JP2007089755A - Dust collector and vacuum cleaner having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dust collector cleaning contamination and dust stuck to a filter interlocking with an operation part when detaching the detachable dust collector from a cleaner body and to provide a vacuum cleaner having the same. <P>SOLUTION: This dust collector 30 is provided with the operation part 31 for attaching/detaching the dust collector relative to the cleaner body 10, a filter 34a filtering the sucked contamination and dust, and a ring 71 having a brush 70 for cleaning the contamination, dust, or the like stuck to the filter 34a. The operation part 31 has an operation lever 37 operating when attaching/detaching the dust collector 30 and the operation lever 37 and the ring 71 are connected together. The ring 71 moves in association with the movement of the operation lever 37 and cleans the filter 34a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dust collector and a vacuum cleaner including the dust collector.

  In conventional vacuum cleaners, a dust collector is arranged in the suction path that connects the suction port and the electric blower, and dust and dust are separated from air by the filter of this dust collector, and only the air is removed from the vacuum cleaner body. To discharge. If the filter is clogged with dust or dirt, the suction efficiency is deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the filter.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228667 discloses a filter that has a cleaning brush on the surface of a filter, and drives the brush with a brush drive motor to remove dust, dust, and the like attached to the filter.
JP-A-2005-34213

  However, if a drive mechanism such as a motor is provided for cleaning the filter of the dust collector, the cleaner itself becomes a complicated mechanism. Therefore, the appearance of a mechanism that can easily clean the filter is desired.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a dust collector capable of cleaning dust, dust, and the like attached to a filter with a simple mechanism, and a vacuum cleaner including the dust collector.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a vacuum cleaner in which a dust collector for collecting dust sucked together with air from a suction port is detachably attached to a vacuum cleaner body, and the dust collector is A filter for filtering dust sucked from the suction port; a cleaning member movable along the filter to remove dust attached to the filter; and an operation lever for moving the cleaning member, the dust collector The operation lever is provided with an engaging portion for detachably engaging the vacuum cleaner body, and the operation lever is also used as an operation lever for attaching and detaching the dust collector to the cleaner body. Features.

  According to the above configuration, since the operation lever for operating the cleaning member and the operation lever for attaching / detaching the dust collector to / from the cleaner main body are combined, compared with the case where the operation unit is provided for each of the cleaning operation and the attachment / detachment operation. This reduces the number of parts. Since the stroke of the operation lever has only to secure the stroke necessary for the cleaning operation on the extension line of the stroke necessary for the engagement operation of the operation portion, the configuration is also simplified.

  Here, the operation lever can freely move a necessary stroke by the attaching / detaching operation of the dust collector and the cleaning operation performed on the extension line. That is, when the operation lever is slid small, the engaging portion is engaged with and disengaged from the cleaner body, so that the dust collector can be detached from the cleaner body. When the operation lever is slid largely, the cleaning member moves along the outer peripheral surface of the filter in conjunction with the slide of the operation lever, and can be cleaned. Therefore, the removal of the dust collector and the cleaning of the filter can be combined by changing the slide amount of the operation lever.

  The operation lever is exposed to the dust collector so as to be operable from the outside. Specifically, the operating lever is exposed so that the cleaning member can be operated with the dust collector attached.

  According to the above configuration, since the operation lever can be operated in the mounted state of the dust collector, it can be operated with the dust collector mounted on the cleaner body. That is, the cleaning operation can be performed not only when the dust collector is attached / detached but also when the electric vacuum cleaner is used.

  In addition, the present invention includes a vacuum cleaner body having a suction fan and a suction port body communicating with the cleaner body, wherein a suction path that connects the blower and the suction port body is formed, and the suction path A dust collector is detachably attached to the dust collector, and the dust collector includes a filter for filtering dust, and a cleaning member that moves along the filter to remove dust attached to the filter, The cleaning member moves along the filter in conjunction with a predetermined operation on the cleaner body other than the attaching / detaching operation of the dust collector.

  According to the above configuration, the filter can be cleaned other than by the dust collector attaching / detaching operation. In other words, the filter can be cleaned by a predetermined operation on the cleaner body other than the attaching / detaching operation of the dust collector. As the predetermined operation, for example, an operation of collecting or pulling out the cord of the vacuum cleaner, an operation of turning the power of the vacuum cleaner ON or OFF, and a case where the vacuum cleaner is stored in a closet after the cleaning is completed. An operation to make it stand up is mentioned.

  Since the cleaning member is operated by such an operation, a driving motor dedicated to cleaning is not necessary.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the operation lever for attaching and detaching the dust collector and the operation lever for cleaning are used in combination, the number of parts is reduced and the configuration is simplified.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the present invention, a self-propelled cleaner that moves independently in a space surrounded by an obstacle such as a wall of a room, furniture, or a bed will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the self-propelled cleaner is composed of a cleaner body 10 having an electric blower 13 and a suction port body 20 that sucks dust, dust, and the like on the floor surface. The suction port body 20 is disposed on the bottom surface on the front side of the cleaner body 10 and is connected to the cleaner body 10 by a connecting shaft 10a whose vertical direction is the axial direction, and within a range of about 30 degrees around the connecting shaft 10a. Can be rotated. Further, the suction port body 20 is connected to a bendable suction hose (not shown) on the cleaner body 10 side, and dust, dust, and the like are removed from the suction port body 20 by a suction force generated by driving the electric blower 13. It can be sucked into the dust collector 30 on the cleaner body side.

  The vacuum cleaner main body 10 has a concave portion 15 for accommodating a capsule-shaped dust collector 30 on the upper surface of an oval casing, and an impact when it collides with an obstacle or a wall surface on the front side of the casing. A bumper 12 is attached to alleviate this. On the rear side of the cleaner body 10, an electric blower 13 is provided. Moreover, the drive wheel 41 is provided in the side part of the cleaner body 10 as a movement means for moving the cleaning space. The control unit 60 including a control board for controlling the driving of the drive wheels 41 and the electric blower 13 is disposed in the lower space portion of the recess 15. Further, a detection sensor 50 that faces the window of the bumper 12 and detects surrounding obstacles is provided.

  The bumper 12 is held so as to protrude to the front side of the cleaner body 10 by a spring (not shown) in order to reduce the impact.

  The moving device includes a pair of left and right drive wheels 41 driven by a drive motor (not shown) and auxiliary wheels 42 provided on the lower surface of the suction port body 20. The drive wheels 41 rotate independently on the left and right. For example, when driving forward or backward, both drive wheels 41 rotate simultaneously, and when turning, each drive wheel 41 rotates in a different direction, or one drive wheel 41 stops and the other drive wheel 41 moves. Rotate. The auxiliary wheel 42 is supported so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis so that the cleaner body 10 can smoothly travel in accordance with the movement of the drive wheel 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the suction port body 20 is formed with a main suction port 21a, a front suction port 21b, and a side suction port 21c for sucking dust and dirt. The main suction port 21a and the front suction port 21b are openings that communicate with a suction passage 25 formed inside the suction port body 20, and the side suction port 21c is an L-shaped nozzle made of rubber or the like. Is done.

  The main suction port 21 a is formed through the wall surface of the recess 24 provided at the center of the bottom surface of the suction port body 20. The recess 24 is rotatably provided with a rotary brush 23 that scrapes off dust, dust, and the like from the floor surface. The rotation of the rotary brush 23 allows the dust, dust, and the like scraped up to be sucked from the main suction port 21a. It has become.

  The side suction ports 21c are provided on the left and right sides of the suction port body 20, and communicate with a recess 24 provided in the center of the bottom surface. The main suction port 21a is configured to remove dust, dust, and the like sucked from the side suction ports 21c. From the air to the suction passage 25.

  Further, the front suction port 21 b is formed on the front side bottom surface of the suction port body 20. On the front side, an opening / closing part 22 that opens and closes by the movement of the bumper 12 is provided. The upper and lower sides of the opening / closing part 22 are rotatably supported around the shaft 22a of the suction port body 20 so as to open and close the front suction port 21b. On the front surface of the opening / closing part 22, an abutting part 22b that abuts when the bumper 12 hits an obstacle or a wall and is pushed in the rear direction of the cleaner body 10 is formed to protrude. When the bumper 12 hits the contact part 22b, the opening / closing part 22 is turned open, and when the bumper 12 is separated from the contact part 22b, the opening / closing part 22 is turned by its own weight. Thereby, the front inlet 21b is opened and closed.

  Next, the dust collector 30 is demonstrated based on FIGS. The dust collector 30 is of a cyclone type and is detachably accommodated in a recess 15 formed on the upper surface of the cleaner body 10. The concave portion 15 is formed in a semicircular cross section, and a flat inclined surface 15a is formed on the rear side to regulate the insertion direction of the dust collector 30. A suction port 17 leading to the suction path 25 from the suction port body 20 is formed on the bottom surface of the recess 15, and a discharge port 18 leading to the electric blower 13 in the cleaner body 10 is formed on the inclined surface 15 a of the recess 15. Is done.

  In the cyclone type, the intake air containing dust sucked into the dust collector 30 from the suction port body 20 is swirled to separate it into air and dust, and the sucked air is sucked into the electric blower 13, and the vacuum cleaner This is a method of discharging out of the main body 10.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the dust collector 30 includes a capsule-shaped dust collection container in which a dust collection chamber 32 is formed, and an exhaust pipe 34 disposed in the center of the dust collection chamber 32 in the container. . The dust collecting container is composed of a semi-cup-shaped lid 33c and a case 33d, and a screw for screwing is formed at the opening edge of each mating surface.

  The lid 33c has a lower surface (downward side of the cleaner body 10) formed with a slope according to the inclined surface 15a of the recess 15, and an upper surface formed in a semi-cylindrical shape according to the capsule shape. A dust collection container exhaust port 33 b communicating with the discharge port 18 is formed on the lower surface side of the lid 33 c. In addition, the exhaust cylinder 34 is fixed to the inside of the lid 33c with screws along the axial direction.

  The exhaust cylinder 34 is for discharging the air after the dust is separated from the dust collection chamber 32 to the dust collecting container exhaust port 33b through the cylindrical body 31, and is a cylindrical body screwed to the lid 33c. 31 and a fixed cylindrical body 34d that is detachably attached to the axial end of the cylindrical body 31. The peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 31 is opened in a lattice shape, and the air sucked into the cylindrical body 31 can be discharged from the dust collecting container exhaust port 33b.

  Connection between the dust collection container exhaust port 33 b and the discharge port 18 on the concave portion 15 side is made to face each other or by using a hose (not shown) to form the suction path 25.

  The fixed cylindrical body 34d is provided with a mesh-like filter 34a so as to close the opening on the outer peripheral surface, and a cleaning member 69 is disposed on the outer peripheral side thereof. The filter 34a is positioned outside the opening of the lid 33c so as to be exposed to the outside when the lid 33c is removed from the case 33d, and can be removed and cleaned.

  A dust collection container suction port 33a communicating with the suction port 17 of the recess 15 is formed on the lower surface side of the case 33d (downward side of the cleaner body 10). The dust container suction port 33a and the suction port 17 are connected to each other or are connected using a hose (not shown) to form the suction path 25.

  The cleaning member 69 disposed on the outer periphery of the fixed cylinder 34d is fitted on the filter 34a, and is provided on an annular ring 71 that moves along the axial direction of the filter 34a, and an inner peripheral surface of the ring 71. And a brush 70 that slides along the outer peripheral surface. The brush 70 is provided on the inner surface of the ring 71 and is made of a fiber having an appropriate elasticity. The length of the bristle foot of the brush 70 is set such that the tip thereof is slightly in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the filter 34a.

  The cleaning member 69 slides along the axial direction of the filter 34a in conjunction with the opening / closing of the lid 33c or in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever 37. Hereinafter, the interlocking mechanism will be described.

  First, a mechanism for sliding the cleaning member 69 by opening and closing the lid 33c will be described. This lid opening / closing interlocking mechanism is fitted to the front end of the fixed cylinder 34d so as to be movable along the axial direction of the fixed cylinder 34d, and the front end is the inner bottom surface of the case 33d (the vacuum cleaner body 10 The movable cylinder 34b seated on the front side), the spring 34c interposed between the movable cylinder 34b and the fixed cylinder 34d so as to bias the movable cylinder 34b in the extending direction, and the opening of the lid 33c A support pin 73 for connecting the moving cylinder 34b and the ring 71 is provided so as to move the ring 71 along the filter 34a in conjunction with the expansion of the moving cylinder 34b.

  A guide body 34e for guiding the movable cylinder 34b is formed in a protruding manner at the center of the front part (front side of the cleaner body 10) of the fixed cylinder 34d. The movable cylinder 34b is slidably fitted on the guide body 34e. The spring 34c is a coil spring and is arranged on the outer periphery of the guide body 34e. The spring 34c is interposed between the front end of the fixed cylinder 34d and the rear end of the movable cylinder 34b (rearward side of the cleaner body 10). Is done.

  The support pins 73 are provided so as to be movable along the recesses in the front-rear direction (front-rear direction of the cleaner body 10) at four locations around the fixed cylindrical body 34 d, and the rear end is outside the rear end side of the ring 71. The hook portion 74 is formed by being bent in the direction, and the hook portion 74 hooks the ring 71 to follow the front direction by the movement of the support pin 73 in the forward direction. The front end portion of the support pin 73 passes through the flange 75 of the fixed cylinder 34d and is fixed to the flange 76 of the movable cylinder 34b.

  In the above configuration, the urging force of the spring 34c acts by opening the lid 33c, and the movable cylinder 34b extends with respect to the fixed cylinder 34d. Therefore, as the movable cylinder 34b is extended, the support pin 73 moves forward along the fixed cylinder 34d, so that the brush 70 of the cleaning member 69 is slid along the filter 34a.

  When closing the lid 33c, if the front end of the movable cylinder 34b is seated on the inner bottom surface of the case 33d and the lid 33c is closed against the spring 34c, the movable cylinder 34b is shortened with respect to the fixed cylinder 34d. Become. At this time, the support pin 73 connected to the movable cylinder 34b moves rearward, but the cleaning member 69 is not restrained by the hook portion 74 of the support pin 73, so that the position is maintained. become. The backward movement of the cleaning member 69 is linked to the movement operation of the operation lever 37 described later.

  On the other hand, a long groove 39 is formed in the front-rear direction on the upper surface side of the lid 33c of the dust collecting container, and the operation lever 37 is slidably fitted in the long groove 39. The long groove 39 is formed to the rear surface side of the lid 33c, and an end thereof is open, so that the clamp 36 integrally formed at the rear end of the operation lever 37 can project from the rear surface of the lid 33c. . The front portion of the long groove 39 is formed up to the vicinity of the opening edge of the lid 33c so that the operation lever 37 can take a long stroke.

  A spring 38 is interposed between the operation lever 37 and the front portion of the long groove 39 to urge the operation lever 37 rearward. A clamp 36 is integrally formed at the rear portion of the operation lever 37 as an engagement portion that is detachably engaged with the engagement hole 16 formed in the recess 15 of the cleaner body 10.

  The clamp 36 is biased by a spring 38, protrudes from the rear surface of the lid 33c, and engages with the engagement hole 16 in the recess 15 of the cleaner body 10.

  A cleaning member 69 is linked to the operation lever 37 by a connecting rod 72. The connecting rod 72 is disposed along one surface side of the exhaust tube 34, and one end is fixed to the operation lever 37 and the other end is fixed to the ring 71. Therefore, the filter 34 a is cleaned by the brush 70 provided on the inner surface of the ring 71 by sliding the operation lever 37. The long groove 39 has such a length that the ring 71 can move on the surface of the filter 34a from the lid 33c side to the case 33d side by sliding the operation lever 37.

  In the self-propelled vacuum cleaner configured as described above, dust, dust, and the like are sucked from the suction port body 20 together with the intake air, and are sucked into the dust collection chamber 32 from the dust collection container suction port 33a through the suction hose. The sucked intake air including dust, dust and the like swirls in the dust collecting chamber 32, and the dust, dust and the like are separated from the intake air. The intake air flows through the filter 34 a through the exhaust cylinder 34, and is sucked into the electric blower 13 from the dust collecting container exhaust port 33 b through the cylindrical body 31. Due to the flow of the intake air, large dust, dust and the like are stored in the dust collecting chamber 32, and small dust, dust and the like adhere to the filter 34a.

  When the filter 34a is clogged during cleaning, cleaning is performed by operating the operation lever 37 as shown in FIG. Specifically, when the operation lever 37 is pushed to the front side (the front side of the cleaner body 10), the ring 71 is pushed in conjunction with the slide. That is, by sliding the operation lever 37, the ring 71 moves toward the front of the cleaner body 10 along the outer peripheral surface of the filter 34a. As a result, the brush 70 scrapes off dust, dust, and the like clogged in the filter 34a. When the hand is released from the operation lever 37, the operation lever 37 returns to the original position shown in FIG. In addition, since the dust container is placed horizontally with respect to the vacuum cleaner, the dust collector 30 does not come off from the cleaner body 10.

  Here, the operation lever 37 is an operation of attaching / detaching the dust collector 30 from the cleaner body 10 or an operation of cleaning the filter 34a depending on the slide amount.

  When the slide amount of the operation lever 37 is small, the dust collector 30 is removed from the cleaner body 10. In this operation, the clamp 36 protruding from the lid 33c of the dust collector 30 only needs to be housed in the dust collecting container, so that the slide amount of the operation lever 37 may be small.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the slide amount of the operation lever 37 is large, that is, when the operation lever 37 is pushed all the way to the long groove 39, the brush 70 moves all over the outer peripheral surface of the filter 34a. The dust and dust clogged in 34a can be collected in the dust collecting chamber 32 while being scraped off. At this time, since the clamp 36 is also housed in the dust collecting container, the dust collector 30 can be attached and detached.

  Further, the filter 34 a can be cleaned by operating the operation lever 37 after removing the dust collector 30 from the cleaner body 10. That is, the operation lever 37 is slid with the dust collector 30 removed. The brush 70 moves on the outer peripheral surface of the filter 34a and scrapes off dust, dust, and the like clogged in the filter 34a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the dust collecting container can be cleaned when it is separated into the lid 33c and the case 33d. That is, when the lid 33c and the case 33d are separated, the movable cylinder 34b held by the case 33d is separated from the fixed cylinder 34d by the urging force of the spring 34c. Along with this movement, the support pin 73 moves, the ring 71 moves on the filter 34a, and the brush 70 scrapes off dust and dirt clogged in the filter 34a.

  Further, when the dust collecting container is attached to the cleaner body 10, if the operation lever 37 is slid largely, the filter 34a can be cleaned at the same time.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, correction and a change can be added within the scope of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the case of the dust collector provided in the self-propelled cleaner has been described. However, in addition to this, the dust collector may be used for a general vacuum cleaner or the like that the user runs with a handle. Further, the dust collection method can be employed not only in the cyclone method but also in a general suction method that sucks through a filter.

  In addition, the cleaning member cleans the filter by sliding the operating lever, but it may be linked to a predetermined operation on the cleaner body. For example, there is a predetermined operation of raising the vacuum cleaner body. As a result, the dust collector is in the vertical direction, and the brush operating in the vertical direction moves and cleans the outer peripheral surface of the filter by its own weight.

  As another predetermined operation, there is an operation for winding or pulling out the power cord when collecting the power cord or pulling it out. In conjunction with this operation, the cord winding drum in the main body of the vacuum cleaner rotates, so that the rotary motion of this drum is converted into a linear motion and the brush is moved along the outer peripheral surface of the filter for cleaning. Also good.

  In addition, as the predetermined operation, there is an operation of turning on or off the power of the vacuum cleaner. Since the electric blower moves in conjunction with this operation and a suction force for sucking air is generated, the brush can be moved along the outer peripheral surface of the filter by the suction force. Further, when the power is turned off, the suction of the electric blower is stopped, and the brush is moved from one end side to the other end side of the filter by the biasing force of the spring to clean the filter.

  Further, by turning on the power of the vacuum cleaner, not only the driving of the electric blower necessary for the vacuum cleaner but also the brush driving solenoid may be driven in the same manner. In this case, when the power is turned off, the brush may be moved from one end side of the filter to the other end side by the biasing force of the spring.

  In the present invention, the cleaning member for scraping dust attached to the exhaust pipe is exemplified by a brush made of a large number of flocks provided in the ring. In addition to the brush, materials such as a raised cloth, a soft resin, and a foaming material are used. The filter may be cleaned by various actions such as “sweeping”, “rubbing”, “striking”, “giving vibration”, and the like.

The perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner of the present invention Top view of self-propelled vacuum cleaner Side view of self-propelled vacuum cleaner It is a sectional side view of a suction inlet body, (a) is a figure which shows the state in which the opening-and-closing part is open, (b) is a figure in which the opening-and-closing part is closed Side view of dust collector Side cross-sectional view of dust collector while cleaning filter Illustration showing the dust collection container isolated

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vacuum cleaner main body 10a Connecting shaft 12 Bumper 13 Electric blower 14 Exhaust port 15 Recess 15a Inclined surface 16 Engagement hole 17 Suction port 18 Exhaust port 20 Suction port body 21a Main suction port 21b Front suction port 21c Side suction port 22 Opening and closing part 22a shaft 22b contact portion 23 rotary brush 24 recess 25 suction path 30 dust collector 31 cylindrical body 32 dust collection chamber 33a dust collection container suction port 33b dust collection container exhaust port 33c lid 33d case 34 exhaust cylinder 34a filter 34b moving cylinder 34c Spring 34d Fixed cylinder 34e Guide body 36 Clamp 37 Operation lever 38 Spring 39 Long groove 41 Drive wheel 42 Auxiliary wheel 50 Detection sensor 60 Control part 69 Cleaning member 70 Brush 71 Ring 72 Connecting rod 73 Support pin 74 Hook part 75 Flange 76 Flange

Claims (7)

  A vacuum cleaner in which a dust collector that collects dust sucked together with air from the suction port is detachably attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner, the dust collector is a filter that filters the dust sucked from the suction port; A cleaning member movable along the filter to remove dust adhering to the filter; and an operation lever for moving the cleaning member, wherein the dust collector is detachably engaged with the cleaner body. An electric vacuum cleaner characterized in that an engagement portion to be combined is provided on the operation lever, and the operation lever is also used as an operation lever for attaching and detaching the dust collector to and from a cleaner body.   The operation lever is slidably provided on the dust collector, and when the operation lever is slid small, the engaging portion moves detachably with respect to the main body of the cleaner, and when the operation lever is slid largely The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member moves along the filter.   The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation lever is exposed to the dust collector so as to be operable from the outside.   4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the operation lever is exposed so that the cleaning member can be operated in a state where the dust collector is mounted.   A vacuum cleaner body having a suction blower and a suction port body communicating with the vacuum cleaner body, a suction path connecting the blower and the suction port body is formed, and can be attached to and detached from the suction path A dust collector is provided, and the dust collector includes a filter that filters dust, and a cleaning member that moves along the filter to remove dust attached to the filter. The vacuum cleaner, wherein the cleaning member moves along the filter in conjunction with a predetermined operation on the vacuum cleaner body other than the operation.   A dust collector detachably attached to the vacuum cleaner body, a filter for filtering dust sucked from a suction port, a cleaning member movable along the filter to remove dust attached to the filter, and An operating lever for moving the cleaning member, and an engaging portion for detachably engaging the dust collector with the main body of the cleaner is provided on the operating lever, and the operating lever is connected to the dust collector. A dust collector characterized in that it is also used as an operation lever for attaching and detaching to and from the cleaner body.   An operation lever is slidably provided, and when the operation lever is slid small, the engaging portion moves detachably with respect to the main body of the cleaner, and when the operation lever is slid largely, the cleaning member is a filter. The dust collector according to claim 6, wherein the dust collector moves along.

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