JP2006006454A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cleaner improving the maintenance property and preventing the lowering of the sucking performance by easily removing dust stuck to a filter communicating a negative pressure chamber and a suction port of a first dust separating means. <P>SOLUTION: This vacuum cleaner 10 is provided with a negative pressure chamber part (a negative pressure chamber) 43 subjected to a negative pressure of an electric blower 21, a dust separating part (the first dust separating means) 45 having a net filter (a filter) F3 communicating between the negative pressure chamber part 43 and the suction port 41A and separating air and dust sucked from the suction port 41A by a suction negative pressure operating via the net filter F3, and a dust collecting chamber part (a dust collecting part) 44 collecting the dust separated by the dust separating part 45. The suction port 41a is provided with a throttle valve 50 changing the opening area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner provided with dust separating means for separating sucked dust by the inertial force of the dust.

  As a conventional vacuum cleaner, one as shown in FIG. 10 is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The vacuum cleaner 1 is sucked from the suction port 5 by the negative pressure chamber 4 on which the suction negative pressure of the electric blower 3 disposed in the vacuum cleaner body 2 acts and the suction negative pressure acting on the negative pressure chamber 4. First dust separating means 6 for separating air and dust, and a dust collecting part 7 for collecting the dust separated by the first dust separating means 6 are provided.

  The first dust separation means 6 is formed by extending a cylindrical peripheral wall surface from the suction port 5, and the negative pressure chamber 4 and the suction port 5 are communicated with an opening 6 </ b> A provided on the peripheral wall surface. A filter F is provided.

The air separated from the dust by the first dust separating means 6 flows into the negative pressure chamber 4 through the filter F and is then sucked into the electric blower 3.
Japanese Patent No. 3490081

  By the way, when the air sucked from the suction port 5 is separated from dust, the lighter weight dust flows toward the filter F on the air sucked into the electric blower 3 through the filter F.

  Therefore, in the conventional vacuum cleaner 1, the dust flowing on the air sucked into the electric blower 3 adheres to the filter F, and the filter F is easily clogged before the dust is sufficiently accumulated in the dust collecting portion 7. There was a problem.

  In particular, when dust adheres to a filter (not shown) provided in the ventilation opening 7A provided in the dust collecting portion 7, the amount of air flowing into the dust collecting portion 7 is reduced, and accordingly the first dust separation is performed. The amount of air passing through the opening 6A of the means 6 increases. For this reason, the filter F provided in the opening 6A is more easily clogged.

  In addition, even if the dust accumulated in the dust collecting section 7 is discarded, the dust attached to the filter F cannot be removed, and a finger must be inserted and sucked out from the suction port 5, resulting in poor maintenance. It was.

  Furthermore, there is a problem in that the suction performance for sucking dust is deteriorated due to dust adhering to the filter F and clogging.

  Therefore, the present invention can easily remove dust adhering to the filter that communicates the negative pressure chamber and the suction port of the first dust separation means to improve maintenance and prevent a reduction in suction performance. An object is to provide a vacuum cleaner that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a negative pressure chamber in which a negative pressure of an electric blower acts, a filter that communicates the negative pressure chamber and the suction port, and a suction negative that acts through the filter. A vacuum cleaner comprising a first dust separating means for separating air and dust sucked from the suction port by pressure, and a dust collecting part for collecting the dust separated by the first dust separating means, It is characterized in that a throttle valve for changing the opening area is provided at the suction port.

  According to the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, since the throttle valve is provided at the suction port of the first dust separating means, turbulence is generated in the air flowing inside the first dust separating means by closing (squeezing) the throttle valve. Can be generated.

  The turbulent flow generated inside the first dust separation means can remove dust attached to the filter that connects the negative pressure chamber and the suction port, and can improve clogging of the filter. Become.

  Also, by closing (squeezing) the throttle valve to reduce the opening area of the suction port, dust attached to the filter can be removed, so that maintenance can be improved and deterioration of the suction performance can be prevented. You can also.

  Next, a vacuum cleaner according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  A vacuum cleaner 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a vacuum cleaner body 11, a dust collecting hose 12 having one end detachably connected to a connection port 11A of the vacuum cleaner body 11, and a hand operation tube 13 provided at the other end, An extension pipe 14 that is detachably attached to the hand operation pipe 13 and a suction port body 15 that is detachably connected to a distal end portion of the extension pipe 14 are provided. The hand operating tube 13 is provided with an operating portion 13A, and the operating portion 13A is provided with a drive switch S and the like.

  The vacuum cleaner main body 11 includes a main body case 20, a lid 30 whose rear portion is hinged to the main body case 20 and can be opened and closed in the vertical direction, and a dust collection container ( Dust cup) 40.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body case 20 is formed with an electric chamber 22 in which the electric blower 21 is accommodated, and a front plate of the electric chamber 22 is formed with a dish-like mounting portion 23 protruding forward. . A dust collecting container 40 is detachably mounted on the mounting portion 23, and when the lid 30 is closed, the dust collecting container 40 is sandwiched and fixed between the lid 30 and the mounting portion 23. (See FIG. 1).

  In addition, an opening 22A is formed in the front surface of the electric chamber 22, and a lattice-like partition plate 24 is provided in the opening 22A. The opening 22 </ b> A faces the intake opening 21 </ b> A of the electric blower 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a bulging portion 25 is formed on both side surfaces of the main body case 20 from the rear upper portion toward the front lower portion, and a rear wheel 26 is rotatable at the lower portion of the bulging portion 25. Is retained. A plurality of exhaust holes 27 are formed on the front side of both side surfaces of the bulging portion 25. The exhaust hole 27 communicates with the exhaust opening 21B of the electric blower 21 through an exhaust air passage (not shown), and the air exhausted from the exhaust opening 21B of the electric blower 21 passes through the exhaust hole 27 through the exhaust air passage. It is designed to be exhausted outside.

  The lid 30 has a top plate 31 formed in a substantially elliptical shape in plan view, and a peripheral wall 32 is integrally formed around the top plate 31. A connection pipe 33 having a connection port (suction port) 33A for detachably connecting the dust collecting hose 12 is provided at the front portion of the peripheral wall 32. The connection pipe 33 extends in the front-rear direction and has an opening (not shown) at the rear. Further, the top plate 31 is formed with a communication opening 34 for communicating an outside air intake opening, which will be described later, and the outside air.

  The dust collecting container 40 has a suction port 41A on the front surface (see FIG. 4), and has an opening 41B on the rear surface (see FIG. 5), and a container case body 41 below the suction port 41A of the container case body 41. It has the grip part 42 (refer FIG. 2) integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the container case body 41 includes a negative pressure chamber portion (negative pressure chamber) 43 on which the negative pressure of the electric blower 21 acts, and a dust collection chamber portion formed below the negative pressure chamber portion 43. (Dust collector) 44, a dust separator (first dust separator) 45 provided in the negative pressure chamber 43 and separating the air sucked from the suction port 41 </ b> A and dust, and separated by this dust separator 45 And a guide tube 46 that guides the generated dust to the dust collection chamber 44.

  The suction port 41A of the container case body 41 is provided with a throttle valve 50 that changes the opening area as desired.

  The upper wall 43A of the negative pressure chamber 43 is directed to the upstream surface 70A of the filter body 70 so as to blow off dust attached to the upstream surface 70A of the filter body 70, which will be described later, in communication with the outside air. An outside air intake opening 60 for generating a flow is formed.

  A bottom plate 47 is attached to the bottom of the dust collection chamber portion 44 so as to be openable and closable around an axis J. By opening the bottom plate 47, dust accumulated in the dust collection chamber portion 44 is discarded. Yes. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of openings 48A are formed in the top plate 48 that partitions the negative pressure chamber portion 43 and the dust collection chamber portion 44, and a net filter F1 is attached to each of the plurality of openings 48A. It has been. Furthermore, a plurality of openings 49A are formed in the rear wall portion 49 of the dust collection chamber portion 44, and a net filter F2 is attached to each of the plurality of openings 49A.

  Further, the rear wall portion 49 of the dust collection chamber portion 44 is located inside the rear opening 41B of the container case body 41. The dust is trapped in the rear opening 41B by filtration to separate air and dust. A filter body (second dust separating means) 70 (see FIG. 6) is detachably mounted.

  The dust separation part 45 has a pipe part 45B in which a cylindrical air passage 45A is formed. One end opening (inlet opening) 45C of the pipe portion 45B faces the suction port 41A of the container case body 41 and is located immediately after the throttle valve 50. The one end opening 45C is provided with a plate body 45Ca, and the inner diameter of the one end opening 45C of the pipe portion 45B is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the suction port 41A.

  Further, the inner diameter of the tube portion 45B gradually decreases linearly from the one end opening 45C to the other end opening (exit opening) 45D. The other end opening 45 </ b> D of the tube portion 45 </ b> B is connected to one end of the guide tube 46.

  The air passage 45A of the pipe portion 45B extends linearly in the front-rear direction, and the connection pipe 33 of the lid body 30, the suction port 41A of the container case body 41, and the intake opening 21A of the electric blower 21 are in a straight line. Is arranged.

  A plurality of openings 45E are uniformly provided in the circumferential direction on the upper peripheral wall of the pipe portion 45B, and a net filter (filter) F3 is attached to the openings 45E as shown in FIG.

  The net filter F3 allows the suction port 41A of the container case body 41 and the negative pressure chamber portion 43 to communicate with each other via the air passage 45A of the pipe portion 45B. Further, the negative pressure chamber portion 43 communicates with the intake opening 21A of the electric blower 21 through the opening of the electric chamber 22, and the suction negative pressure acting in the negative pressure chamber portion 43 is passed through the net filter F3. It acts in the tube part 45B of the dust separation part 45. As will be described later, air and dust are separated by the suction negative pressure that has acted in the pipe portion 45B.

  The guide tube 46 extends in the vertical direction, and the other end (lower end) 46 </ b> A of the guide tube 46 extends through the top plate 48 into the dust collection chamber 44.

  2 and 3, the throttle valve 50 includes a plate-like valve body 51 that appropriately blocks the opening of the suction port 41 </ b> A, one end fixed to the valve body 51, and the other end of the container case body 41. A rotation shaft 52 penetrating the front surface 41C and an operation lever 53 (see FIG. 4) attached to the other end of the rotation shaft 52 are provided.

  The valve body 51 is cut out in an arc shape along the inner peripheral surface of the suction port 41 </ b> A of the container case body 41, and moves so as to draw an arc around the rotation shaft 52. Then, when it is located at the uppermost position (when it is open), the opening area of the suction port 41A is maximized (100%) (see FIG. 3A), and when it is located at the lowermost position (squeeze) The opening area of the suction port 41A is minimized (for example, 50%) (see FIG. 3B). Further, since the valve main body 51 is cut out in an arc shape, the movement space of the valve main body 51 is reduced, and the valve main body 51 can be formed small.

  The valve body 51 is disposed in an airtight chamber 41D surrounded by a rib R protruding inward from the front surface 41C of the container case body 41. A rubber member 41E having elasticity is provided at the tip of the rib R, and the tip of the rib R is in close contact with the one end opening 45C of the tube part 45B of the dust separating part 45 by this rubber member 41E.

  The rotation shaft 52 is rotatably held on the front surface 41 </ b> C of the container case body 41, and one end is connected to a fixed arm 51 </ b> A extending from the valve body 51.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the operation lever 53 is provided so as to stand up above the cleaner body 11, and is inclined when the valve body 51 is open (see FIG. 4A). When the valve main body 51 is throttled, it stands up substantially vertically (see FIG. 4B). The rotation shaft 52 rotates according to the inclination angle of the operation lever 53, and the valve main body 51 moves so as to draw an arc with the rotation.

  The outside air intake opening 60 includes a plurality of openings 61 formed in the upper wall 43A of the negative pressure chamber 43, a plurality of nozzles 62 extending from the openings 61 into the negative pressure chamber 43, and the openings 61. And an enclosing wall 63 that integrally surrounds the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of nozzles 62 are arranged in a substantially straight line along the left-right direction, and communicates the outside air and the negative pressure chamber 43.

  The nozzle 62 extends from each of the openings 61, and the tip 62 </ b> A faces the upstream surface 70 </ b> A of the filter body 70.

  The enclosure wall 63 is inserted into a communication opening 34 formed in the top plate 31 when the lid 30 is closed, and an upper opening 63A opened upward is communicated with the outside air.

  In addition, an opening / closing valve 64 for opening / closing the upper opening 63A as appropriate is provided in the upper opening 63A of the enclosure wall 63. The opening / closing valve 64 is hinged to the surrounding wall 63 at the front, and is opened when it is rotated forward (left side in FIG. 8) with a knob 64A provided on the upper surface.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the filter body 70 includes a resin frame 71 and a pleat filter portion 72 attached to the inside of the frame 71.

  The frame body 71 is formed in a size that fits into the rear opening 41B of the container case body 41. When the frame body 71 is mounted, a flange portion 71A that contacts the rear opening 41B and substantially seals the rear opening 41B is provided. Is formed.

  The pleated filter part 72 is formed of a nonwoven fabric or the like, a large number of pleat parts 72A extending in the vertical direction are formed in the middle part in the left-right direction, and a planar part 72B formed in a planar shape is formed at both left and right direction ends. Yes.

  The pleat portion 72A is a groove extending between the pleats on the front and back surfaces in the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the pleat portion 72A faces the tip 62A of the nozzle 62 of the outside air intake opening 60, and the pleat portion 72A and the intake opening 21A of the electric blower 21 are in a straight line. Is located.

  Next, the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner 10 of the present invention will be described.

  In order to use the vacuum cleaner 10, first, the dust collection container 40 is placed on the placement portion 23 of the main body case 30, the lid 30 is closed, and the dust collection hose 12 is lidded as shown in FIG. 1. 30 connection ports 33A are connected. At this time, the operation lever 53 is inclined in advance, and the valve main body 51 is located at the uppermost position (see FIGS. 3A and 4A). Moreover, the open / close valve 64 of the outside air intake opening 60 is closed in advance, and the outside air and the negative pressure chamber 43 are shut off (see FIG. 2).

  And if the drive switch S of the operation part 13A of the hand operation tube 13 is operated, the electric blower 21 is driven. By driving the electric blower 21, suction negative pressure acts in the negative pressure chamber portion 43 of the container case body 41 via the grid-like partition plate 24 provided in the opening 22A of the electric chamber 22, and this negative pressure chamber The part 43 becomes negative pressure. And this negative pressure is the opening 45E of the pipe part 45B, the air passage 45A of the pipe part 45B, the suction port 41A of the container case body 41, the connection pipe 33 of the lid body 30, the dust collecting hose 12, the extension pipe 14, and the suction port body. 15, dust is sucked together with air from the suction port body 15.

  The sucked dust and air are sucked into the connection port 33 </ b> A of the lid 30 through the extension pipe 14 and the dust collecting hose 12. The dust and air sucked into the connection port 33A pass through the suction port 41A of the container case body 41 and are sucked into the air passage 45A of the tube portion 45B of the dust separation unit 45.

  The air sucked into the air passage 45A is sucked into the negative pressure chamber portion 43 of the container case body 41 through the net filter F3 in the opening 45E of the pipe portion 45B, and further a filter attached to the rear opening 41B of the container case body 41. The air is sucked into the intake opening 21 </ b> A of the electric blower 21 through the body 70 and the partition plate 24 provided in the opening 22 </ b> A of the electric chamber 22.

  In this way, the air sucked from the suction port 41A passes through the dust separation part 45, the negative pressure chamber part 43, and the filter body 70 in this order. Therefore, the outside air intake opening 60 formed in the upper wall 43A of the negative pressure chamber portion 43 is located between the dust separation portion 45 as the first dust separation means and the filter body 70 as the second dust separation means. It will be.

  On the other hand, the large dust having a mass greater than or equal to a predetermined amount sucked into the air passage 45A of the pipe portion 45B extends straight along the air passage 45A in the front-rear direction, so that the guide tube 46 moves straight. As a result, the dust is introduced into the dust collection chamber 44. That is, air and dust are separated by the dust separation unit 45.

  A part of the air is introduced into the dust collection chamber 44 through the guide tube 46, and the introduced air is swirled by the other end (lower end) 46 </ b> A of the guide tube 46, and the inside of the dust collection chamber 44. The dust introduced into the is accumulated while being compressed by the swirling flow.

  After the air introduced into the dust collection chamber 44 becomes a swirl flow, it is attached to the net filter F1 attached to the opening 48A of the top plate 48 of the dust collection chamber 44 and the opening 49A of the rear wall 49. Then, the air is sucked into the negative pressure chamber 43 of the container case body 41 through the net filter F2.

  The small dust that is light in weight flows on the air passing through the net filter F3 in the opening 45E without going straight through the air passage 45A of the pipe portion 45B, and thus adheres to the net filter F3.

  When the clogging of the net filter F3 increases due to the adhesion of dust, the air volume passing through the net filter F3 decreases, but the negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber portion 43 of the container case body 41 is reduced by the reduced amount. The negative pressure in the dust collecting chamber 44 is increased through the opening 48A of the top plate 48 and the opening 49A of the rear wall 49. For this reason, dust easily adheres to the net filter F1 attached to the opening 48A and the net filter F2 attached to the opening 49A.

  Here, in order to remove dust adhering to the net filter F3 and prevent a decrease in the air volume passing through the net filter F3, the operation lever 53 is rotated in the direction of arrow P as shown in FIG. 4B. The rotating shaft 52 is rotated by standing up substantially vertically.

  Then, along with the rotation of the rotation shaft 52, the valve body 51 moves in the direction of the arrow Q so as to draw an arc (see FIG. 3B), and the opening area of the suction port 41A is halved. And the electric blower 21 is operated in this state.

  Thus, by operating the electric blower 21 with the throttle valve 50 being throttled, the air flowing in from the suction port 41A collides with the throttle valve 50, the flow is disturbed, and flows inside the tube part 45B of the dust separation part 45. Turbulence can be generated in the air. And the dust adhering to the net filter F3 is peeled off by the turbulent flow generated inside the tube portion 45B, and the clogging of the net filter F3 can be improved.

  In addition, since the dust attached to the net filter F3 can be removed by narrowing the throttle valve 50 to narrow the opening area of the suction port 41A of the container case body 41, the maintainability can be improved and the suction performance is lowered. Can also be prevented.

  At this time, since the diameter of the tube portion 45B is gradually decreasing linearly toward the other end opening 45D, the air flowing through the air passage 45A is likely to hit the entire surface of the net filter F3 uniformly. For this reason, the dust adhering to the net filter F3 is more easily peeled off.

  Further, the separated dust is introduced into the dust collecting chamber 44 through the guide tube 46 and accumulated.

  Furthermore, in order to remove dust adhering to the filter body 70 and prevent a reduction in the air volume passing through the filter body 70, the throttle valve 50 is throttled as described above, and the knob portion 64A of the outside air intake opening 60 is provided. Then, the on-off valve 64 is rotated forward to open the on-off valve 64 (see FIG. 8). Thereby, the upper opening 63A of the surrounding wall 63 is opened and communicates with the outside air. And the electric blower 21 is operated in this state.

  At this time, when the throttle valve 50 is throttled, the suction negative pressure acting in the negative pressure chamber portion 43 is increased, so that the outside air flows (inhales) into the negative pressure chamber portion 43 through the opening 61. become. The outside air flowing in from the opening 61 is blown to the upstream surface 70 </ b> A of the filter body 70 by the nozzle 62. The blown outside air collides with the air flowing from the dust separation part 45 through the opening 45E, and can generate a turbulent flow in the vicinity of the upstream surface 70A of the filter body 70.

  The dust adhering to the filter body 70 is lifted again by the turbulent flow generated in the vicinity of the upstream surface 70A of the filter body 70. The re-floated dust is collected by being blown away toward the flat surface portion 72B of the pleated filter portion 72 where the tip portion 62A of the nozzle 62 does not face.

  The dust collected on the flat surface portion 72B of the pleated filter portion 72 can be removed by being wiped off when dust in the dust collection chamber portion 44 is discarded, and can be easily removed.

  Further, the dust adhering to the pleated portion 72A facing the tip end portion 62A of the nozzle 62 is always lifted again by turbulent flow and removed, so that the suction negative is located in line with the intake opening 21A of the electric blower 21. Clogging of the pleat portion 72A where the pressure acts most strongly is prevented. Therefore, it is possible to more efficiently prevent the suction performance from being lowered.

  Although one embodiment according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the valve body 51 of the throttle valve 50 and the open / close valve 64 of the outside air intake opening 60 are opened and closed independently, but they are interlocked with each other. Also good.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the valve body 51 is connected to the control circuit 80 via the first solenoid S _1, on-off valve 64 is connected to the control circuit 80 via the second solenoid S _2. Further, the control circuit 80 is provided with a switch (SW) 81 for turning the control circuit 80 ON / OFF, and a display unit 82 for displaying an open / closed state of the valve body 51 and the open / close valve 64. The display unit 82 is a blinking LED lamp.

When the switch 81 is turned on, a current flows through the first and second solenoids S ₁ and S ₂ by the control circuit 80 to move the valve body 51 and the on-off valve 64, respectively.

  Accordingly, it is possible to easily allow the outside air to flow into the negative pressure chamber 43 through the outside air communication opening 60 simultaneously with reducing the opening area of the suction port 41A.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole vacuum cleaner concerning this invention. It is the side view which abbreviate | omitted the cover of the cleaner body shown in FIG. (A) is a perspective view at the time of seeing a suction inlet from the downstream, (b) is a perspective view at the time of restrict | squeezing the throttle valve in Fig.3 (a). (A) is a perspective view at the time of seeing a suction inlet from an upstream side, (b) is a perspective view at the time of restrict | squeezing the throttle valve in Fig.4 (a). It is a perspective view at the time of removing the filter body of a dust collecting container and seeing from the downstream. (A) is a perspective view when the filter body is viewed from the upstream side, and (b) is a perspective view when the filter body is viewed from the downstream side. It is AA sectional drawing at the time of mounting a filter body in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which opened the on-off valve of the external air communication opening in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example in the case of interlocking a throttle valve and an on-off valve. It is a partially broken side view which shows the conventional vacuum cleaner.

Explanation of symbols

10 Vacuum cleaner 41A Suction port 43 Negative pressure chamber (negative pressure chamber)
44 Dust collector (dust collector chamber)
45 First dust separation means (dust separation part)
50 Throttle valve F3 filter (net filter)

Claims (2)

A negative pressure chamber in which the negative pressure of the electric blower acts, a filter that communicates the negative pressure chamber and the suction port, and air and dust sucked from the suction port by the suction negative pressure acting through the filter; A vacuum cleaner comprising a first dust separating means for separating the dust and a dust collecting part for collecting the dust separated by the first dust separating means,
A vacuum cleaner characterized in that a throttle valve for changing an opening area is provided at the suction port.   The second dust separation means is provided on the downstream side of the first dust separation means and captures dust by filtration to separate air and dust, and includes a first dust separation means and a second dust separation means. An outside air intake opening for generating a flow toward the upstream surface of the second dust separation means is formed between the outside air intake openings, and an open / close valve is provided in the outside air intake opening. Item 2. The vacuum cleaner according to Item 1.

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