Cleaning Apparatus Having Vacuum Cleaner and Docking Station

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser. No. 17/893,227, which was filed Aug. 23, 2022, which is a continuation application of prior application Ser. No. 17/319,644, filed May 13, 2021, which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 12,004,703 on Jun. 11, 2024, which is a continuation application of Ser. No. 17/092,822 on Nov. 9, 2020, which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,337,573 on May 24, 2022, which is a continuation application, claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 365(c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2019/017587, filed on Dec. 12, 2019, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Korean patent application number 10-2018-0162375, filed on Dec. 14, 2018, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, of a Korean patent application number 10-2019-0074217, filed on Jun. 21, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, of a Korean patent application number 10-2019-0110291, filed on Sep. 5, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and of a Korean patent application number 10-2019-0158871, filed on Dec. 3, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The disclosure relates to a cleaning apparatus including a vacuum cleaner and a docking station. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a docking station capable of automatically discharging dust inside a vacuum cleaner, and a cleaning apparatus including the same.

In general, a vacuum cleaner is a device that includes a fan motor configured to generate suction power, and that suctions foreign substances such as dust together with air using the suction power generated by the fan motor, separates the foreign substance contained in the suctioned air from the air, and collects the dust, thereby performing a cleaning operation.

The vacuum cleaner includes a dust collecting chamber for collecting the foreign substance, and the user should periodically separate the dust collecting chamber from the vacuum cleaner and discharge the foreign substance from the dust collecting chamber.

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

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide a cleaning apparatus including a docking station of a vacuum cleaner capable of automatically discharging foreign substances from a dust collecting chamber.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a cleaning apparatus including a docking station including an improved structure to effectively remove foreign substances in a dust collecting chamber.

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

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a cleaning apparatus is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber in which foreign substances are collected, and a docking station configured to be connected to the dust collecting chamber to remove the foreign substances collected in the dust collecting chamber. The dust collecting chamber is configured to collect foreign substances through centrifugation, and dock to the docking station. The docking station includes a suction device configured to suction the foreign substances and air in the dust collecting chamber docked to the docking station.

The dust collecting chamber may be further configured to be separated from the vacuum cleaner and docked to the docking station.

The docking station may further include a body including a long axis extending in a vertical direction, and a seating portion on which the dust collecting chamber is seated, the seating portion provided to be opened upward in a long axis direction of the docking station.

The dust collecting chamber may include a cylindrical shape including a long axis extending in one direction, and the dust collecting chamber may be inserted into the docking station in a direction in which the long axis of the cylindrical shape extends.

In response to docking of the dust collecting chamber to the seating portion, the long axis of the cylindrical shape may be disposed in a direction corresponding to the long axis of the body.

The docking station may include a collector disposed between the seating portion and the suction device while being disposed in the body, and the collector collects foreign substances, which move from the dust collecting chamber by intake air flow generated by the suction device.

The seating portion, the collector, and the suction device may be sequentially disposed from an upper side to a lower side with respect to the long axis direction of the body.

The collector may include a collecting portion configured to communicate with the seating portion, removably installed in the collector and in which foreign substances introduced from the seating portion are collected.

The body further may include a cover configured to open and close the collector to allow an inside of the collector to be opened to the outside, and in response to opening of the inside of the collector, the collecting portion may be separated from the inside of the collector and taken out of the collector.

The collecting portion may include an additional dust collecting chamber including a cyclone configured to collect foreign substances through centrifugation.

The vacuum cleaner may further include a suction unit configured to suction foreign substances and an extension tube configured to connect the suction unit to the dust collecting chamber, the extension tube including a long axis extending in one direction, and the long axis of the extension tube and the long axis of the dust collecting chamber may extend in a direction substantially corresponding to each other.

The vacuum cleaner may further include a suction unit configured to suction foreign substances and an extension tube configured to connect the suction unit to the dust collecting chamber, the extension tube including a long axis extending in one direction, and in response to docking of the dust collecting chamber to the docking station, the vacuum cleaner may be supported against the docking station to allow the long axis of the extension tube and the long axis of the body to extend in a direction substantially corresponding to each other.

The dust collecting chamber may include a cylindrical shape including a long axis extending in one direction, a dust collecting chamber door arranged at a lower end of the cylindrical shape, and a cyclone configured to allow foreign substances to be separated through the centrifugation in the dust collecting chamber, and in response to opening of the dust collecting chamber door, the dust collecting chamber may allow foreign substances, which are collected in an inside of the cyclone and between the cyclone and the dust collecting chamber, to be separated toward the outside of the dust collecting chamber.

The dust collecting chamber may further include a fixing member configured to removably fix the dust collecting chamber door to the dust collecting chamber, and the dust collecting chamber door may be opened in response to being connected to the docking station, and the docking station may include an opening guide configured to press the fixing member to allow the dust collecting chamber door to be opened in response to connecting of the dust collecting chamber to the docking station.

The docking station may include a flow rate regulator configured to selectively change an amount of intake air flow supplied to the dust collecting chamber to change a flow rate of the inside of the dust collecting chamber in response to driving of the suction device.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a cleaning apparatus is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber in which foreign substances are collected, and a docking station configured to be connected to the dust collecting chamber to remove the foreign substances collected in the dust collecting chamber. The dust collecting chamber is configured to be separated from the vacuum cleaner and docked to the docking station, and the docking station includes a suction device configured to suction the foreign substances and air in the dust collecting chamber docked to the docking station.

The docking station may further include a body including a long axis extending in a vertical direction, and a seating portion on which the dust collecting chamber is seated, the seating portion configured to be opened upward in a long axis direction of the docking station.

The dust collecting chamber may include a long axis extending in one direction, and the dust collecting chamber may be inserted into the docking station in a direction in which the long axis of the dust collecting chamber extends.

In response to docking of the dust collecting chamber to the seating portion, the long axis of the dust collecting chamber may be disposed in a direction corresponding to the long axis of the body.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a cleaning apparatus is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber in which foreign substances are collected, and a docking station configured to be docked to the dust collecting chamber to remove the foreign substances collected in the dust collecting chamber. The dust collecting chamber includes a dust collecting chamber door configured to allow the dust collecting chamber to be opened in response to docking of the dust collecting chamber to the docking station, and a fixing member configured to removably fix the dust collecting chamber door to the dust collecting chamber, and the docking station includes a suction device configured to suction foreign substances and air in the dust collecting chamber docked to the docking station, and an opening guide configured to press one side of the fixing member to allow the dust collecting chamber door to be opened in response to docking of the dust collecting chamber to the docking station.

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

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components, and structures.

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

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

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

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

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

The disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

is a view illustrating a state in which a cleaner is separated from a station according to a first embodiment of the disclosure,is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a part of the station is transparent in the station according to the first embodiment of the disclosure,is a plan view of the station shown in, andis a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the cleaner is coupled to the station according to the first embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to, a cleaning apparatusmay include a cleaner, and a docking station.

The cleanermay include a cleaner body, an extension tube (not shown) removably coupled to the cleaner body, a suction unit (not shown) removably coupled to the extension tube (not shown), and a dust collecting chamberremovably coupled to the cleaner body.

The cleaner bodymay include a suction motor (not shown) configured to generate a suction force needed to suction the foreign substance on a surface to be cleaned, and the dust collecting chamberin which the foreign substance suctioned from the surface to be cleaned is accommodated.

The dust collecting chambermay be arranged on the upstream of the air flow rather than the suction motor so as to filter out and collect dust and dirt in the air flowing through the main suction unit (not shown). The dust collecting chambermay be provided removably from the cleaner body.

The cleanermay include a filter housing. The filter housingmay have a substantially donut shape to accommodate a filter (not shown) therein. There is no limitation in the type of filter. For example, a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter may be arranged inside the filter housing. The filter may filter out ultrafine dust that is not filtered out of the dust collecting chamber. The filter housingmay include a discharge portto discharge the air passing through the filter to the outside of the cleaner.

The cleaner bodymay include a handleto allow a user to grip and manipulate the cleaner. The user may grip the handleand move the cleanerforward and backward.

The cleaner bodymay include a manipulator. The user may operate a power button provided on the manipulatorto turn on/off the cleaneror to adjust the suction strength.

The cleaner bodymay include a dust collecting guideprovided to connect among the dust collecting chamber, the extension tube (not shown), and the suction unit (not shown) to guide a foreign substance to the dust collecting chamber.

The dust collecting guidemay be coupled to the above-mentioned extension tube (not shown) while guiding the foreign substance into the dust collecting chamberas described above. In addition, the dust collecting guidemay be provided to be directly coupled to the suction unit (not shown) other than the extension tube (not shown) or to be coupled to other components such as an auxiliary suction unit.

Accordingly, it is possible to increase the convenience of cleaning because a user can combine various components with the dust collecting guideaccording to cleaning situations.

The cleaner bodymay include a batteryconfigured to provide a driving force to the cleaner. The batterymay be removably mounted to the cleaner body. In addition, the batterymay be electrically connected to a charging terminalprovided in the docking stationto be described later. The batterymay be charged by receiving power from the charging terminalprovided in the docking station.

The docking stationmay be configured to store or hold the cleaner. The cleanermay be charged in the docking station.

The docking stationmay include a body housingforming an appearance of the docking station.