# US 10,765,288 B2 · Vacuum cleaner > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,765,288 B2 - Document ID: US10765288B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/913,560 - Filed: 2018-03-06 - Published: 2018-09-06 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-06 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Jae Youl Jeong; Dong Wook Kim; Sung Jin Park; Sin-Ae Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10765288B2 ## CPC - A47L 11/4066: {Propulsion of the whole machine} - A47L 5/28: Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle (A47L5/24 takes precedence) - A47L 9/009: {Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles} - A47L 9/2852: {Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles} - A47L 11/40: Parts or details of machines not {provided for in} groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, {or not restricted to one of these groups}, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers - A47L 11/4063: {Driving means; Transmission means therefor} - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) ## Abstract Disclosed herein are a vacuum cleaner including: a base including a suction opening; a main frame including a dust collecting apparatus configured to remove dust from air sucked through the suction opening; and a wheel assembly including a forward wheel and a reverse wheel, and rotatably coupled with the base, wherein when the main frame slides with respect to the base, any one of the forward wheel and the reverse wheel contacts a floor. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner may understand a user's intention without adding a senor and a control circuit, and travel actively according to the user's intention. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vacuum cleaner comprising: a base including a suction opening; a main frame including a dust collecting apparatus configured to remove dust from air sucked through the suction opening; a wheel assembly including a forward driving wheel and a reverse driving wheel, and rotatably coupled with the base, wherein sliding of the main frame with respect to the base results in one of the wheels moving towards a floor surface and the other moving away from the floor surface; and a bracket coupled with the base and the main frame, wherein the bracket is configured to slide together with the main frame with respect to the base, and wherein the bracket comprises a rack gear portion configured to rotate the wheel assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein: the wheel assembly comprises a wheel housing in which the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel are installed, and the wheel housing comprises a pinion gear portion engaged with the rack gear portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising: a driving motor configured to generate power for driving the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel; and a power transmission mechanism configured to transmit the power from the driving motor to the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the power transmission mechanism comprises a base gear assembly disposed in the base, a wheel gear assembly disposed in a wheel housing, and a connection shaft configured to connect the base gear assembly to the wheel gear assembly. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the wheel gear assembly is configured to rotate on the connection shaft. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the wheel gear assembly comprises a connection gear configured to rotate on the connection shaft, at least one forward gear disposed between the connection gear and the forward driving wheel, and at least one reverse gear disposed between the connection gear and the reverse driving wheel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, further comprising: a first one-way clutch disposed between the at least one forward gear and the forward driving wheel; and a second one-way clutch disposed between the at least one reverse gear and the reverse driving wheel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel are configured to rotate simultaneously. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel are configured to rotate in opposite directions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel are configured to rotate at the same speed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wheel assembly comprises an idle wheel configured to contact the floor surface when neither of the forward driving wheel and the reverse driving wheel contacts the floor surface. ### Claim 12 A vacuum cleaner comprising: a base including a suction opening; a main frame including a dust collecting apparatus configured to remove dust from air sucked through the suction opening; a bracket coupled with the base and the main frame, wherein the bracket comprises a rack gear portion configured to slide together with the main frame with respect to the base; and a wheel assembly including a wheel housing and a wheel installed in the wheel housing, and rotatably coupled with the base, wherein the wheel housing comprises a pinion gear portion engaged with the rack gear portion, and wherein, based on the main frame and the rack gear portion sliding with respect to the base, the wheel moves toward or away from a floor surface as the wheel assembly rotates. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the wheel assembly comprises a left wheel assembly disposed in a left portion of the base, and a right wheel assembly disposed in a right portion of the base. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, further comprising: a driving motor configured to generate power for driving a wheel of the left wheel assembly and a wheel of the right wheel assembly; and a power transmission mechanism configured to transfer power from the driving motor to the wheel of the left wheel assembly and the wheel of the right wheel assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the power transmission mechanism comprises a differential gear apparatus configured to transfer power to the wheel of the left wheel assembly and the wheel of the right wheel assembly, differentially, according to loads applied to the wheel of the left wheel assembly and the wheel of the right wheel assembly. ### Claim 16 A vacuum cleaner comprising: a base including a suction opening; a main frame including a dust collecting apparatus configured to remove dust from air sucked through the suction opening; a left wheel assembly and a right wheel assembly each including a forward driving wheel and a reverse driving wheel, and rotatably coupled with left and right portions of the base; and a bracket coupled with the base and the main frame, wherein the bracket is configured to slide together with the main frame with respect to the base and comprises a rack gear portion configured to rotate the left wheel assembly and the right wheel assembly, wherein when the main frame is pushed, the left wheel assembly and the right wheel assembly rotate in a first direction so that the forward driving wheel of the left wheel assembly and the forward driving wheel of the right wheel assembly contact a floor surface, and wherein when the main frame is pulled, the left wheel assembly and the right wheel assembly rotate in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction so that the reverse driving wheel of the left wheel assembly and the reverse driving wheel of the right wheel assembly contact the floor surface.