JP2001128902A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the force for operating a vacuum cleaner to facilitate the use of vacuum cleaner by integrating an intake body with a cleaner body storing a dust collecting function. SOLUTION: A dust collection room 4 with a dust collection bag 3, a machine room 7 with an electric fan 6 mounted inside, and a high pressure room 15 for accumulating air discharged from the electric fan 6 are mounted in the cleaner body 1 of this vacuum cleaner. An intake hole 12 and a vent hole 14 which is an opening of the high pressure room 15 are formed is the bottom of the cleaner body 1. Air including dust is sucked from the intake hole 12, dust in the air is collected, and the discharged air is guided to the high pressure room 15. Then, the inside of the high pressure room 15 is in the pressurized condition to form an air cushion, so that the cleaner body 1 is floated by the lift force of the air cushion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a main body and an integrated suction port for sucking dust on the floor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a general canister type vacuum cleaner, all the dust collecting functions such as a dust collecting chamber and an electric blower are housed in a vacuum cleaner body connected to a suction opening body by an extension pipe and a hose. Further, in the vertical vacuum cleaner, a suction port body is provided separately from a main body in which all the dust collecting functions are stored, and the suction port body is rotatably attached to the main body to be integrated.

[0003] Among these vacuum cleaners, there have been proposed levitation type vacuum cleaners which have a small turn and are easy to use. For example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-189151,
A skirt portion is formed on the main body containing a dust collecting function separate from the suction port body, and the main body is floated by the pressure of exhaust gas discharged into the skirt portion. Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-84172, the main body, which is provided separately from the suction port body, is set up, and the main body is floated by exhausting air from the rear surface of the main body.

[0004]

However, in any of the above vacuum cleaners, only the main body is floated, and the suction port body is not designed to float, so that the operation force of the suction port body can be reduced. Not been. Further, there is a problem that the exhaust gas discharged toward the floor surface leaks to the surroundings and blows off dust around the surroundings. Further, even if a skirt portion is employed for stabilizing the floating, if there is a step or the like, a gap between the floor and the floor becomes large, and there is a problem that the exhaust leaks and the floating becomes unstable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a floating type vacuum cleaner which is easy to use by integrating a suction port with a main body having a dust collecting function.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The object of the present invention is to improve the usability by concentrating a dust collecting function and a suction port body in one main body and floating by using exhaust air. The suction port and the exhaust port are independently disposed on the bottom surface of the main body including the dust collection chamber and the electric blower.
Specifically, a high-pressure chamber that opens toward the floor surface is provided at the lower part of the main body, an exhaust passage that communicates from the electric blower to the high-pressure chamber is formed, and the exhaust is guided to the high-pressure chamber to pressurize the high-pressure chamber. Then, suction is performed from the suction port while the main body floats by forming an air cushion.

Therefore, by floating the main body having the dust collecting function and the suction port integrated with each other, the movement of the main body becomes easy and the operating force is reduced. Therefore, the user can perform cleaning with a small force, and the usability is improved.

Here, in order to achieve stable floating, it is only necessary to reduce the amount of exhaust gas leaking from the gap between the main body and the floor.
Therefore, a shielding member is provided so as to surround the exhaust port or the outer periphery of the main body, and the gap is shielded by contacting the floor surface. As a result, unnecessary leakage of exhaust gas is eliminated, sufficient lift can be obtained, and the main body can be maintained in a stable floating state.

At this time, if the shielding member is vertically movable, the shielding member moves up and down in response to a change in the floor surface, so that the gap between the main body and the floor surface is reliably shielded, and exhaust gas leaks. Can be difficult. Therefore, a stable lift can be always obtained, and the floating can be prevented from becoming unstable.

By the way, the exhaust must be exhausted from the exhaust port. However, if the exhaust is exhausted from the bottom of the main body as it is, the surrounding dust will be blown off, and the room may be unsanitary. Therefore, an exhaust path for guiding the exhaust gas may be formed so that the exhaust gas is not exhausted to the floor surface but is exhausted outside the floor surface, for example, upward or to the side. Alternatively, as another means, the exhaust gas may be circulated inside the main body without being exhausted to the outside. That is, an intake passage is formed to guide the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port together with the dust to the dust collection chamber, and the exhaust gas is circulated while the exhaust gas is guided to the exhaust port to float the main body. Therefore, since the exhaust gas is not directly discharged from the main body toward the external floor surface, it does not blow out the surrounding dust, is sanitary, and can efficiently suck the dust on the floor surface.

In the latter means, when the exhaust gas is circulated, the temperature of the exhaust gas gradually rises due to the heat generated by the electric blower. Therefore, it is necessary to cool the electric blower in consideration of safety. Therefore, if an air intake hole is formed in the main body and outside air is guided to the electric blower, the electric blower is cooled, the temperature of exhaust gas is reduced, and a rise in the temperature inside the main body can be prevented, thereby increasing safety.

Also, if wheels are provided on the bottom surface of the main body,
Even if levitation becomes unstable due to a decrease in the exhaust air volume or a change in the gap due to unevenness on the floor surface, the clearance between the main body and the floor surface will not exceed a certain level due to the wheels contacting the floor surface, Leakage can be prevented. Therefore, even if the main body does not sufficiently float, running performance and operability are not impaired.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a vacuum cleaner according to this embodiment. In this vacuum cleaner, a dust collecting function and a suction port function are integrated into a box-shaped cleaner main body 1, and an operating rod 2 is provided to easily move the main body 1.
Is rotatably mounted. The operating rod 2 can be operated at any angle in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the operating rod 2 is provided with a hand switch. Note that the operating rod 2 may not be provided, and there is no problem in using the operating rod. A power cord (not shown) is connected to the main body 1, and the power cord is housed inside the main body 1 or outside the main body 1.

Inside the main body 1, there are provided a dust collecting chamber 4 in which a detachable paper dust bag 3 is mounted, and a machine room 7 in which an electric blower 6 is mounted via a vibration isolator 5 made of rubber or the like. And the dust collection chamber 4
The machine room 7 is communicated with the machine room 7 via a vent 8 and a filter. An upper lid 9 is provided on the upper surface of the dust collecting chamber 4 so as to be openable and closable, and the dust collecting bag 3 can be detached by opening the upper lid 9.
An intake port 10 is formed at the front of the dust collection chamber 4, and an exhaust port 11 is formed at the rear of the machine chamber 7.

A suction port 12 is provided on the bottom of the main body 1 at the front side thereof.
Is formed, and the intake port 1 is directed upward from the intake port 12.
A space on the front side of the main body 1 reaching 0 is an intake passage 13. Then, an exhaust port 14 is formed on the rear side of the intake port 12,
The suction ports 12 are arranged independently of each other.

A high-pressure chamber 15 for accumulating the exhaust air from the electric blower 6 is provided at a lower portion in the main body 1, and a bottom surface of the high-pressure chamber 15 is opened toward a floor 16, which serves as an exhaust port 14. Here, the lower edge of the side wall 15a (including the side wall forming a part of the outer wall 1a of the main body 1) forming the high-pressure chamber 15 is curved in the horizontal direction to form a part of the bottom surface, and the main body 1 moves. Even when it hits an obstacle, it does not get caught.

An exhaust passage 17 communicating between the high-pressure chamber 15 and the exhaust outlet 11 is formed in the main body 1. The exhaust passage 17 is provided between the dust collection chamber 4 and the machine room 7 from the rear side of the main body 1.
, And communicates with the high-pressure chamber 15. Exhaust passage 17
At the outlet side of the dispersion chamber 1 so that the exhaust is not directly blown out toward the floor 16 but is blown out to the four sides of the high-pressure chamber 15.
8 are provided, and a plurality of holes 19 communicating with the high-pressure chamber 15 are formed on the outer periphery of the dispersion chamber 18.

When the vacuum cleaner having the above structure is not used, the bottom surface of the main body 1 made of a rigid material is
Is placed in contact with When an electric vacuum cleaner is used, the operation of the electric blower 6 causes the suction port 12 to operate.
The air containing dust is sucked from the air inlet and enters the dust collecting bag 3 from the air inlet 10. Dust is collected in the dust collection bag 3, only air is sucked into the machine room 7 by the electric blower 6, and exits from the exhaust outlet 11 as exhaust while cooling the electric blower 6. The exhaust gas is discharged from the dispersion chamber 18 to the high-pressure chamber 15 through the exhaust passage 17. In FIG. 1, the solid arrows indicate the flow of intake air,
Dashed arrows indicate the flow of exhaust.

Since the bottom surface of the high-pressure chamber 15 is closed by contacting the bottom surface 16 with the floor surface 16, exhaust gas is accumulated inside the high-pressure chamber 15, and the pressure is increased to form a pressurized state, thereby forming an air cushion. Then, by the lift of the air cushion, the main body 1
Rises from the floor surface 16. After the ascent, a gap is formed between the main body 1 and the floor surface 16, and the accumulated exhaust is exhausted from the exhaust port 14 by an amount corresponding to the intake air, and the pressure in the high-pressure chamber 15 is kept substantially constant. The floating state is maintained. In this state, the frictional resistance between the main body 1 and the floor 16 is reduced, the main body 1 can be moved smoothly, the handling of the main body 1 becomes easy, and the floor 16 can be easily cleaned. .

By the way, if the exhaust gas discharged to the bottom of the main body 1 leaks too much to the outside, the pressure decreases and the lift decreases.
Levitation becomes unstable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, by providing a shielding member 20 around the exhaust port 14, it is possible to prevent the exhaust from leaking to the outside and to obtain a stable floating.

The shielding member 20 is a banner-shaped sheet, and is made of a flexible material having a small frictional resistance, for example, a soft plastic coated with a fluororesin such as Teflon. The upper part of the shielding member 20 is the side wall 1 of the high-pressure chamber 15.
5a, the lower portion is a free end, and is set to a length that makes contact with the floor surface 16 even when the main body 1 floats. Since the suction port 12 is provided on the front side of the main body 1, the shielding member 20 may not be provided.

Thus, when the main body 1 is in the floating state, the exhaust port 1 is
4 is surrounded so that a large amount of exhaust gas does not leak to the outside from the gap between the main body 1 and the floor surface 16, and the floating of the main body 1 is stabilized. When the pressure in the high-pressure chamber 15 increases, the shielding member 20 slightly bends outward due to the pressure, and the exhaust is discharged in an amount corresponding to the intake. In addition, since the amount of exhaust air discharged to the outside of the main body 1 by the shielding member 20 is minimized, it is possible to prevent dust around the main body 1 from being blown off, and to efficiently suck dust from the inlet 12.

Next, another embodiment of the shielding member 20 is shown in FIG. The shielding member 20 is formed by combining a plurality of rod-shaped shielding bodies 21 made of the same soft material as described above, and is supported on the main body 1 so as to be vertically movable. That is, a rail 22 and a groove 23 with which the rail 22 can be engaged are formed in the shield 21,
The rails 22 of one shield 21 are in the groove 23 of the next shield 21
Are vertically movable with each other. Then, a cover 24 that covers the upper part of the shielding member 20 is formed on the side wall 15 a, a vertical hole 25 is formed in any of the plurality of shielding bodies 21, and the cover 24 is formed in the vertical hole 25.
By passing a pin 26 provided between the main body 1 and the side wall 15a, the shield 21 is supported movably in the vertical direction by a predetermined distance with respect to the main body 1. In addition, the suction port 12
On the front side of the main body 1, there is no problem even if there is a gap between the main body 1 and the floor surface 16. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the shield 21.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
The shield 21 moves up and down in accordance with the shape of the floor, and comes into contact with the floor 16 by its own weight. Therefore, even if the main body 1 floats, it is difficult to form a gap with the floor surface 16, leakage of exhaust gas is minimized, a stable floating state can be maintained, and peripheral dust is prevented from being blown off. it can.

Instead of lowering the shield 21 by its own weight, an urging member 27 such as a spring may be provided as shown in FIG. The shield 21 can be brought into contact with the floor 16.
The urging body 27 is interposed between the shielding body 21 and the cover 24, and is provided at an appropriate interval.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The exhaust hole 28 is formed on the upper surface of the cover 24 by increasing the distance between the side wall 4 and the side wall 15a. Note that the exhaust hole 28 is
It may be located at a higher position, and may be formed on the side surface of the cover 24. As a result, the exhaust gas leaked from the gap between the main body 1 and the floor 16 rises along the outer periphery of the main body 1 and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust holes 28. That is, the space surrounded by the side wall 15 a, the cover 24, and the shielding member 20 serves as an exhaust path 29 that guides the exhaust air to an area other than the floor 16. Therefore, the exhaust is not exhausted toward the floor 16, so that the surrounding dust is not blown off, and the exhaust is exhausted upward under the bottom surface of the main body 1, so that a stable lift can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 9 and 10 show a vacuum cleaner according to this embodiment. In this vacuum cleaner, an intake passage 13 is formed so that the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port 14 can be sucked again together with dust, and the exhaust gas is circulated without being discharged to the outside. That is, an annular suction port 12 is formed on the bottom surface of the main body 1 along the outer periphery, and surrounds the exhaust port 14. An annular space is formed between the dust collecting chamber 4, the mechanical chamber 7, and the high-pressure chamber 15 and the outer wall 1 a of the main body 1, and this space is provided with an intake passage 13 communicating the exhaust port 14 and the intake port 10. Become. Further, the same shielding member 20 as in the above embodiment is attached to the outer wall 1a of the main body 1 so that the exhaust gas does not leak outside the main body 1. Other configurations are the same as the above embodiment.

When using a vacuum cleaner, the electric blower 6
Is activated, air containing dust is sucked from the suction port 12 and enters the dust collection bag 3 from the suction port 10. Dust is collected in the dust collection bag 3, only air is sucked into the machine room 7 by the electric blower 6, and exits from the exhaust outlet 11 as exhaust while cooling the electric blower 6. The exhaust gas is discharged from the dispersion chamber 18 to the high-pressure chamber 15 through the exhaust passage 17.

Since the bottom of the high-pressure chamber 15 is closed by contacting the bottom surface 16, the exhaust gas is accumulated inside the high-pressure chamber 15 and the pressure is increased to be in a pressurized state, thereby forming an air cushion. Then, by the lift of the air cushion, the main body 1
Rises from the floor.

When floating, a gap is formed between the main body 1 and the floor 16, and the accumulated exhaust is exhausted from the exhaust port 14 by an amount corresponding to the intake air, and the pressure in the high-pressure chamber 15 is kept substantially constant. The floating state of the main body 1 is maintained. The discharged exhaust gas is sucked again along with dust from the surrounding suction port 12,
It reaches the intake port 10 through the intake channel 13 and circulates.

Therefore, the frictional resistance between the main body 1 and the floor 16 is reduced, the main body 1 can be moved smoothly, the handling of the main body 1 becomes easy, and the floor 16 is easily cleaned. Can be. In addition, since the exhaust air is blown out to the floor surface 16 in the main body 1, dust on the floor surface 16 floats and is easily sucked, and especially the interior of the carpet can be efficiently cleaned. Moreover, since the area of the suction port 12 becomes large, it is possible to clean a wide area,
Cleaning time can be reduced.

At this time, a shielding member 20 is provided around the main body 1.
Is provided, the gap between the main body 1 and the floor 16 is shielded even when the main body 1 floats, and the exhaust does not leak out of the main body 1. As described above, since the exhaust gas is not exhausted to the outside of the main body 1, dust around the main body 1 is not blown off, and the vacuum cleaner can be handled without polluting indoor air.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 11, an intake hole 30 for introducing outside air is preferably formed in a lattice shape on the upper surface of the machine room 7 of the main body 1 on the intake side of the electric blower 6. Even if the exhaust gas whose temperature has risen due to the heat generated by the electric blower 6 circulates, since the low-temperature air is sucked in from the outside, the electric blower 6 is cooled and the exhaust gas does not become hot, and the temperature rise in the main body 1 is suppressed. Can be. Therefore, there is no problem such as deformation of the member due to excessive temperature rise,
It is possible to prevent the cleaning ability from lowering and extend the life of the vacuum cleaner.

When the main body 1 is cleaned while being floated by the exhaust air, the air flow decreases as the amount of dust collection increases. Furthermore, the main body 1
When the gap between the bottom surface and the floor surface 16 becomes uneven, the floating conditions are not constant, and the floating becomes unstable. Thus, the main body 1
Since the running and operability of the vehicle 1 are affected, as shown in FIG.
Even if the main body 1 does not float sufficiently, the traveling performance and the operability are not affected.

The wheels 31 are rotatable freely in all directions, for example, casters.
It is attached to the bottom of the periphery. Since the gap between the exhaust port 14 and the floor 16 is increased by the attachment of the wheels 31, the side wall 1 a of the main body 1 is accordingly
, But does not protrude below the wheels 31. Further, the shielding member 20 is also extended, and is set to a length that reliably shields a gap between the main body 1 and the floor surface 16 when the main body 1 floats. That is, it is made to protrude below the wheel 31. Note that the shielding member 2 is also provided on the side wall 15a of the high-pressure chamber 15.
When 0 is provided, exhaust gas leaking from the exhaust port 14 can be reduced, the high-pressure chamber 15 can be maintained in a pressurized state, and stable floating can be performed.

As a result, since the main body 1 normally floats by the exhaust air, the wheels 31 are not used. However, if the floating becomes unstable due to a decrease in the air volume or the unevenness of the floor 16, the wheels 31 contact the floor 16. Thus, traveling performance and operability are ensured. Therefore, it is possible to always perform cleaning with a light operating force regardless of the decrease in the air volume and the unevenness of the floor surface 16.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above-described embodiment within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment, wheels may be provided in order to ensure traveling and operability. In each embodiment, the suction port may be arranged at the center of the bottom surface of the main body, and the exhaust port may be arranged around the center.

If there is a function capable of changing the suction force by switching operation, when the suction force is reduced, an air flow sufficient to float the main body cannot be obtained. If a blower is provided in the exhaust flow path and the auxiliary electric blower is controlled to operate in conjunction with the operation with a small suction force, the intake from the auxiliary electric blower and the exhaust from the electric blower are combined. If it is led to a high-pressure chamber, the main body can be lifted.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a suction port and an exhaust port are formed on the bottom surface of a main body provided with a dust collecting chamber and an electric blower, so that the main body has all functions integrated. The main body is smoothly moved by floating the air by the exhaust, so that it can be easily handled. Therefore, the power required for operating the vacuum cleaner can be reduced, and the usability is improved. In addition, there is no need to separately provide a suction port body as in the related art, so that the vacuum cleaner as a whole can be made compact and the storage property can be improved. Further, since exhaust gas is not directly emitted to the outside, noise can be reduced.

By providing a shielding member so that the exhaust gas does not leak to the outside, the main body can be maintained in a stable floating state. In addition, this state can be maintained irrespective of changes in the floor surface, and cleaning can be easily performed with stable floating.

Further, by discharging the exhaust air to a place other than the floor, it is possible to prevent dust on the floor from blowing away.
Sanitary and cleaning efficiency is improved. Alternatively, even if the exhaust gas is sucked up again and circulated while the body is levitated without exhausting it to the outside, dust can be prevented from blowing off, and cleaning can be performed with a small operating force without polluting the room. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vacuum cleaner having a shielding member.

5A and 5B show another form of a shielding member, wherein FIG. 5A is a sectional view of a main part, FIG. 5B is a front view, and FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the shielding member moved up and down according to the shape of the floor surface.

7A and 7B show another form of the shielding member, wherein FIG. 7A is a sectional view of a main part, and FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a vacuum cleaner capable of exhausting upward.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the same vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a vacuum cleaner having a shielding member.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a vacuum cleaner provided with wheels.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner main body 4 Dust collection room 6 Electric blower 12 Suction port 13 Intake flow path 14 Exhaust port 15 High pressure chamber 16 Floor surface 17 Exhaust flow path 20 Shielding member

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A suction port and an exhaust port are provided on a bottom surface of a cleaner body provided with a dust collecting chamber and an electric blower, and the suction port and the exhaust port are arranged independently, and An electric vacuum cleaner, wherein exhaust gas is guided to the exhaust port to float a vacuum cleaner body. 2. A high-pressure chamber that opens toward the floor surface is provided at a lower portion of the cleaner main body, an exhaust passage that communicates from the electric blower to the high-pressure chamber is formed, and the opening of the high-pressure chamber is an exhaust port. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust from the electric blower is guided to the high-pressure chamber, and the high-pressure chamber is pressurized to float the cleaner body. 3. A shielding member is provided around the exhaust port to prevent exhaust gas from leaking to the outside.
Vacuum cleaner as described. 4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein an exhaust passage for guiding a part of the exhaust from the exhaust port to the outside other than the floor surface is formed in the cleaner body. 5. A suction port and an exhaust port are provided on a bottom surface of a vacuum cleaner main body provided with a dust collecting chamber and an electric blower, and the suction port and the exhaust port are arranged independently and discharged from the exhaust port. An intake passage is formed to guide the exhaust gas again to the dust collection chamber together with the dust, and the exhaust gas is circulated while guiding the exhaust gas from the electric blower to the exhaust port to float the cleaner body. Vacuum cleaner. 6. A high-pressure chamber that opens toward the floor surface is provided at a lower portion of the cleaner main body, an exhaust passage that leads from the electric blower to the high-pressure chamber is formed, and the opening of the high-pressure chamber is an exhaust port. An intake passage is formed so as to surround a periphery of the exhaust port, and exhaust gas from the electric blower is guided to the high-pressure chamber, and the high-pressure chamber is pressurized to float the cleaner body. 5. The vacuum cleaner according to 5. 7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein an air inlet for introducing outside air for cooling the electric blower is formed in the cleaner body. 8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein a shielding member is provided around a lower portion of the cleaner body to prevent exhaust gas from leaking outside. 9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the shielding member is vertically movable and comes into contact with the floor surface by its own weight. 10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the shielding member is movable up and down, and an urging body for urging the shielding member toward the floor is provided. 11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein wheels are provided on a bottom surface of the cleaner body. 12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an operating rod is provided on the cleaner body so as to be rotatable.