EP1952742A2

EP1952742A2 - Motor assembly and vacuum cleaner having the same

Info

Publication number: EP1952742A2
Application number: EP07290857A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kyong-Hui Jeon
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2007-02-05
Filing date: 2007-07-09
Publication date: 2008-08-06
Also published as: EP1952742A3

Abstract

A motor assembly and a vacuum cleaner having the motor assembly are provided. The motor assembly includes a suction motor (110); at least one inner case (131, 134) which is configured to enclose the suction motor (110); at least one outer case (150) which is configured to enclose the suction motor (110) and the inner case (131, 134); and exhaust passages which are formed between the suction motor (110) and the inner case (131, 134) and between the inner case and the outer case (150), through which an exhaust air discharged from the suction motor (110) is enabled to flow. Areas of the exhaust passages are configured to be repeatedly enlarged or reduced in a direction in which the exhaust air flows.

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a motor assembly configured to reduce noise generated in a suction motor and a vacuum cleaner having the same.
A vacuum cleaner draws in dust using a suction force generated by a suction motor and collects the dust in a dust-collecting chamber. The vacuum cleaner employs a high output motor having a high number of revolutions per minute (RPMs). However, such a high output motor generates a large amount of noise when it is driven.
Accordingly, there is a need for research into ways of reducing noise generated in driving a high-output motor. Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-0117711 entitled "MOTOR ASSEMBLY AND VACUUM CLEANER HAVING THE SAME" is an example of research on a noise blocking structure. In Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-0117711 , there is provided a suction motor including a motor body and a motor blade part, an inner motor casing configured to enclose at least a part of the suction motor, and at least one outer motor casing configured to enclose at least a part of the inner motor casing. The inner and outer motor casings respectively comprise porous plates in which a plurality of passing holes are formed. Air discharged from the suction motor flows through the plurality of passing holes included in the inner motor casing and the plurality of passing holes included in the outer motor casing, and accordingly, the direction of the airflow may change.
However, a conventional motor assembly includes a porous plate in a motor case, and a flow of air discharged from a motor changes while passing through the plurality of passing holes formed in the porous plate, in the same manner as in Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-O117711 . Accordingly, it is possible to reduce peak noise generated in the motor, but there are limitations to reduce flow noise generated by the airflow.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above.
The present invention provides a motor assembly with an improved construction of a motor case which simultaneously reduces peak noise and flow noise generated in a motor.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motor assembly comprising a suction motor; at least one inner case which is configured to enclose the suction motor; at least one outer case which is configured to enclose the suction motor and the inner case; and exhaust passages which are formed between the suction motor and the inner case and between the inner case and the outer case, and through which an exhaust air discharged from the suction motor passes. Areas of the exhaust passages may be repeatedly enlarged or reduced in a direction in which the exhaust air flows.
The direction of the exhaust passages may repeatedly change so that a direction of the exhaust air may repeatedly changes.
The motor assembly may further comprise a grill part which is included in the exhaust passages to filter dust contained in the exhaust air.
The inner case may comprise a first inner case, of which an upper part is opened, and which is mounted to enclose a motor discharging hole formed in a lower part of the suction motor, the first inner case including at least one first air passing hole configured to discharge air discharged from the motor discharging hole; and a second inner case, of which an upper part and a lower part are opened, and which is mounted to enclose the first inner case, the second inner case including second air passing holes and an exhaust passage through which air discharged from the first air passing hole is enabled to flow.
The outer case may comprise a first outer case which is mounted to enclose an upper part of the suction motor and includes third air passing holes corresponding to the second air passing holes; and a second outer case which is mounted to enclose the second inner case and is connected to the first outer case.
The grill part may comprise a grill member which is mounted between the second inner case and the second outer case, and the grill member includes a filter member which is configured to filter fine dust from the air discharged from the suction motor.
Two first air passing holes may be mounted opposite each other at the top of the first inner case. The second air passing holes may be mounted opposite each other at positions opposite the positions of the first air passing holes at the top of the second inner case.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising a main body in which a dust-collecting chamber is partitioned from a motor chamber; a brush assembly which is fluidly communicated with the dust-collecting chamber and includes an inflow opening through which external air containing dirt is drawn in; and a motor assembly which is mounted in the motor chamber to be fluidly communicated with the wake of the dust-collecting chamber so that a suction force is generated. The motor assembly may comprise a suction motor; at least one inner case which is configured to enclose the suction motor; at least one outer case which is configured to enclose the suction motor and the inner case; and exhaust passages which are formed between the suction motor and the inner case and between the inner case and the outer case, and through which an exhaust air discharged from the suction motor passes. Areas of the exhaust passages may be repeatedly enlarged or reduced in a direction in which the exhaust air flows.
The above and/or other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent by describing certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vacuum cleaner in which a motor assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is employed;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a motor assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a view showing the motor assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention cut along line III-III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a view showing the motor assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention cut along line IV-IV in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a view taken from the top of the motor assembly, excluding a first outer case according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a side view, partially cut away, showing a portion of a second inner case, a second outer case, and a grill member according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Hereinafter, a motor assembly and a vacuum cleaner having the same according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, arrows in the drawings indicate a flow direction of air discharged from a motor.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vacuum cleaner 10 in which a motor assembly 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is employed, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the motor assembly 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a canister type vacuum cleaner is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, an upright type vacuum cleaner, a stick type vacuum cleaner or other cleaners can be applied as the vacuum cleaner according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner 10 includes a main body 1 of the cleaner, a brush assembly 2, an extension pipe 3, and a flexible hose 4. The brush assembly 2 may draw in external air containing dirt from a cleaning surface therethrough, and the external air containing dirt drawn in through the brush assembly may enter into a dust-collecting apparatus (not shown) installed inside the main body 1 through the extension pipe 3 and flexible hose 4. After dirt is separated from the dust-collecting apparatus (not shown), the cleaned air may be discharged to the outside of the main body 1 through the motor assembly 100. The vacuum cleaner 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as a general canister type vacuum cleaner, so detailed description of the vacuum cleaner 10 will be omitted.
Referring to FIGS. 2 to 6, the motor assembly 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a suction motor 110, an inner case 130, an outer case 150, and a grill part 170.
For reference, FIG. 3 is a view showing the motor assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention cut along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the motor assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention cut along line IV-IV in FIG. 2.
The suction motor 110 generates a suction force so that the brush assembly 2 may draw in external air containing dirt from the cleaning surface. A motor suction hole 111 may be formed at the top center of the motor, and a motor discharging hole 113 may be formed on a lower outer circumference of the motor so that air drawn in through the suction hole can be discharged. The suction motor 110 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by a high output motor having a high number of revolutions per minute (RPMs), which is employed in a general vacuum cleaner.
The inner case 130 may be mounted to enclose a lower part of the suction motor 110 and may include a first inner case 131 and a second inner case 134.
Referring to FIG. 2, an upper part of the first inner case 131 may be opened so that the first inner case 131 may enclose the motor discharging hole 113 of the suction motor 110 and may be spaced away from the motor discharging hole 113 at a predetermined distance by inserting the suction motor 110 into the first inner case 131. The first inner case 131 may be formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped of which the edges are rounded. Additionally, a pair of first air passing holes 132 through which exhaust air discharged through the motor discharging hole 113 passes may be formed in the top of the first inner case 131 at positions opposite each other. If the suction motor 110 is mounted in the first inner case 131, a passage space S 1 through which the exhaust air passes may be formed between an outer circumference of the suction motor 110 and an inner circumference of the first inner case 131, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
Referring to FIG. 2, the second inner case 134 may be formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped of which an upper part and a lower part are opened so that the first inner case 131 may be inserted in the second inner case 134 to enclose the first inner case 131. In the upper part of the second inner case 134, an extension plate 135 may be extended in a direction perpendicular to an outer circumference of the second inner case 134. Additionally, referring to FIG. 5, a pair of second air passing holes 136 may be formed opposite each other on some edges of the extension plate 135 of the second inner case 134. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, air discharged through the first air passing holes 132 may flow to the bottom of the second inner case 134 through a passage space S2 formed between an outer circumference of the first inner case 131 and an inner circumference of the second inner case 134.
Referring back to FIG. 2, the outer case 150 may be mounted so as to enclose the suction motor 110 and inner case 130, and may include a first outer case 151 and a second outer case 156.
The first outer case 151 may include a rounded part 152 which has a form corresponding to an upper part of the suction motor 110, and an inflow opening 153 may be formed at a position corresponding to the motor suction hole 111 of the suction motor 110 in the top center of the suction motor 110. The inflow opening 153 may be fluidly communicated with the dust-collecting apparatus (not shown) in the vacuum cleaner. Additionally, the first outer case 151 may include a sidewall 154 which encloses the rounded part 152 at a predetermined distance. In the bottom of the rounded part 152 and sidewall 154, third air passing holes 155 may be formed at a position corresponding to the second air passing holes 136 in a form corresponding to the second air passing holes 136.
The second outer case 156 may be formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped of which an upper part is opened so that the extension plate 135 of the second inner case 134 together with the sidewall 154 of the first outer case 151 can be coupled to the second outer case 156.
The grill part 170 may be mounted to filter dust from air discharged from between the outer circumference of the first inner case 131 and the inner circumference of the second outer case 156, and may include a grill member 171 and a filter member 175. The grill member 171 may be connected to the lower part of the second inner case 134 so as to be fluidly communicated with the second inner case 134, and be disposed between the second inner case 134 and second outer case 156. A plurality of grill discharging holes 172 may be formed on the bottom surface of the grill member 171 for air flowing between the outer circumference of the first inner case 131 and the inner circumference of the second outer case 156 to pass through. The filter member 175 may be inserted into an inner side of the grill member 171 to filter dust from the air passing through the grill member 170. Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, if the grill part 170 is mounted on the lower part of the second inner case 134 and the second inner case 134 is mounted in the second outer case 156, a passage space S3 may be formed on a bottom surface of the grill part 170 and a bottom surface of the second outer case 156 for air discharged from the grill discharging hole 172 to flow through. Additionally, a passage space S4 may be formed between an outer circumference of the second inner case 134 and an inner circumference of the second outer case 156 for air passing through the passage space S3 to flow through. Furthermore, a passage space S5 may be formed between an outer circumference of the rounded part 152 of the first outer case 151 and an inner circumference of the sidewall 154 for air passing through the second and the third air passing holes 136 and 155 to flow through.
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first outer case 151, the second outer case 156 and the second inner case 134 may be separable from each other. Additionally, in order to reduce vibration generated in the suction motor 110 in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a first cushion member 181 may be mounted between the suction motor 110 and the first outer case 151 to absorb vibrations when connecting the upper part of the suction motor 110 to the first outer case 151. Furthermore, when the lower part of the suction motor 110 and the first inner case 131 are connected, a second cushion member 183 may be mounted between the suction motor 110 and the first inner case 131.
Hereinafter, the operation and the principle of the motor assembly 100 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
If external air containing dirt from the cleaning surface is drawn in through the brush assembly 2, the external air may enter into the dust-collecting apparatus (not shown) in the main body 1 through the extension pipe 3 and flexible hose 4, and dust may be separated. Cleaned air may then enter into the suction motor 110 from the dust-collecting apparatus through the inflow opening 153 of the first outer case 151 and the motor suction hole 111, and may be discharged through the motor discharging hole 113. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the air discharged through the motor discharging hole 113 may move along an exhaust passage P1 towards the first air passing holes 132 through the passage space S 1 formed between the outer circumference of the suction motor 110 and the inner circumference of the first inner case 131. The exhaust air may be caused to change direction at a predetermined angle between the outer circumference of the suction motor 110 and the inner circumference of the first inner case 131, and then may move towards the first air passing holes 132. Subsequently, the air passing through the first air passing holes 132 may move along an exhaust passage P2 towards the grill part 170 through the passage space S2 formed between the outer circumference of the first inner case 131 and the inner circumference of the second inner case 134. Next, fine dust contained in the exhaust air may be filtered by the filter member 175 of the grill part 170, and fine dust-removed air may flow along an exhaust passage P3 towards the second air passing holes 136 and the third air passing holes 155 through the passage space S3 formed on the bottom surface of the grill part 170 and the bottom surface of the second outer case 156, and the passage space S4 between the outer circumference of the second inner case 134 and the inner circumference of the second outer case 156. The air passing through the second air passing holes 136 and the third air passing holes 155 may be then discharged to the outside of the motor assembly 100 through remaining exhaust passages and the passage space S5 formed between the outer circumference of the rounded part 152 of the first outer case 151 and the inner circumference of the sidewall 154, which are connected to the outside. For reference, the above-described exhaust passages indicate a discharging route along which the air discharged through the motor discharging hole 113 flows, through the exhaust passage P1 towards the first air passing holes 132 and the exhaust passage P2, through grill discharging holes 172 of the grill part 170. The air is then discharged to the outside through the second air passing holes 136, the third air passing holes 155 and the passage space S5 along the exhaust passage P3. In this situation, the air discharged through the motor discharging hole 113 of the suction motor 110 may pass through the first air passing holes 132 having areas relatively smaller than the passage space S1, and may then be discharged to the passage space S2 having an area relatively larger than the first air passing holes 132. Additionally, the air passing through the grill part 170 may pass through the second air passing holes 136 and the third air passing holes 155 which have areas relatively smaller than the passage space S4, and may then be discharged to the passage space S5 having an area relatively larger than the second air passing holes 136 and the third air passing holes 155. In other words, the areas of the exhaust passages formed by the inner case 130 and the outer case 150 may be repeatedly enlarged or reduced, and accordingly the speed of the air passing through the exhaust passages may be repeatedly increased or decreased. Therefore, the peak noise and flow noise generated in the suction motor 110 can be simultaneously reduced.
As described above, the motor assembly and the vacuum cleaner having the motor assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the air discharged from the suction motor may be discharged through the exhaust passages of which areas may be repeatedly enlarged and reduced, and thus the peak noise generated from the air discharged from the suction motor may decrease together with the flow noise. Therefore, a user can clean without enduring much noise.
Additionally, the air discharged from the suction motor may be discharged through the grill member including the filter member mounted inside the motor assembly, and accordingly, it is possible to discharge cleaned air to the outside of the vacuum cleaner, and thus improve cleaning efficiency.
The foregoing exemplary embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Also, the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

A motor assembly comprising:
a suction motor (110);

at least one inner case (130) which is configured to enclose the suction motor (110);

at least one outer case (150) which is configured to enclose the suction motor (110) and the inner case (130); and

exhaust passages (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5) which are formed between the suction motor (110) and the inner case (130) and between the inner case (130) and the outer case (150), and through which an exhaust air discharged from the suction motor (110) passes,
wherein areas of the exhaust passages ( S1, S2, S3, S4, S5) are configured to be repeatedly enlarged or reduced in a direction in which the exhaust air flows.
The motor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the direction of the exhaust passages repeatedly changes so that a direction of the exhaust air repeatedly changes.
The motor assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a grill part (170) which is included in the exhaust passages to filter dust contained in the exhaust air.
The motor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner case (130) comprises:
a first inner case (131), of which an upper part is opened, and which is mounted to enclose a motor discharging hole formed in a lower part of the suction motor (110), the first inner case (131) including at least one first air passing hole configured to discharge air discharged from the motor discharging hole, and

a second inner case (134), of which an upper part and a lower part are opened, and which is mounted to enclose the first inner case (131), the second inner case (134) including second air passing holes and an exhaust passage through which air discharged from the first air passing hole is enabled to flow; and

the outer case (150) comprises:
a first outer case (151) which is mounted to enclose an upper part of the suction motor (110) and includes third air passing holes corresponding to the second air passing holes, and

a second outer case (156) which is mounted to enclose the second inner case (134) and is connected to the first outer case (151).
The motor assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the grill part (170) comprises a grill member (171) which is mounted between the second inner case (134) and the second outer case (156), and the grill member (171) includes a filter member which is configured to filter fine dust from the air discharged from the suction motor (110).
The motor assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein two first air passing holes (132) are mounted opposite each other at the top of the first inner case (131), and
the second air passing holes (136) are mounted opposite each other at positions opposite the positions of the first air passing holes (132) at the top of the second inner case (134).
A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a main body (1) in which a dust-collecting chamber is partitioned from a motor chamber; a brush assembly (2) which is fluidly communicated with the dust-collecting chamber and includes an inflow opening through which external air containing dirt is drawn in; and

a motor assembly (100) which is mounted in the motor chamber to be fluidly communicated with the wake of the dust-collecting chamber so that a suction force is generated,
wherein the motor assembly is a motor assembly according to any of the preceding claims.