JP2000197591A - Air circulation type vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air circulation type vacuum cleaner wherein even an area to be cleaned other than a floor surface can be easily cleaned and air losses due to the construction needed for such cleaning is small. SOLUTION: A connection pipe 51 of a suction port body 13 with a suction port 91 is inserted and connected to a connection port body 22 of a cleaner body 12 to return the air exhausted from a motor-operated blower 35 within the body 12, which air is recovered so as to be circulated through the body 12 and suction port body 13, thereby effecting cleaning. A guide pipe 46 is mounted across a return flow chamber 26 to guide the exhausted air, and a flexible suction hose 33 made of a bellows pipe to be inserted into the pipe 46 is provided so as to communicate with the upstream side of a dust collection bag 31 in a dust collection chamber 23. The hose 33 forms a second suction passage separately from a first suction passage leading from a suction port 91 to the chamber 23, thereby collecting dust through the hose 33 or the body 13. The turbulence of the air due to the suction hose 33 in the chamber 26 is limited by the pipe 46.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the operation of an electric blower in a cleaner body, in which air is sucked from an air inlet of a suction opening body, the sucked air is passed through a filter, dust is captured, and the air passes through the filter. The present invention relates to an air circulation type vacuum cleaner that returns air discharged from an electric blower to an air inlet, collects the returned air, and performs cleaning while circulating the returned air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of air circulation type vacuum cleaners have been proposed. The suction path of each of them is a suction port for sucking dust on the surface to be cleaned through a suction connection port of a vacuum cleaner body. There is only a single suction path in which a communication pipe on the suction port body side having a bottom surface of the suction port body main part is inserted and connected, and with the operation of the electric blower in the cleaner body using only this suction path. Dust is absorbed by the formed air circulation.

[0003]

However, since the suction port body is formed relatively large so as to be suitable for cleaning the floor, the main portion of the suction port body is relatively high, such as a table or a wall. It is inappropriate and inconvenient to clean a cleaning place or a cleaning place that is narrower than the main part of the suction opening body, such as around the glass of a door or a door of a shoji screen, to clean the cleaning place. In such a situation, the suction pipe portion of the communication pipe inserted and connected to the connection port body of the cleaner body, and the suction port main body having the suction port are connected via a flexible dust suction hose. It is the same even in a certain configuration, and it is even more so in an upright type air circulation type vacuum cleaner in which the suction opening is directly connected to the lower end of the cleaner body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air circulation type vacuum cleaner which can easily clean a place to be cleaned other than the floor surface and which has a small windage loss due to the structure therefor. .

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, air sucked from an inlet of a suction opening body by an operation of an electric blower built in a cleaner body is passed through a filter in a dust collecting chamber on an upstream side of the electric blower. It is assumed that an electric vacuum cleaner is configured to capture dust and return the air discharged from the electric blower through the filter to the air inlet, and to collect and return the returned air to perform cleaning while circulating.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to the present invention in which the return air is traversed through a return air passage in the main body of the cleaner to guide air discharged from the electric blower toward the suction opening. A guide pipe that is provided to maintain airtightness with respect to the air path, and a first suction path that is inserted into the guide pipe and provided to communicate with the upstream side of the filter and that extends from the intake port to the dust collection chamber. And a flexible suction hose formed of a bellows tube forming a different second suction path, and dust can be sucked through at least one of the suction hose and the suction port.

The air circulation type vacuum cleaner according to the first aspect of the present invention circulates the air discharged from the electric blower over the main body of the cleaner and the suction opening, and from the suction opening of the suction opening to the floor surface. The air circulating cleaning can be performed by sucking dust on the surface to be cleaned. In the usage mode based on suction at the suction port, the suction hose is held in a non-use state in which no air is sucked, and thus is mainly suitable for cleaning the floor surface. When using a suction hose connected to the upstream side of the filter during cleaning, outside air may be sucked through the suction hose forming the second suction path in addition to the first suction path passing through the suction port body. In this case, due to the flexibility of the suction hose itself, dust can be sucked while the front end opening of the hose faces a cleaning place where cleaning is inappropriate at the suction mouth.

[0008] In any of the above usage modes, the air discharged from the electric blower is guided to the suction port side through the return air passage of the cleaner body. By the way, since the suction hose attached to the cleaner body is made of a bellows tube, if this hose is provided so as to cross the return air passage and be exposed to the return air passage, the air flowing through the return air passage is sucked. The hose is particularly disturbed by the bellows structure.
Therefore, it is difficult for the air passing through the return air passage to flow into the suction port body side, and the back pressure on the electric blower is increased, so that the air circulation performance between the cleaner body and the suction port body is reduced. However, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a bellows-made suction hose is inserted into a guide pipe provided across the return air passage to prevent the hose from directly contacting the air flowing through the return air passage. The air flowing through the return air passage is not disturbed by the suction hose, and since the guide pipe is not a bellows tube, the air flowing through the return air passage is less likely to be disturbed by this pipe.

In carrying out the first aspect of the present invention, as in the second aspect of the present invention, a suction pipe portion of the communication pipe on the suction port side is inserted upstream of the dust collection chamber. The guide pipe, which has a connection port and crosses the return air passage, is inclined at a portion where the air passing through the return air passage changes direction and flows into the suction pipe portion so as to follow the flow direction of the air passing through this portion. It is good to provide in the shape. By doing so, since the guide pipe is arranged in the forward direction along the air flowing through the return air path, the air path resistance in the return air path by this pipe becomes smaller, and the back pressure becomes smaller. It is excellent in that the suction hose provided along the inclined guide pipe can be easily formed along the outer surface of the cleaner body when not in use.

In practicing the second aspect of the present invention, as in the third aspect of the present invention, the connection port body into which the suction pipe portion for guiding the suction air flow to the dust collecting chamber is inserted. A branch pipe is provided in the cylindrical part, a through hole communicating with the branch pipe is opened on the peripheral surface of the suction pipe part, and the suction hose is connected to the branch pipe, so that the suction pipe part and the suction hose are connected to each other. It is preferable that the guide pipe be connected to the branch pipe so as to communicate with the branch pipe. By doing so, both the first suction path via the suction port body and the second suction path via the suction hose can be used.
Since the same connection port can be shared, there is no need to provide separate connection ports for both paths, and this connection port can also be used for mounting the guide pipe. It is excellent in that the structure for attaching to the main body is simple.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an upright air circulation type vacuum cleaner 11 according to the first embodiment includes a cleaner body 12, a suction opening 13, and a handle 14. .

The cleaner body 12 is formed by connecting a pair of left and right synthetic resin body cases 21 shown in FIG. A handle 14 is connected to one side of the upper end of the main body case 21 (the side that is the back side when used) via a pivotal portion 15. The handle 14 having the operation switch 14a is disposed at a use position continuously extending above the cleaner body 12 as shown in FIG. 1 when in use, and pivots downward about the pivot portion 15 when not in use. It is folded and placed at a non-use position along the back side of the cleaner body 12. The length of the handle 14 is substantially equal to the total length of the cleaner body 12 and the suction port 13 connected thereto as described later, and the handle 14 in the unused position is used.
Can be supported so that the self-standing posture of the cleaner main body 12 is not impaired when its lower end contacts the floor surface.

At the lower end of the main body case 21, a connection port 22 exposed at the lower end surface is attached. The connection port body 22 is sandwiched between the pair of main body cases 21 and the positioning projection 22e shown in FIG.
Is fitted so as not to move in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction port 13 is removably inserted into the connection port 22 and attached thereto. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the connection port body 22 is integrally branched from a main pipe portion having a large diameter portion 22 a and a small diameter portion 22 b to form a stepped cylindrical shape by joining the large diameter portion 22 a and the small diameter portion 22 b. A plurality of ventilation holes 22c are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on a wall surface which is formed by the branch pipe 22d and borders the small diameter portion 22b and the large diameter portion 22a.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the inner surfaces of the two main body cases 21, necessary partition ribs whose leading ends are brought into contact with each other in accordance with their connection are integrally provided. Inside is a lower dust collection chamber 23,
It is partitioned into an intermediate exhaust chamber 24, an upper reel housing 25, and a recirculation chamber 26 extending over the dust collection chamber 23 and the exhaust chamber 24. The dust collection chamber 23 located on the front side of the exhaust chamber 24 (upstream side with respect to the flow of the intake air) is provided with the cleaner main body 12.
Is opened on the front side when the device is used, and this opening is hermetically closed by a case lid 27 detachably attached to a lower portion of the main body case 21. The recirculation chamber 26 sucks air discharged from an electric blower 35 described later, and
A return air passage leading to the three sides is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Is formed as a filter mounting portion 28,
A filter holder 30 which is manually rotated around a pivot 29 in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 3 against the force of a spring (not shown) is mounted near the filter mounting portion 28. An annular rubber seal 20 is provided between the filter mounting portion 28 and the small-diameter portion 22b of the connection port 22 to hermetically separate them from each other. And a valve plate portion 20a for opening and closing the valve. The valve plate portion 20a is pulled by the suction negative pressure to open the suction opening, and is returned to a position where the suction opening is closed by its own elastic force with the disappearance of the negative pressure.

A dust bag 31 made of a paper pack as a filter which is housed in the dust collecting chamber 23 so as to be able to be taken in and out of the dust collecting chamber 23 has a flat plate-shaped opening frame 31a having a suction opening at the center thereof, and a filter holder 30 for filtering. It is mounted on the mounting part 28 and housed in the dust collection chamber 23. A filter support 32 having a large number of elongated ventilation holes is accommodated in the upper part of the dust collection chamber 23, and the filter support 32 supports the dust collection bag 31 expanded with the cleaning operation.

An electric blower 35 is installed in the exhaust chamber 24 with its suction port facing the dust collection chamber 23 side. 36, 3
Reference numeral 7 denotes a vibration-proof motor supporting rubber fitted to both front and rear ends of the electric blower 35. The partitioning rib 38 located at the boundary between the exhaust chamber 24 and the dust collecting chamber 23 has an opening 38a facing the suction port, thereby passing through the dust collecting bag 31 in the dust collecting chamber 23. Air blower 35
Sucked into. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 45 is arranged in communication with the suction side of the electric blower 35 and opens when the vacuum pressure in the dust collection chamber 23 falls below a predetermined value to collect air (outside air) outside the cleaner body 12. This is a leak valve for introducing into the dust chamber 23.

The electric blower 35 includes an electric blower 35a and a motor cover 39 attached to the blower 35a. As shown in FIG. 3, the electric blower 35a
A commutator motor 35c, which is a component other than the blower such as the stator and the rotor, protrudes downstream of the blower 35b in which the diffuser and the centrifugal fan are housed inside the fan cover. The motor support rubber 36 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the fan cover. During the operation of the electric blower 35, the air in the dust collection chamber 23 sucked into the centrifugal fan from the suction port is discharged from around the fan, and then guided into the inside of the fan cover while being guided by the inner surface of the fan cover. From the entrance of the department, and
While being made static by the diffuser, it flows out mainly toward the periphery of the commutator motor portion 35c and the like.

The motor cover 39 formed of a synthetic resin into a cup shape covers and conceals a portion of the blower 35b downstream of the diffuser. The opening edge of the cover 39 is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the fan cover with the motor supporting rubber 36 for hermetically sealing the two covers therebetween. A plurality of small exhaust holes (not shown) communicating the inside of the motor cover 39 and the exhaust chamber 24 are formed in the peripheral wall of the motor cover 39, and an exhaust port (not shown) is formed in the main body case 21 so as to face the exhaust chamber 24. The exhaust area is much larger than the small exhaust hole.), And a predetermined amount of air with respect to the circulating air volume is exhausted to the outside of the cleaner body 12 by these exhaust paths to obtain a required intake performance. You can do it.

The motor support rubber 37 is mounted at the center of the bottom wall of the motor cover 39 so as to protrude from the outer surface thereof. The electric blower 35 having the motor cover 39
The exhaust chamber 24 and the reel accommodating section 25 are mounted with the motor supporting rubbers 36 and 37 fitted at both ends in the axial direction.
The partition ribs 38 are inserted between the partition ribs 21b and the partition ribs 38 which form the boundary of the above. As shown in FIG. 3, a code reel 40 for supplying power to the electric blower 35 is accommodated in the reel accommodation section 25.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, an air outlet 41 having a much larger opening area than the small exhaust hole (not shown) is integrally provided at the periphery of the motor cover 39, A rubber packing 42 is fitted into the outlet 41. The air outlet 41 is airtightly connected to a hole 44 provided in a partition rib 43 for partitioning the reflux chamber 26. Therefore, the inside of the motor cover 39 and the recirculation chamber 26 are communicated via the air outlet 41.

The branch pipe 22 d of the connection port 22 disposed on the upstream side of the dust bag 31 with respect to the flow of the air sucked into the electric blower 35 projects into the recirculation chamber 26. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, a spiral convex portion 22 f and the small diameter portion 2
An annular flange 22g that extends continuously from the 2b side is provided integrally. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the base end of the suction hose 33 is screwed and connected to the helical projection 22 f at the branch pipe 22 d, and a screw is attached to the outer periphery of the connection. Donut-shaped rubber packing 3
4 are applied. The rubber packing 34 realizes the airtightness of the connecting portion, and one surface thereof is
g.

Suction hose 3 mounted as described above
The hose 3 is made of a bellows tube, has flexibility that can be freely deformed, and is expandable and contractible in the axial direction.
The flow path cross-sectional area of No. 3 is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of the inner tube portion 62 described later. The suction hose 33 is drawn out of the cleaner body 12 through a hose lead-out portion 12a at a lower portion of the cleaner body 12. The hose lead-out portion 12a is provided by joining a lead-out wall portion 12a1 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) integrally formed with the pair of main body cases 21.

A guide pipe 46 made of a hard synthetic resin or the like is attached to the inside of the hose outlet portion 12a, in other words, to a part of the reflux chamber 26. The guide pipe 46 has a cylindrical shape and its outer peripheral surface is formed smoothly so as not to have irregularities. This guide pipe 46
Is connected to the branch pipe 22d by fitting and adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the rubber packing 34. The other end of the guide pipe 46 is connected to the hose outlet 12a.
Annular rubber packing 4 between the inner peripheral surface of the front end opening
7 is supported by the opening at the distal end of the hose lead-out portion 12a. Regardless of the presence of the suction hose 33 and the guide pipe 46 provided so as to cross the return chamber 26 forming the return air path, both the packings 34 and 47 are airtight between the return chamber 26 and the outside of the cleaner body 12. In this way, blowing of the return air from the return chamber 26 to the outside of the cleaner body 12 and suction of the outside air from the outside of the cleaner body 12 into the return chamber 26 are prevented.

The guide pipe 46 is attached to the portion where the air passing through the return chamber 26 (that is, the return air passage) changes its flow direction and flows into the inner pipe portion 62 of the communication pipe 51, which will be described later. It is inclined and extends across the reflux chamber 26 along the flow direction. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the distal end of the guide pipe 46 is exposed on the outer surface of the cleaner body 12 toward the upper side of the cleaner body 12, as shown in FIGS.
Therefore, the suction hose 33 whose root is inserted into the guide pipe 46 and accommodated therein is used for the vacuum cleaner main body 12 facing the floor in a normal use posture of the vacuum cleaner 11 in which the vacuum cleaner main body 12 is used at an angle. Is drawn out upward along the surface of. As shown in FIG. 2, a cylindrical gripping tube 33a made of hard synthetic resin is provided at the distal end of the suction hose 33.
Are connected.

The suction hose 33 can suck dust directly through the opening of the gripping tube 33a at the time of its use, and as shown in FIG.
The auxiliary suction port 48 is connected to a gap cleaning nozzle (also referred to as a vine port) 48 which is detachably connected to a, or an auxiliary suction port such as a round brush (not shown).
Dust can be sucked in through. As shown in FIG. 2, a hose support 49 is provided on the outer surface of the cleaner body 12, for example, at a position near the base of the handle 14. The hose support 49 has a short closing tubular portion 49a that fits inside or outside the grip tube 33a, and the grip tube 33a is detachably fitted to the tubular portion 49a, so that the distal end of the suction hose 33 is formed. Is closed to support the hose 33.

Next, the suction port 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. The suction port body 13 is
A communication pipe 51 made of a synthetic resin as a connection part communicated with the cleaner body 12 side, and a main body 52 of a synthetic resin suction port body
, A rotary cleaning body 53, a return air outlet 54, a return air path A and a suction air path B.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 12, and 13, the communication pipe 51, which is detachably fitted into and attached to the connection port body 22, communicates with the cleaner body 12 side. A large-diameter outer tube portion 61 is inserted and connected in the large-diameter portion 22a so as to be able to be inserted into and removed from the large-diameter portion 22a.
And a small-diameter inner tube 62 inserted and connected removably into the small-diameter portion 22b as a cylindrical portion, and turned in the opposite direction so as to be opposite to each other and substantially in the axial direction of the two tube portions 61, 62. It has a pair of left and right pivot tube sections 63 projecting at right angles. The pair of pivot tube portions 63 has a cylindrical shape, and has a flange 63a that is continuous with the circumferential direction and is integrally protruded from the open distal end edge.

One end of the outer tube 61 is open, and the other end is individually connected to the pivot tube 63 through a pair of communication ports 64. The tip of the pivot tube portion 63 is open,
The back end is closed by the inner tube portion 62. An annular seal member 65 such as a synthetic rubber O-ring is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube portion 61. As shown in FIG.
Is a flange portion 61a integrally projecting from the outer peripheral surface thereof.
Is fitted inside the large-diameter portion 22a of the connection opening 22 until it contacts the tip of the large-diameter portion 22a. In the connection state by this fitting, airtightness between the large-diameter portion 22a and the outer tube portion 61 is ensured by the seal material 65, and the flow path between the inner and outer tube portions 61 and 62 is formed through the vent hole 22c. To the reflux chamber 26. In addition, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a bell-crank lock knob 17 biased by a spring 16 is rotatably provided.
61b in which the claw 17a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube portion 61
To prevent the suction port 13 from coming off the connection port 22, and the lock can be removed by appropriately pressing and rotating the lock knob 17.

Both ends in the axial direction of the cylindrical inner tube portion 62 longer than the outer tube portion 61 are open. With the attachment of the communication pipe 51 to the connection port body 22, the small-diameter portion 22b
The inner tube portion 62 fitted therein is used as a main suction tube portion, and guides air containing dust through the inside into the dust collecting bag 31.
A through hole 62c is provided in the peripheral wall of the inner tube portion 62 as shown in FIGS. This through hole 62
c is directly communicated with the branch pipe 22d,
The air passing through the suction hose 33 can be sucked into the dust collection chamber 23 through the through hole 62c.

The inner tube portion 62 protruding outside the connection port body 22
The opening at the end of the inlet 6 is provided at the inlet 6
An entrance upper wall 66 and an entrance lower wall 67 project outward from upper and lower edges, respectively. The pair of left and right inlet end side walls 62b, which form a boundary between the inlet 62a and the pair of pivotal tube portions 63, have a distance between their opposing surfaces on the upstream side in the air suction direction with respect to the inner tube portion 62 (dotted line arrow in FIG. 12). It is formed obliquely so as to expand as it expands. This configuration reduces the windage and allows the air to enter smoothly.
It is excellent in that it can be sucked into 2a.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the main body 52 of the inlet body is composed of a main upper case 71 and a main lower case 72.
And the main part middle case 73 sandwiched between them are connected by screwing.

On the inner surfaces of the upper and lower cases 71, 72 on the rear side of the main case 73, a pair of bearings 74 having semicircular recesses (only the main case lower case 72 side is shown in FIG. 10 are protruded integrally from each other, and the pivot tube portions 63 are rotatably connected to each other by the upper and lower bearing portions 74 sandwiched therebetween from above and below. With this connection structure, the communication pipe 51 is pivotally attached to the rear part of the suction port body main part 52 so as to be vertically turned up and down, and by this rotation, the suction port body main part 52 is positioned with respect to the surface to be cleaned. The proper posture can be obtained. The relative rotation of the communication pipe 51 and the suction port main body 52 is regulated by the inlet lower wall 67 and the upward stopper 75 provided on the main lower case 72 between the bearings 74 thereof. During the rotation, the mating surfaces of the flange portion 63a and the bearing portion 74 are in sliding contact with each other. In FIG. 12, P indicates the center of rotation of the communication pipe 51 and the suction port main body 52.

Inside the main body 52 of the suction port, a blow-off chamber 81 is provided.
And a recovery chamber 82 below the blowing chamber 81, and the main middle case 73 forms a partition between the two chambers 81 and 82. The outlet chamber 81 includes a rib 83 (see FIG. 3) protruding from an inner surface of the main part upper case 71 and a main part lower case 7.
The ribs 83 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) protruding from the inner surface of the second member 2 are fitted with the mating surfaces of the ribs 84.
Ribs 8 protruding from the inner surface of the upper case 71
5 (see FIG. 8) and ribs 86 (see FIG. 9) protruding from the upper surface of the main part middle case 73 are mated with each other by engaging and recessing each other. 8 to 10.
Other ribs 87 to 90 shown therein surround one side and the front side of the blowing chamber 81, and are provided on each of the cases 71 to 73 similarly to the ribs 83 to 86. The front part of this box has substantially the same shape as an intake port 91 described later.
It is formed right above.

The recovery chamber 82 is divided into a main lower case 72 and a main middle case 73.
The mating surfaces of 73 are fitted with each other. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, an inlet 91 is formed in the bottom wall 72 a of the main lower case 72 so as to face the collection chamber 82.
This intake port 91 extends in the width direction of the intake port body 13 (FIGS. 8 to 1).
1 in the left-right direction). As shown in FIG. 11, a fixed brush 9 is provided on the bottom wall 72a of the main part lower case 72 along the rear edge of the intake port 91.
2 are installed. The brush 92 is also used as windproof means for preventing air blown to the surface to be cleaned through the air inlet 91 from flowing backward toward the rear of the air inlet 13.

As shown in FIG.
The rear end portion in the center portion in the width direction is bent upward to be fitted into the inner surface of the main part upper case 71, and an arc-shaped portion 73a is formed in the bent portion. The arc-shaped portion 73a is connected to the inlet 6 of the communication pipe 51.
It is arranged facing the front side of 2a. Main lower case 72
Is provided with a guide 93 having an arc surface continuous from both ends in the width direction of the arc portion 73a to the lower side. The continuous arc portion 73a and the guide 93 guide the movement of the shutter 94 having an arc shape. A shutter 94 having an arc-shaped cross section that is reciprocated in conjunction with the upward and downward movement of the communication pipe 51 with respect to the suction port main body 52 is provided over the communication pipe 51 and the suction port main body 52, and has a rear edge portion. 94
The entrance upper wall 66 of the communication pipe 51 is hooked inside of “a”.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, when the communication pipe 51 is in the use posture in which the communication pipe 51 is inclined with respect to the suction port main body 52 as shown in FIG. When the communication pipe 51 is in a posture perpendicular to the suction port body 52 at the time of non-use or the like at the time of non-use or the like, as shown in FIG. And is pushed by the tube portion 62 to be disposed in the closed position. When the shutter 94 is in the open position, the cross-sectional area of the air path at the position immediately before the inlet 62a in the suction air path B is maximum, and when the shutter 94 is in the closed position, the cross-sectional area of the air path at the immediately preceding position is minimum. (Including the state where the shutter 94 hits the bottom wall 72 and the cross-sectional area of the air path becomes zero.) Therefore,
The shutter 94 is used as air volume adjusting means for increasing or decreasing the air volume passing through the suction opening 13.

The provision of the shutter 94 which is interlocked when the communication pipe 51 rises at a certain angle or more, thereby restricting the cross-sectional area of the air path, is performed by cleaning as shown in FIGS. Even when the electric blower 35 is operating when the main body 12 is placed in the self-standing posture, the amount of air circulating through the suction opening 13 is reduced, so that the rotary cleaning body 53 is automatically turned on.
This is excellent in that the rotation of the motor can be reduced or stopped.

The front part of the collecting chamber 82 is located right above the intake port 91 and communicates with this port 91. Collection room 82
The rear portion is narrowed so as to be converged at the center portion in the width direction and slightly extends rearward. The extended rear portion faces and communicates with the inlet 62 a of the inner tube portion 62 of the communication tube 51. The collection chamber 82 and the inner flow path of the inner pipe portion 62 form a suction air passage B communicating with each other. The air blown into the collection chamber 82 through the air passage B toward the suction port 91 and the air sucked into the suction port 91 from the surface to be cleaned are sucked into the cleaner body 12 side. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the rotary cleaning body 53 has one or more blades 102 as a cleaning member mounted on the rotary shaft 101, and has support shaft supports 103 and 104 at both ends of the rotary shaft 101. The support shafts 105 are fitted to each other, and the support shafts 105 protrude from the supports 103 and 104, respectively, and are supported by bearings 106, respectively. Therefore, the portions other than the bearings 106 at both ends of the rotary cleaning body 53 are integrally rotated. The rotating cleaning body 53 is recovered by facing the bearing 106 in a posture parallel to the intake port 91 by attaching the bearing 106 to a bearing holding portion (not shown) provided at both ends in the width direction of the main part lower case 72. It is arranged in a chamber 82. Rotary cleaning body 5
When the blade 3 is rotated, the tip of the blade 102 passes through the air inlet 91 and comes into contact with the surface to be cleaned.

8 and 9 are provided at the rear of the blow-off chamber 81.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pivotal pipe portions 63 of the communication pipes 51 are arranged, and the blowout chamber 81 and the flow path between the inner and outer pipe portions 61 and 62 of the communication pipes 51 are communicated via these pipe portions 63. ing. The front part of the outlet chamber 81 faces the main part middle case 73 as described above, and the reflux outlet 54 penetrates the main part middle case 73 in the width direction of the suction port body main part 52. Are formed along. The recirculation outlet 54 provided with the rotary cleaning body 53 placed between the suction port 91 and the suction port 91 blows the air in the outlet chamber 81 to the blade 102, and when the suction port 13 is pushed forward. When the rotation direction F (see FIG. 12) of the rotating cleaning body 53 that rotates is defined as a forward direction, the rotation cleaning body 53 is positioned forward of the rotation shaft 101 of the cleaning body 53 so as to obtain this forward rotation. It is open to the middle case 73.

The reflux outlet 54 is formed by a slit extending continuously in the width direction of the main body 52 of the inlet body. Therefore, the return outlet 54 is provided in parallel with the axis of the rotary cleaning body 53. The recirculation outlet 54 is provided in the same manner with the communication pipe 51 as a center in the width direction of the main body 52 of the suction port. The recirculation outlet 54 may be formed by a plurality of discontinuous holes or the like.

In the above configuration, the flow path between the inner and outer pipe portions 61 and 62 of the communication pipe 51, the inner flow path of the pivot shaft portion 63, and the blowout chamber 81 of the suction port main body 52 communicate with each other in this order. A return air path A is formed, and the electric blower 3
5 is guided to the return outlet 54 by the return air path A, and passes through the outlet 54 to the inlet 9.
It is to be returned to 1.

In the drawing, reference numeral 111 denotes a bumper mounted along the front outer surface of the suction port main portion 52, 112 denotes front wheels mounted on the main portion lower case 72, and 113 and 114 similarly rear wheels.

Next, the operation of the air circulating vacuum cleaner 11 having the suction port 13 having the above-described structure will be described. At the time of basic use of mainly cleaning the floor surface using the vacuum cleaner 11, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication pipe 51 of the suction port body 13 is inserted and connected to the connection port body 22 of the vacuum cleaner main body 12. In this state, power is supplied to the electric blower 35 through the power cord rewinded from the cord reel 40, and while the blower 35 is operated, the suction port 13 is brought into contact with a surface to be cleaned such as a floor, and the handle 14 is turned on. It is used by moving the whole vacuum cleaner 11 through. In this basic use mode, the suction hose 33 is held in a non-use state with its distal end supported by a hose support 49.

At the time of use, dust contained in the suction air (indicated by the dotted arrow in FIGS. 1 and 12 indicating the flow direction) introduced into the suction air passage B of the suction opening body 13 and flowing into the dust collection bag 31 is removed. The air captured by the dust bag 31 and passed through the dust bag 31 is further passed through the filter support 32 and is sucked into the electric blower 35, and then passes through the air outlet 41 of the motor cover 39 and returns to the reflux chamber 26. And a part thereof is discharged from the cleaner main body 12 through an exhaust hole (not shown) via an exhaust chamber (not shown) from an exhaust hole (not shown).

The exhaust gas flowing into the reflux chamber 26 is
The air is guided from the second vent hole 22 c to the return air passage A of the suction port body 13, and is blown out from the recirculation outlet port 54 toward the recovery chamber 82 of the suction air path B toward the intake port 91, for example. Such an air flow is shown by solid arrows in FIGS. Therefore, the blown air is blown to the blade 102 of the rotary cleaning body 53 rotatably disposed directly below the reflux blowout port 54, and rotates the cleaning body 53 clockwise in FIG. After being sprayed on the surface to be cleaned facing the air inlet 91, the dust on the surface to be cleaned is sucked into the collection chamber 82 through the air inlet 91 while being lifted, and collected in the suction air path B. Then, along with this collection, it is sucked into the dust collection chamber 23 of the cleaner body 12.

As described above, the air discharged from the electric blower 35 is collected and circulated by the suction port 13,
With this force, the external air between the bottom wall 72a of the suction opening body 13 and the surface to be cleaned is sucked together with the dust into the suction opening 91, and the rotating cleaning body 53 is rotated by using the circulating air. The air circulation cleaning can be performed while the dust on the surface to be cleaned is removed.

Although such a basic use form is of course suitable mainly for cleaning the floor, in this use form, the tip end of the suction hose 33 is fitted to the hose support 49 as described above. Since the hose support 49 is communicated with the upstream side of the dust bag 31 as a filter, the outside air is sucked through the suction hose 33 even though the hose support 49 is kept closed and not used. Is prevented. Therefore, in the basic usage mode, the first suction path, that is, the collection chamber 82 of the suction port main body 52 of the suction port body 13, the collection of the dust collection chamber 23 through the inner pipe 62 of the communication pipe 51, and the like. The cleaner body 12 passes through a path leading to the dust bag 31.
Because the amount of air collected on the side does not decrease, the intake 91
There is no decrease in the dust suction performance at the time.

The suction hose 33 connected to the upstream side of the dust collecting chamber 23 is extendable and contractible and has flexibility. It can be arbitrarily removed from the protruded hose support 49, and the removal allows the first hose via the suction port body 13 to be removed.
A second suction path can be formed in addition to the suction path of FIG. The second suction path passes from the suction hose 33 to the branch pipe 22 d of the connection port body 22, the through-hole 62 c of the inner pipe 62 of the communication pipe 51, and the inner pipe 62 to collect dust in the dust collection chamber 23. It is formed on the path leading to the bag 31.

As described above, the distal end of the suction hose 33 is removed from the hose support 49, and the hose 33 is put into a use state, whereby the suction port 1 forming the first suction path is formed.
3 without closing the suction passage.
The outside air can be sucked through. When the suction hose 33 is used, the auxiliary suction port body is connected to the opening of the gripping tube 33a directly or by appropriately inserting and connecting to the gripping tube 33a by utilizing the flexibility and elasticity of the hose 33 itself. The top end opening of 48 is opposed to a relatively high cleaning place such as a table or a wall, or a desired cleaning place such as around a glass of a crosspiece of a shoji or a door, so that dust can be absorbed from the place. Therefore, the suction opening 1 having a configuration that is much larger in shape than the grip tube 33a and is mainly suitable for floor cleaning.
In 3, a place where cleaning is inappropriate can be easily cleaned as necessary using the suction hose 33. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 11 having the above configuration can use the suction port body 13 and the suction hose 33 properly depending on the place to be cleaned, so that the vacuum cleaner 11 is convenient.

In any of the above usage modes, the air discharged from the electric blower 35 passes through the return chamber 26 of the vacuum cleaner main body 12 forming the return air path, and is inserted into the connection port body 22 to be connected to the suction port 13. Are guided to the inner tube portion 62 side.
By the way, since the suction hose 33 attached to the cleaner body 12 is made of a bellows tube, this hose 33 is
6, the air flowing through the recirculation chamber 26 is easily disturbed by the suction hose 33, particularly the bellows structure, so that there is much windage. For this reason, it is difficult for the air passing through the reflux chamber 26 to flow into the inner pipe portion 62 side of the suction opening 13, and the back pressure on the electric blower 35 is increased, so that the air circulation performance between the cleaner main body 12 and the suction opening 13. Decrease.

However, in this vacuum cleaner, the guide pipe 46 is provided across the reflux chamber 26 as described above, and the base end of the suction hose 33 made of bellows is inserted into the pipe 46, and the guide pipe 46 is used. The suction hose 33 covered from the surroundings is configured not to be in direct contact with the air flowing through the reflux chamber 26. Therefore, the air flowing through the return chamber 26 is not disturbed by the bellows structure of the suction hose 33, and the guide pipe 46 is not a bellows pipe. Few. Therefore, despite the provision of the suction hose 33 disposed so as to cross the reflux chamber 26, windage loss in the reflux chamber 26 that guides air to the inner pipe portion 62 of the connection opening 22 can be reduced, and It is possible to suppress the back pressure for the blower 35 from increasing.

Further, the guide pipe 46 traversing the reflux chamber 26 is inclined at a portion where the air passing through the reflux chamber 26 changes the flow direction and flows into the suction pipe portion 62 so as to follow the flow direction of the air passing through this portion. Guide pipe 4
6 is arranged in the forward direction along the air flowing through the reflux chamber 26. Therefore, the reflux chamber 26 by the pipe 46
And the back pressure can be further reduced.

As described above, since the back pressure on the electric blower 35 is small, the circulation of air between the cleaner body 12 and the suction opening body 13 is facilitated.
The dust suction force at the air inlet 91 can be improved, and the rotating cleaning body 53 can be easily rotated, so that the dust removing force on the surface to be cleaned can be improved.

In addition, since the guide pipe 46 is provided obliquely as described above, the suction hose 33 provided therethrough can be used when the guide hose 46 is not used, as shown in FIGS. Easy to fit along the outer surface of the vacuum cleaner body 12,
The fit is good.

In addition, the cleaning using the suction hose 33 as described above can be performed in any posture of the cleaner main body 12, but usually, a self-standing posture in which the support of the cleaner main body 12 is not restricted, that is, 3 and 4, the cleaning is performed with the cleaner body 12 upright. In this manner, in the posture in which the cleaner main body 12 stands up, as the communication pipe 51 is disposed at a right angle to the suction port main body 52, the inner pipe of the communication pipe 51 is provided at the rear edge 94 a of the shutter 94. The shutter 94 is disposed in the closed position by the portion 62 hitting and being pushed by the tube portion 62. The shutter 94 in the closed position does not stop the circulation of the air,
The cross-sectional area of the air passage at the position immediately before the inlet 62a in the suction air passage B is calculated as 1 times the cross-sectional area of the air passage in normal use.
It is positioned so as to narrow down to 0% to 95%.

As described above, the shutter 94 interlocked when the communication pipe 51 is moved up and down allows the cleaner main body 12 and the suction port body 1 to move.
Since the amount of circulating air over 3 can be limited to a small amount,
The influence of the negative suction pressure on the suction hose 33 used in this state increases, and a large amount of air flows through the suction hose 33. Therefore, the suction power of the suction hose 33 can be increased. Moreover, as described above, when the cleaner body 12 is placed in the self-standing position, limiting the cross-sectional area of the first suction path, as described above, reduces the amount of circulating air, so that the rotary cleaning body 5 is automatically turned on.
3 can be decelerated or stopped, and therefore, adverse effects on the same location on the floor surface due to the scraping action of the rotary cleaning body 53 can be reduced.

When the cleaner main body 12 is changed from the self-standing state to the normal use posture inclined to the surface to be cleaned without using the suction hose 33, the communication with the suction port body main portion 52 at that time is performed. With the relative rotation of the pipe 51, the shutter 94 releases the partially blocked state of the suction air path cross-sectional area of the first suction path, and the cleaner body 12 and the suction port body 1 are released.
3 to secure a large amount of air circulation
Normal air circulation cleaning, which is realized through the suction path, can be performed.

In the above configuration, the connection port 2 into which the communication pipe 51 on the suction port 13 side is inserted upstream of the dust collection chamber 23.
2, a branch pipe 22d to which the suction hose 33 is connected is provided in the cylindrical portion of the connection port body 22 in which the inner pipe portion 62 for guiding the suction air into the dust collection chamber 23 is inserted, that is, in the small diameter portion 22b. A through-hole 62c communicating with the branch pipe 22d is opened in the peripheral surface of the inner pipe part 62, and suction is performed into the inner pipe part 62 as a suction pipe part that guides a suction airflow of the communication pipe 51 inserted into the connection port body 22. The hose 33 is connected. With this configuration, the same connection port body 22 can be shared in a structure in which dust is suctioned from the suction hose 33 side in addition to the suction port body 13 side, so that both the first suction path and the second suction path are individually provided. There is no need to provide a connection port, and the same connection port can be shared. In addition, one end of the guide pipe 46 is connected to the branch pipe 22d, and the connection port 22 is also used for mounting the guide pipe 46, so that the suction hose 33 and the guide pipe 46 can be mounted to the cleaner body 12. The structure can be simplified.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be applied to a canister-type or handy-type air-circulating vacuum cleaner, and even if the rotary cleaning body is omitted in the present invention. Good.

Further, in the present invention, the suction hose 33 only needs to be provided in communication with the upstream side of the filter in the dust collection chamber 23. For this purpose, for example, the rear part of the dust collection chamber is not used without using a dust collection bag. In the configuration in which a flat filter is disposed, a connection port extending between the dust collecting chamber and the outside of the cleaner body is provided separately from the connection port 22 on the upstream side of the filter, and a suction hose is provided there. May be connected.

[0063]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

According to the air circulation type vacuum cleaner according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, in addition to the suction port which mainly performs cleaning of the floor surface, the suction port of the suction port is not suitable for cleaning. With a suction hose that is suitable for cleaning, it is possible to easily clean the area to be cleaned other than the floor surface and improve the usability, and at the same time, a bellows-made bellows is installed in the guide pipe provided across the return air passage of the vacuum cleaner main body. Since the suction hose is inserted, the hose does not disturb the air flowing through the return air passage, so that the windage of the air passing through the return air passage can be reduced, thereby reducing the back pressure of the electric blower. Thus, the air circulation performance between the cleaner body and the suction port body can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the entire configuration of an upright type air circulation vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with a part of the vacuum cleaner being cut away.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a cleaner main body of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. (B) is a perspective view which shows the cleaner main body of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment with an auxiliary suction opening.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a vacuum cleaner main body and a suction port body of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a configuration around a suction opening body of the electric vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary perspective view of the vacuum cleaner of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment, with a part of a configuration around a dust collection chamber cut away;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a portion shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a side view illustrating a configuration of a connection port provided in the cleaner main body of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.
(B) is a sectional view showing the configuration of the connection port body. (C) is an arrow view showing the connection opening body viewed from the arrow X direction in FIG. 7 (A). (D) is an arrow view showing the connection opening viewed from the direction of arrow W in FIG. 7 (A).

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the configuration of the suction port shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the suction opening body shown in FIG. 4 with its main part upper case removed and a partial cross section.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the suction port shown in FIG. 4 with the main part upper case, the main part middle case, and the communication pipe removed.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view showing the configuration of the suction port shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13A is a side view showing a communication pipe provided in the suction port shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 13B is a sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. (C) is a front view which shows the communication pipe with which the suction port shown in FIG. 4 is provided in partial cross section.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Vacuum cleaner, 12 ... Vacuum cleaner main body, 12a ... Hose lead-out part, 13 ... Suction port body, 22 ... Connection port body, 22a ... Large diameter part of a connection port body, 22b ... Small diameter part (tube) 22c ... vent hole, 22d ... branch pipe, 23 ... dust collection chamber, 26 ... recirculation chamber (recirculation air path), 31 ... dust collection bag (filter), 33 ... suction hose, 33a ... suction hose grip tube 34, rubber packing, 35, electric blower, 46, guide pipe, 47, rubber packing, 49, hose support, 49a, closed cylinder, 51, communication tube, 52, suction port body, 54, reflux outlet Reference numeral 61: Outer pipe, 62: Inner pipe (suction pipe), 62a: Inlet of inner pipe, 62c: Through hole of inner pipe, 63: Pivot pipe, 66: Upper wall of inlet, 71: Main Upper case, 72 ... Main lower case, 73 ... Main part middle case, 82 ... Recovery chamber, 83 ... Blow-out chamber, 91 ... Inlet, A ... Return air path, B ... Suction air path,

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yukihiro Tamura 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Hadano Plant Co., Ltd. Inside the factory (72) Inventor Yo Torizawa 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Hadano Plant, Toshiba Tec Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Fumiki Mano 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture, inside the Hadano Plant Co., Ltd. (72) Invention Person Takeyuki Ichino 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Toshiba Tec Corporation Hadano Plant (72) Inventor Yuichi Hamasaki 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Toshiba Tec Corporation Hadano Plant Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kosuke Takahashi Kanagawa Prefecture 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano-shi Toshiba Tec Corporation Hadano Plant F-term (reference) 3B061 AA05 AA06 AA11 AA26 AD05 AE05 AH02

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An air blower built in a cleaner main body, wherein air sucked from an intake port of a suction opening body is passed through a filter in a dust collecting chamber on an upstream side of the electric blower to capture dust. And returning the air discharged from the electric blower to the intake port and collecting and returning the returned air to perform cleaning while circulating the air. A guide pipe provided to maintain airtightness with respect to the return air passage across the return air passage in the main body of the cleaner, and communicate with an upstream side of the filter by being inserted into the guide pipe. And a flexible suction hose formed of a bellows tube that forms a second suction path different from the first suction path from the suction port to the dust collection chamber. An air circulation type vacuum cleaner wherein dust can be sucked through at least one of the suction port bodies. 2. A connection port for inserting a suction pipe portion of a communication pipe on a side of the suction port body on an upstream side of the dust collection chamber, wherein the guide pipe crossing the return air path is connected to the return air path. 2. The air circulation type electric cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a portion where the air passing therethrough changes its direction and flows into the suction pipe portion is provided in a slanted manner so as to follow the flow direction of the air passing through the portion. Machine. 3. A branch pipe is provided in a cylindrical portion of the connection port body into which the suction pipe section for guiding a suction air flow to the dust collection chamber is inserted, and a through hole communicating with the branch pipe is formed in the suction pipe section. Opening on the peripheral surface and connecting the suction hose to the branch pipe, allowing the suction pipe part to communicate with the suction hose, and connecting the end of the guide pipe to the branch pipe. The air-circulating vacuum cleaner according to claim 2.