JP2004160102A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of securing a sufficient dust collecting force even when its suction nozzle is made wider, being constructed compact and collecting dust among the pile yarns of a carpet and the like with a small suction motor. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum cleaner comprises a rotating brush for sweeping out dust and the like on the floor in the traveling direction of a cleaner body that can travel on the floor. The cleaner further comprises a suction body, which is formed by covering the rotating brush on the floor with a hood to form an air passage at the traveling side of the rotating brush and substantially close the traveling side of the suction body, and which comprises thereon a suction port formed adjacent to the upper portion of the rotating brush and an exhaust port for discharging the flow of air toward the suction port. The cleaner body draws in air together with dust and the like through the suction port, removes the dust and the like therefrom while they flow through the suction body, discharges the whole or a part of the cleaned air through the exhaust port, and draws in the discharged air again into the suction body through the suction port together with the dust swept out by the rotating brush so as to circulate the air. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air-circulating vacuum cleaner that travels on a floor and sucks dust, and more specifically, has an air outlet at both ends of a suction port body to discharge air toward the suction port. The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner provided with blowing means.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vacuum cleaner in which blow-off means having an air discharge port for discharging air to an inner side surface are disposed on both front sides of a suction port, for example, a robot cleaner having a cleaner body mounted on a self-propelled dolly has been known. (See Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-4539).
[0003]
The robot cleaner of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-4539 has a blower pipe provided with an air discharge hole on the inner side surface, so that at least a part is located outside the width of the suction port on both front sides of the suction port, The vacuum cleaner is characterized in that an exhaust outlet of the cleaner body is connected to the blower pipe so as to supply exhaust gas. However, in the robot cleaner of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-4539, relatively large dust is deposited at the center. However, there was a problem that small objects were soared and scattered in the opposite direction, and there was a problem that corners could not be cleaned. The problem of Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-4539 is solved by forming a lid that covers the dust collection area to be formed and by forming a rotating means for rotating the blowing means from a substantially horizontal state to a substantially vertical state. Was.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the present invention]
However, there is a problem that it is difficult to collect the dust that has entered the fur of the carpet by only the exhaust air of the above cleaning robot (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-4539, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-9448). In the mechanism of JP-A-2-4539, the suction port obstructs the robot from rotating near the wall.
[0005]
The cleaning robot disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-9448 has a rotatable mechanism. However, it is necessary to manually rotate the cleaning robot before cleaning, and a work area including both a wall and a large area can be automatically rotated. It cannot be cleaned cleanly.
[0006]
The present invention is intended to solve the conventional problems as described above, and provides a sufficient dust collecting force even if the suction width is wide, and can be configured compactly and has a small carpet with a small suction motor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled vacuum cleaner capable of collecting dust that has penetrated into hairy feet.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, as a main configuration, a rotating brush that sweeps out dust on the floor toward the traveling direction of the cleaner main body that can travel on the floor, and attaches the rotating brush to the floor. Forming an air flow passage on the side of the rotating brush in the direction of travel of the rotating brush and forming a suction port body substantially blocking the direction of travel of the rotating brush, and forming a suction port near the upper portion of the rotating brush of the suction port body. And forming an exhaust port for discharging an air flow toward the suction port, and discharging all or a part of the air that has been cleaned from the suction port through the cleaner body side through the exhaust port. The exhausted air contains dust swept out by the rotating brush, and is sucked from the suction port and circulated.
[0008]
Further, in more detail, for the purpose of efficiently sucking dust collected by air swept out by the rotating brush and ejected from the exhaust port, the suction port is located above the rotary brush or above the rotary brush. The structure is such that it is opened in the traveling direction.
In more detail, the dust swept out by the rotating brush collides with the front inner wall of the suction opening body and rebounds, and returns to the rotating brush again, or before the air flow including dust reaches the suction opening. In order to prevent dust or the like from flowing into the rotating brush side and returning to the rotating brush and dust from being left behind, an air flow path regulating portion is formed between the air flow path and the rotating brush. did.
[0009]
More specifically, the present invention relates to a brush which is attached over substantially the entire length of a rotating shaft having a length in which the rotating brush extends in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, and a suction port body covering the rotating brush. By forming a suction port at the center portion of each of the above and forming exhaust ports at both end portions, it is possible to collect airflow near the suction port.
[0010]
The present invention, having the above-described configuration, has a cleaner main body that separates and captures dust sucked together with air from the suction port from the air, and then discharges the dust-separated air from the exhaust port. The rotating brush of the body sweeps out the dust that has entered the bristle feet of the carpet, sucks in the dust, and collects the dust at the central suction port by the exhaust air discharged from the exhaust ports attached to both ends of the mouth body. Can be inhaled through mouth.
[0011]
Further, the dust on the floor is scraped out by the brush of the suction port body, and the dust is collected to the central suction port by the exhaust air, so that even a small suction motor enables a sufficient dust collection capacity, and the suction port body is made wide and compact. be able to.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
1 to 4 are schematic diagrams for explaining the overall gist of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, the rotary brush 36 is formed as a rotary brush attached over substantially the entire length of a rotary shaft having a length extending in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the cleaner body 32. Have been. The rotating brush 36 is attached with an appropriate ground pressure and rotated in the reverse direction with respect to the traveling wheel 31 so as to sweep out dust in the traveling direction. As a result, dust that has entered the carpets and the like of the carpet, which has been difficult to remove by mere exhaust air, can be swept out to the vicinity of the intake port 35 in a running state.
[0014]
On the other hand, the suction port body 40 forms a duct that covers the entire length of the rotary brush 36 toward the floor surface and substantially closes the traveling direction side. In the embodiment, the suction port body 40 is formed of a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section with the upper surface closed and the floor surface side opened, and a central portion of the upper surface of the suction port body 40 in the length direction. Are formed with intake ports 35 and exhaust ports 37 are formed at both ends.
[0015]
The air sucked from the suction port 35 is purified through a filter (not shown) provided in the cleaner body 32, and a part of the purified air is removed from an exhaust port (not shown) provided in the cleaner body 32. , And the rest of the purified air is exhausted from the exhaust port 37 toward the center of the suction port body 40. As a result, the suction port body 40 forms an air flow path near the rotating brush 36 and over substantially the entire length of the rotating brush 36, so that clean air from the exhaust ports 37 provided at both ends of the suction port body 40 is As a result, the air flow containing dust between the floor and the floor surface is introduced into the air inlet 35 formed at the center.
[0016]
In the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a rotary brush 36 for sweeping dust toward the traveling direction of the cleaner main body 32 that can travel on the floor is provided. A suction port body 40 having a suction port 35 is formed in the vicinity of the traveling direction side, and an exhaust port 37 is provided on the traveling direction side of the rotating brush 36, and the air sucked from the suction port 35 is used to clean the cleaner body 32. The air is cleaned on the side and a part of the purified air is discharged from the exhaust port 37 toward the suction port 35 to form a circulating air flow.
[0017]
Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the air flow path regulation is such that a wall extends in a direction parallel to the rotary brush 36 from above the suction port body 40 to a position below the rotary brush 36 in the traveling direction. A dust stopper 41 is provided.
[0018]
Due to the presence of the dust stopper 41, dust swept out in the traveling direction by the rotating brush 36 collides against the front inner wall of the suction port 40, rebounds, and is prevented from returning to the rotating brush 36 again. At the same time, the air flow including dust and the like flows into the rotating brush 36 before reaching the suction port, and the dust and the like are prevented from flowing back to the rotating brush 36 side.
[0019]
According to the above configuration, when the cleaner main body 32 runs in the traveling direction, dust and the like contained in the carpet and the like swept out by the rotating brush 36 are attached to both ends of the suction opening body 40. The exhaust gas blown out from the exhaust port 37 is collected to the vicinity of the suction port 35 at the center of the suction port body 40 and is sucked from the suction port 35 into the internal circulation path of the cleaner body 32. The sucked dust passes through a filter or the like inside, and a part of the dust is exhausted from the exhaust port 37 through the exhaust hose 33 as exhaust air. Carry near mouth 35.
[0020]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a rotary brush 36 for sweeping dust toward the traveling direction of the cleaner main body 32 capable of traveling on the floor is provided. A suction port body 40 having a suction port 35 in the vicinity immediately above is formed, and an exhaust port 37 is provided on the advancing direction side of the rotating brush 36 and the suction port 35, and the air sucked from the suction port 35 is used for cleaning the main body of the cleaner. The circulating air flow is formed by purifying the air on the 32 side and discharging a part of the purified air from the exhaust port 37 toward the suction port 35.
[0021]
Further, similarly to the first embodiment, an air flow path restricting portion having a wall extending from the upper side of the suction opening body 40 to the lower side in parallel with the rotating brush 36 at a position on the side of the traveling direction with respect to the rotating brush 36. The dust stopper 41 is provided.
[0022]
In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the intake port 35 is attached to the front side of the rotary brush 36, but in the present embodiment, the intake port 35 is provided immediately above the rotary brush 35. . The dust swept out by the rotating brush falls directly on the front floor, collides with the front inner wall of the suction port body 40 and then falls on the front floor, and collides with the front inner wall of the suction port body 40. After that, in most cases, the rotary brush 36 collides with the dust stopper 41 and falls on the floor in front of the rotary stopper 36. There are those that return between the wings of the rotating brush 36 and those that enter between the wings of the rotating brush from the beginning.
[0023]
In the case of the first embodiment, the dust dropped forward goes to the central suction port by the exhaust air blown out from the exhaust port 37, but the dust entering between the wings of the rotating brush 36 is rotated by the rotation of the brush. It moves backward, falls behind and is left behind. On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, as shown in the top view of FIG. When the dust moves to a position directly above the rotating brush 36 due to the action of the airflow, the dust is sucked into the intake port 35 and does not scatter backward, so that it is possible to greatly reduce the dust left behind behind. it can.
[0024]
In addition, the position and the opening area of the intake port 35 according to the present invention are partially located at a position directly above the rotary brush 36 or a position closer to the traveling direction than the rotary brush 36 in consideration of the dust collection effect and the like. Or it can be adjusted so that it is fully open.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention captures dust by passing air sucked by an electric blower incorporated in a cleaner body through a filter, and collects all or a part of air discharged from the electric blower through the filter. The dust swept out by the rotating brush at the suction port provided in the vacuum cleaner that performs cleaning while circulating the dust at the center by the exhaust air discharged from the exhaust port attached to the suction port at both ends of the suction port body. By collecting dust up to the suction port and sucking it through the suction port, sufficient dust collection force can be obtained even if the suction width is wide, and the suction port body can be made wide and compact, and even with a small suction motor. A sufficient dust collecting ability can be exhibited.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall top view of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the suction port body of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing a flow of air in a suction port body of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of air in the overall side view of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a top view of the suction port body when the suction port 35 of the present invention is attached to the front side of the rotating brush 36;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the suction port body when the suction port 35 of the present invention is attached to the front side of the rotary brush 36, and is a view illustrating a flow of dust.
FIG. 7 is a top view of the suction port body when the suction port 35 of the present invention is attached almost directly above the rotating brush 36;
FIG. 8 is a side view of the suction port body when the suction port 35 of the present invention is attached almost directly above the rotary brush 36, and is a view illustrating the flow of dust.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional vacuum cleaner.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a conventional vacuum cleaner.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dolly 2 Conduit 3 Vacuum cleaner main body 4 Suction port 5 Exhaust air outlet 6 Blow-in pipe 6a Air exhaust port 10 Vacuum cleaner 11 Self-propelled trolley 12 Vacuum cleaner main body 13 Suction port 14 Duct 15 Exhaust port 16 Pipe joint 17 Double blow-in pipe 17a Blower tube tip 18 Conduit 19 Air outlet 20 Lid 29 Pipe hook 29a U-shaped receiving part 30 Running part body 31 Running wheel 32 Vacuum cleaner body 33 Exhaust hose 34 Intake hose 35 Intake port 36 Rotary brush 37 Exhaust port 38 Rotation Brush motor 39 Suction port body wheel 40 Suction port body 41 Dust stopper

Claims (4)

A rotary brush for sweeping dust and the like on the floor toward the direction of travel of the cleaner main body capable of traveling on the floor; covering the rotary brush toward the floor; And a suction port body substantially closed in the direction of travel, forming a suction port near the upper portion of the rotary brush of the suction port body, and an exhaust port for discharging airflow toward the suction port. Forming, and exhausting all or part of the air from which dust and the like have been removed from the suction port together with the dust and the like through the cleaner body side from the exhaust port, and applying the air to the discharged air by the rotating brush. An electric vacuum cleaner, wherein the evacuated dust is contained and sucked and circulated through the suction port. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the suction port is opened directly above the rotating brush or in a direction of travel of the rotating brush. 3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an air flow path restricting portion is formed between the air flow path and the rotary brush to prevent dust from returning to the rotary brush side. 4. 4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a suction port is formed at a central portion of the suction port body that covers the rotating brush, and exhaust ports are formed at both ends of the suction port body.

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