Air cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11892194-B2
Application number	US-202117371710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2021
Priority date	Jul 10, 2020
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

An air cleaner includes a blower, a circulator disposed over the blower, and a mover coupled to the circulator and configured to change an arrangement of the circulator. The circulator includes a lower cover, an upper cover disposed over the lower cover, a blower fan rotatably disposed between the lower cover and the upper cover, a motor disposed on an upper side of the lower cover and rotating the blower fan, an inner cover disposed over the lower cover and receiving a lower portion of the blower fan, and a bell mouth protruding upwardly from an inner circumferential end of an inner plate of the inner cover and spaced apart outwardly from a circumferential surface of a suction guider of the blower fan, so as to guide air, drawn in through an inlet of the lower cover, toward an inlet of the blower fan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air cleaner comprising:
a blower having an outlet formed on an upper side thereof;
a circulator disposed on the blower; and
a mover coupled to the circulator and configured to change an arrangement of the circulator,
wherein the circulator comprises:
a lower cover having a lower plate coupled to the mover, and having an inlet formed around the lower plate;
an upper cover disposed above the lower cover and having an outlet;
a blower fan rotatably disposed between the lower cover and the upper cover, having a circular inlet formed on a lower side and an annular outlet formed on an upper side, and including a suction guider having a cylindrical shape and extending downwardly from a circumference of the circular inlet;
a motor disposed on an upper side of the lower plate and rotating the blower fan;
an inner cover disposed over the lower cover and receiving a lower portion of the blower fan,
wherein the inner cover comprises:
an inner plate having an inlet formed therein; and
a bell mouth protruding upwardly from an inner circumferential end of the inner plate and spaced apart outwardly from a circumferential surface of the suction guider.

2. The air cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the bell mouth configured to guide air, drawn in through the inlet of the lower cover, toward the inlet of the blower fan.

3. The air cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the blower fan comprises a hub coupled to the motor, a shroud having an inlet which is formed at a center portion and through which air is drawn in, and a plurality of blades disposed between the hub and the shroud,
wherein the suction guider protrudes downwardly from an inner circumferential end of the shroud.

4. The air cleaner of claim 3 , wherein:
the inner plate is disposed under the shroud; and
the bell mouth protrudes from an inner circumferential end of the inner plate in a direction in which the shroud is disposed.

5. The air cleaner of claim 4 , wherein the bell mouth comprises:
an upper bell mouth protruding upwardly from the inner circumferential end of the inner plate; and
a lower bell mouth protruding downwardly from the inner circumferential end of the inner plate.

6. The air cleaner of claim 1 , wherein an upper end of the bell mouth is disposed above a lower end of the suction guider.

7. The air cleaner of claim 1 , wherein an upwardly extending length of the bell mouth is greater than a spaced-apart distance between the bell mouth and the suction guider.

8. The air cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the inner cover further comprises a housing forming a space in which the motor is disposed,
wherein the inner cover has an annular inlet formed between the housing and the inner plate.

9. The air cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the inner cover comprises a plurality of grills which are arranged alternately in a vertical direction at the annular inlet formed between the housing and the inner plate, and which connect the housing and the inner plate.

10. The air cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the blower fan comprises:
an inner hub coupled to the motor;
an outer hub that extends from a periphery of the inner hub and that is inclined upward from the inner hub;
a shroud that is spaced apart from the outer hub, the shroud having (i) the circular inlet defined at a center portion of the shroud and configured to receive air and (ii) the annular outlet defined between the outer hub and the shroud; and
a plurality of blades that extend downward from the outer hub and that are disposed between the outer hub and the shroud, and
wherein a distance between the housing and the bell mouth is greater than a distance between an inner circumferential end of the shroud and an inner circumferential end of the outer hub.

11. The air cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the housing extends upwardly parallel to the bell mouth.

12. The air cleaner of claim 1 , further comprising a protrusion protruding radially inwardly from a lower end of the bell mouth.

13. The air cleaner of claim 12 , wherein a length of the protrusion, which protrudes radially inwardly, increases from a lower end to an upper end.

14. The air cleaner of claim 12 , wherein a diameter of an inner circumferential end of the protrusion is greater than or equal to a diameter of the suction guider.

15. The air cleaner of claim 4 , wherein a rib protrudes from one of the inner plate or the shroud.

16. The air cleaner of claim 4 , wherein:
the shroud comprises a first rib formed at a position spaced apart radially outwardly from the suction guider, and protruding toward the inner plate; and
the inner plate comprises a second rib formed at a position spaced apart radially outwardly from the bell mouth and protruding toward the shroud.

17. The air cleaner of claim 16 , wherein a lower end of the first rib is disposed below an upper end of the second rib.

18. An air cleaner comprising:
a blower having an outlet formed on an upper side thereof; and
a circulator disposed over the blower and configured to control a wind direction of air flowing upwardly through the outlet,
wherein the circulator comprises:
a blower fan having a circular inlet formed on a lower side and an annular outlet formed on an upper side;
an upper cover disposed over the blower fan, and guiding air, blown by the blower fan, in a direction in which a rotation axis of the blower fan is directed;
a motor disposed at the outlet of the blower fan and rotating the blower fan; and
an inner cover disposed around the motor, and guiding the air, drawn in through the circular inlet formed in the lower side, toward the blower fan,
wherein the inner cover comprises a housing forming a space in which the motor is disposed, an inner plate spaced apart radially outwardly from the housing and forming an inlet with the housing, and a bell mouth protruding upwardly from an inner circumferential end of the inner plate, and
wherein the bell mouth has a diameter greater than the inlet formed in the blower fan.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yang Taeman
• Park Joonmin
• Chung Choonmyun

Classifications

• F24F8/10 Primary

  by separation, e.g. by filtering · CPC title

• B01D46/0049

  containing fixed gas displacement elements or cores · CPC title

• B01D46/2403

  characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element · CPC title

• B01D46/60

  arranged concentrically or coaxially · CPC title

• F24F1/028

  characterised by air supply means, e.g. fan casings, internal dampers or ducts (with secondary air induced by injector action of the primary air F24F1/01) · CPC title