CN109419443B

CN109419443B - Electric vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN109419443B
Application number: CN201810180544.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 山谷辽; 伊藤贤宏; 本多武史; 伊藤则和; 山上将太
Original assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2017-08-28
Filing date: 2018-03-05
Publication date: 2020-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-05
Also published as: TW201912094A; TWI691300B; JP2019037667A; JP6692327B2; CN109419443A

Abstract

The invention provides an electric dust collector capable of ensuring a space for carrying new components, which comprises an electric blower (16) generating suction force and a box body for accommodating the electric blower (16), wherein the electric blower (16) comprises a motor (17), an impeller (171a) rotationally driven by the motor (17) and an inner shell (18) for accommodating the motor (17) and the impeller (171a) and supported in the box body, the inner shell (18) comprises a suction side shell (18A) arranged on the side of the impeller (171a) and a driving side shell (18B) arranged on the side of the motor (17), and the suction side shell (18A) and an impeller shell (181) arranged on the periphery of the impeller (171a) are formed by one component.

Description

Electric vacuum cleaner

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner.

Background

As an electric vacuum cleaner for cleaning a floor surface, various electric vacuum cleaners, such as a so-called horizontal type in which a suction port is reciprocated by a user's operation, and a self-propelled type in which the electric vacuum cleaner itself is driven autonomously, are known. For example, patent document 1 discloses a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner that is reduced in size.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-70952

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the electric vacuum cleaner as disclosed in patent document 1, if the mounting density of various components is increased due to downsizing or the like, it is difficult to add a mounting component without changing the outer dimension of the electric vacuum cleaner.

The invention aims to provide an electric dust collector which can ensure a space for mounting new components.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention is characterized by comprising: an electric blower generating an attractive force; and a case that houses the electric blower, wherein the electric blower includes a motor, an impeller that is rotationally driven by the motor, and an inner case that houses the motor and the impeller and is supported in the case, the inner case includes a suction-side case disposed on the impeller side and a drive-side case disposed on the motor side, and the suction-side case and an impeller case portion disposed around the impeller are configured by one member.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric vacuum cleaner that ensures a space in which new components can be mounted.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment with the upper surface cover removed from the upper housing.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment with the upper housing and the dust box removed.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment.

3 fig. 35 3 is 3a 3 sectional 3 view 3a 3- 3a 3 of 3 fig. 31 3. 3

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of an electric blower mounted on the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an electric blower mounted on the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment.

Fig. 8 is an assembled perspective view of an electric blower mounted on the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an electric blower mounted on an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an electric blower mounted on an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example.

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view of an electric blower mounted on an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example.

Description of the symbols

1-electric vacuum cleaner, 11-box, 16-electric blower, 17-electric motor, 18-inner shell, 18A-suction side shell, 18B-drive side shell, 20-elastic component, 111-upper shell, 112-lower shell, 171 a-impeller, 171B-rotation axis, 171 c-rotor core (rotor), 171 d-bearing, 172-stator, 181-impeller shell, 191-threaded insert (fixed part).

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the normal traveling direction of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 in the direction in which the electric vacuum cleaner 1 (see fig. 1) travels is defined as the front direction, the direction opposite to the direction of gravitational force is defined as the upper direction, and the directions in which the drive wheels 116 (see fig. 4) face each other are defined as the left and right directions. That is, as shown in fig. 1, etc., front and back, up and down, and left and right are defined. In the present embodiment, a side brush 15 is attached to the front side of the electric vacuum cleaner 1.

In the present embodiment, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to a self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner, and can be applied to various electric vacuum cleaners such as a horizontal type, a stick type, and a hand type.

As shown in fig. 1, an electric vacuum cleaner 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as an electric vacuum cleaner) performs cleaning while autonomously moving in a cleaning area (for example, indoors). The electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a housing 11 forming an outer contour, and an electric blower 16 (see fig. 6) provided in the housing 11.

The case 11 includes an upper case 111 as an upper wall (and a part of a side wall), a lower case 112 as a bottom wall (and a part of a side wall), and a damper 18. The bumper 18 constitutes a front surface portion 18a and a part of the left and right side surface portions 18b of the case 11.

The upper case 111 has a substantially semicircular upper surface cover 111a on the upper surface. Further, a notch 111s for allowing the dust box 4 to be attached and detached is formed in the upper case 111. Further, a cutout 111t is formed in the upper surface cover 111a to cut out a part of the switch base 22 in a circular shape.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper case 111 is provided with a switch base 22. The switch base 22 is configured to include a circular operation button 221 as an operation button for giving a command to the control device 2 (see fig. 3) of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 by a user, and a ring-shaped operation button 222 provided so as to surround the circular operation button 221. The upper case 111 has a side wall 111d behind the side surface portion 18b of the bumper 18.

The control device 2 is, for example, a Microcomputer (not shown), reads a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), expands the program in a RAM (Random Access Memory), and executes various processes by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control device 2 performs arithmetic processing in accordance with signals input from the switch base 22 and the sensors described above, and outputs command signals to the driving devices described above.

Further, a guide plate 111b is provided at a position of an upper surface cover 111a (see fig. 1) of the upper case 111, covers the control device 2 (see fig. 3), and is configured so as not to overlap with the circuit board 22a of the switch base 22 and the other circuit boards 22b in the vertical direction. The guide plate 111b is formed with a plurality of ribs 111c for horizontally supporting the upper surface cover 111a and supporting the same at substantially the same height as the upper surfaces of the switch holder 22 and the dust box 4.

The

circuit boards

22a and 22b each have a substantially rectangular substrate. The circuit board 22b is formed smaller than the circuit board 22a, and is adjacently disposed on the rear side of the circuit board 22 a.

Further, a dust box 4 is provided on the rear side of the electric vacuum cleaner 1. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment performs cleaning by autonomously driving the driving wheels 116 (see fig. 4) by the arithmetic processing of the control device 2 (see fig. 3), but may be driven by receiving a user's instruction with a remote controller or the like.

The lower case 112 has a bumper frame 1127 provided on the lower end side of the side surface, preferably on the entire or substantially entire circumference of the side surface including the lower end. The buffer frame 1127 is made of a material softer than the member forming the other portion of the side surface, and for example, a resin material such as an elastomer can be used. The bumper frame 1127 extends to the outer peripheral side of the other portion of the side surface, for example, the bumper 18. Thus, even if the electric vacuum cleaner 1 collides with furniture or the like, damage to the furniture or the like can be suppressed.

The damper 18 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction, preferably in the left-right direction, in accordance with a pressing force applied from the outside. The damper 18 is biased forward by a pair of left and right damper springs (not shown). When resistance from an obstacle acts on the damper spring via the damper 18, the damper spring deforms, biases the damper 18 in the forward direction, and allows the damper 18 to retreat. When the damper 18 is separated from the obstacle and the resistance disappears, the damper 18 returns to the original position by the elastic force of the damper spring. That is, the backward movement of the bumper 18 (i.e., the contact with the obstacle) is detected by a bumper sensor (infrared sensor), and the detection result is input to the control device 2 (see fig. 3). Since the displacement amount of the bumper 18 differs depending on the contact position of an obstacle or the like, the position of the obstacle or the like with respect to the housing 11 (main body) can be detected.

As shown in fig. 3, control device 2 is disposed on the front side in the front-rear direction of lower case 112, and electric blower 16 is disposed substantially at the center in the front-rear direction (below circuit board 22 b). In the lower case 112,

wheel cases

112a and 112a that house driving wheels 116 and 116 (see fig. 4) are formed to protrude upward on both the left and right sides of the electric blower 16.

The electric vacuum cleaner 1 has side brushes 15 on the left and right sides, respectively. In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the side brush 15 can be changed. Specifically, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 performs the following control: in the case of executing the wall edge cleaning mode in which the wall is traveling on the left side, the rotation speed of the left side brush 15, which is the same side as the side on which the wall is located, is set to be higher than the rotation speed of the other side brush 15. This enables the wall edge to be cleaned more efficiently. The wall edge cleaning mode can be executed by various known methods, and for example, can be realized by performing travel control so that the distance measuring sensor 210 provided on the left side of the housing 11 (main body) continuously detects a wall surface (obstacle).

The distance measuring sensor 210 (obstacle detecting mechanism) is an infrared sensor that detects a distance to an obstacle. In the present embodiment, the distance measuring sensors 210 are provided at four positions (the right side surface is not shown) in total, two positions on the front surface and two positions on the side surface.

The distance measuring sensor 210 includes a light emitting portion (not shown) that emits infrared rays, and a light receiving portion (not shown) that receives reflected light that is returned after the infrared rays are reflected by an obstacle. The distance to the obstacle is calculated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit. At least the vicinity of the distance measuring sensor of the bumper 18 (see fig. 1) is formed of resin or glass that allows infrared rays to pass therethrough.

As shown in fig. 4, the lower case 112 is provided with drive

mechanism accommodating portions

114 and 114 that accommodate a drive mechanism including

drive wheels

116 and 116, travel motors 1161 and 1161 (see fig. 3),

arms

1141 and 1141, and

speed reduction mechanisms

1142 and 1142. The lower case 112 is a thin disk-shaped member to which the side brush attachment portions 1121, the travel motors 1161, 1161 (see fig. 3), the rotary brush motor 1133 (see fig. 3), the electric blower 16 (see fig. 3), the rechargeable battery 19 (see fig. 5), the battery storage portion 115 (see fig. 5) that stores the rechargeable battery 19, the control device 2 (see fig. 3), and the suction port portion 113 are attached.

The driving

wheels

116, 116 are disposed on the left and right sides. Each of the drive wheels 116 receives a driving force of a travel motor 1161 (see fig. 3) via a speed reduction mechanism 1142. As a result, the main body (the electric vacuum cleaner 1) can be moved forward, backward, and rotated by the rotation of the driving wheel 116.

A suction port 113 for accommodating the rotary brush 14, the scraper brush 13, and the like are provided on the rear side of the center of the lower case 112.

The rotary brush 14 is disposed substantially in parallel with an axis (left-right direction) passing through the rotation center of the drive wheel 116. The rotary brush 14 is cylindrical having a rotation axis in the horizontal direction (in the present embodiment, the left-right direction), and is rotatably supported by the suction port 113. The rotary brush 14 is driven to rotate by a rotary brush motor 1133 (see fig. 3) receiving a driving force.

The side brush 15 is a brush that guides dust, which is located outside the casing 11 and is not easily reached by the rotary brush 14, such as at a corner of a room, to the suction port 113 (suction port 1131). The rotation axis of the side brush 15 is in the vertical direction, and a part of the side brush 15 is exposed from the case 11 in a plan view. The side brushes 15 include three brushes extending radially at 120 ° intervals in a plan view, and are disposed on the front side and both the left and right sides of the lower case 112. Further, the base of the side brush 15 is fixed to the side brush holder 151.

The side brush holder 151 side (base side) of the side brush 15 is a base elastic portion 153 having flexibility such as an elastic body, and the distal end side is a brush portion 154, for example, a brush. In the present embodiment, the side brush holder 151 forming the rotation shaft (projection) of the side brush 15 and the base elastic portion 153 are integrally formed. Further, by making the base portion of the side brush 15 an elastic body such as the base elastic portion 153, the brush portion 154 is less likely to have bending characteristics than the brush portion 154 having a structure from the base portion to the tip end, and therefore, the durability of the side brush 15 can be improved. The bristles of the side brush 15 are inclined so as to approach the ground surface toward the front end, and the vicinity of the front end thereof contacts the ground surface.

The side brush holder 151 is provided near the bottom surface of the lower case 112, and is coupled to a side brush motor 152 (see fig. 3). When the side brush motor 152 is driven, the side brush 15 rotates inward (in the direction of the arrow shown in fig. 4), and the dust is swept to the suction port 1131 (see fig. 3).

The front cover 117 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member that closes an opening of a battery housing section 115 (see fig. 5) formed on the front end side of the lower case 112 from the lower surface of the lower case 112. The front cover 117 includes a circular auxiliary wheel mounting portion 1122 to which the auxiliary wheel 12 is mounted near the center of the lower case 112.

The auxiliary wheels 12 are auxiliary wheels for separating the lower housing 112 from the floor surface and smoothly moving the electric vacuum cleaner 1, and are provided on the lower housing 112. The auxiliary wheel 12 is configured to be rotatable in a horizontal direction by 360 °.

3 fig. 35 3 is 3a 3 sectional 3 view 3 taken 3 along 3 line 3a 3- 3a 3 of 3 fig. 31 3. 3

As shown in fig. 5, among the components provided in case 11, relatively heavy components are rechargeable battery 19 and electric blower 16. The rechargeable battery 19 is much heavier than the electric blower 16. In order to balance the weight of the electric vacuum cleaner 1, the electric blower 16 is provided at substantially the center of the lower case 112, and the rechargeable battery 19 is provided on the front side of the electric blower 16.

Since the electric blower 16 is located on the center side (between the two drive wheels 116) and the rechargeable battery 19 is located on the front side, it is preferable to provide a weight on the rear side to achieve balance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the weight 13a is fixed to the inner periphery of the scraper brush 13 by adhesion or the like. Thereby, the dead space in the scraper brush 13 can be effectively used. In the present embodiment, the scraper brush 13 is located on a side farther from the center than the rotary brush 14, and therefore, it is preferable to provide a weight 13a here. In addition, from the viewpoint of balancing the left and right, the weight 13a is preferably provided on the center side in the left-right direction of the case 11. Further, it is preferable that the center of gravity of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is substantially centered (substantially aligned with the axis of the driving wheel 116) in the front-rear direction by the weight 13 a.

The battery housing section 115 has a space for housing the rechargeable battery 19 therein, and is located on the front side of the center of the lower case 112. The battery housing 115 has a downward opening 115a for replacing the rechargeable battery 19. Further, side brush attachment portions 1121 (see fig. 4) to which the side brushes 15 are attached are formed on the left and right sides of the battery housing portion 115.

As shown in fig. 6, electric blower 16 includes a motor 17, an inner case 18 for holding motor 17, and an elastic member 20 provided between motor 17 and inner case 18.

The motor 17 is a brushless dc motor, and includes a rotor assembly 171, a stator 172, and a housing 173.

The rotor assembly 171 includes an impeller 171a (fan), a rotary shaft 171b, a rotor core 171c (rotor), bearings 171d, a spring 171e, and the like. Although the impeller 171a is press-fitted and fixed to the rotary shaft 171b in the present embodiment, a screw may be provided at an end portion (tip end) of the rotary shaft 171b, and the impeller 171a may be fixed by a fixing nut.

The rotary shaft 171b is an elongated cylindrical shaft and is made of a magnetic material such as iron. The rotary shaft 171b is disposed substantially in the front-rear direction, and has an impeller 171a fixed to one end and a rotor core 171c fixed to the other end.

Bearings

171d and 171d are disposed at the center in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 171b so as to be separated in the axial direction.

The rotary shaft 171b is inclined downward from the rear side (air suction side) toward the front side with respect to the horizontal direction. For example, the inclination angle α in this case is 10 degrees, preferably 5 degrees, and more preferably 3 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction. This can widen the space above electric blower 16.

The spring 171e is a coil spring, and is held around the rotary shaft 171b between the

bearings

171d and 171d via a spring holding member 171 f. The spring 171e biases the outer rings of the

bearings

171d, 171d in directions away from each other. This prevents the bearing 171d from rattling, and suppresses noise and vibration of the electric blower 16.

The stator 172 is disposed around the rotating shaft 171b (rotor core 171c) of the rotor assembly 171, and includes a stator core 172a and a conductive wire 172b wound around a tooth portion of the stator core 172 a. In addition, the stator 172 is fixed to the housing 173 via screws 174.

The housing 173 is made of synthetic resin, and has a through hole 173a formed in the center thereof, through which the rotor assembly 171 is inserted. In addition, a screw hole 173b to which a screw 174 is screwed is formed in the outer periphery of the housing 173. The rotor assembly 171 is inserted into the housing 173, and a rotor core 171c provided in the rotor assembly 171 is disposed at a position facing the stator core 172 a.

The inner casing 18 is made of synthetic resin, and is configured by combining a suction-side casing 18A disposed on one side (rear side) in the axial direction G of the rotary shaft 171B, i.e., on the air suction side, and a drive-side casing 18B disposed on the other side in the axial direction G of the rotary shaft 171B, i.e., on the drive side of the rotary shaft 171B.

The suction-side casing 18A has a flat surface portion 181b formed in an upper portion thereof facing the periphery of the impeller 171a in the radial direction. The flat surface 181b is formed at the highest position of the suction-side casing 18A, and has a shape along a horizontal plane by making the plate thickness (wall thickness) of the rear end thin and the plate thickness (wall thickness) of the front end thick so as to be horizontal.

The drive-side housing 18B has a flat surface 186a formed in an upper portion thereof facing the periphery of the housing 173 in the radial direction. The flat surface 186a is formed at the highest position of the drive side case 18B, and has a shape along a horizontal plane by making the plate thickness (wall thickness) of the front end thick and the plate thickness (wall thickness) of the rear end thin so as to be horizontal.

The inner case 18 is disposed such that the front end edge of the flat portion 181b and the rear end edge of the flat portion 186a abut against each other, and is configured such that the flat portion 181b and the flat portion 186a are flush and horizontal.

The elastic member 20 elastically supports the motor 17 in the inner case 18 and is disposed so as to surround the outer case 173.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an electric blower mounted on the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment. Fig. 7 shows a state in which the rotor assembly 171, the stator 172, and the housing 173 are assembled.

As shown in fig. 7, a screw insertion portion 175 through which a screw 174 is inserted is formed on the outer periphery of the stator core 172a so as to penetrate in the axial direction G. The screw insertion portions 175 are formed at three locations (two locations are shown in fig. 7) on the outer peripheral surface of the stator core 172a at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. A cylindrical cap 176 is attached to an end of the stator core 172a in the axial direction G.

The suction-side casing 18A also serves as a so-called fan casing surrounding the impeller 171a, and includes an impeller casing portion 181 surrounding the impeller 171 a. That is, the impeller case portion 181 and the inner casing (suction-side casing 18A) are integrally molded with resin, and the impeller case portion 181 and the inner casing (suction-side casing 18A) are not formed by assembling different members each molded with resin. Thus, although the thickness of the resin of the impeller housing portion 181 and the thickness of the resin of the inner housing (suction-side housing 18A) are conventionally required, in the present embodiment, the thicknesses are equal to one component, and the thicknesses can be formed to be thin.

The impeller housing portion 181 is configured to have a peripheral surface portion 181a formed in a substantially cylindrical shape along the outer periphery of the impeller 171a, and has a front surface portion 182 on the air intake side of the impeller 171 a. A flat surface portion 181b parallel to the upper surface cover 111a (see fig. 5) is formed on the upper surface of the peripheral surface portion 181 a. In addition,

extension portions

181c, 181d extending toward the stator side are formed in the circumferential surface portion 181 a. The extending

portions

181c, 181c are formed in the upper portion of the peripheral surface portion 181a so as to be laterally spaced apart. The extending

portions

181d, 181d are formed in a left-right divided manner in a lower portion of the peripheral surface portion 181 a.

The suction-side housing 18A has a substantially rectangular flat plate portion 183 formed on the rear side (air intake side) of the impeller housing portion 181. The flat plate portion 183 has a circular air inlet 183a (see also fig. 6) centered on the rotary shaft 171b (see fig. 6).

The suction-side casing 18A has a communication passage 184 (see also fig. 6) that is larger in diameter than the air inlet 183a and extends to an air inlet 171s (see fig. 6) of the impeller 171a, formed between the front surface portion 182 of the impeller housing portion 181 and the air inlet 183 a. The front end 184a of the communication passage 184 and the front end 171t (rear end) of the impeller 171a overlap each other in the radial direction, and the front end 184a of the communication passage 184 is located radially inward of the front end 171t of the impeller 171 a.

In addition, the suction-side housing 18A has a lateral rib 183b and a longitudinal rib 183c formed between the front surface portion 182 of the impeller housing portion 181 and the flat plate portion 183. The lateral rib 183b is formed to extend in the left-right direction orthogonal to the axial direction G. The longitudinal rib 183c is formed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the transverse rib 183 b.

In addition, the suction-side housing 18A has a screw boss 185 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the extension portion 181c for fixing to a drive-side housing 18B described later. In fig. 7, only the left screw boss 185 is shown, but the same screw boss is formed on the right side.

The drive-side housing 18B is made of synthetic resin, and includes a substantially cylindrical tube portion 186 disposed around the housing 173, a rear surface portion 187 disposed opposite to the rear surface (end portion in the axial direction G) of the motor 17, and a connecting portion 188 connecting the tube portion 186 and the rear surface portion 187.

A flat surface 186a is formed on the upper surface of the cylinder 186. The front end (rear end) of the flat surface 186a is configured to abut against the front end (front end) of the flat surface 181b of the impeller housing 181. When the flat surface portion 186a and the flat surface portion 181b are in contact with each other, the flat surface portion 186a and the flat surface portion 181b are flush with each other (see fig. 6). In addition, a rectangular through hole 186b penetrating in the vertical direction toward the housing 173 is formed in the flat surface portion 186 a.

A screw insertion portion 189 into which a screw 190 is inserted is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 186 at a position facing the screw boss 185. The screw insertion portion 189 is provided not only in the lower portion on the left side but also in the lower portion on the right side as the screw insertion portion 189 in bilateral symmetry.

Further, a screw insertion portion 191 for fixing electric blower 16 to lower case 112 (see fig. 5) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of cylindrical portion 186. The screw insertion portion 191 has a lug portion 191a formed to protrude in the horizontal direction, and a through hole 191b is formed in the lug portion 191 a. In fig. 7, only the left screw insertion portion 191 is shown, but the right screw insertion portion 191 is also formed in bilateral symmetry.

The back surface 187 is disposed at a position slightly apart from the cap 176.

Open portions

188a and 188b are formed on both left and right sides of the connecting portion 188, and an open portion 188c is formed on the upper side.

The elastic member 20 is formed of vibration-proof rubber for suppressing vibration generated by the motor 17, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. In addition, the elastic member 20 is formed in a width capable of covering the periphery of the housing 173. By providing such an elastic member 20, the vibration generated by the motor 17 can be absorbed.

The elastic member 20 is formed with a plurality of projecting portions 201a projecting radially outward. The protruding portion 201a is formed in a single line in the axial direction G from one end (front end) to the other end (rear end) of the elastic member 20 in the axial direction G. In addition, the elastic member 20 has a projection 201b projecting radially inward and fitted into a recess 173c formed in the outer peripheral surface of the housing 173. Thereby, the elastic member 20 is stably held between the drive-side case 18B and the motor 17, and vibration generated by the motor 17 can be effectively absorbed.

Further, a flat surface portion 201c is formed on the upper portion of the elastic member 20 so as to be positioned between the flat surface portion 181b and the flat surface portion 186 a. Further, a contact portion 201d is formed at a lower portion of the elastic member 20 so as to be sandwiched between a lower portion of the drive side case 18B and a lower portion of the housing 173.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an electric blower mounted on the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment. Fig. 8 is an exploded view of fig. 7, after assembly.

As shown in fig. 8, the suction-side case 18A and the drive-side case 18B are fixed to each other by inserting a screw 190 through a screw insertion portion 189 and screwing it to a screw boss 185. At this time, the front end edge portion 181e of the flat portion 181b abuts the front end edge portion 186c of the flat portion 186a, so that a substantially rectangular flat surface 192 is formed on the upper surface of the inner case 18 by the flat portion 181b and the flat portion 186 a.

When the suction-side case 18A and the drive-side case 18B are assembled, the

claw portions

181f, 181f formed on both the left and right sides of the flat portion 181B are locked to the

locking portions

186d, 186d of the drive-side case 18B.

In the electric blower 16 configured as described above, when the impeller 171a (see fig. 7) rotates, air sucked from the air suction port 183a (see fig. 6) passes through the impeller 171a (see fig. 7) and is discharged to the outside of the inner casing 18 from the gaps (left, right, and lower sides) formed between the impeller housing portion 181 and the cylindrical portion 186. The air having passed through the impeller 171a (see fig. 7) is discharged from the opening

portions

188a, 188B, and 188c to the outside of the drive-side casing 18B through a gap or the like of the housing 173.

In the present embodiment, the air sucked by the negative pressure of the electric blower 16 passes through the suction port 1131 (see fig. 5), the dust box 4 (see fig. 5), the dust collection filter 46 (see fig. 5), the electric blower 16, and the exhaust port 1126 (see fig. 4) in this order. Further, the exhaust port 1126 is provided in the lower case 112, and is positioned as a slit-like hole at six positions between the two drive wheels 116 in the present embodiment (see fig. 4).

Next, the above-described embodiment will be described in comparison with comparative examples shown in fig. 9 to 12. Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an electric blower mounted on an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example, fig. 10 is a perspective view of an electric blower mounted on an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example, fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view of an electric blower mounted on an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example, and fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view of an electric vacuum cleaner of a comparative example.

As shown in the exploded perspective view of fig. 9, electric blower 300 of the comparative example is composed of rotor assembly 310, impeller housing 320, inner housing 330, and

elastic members

340 and 350. The basic structure of the rotor assembly 310 is the same as that of the rotor assembly 171 of the present embodiment. Thus, in the comparative example, the impeller housing portion 320 and the inner housing 330 are constructed of different parts.

The impeller housing portion 320 has a substantially disk shape surrounding the periphery of the impeller 311, and a notch 321 is formed in a part in the circumferential direction. Further, a circular air inlet 322 is formed in the impeller housing portion 320 at a position facing the circular air intake portion of the impeller 311.

The inner casing 330 includes a suction-side casing 330A disposed on the impeller 311 side of the rotor assembly 310 and a drive-side casing 330B disposed on the motor 312 side of the rotor assembly 310.

The suction-side housing 330A has a substantially cylindrical portion 331 formed to surround the impeller housing portion 320. Further, the suction-side housing 330A is formed with a screw boss 336 fixed to the drive-side housing 330B via a screw 360. Further, suction-side case 330A is formed with a screw insertion portion 337 used when electric blower 300 is fixed to the casing (lower case).

The drive-side case 330B is configured to include a cylindrical portion 332 surrounding the periphery of the housing 313 of the rotor assembly 310, a rear surface portion 333 disposed to face an axial end of the rotor assembly 310, and a connecting portion 334 connecting the cylindrical portion 332 and the rear surface portion 333. The drive-side case 330B is formed with a screw insertion portion 338 used when fixed to the suction-side case 330A via a screw 360.

As shown in fig. 10, the upper surface of the impeller body 331 of the suction-side casing 330A of the assembled electric blower 300 has a curved surface 331a that is convex upward. Further, the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 332 of the drive-side housing 330B of the electric blower 300 has a curved surface 332a that is convex upward. The leading edge of the curved surface 331a and the leading edge of the curved surface 332a are butted against each other, and the curved surface 331a and the curved surface 332a are substantially flush with each other. Screw insertion portion 337 of electric blower 300 is located in suction-side case 330A.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 11, in electric blower 300 according to the comparative example, impeller housing 320 is disposed around impeller 311 and elastic member 340 is disposed around impeller housing 320 in inner case 330.

In this way, in electric blower 300 of the comparative example, thickness t300 of the wall of impeller housing portion 320, thickness t200 of the wall of elastic member 340, and thickness t100 of the wall of suction-side housing 330A are added to each other around impeller 311. When considering the lower portion as well as the upper portion, electric blower 300 has twice the thickness (t300+ t200+ t100) as described above.

In electric blower 300, the length in the axial direction G from the opening edge of air inlet 339 of suction-side casing 330A to the opening end of air inlet 320s of impeller housing 320 is L100. In electric blower 300, the inlet diameter of impeller 311 is D100.

As shown in fig. 12, in the electric vacuum cleaner 100 mounted with the electric blower 300 as a comparative example, the electric blower 300 is positioned at the height limit of the upper case 111. Therefore, it is difficult to mount a circuit board as a new component on electric blower 300. In view of this, electric blower 16 mounted on electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment is provided with impeller case 320 (see fig. 9) and suction-side case 330A (see fig. 9) shown in the comparative example, which are formed of one component, and suction-side case 18A (so-called inner case) (see fig. 6 and 7) in which impeller case 181 (so-called fan case) is integrally formed.

In electric blower 16 of the present embodiment, elastic member 20 is mounted on drive-side case 18B as a member for absorbing vibration generated by motor 17. This reduces the thickness of the elastic member of the suction-side case 18A, and therefore the reduced elastic member can be formed with a further reduced thickness (t 200).

As shown in fig. 6, in electric blower 16 according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the portion corresponding to the fan housing can be made only the thickness of impeller housing portion 181. That is, by providing the suction-side housing 18A including the impeller housing portion 181, the thickness amount (t200) of the impeller housing portion 320 and the thickness amount (t300) of the elastic member 340 in the comparative example can be reduced. Further, since the impeller case portion 181 is provided so as to surround the periphery of the impeller 171a, not only the thickness (t200+ t300) of the upper portion of the impeller 171a but also the thickness (t200+ t300) of the lower portion of the impeller 171a can be reduced. As a result, as shown in fig. 5, when electric blower 16 is mounted on case 11 having the same shape (volume) as in the comparative example, a space for mounting circuit board 22b (see fig. 2) as a new component can be formed above electric blower 16.

Further, electric blower 16 of the present embodiment is provided with suction-side casing 18A in which impeller housing portion 181 is integrally (in one piece) formed. Thus, the length L1 of the flow path inlet from the air inlet 183a to the air inlet 171s of the impeller 171a can be made longer than that in the comparative example (length L100, see fig. 11) (see fig. 6). Thus, the inlet flow path can be formed long without any step, so that wind noise can be reduced and vibration can be reduced.

Further, since the diameter D1 of the air introduction port 171s of the impeller 171a can be secured large, the flow path width of the impeller 171a can be increased, in other words, the flow path can be gradually increased, and if the same energy is applied, the flow velocity can be reduced, and the fluid sound can be reduced. Since the rotation speed of the impeller 171a can be reduced, vibration of the electric blower 16 can be suppressed.

As described above, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment includes the electric blower 16 generating suction force and the housing 11 accommodating the electric blower 16. The electric blower 16 includes a motor 17, an impeller 171a rotationally driven by the motor 17, and an inner casing 18 that accommodates the motor 17 and the impeller 171a and is supported in the case 11. The inner casing 18 includes a suction-side casing 18A disposed on the impeller 171a side and a drive-side casing 18B disposed on the motor 17 side. The suction-side housing 18A is formed of one member including an impeller housing portion 181 provided around the impeller 171 a. Accordingly, since the thickness of the wall of one component can be reduced from the thickness of the wall of two components in the related art (t300, see fig. 6), a space can be secured above electric blower 16, and circuit board 22b as described above can be newly mounted.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the thickness of one member can be reduced, the diameter D1 of the air introduction port 171s of the impeller 171a can be secured large. This can increase the flow path width of the impeller 171a, and reduce the number of revolutions of the impeller 171a and reduce operating noise with the same energy as in the conventional art. Further, since the rotation speed of the impeller 171a can be reduced, vibration of the electric blower 16 can be suppressed. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the length L1 of the fan inlet flow path can be made flat and longer than the length L100 (see fig. 11) of the conventional fan inlet flow path, the flow rectification effect can be improved, and wind noise and vibration can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the impeller 171a is fixed to one end of the rotary shaft 171b of the motor 17, and the rotor core 171c of the motor 17 is fixed to the other end of the rotary shaft 171 b.

Bearings

171d and 171d for rotatably supporting the impeller 171a to the stator 172 of the motor 17 are provided between the impeller 171a and the rotor core 171 c. The motor 17 is supported by the drive-side housing 18B via an elastic member (vibration-proof rubber) 20. Thus, the side where the stator 172 (magnet) is provided becomes a portion where vibration is strongly generated, and therefore the elastic member 20 is provided in the drive-side case 18B. Further, since the unbalance amount of the impeller 171a is adjusted by machining on the suction-side housing 18A side, an elastic member is not required.

Thus, the elastic member (the elastic member 340 in fig. 11) of the suction-side case 18A can be eliminated, and therefore the thickness of the walls of the two members (t200+ t300) can be reduced, and a wider space can be ensured around (above) the electric blower 16 (see fig. 6).

In the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 171b is disposed in a state inclined with respect to the horizontal direction (see fig. 5 and 6). This can ensure a larger space above electric blower 16.

In the present embodiment, a fixing portion (screw insertion portion 191) that fixes the inner case 18 to the case 11 is provided in the drive-side case 18B (see fig. 7 and 8). This allows vibration generated by electric blower 16 to be absorbed more effectively than when the fixing portion is provided in suction-side case 18A.

The electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be changed, modified, and the like as appropriate within a scope not departing from the gist thereof. Although the self-propelled cleaner is described as an example in the present embodiment, the same effects are obtained when the cleaner is applied to a horizontal type, stick type, or hand-held cleaner.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the space for newly disposing the circuit board 22b is secured in the upper portion of the electric blower 16 is described, but the space may be secured in the lower portion and the left and right side portions of the electric blower 16.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner is characterized by comprising:

an electric blower generating an attractive force; and

a case for accommodating the electric blower,

the electric blower includes: an electric motor; an impeller rotationally driven by the motor; and an inner casing which accommodates the motor and the impeller and is supported in the case,

the inner casing includes a suction-side casing disposed on the impeller side and a drive-side casing disposed on the motor side,

the rotating shaft of the motor is arranged in a state of inclining downwards from the rear side as the air suction side to the front side relative to the horizontal direction,

the suction-side casing and an impeller housing provided around the impeller are formed as a single member, and a suction-side flat surface portion is formed in an upper portion of the suction-side casing and a drive-side flat surface is formed in an upper portion of the drive-side casing,

the suction side plane portion is formed at the highest position in the suction side casing, and is formed such that the plate thickness at the rear end is thin and the plate thickness at the front side is thick,

the drive side plane portion is formed at the highest position in the drive side housing, and is formed such that the plate thickness at the front end is thick and the plate thickness at the rear end is thin,

the front end edge of the suction-side flat surface portion and the rear end edge of the drive-side flat surface portion are disposed in a butt joint manner, and the suction-side flat surface portion and the drive-side flat surface portion are configured to be flush and horizontal surfaces.

2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

the impeller is fixed to one end of a rotating shaft of the motor,

the rotor of the motor is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft,

a bearing for rotatably supporting the impeller to a stator of the motor is provided between the impeller and the rotor,

the motor is supported by the drive-side housing via an elastic member.

3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2,

the fixing part for fixing the inner shell to the box body is arranged on the driving side shell.