Cleaning apparatus having vacuum cleaner and docking station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12239281-B2
Application number	US-202318447010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2023
Priority date	Dec 14, 2018
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus including a vacuum cleaner and a docking station 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 configured to be 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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning apparatus comprising:
a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting container; and
a docking station configured to charge a battery of the vacuum cleaner,
wherein the dust collecting container includes:
a body including a circumferential surface forming a side surface of the dust collecting container,
a dust collecting container door formed at a lower portion of the dust collecting container and configured to open the body, the dust collecting container door including an engaging protrusion, and
a fixing member disposed at the circumferential surface of the body and configured to hook to the engaging protrusion, the fixing member including a hook and a pusher, the pusher being disposed to protrude outward of the circumferential surface of the body,

wherein the docking station includes:
a suction device configured to suction foreign substances inside the dust collecting container,
a seating portion configured to dock the dust collecting container and including an inner circumferential surface corresponding to the circumferential surface of the body, and
an opening guide disposed at the inner circumferential surface of the seating portion and protruded from the inner circumferential surface of the seating portion to press the pusher disposed at the circumferential surface of the body,

wherein the pusher and the hook are arranged in an opposite direction about a rotation axis of the fixing member, and
wherein, in response to the dust collecting container docking to the docking station, the pusher is pressed by the opening guide toward an inside of the circumferential surface of the body such that the pusher rotates and releases the engaging protrusion to release the dust collecting container door.

2. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the hook is interlocked with the pusher and configured to be hook-engaged with the engaging protrusion, and
wherein the fixing member further includes an elastic member opening guide is configured to maintain a hooked engagement of the hook and the engaging protrusion in response to a state of the pusher not being pressed by the opening guide.

3. The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the elastic member is configured to be biased to allow the hook to be pressed to the engaging protrusion to maintain the hooked engagement of the hook and the engaging protrusion in a closed state of the dust collecting container door.

4. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the hook is configured to be rotated in conjunction with the pusher, and
wherein the hooked engagement of the hook and the engaging protrusion is configured to be released when the pusher is pressed with a force greater than an elastic force of the elastic member.

5. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the seating portion is configured to seat the dust collecting container thereon in response to the dust collecting container docking, and
wherein the opening guide is disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the seating portion.

6. The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the pusher and the hook are arranged in opposite directions about the rotation axis of the fixing member such that, when the pusher is pressed the hook is moved in an opposite direction to a direction in which the pusher is pressed.

7. The cleaning apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, when the pusher is pressed in an opposite direction to a radial direction of the body, the fixing member is configured to rotate about the rotation axis of the fixing member to move the pusher in a direction toward the body and to move the hook in an opposite direction away from the body and the engaging protrusion.

8. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening guide is disposed to press the pusher to move in a circumferential direction of an outer circumferential surface of the body to release a hooked engagement with the engaging protrusion.

9. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening guide is disposed to press the pusher to move in a direction in which the body extends to release a hooked engagement with the engaging protrusion.

10. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening guide includes an opening rib disposed to press one side of the pusher in a direction in which the body extends in response to the dust collecting container docking to the docking station.

11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening guide is part of the inner circumferential surface of the seating portion.

12. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dust collecting container door is fixedly connected to a portion of the lower portion of the dust collecting container.

13. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dust collecting container door is configured to be separated from the body of the dust collecting container by gravity and be rotated downward with respect to the portion of the lower portion of the dust collecting container.

14. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, while the dust collecting container is docked to the docking station, the dust collecting container, the seating portion of the docking station, a collector housing of the docking station, and the suction device of the docking station are sequentially arranged in a direction in which the body extends.

15. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dust collecting container door is configured to open and close a lower end of the body of the dust collecting container.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim See Hyun
• Choi In Gyu
• Kwon Ki Hwan
• Kim Shin
• Kim Hyeon Cheol
• Lee Do Kyung
• Lee Hyun Ju
• Jang Yun Soo
• Cha Seung Ryong
• Han Jung Gyun

Classifications

• A47L9/2873 Primary

  Docking units or charging stations (for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02) · CPC title

• A47L9/0009

  Storing devices (winding devices for electric cables A47L9/26); Supports, stands or holders · CPC title

• A47L5/18

  with ejectors, e.g. connected to motor vehicle exhaust · CPC title

• A47L9/30

  Arrangement of illuminating devices · CPC title

• A47L9/2894

  Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners · CPC title