JP2003235770A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cleaner that permits a selective use of a commercial power supply in place of a battery pack when necessary and that is less likely to be heavier and less likely to lose operability. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum cleaner has a cleaner body 2, and is equipped with a dust chamber 21, an electric blower 14 depressurizing the dust chamber 21, and a rechargeable battery pack 30 driving the electric blower 14 in the cleaner body 2. The battery pack 30 is extractably stored in a storage chamber 22 formed in the cleaner body 2. An electric current exchanger (electric current exchange circuit) 42 electrically connected to a commercial power supply through a power cord 43a and a cord reel 43 around which the power cord 43a is wound in the storage chamber 22 in place of the battery pack 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner in which a battery unit for driving an electric blower is housed in a main body of the vacuum cleaner so as to be freely inserted and removed. [0002] Conventional vacuum cleaners include a dust collection chamber,
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a device provided with a cleaner main body including an electric blower for making the dust collection chamber a negative pressure and a battery unit for driving the electric blower. The battery unit is housed in a storage room formed in the cleaner body so as to be able to be taken in and out freely. The battery unit is charged every time the battery unit is used for a predetermined time, and is a so-called storage battery. [0004] However, the above-described vacuum cleaner has an advantage that the power cord is not required and does not hinder the cleaning, but when the power in the battery unit runs out, the electric blower is not used. Could not be driven. Therefore, it cannot be used for a long time, and there is a problem that the usability is poor depending on the place to be cleaned, such as when cleaning over a wide area. [0005] In addition, a predetermined time is required to fully charge the battery unit, and there has been a problem that the cleaning operation cannot be performed immediately. As described above, since the battery unit alone cannot withstand long-term use, power is supplied from the commercial power supply to the battery unit via the charging stand while the charging stand for charging the battery unit is set in the cleaner body. Vacuum cleaners that can be used while cleaning are also being considered. However, in this case, the weight of the charging stand is added to the worker in addition to the weight of the main body of the vacuum cleaner, so that the weight becomes heavy and the operability is deteriorated. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can selectively use electric power from a commercial power supply instead of a battery unit as required, and which does not become heavy and does not deteriorate in operability. And [0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a current exchange circuit electrically connected to a commercial power supply via a power cord, and a cord for winding the power cord. A power supply unit having a reel and a power supply unit is provided, and the power supply unit is replaced with a battery pack as necessary, so that the power supply unit can be detachably stored in a storage room formed in the cleaner body. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present invention includes a cleaner body 2 and a suction hose 3 detachably connected to the cleaner body 2. A suction port body 6 is detachably connected to an operation tube 4 connected to the distal end portion 3 a of the suction hose 3 via an extension tube 5. The cleaner main body 2 has an upper case 7 and a lower case 8, and the upper and lower cases 7, 8 are detachably fixed by a plurality of clamp means 9 provided on the lower case 8. The cleaner body 2 is made movable by a plurality of casters 10 provided below the lower case 8. The upper case 7 has a tubular portion 11, an upper lid portion 12 covering the upper end portion of the tubular portion, and a lower flange portion 13 provided at the lower end portion of the tubular portion 11, and has an outer surface shape. It is formed in a substantially reel shape. As shown in FIG. 3 (a) or FIG. 6, the cylindrical portion 11 has a fan chamber 1 in which an electric blower 14 is disposed.
4a are formed. Further, a plurality of exhaust ports 15 are formed on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 11, and the outside air and the fan chamber 14a are communicated. On the upper surface of the upper cover 12, a switch 16 for starting the electric blower 14 and a handle H for carrying are provided. The lower flange portion 13 is formed with a suction opening 17 penetrating in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the edge. A substantially L-shaped connection pipe 18 connected to the suction hose 3 is attached to the outer end of the suction opening 17 so as to be freely rotatable in the horizontal direction. A guide 17a is provided at the inner end of the suction opening 17 to guide the air and dust sucked in the circumferential direction to form a swirling flow. The lower case 8 has a substantially cylindrical body 19 with an upper opening, and a bottom plate 19a provided with casters 10 is provided at the lower end of the body 19. As shown in FIG. 3A or FIG. 6, the body portion 19 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the lower flange portion 13 described above. Inside the body 19, a partition plate 20 is provided in the middle part in the vertical direction along the horizontal direction, and a dust collection chamber 21 and a storage chamber 22 are sequentially formed from above. A dust collection container 21a having an upper opening is fitted into the dust collection chamber 21, and the opening is covered by the upper case 7 via a filter 21b. The storage chamber 22 has an opening 22a formed between the partition plate 20 and the bottom plate 19a of the body 19, and opened to the side of the body 19. Between the partition plate 20 and the bottom plate 19a, a pair of guide plates 22b, 22b extending in parallel at intervals are provided vertically (see FIG. 3 (a)). In FIG. 4, a battery unit 30 is stored in the storage chamber 22, and in FIG. 7, a power supply unit 40 is stored in place of the battery unit 30. When the battery unit 30 is stored, a connector 33 projecting from the battery unit 30 is connected to the storage chamber 22.
Is stored, a connector 42a protruding from the power supply unit 40 is connected, and a lead wire (not shown) for transmitting current to the electric blower 14 is provided. The battery unit 30 includes a battery pack 34 and a battery holding case 35 into which two battery packs 34 are inserted. As shown in FIG. 2A, the battery pack 34 includes a pair of dividable battery covers 31, 32.
And a plurality of battery shells (rechargeable batteries) (not shown) built in the battery covers 31 and 32, and a connector 33 connected to the battery shell and protruding from one of the battery covers 31. Note that this battery cover 3
Reference numerals 1 and 32 are engaged by bolts (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2B, the battery holding case 35 includes a lower case 36, an upper case 37, and a lid case 38. The lower case 36 and the upper case 37 form a battery pack. An insertion portion 35a for inserting the insertion portion 34 is formed. A cover member 38 covering the opening of the insertion portion 35a is hinged to the lower case portion 36 so as to be rotatable downward. The insertion part 35a is divided into two parts by a vertically extending partition wall 37a formed on the upper case part 37, so that the two battery packs 34, 3
4 is inserted (see FIG. 3B). In the battery holding case 35, two connector openings 35b (not shown) for projecting the connector 33 of the battery pack 34 are formed in a rear wall surface 36a facing the lid case portion 38. I have. The power supply unit 40 is, as shown in FIG.
A box 41, an AC / DC adapter (AC / DC converter) 42 provided in the box 41, and an AC / DC
A cord reel 43 for winding a power cord 43 a connected to the adapter 42 and a lid 44 covering the box 41 are provided. The box 41 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top, and a shaft hole 41a for supporting the code reel 43 is provided on the bottom surface. AC / DC is provided on the side of the box 41.
A connector opening 41b for projecting the connector 42a of the adapter 42 is formed, and a code opening 41d for leading out the power cord 43a is formed on a lid surface 41c facing a side surface on which the connector opening 41b is formed. The AC / DC adapter 42 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a built-in current conversion circuit for converting an AC current to a DC current. A connector 42a electrically connected to the current conversion circuit protrudes from the side. I have. In the cord reel 43, disks are respectively mounted near both ends of the shaft portion 43b, and a power cord 43a is wound between the disks. The power cord 43a has one end connected to a current conversion circuit in the AC / DC adapter 42 and the other end provided with an outlet 43c connected to a commercial power supply. The cover 44 has a U-shaped cross section, and is provided with a shaft hole 43a for supporting the code reel 43 on the upper surface. The power supply unit 40 is mounted on the shaft 4 of the cord reel 43 with the outlet 43c of the power cord 43a slightly pulled out from the cord opening 41d.
3b is inserted into the shaft hole 41a of the box 41, and the connector 42a of the AC / DC adapter 42 projects from the connector opening 41b.
And are formed together. At this time, a shaft hole 44 provided in the lid 44 is provided.
The other end of the shaft portion 43b of the code reel 43 is inserted into a, and the code reel 43 is rotatably sandwiched between the box 41 and the cover 44. Next, the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 will be described. To use the vacuum cleaner 1, first,
Either the battery unit 30 or the power supply unit 40 is stored in the storage section 22 formed in the cleaner body 2. Here, as shown in FIG.
The case where the battery unit 30 is housed in the vehicle will be described. In this case, first, the battery holding case 3
The battery holding case 35 is stored in the storage chamber 22 along the guide plates 22b and 22b from the side of the connector opening 35b formed in the connector 5. After the insertion portion 35a of the battery holding case 35 is stored in the storage portion 22, the battery pack 34 is inserted into the insertion portion 35a from the connector 33 side (see FIG. 4). Here, two battery packs 34 (the other not shown) are inserted along the partition wall 37a in the insertion portion 35a. At this time, the lid member 38 is opened in a state where it is rotated downward, and the battery pack 34 can be inserted horizontally into the insertion portion 35a, so that the insertion operation can be easily performed. it can. After the two battery packs 34 (not shown) are inserted, the cover member 38 is rotated upward, and the locking portion 38a provided on the cover member 38 is Press against the side of part 19. This locking part 38
The battery unit 30 is fixed to the storage unit 22 by the engagement of the body 19 with the body a. When the cover member 38 is closed, the battery pack 34 is pushed horizontally by the cover member 38, and the connector 33 of the battery pack 34 is connected to the battery holding case 35.
Project from the connector opening 35b. And the storage unit 2
The electric wire blower 14 and the battery pack 34 are electrically connected by contact between the lead wires and the like disposed in the connector 2 and the connector 33. If an elastic member such as sponge, rubber, or styrofoam is provided inside the lid member 38, the battery pack 34 is securely pressed against the lead wire or the like,
It is possible to prevent the connector 33 of the battery pack 34 from separating from the lead wire or the like due to vibration generated when the cleaner body 2 is moved. After the battery unit 30 is stored in the storage section 22 as described above, the switch 16 formed on the cleaner body 2 is turned on to drive the electric blower 14. At this time, by using the power supply in the battery pack 34, the electric blower 14 is driven, and the inside of the dust collecting container 21 a fitted in the dust collecting chamber 21 is made to have a negative pressure. Then, the user grasps the operation tube 4 and grasps the suction port body 6.
Dust is sucked in while moving on the surface to be cleaned. As shown in FIG. 3, air and dust sucked from the suction port 6 are supplied to the suction hose 3 and the connection pipe 1.
8 and is sucked into the dust collecting container 21a. Then, the air and dust are collected by the dust collecting container 2 by the guide 17a.
A vortex flows along the inner wall of 1a. At this time, the dust accumulates below the dust collecting container 21a due to the centrifugal force and the own weight of the overflow,
Only the air passes through the filter 21b and is sucked into the electric blower 14 located above. Further, the air sucked into the electric blower 14 is discharged from the motor cover of the electric blower 14 into the fan chamber 14a, and further discharged from the exhaust port 15 to the outside air. By driving the electric blower 14 by using the electric power in the battery pack 34, it is difficult to use a commercial power supply because the power cord becomes an obstacle.
For example, even in a room where a large floor, furniture and the like are placed in a complicated manner, it can be used without impairing the operability of the vacuum cleaner 1. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a case where the power supply unit 40 is stored in the storage section 22 of the cleaner body 2 in place of the battery unit 30 will be described. At this time, if the battery unit 30 is stored in the storage section 22 in advance, the battery unit 30 is removed from the storage section 22. In order to take out the battery unit 30 from the storage portion 22, the engaging portion 38a of the lid member 38 which is engaged with the body portion 19 is removed, and the battery pack 34 (other not shown) is taken out. The battery holding case 35 is pulled out in the horizontal direction. After emptying the housing 22, the power supply unit 40 is connected to the connector 4 of the AC / DC adapter 42.
It is stored along the guide plates 22a, 22a from the side where the 2a protrudes. The power supply unit 40 is pushed into the housing portion 22 along the horizontal direction, and engages with the locking portion 41e provided on the side surface of the box 41 where the cord opening 41c is formed. By doing so, it is fixed to the storage section 22. At this time, the connector 42a of the AC / DC adapter 42 projects from the connector opening 41b formed on the side surface of the box 41, and the connector 42a comes into contact with a lead wire or the like provided in the storage portion 22. And electric blower 1
4 and the AC / DC adapter 42 are electrically connected. Further, the outlet 43c, which is slightly drawn out from the cord opening 41d in advance, is drawn out to a desired length and connected to a commercial power supply (not shown). As described above, the power supply unit 4 is
After storing 0, the power cord 43a is connected to a commercial power source, and then the switch 16 provided on the cleaner body 2 is turned on to drive the electric blower 14. At this time, an AC current supplied from a commercial power supply is converted into a DC current by a current converter 42, and by using this power supply, the electric blower 14 is driven to
Is set to a negative pressure. Then, the user holds the operation tube 4 and holds the suction port 6
Dust is sucked in while moving on the surface to be cleaned. As described above, the power supply unit 40 is
When the vacuum cleaner 1 is stored in the vacuum cleaner, the power is not turned off even when the vacuum cleaner 1 is used for a long time, and the suction force of the electric blower 14 is not reduced. Can be prevented. Further, instead of the battery unit 30 housed in the cleaner body 2, the power supply unit 40 is
, The weight of the cleaner body 2 is not easily increased, and the operability is not reduced. Further, the power supply unit 40 has a built-in cord reel 43 around which the power supply cord 43a is wound. When the power supply unit 40 is not used, the power supply cord 43a can be stored compactly. Depending on the necessity of the place of use, the time of use, etc., whether to use the power supply in the battery unit 30 to drive the electric blower 14 or use the current supplied from the commercial power supply is determined. The user can make a selection, and the vacuum cleaner 1 can be used in a desired form. As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and a design change or the like may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. The present invention is included in the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the electric blower 14 is placed above the dust collection chamber 21 provided in the cleaner body 2.
Is located in the fan room 14a in which
As shown in (a) and FIG. 8 (b), a dust chamber 51 is formed in a front part inside the cleaner main body 50, and a fan chamber 52a in which an electric blower 52 is disposed behind the dust chamber 51. May be formed. In this vacuum cleaner, a storage section 53 is formed below the fan chamber 52a.
In the case of (a), the battery unit 30 is housed. 8 in place of the battery unit 30.
In the case of (b), the power supply unit 40 is housed in the housing 53. As shown in FIG. 9, the storage portion 53 is covered by a lid 54 hinged so as to be rotatable downward. Then, the battery unit 30 is placed on the lid 54, and the connector 33 comes into contact with a lead wire (not shown) provided in the storage section 53, and the electric blower 5
2 and the battery unit 30 are electrically connected. When the power supply unit 40 is placed on the lid 54 in place of the battery unit 30,
The connector 42a is connected to a lead wire or the like (not shown)
Contact, and the electric blower and the power supply unit 40 are electrically connected. According to the present invention, a commercial power supply can be selectively used in place of a battery pack if necessary.
It is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner whose weight is not easily increased and operability is not reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a battery pack. FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view of the battery holding case. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view when a battery is stored in the vacuum cleaner of the present invention. (B) It is AA sectional drawing in FIG.3 (a). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram when a battery is stored in the vacuum cleaner of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the power supply unit. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view when a power supply unit is housed in the vacuum cleaner of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram when a power supply unit is housed in the vacuum cleaner of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a case where a battery pack is housed in a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. (B) It is sectional drawing at the time of accommodating the power supply unit in the vacuum cleaner of other Example of this invention. FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Description of Signs] 2 Vacuum cleaner body 14 Electric blower 21 Dust collection chamber 22 Storage room 30 Battery pack 40 Power supply unit 42 AC / DC adapter (current exchange circuit) 43 Code reel 43a Power cord

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A cleaner body having a built-in dust collecting chamber, an electric blower for reducing the pressure of the dust collecting chamber, and a rechargeable battery unit for driving the electric blower. An electric vacuum cleaner in which the battery unit is housed in a housing chamber formed in the cleaner body so as to be able to be taken in and out, and a current exchange circuit electrically connected to a commercial power supply via a power cord; An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: a power supply unit having a cord reel around which a power supply cord is wound; and a power supply unit that can be stored in the storage room in place of the battery unit.