EP2653085B1

EP2653085B1 - Vacuum cleaner and suction nozzle for vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: EP2653085B1
Application number: EP13162000.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Seungyeop Lee; Jihwan Kim; Kietak Hyun
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2012-04-19
Filing date: 2013-04-02
Publication date: 2018-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 2033-04-02
Also published as: AU2013202479B2; AU2013202479A1; EP2653085A3; RU2013114978A; RU2540612C2; EP2653085A2

Description

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2012-0040848, filed on April 19, 2012 and 10-2012-0064828 filed on June 18, 2012 .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and a suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, which includes a hitting member to come into contact with a plane to be cleaned, enabling more efficient cleaning of the plane.

Discussion of the Related Art

A vacuum cleaner is an apparatus that is capable of removing dust and other debris by suctioning air inward by vacuum pressure generated by a motor equipped in a main body thereof.
A basic configuration of the cleaner includes a motor equipped in a main body to generate vacuum pressure, and a dust collection vessel in which dust and other debris are collected. A suction nozzle, through which air and debris are suctioned, is connected to the main body.
When a user actuates the vacuum cleaner having the above described configuration on a cleaning subject, such as a floor or a carpet, air and debris are suctioned into the suction nozzle by vacuum pressure of the motor and are moved to a filter or a cyclone device equipped in the main body. The debris is collected in the dust collection vessel, and the air is discharged outward from the main body after passing through the motor.
In a conventional vacuum cleaner, the suction nozzle is equipped with an agitator having bristles. Upon operation of the agitator, the bristles scrape debris present on a plane to be cleaned to remove the debris from the plane.
In the case of the brush type agitator, however, if hair stick to the agitator, the hair may be wound on the agitator, rather than being moved into the main body, due to rapid rotation of the agitator and low suction flow-rate toward the main body, which problematically forces the user to perform troublesome removal work.
In addition, if a plane to be cleaned is a carpet, there is a risk of unintentional pulling and removal of fibers of the carpet. Moreover, in the case of carpet having very long fibers, bristles of the agitator may be caught by the carpet fibers, which may prevent rotation of the agitator.
DE 491 699 C describes a suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner having a suction nozzle housing. An agitator is provided inside the housing, which is rotatably driven by a shaft of an electric motor via a belt and corresponding pulleys. A further axis is provided inside the agitator which is eccentrically arranged to the axis of the agitator. This further axis comprises a certain amount of rolls. When operating the agitator the rolls will hit a carpet or plane located under the nozzle.
GB 386 734 A discloses an agitating device being used in a suction sweeper which comprises a rotation body having rigid members projecting radially therefrom and rollers or balls are mounted at the end of each rigid member so as to be capable of revolving thereto.
US 3 006 022 A discloses a vacuum cleaner wand head in which an air driven motor is rotatably connected with a pulley of a reel shaft which is part of a beater reel assembly. Wire loops are driven by the reel shaft and are arranged parallel to the shaft in two diametrically opposed rows. Metal annuli are movably secured by the wire loops. When the reel shaft rotates the annuli will be exposed by a centrifugal force and are in a position which is most distant to the reel shaft as possible. The annuli act as beater hammers repeatedly hitting a material to be cleaned

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a vacuum cleaner and a suction nozzle for the vacuum cleaner that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner and a suction nozzle for the vacuum cleaner, which may prevent long debris, such as hair, etc., from being wound on an agitator.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner and a suction nozzle for the vacuum cleaner, which may achieve easier cleaning of a plane to be cleaned and may also prevent motor overload.
Advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
The object is solved by the features of the independent claim and is developed by claims which are dependent from the independent claim.
Preferably, a suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, includes a suction nozzle housing, an agitator rotatably equipped in the suction nozzle housing, and at least one hitting member movably coupled to the agitator, the hitting member being adapted to come into contact with a plane to be cleaned during operation of the agitator. The hitting member may be adapted to come into contact with the plane in particular by movement during operation of the agitator.
Preferably, the hitting member is arranged in a longitudinal direction of the agitator.
The hitting member is be rotatably installed to the agitator.
The agitator includes a body rotatably installed to the suction nozzle housing.
The agitator includes at least one support member coupled to the body such that the hitting member is inserted on and supported by the support member.
An inner diameter of the hitting member is greater than an outer diameter of the support member.
The support member may take the form of a bar. Preferably, the hitting member may consist of a plurality of independently movable rings or loops.
The at least one support member may include a plurality of support members spaced apart from one another. Preferably, the at least one hitting member includes a plurality of hitting members inserted respectively on the support members spaced apart from one another.
The body includes lateral support parts spaced apart from each other. A center body part is located between the lateral support parts. Furthermore, the support member is connected between the lateral support parts, and is spaced apart from the center body part.
The support member may include a support shaft configured to be inserted into the hitting member. Preferably, a support holder may be provided at the body, the support holder having an insertion recess into which the support shaft may be inserted and supported.
The at least one hitting member may includes a plurality of hitting members. Preferably, the support holder may be located between neighboring ones of the hitting members.
The support member may include a support shaft configured to be inserted into the hitting member. Preferably, a support holder may be provided at the body, the support holder may have a bore into which the support shaft is inserted and supported.
At least one brush may be fixed to the agitator, the brush being adapted to come into contact with the plane to be cleaned during operation of the agitator.
The at least one hitting member may include a plurality of hitting members and the at least one brush may includes a plurality of brushes. Preferably, the hitting members and the brushes may be alternately arranged on the agitator .
Each brush between respective neighboring ones of the plurality of hitting members may be located closer to one of the neighboring hitting members than the other hitting member.
Each brush between respective neighboring ones of the plurality of hitting members may be located closer to one of the neighboring hitting members, which is located rearward of the brush in a rotational direction of the agitator, than the other hitting member which is located forward of the brush in the rotational direction of the agitator.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a vacuum cleaner includes the suction nozzle of the kind described above, and a main body connected to the suction nozzle.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a suction nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between an agitator, a hitting member and a drive motor, which are installed to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a hitting member and an agitator, which are applied to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a hitting member and an agitator, which are applied to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of a hitting member and an agitator, which are applied to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating various alternative shapes of the hitting member according to the third embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a side sectional view illustrating operation according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a suction nozzle according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between an agitator, a hitting member, and a drive motor, which are installed to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a hitting member and an agitator, which are applied to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a hitting member and an agitator, which are applied to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of a hitting member and an agitator, which are applied to the suction nozzle according to the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 17 is a side sectional view illustrating operation according to the embodiment of FIG. 10; and
FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention to realize the above described objects will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a suction nozzle, designated by reference numeral 1, according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a vacuum cleaner, and may be connected to a main body (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner via a suction hose 2. In this case, the vacuum cleaner may include a motor to generate vacuum pressure, and a dust collection vessel in which dust and other debris are collected.
Here, the vacuum cleaner, to which the suction nozzle 1 is connected, may be a canister type cleaner, or may be an upright type cleaner.
The suction nozzle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10 defining an external appearance of the suction nozzle 1, and an agitator 20 rotatably mounted in the housing 10.
The agitator 20 may be connected to a drive motor (30, see FIG. 3) mounted in the housing 10 so as to perform rotation via driving of the drive motor 30.
Although will be described hereinafter, the agitator 20 may be directly connected to the drive motor 30, or may be indirectly connected via a separate power transmission member (40, see FIG. 3), such as a belt, etc.
The agitator 20 includes a body (21, see FIG. 3), which is rotatably supported by an inner left surface and an inner right surface of the housing 10. A plurality of hitting members 100 is rotatably connected to the agitator 20, more particularly, to the body 21. The hitting members 100 may come into contact with a plane to be cleaned during rotation of the agitator 20.
The hitting members 100 may be arranged in a longitudinal direction of the agitator 20 (in the drawing, a left and right direction), and may be spaced apart from one another around an outer circumferential surface of the agitator 20.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the body 21 of the agitator 20 may include lateral support parts 22 and 23, and a center body part 24 connected to both the lateral support parts 22 and 23. The center body part 24 may have a cylindrical shape.
Although the hitting members 110 may be arranged close to an outer circumferential surface of the center body part 24, it is desirable that the hitting members 110 be spaced apart from the outer circumferential surface of the center body part 24 by a predetermined distance.
The above described configuration serves to prevent interference between the hitting members 100 and the center body part 24.
When the agitator 20 is rotated, the hitting members 100 may be rotated upon receiving rotational force of the agitator 20 in the same direction as a rotational direction of the agitator 20. However, it will be appreciated that the hitting members 100 may be rotated alone so as to come into contact with the plane to be cleaned without assistance of the agitator 20.
The hitting members 100 have a feature in that the hitting members 100 may be circularly moved in a given direction, but a rotational direction of each hitting member 100 may differ from the circular movement direction.
To this end, each of the hitting members 100 is inserted on a support member 150 that is connected to both the lateral body parts 22 and 23 so as to surround the support member 150. In this case, an inner diameter of the hitting member 100 is greater than an outer diameter of the support member 150.
Accordingly, the hitting member 100 is freely rotatable relative to the support member 150.
A distance between the support member 150 and the center body part 24 may be greater than a thickness of the hitting member 100, which may ensure that the hitting member 100 is freely movable between the support member 150 and the center body part 24.
A plurality of support members 150 is spaced apart from one another with respect to the outer circumferential direction of the center body part 24, and the hitting members 100 are spaced apart from one another with respect to the outer circumferential direction of the center body part 24 so as to correspond to the respective support members 150.
With this arrangement, the hitting members 100 may be arranged in a plurality of rows about the center body part 24 and the plurality of rows may be spaced apart from one another.
The hitting member 100 defining one row may be constructed by a plurality of rings 101. In an embodiment, the rings 101 constituting the hitting member 100 are not connected to one another, and are inserted on the support member 150 so as to maintain original positions thereof.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the agitator 20 is connected to the drive motor 30 that is mounted within the housing 10 of the suction nozzle 1.
The drive motor 30 and the agitator 20 may be connected to each other via a power transmission member 40, such as a drive belt, or may be directly connected to each other without interposing the power transmission member 40 therebetween.
The hitting member 100 is rotatably connected between the lateral support parts 22 and 23 that are respectively located at both ends of the center body part 24.
As described above, the hitting members 100 are arranged in a plurality of rows spaced apart from one another. The hitting members 100 of the respective rows may be arranged around the outer circumferential surface of the center body part 24.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the agitator 20 and the hitting members 100 may be located close to a suction port 11 and a guide port 12 formed at the housing 10.
The guide port 12 serves to guide movement of dust and air into the main body of the vacuum cleaner.
The hitting members 100 are composed of rings or loops and are inserted on the respective support members 150.
It is desirable that an inner diameter of the hitting member 100 be considerably greater than an outer diameter of the support member 150 and that a wall thickness of the hitting member 100 be less than a distance between the center body part 24 and the support member 150.
Accordingly, the hitting member 100 may be loosely caught and supported by the support member 150, and may be freely movable while being caught by the support member 150 when the agitator 20 is moved.
Owing to the above described free movement configuration, the hitting members 100 may efficiently come into contact with the plane to be cleaned.
On the basis of the agitator 20, the hitting members 100 are spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance. Thus, when the agitator 20 is rotated, the hitting members 100 may iteratively come into contact with the plane to be cleaned.
As illustrated in FIG. 5 with regard to a first embodiment of the present invention, the support member 150 may be an elongated member extending between both the lateral support parts 22 and 23.
A plurality of support members 150 is provided so as to be spaced apart from one another. The plurality of support members 150 is also spaced apart from the center body part 24. The support members 150 may take the form of rods.
The hitting members 100, which are arranged in a plurality of rows, are constructed by arranging a plurality of rings or loops next to one another, and the plurality of rings or loops of each hitting member 100 is inserted on and caught by the single support member 150.
After preparation of the hitting member 100 inserted on the support member 150 as described above, one end of the support member 150 is coupled to the lateral support part 23 to which one end of the center body part 24 has been previously coupled.
With the above described assembly method, it may be possible to prevent the hitting member 100 from being unintentionally separated from the support member 150.
FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the second embodiment, differently from the above described first embodiment in which the hitting member 100 is constructed by individual thin rings or loops, a hitting member 200 may be constructed by a combination of a plurality of thin ring-shaped or loop-shaped connectors.
The plurality of connectors constitutes a single row of the hitting member 200, and a plurality of rows of the hitting members 200 is spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of a body 25 of the agitator 20. Likewise, the plurality of rows of the hitting members 200 is spaced apart from one another.
The body 25 of the agitator 20 has grooves 26 that provide spaces required for movement or rotation of the hitting members 200.
The grooves 26 may take the form of continuous straight grooves indented in an outer circumferential surface of the body 25. It is desirable that the grooves 26 be spaced apart from one another in a rotational direction of the body 25.
Each of the hitting members 200 is supported by a support member 250.
Differently from the above described first embodiment, the support member 250 includes a support holder 251 formed at the outer circumferential surface of the body 25 of the agitator 20, and a support shaft 252 fitted into the support holder 251.
The support holder 251 has an insertion recess 251a, into which the support shaft 252 may be fitted.
Accordingly, if the support shaft 252 is fitted into the insertion recess 251a of the support holder 251 in a state in which the hitting member 200 has been inserted on the support shaft 252, the support shaft 252 is fixed to the body 25.
Here, it is desirable that a width of an entrance of the insertion recess 251a be slightly less than an outer diameter of the support shaft 252 such that the support shaft 252 is interference-fitted into the insertion recess 251a without a risk of separation.
According to embodiments, a pair of support holders 251 may be provided at both ends of the outer circumferential surface of the body 25, or a single elongated support holder 251 may be arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the body 25 in a longitudinal direction thereof.
Meanwhile, it is desirable that a portion of the support holder 251 be installed to the groove 26, to ensure that the hitting member 200 is located in the groove 26.
FIG. 7 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, according to the third embodiment, a hitting member 500 takes the form of a hollow pipe having a plurality of through-holes 501 distributed throughout a circumference thereof.
A plurality of heating members 500 may be arranged in a plurality of rows, and each of the hitting members 500 may be constructed by a plurality of pipes, or may be constructed by a single pipe.
Here, the hitting member 500 may take the form of a circular pipe, but various other pipe shaped hitting members are also possible.
The body 25 of the agitator 20 is provided at the outer circumferential surface thereof with the grooves 26 that provide spaces for movement or rotation of the hitting members 500.
It is desirable that the grooves 26 may be straight grooves extending in a longitudinal direction of the body 25 so as to correspond to an arrangement direction of the hitting members 500.
Each hitting member 500 is rotatably supported by a support member 350. The support member 350 includes a support holder 351 formed at the outer circumferential surface of the body 25 of the agitator 20, and a support shaft 352 laterally inserted into the support holder 351.
The hitting member 500 is inserted on and supported by the support shaft 352, and in turn the support shaft 352 is laterally inserted into the support holder 351, which prevents unintentional separation of the hitting member 500. In this case, the support holder 351 internally defines a bore 353. Accordingly, the support shaft 352 may be closely coupled to the support holder 351 in such a way that the support holder 351 surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the support shaft 352.
The hitting member 500 is loosely inserted on the support shaft 352 and is freely rotatable relative to the support shaft 352.
In the present embodiment, a plurality of support holders 351 may be provided, which includes the support holders 351 arranged at both ends of the outer circumferential surface of the body 25 and the support holders 351 located in the grooves 26. As such, the support shaft 352 may be supported by the support holders 351 so as to linearly extend in a longitudinal direction of the body 25.
As illustrated in FIG. 8(a), in an alternative embodiment, the hitting member 500 may centrally define an insertion bore 501 into which the support shaft 352 is inserted. It is desirable that a diameter of the insertion bore 501 be considerably greater than a diameter of the support shaft 352.
A difference between the second embodiment of FIG. 6 and the third embodiment of FIG. 7 is an insertion manner of the support shaft 252 or 352 into the support holder 251 or 351.
That is, the support shaft 252 is inserted through an entrance of the insertion recess 251a of the support holder 251 in the second embodiment, whereas the support shaft 352 is inserted laterally into the support holder 351 so as to pass through the bore 353 in the third embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 8(b), in another alternative embodiment, the hitting member 500 may take the form of a pipe having no through-hole 502. As illustrated in FIG. 8(c), in a further alternative embodiment, the hitting member 500 may take the form of a pipe having a plurality of through-holes 502.
Provision of the through-holes 502 serves to assist dust, generated while the hitting member 500 comes into contact with the plane to be cleaned, in rapidly escaping outward from the plane to be cleaned.
That is, even if dust present on the plane to be cleaned is forced to be removed from the plane as the hitting member 500 comes into contact with the plane, the dust may be pressed onto the plane if there is no space for movement of dust. Thus, the through-holes 520 may provide a space for movement of dust, thereby allowing the dust to move into the hitting member 500.
Once the dust is introduced into the hitting member 500, the dust may be suctioned by vacuum suction pressure of the main body to thereby be moved into the main body.
Hereinafter, operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the illustrated operation is commonly applied from the first embodiment to the third embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, if the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention is actuated, a vacuum motor (not shown) equipped in the main body (not shown) is driven to allow dust and other debris present on a plane C to be cleaned (hereinafter referred to as cleaning plane C) below the suction nozzle 1 to be suctioned by vacuum suction pressure.
During operation of the suction nozzle 1, the agitator 20 is rotated. In this case, it is desirable that the agitator 20 be rotated forward so as to move the dust rearward of the suction nozzle 1.
In this case, the agitator 20 is provided with the hitting members 100. A position of each hitting member 100 continuously varies according to rotation of the agitator 20.
It is noted that the hitting member 100 is loosely caught and supported by the support member 150, and thus tends to be deviated in a radial outward direction of the agitator 20 by centrifugal force.
Thereby, the hitting member 100 may more protrude radially outward than the outer circumferential surface of the agitator 20.
In such a state, if the agitator 20 is continuously rotated, the hitting members 100 iteratively come into contact with the cleaning plane C, thereby removing debris from the cleaning plane C.
In particular, if the cleaning plane C is a carpet pile H, it may be possible to separate dust or debris deeply embedded in the pile H, and to allow the separated dust or debris to be introduced into the suction nozzle 1 and thereafter be moved into the main body by vacuum suction pressure.
If the agitator 20 is rotated counterclockwise as illustrated in the drawing, a position of a particular one of the hitting members 100 varies in a counterclockwise direction. However, each hitting member 100 may be rotated regardless of a rotational direction of the agitator 20, or may be rotated in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the agitator 20.
If the hitting member 100 is fixed to the agitator 20 so as not to be rotatable relative to the agitator 20, there is a risk of long debris, such as hair, being wound on the hitting member 100 and the agitator 20.
However, since the hitting members 100 are rotatably coupled to the agitator 20, it may be possible to prevent long debris, such as hair, from being wound on the agitator 20 as well as on an outer circumferential surface of the hitting members 100.
Meanwhile, the hitting member 100, which is adapted to come into contact with the cleaning plane C, may be rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the agitator 20. As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the agitator 20 is rotated counterclockwise, clockwise force may be applied to the hitting member 100 due to friction between the hitting member 100 and the cleaning plane C when the hitting member 100 comes into contact with the cleaning plane C. Accordingly, the hitting member 100 that comes into contact with the cleaning plane C may be rotated in a rotational direction independent of the agitator 20, or in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the agitator 20.
Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 18. For reference, differently from the above described embodiment of the present invention, according to the secondly described embodiment, in addition to the hitting member 100, a brush 50 is mounted to the agitator 20. Accordingly, a description of the same parts as those of the above described embodiment will be omitted herein, and the following description is focused on only differences.
In particular, as compared to the respective embodiments of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, respective corresponding embodiments that will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 14, 18 and 19 have a difference in terms of installation of the brush 50, and the same technology as the above description is applied thereto. Therefore, a detailed description of FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 will be omitted herein.
The suction nozzle 1 according to the secondly described embodiment includes the housing 10 defining an external appearance of the suction nozzle 1, and the agitator 20 that is rotatably provided in the housing 10.
In particular, the agitator 20 includes the brush 50, which is fixed to the agitator 20 to come into contact with the cleaning plane C during operation of the agitator 20. The brush 50 radially extends about the center of the agitator 20 to perform cleaning, such as scraping, etc., on the cleaning plane C.
The brush 50 may be installed to a seating protrusion (28, see FIG. 13) radially extending from the center body part 24. In this case, the brush 50 is fixed to the seating protrusion 28, and is rotated in the same manner as rotation of the agitator 20, differently from the hitting member 100.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the hitting members 100 are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the plurality of rows is spaced apart from one another. The hitting members 100 of the respective rows may be arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the center body part 24.
A plurality of brushes 50 may be arranged in a plurality of rows spaced apart from one another. Likewise, the brushes 50 of the respective rows may be arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the center body part 24.
In particular, the hitting members 100 and the brushes 50 may be alternately arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the agitator 20, more particularly, on the outer circumferential surface of the center body part 24. That is, two brushes 50 may be arranged respectively at both sides of each hitting member 100, and likewise two hitting members 100 may be arranged respectively at both sides of each brush 50.
The agitator 20, the hitting members 100, and the brushes 50 may be located close to the suction port 11 and the guide port 12 formed at the housing 10.
Since the brushes 50 are interposed respectively between the plurality of hitting members 100, during rotation of the agitator 20, the hitting members 100 and the brushes 50 alternately come into contact with the cleaning plane C to perform cleaning.
Hereinafter, operation of the secondly described embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the illustrated operation is commonly applied to first to third embodiments of the secondly described embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 17, if the vacuum cleaner of the present invention is actuated, the vacuum motor (not shown) equipped in the main body (not shown) is driven to allow dust and other debris present on the cleaning plane C below the suction nozzle 1 to be suctioned by vacuum suction pressure.
During operation of the suction nozzle 1, the agitator 20 is rotated. In this case, it is desirable that the agitator 20 be rotated forward so as to move the dust rearward of the suction nozzle 1.
In this case, the agitator 20 is provided with the hitting members 100 and the brushes 50. A position of each hitting member 100 and a position of each brush member 50 continuously vary according to rotation of the agitator 20.
It is noted that the brush 50 is rotated in the same manner as rotation of the agitator 20, whereas the hitting member 100 is loosely caught and supported by the support member 150 and thus tends to be deviated in a radial outward direction of the agitator 20 by centrifugal force.
Thereby, the hitting members 100 may more protrude radially outward than the outer circumferential surface of the agitator 20.
In such a state, if the agitator 20 is continuously rotated, the hitting members 100 and the brushes 50 iteratively come into contact with the cleaning plane C, thereby removing debris from the cleaning plane C.
In particular, if the cleaning plane C is a carpet pile H, it may be possible to separate dust or debris deeply embedded in the pile H, and to allow the separated dust or debris to be introduced into the suction nozzle 1 and thereafter be moved into the main body by vacuum suction pressure.
If the agitator 20 is rotated counterclockwise as illustrated in the drawing, a position of a particular one of the hitting members 100 varies in a counterclockwise direction. However, each hitting member 100 may be rotated regardless of a rotational direction of the agitator 20, or may be rotated in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the agitator 20.
During rotation of the agitator 20, the brushes 50 also come into contact with the cleaning plane C. Thereby, if long debris, such as hair, is caught by the brushes 50, there is a risk of the long debris, such as hair, being wound on the brushes 50.
However, since the hitting members 100 are rotatably coupled to the agitator 20 at positions next to the respective brushes 50, as compared to the case in which only the brushes 50 are successively arranged on the agitator 20, there is less risk of debris, such as hair, being completely wound on the brushes 50. For example, if only the brushes 50 are arranged on the agitator 20 without the hitting members 100, long debris, such as hair, may be wound on the successively arranged brushes 50 and it may be difficult to separate the debris from the brushes 50. This is because the plurality of brushes 50 may cause twisting of long debris, such as hair, tangled thereon, which may considerably increase attachment force of the debris.
According to the present embodiment, however, since the hitting members 100 are rotatably coupled to the agitator 20, it may be possible to prevent long debris, such as hair, from being wound on the agitator 20 as well as on the outer circumferential surface of the hitting members 100.
Meanwhile, according to the present embodiment, the hitting members 100 and the brushes 50 alternately come into contact with the cleaning plane C in various ways, which may enhance cleaning performance owing to provision of various contact manners. That is, since the brushes 50 and the hitting members 100 may exert different contact forces with respect to the cleaning plane C, even if debris remains on the cleaning plane C after the hitting members 100 come into contact with the cleaning plane C, the brushes 50 that subsequently come into contact with the cleaning plane C may act to separate the debris from the cleaning plane C.
FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the present invention. A description of the alternative embodiment will follow with reference to FIG. 18.
Differently from the above described embodiment, according to the alternative embodiment of the present invention, in a configuration in which one brush 50 is interposed between respective neighboring ones of the plurality of hitting members 100, one hitting member 100 is located closer to the brush 50 than the other hitting member 100. In particular, it is desirable that on the basis of a rotational direction of the agitator 20, one hitting member 100, which is located behind the brush 50, is located closer to the brush 50 than the other hitting member 100 that is located in front of the brush 50. For example, assuming that one hitting member 100, which is located forward of the brush 50 in a rotational direction of the agitator 20, is spaced apart from the brush 50 by a distance L2, and the other hitting member 100, which is located rearward of the brush 50 in the rotational direction of the agitator 20, is spaced apart from the brush 50 by a distance L1, L1 is less than L2.
During rotation of the agitator 20, a time required when the brush 50 first comes into contact with the cleaning plane C and subsequently the hitting member 100 comes into contact with the cleaning plane C is shorter than a time required when the hitting member 100 first comes into contact with the cleaning plane C and subsequently the brush 50 comes into contact with the cleaning plane C.
Although the hitting member 100 functions to come into contact with the cleaning plane C, the hitting member 100 may also function to prevent long debris, such as hair, caught by the brush 50, which is located forward of the hitting member 100 in a rotational direction of the agitator 20, i.e. which comes into contact with the cleaning plane C earlier than the hitting member 100 during rotation of the agitator 20, from being caught by the next brush 50.
In the case in which the brush 50, which has come into contact with long debris, such as hair, is continuously rotated, the hitting member 100 behind the brush 50 is freely rotatable in a rotational direction of the agitator 20, and therefore may come into contact with the long debris, such as hair, tangled on the brush 50. In this case, rotation of the hitting member 100 may cause shaking of the debris tangled on the brush 50, thus allowing the debris to be separated from the brush 50. Meanwhile, since suction of debris occurs during rotation of the agitator 20, long debris, such as hair, may be suctioned into the suction hose 2.
In the case of the brush 50 and the hitting member 100 that are located close to each other, the hitting member 100 may apply greater force to long debris, such as hair, caught by the brush 50, which may prevent the debris from being caught by the brush 50.
If relatively short debris is caught by the brush 50 and the hitting member 100 is located at a distance from the brush 50, the hitting member 100 cannot come into contact with the brush 100 and thus cannot apply force to the debris caught by the brush 50. Therefore, it is desirable that the hitting member 100 be located close to the brush 50.
Meanwhile, the long debris, such as hair, caught by the brush 50 is rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the agitator 20 while being wound on the agitator 20. Accordingly, by locating the hitting member 100, which is located rearward of the brush 50 in a rotational direction of the agitator 20, closer to the brush 50 than the other hitting member 100 which is located forward of the brush 50 in the rotational direction of the agitator 20, it may be possible to sufficiently prevent long debris, such as hair, from being firmly wound on the brush 50.
As is apparent from the above description, in a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, during rotation of an agitator, a separate hitting member functions to guide dust or debris from a plane to be cleaned by coming into close contact with the cleaning plane, which may ensure efficient removal of the dust or debris from the cleaning plane.
In particular, if the cleaning plane is a carpet pile, it is possible to efficiently remove dust or debris deeply embedded in the pile as the hitting member comes into contact with the carpet pile so as to separate the dust or debris.
In the case in which debris, such as hair, that is likely to be wound on the agitator is present, conventionally, an additional process of removing the debris caught by bristles of the agitator is necessary.
However, according to the present invention, since the hitting member is rotatably coupled to the agitator and is rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the agitator, it is possible to prevent debris, such as hair, from being wound on the hitting member. Accordingly, a process of removing the debris from the hitting member may be omitted.
According to the present invention, hitting members and brushes are alternately arranged on the agitator, which results in enhanced cleaning performance because the brushes act to scrape the cleaning plane and the hitting members iteratively come into contact with the cleaning plane.
Moreover, as a result of locating the hitting member close to the brush, even if hair is caught by the brush, the freely rotatable hitting member may act to separate the hair from the brush.

Claims

A suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, the suction nozzle comprising:
a suction nozzle housing (10);

an agitator (20) rotatably provided in the suction nozzle housing (10); and

at least one hitting member (100) movably coupled to the agitator (20), the hitting member (100) being adapted to come into contact with a plane (C) to be cleaned during operation of the agitator (20),

wherein the agitator (20) includes a body (21) rotatably installed to the suction nozzle housing (10), and at least one support member (150) coupled to the body (21) such that the hitting member (100) is inserted on and supported by the support member (150),

wherein an inner diameter of the hitting member (100) is greater than an outer diameter of the support member (150),

characterized in that the body (21) includes:
lateral support parts (22, 23) spaced apart from each other; and

a center body part (24) located between the lateral support parts (22, 23), and

wherein the support member (150) is connected between the lateral support parts (22, 23), and is spaced apart from the center body part (24).
The suction nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the hitting member (100) is arranged in a longitudinal direction of the agitator (20), and/or wherein the hitting member (100) is rotatably installed to the agitator (20).
The suction nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the support member (150) takes the form of a bar, and/or wherein the hitting member (100) consists of a plurality of independently movable rings (101) or loops.
The suction nozzle according to one of the claims 1 - 3,
wherein the at least one support member (150) includes a plurality of support members spaced apart from one another, and
wherein the at least one hitting member (100) includes a plurality of hitting members inserted respectively on the support members (150) spaced apart from one another.
The suction nozzle according one of the claims 1 - 4, wherein the support member (150) includes:
a support shaft (252) configured to be inserted into the hitting member (100); and

a support holder (251) provided at the body (25), the support holder (251) having an insertion recess (251a) into which the support shaft (252) is inserted and supported.
The suction nozzle according to claim 5, wherein the at least one hitting member (100) includes a plurality of hitting members (100), and the support holder (251) is located between neighboring ones of the hitting members (100).
The suction nozzle according to any of the preceding claims 1- 6, wherein the support member includes:
a support shaft (352) configured to be inserted into the hitting member (500); and

a support holder (351) provided at the body (25), the support holder (351) having a bore (353) into which the support shaft (352) is inserted and supported.
The suction nozzle according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one brush (50) fixed to the agitator (20), the brush (50) being adapted to come into contact with the plane (C) to be cleaned during operation of the agitator.
The suction nozzle according to claim 8, wherein the at least one hitting member (100) includes a plurality of hitting members (100) and the at least one brush (50) includes a plurality of brushes (50), and wherein the hitting members (100) and the brushes (50) are alternately arranged on the agitator (20).
The suction nozzle according to claim 9, wherein each brush (50) between respective neighboring ones of the plurality of hitting members (100) is located closer to one of the neighboring hitting members (100) than the other hitting member (100).
The suction nozzle according to claim 10, wherein each brush (50) between respective neighboring ones of the plurality of hitting members (100) is located closer to one of the neighboring hitting members (100), which is located rearward of the brush (50) in a rotational direction of the agitator (20), than the other hitting member (100) which is located forward of the brush (50) in the rotational direction of the agitator (20).
A vacuum cleaner comprising the suction nozzle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and a main body connected to the suction nozzle (1).