Cleaning apparatus having vacuum cleaner and docking station

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus may include a vacuum cleaner with a dust collecting chamber; and a dust collecting station that is connectable to the vacuum cleaner through a seating portion with an opening in the front of the dust collecting station so. A controller is configured to, when the dust collecting chamber is seated on the seating portion, control a driving device to open the dust collecting chamber so that the opening of the seating portion communicates with the dust collecting chamber opening, and control a suction device to suction foreign substances in the dust collecting chamber through the dust collecting chamber opening, and the opening of the seating portion, and into a dust bag in the dust collecting station. A panel at the front of the dust collecting station may be opened to provide an opening at the front of the dust collecting station through which the dust bag is withdrawable.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cleaning apparatus comprising:
 a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber;   wherein the dust collecting chamber includes:
 a dust collecting chamber body having a dust collecting chamber opening, 
 a dust collecting chamber door configured to open or close the dust collecting chamber opening, and 
 a fixing member configured to fix the dust collecting chamber door to the dust collecting chamber body to close the dust collecting chamber opening, and, when pressed by an external force, to release the dust collecting chamber door to open the dust collecting chamber opening; and 
   a dust collecting station configured to be connectable to the vacuum cleaner, the dust collecting station longitudinally extending along a first direction and having a front that faces a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,   wherein the dust collecting station includes:
 a seating portion including an opening in the front of the dust collecting station, and configured so that the dust collecting chamber is seatable on the opening of the seating portion; 
 a suction device configured to generate a suction airflow; 
 a dust bag disposed between the opening of the seating portion and the suction device; 
 an opening guide configured to press the fixing member of the dust collecting chamber; 
 a driving device configured to drive the opening guide; and 
 a controller configured to,
 when the dust collecting chamber is seated on the seating portion, control the driving device to drive the opening guide to press the fixing member of the dust collecting chamber to release the dust collecting chamber door so that the opening of the seating portion communicates with the dust collecting chamber opening, and, 
 when the opening of the seating portion communicates with the dust collecting chamber opening, control the suction device to generate the suction airflow to suction foreign substances in the dust collecting chamber through the dust collecting chamber opening, then through the opening of the seating portion, and into the dust bag; 
 
 the dust collecting station further comprising: 
 a panel at the front of the dust collecting station and configured to open and thereby provide an opening at the front of the dust collecting station through which the dust bag is withdrawable. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opening guide is provided to move in the second direction to press the fixing member to open the dust collecting chamber door. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first direction extends longitudinally from an upper end of the dust collecting station to a lower end of the dust collecting station. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the driving device includes:
 a motor configured to provide a rotational force to drive the opening guide to be moved in the second direction.   
     
     
         5 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the dust collecting chamber is provided to be connected to the opening of the seating portion in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the dust collecting chamber body. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the vacuum cleaner further includes:
 a cleaner body;   a suction unit configured to suction foreign substances; and   an extension pipe connecting the suction unit and the cleaner body and having a longitudinal axis provided to be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the dust collecting chamber body.   
     
     
         7 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the vacuum cleaner further includes:
 a cleaner body; 
 a suction unit configured to suction foreign substances; and 
 an extension pipe connecting the suction unit and the cleaner body and having a longitudinal axis; 
 wherein the vacuum cleaner, upon the dust collecting chamber being seated in the seating portion, is supported on the dust collecting station such that the longitudinal axis of the extension pipe is arranged in parallel with the first direction. 
   
     
     
         8 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the dust collecting chamber door is provided to be disposed inside the opening of the dust collecting station when opened by the opening guide pressing the fixing member. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opening guide has a shape protruding upward in the first direction. 
     
     
         10 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the dust collecting chamber includes:
 a rotation shaft disposed at a first side of the dust collecting chamber body, 
   the dust collecting chamber door is provided to be rotated with respect to the rotation shaft,   the fixing member is disposed at a second side opposite to the rotation shaft with respect to a center of the dust collecting chamber body, and   the dust collecting chamber is provided such that the fixing member is disposed downward of the rotation shaft in the first direction when the dust collecting chamber is seated on the dust collecting station.   
     
     
         11 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein
 the dust collecting chamber further includes:
 an elastic member disposed at a side of the rotation shaft and provided to bias the dust collecting chamber door in a direction toward the dust collecting chamber body. 
   
     
     
         12 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the dust collecting station is configured such that the seating portion, the dust bag, and the suction device are sequentially disposed along a longitudinal axis of the dust collecting station from an upper end of the dust collecting station toward a lower end of the dust collecting station. 
     
     
         13 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a flow path formed between the opening of the seating portion to the suction device; and   a flow path control device provided to block at least a portion of the flow path.   
     
     
         14 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the flow path control device is provided to be driven while the suction device is being driven. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein
 the dust collecting station further includes:
 a flow path guide disposed inside the dust collecting station opposite to the opening of the seating portion, the flow path guide having a curved shape so as to extend in the second direction toward the opening of the seating portion, and in the first direction toward the suction device, such that the flow path extends from the opening of the seating portion to the suction device via the dust bag. 
   
     
     
         16 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein
 the dust collecting chamber further includes:
 a first dust collecting part formed along an inner circumferential surface of the dust collecting chamber body, and 
 a second dust collecting part formed at a center of the first dust collecting part and divided from the first dust collecting part; and 
   the seating portion is provided so that, when the dust collecting chamber opening is opened, the suction airflow is simultaneously supplied to both the first dust collecting part and the second dust collecting part.   
     
     
         17 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein
 the dust collecting chamber further includes:
 a cap part disposed on the dust collecting chamber door so as to prevent foreign substances collected in the second dust collecting part from escaping to an outside when the dust collecting chamber opening is closed, 
 wherein the cap part is disposed to face the suction device in a state in which the dust collecting chamber opening is open inside the seating portion. 
   
     
     
         18 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the seating portion is disposed on the front of the dust collecting station. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the dust collecting station further includes:
 a charging portion provided to charge a battery of the vacuum cleaner; and 
   the controller is configured to control, when the dust collecting chamber is seated on the opening of the seating portion,
 the dust collecting station to operate in a suction mode in which the suction device is driven, and 
 the dust collecting station to operate in a charging mode in which the charging portion is driven. 
   
     
     
         20 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the controller controls the charging portion so that the battery is not charged while the dust collecting station is being driven in the suction mode. 
     
     
         21 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the controller controls the charging portion so that the battery is charged while the dust collecting station is being driven in the suction mode. 
     
     
         22 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the charging portion is disposed above the seating portion in the first direction. 
     
     
         23 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the charging portion, the seating portion, the dust bag, and the suction device are sequentially disposed in the first direction. 
     
     
         24 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein
 the charging portion includes:
 a charging terminal provided to be in contact with the battery, and 
 a battery guide configured to guide at least a portion of the vacuum cleaner so that the battery is in contact with the charging terminal when the dust collecting chamber is seated on the seating portion. 
   
     
     
         25 . A cleaning apparatus comprising:
 a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber; and   a dust collecting station configured to be connectable to the vacuum cleaner, the dust collecting station longitudinally extending along a first direction and having a front that faces a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;   wherein the dust collecting station includes:   a seating portion including an opening in the front of the dust collecting station, and configured so that the dust collecting chamber is seatable on the seating portion,   a suction device configured to generate a suction airflow,   a dust bag disposed between the opening of the seating portion and the suction device,   an opening guide configured to press the fixing member of the dust collecting chamber,   a charging portion configured to charge a battery of the vacuum cleaner,   a driving device configured to drive the opening guide, and   a controller configured to control the charging portion so as not to charge the battery while the suction device operates for discharging foreign substances in the dust collecting chamber into the dust bag.   
     
     
         26 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein
 the dust collecting station further includes:   a panel at the front of the dust collecting station and configured to open and thereby provide an opening at the front of the dust collecting station through which the dust bag is withdrawable.   
     
     
         27 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the opening guide is provided to move in the second direction to press the fixing member to open the dust collecting chamber door. 
     
     
         28 . The cleaning apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein
 the charging portion includes:
 a charging terminal provided to be in contact with the battery, and 
 a battery guide configured to guide at least a portion of the vacuum cleaner so that the battery is in contact with the charging terminal when the dust collecting chamber is seated on the opening of the seating portion.