JP2006198151A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cleaner capable of controlling the impact when a cleaner body in the horizontal state is raised to the vertical state. <P>SOLUTION: The rotation of the handle 56 is restrained at a position where the straight line L1 connecting a grip part 62 to the ground contact face of a driven wheel 22 with the floor surface F does not go over the center of gravity G of the cleaner body 1 from when a swivel wheel 21 begins to rise with the cleaner body 1 being in the horizontal state till the cleaner body 1 is raised to the vertical state. Accordingly, swing of the cleaner body 1 caused when the straight line L1 goes over the center of gravity G of the cleaner body 1 can be prevented, and the impact on the hand of an operator or on parts inside the cleaner body applied when the cleaner body 1 in the horizontal state is raised to the vertical state can be controlled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner provided with a handle that is pivotally supported in the front-rear direction of a cleaner body.

Conventionally, this type of electric vacuum cleaner includes a vacuum cleaner body that houses an electric blower. In this cleaner body, a turning wheel and a rear driven wheel are rotatably provided on the front side, and the cleaner body can travel on the floor surface by the turning wheel and the driven wheel. In addition, a handle that is gripped when the cleaner body is lifted is attached to the cleaner body. The handle is formed in a substantially U shape having an arm portion pivotally supported on both side portions of the cleaner main body and a grip portion that connects between one end portions of the arm portions and is gripped by an operator. . And each arm part is pivotally supported by the other end part so that rotation is possible ahead of the center-of-gravity position in the horizontal state of a cleaner body (for example, refer to patent documents 1).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-267071 (page 3, FIG. 1)

  When storing the main body of the vacuum cleaner, hold the grip of the handle, lift the handle upward in the horizontal direction with the driven wheel in contact with the floor, and lift the front of the main body of the vacuum cleaner. Set the main body of the vacuum cleaner vertically. At this time, the handle rotates to the front of the cleaner body, and its rotation is restricted when it reaches the maximum rotation state.

  However, in the above vacuum cleaner, when lifting the gripping part, the center of gravity of the vacuum cleaner body moves from the rear side to the front side along the straight line connecting the gripping part and the contact part between the floor surface of the driven wheel. Therefore, there is a problem that when the center of gravity exceeds a straight line, the cleaner body is swung forward.

  And when a vacuum cleaner main body is shaken, when a handle | steering-wheel will be in the maximum rotation state, there exists a problem that a big impact is added to components, such as an operator's hand or an electric blower in a vacuum cleaner main body.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the vacuum cleaner which suppressed the impact at the time of raising a cleaner main body from a horizontal state to a vertical state.

  The present invention includes a rear wheel provided at the rear of the lower part of the vacuum cleaner body, a front wheel provided at the lower part of the vacuum cleaner body and positioned in front of the rear wheel, and a shaft that is pivotable forward and backward in the running direction of the vacuum cleaner body. The cleaner body can be selected between a horizontal state with the front and rear wheels grounded and a vertical state with the rear of the cleaner body at the bottom. The handle is cleaned by turning. When the vacuum cleaner main body is brought into a vertical state from the state where the gripper is gripped in the horizontal state of the vacuum cleaner main body and the front wheel is floated, the gripper and the rear wheel are The rotation is regulated so that the straight line connecting the ground plane does not exceed the center of gravity of the vacuum cleaner body.

  According to the present invention, when the vacuum cleaner main body is brought into the vertical state from the state in which the vacuum cleaner main body is held in the horizontal state of the vacuum cleaner main body and the front wheel of the vacuum cleaner main body is floated, By restricting the rotation of the handle so that the center of gravity does not exceed the straight line connecting the center of the vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner main body will not be shaken when the vacuum cleaner main body is set to the vertical state, and the vacuum cleaner main body is lifted from the horizontal state to the vertical state. Can suppress the impact when

  Hereinafter, the configuration of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

  In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a vacuum cleaner body. The vacuum cleaner body 1 collects dust sucked together with intake air generated by driving an electric blower 2 accommodated in a dust collection pack (not shown). It is. The vacuum cleaner main body 1 includes a case body 3 that houses the electric blower 2, and a main body suction port 4 that communicates with the suction side of the electric blower 2 is formed in the front end portion of the case body 3. And as shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum cleaner main body 1 will be in a use state in the state mounted horizontally on the floor surface F as a surface to be cleaned.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an elongate substantially cylindrical hose body 5 that is flexible and can be bent is connected to the main body suction port 4. Further, a hand operation unit 6 capable of selecting an operation mode of the electric blower 2 is provided at the tip of the hose body 5. The hand operating section 6 is provided with a plurality of setting buttons 7 for setting the electric blower 2 and the like to a plurality of operation modes, and an operation gripping section 8 gripped by an operator at the time of cleaning is provided on the proximal end side. Projected toward.

  Furthermore, an elongated, substantially cylindrical extension tube 9 that can be extended and retracted is detachably connected to the distal end of the hand operation unit 6. At the tip of the extension tube 9, for example, a floor brush 10 as a suction port body that is placed on a carpet on the floor surface of the room and operated by the operation gripping portion 8 and sucks dust on the carpet or the like. Are connected in a detachable manner.

  The case body 3 includes a lower case 15 that opens on the upper side and serves as a lower surface of the cleaner body 1, an upper case 16 that is provided on the upper rear side of the lower case 15, and a lid that is provided on the front side of the upper case 16. 17 and a bumper 18 sandwiched between the lower case 15, the upper case 16 and the lid body 17. The case body 3 is provided with packings (not shown) on the mounting portions such as the lower case 15, the upper case 16, the lid body 17 and the bumper 18, and has airtightness with respect to the suction side of the electric blower 2. ing.

  The lower case 15 is the lower surface of the cleaner body 1 and, as shown in FIG. 3, a turning wheel 21 as a front wheel is rotatably and turnably provided in a lower portion facing the front floor surface F. At the same time, driven wheels 22 (only one is shown) as rear wheels are rotatably provided on both sides of the rear portion of the cleaner body 1. Further, the swivel wheel 21 and the driven wheel 22 enable the cleaner body 1 to travel on the floor F in the front-rear direction. Further, the lower case 15 is engaged with a locking portion 23 provided on the outer peripheral portion on the distal end side of the extension tube 9 so that the electric vacuum cleaner is brought into the storage state shown in FIG. Is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, the upper case 16 is positioned at the upper part of an electric blower chamber (not shown) that is partitioned in the rear portion of the case body 3 and houses the electric blower 2. A substantially U-shaped small handle 24 that is gripped when the machine body 1 is lifted is provided adjacent to the lid 17, and a power cord (not shown) for supplying electric power to the electric blower 2 or the like from a commercial AC power source (not shown) A take-up button 25 is provided to enable the case to be taken up in the case body 3.

  Here, the small handle 24 is provided so as to be pivotable in the front-rear direction with respect to the case body 3, protrudes substantially vertically in a state of being pivoted forward, can lift the cleaner body 1, and is rearward. And is substantially parallel to the upper case 16 and is stored without protruding upward from the case body 3. Note that the small handle 24 is not necessarily provided.

  Furthermore, the lid 17 covers the upper part of a dust collection chamber (not shown) that is partitioned at the front part in the case body 3 and detachably accommodates the dust collection pack, and the rear part is a front part of the upper case 16. It is pivotally supported by the shaft. The dust collection chamber communicates with the front side of the electric blower chamber, that is, the suction side of the electric blower 2. A hooking recess 26 is provided below the front end of the lid 17 so that an operator can hook his / her finger when the lid 17 is opened and closed.

  Further, the bumper 18 is for reducing the impact to the inside when the cleaner body 1 collides with an obstacle or the like. For example, the bumper 18 is provided with a soft synthetic resin or the like. 4 from one side of 4 through the rear part of case body 3 to the other side of main body suction port 4. Further, an exhaust port (not shown) is provided at the rear part of the bumper 18 which is the rear part of the cleaner body 1. A suction port cover 31 provided separately from the case body 3 is attached between both sides of the front portion of the bumper 18.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suction port cover 31 covers the periphery of the main body suction port 4 and serves as the front end of the cleaner body 1. The cover main body 32 is formed in a substantially square shape in front view, It has a shaft support portion 33 that projects from the lower portion of the cover body 32 and is positioned in front of the lower case 15.

  The cover main body 32 is attached between both sides of the front end portion of the bumper 18 with substantially no gap, a communication port 34 communicating with the main body suction port 4 is formed in the central portion, and continues to the hooking recess 26 of the lid body 17. A horizontally long recess 35 is provided at the top.

  The communication port 34 is provided at the base end portion of the hose body 5 and is substantially circular in a front view where a substantially cylindrical attachment / detachment portion 41 is inserted as a tube portion that allows the hose body 5 to be attached to and detached from the main body suction port 4. A communication port portion 42 having a shape, and an attachment / detachment recess 43 that is cut out in a substantially square shape in front view and attaches / detaches the attachment / detachment portion 41 at one side portion of the communication port portion 42 are provided.

  The communication port portion 42 is formed in the cover main body 32 along the front-rear direction, has an inner peripheral surface 45 that receives the outer peripheral surface of the detachable portion 41, and the rear portion communicates with the main body suction port 4.

  The attachment / detachment recess 43 includes an inner side surface 47 that is continuous with the inner peripheral surface 45, and an attachment / detachment receiving surface 48 that is located at the rear of the inner side surface 47 and receives the tip of the attachment / detachment portion 41.

  The inner side surface 47 is provided with a fitting recess 51 in which a not-shown clamp portion provided in the detachable portion 41 is detachably fitted. The fitting recess 51 is formed in a longitudinal shape along the front-rear direction of the cleaner body 1.

  Further, the attachment / detachment receiving surface 48 is formed along the width direction of the cleaner body 1, that is, the left-right direction, and a pair of insertion holes 53 into which a pair of contact fittings (not shown) provided in the attachment / detachment portion 41 are inserted are formed vertically. Are spaced apart from each other. These contact fittings serve as a rotary cleaning body (not shown) that is provided on the setting button 7 of the hand operating unit 6 or the floor brush 10 via an electric wire (not shown) spirally arranged in the hose body 5. This is electrically connected to a control unit of an electric motor that rotates the rotating brush, and the operation of these setting buttons 7 is transmitted to the cleaner body 1 side.

  The insertion holes 53 are provided with contacts 54 therein, and the contact fittings of the attachment / detachment portion 41 are electrically connected to the contacts 54 in a state where the attachment / detachment portion 41 is connected to the communication port 34. ing. That is, the cover body 32 covers the periphery of the contact 54.

  Here, the contact 54 is electrically connected to the control means 55 which is accommodated in the cleaner body 1 and controls the driving of the electric blower 2 and the like.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the shaft support portion 33 is formed in a longitudinal shape along the left-right direction of the cleaner body 1, and both end portions are respectively located on both sides of the front end portion of the cleaner body 1. 3, the lower end portion is located below the lower portion of the lower case 15 and above the lower end portion of the swivel wheel 21. That is, the shaft support portion 33 is located in front of the turning wheel 21. The both ends of the shaft support 33 are pivotally supported so that both ends of the handle 56 held by the operator when the cleaner body 1 is lifted can be rotated in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the handle 56 includes a pair of arm portions 61 each having one end pivotally supported at both ends of the shaft support 33 and positioned on both sides of the cleaner body 1, and these arm portions. A grip portion 62 that connects the other end portions of 61 is provided, and is formed in a substantially U shape in plan view. Then, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 3, the handle 56 is brought into a use state by being rotated forward so as to be substantially perpendicular to the cleaner body 1. , 22 can be lifted from the grounded horizontal state, and as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, it is placed in the stowed state by rotating backward along the cleaner body 1, and as shown in FIG. The vacuum cleaner main body 1 is set in a vertical state with the rear portion of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 as a lower side in a state of being rotated to the maximum, and can be stored in the state shown in FIG. 5 (stand storage state).

  The vertical state means a state in which the swivel wheel 21 of the cleaner body 1 is lifted from the floor surface F and the rear portion of the cleaner body 1 is on the lower side, and the cleaner body 1 is not necessarily placed on the floor as shown in FIG. It is not necessary to stand upright perpendicular to the surface F.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the arm portion 61 is bent upward with respect to the pivoted portion 65 pivotally supported at both ends of the pivotal support portion 33 and the rear portion of the pivoted support portion 65. The arm main body portion 66 is continuous, and the bent portion 67 is continuous to be bent downward with respect to the rear portion of the arm main body portion 66.

  Each pivoted support portion 65 is pivotally supported on a rotating shaft 71 that protrudes from each end surface 33 a of the pivot support portion 33. Further, these pivoted support portions 65 are accommodated by the rotation restricting portion (not shown) provided between the pivot support portion 33 and the pivoted support portion 65 so that the handle 56 is stored in the storage state shown by the solid line in FIG. Can be held at a plurality of predetermined angles such as the use state shown in FIG.

  And by this rotation control part, the handle | steering-wheel 56 is shown in FIG.1 (b) from the state which floats the turning wheel 21 side of the cleaner body 1 in the horizontal state of the cleaner body 1 as shown to Fig.1 (a). The straight line L1 that connects the gripping portion 62 and the ground contact surface of the driven wheel 22 that contacts the floor surface F until the rotation restriction state shown in FIG. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 1 (a) to the state shown in FIG. 1 (c), the straight line L1 is always located above the center of gravity G, that is, on the upper case 16 side. The maximum rotation position on the front side is restricted. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the handle 56 is at a position above the axial extension line L <b> 2 of the communication port 34 that is an axial extension line of the main body suction port 4, that is, on the upper case 16 side. positioned.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) to 1 (c), each arm main body 66 is located on each side of the cleaner body 1, and extends along the front-rear direction of the cleaner body 1. It is formed in a longitudinal shape.

  Furthermore, each bent portion 67 is positioned above the cleaner body 1, and the rear portion opposite to the arm body portion 66 is smoothly continuous with the grip portion 62. The bent portions 67 are provided so as to be substantially parallel to the pivoted support portion 65, respectively.

  And the holding part 62 is a part located in the upper side of the cleaner body 1, and is hold | gripped by the operator, and in the storage state of the handle 56 shown by the continuous line of FIG. While the lower end portion is in contact with each other, it protrudes forward from the front end portion of the cleaner body 1 in the maximum rotation state shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a holding recess 76 that can temporarily hold and hold the extension tube 9 during cleaning or the like is provided at the center in the left-right direction at the upper part of the grip 62. ing.

  Next, the function and effect of the embodiment will be described.

  First, when cleaning, the lid 17 is rotated backward to open the dust collection chamber, and after the dust collection pack is attached to the dust collection chamber, the lid 17 is rotated forward to collect the dust collection chamber. Occlude.

  Next, the detachable portion 41 of the hose body 5 is connected to the main body suction port 4 of the cleaner body 1. At this time, the contact fitting of the attaching / detaching portion 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 53, and the contact fitting is electrically connected to the contact 54, and the clamp portion of the attaching / detaching portion 41 is fitted into the fitting recess 51 and the hose body. 5 is retained from the vacuum cleaner body 1.

  Further, after the extension tube 9 and the floor brush 10 are sequentially connected to the tip of the hose body 5, the power cord pulled out from the cleaner body 1 is connected to a commercial AC power source, and the operation grip 8 is gripped to a predetermined setting. By operating the button 7, the electric blower 2 is driven in a predetermined operation mode.

  Then, the operator causes the floor brush 10 to travel back and forth on the floor surface F via the operation gripping portion 8 and sucks dust on the floor surface F together with air.

  The air sucked together with the dust becomes a suction wind and flows into the dust collection pack through the extension tube 9, the hose body 5 and the main body suction port 4 in order, and the dust is collected when passing through the dust collection pack. The

  Thereafter, the suction air flows into the suction side of the electric blower 2, passes through the electric blower 2, becomes exhaust air, and is exhausted from the exhaust port to the outside of the cleaner body 1.

  When lifting the vacuum cleaner body 1 during cleaning work, etc., as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3, the handle 56 is rotated forward and the gripping part 62 is positioned vertically above the rotation shaft 71. The gripping portion 62 can be gripped and lifted up.

  When the handle 56 is stored along the cleaner body 1, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the handle 56 is rotated backward so that the lower end portion of the gripping portion 62 is positioned on the upper rear portion of the upper case 16. It is made to contact | abut to the accommodation state.

  Further, when the cleaning is finished, the setting button 7 is operated to stop the driving of the electric blower 2, the power cord is pulled out from the outlet, and the winding button 25 is operated to wind the power cord in the cleaner body 1. take.

  When storing the vacuum cleaner, first, as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the gripping portion 62 of the handle 56 is gripped from the horizontal state of the cleaner body 1, and the gripping portion 62 is moved. By pulling up vertically, the swivel wheel 21 side of the cleaner body 1 is lifted. At this time, the gripping portion 62 and the rotation shaft 71 are located on a line substantially perpendicular to the floor surface F. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), when the handle 56 is in the rotation restricted state, the cleaner body 1 is rotated backward together with the handle 56, and as shown in FIG. While the main body 1 is in a vertical state, as shown in FIG. 5, the hose body 5 is wound around the extension tube 9 and the locking portion 23 is locked in the locking recess of the lower case 15 to store the stand.

  At this time, the straight line L1 that connects the gripping portion 62 and the ground contact surface of the floor surface F of the driven wheel 22 from the state in which the swivel wheel 21 starts to float in the horizontal state of the cleaner body 1 to the vertical state is the cleaner body 1 By restricting the rotation of the handle 56 to a position that does not exceed the center of gravity G of the cleaner body, it is possible to prevent the vibration of the cleaner body 1 that occurs when the straight line L1 exceeds the center of gravity G of the cleaner body 1.

  As a result, in the conventional vacuum cleaner in which this vibration occurs, the vibration of the cleaner body is accelerated by this vibration, so that the handle is restricted from rotating when the cleaner body is lifted from the horizontal state to the vertical state. However, in the above embodiment, the impact can be suppressed, giving the operator unpleasant feeling, or the vacuum cleaner main body. It is possible to prevent the internal components of 1 from being damaged.

  Further, when the arm portion 61 of the handle 56 is pivotally supported on both front sides of the swivel wheel 21, when the handle 56 is rotated rearward and placed along the cleaner body 1, Since the arm portion 61 is positioned substantially along the diagonal line between the front lower side and the rear upper side of the vacuum cleaner body 1 in a side view, the handle 56 in the retracted state from the vacuum cleaner body 1 to the rear and upward directions. The size of the handle 56 can be maximized without increasing the amount of protrusion.

  Furthermore, by not increasing the amount of protrusion from the cleaner body 1 when the handle 56 is stored, the handle 56 does not get in the way when the handle 56 is stored, and the size of the handle 56 can be secured. Thus, when the handle 56 is rotated forward, the gripping part 62 protrudes greatly above the cleaner body 1, so that the operator can easily grip the gripping part 62 without bending his / her waist. The main body 1 can be lifted.

  The arm portion 61 of the handle 56 is pivotally supported by a suction port cover 31 that is separate from the case body 3 that is airtight with respect to the suction side of the electric blower 2. Even if the air blower is slightly loosened, the suction air of the electric blower 2 is less likely to leak, for example, without providing a structure for preventing the air blower 2 from leaking as compared with the case where the handle is pivotally supported on the case body. In addition to ensuring airtightness on the suction side of the electric blower 2, the structure of the vacuum cleaner body 1 and the like is complicated to prevent leakage of the suction air, resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs and an increase in the weight of the vacuum cleaner body 1 I don't have to.

  Further, since the arm portion 61 of the handle 56 is pivotally supported by using the suction port cover 31 covering the periphery of the main body suction port 4 and the contact 54, a new separate member is provided for the pivotal support of the arm portion 61. This eliminates the need for an increase in the number of parts, reduces the manufacturing cost, and allows the user to set the presence or absence of the handle 56 simply by replacing the suction port cover 31. The case body 3 can be used in common with the vacuum cleaner, and costs such as a mold cost for the case body 3 can be suppressed.

  Further, by restricting the rotation of the handle 56 above the axial extension line L2 of the main body suction port 4, the handle 56 does not interfere with the attaching / detaching portion 41 at all the rotation positions. When the vacuum cleaner body 1 is lifted, the workability is improved without the attachment / detachment portion 41 getting in the way.

  Since the handle 56 can be held at a plurality of predetermined angles between the stored state and the maximum rotation state, the cleaner body 1 moves when the handle 56 is in the use state, or the stand 56 is in the stand stored state. However, the handle 56 does not fall into the stored state, and the usability is improved.

  Further, when the arm portion 61 is in the retracted state as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 by forming the pivoted support portion 65 and the bent portion 67 of the arm portion 61 substantially parallel to each other, the supported shaft portion 65 and the bent portion are arranged. 67 are substantially parallel to the floor surface F, and are positioned along the front-rear direction of the cleaner body 1, so that the pivoted portion 65 and the bent portion 67 protrude from the cleaner body 1 more than necessary. There is nothing to do.

  In the above embodiment, the structure for pivotally supporting the handle 56 on the suction port cover 31 can be arbitrarily set.

  Further, the rotation angle of the handle 56 can be arbitrarily set between the storage state and the maximum rotation state.

  Further, the handle 56 can be used in correspondence with, for example, a cyclone-separated vacuum cleaner or a rechargeable vacuum cleaner, and the details of the configuration of the vacuum cleaner are described in the above embodiment. It is not limited.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view showing a vacuum cleaner main body of an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a side view showing the front wheel floating start from the horizontal state of the vacuum cleaner main body, (b) is a cleaning same as the above. The side view which shows the lifting state of the front wheel of a machine main body, (c) is a side view which shows the rotation control state of the handle | steering_wheel of a cleaner main body same as the above. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the principal part of a vacuum cleaner main body same as the above. It is a side view which shows the rotation state of the handle | steering_wheel of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a side view which shows the maximum rotation state of the handle | steering_wheel of a vacuum cleaner main body same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the accommodation state of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows a vacuum cleaner same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vacuum cleaner body 2 Electric blower
21 Turning wheel as front wheel
22 Follower wheel as rear wheel
56 Handle

Claims (1)

A vacuum cleaner body containing an electric blower,
A rear wheel provided behind the lower part of the vacuum cleaner body,
A front wheel provided at a lower part of the vacuum cleaner body and positioned in front of the rear wheel;
A handle pivotally supported on the front and rear of the vacuum cleaner body,
The vacuum cleaner main body can select a horizontal state in which the front wheel and the rear wheel are grounded and a vertical state in which a rear portion of the vacuum cleaner main body is below,
The handle includes a gripping portion that can project forward from the cleaner body by rotation, and the cleaner body is lifted from a state in which the gripping portion is gripped and the front wheel is floated in the horizontal state of the cleaner body. In the vertical state, the electric vacuum cleaner is characterized in that a rotation of a straight line connecting the grip portion and the ground contact surface of the rear wheel is restricted to a position where the center of gravity of the vacuum cleaner body does not exceed.

Images