# US 12,110,897 B2 · Fan motor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,897 B2 - Document ID: US12110897B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/198,670 - Filed: 2023-05-17 - Published: 2023-09-14 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-16 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Jeong Ho Lee; Seong-Jae Kim; Seung Jo Baek; Young Gyu Jung; Hak Kyu Choi; Seong-Ho Cho - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110897B2 ## CPC - F04D 25/082: {the unit having provision for cooling the motor} - A47L 5/22: with rotary fans - A47L 9/22: Mountings for motor fan assemblies - F04D 29/403: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - F04D 29/444: {Bladed diffusers} - F04D 29/5806: {Cooling the drive system} - F04D 29/624: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - F04D 29/26: Rotors specially for elastic fluids - F05D 2250/52: Outlet - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) - 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) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS ## Abstract A fan motor for a vacuum cleaner includes a motor mount defining a cooling flow path inlet, an impeller, an impeller cover defining an air inlet, an air discharge opening defined at the motor mount and configured to discharge air to an outer space of the motor mount, and a cooling flow path outlet defined vertically above the motor mount. The cooling flow path inlet is configured to introduce air from the outer space of the motor mount into an inner space of the motor mount to cool the motor part, and the cooling flow path outlet is configured to discharge air from the inner space of the motor mount toward a space that is defined between the impeller and the air discharge opening based on the space between the impeller and the air discharge opening having a lower pressure than the inner space of the motor mount. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fan motor for a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a motor mount; a motor disposed at the motor mount, the motor comprising a stator, a shaft extending through the stator, a rotor disposed at the shaft, and a pair of bearings that support the shaft and are spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the shaft; a first bearing support that supports a first bearing of the pair of bearings and is disposed at a bottom portion of the motor mount; a bearing housing coupled to an upper side of the motor mount, the bearing housing comprising a second bearing support that supports a second bearing of the pair of bearings; an impeller located vertically above the motor and configured to be rotated by the motor to generate a first airflow; a diffuser located between the impeller and the bearing housing, the diffuser having (i) a diffuser body that has a cylindrical shape and (ii) a vane located at an outer surface of the diffuser body, the diffuser being disposed adjacent to the impeller and extending downward away from the impeller, an impeller cover that is disposed vertically above the impeller and covers the impeller and the diffuser, the impeller cover defining an air inlet at an upper central portion of the impeller cover; and an air discharge opening defined at a lower end of the diffuser and exposed to an outside space of the motor mount, the air discharge opening being configured to discharge, to the outside space of the motor mount, the first airflow suctioned through the air inlet and passed through the impeller, wherein the motor is configured to receive, from below the air discharge opening, air from the outside space of the motor mount to thereby cool the motor, the received air forming a second airflow that flows through the stator of the motor, and wherein the diffuser is configured to discharge the second airflow from an inner space of the motor mount toward a low pressure region formed outside the inner space of the motor mount. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, further comprising a motor housing that includes the motor mount and fixes the diffuser. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein a cooling flow path inlet is provided below the air discharge opening. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The fan motor of claim 3, wherein the cooling flow path inlet is configured to air from an outer space of the motor mount into the inner space of the motor mount to cool the motor, and wherein the diffuser is configured to guide air from the inner space of the motor mount toward the outer space of the motor mount based on a pressure difference between the outer space of the motor mount and the inner space of the motor mount. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The fan motor of claim 4, wherein the diffuser body defines a cooling flow path outlet. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein a lower end of the impeller cover is located outside the upper side of the motor mount in a radial direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the air discharge opening is located radially outside the motor mount. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the bearing housing supports the diffuser at an upper side of the bearing housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the air discharge opening extends along the longitudinal direction of the shaft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The fan motor of claim 3, further comprising a cooling passage configured to carry the air received through the cooling flow path inlet in a direction opposite to the air discharged through the air discharge opening. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the pair of bearings are disposed outside the stator in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The fan motor of claim 5, wherein the cooling flow path outlet is configured to discharge air having passed through the motor toward a position radially outside the motor mount. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the air discharge opening is defined at a position between a lower end of the motor and the upper side of the motor mount in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the air discharge opening is defined between a lower end of the impeller cover and an outer circumferential surface of the motor mount in a radial direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The fan motor of claim 14, wherein a diameter defined by the lower end of the impeller cover is greater than an outer diameter of the motor mount. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the air discharge opening is defined at a position between the pair of bearings in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the first airflow and the second airflow converge at the low pressure region to provide a combined airflow for cooling the motor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The fan motor of claim 17, wherein the combined airflow is directed in a downward and radially outward direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The fan motor of claim 1, wherein the motor mount includes three supporting structures that are provided at intervals of 120 degrees. ### Claim 20 A fan motor for a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a motor mount; a motor disposed at the motor mount, the motor comprising a stator, a shaft extending through the stator, a rotor disposed at the shaft, and a pair of bearings that support the shaft and are spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the shaft; a first bearing support that supports a first bearing of the pair of bearings and is disposed at a bottom portion of the motor mount; a bearing housing coupled to an upper side of the motor mount, the bearing housing comprising a second bearing support that supports a second bearing of the pair of bearings; an impeller located vertically above the motor and configured to be rotated by the motor to generate a first airflow; a diffuser located between the impeller and the bearing housing, the diffuser having (i) a diffuser body that has a cylindrical shape and (ii) a vane located at an outer surface of the diffuser body, the diffuser being disposed adjacent to the impeller and extending downward away from the impeller, an impeller cover that is disposed vertically above the impeller and covers the impeller and the diffuser, the impeller cover defining an air inlet at an upper central portion of the impeller cover; and an air discharge opening defined at a lower end of the diffuser and exposed to an outside space of the motor mount, the air discharge opening being configured to discharge, to the outside space of the motor mount, the first airflow suctioned through the air inlet and passed through the impeller, wherein the motor is configured to receive, from below the air discharge opening, air from the outside space of the motor mount to thereby cool the motor, the received air forming a second airflow that flows through the stator of the motor, wherein a cooling flow path inlet is provided below the air discharge opening, wherein the cooling flow path inlet is configured to introduce air from an outer space of the motor mount into an inner space of the motor mount to cool the motor, and wherein the diffuser is configured to guide air from the inner space of the motor mount toward the outer space of the motor mount based on a pressure difference between the outer space of the motor mount and the inner space of the motor mount.