JP2002355206A - Traveling vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small and light traveling vacuum cleaner at low cost, which travels by itself by a drive motor and whose electric blower is reduced in output, mass, and cost by reducing a load on the electric blower. SOLUTION: This traveling vacuum cleaner has the electric blower 1, a dust collecting chamber 2 communicating with and set in the suction side of the electric blower 1, a suction part 5 to suck dust on a face to be cleaned, a communicating pipe 6 to make the dust collecting chamber 2 communicate with the suction part 5, a traveling means 7 to make the main body 1a travel, a drive motor 8 for the main body 1a to drive the traveling means 7, and a power source cell 15 for the electric blower 1 and the drive motor of the main body 1a. The dust collecting chamber 2 is set almost above the suction part 5. The level difference between the dust collecting chamber 2 and the suction part 5 can be reduced causing to shorten a distance to move dust against gravity causing to enable dust to be efficiently moved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an overall structure of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional self-propelled cleaner will be described with reference to FIG. Conventionally, components such as the battery 15 and the travel control device 28 are placed on a chassis 20 that holds the suction portion 5,
A dust collection chamber 2 for collecting dust sucked from the suction part 5 was provided above the center of the main body. Therefore, the dust on the surface to be cleaned rises against the gravity through the hose 6, which is a communication pipe, by the suction force generated by the electric blower 1, and is carried to the dust collection chamber 2. Further, a dust collecting bag 21 is provided in the dust collecting chamber 2, and when the collected dust is discarded, the dust collecting bag 21 is removed from the dust collecting chamber 2 and the dust inside the dust collecting bag 21 is discarded. Was. This eliminates the need to bend down when removing the dust collection bag 21, thereby improving the usability when dust is discarded. In addition, in a suction unit 5 used in a conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaner having two rotating brushes (not shown) by a brush driving motor (not shown), the brushes are rotated in reverse. Therefore, even if the suction part moves in either the forward direction or the reverse direction, the surface to be cleaned such as a carpet can be effectively scraped up and effective cleaning can be performed.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional construction, since the height difference between the floor and the dust collecting chamber is large, it is necessary to use gravity to move the dust on the floor to the dust collecting chamber 2 by suction. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the output of the electric blower 1 that generates a negative pressure, and accordingly, the size and weight of the electric blower 1 increase, and as a result, the size of the main body also increases. In addition, as for the suction unit 5, when the rotating brush rotates in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, in the case of the self-propelled cleaner, particularly the one that runs using the battery 15 as a power source, the suction unit 5 supplies the motor to the main body driving motor and the brush driving motor during traveling. There is a problem that the load is large, the battery is consumed, or the life of the main body driving motor and the brush driving motor is shortened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a more compact and low-cost self-propelled cleaner by obtaining a cleaning performance equal to or longer than that of the conventional one.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric blower, a dust collection chamber communicated with a suction side of the electric blower, and a dust collecting surface. A suction unit for sucking, a communication pipe for communicating the dust collection chamber with the suction unit, a traveling unit for traveling the main body, a main body driving motor for driving the traveling unit, and a motor for driving the electric blower and the main body driving motor. An electric blower having a battery for power supply, wherein the dust collection chamber is provided substantially above the suction section, and a height difference between the dust collection chamber and the suction section is reduced, so that the electric blower required to transfer dust to the dust collection chamber is required. Even if the suction force is small, dust collection performance equal to or higher than the conventional one can be obtained. In addition, the load on the electric blower is reduced, power consumption can be reduced, and the running performance, dust collection performance, and operable time can be equal to or better than those of conventional models even when using small, lightweight, small-capacity batteries. It is possible to.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An electric blower inside the main body, a dust collection chamber communicated with a suction side of the electric blower, a suction unit for sucking dust on the surface to be cleaned, and a communication pipe for communicating the dust collection chamber with the suction unit. A traveling means for traveling the main body, a main body driving motor for driving the traveling means, a power supply battery for the electric blower and the main body driving motor, and the dust collection chamber is provided substantially above the suction portion. Since the dust collection chamber is located near the suction section, the total length of the communication pipe that connects the suction section and the dust collection chamber to each other can be reduced. Therefore, it is not necessary to transfer the dust from the suction part to the dust collection chamber over a long distance, so that the dust on the surface to be cleaned can be sufficiently transferred from the suction part to the dust collection chamber even with the suction force of the low-output electric blower. Becomes possible. Further, since the height difference between the dust collection chamber and the suction portion can be reduced, the distance for transferring dust against gravity is reduced, and more efficient dust transfer is possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cyclone device which is provided inside the main body, communicates with the suction side of the electric blower, and separates dust and air by centrifugal separation by swirling airflow. A suction unit that sucks dust on the surface to be cleaned, a communication pipe that communicates the dust collection chamber with the suction unit, a traveling unit that travels the main body, a main body driving motor that drives the traveling unit, and the electric motor. It has a blower and a power supply battery for a main body driving motor, and the cyclone device is detachable from above the main body. The dust collecting chamber is removed from the main body in order to discard dust accumulated in the dust collecting chamber. In this case, it is not necessary to take an unreasonable posture such as bending down, and the usability at the time of dust disposal can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric blower, a dust collecting chamber communicated with a suction side of the electric blower inside the main body, and a dust trap provided inside the dust collecting chamber. A dust collection filter, a suction part for sucking dust on the surface to be cleaned, a communication pipe for communicating the suction part with the dust collection chamber, a traveling means for traveling the main body, and a main body drive for driving the traveling means Motor, and a battery for power supply of the electric blower and the main body driving motor, and the suction portion is provided with a plurality of rotating brushes that rotate in the forward direction with respect to the main body forward direction by the brush driving motor. Since the main body travel is not hindered by the frictional force generated between the rotating brush and the surface to be cleaned, such as a carpet, a force is generated in a direction that assists the main body travel. Decreases the book Total power consumption becomes possible to make small ones, it is possible to lengthen the operating time. Further, it is possible to avoid a state in which the main body roller connected to the main body driving motor slips on the running surface and cannot run.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a first and a second rotary brush, which are driven to rotate by one brush driving motor, are mounted on a suction portion, and the brush driving motor and the first brush are mounted. Power is transmitted to the rotating brush via a first drive belt, and the first rotating brush and the second rotating brush
The first is connected to the motor side when removing the rotating brush from the suction part to remove the thread and hair etc. entangled in the rotating brush. By removing the drive belt, the two rotating brushes can be easily removed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, of the two rotating brushes, the length in the longitudinal direction of the first rotating brush located on the front side of the main body is changed to the length of the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body. The rotating brush is longer than the rotating brush, so that in the case of assembling the suction unit and re-attaching after removing it for maintenance, it is possible to prevent the two rotating brushes from being erroneously mounted in reverse. Also, even if it is necessary to provide other mechanical parts on the side surface of the rotating brush, or if the suction part shape is tapered rearward due to design constraints, the cleaning width can be increased by widening the front of the rotating brush. It is possible to expand.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, of the two rotating brushes, the length in the longitudinal direction of the first rotating brush located on the front side of the main body is changed to the length of the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body. It is shorter than the rotating brushes, so that in the case of assembling the suction unit and re-attaching after removing it for maintenance, it is possible to prevent the two rotating brushes from being erroneously attached in reverse. In addition, even if it is necessary to provide other mechanical parts on the side surface of the rotating brush, or if the suction part shape is narrowed forward due to design restrictions, the cleaning width can be increased by widening the rear of the rotating brush. It is possible to expand.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, of the two rotary brushes, the material of the first dust scraper attached to the first rotary brush located on the front side of the main body is changed to the rear side of the main body. The material is different from the material of the second dust scraper attached to the second rotating brush located at
It is possible to specialize each rotating brush to a different surface to be cleaned, and it is possible to increase the number of types of surfaces to be cleaned that can increase dust collection efficiency compared to the case where two rotating brushes are the same Becomes

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, at least a portion of the first dust scraper attached to the first rotary brush located on the front side of the main body among the two rotary brushes is soft. A bristle brush is used as the second dust scraper attached to the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body using a blade composed of a body, and an intake opening is provided behind the second rotating brush. At the same time, heavy dust such as sand that has fallen deeply on the surface to be cleaned, such as a carpet, is strongly scraped out by the blade provided on the rotating brush in the front, which is harder than the bristle brush. The dust is repelled by the suction opening provided at the rear and sucked into the dust collection chamber.Light dust such as cotton present on the surface to be cleaned is softly scraped off by the bristle brush provided on the rotating brush behind. , Dust collection chamber It is sucked. This makes it possible to collect different types of dusts effectively with one suction tool.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the first dust scraper attached to the first rotary brush located on the front side of the main body among the two rotary brushes has hairs. Using a brush, a blade made of a soft body is used for the second dust scraper attached to the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body, and an intake opening is provided behind the second rotating brush. Since the suction force is strong around the intake opening, the second rotating brush closer to the intake opening is provided with a blade that is harder than the bristle brush, so that heavy dust that is difficult to suck can be strongly removed. Easy scraping and suction. Since light dust such as cotton dust can be sufficiently removed with a low suction force only once it is released from the surface to be cleaned, the light dust is removed by the first rotating brush farther from the intake opening. This gives 1
It is possible to effectively collect different types of dust together with one suction tool.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, a brush driving motor for driving the rotating brush is mounted above the rotating brush built in the suction portion, and the load of the brush driving motor is reduced. Since the rotating brush is applied, the rotating brush sinks deeper on the surface to be cleaned, such as a carpet, and it is possible to effectively collect dust sinking deeper into the surface to be cleaned.

[0016]

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof.

A suction section 5 is attached to the front of the main body 1a, and is supported by a support arm 27. The suction section 5 can move up and down in accordance with the shape of the surface to be cleaned. Reference numeral 7 denotes a traveling roller as traveling means of the main body 1a, and reference numeral 8 denotes a main body driving motor. Battery 15
The main body driving motor 8, the electric blower 1, and the brush driving motor 10 inside the suction unit 5 are controlled by the control circuit 28 using the power supply as a power source. Collect dust in the dust chamber 2. Exhaust air discharged from the electric blower 1 cools the battery 15 by passing through a gap provided inside the battery 15, and is discharged to the outside of the main body 1a. A caster roller 17 is provided at the rear of the main body 1a, whereby the main body 1a can keep a balance and run. A bumper 18 is attached to the outer periphery of the main body 1a, and detects that the main body 1a has come into contact with an obstacle. The obstacle is also sensed by the distance measuring sensor 30 attached to each part of the main body 1a, and can be optically sensed without coming into contact with the obstacle. Behind the main body roller 7 and the caster roller 17, a brush 29 for erasing traces of the main body roller 7 and the caster roller 17 passing over the surface to be cleaned is provided.

4 and 5, a dust collecting chamber 2 provided immediately above the suction section 5 has a dust collecting filter 3 mounted on the upper surface thereof, and the negative pressure generated by the electric blower 1 is a dust collecting chamber. It covers the upper surface of the filter 3. The dust is sucked into the suction section 5
Further, it passes through the inside of the communication pipe 6 communicating with this, and is transferred to the dust collection chamber 2. The dust is separated into air and dust by the dust filter 3, and only the air passes through the dust filter 3 and flows into the electric blower 1. The communication pipe 6 is provided with a sensor 22 for optically detecting dust passing through the inside of the communication pipe 6, and controlling the output of the electric blower based on the signal of the sensor 22 in a place with a lot of dust. Increases the output of the electric blower to improve the dust collecting force, and lowers the output of the electric blower 1 in places where there is little dust so that the main body 1a
Minimize the power to drive.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the internal structure of the suction part of the present invention. The brush driving motor 10 is provided above the first rotating brush 9a and the second rotating brush 9b, and transmits a power from the brush driving motor 10 to the front first rotating brush 9a. Of the drive belt 11a. A second drive belt 11b for transmitting power is hung between the first rotating brush 9a and the second rotating brush 9b, and the power is first transmitted from the brush driving motor 10 to the first rotating brush 9a. Then, it is transmitted to the second rotating brush 9b and rotates in the forward direction with respect to the forward direction. A safety switch 25 is provided at the front of the suction section 5.
The first rotating brush 9 detects that the suction portion 5 has risen above the surface to be cleaned.
The rotation of a and b is stopped. Numerous raised cloths 26 are attached to the bottom surface of the suction portion, and are softly in contact with the surface to be cleaned, thereby preventing the surface to be cleaned from being damaged. Each of the first rotating brush 9a and the second rotating brush 9b is provided with a blade 12a made of a fine-pile cut-pile spun cloth and brush bristles 12b as a dust scraper, and thereby a carpet or the like. Up the dust present on the surface to be cleaned. Incidentally, the combination of the materials of the rotating brush and the dust scraper has the respective effects even if they are reversed. Further, since the brush driving motor 10 is provided above the first rotating brush 9a and the second rotating brush 9b, the load of the brush driving motor 10 is reduced by the first rotating brush 9a and the second rotating brush 9b. , The first rotating brush 9a and the second rotating brush 9b sink deeper on the surface to be cleaned such as a carpet, and can effectively collect the dust sinking deep in the surface to be cleaned. FIG. 8 shows that the front of the suction portion 5 is tapered forward due to the restriction of the external shape of the main body 1a, but the first rotary brush 9a having a small length in the longitudinal direction is provided in front. By mounting the second rotating brush 9b wide behind, it is possible to increase the suction width of the entire suction portion.

On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows a case where the length of the second rotating brush 9b behind the suction part 5 in the longitudinal direction is smaller than that of the first rotating brush 9a on the front side. This is the second
This is because safety switches 25 are provided on the left and right of the rotating brush 9b. Numerous raised cloths 26 are attached to the bottom surface of the suction portion, and are softly in contact with the surface to be cleaned, thereby preventing the surface to be cleaned from being damaged.

(Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 10 shows the structure of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment. The dust sucked through the inside of the communication pipe from the suction part is collected from the dust collection chamber opening 23. It flows into the chamber 2 together with the air. The air and dust turn around the outer periphery of the pre-filter 24 at high speed, and the dust having a certain amount of mass accumulates in the lower portion of the dust collection chamber 2 due to the centrifugal force pressed against the outer wall of the dust collection chamber 2. Air and light dust are entrained in the air stream and removed through the pre-filter 24. The eyes of the pre-filter 24 are set slightly larger, and fine dust that has passed through the pre-filter 24 is finally completely removed by the dust collecting filter 3, and only air flows into the electric blower 1. The dust collection chamber 2 is configured to be detachable from the main body by a handle portion provided on the top surface, and the dust collection chamber 2 can be taken to a trash can, where the dust inside can be discarded, thereby improving usability. Are better.

[0024]

According to the present invention, since the height difference between the dust collecting chamber and the suction section is reduced, even if the suction force of the electric blower required to transfer the dust to the dust collecting chamber is small, it is equal to or higher than the conventional one. Dust collection performance can be obtained. In addition, the load on the electric blower is reduced, and power consumption can be reduced.
Even if a small, lightweight, small-capacity battery is used, the running performance, the dust collection performance, and the operable time can be made equal to or longer than the conventional one.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration near a suction part of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a configuration near a suction portion of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a suction part of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a suction portion of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a suction portion of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a suction portion of another self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric blower 2 Dust collection chamber 3 Dust collection filter 5 Suction part 6 Communication pipe 7 Main body roller 8 Main body drive motor 9 Rotary brush 10 Brush drive motor 11a First drive belt 11b Second drive belt 12 Dust scraper 15 Battery 31 Intake opening

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Mori 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Hidetaka Yabuuchi 1006 Kadoma, Kazuma, Osaka Pref. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An electric blower inside a main body, a dust collection chamber communicated with a suction side of the electric blower, a suction part for sucking dust on a surface to be cleaned, and the dust collection chamber and the suction part. A communication pipe for communication, a traveling means for traveling the main body, a main body driving motor for driving the traveling means, a power supply battery for the electric blower and the main body driving motor, and Self-propelled vacuum cleaner installed almost above. 2. A motor-driven blower inside the main body, and a cyclone device communicated with a suction side of the motor-driven blower and separating dust and air by centrifugal separation by a swirling airflow;
A suction unit that sucks dust on the surface to be cleaned, a communication pipe that communicates the dust collection chamber with the suction unit, a traveling unit that travels the main body, a main body driving motor that drives the traveling unit, and the electric motor. A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a blower and a battery for a power source of a motor for driving the main body, wherein the cyclone device is detachable from above the main body. 3. An electric blower inside the main body, a dust collecting chamber communicated with a suction side of the electric blower, a dust collecting filter provided inside the dust collecting chamber for capturing dust, and a surface to be cleaned. A suction unit that sucks the dust, a communication pipe that communicates the dust collection chamber with the suction unit, a traveling unit that travels the main body, a main body driving motor that drives the traveling unit, the electric blower, and the main body A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a battery for a power source of a driving motor, and a plurality of rotating brushes provided in the suction portion in a forward direction with respect to a main body moving direction by a brush driving motor. 4. A suction unit in which first and second rotating brushes driven by one brush driving motor are mounted, and a first driving belt is mounted on the brush driving motor and the first rotating brush. The self-propelled vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein power is transmitted through the first rotary brush and the second rotary brush is connected by a second drive belt to transmit power. Type vacuum cleaner. 5. The length of the first rotating brush located on the front side of the main body among the two rotating brushes is longer than the length of the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body. Or the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to 4. 6. The length of the first rotating brush located on the front side of the main body among the two rotating brushes is shorter than the length of the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body. Or the self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to 4. 7. The first rotating brush, which is attached to the first rotating brush positioned on the front side of the main body, of the two rotating brushes, and the material of the first dust brush is changed to the second rotating brush positioned on the rear side of the main body. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is different from a material of the second dust scraper to be attached. 8. A blade made of a soft material is used for at least a part of the first dust scraper attached to the first rotary brush located on the front side of the main body among the two rotary brushes, 8. A brush according to claim 3, wherein a bristle brush is used as the second dust scraper attached to the second rotating brush located on the rear side of the main body, and an intake opening is provided behind the second rotating brush. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 1. 9. A bristle brush is used for at least a part of a first dust scraper attached to a first rotary brush located on a front side of the main body, and a bristle brush is positioned on a rear side of the main body. Second rotating brush attached to the second rotating brush
The self-propelled electric cleaner according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein a blade made of a soft body is used as the dust scraper, and an intake opening is provided behind the second rotating brush. Machine. 10. The self-propelled vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein a brush driving motor for driving the rotary brush is mounted above the rotary brush built in the suction unit. .