JP2003339588A - Suction port body and vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction port body suitably usable for each of cleaning with the quantity of circulating air set large and cleaning with the quantity of circulating air set small. <P>SOLUTION: A suction port body main part 20a is provided with a vent part 24 for taking air inside from the outside, and an on-off valve 26 for opening/closing the vent part 24. The on-off valve 26 closes the vent part when the circulating air is a prescribed quantity or more, and opens the vent part 24 when the circulating air is less than the prescribed quantity. Negative pressure in the suction port body main part 20a is thereby heightened when the circulating air is the prescribed quantity or more, and the negative pressure in the suction port body main part 20a is lowered when the circulating air is less than the prescribed quantity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a suction port body for taking in dust on a surface to be cleaned, and an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with the suction port body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric vacuum cleaner has a vacuum cleaner body having an electric blower and a suction port for taking in dust.

In the electric vacuum cleaner having the above structure, air is sucked in by the operation of the electric blower and discharged from the electric blower,
Among the discharged air, a certain amount is again sucked in by the operation of the electric blower to be circulated, and the rest is discharged to the outside of the cleaner body for cleaning.

In this electric vacuum cleaner, as the amount of circulating air is increased, the suction of the suction port body on the surface to be cleaned is reduced, and the suction port body can be moved and operated with a small force. Also, less air is discharged to the outside of the cleaner body,
Moreover, the operation sound is quiet. On the other hand, in this vacuum cleaner, the smaller the circulating air flow is set, the greater the negative pressure in the suction port body and the higher the dust suction force.

As described above, since there are different advantages depending on the amount of circulating air, in recent years, a circulation type in which most of the air discharged from the electric blower is circulated, and most of the air discharged from the electric blower is discharged. There have been proposed vacuum cleaners capable of adjusting the amount of circulating air, such as vacuum cleaners that can be switched between non-circulating type.

[0006]

By the way, when a large amount of circulating air is set, it is necessary to prevent dust on the surface to be cleaned from being blown off. Therefore, it is necessary to use a highly airtight suction inlet formed so that air does not leak to the outside as much as possible.

However, if a suction port with high airtightness is used when the amount of circulating air is set low, the negative pressure in the suction port becomes too high and the suction port strongly sticks to the surface to be cleaned. There is an inconvenience that it becomes difficult to move.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a suction port body which can be suitably used for cleaning when a large amount of circulating air is set and for cleaning when a small amount of circulating air is set,
And to obtain an electric vacuum cleaner provided with this suction port body.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the suction mouth of the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a ventilation part for taking in air from the outside to the inside of the suction mouth main part, and circulating. The opening / closing means is provided to close the ventilation part when the amount of air to be used is equal to or more than a predetermined amount and to open the ventilation part when the amount of air to be supplied does not reach the predetermined amount.

According to this suction port body, since the ventilation part is closed by the opening / closing means when the circulating air has a predetermined amount or more, the leakage of air from the main part of the suction port body is suppressed, and the surface to be cleaned is suppressed. The dust is prevented from being blown away. On the other hand, when the circulating air is less than the predetermined amount, the ventilation part is opened, so outside air is sucked into the main part of the inlet body through this ventilation part, and the airtightness is moderately reduced. Adhesion of the mouth to the surface to be cleaned is suppressed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The electric vacuum cleaner 1 is of a canister type, for example, and includes a cleaner main body 2, a suction port body 20, and an extension tube 11.
And a dust collecting hose 14.

The cleaner body 2 is provided with a dust collecting opening 2a opened at the front end surface thereof and an exhaust port 2b for discharging the air taken in through the dust collecting opening 2a to the outside. There is. Although not shown, the dust collection opening 2a has an intake port and a return port. Inside the cleaner body 2, a blower chamber 4 and a dust collection chamber 3 located in front of the blower chamber 4 and communicating with the blower chamber 4 are respectively provided, and a power cord having a plug at the tip thereof. A cord reel (not shown) capable of winding and unwinding is stored.

The opening of the dust collecting chamber 3 is airtightly closed by an openable / closable lid (not shown) forming a part of the cleaner body 2. The dust collecting chamber 3 is put in and taken out with the lid open. A dust collecting filter 3a formed of a possible dust collecting bag or the like is housed. The blower chamber 4 houses an electric blower 4a.

The intake port of the dust collecting opening 2a and the dust collecting chamber 3 are connected by a first duct 5. A second duct 6 extends from the blower chamber 4, and an adjusting portion 8 is provided at the end of the second duct 6. The adjusting unit 8 is provided with a first valve 8a and a second valve 8b that can be adjusted to an arbitrary opening amount from fully closed to fully opened, and a third valve extending from the return port of the dust collecting opening 2a. The duct 7a is connected to the second duct 6 via the first valve 8a.
Is in communication with. Further, the fourth duct 7b extending from the exhaust port 2a communicates with the second duct 6 via the second valve 8b.

The adjusting part 8 includes first and second valves 8a, 8a.
By opening and closing b, and adjusting the amount of air discharged from the exhaust port 2a (hereinafter referred to as exhaust air volume), the suction port body 2
The amount of air circulated to 0 (hereinafter referred to as the circulating air flow rate) is adjusted. The opening and closing of the first and second valves 8a and 8b of the adjusting unit 8 is controlled by a control device (not shown) built in the cleaner body 2 according to a signal input from the hand operation switch 16a.

A pair of moving wheels 9 are pivotally supported on both outer side surfaces of the cleaner body 2 (only the wheels pivotally supported on one side are shown). The moving wheel 9 and the swivel wheel 10 attached to the lower surface of the cleaner body 2 allow the cleaner body 2 to move freely on the surface F to be cleaned.

The extension pipe 11 and the dust collecting hose 14 are used to connect the cleaner body 2 and the suction port body 20. The extension pipe 11 includes a plurality of rigid pipes 11a, 11
It is formed by combining b so that it can expand and contract. One end of the extension pipe 11 is detachably connected to the dust collecting hose 14, and the other end of the extension pipe 11 is a connecting pipe portion 20 of a suction port body 20 described later.
Removably connected to b. The interior of the extension pipe 11 is divided into two spaces 13a by a wall 12 provided along the longitudinal direction,
The space 13a is divided into 13b, and the one space 13a is an intake air passage for allowing air to flow from the suction port body 20 to the cleaner body 2,
The other space 13b is a return air passage that allows air to flow from the cleaner body 2 to the suction port body 20.

The dust collecting hose 14 is a double hose including a first hose 14a and a second hose 14b that covers the first hose 14a. First hose 14a and second hose 1
4b each have flexibility, and one end thereof is the cleaner body 2
Is detachably connected to the dust collecting opening 2a, and the other end is connected to one end of the extension pipe 11. For example, the first hose 14a
An inner space 15a is an intake air passage for circulating air from the suction port body 20 to the cleaner body 2, and a space 15b between the outer wall of the first hose 14a and the inner wall of the second hose 14b is the suction port from the cleaner body 2. It is a return air passage that allows air to flow through the body 20. By attaching the dust collecting hose 14 to the extension pipe 11, the space 15a is formed to communicate with the space 13a, and the space 15b is formed to communicate with the space 13b.

A return air passage for circulating air from the cleaner body 2 to the suction port body 20 in the space 15a in the first hose 14a, a space between the outer wall of the first hose 14a and the inner wall of the second hose 14b. 15b may be an intake air passage that allows air to flow from the suction port body 20 to the cleaner body 2. In that case, when the extension pipe 11 is attached to the dust collecting hose 14, the space 15a becomes a space 13b and a space 15b. Are formed so as to communicate with the space 13a.

The dust collecting hose 14 has a handle 16 with various hand operation switches 16a at the end on the extension tube 11 side. The hand operation switch 16a is not shown,
A power button for driving the electric blower 4a and a first valve 8a
And a second valve 8b that opens the second valve 8b and closes the first valve 8a.
And a second valve adjustment button for closing. The signal output from the hand operation switch 16a is input to the control device, and the control device drives the electric blower 4a and operates the adjusting unit 8 in accordance with the input signal.

The suction port body 20 has a suction port body main portion 20a.
And a connecting pipe portion 20b. Suction mouth body 20
The inside of a is hollow as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, and has a suction opening 21 for taking in dust on its lower surface. The inside of the suction port body 20 is partitioned by a wall 22, and by attaching the connecting pipe portion 20b of the suction port body 20 to the extension pipe 11, the space 23a below the wall 22 in FIG. 13a and the space 23b above the wall 22 in FIG. 3 are formed so as to communicate with the space 13b of the extension pipe 11, respectively.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the surrounding wall defining the suction opening 21 of the main body 20a of the suction port has one or more, for example, a plurality of (four in FIG. 2) vented to the lower surface. A section 24 is provided. An edge portion 25 that is bent inward is provided at the upper part of these ventilation portions 24, and as an opening / closing means for opening / closing the ventilation portion 24,
For example, an on-off valve 2 made of a plate-like elastic material such as rubber
One side of 6 is attached by a screw or the like not shown.

These open / close valves 26 are provided in the main body 2 of the suction port body.
It is opened and closed by the difference in atmospheric pressure between the inside and the outside of 0a. When the difference in atmospheric pressure between the inside and outside of the suction port main portion 20a is smaller than a predetermined value, that is, when the circulating air volume is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the open / close valve 26 hangs down so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lower surface. In this state, the ventilation part 24 is closed (see FIG. 3 (A)). At this time, the circulating wind is
Blow out horizontally as indicated by the arrow.

When the air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the suction port main body 20a is larger than a predetermined value, that is, when the circulating air volume is less than the predetermined amount, the suction port main unit 20a.
Due to the negative pressure in a, the on-off valve 26 is rotated inside the suction port main body 20a about the one side so that the opening / closing valve 26 is substantially parallel to the lower surface, and the ventilation part 24 is opened (FIG. 3 (B)). )reference).
Since these on-off valves 26 are made of elastic material such as rubber,
When the atmospheric pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the suction port main portion 20a becomes smaller than a predetermined value again, it returns to a state of being hung so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lower surface due to rubber elasticity.

The opening / closing of the open / close valve 26 is determined by the material, weight, thickness, etc. of the open / close valve 26. This on-off valve 2
6 is 2 which is the amount of circulating air sucked into the electric blower 4a.
It is preferably formed so as to be closed when it becomes 0% to 30% or more. In this embodiment, the on-off valve 26 is formed to close when, for example, the circulating air volume reaches 25% of the maximum air volume sucked into the electric blower 4a.

In this vacuum cleaner 1, the opening amount of the first valve 8a is increased and the closing amount of the second valve 8b is increased in proportion to the time during which the first valve adjusting button provided on the hand operation switch 16a is pressed. The opening increases the opening amount. As a result, the exhaust air volume increases and the circulating air volume decreases. In addition, the opening of the first valve 8a increases the opening amount and the opening of the second valve increases the closing amount in proportion to the time when the second valve adjustment button is pressed. As a result, the exhaust air volume decreases and the circulating air volume increases.

As described above, in the electric vacuum cleaner 1, the exhaust air volume when the air discharged from the electric blower is set to 100% is continuously adjusted between about 0% and about 100% to circulate the air. The air volume can be continuously adjusted between approximately 100% and approximately 0%. Therefore, in this electric vacuum cleaner 1, a partial circulation type cleaning in which a part of the air discharged from the electric blower is circulated, a circulation type cleaning in which most of the air discharged from the electric blower is circulated, and an electric blower It is possible to perform non-circulation type cleaning that discharges most of the air discharged from the.

When the surface to be cleaned F is cleaned using the electric vacuum cleaner 1 having the above-mentioned structure, it is carried out as follows.

The power cord is pulled out from the inside of the cleaner body 2, the flag is inserted into the outlet, and the electric blower 4
a, the hand operation switch 16a and the control device are supplied with electric power. The hand operation switch 16a is operated to drive the electric blower 4a, and the first and second valves 8a,
The circulating air volume is set by opening and closing 8b.

When the circulating air volume is 25% or more, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), the on-off valve 26 remains closed. In this state, the dust on the surface F to be cleaned is sucked into the suction opening 2 as shown by the solid arrow in FIGS. 1 (A) and 3 (A).
Space 23 that is taken in from 1 and circulates air
A, the space 13a of the extension pipe 11, and the space 15a of the dust collecting hose 14 are carried to the inside of the cleaner body 2. The dust and air taken into the inside of the cleaner body 2 are guided into the inside of the dust collection chamber 3 through the first duct 5, and the dust collection chamber 3
The dust is captured by the dust collecting filter 3a provided inside the. The air passes through the dust collecting filter 3a, and the electric blower 4a
Is sucked in and then discharged, and passes through the second duct 6. 25% or more of the air that has passed through the second duct flows into the third duct 7a, and the space 15 of the dust collecting hose 14
b and the space 13b of the extension pipe 11, and the suction port body 2
It is sent to the 0 space 23b. The air sent to the suction port body 20 passes through the space 23a of the suction port body 20, the space 13a of the extension pipe 11, and the space 15a of the dust collecting hose 14 together with the dust on the surface F to be cleaned, and the cleaner main body 2 Carried inside. Of the air that has passed through the second duct, the remaining less than 75% flows into the fourth duct 7b and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 2b.

In this case, the suction port body 20 is prevented from being sucked onto the surface F to be cleaned by the circulating air flow, and the suction port body 20 can be operated with a small force. Further, the amount of air discharged from the exhaust port 2b is small, and the operation noise is quiet.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), the ventilation part 24 is closed by an opening / closing valve 26. Therefore,
This suction port body 20 is a suction air port main body 20 for circulating air.
Suppressing leakage from a, and circulating air being blown out in the horizontal direction, the suction inlet 20 for dust on the surface F to be cleaned 20
It is possible to reduce blowout to the outer circumference. Moreover,
Since the high airtightness is maintained and the vacuum pressure in the interior is suppressed from being lowered, the dust on the surface to be cleaned F can be satisfactorily taken in.

On the other hand, when the set circulating air volume is less than 25%, the on-off valve 26 is, as shown in FIG.
The ventilation portion 24 is opened by rotating inward by negative pressure (vacuum pressure) in the suction inlet main portion 20a against the elasticity. Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIGS. 1B and 3B,
The dust on the surface to be cleaned F is sucked together with the air from the suction opening 21 and the ventilation portion 24, and the dust is captured by the dust collecting filter 3a as described above. Passing through the dust collecting filter 3a,
The air discharged from the electric blower 4a is supplied to the second duct 6
Pass through. 75% of the air that passed through the second duct
The above flows into the fourth duct 7b and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 2b. Of the air that has passed through the second duct 6,
The remaining less than 25% flows into the third duct 7a and circulates.

In this case, the smaller the circulating air flow rate is set, the higher the suction pressure becomes, and the higher the dust suction force can be made. Further, since the ventilation portion 24 is in the open state, the airtightness of the suction port body 20 can be appropriately reduced. Therefore, the suction of the suction port body 20 on the surface to be cleaned F is suppressed, and the suction port body 20 is easily moved.

As described above, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 having the suction port body 20 has both the suction port body 20 for cleaning when the circulation air amount is set to be large and for the cleaning when the circulation air amount is set to be small. Is easy to move, and dust on the surface to be cleaned F can be captured well.

Further, in this embodiment, the suction opening 2
Since the ventilation part 24 which is opened to the lower surface is provided on the wall around 1, the dust around the suction port body 20 can be sucked in through the ventilation part 24 when the circulating air volume is less than 25%.

In addition, in the suction port body for an electric vacuum cleaner which cleans in a state where the circulating air volume is less than a predetermined amount, in order to suck dust around the suction port body, an air intake is opened around the suction opening to the lower surface. Some have grooves. However, when cleaning with a circulating air volume of a predetermined amount or more, it is necessary to increase the airtightness of the suction port body.Therefore, the suction port body used in a conventional electric vacuum cleaner that regulates the circulating air volume is located around the suction opening. It was not possible to provide an air intake groove for sucking dust.

In the present invention, the position and number of the ventilation parts 24 are not limited to this embodiment. Further, the ventilation part 24 is formed around the suction opening 21 so as to be able to suck the dust around the suction port body 20, but the ventilation part 24 is formed.
It does not have to have a function of sucking the dust around it, and may be provided, for example, on the upper surface of the suction port body main portion 20a.

Further, in this embodiment, as the opening / closing means, the opening / closing valve 26 made of a rubber plate or the like which is rotated inward by the negative pressure in the main body 20a of the suction port body is provided, so that the structure is simple and inexpensive. is there. However, the opening / closing means is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to include an opening / closing plate that is rotated by a negative pressure in the suction port body main portion 20a and a spring that biases the opening / closing plate. Further, the opening / closing means may be configured to include a solenoid whose energization is controlled by the control device and a shutter which is reciprocated through the solenoid to open / close the ventilation portion 24.

In this embodiment, the circulating air volume is approximately 100%.
It was a vacuum cleaner that can be adjusted continuously between ~ 0%,
The circulating air volume does not have to be continuously adjusted. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applied to, for example, an electric vacuum cleaner that switches and uses a circulation type that circulates most of the air discharged from an electric blower and a non-circulation type that discharges most of the air discharged from an electric blower. Good.

In this embodiment, the canister-type vacuum cleaner is used, but the present invention is not limited to the canister-type vacuum cleaner, but can be applied to, for example, an upright-type vacuum cleaner.

[0043]

According to the present invention, there is provided a suction port body which can be suitably used for cleaning when the circulating air flow rate is set large and for cleaning when the circulating air flow rate is set low, and this suction port body. You can get a vacuum cleaner.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B show an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an air flow when a large amount of circulating air is set. Figure, (B)
[Fig. 3] is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the flow of air when the circulating air volume is set to be small.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a suction port body included in the electric vacuum cleaner of FIG.

3A and 3B are vertical cross-sectional views showing different states of the suction port body provided in the electric vacuum cleaner of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... vacuum cleaner 2 ... Vacuum cleaner body 2a ... Dust collection opening 2b ... Exhaust port 4a ... Electric blower 8 ... Adjusting means (adjusting section) 20 ... Suction mouth 20a ... Suction mouth body main part 21 ... Suction opening 24 ... Ventilation part 26 ... Opening / closing means (opening / closing valve) F: Surface to be cleaned

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A suction port body for use in an electric vacuum cleaner, which is sucked by the operation of an electric blower provided in a cleaner body and discharged while being circulated by the electric blower for cleaning. A suction port body main part having a suction opening for taking in dust, a ventilation part for taking in air from the outside provided in this main part, and provided for the suction port body main part, when the circulating air is a predetermined amount or more A suction port body, comprising: an opening / closing means that closes the ventilation part and opens the ventilation part when a predetermined amount is not reached. 2. A cleaner body having an electric blower and having a dust collecting opening on the upstream side of the electric blower; and a suction port body according to claim 1, which is used in communication with the dust collecting opening. When,
An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: adjusting means for adjusting the amount of air circulating from the cleaner body to the suction port body.