the pre-filter 71 passes through the HEPA filter 73 and is discharged to an outside.

In the present disclosure, the cleaner 1 has been described as including the pre-filter 71 and the HEPA filter 73, but it should be noted that the type and number of filters are not limited.

Referring to FIG. 1, the HEPA filter 73 is disposed downstream of the suction motor 20. Referring to FIG. 6, the HEPA filter 73 is disposed rearward of the suction motor 20. The air is introduced into at a forward position of the suction motor 20 and is discharged at a rear thereof, the HEPA filter 73 is disposed downstream of the suction motor 20.

The HEPA filter 73 removes fine foreign substances contained in the air supposed to be discharged to the outside at the downstream of the suction motor 20. The HEPA filter 73 may filter out the particles by attracting the particles using an electrostatic power applied to the filtered substances.

The arrangement of the pre-filter 71 and the HEPA filter 73 will be described hereinafter.

At least one among the pre-filter 71 and the HEPA filter 73 is disposed on the extension line of the center axis on which the suction motor 20 rotates. Referring to FIG. 6, when viewed from the right side, the center axis of the suction motor 20 corresponds to the rotation axis of the shaft of the suction motor 20, and extends in a forward and rearward direction. The pre-filter 71 is disposed on the extension line on which the center axis of the suction motor 20 extends forward. The HEPA filter 73 is disposed on the extension line on which the center axis A2 of the suction motor extends rearward. By such an arrangement, the air discharged from the pre-filter 71 is introduced into the suction motor 20, with the flow direction thereof nearly not changed, accordingly, the pressure loss that is likely to occur due to switchover of the air flow does not occur, thereby the efficiency of the cleaner 1 is improved.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter 71 is disposed upstream of the suction motor 20, and disposed insertably in the housing 3 in the insertion axis A5 direction. The handle 40 is disposed on one side of the housing 3, and extends long in one direction. In a state where the pre-filter 71 is mounted, the extension line extending in a direction in which the pre-filter 71 is inserted into the housing 3 crosses the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter is disposed to be insertable from the forward position to the rearward position at the front of the housing 3. An imaginary extension line extending in a direction in which the pre-filter is inserted into the housing 3 extends rearward of the pre-filter 71. The longitudinal axis A4 of the handle extends forwardly upward of the handle 40. Therefore, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle cross each other at the rear of the pre-filter 71. In other words, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle cross each other at the upward position of the handle 40. By this arrangement, the user may easily detach the pre-filter 71 with one hand, while gripping the handle 40 with the other hand.

Referring to FIG. 6, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle form an obtuse angle. About the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle, the angle formed between a front end of the pre-filter 71 and the lower end of the handle 40 is an obtuse angle. Ergonomically, when arms of a person are spread to the left and right, the force is applied more strongly to the arms, therefore, by forming an obtuse angle between the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle, the user may easily detach the pre-filter 71 by parting the pre-filter 71 and the handle 40, respectively, to be spaced apart from each other.

The pre-filter 71 is disposed insertably in the insertion axis A5 direction in the housing 3, and when viewed from the top, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter is disposed to be parallel to the center axis A2 of the suction motor.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter 71 is disposed insertably in the insertion axis direction in the housing 3. The insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter extends in the forward and rearward direction, and the pre-filter 71 may be inserted rearward at the front of the housing 3 in the direction of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter.

Referring to FIG. 5, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter is disposed to be parallel to the center axis A2 of the suction motor. More particularly, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the center axis A2 of the suction motor may be disposed to vertically overlap each other when viewed from the top. By this arrangement, the air discharged from the pre-filter 71 may be introduced into the suction motor 20 without any switchover of the flow direction to the left and the right, therefore, there is an advantageous effect in that the pressure loss may be minimized.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter 71 is disposed insertably in the insertion axis direction in the housing 3 at the front of the housing 3, and a front end of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter is disposed upward than the rear end thereof. By this arrangement, the user may detach the pre-filter 71 by pulling the pre-filter 71 frontwardly upward.

Referring to FIG. 6, the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter crosses the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit, and a distance between the front end of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit is longer than a distance between the rear end of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit. Therefore, the pre-filter 71 is inserted into the housing 3 from a frontwardly upward position to a rearwardly downward position to be mounted to the housing 3.

By this arrangement, the user may more easily detach the pre-filter 71. A forward end of the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit faces the ground during the operation of the cleaner 1. At this instance, when the user intends to detach the pre-filter 71, positions of the hands for detaching the pre-filter 71 get closer to the upper part of the cleaner 1. Therefore, it is easy for the user to pull the pre-filter 71 frontwardly upward to detach the pre-filter 71.

In addition, by disposing the insertion axis A5 to be tilted rearwardly downward, the front end of the suction motor 20 is disposed on the extension line in the longitudinal direction of the pre-filter 71. Therefore, the air discharged from the pre-filter 71 may be introduced into the suction motor 20 without almost any pressure loss.

The HEPA filter 73 is disposed downstream of the suction motor 20, and coupled to the suction motor 20 in the opposite direction to a direction into which the pre-filter 71 is inserted. A coupling axis A6 of the HEPA filter forms an obtuse angle with the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle.

The pre-filter 71 is coupled to the suction motor 20 in one direction, and the HEPA filter 73 is coupled to the suction motor 20 in the opposite direction to a direction into which the pre-filter 71 is inserted.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter 71 is inserted from the frontward position to the rearward position of the suction motor 20 to be coupled to the housing 3, and the HEPA filter 73 is inserted from a rearward position to a forward position of the suction motor 20 to be coupled thereto. The direction in which the pre-filter 71 is inserted thereinto and the direction in which the HEPA filter 73 is inserted thereinto are different from each other.

The insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter crosses the insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter. The insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter crosses the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit, and the insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter is parallel to the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit. The insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter crosses the center axis of the suction motor and the insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter is parallel to or corresponds to the center axis A2 of the suction motor.

Referring to FIG. 6, the coupling axis A6 of the HEPA filter forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle. The coupling axis A6 of the HEPA filter crosses an upper part of the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle. About the crossing point between the coupling axis A6 of the HEPA filter and the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle, an angle formed between the HEPA filter 73 and the handle 40 is an acute angle.

The pre-filter 71 is formed long in the direction of the insertion axis into which the pre-filter 71 is inserted, and formed in a tubular shape with a space formed inside.

The front end of the pre-filter 71 is formed in a shape which allows the user to grip with fingers, and is configured to be closed to prevent air leakage. The rear end of the pre-filter 71 is opened to allow the air to be discharged. A filtering member through which the air is passed and which prevents dust from passing therethrough is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71 between the front end and the rear end of the pre-filter 71. By this arrangement, the air passes through the filtering member from an outer side of the pre-filter 71 to flow inward, and is discharged to the rear end of the pre-filter 71.

The air passes through the pre-filter 71 from a radially outside of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter to be introduced into the inside of the pre-filter, and the air inside the pre-filter 71 is discharged in the insertion axis A5 direction of the pre-filter.

The pre-filter extends long in the insertion axis direction. The air present on the outside of the pre-filter 71 moves radially inward of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter, and passes through the filtering member disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71. After that, the air moves rearward in the insertion axis A5 direction of the pre-filter and is discharged through the rear end of the pre-filter 71.

According to the present embodiment, the filtering member of the pre-filter 71 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71, and accordingly, an effective area contacting the air is large which allows a flow amount of the air to be dramatically improved. In addition, the air that has passed through the filtering member is discharged rearward in the insertion axis A5 direction of the pre-filter, and the discharged air instantly flows on the front end of the suction motor 20, thereby it is advantageous in that the efficiency of the cleaner 1 is improved due to a minimized pressure loss.

Referring to FIG. 9, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, the cross section of the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71 may have a quadrangled shape. The air that has discharged from the cyclone unit 30 reaches a lower surface of the pre-filter 71. A portion of the air passes through the lower surface of the pre-filter 71 to flow to the inside of the pre-filter 71, and the remaining air flows along the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71, passes through a left or right side of the pre-filter 71 or an upper surface of the pre-filter 71 to flow to the inside of the pre-filter 71.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, the left and right sides of the pre-filter 71 may form curved surfaces that are convex outwardly. More particularly, the left side surface of the pre-filter 71 is outwardly convex to the left, and the right side surface of the pre-filter 71 is outwardly convex to the right. By this arrangement, a Coanda effect may be generated on the left side surface or the right side surface of the pre-filter 71, and the air may have a curved flow along the left side surface or the right side surface of the pre-filter 71.

According to FIGS. 13 and 14, according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a cross section of the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71 may have an oval or circular shape. The air that has reached the lower surface of the pre-filter 71 may flow streamlinedly along the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71. Since the lower surface is formed not to be flat but curved, the pressure loss, which may occur when the air collides with the lower surface of the pre-filter 71, may be prevented.

A diffusion space 72 may be formed between the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71 and the housing 3.

Referring to FIG. 6, the upper surface of the pre-filter 71 is spaced apart from the housing 3, and the lower surface of the pre-filter 71 is spaced apart from the cyclone unit 30. Referring to FIG. 9, the left side surface and the right side surface of the pre-filter 71 are spaced apart from the housing 3. A space formed between the pre-filter 71 and the housing 3 is defined as the diffusion space 72.

The diffusion space 72 is a space where the air introduced from the cyclone unit 30 is diffused before passing through the pre-filter 71. The air discharged from the cyclone unit 30 is diffused in the diffusion space 72 and may flow along the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71, and the air may be uniformly passed through all sides of the outer circumferential surface.

The suction motor 20 is disposed on the extension line of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter. Referring to FIG. 6, the imaginary line extending rearward on the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter passes through the suction motor 20. More particularly, the extension line of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter and the center axis A2 of the suction motor cross each other at the front end of the suction motor 20. By this arrangement, the air that has been discharged from the pre-filter 71 is introduced into the suction motor 20 instantly, and the pressure loss, which may occur when the flow direction of the air is bent between the pre-filter 71 and the suction motor 20, does not occur. Therefore, it is advantageous in that the efficiency of the cleaner 1 is improved.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-filter 71 is disposed at an upper part of the cyclone unit 30. The air is discharged toward the upper part of the cyclone unit 30, the air flow direction is switched while the air passes through the pre-filter 71, and the air is discharged rearward of the pre-filter 71. If the pre-filter 71 is disposed rearward of the cyclone unit 30, the diameter of the pre-filter 71 may not be designed to be greater than that of the suction motor 20 to make use of the space. However, if the pre-filter 71 is disposed at the upper part of the cyclone unit 30, it is advantageous that the diameter of the pre-filter 71 may be designed as great as that of the cyclone unit 30. Therefore, as the pre-filter 71 according to the present disclosure is disposed at the upper part of the cyclone unit 30, the pre-filter 71 having a greater size than those of the prior arts is formed so that the filtration performance can be maximized.

The cyclone unit 30 includes the axis A3 of the cyclone flow about which the air is rotated so as to separate the dustbin 60, and the axis A3 of the cyclone flow passes through the pre-filter 71. Referring to FIG. 6, the axis A3 of the cyclone flow penetrates vertically the pre-filter 71.

The flow direction of the air introduced into the HEPA filter 73 is parallel to the flow direction of the air discharged from the suction motor 20. Referring to FIG. 6, the air discharged from the suction motor 20 moves rearward from the forward position, and the air introduced from the HEPA filter 73 moves rearward from the forward position, the flow direction of the air in the HEPA filter 73 and the flow direction of the air discharged from the suction motor 20 are parallel to each other.

The insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter is parallel to the center axis A2 of the suction motor. More particularly, the insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter corresponds to the center axis A2 of the suction motor. Therefore, since the air flows in the same direction in a section from the suction motor 20 to the HEPA filter without any change of the air flow direction, the pressure loss hardly occurs.

The filtering member of the HEPA filter 73 is perpendicular to the insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter and to the center axis A2 of the suction motor. By this arrangement, the air vertically passes through the filtering member and dust is separate.

The HEPA filter 73 is detached rearward of the housing 3. When the user wants to separate the pre-filter 71, only the pre-filter 71 may be detached forward of the housing 3, and when the user wants to separate the HEPA filter 73, only the HEPA filter 73 may be detached rearward of the housing 3.

The air that has passed through the HEPA filter 73 is discharged toward the both sides of the HEPA filter 73. Referring to FIG. 1, the outlets are formed on both the left and right sides of the HEPA filter 73. Therefore, the flow direction of the air that has passed through the HEPA filter 73 while moving rearward is switched to the left or right side, and the air is discharged to the left or right side of the cleaner 1.

An arrangement of the handle 40 will be described hereinafter.

The battery 50 is spaced apart from the suction motor 20 at the lower part of the suction motor 20, a lower surface of the handle 42 is coupled to an upper end of the battery 50, and an upper surface thereof is spaced apart from a lower end of the suction motor 20.

Referring to FIG. 6, the battery 50 is disposed at a lower part at the rear of the housing 3, and the suction motor 20 is disposed at an upper part at the rear of the housing 3. The battery 50 is disposed at a lower part of the suction motor 20, a space is formed between the battery 50 and the suction motor 20, and the handle 40 is disposed in the space therebetween.

A lower surface 42 of the handle is coupled to the upper end of the battery 50. In other words, the lower surface 42 of the handle is disposed on an upper surface of the battery 50. The lower surface 42 of the handle is supported by the battery 50 or the housing 3 in which the battery 50 is installed.

An upper surface 41 of the handle is spaced apart from the lower end of the suction motor 20.

By spacing apart the upper surface 41 of the handle from the lower end of the suction motor 20, the vibration of the suction motor 20 is not transmitted to the handle 30, and the user does not feel uncomfortable. However, as only one side of the handle is supported thereby, there may be a problem in that the overall support may be unstable, therefore, a support structure of the handle is provided to support the handle 40 stably.

In addition, by spacing apart the upper surface 41 of the handle from the lower end of the suction motor 20, it is advantageous in that the operating part 80 may be disposed on the upper surface 41, thereby the operation by the user becomes easy.

Referring to FIG. 6, the handle 40 includes a handle support member 45, the handle support member 45 protrudes forward between the lower surface 42 and the upper surface 41 of the handle, and a front end of the handle support member 45 is connected to the housing 3.

The handle support member 45 is disposed at an upper position than a middle point between the upper surface 41 and the lower surface 42.

The handle support member 45 may protrude forward along the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit.

As the handle support member 45 is disposed at the upper position than the middle point between the upper surface 41 and the lower surface 42 of the handle, the upper surface of the handle support member 45 may contact a lower end of an index finger, and the lower surface of the handle support member 45 may contact an upper end of the middle finger. By this arrangement, the handle support member 45 may be supported only by the index finger and the middle finger, accordingly the user may freely operate the operating part 80 with a thumb.

A forward end of the upper surface 41 of the handle 40 is disposed at an upper position than the rear end of the upper surface 41 thereof, and the operating part 80 is disposed on the upper surface 41 of the handle.

By spacing apart the upper surface 41 of the handle from the lower end of the suction motor 20, the operating part 80 may be disposed on the upper surface 41 of the handle, and the user may operate the operating part 80 easily by using the thumb only, with the cleaner 1 supported by gripping the handle 40 with four fingers from the index finger to the little finger. Further, the forward end of the upper surface 41 of the handle is disposed at a higher position than the rear end thereof, therefore, the user may operate the operating part 80 more conveniently.

Referring to FIG. 6, the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle crosses the center axis A2 of the suction motor.

The longitudinal axis A4 of the handle has an inclination in which the front end thereof is positioned higher than the rear end thereof.

When viewed from the top, the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle and the center axis A2 of the suction motor vertically overlap each other.

The center of mass Gm of the suction motor is disposed between an extension line of a front end 43 of the handle and an extension line of a rear end 44 of the handle. The center of mass Gb of the battery is disposed between the extension line of the front end 43 of the handle and the extension line of the rear end 44 of the handle. By disposing the center of mass Gm or Gb of the suction motor 20 or the battery 50 between the extension line of the front end 43 of the handle and the extension line of the rear end 44 of the handle, it is advantageous in that the cleaner 1 is not tilted in one direction when the user lifts the cleaner 1 since a load is not spaced far from the handle 40.

Functions and effects of the cleaner 1 according to the present disclosure will be described hereinafter.

Air sucked from the nozzle passes through the suction unit 10 is introduced into the suction unit 10. The air flown to the suction unit 10 passes through the cyclone unit 30 and the dustbin 60, passes through the pre-filter 71, the suction motor 20 and the HEPA filter 73, and is discharged to the outside.

The longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit is disposed in the forward and rearward direction. The axis A3 of the cyclone flow is disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit. The inlet 311 of the cyclone unit is disposed on the longitudinal axis A1 of the suction unit. Therefore, the air is introduced to the cyclone unit 30 without any change of the direction, and the pressure loss due to the change of the flow direction does not occur.

The dust introduced into the dustbin 60 goes through a cyclone flow by the first cyclone 310. The dust is separated firstly while the air goes through the cyclone flow. The dust separated from the air firstly passes through the cyclone filter 350, and flows to the second cyclone 320 disposed inside the cyclone filter 350.

The air flown to the inside of the cyclone filter 350 goes through the cyclone flow by the second cyclone 320. The dust is separated from the air secondly during the cyclone flow. The air from which the dust is separated secondly is discharged to the housing 3 through the outlet 312 of the cyclone unit formed at an upper part of the cyclone unit 30. The outlet 312 of the cyclone unit is formed at an upper part of the cyclone unit 30 in the axis A3 of the cyclone flow.

The air introduced into the housing 3 is filtered out while passing through the pre-filter 71. The pre-filter 71 is formed to have a tubular shape with an empty inside. Since the filtering member is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the pre-filter 71, the air moves radially inward from the radially outward position of the insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter, and the relatively greater dust is filtered while the air passes through the filtering member. The air filtered in the pre-filter 71 is discharged rearward in the insertion axis A5 direction of the pre-filter.

The insertion axis A5 of the pre-filter crosses the center axis A2 of the suction motor. By this arrangement, it is advantageous in that the pressure loss may be minimized since the air discharged from the pre-filter 71 may be introduced into the suction motor 20 without having a bent flow direction.

The air that has passed through the suction motor 20 passes through the HEPA filter 73 and is discharged to the outside. The insertion axis A6 of the HEPA filter is disposed to be parallel to the center axis A2 of the suction motor, and the filtering member of the HEPA filter 73 is disposed perpendicular to the center axis A2 of the suction motor. By this arrangement, it is advantageous in that the pressure loss due to the change of the flow direction does not occur since the air that has passed through the suction motor 20 passes through the HEPA filter 73 without having any change in the flow direction.

The upper surface 41 of the handle is spaced apart from the lower end of the suction motor. By this arrangement, it is advantageous in that the vibration of the suction motor is not transmitted to the handle 40, thus, the user does not feel uncomfortable.

The support member 45 of the handle protrudes from one side of the handle 40, and extends to the housing. By this arrangement, it is advantageous in that the handle 40 may be coupled to the housing firmly even if the upper surface 41 of the handle is spaced apart from the housing.

By disposing the suction motor 20 such that the center of mass Gm of the suction motor is formed at the rearward position of the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle and disposing the battery 50 such that the center of mass Gb of the battery is formed at the forward position of the longitudinal axis A4 of the handle, tilting of a moment force, which is generated by the center of mass Gm of the suction motor and the center of mass Gb of the battery, to one side may be prevented, and as a result, the load applied to the wrist of the user may be reduced when the user performs cleaning.

In addition, by disposing the center of mass Gm or Gb of the suction motor or the battery between the extension line of the front end 43 of the handle and the extension line of the rear end 44 of the handle, it is advantageous in that the cleaner is not tilted in one direction when the user lifts the cleaner, since the load is not spaced far from the handle 40.

Although some embodiments have been illustrated and described above, this specification is not limited to the aforementioned specific embodiments, and a person having ordinary skill in the art to which this specification pertains may modify the present invention in various ways without departing from the gist of the claims. Such modified embodiments should not be individually interpreted from the technical spirit or prospect of this specification.

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