JP2006246958A - Movable electric device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem of a movable electric device wherein cutting or short-circuiting of a conductive wire in a power cord is caused as the power cord is pulled or bent in a movable electric device. <P>SOLUTION: The movable electric device 1 comprises an electric device body 2 with running wheels 20 and a built-in power consuming part 16, the power cord 17 whose one end is connected to the power consuming part 16 to be drawn out of the electric device body 2, a plug 50 connected to the other end of the power cord 17 to be inserted into a power outlet, a cord holder member 47 with elasticity to be spirally wound a plurality of times around the outer surface of the power cord 17 near the one end, and a holder member attaching body 41 for attaching the cord holder member 47 to the electric device body 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrical device that protects a power cord from damage caused by the pulling of a power cord connected to supply electric power to a travelable electrical device when the electrical cord is pulled by movement of the electrical device.

  A vacuum cleaner, which is a type of conventional electric equipment that can be driven, is an obstacle that causes the cleaner body to move longer or that the power cord is in the middle when the operator performs the cleaning work while pulling the suction hose. If you get caught, you may reach the power cord length limit. When the connecting portion between the cleaner body and the power cord is repeatedly pulled or bent in this manner, the portion in the vicinity thereof may be cut or electrically short-circuited.

  For this reason, there is a type in which the connecting portion of the power cord to the cleaner body is reinforced with cord rubber so as to withstand pulling and bending. Further, in order to wrap and hold a part or all of the long power cord, there is a cleaner provided with a cord hooking portion. (For example, see Patent Document 1)

  In addition, a cord holding part that temporarily holds the power cord is provided on the handle of the vacuum cleaner body to prevent the power cord from getting tangled with the wheel while the cleaner body is moving, or when it is caught by an obstacle Some are designed to prevent damage. (For example, see Patent Document 2)

Furthermore, some optical fiber cables that are more likely to be damaged than a power cord when bent are provided with a coil spring wound around the outer periphery of the end of the cable to prevent sudden bending. (For example, see Patent Document 3)
JP-A-8-294467 (page 3, FIG. 7, FIG. 8) JP-A-8-266453 (page 3, FIG. 2) JP-A-6-289251 (second page, FIG. 1)

  In these conventional examples, in the case of Patent Document 1, when the power cord is suddenly pulled by the movement of the cleaner body during the cleaning operation, the connection portion of the power cord with the cleaner body is damaged or bent. May cause damage. In addition, in the case of Patent Document 2, since a cord holding portion of a power cord is provided or a cord reel is wound by being energized by a coil spring, a sudden tensile force is applied to the connecting portion of the power cord. Although it can be somewhat prevented, the power cord is limited in length, and is expensive due to the provision of a cord reel. Furthermore, in Patent Document 3, the coil spring is wound to prevent sudden bending at the end of the optical fiber cable, but the strength of the connecting portion cannot be increased against tension.

  Even in the case where the power cord is not damaged several times, damage to the power cord caused by pulling or bending in each of the above patent documents is often caused by repetition of several tens or hundreds of times.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric device that can travel on a floor surface and the like and can prevent damage to a power cord.

  In order to achieve the above object, a travelable electrical device according to the present invention includes a travel device having a travel wheel and a built-in power consuming portion, and one end connected to the power consuming portion. A power cord drawn out of the power cord, a plug connected to the other end of the power cord and inserted into a power outlet, and the outer periphery of the power cord near one end by a spiral winding portion a plurality of times. A cord holding member having a wound spring property and a holding member attachment body in which the cord holding member is attached to the electric device main body are provided.

  The electric device capable of traveling according to the present invention can prevent the power cord from being damaged even when the power cord for supplying power to the power consuming unit is pulled or bent during the traveling.

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of a travelable electric device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, a vacuum cleaner 1 that is an electrical device includes a vacuum cleaner body 2 that is an electrical device body, and one end of a suction hose 3 that has a bellows shape to provide flexibility is the vacuum cleaner body 2. It is detachably connected to. At the other end of the suction hose 3, a U-shaped operation tube 5 having a grip 4 is integrally provided. The operation tube 5 is in contact with the floor surface and sucks dust together with air. The extension pipe 6 connected to the suction port body 7 is coupled so as to be detachable. The insides of the suction hose 3, the operation tube 5, the extension tube 6, and the suction port body 7 are in communication with the inside of the cleaner body 2 in each connected state.

  The vacuum cleaner main body 2 which is an electric equipment main body shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes an upper case 10 and a lower case 11 each having a cylindrical shape. The upper case 10 has an upper opening covered with a disc-like cover 12 made of a thick plastic, and a lower opening has a flange portion 13 that spreads outward in an annular shape. An outer peripheral portion of the cover 12 has an annular protrusion 14 whose lower portion protrudes downward. Further, the upper case 10 incorporates an electric blower 16 sandwiched between a pair of large and small elastic supports 15 from above and below. The electric blower 16 serving as the power consuming unit is connected to a power cord 17 that is coated with an elastic insulator around the conductive wire and supplies power from the outside. The power cord 17 is connected to the outer side of the upper case 10. Has been drawn to.

  The bottom surface of the lower case 11 is supported by a substantially rectangular bottom plate 21 having four wheels 20 fixed at the four corners of the lower surface, so that the cleaner body 2 can travel. The lower case 11 has a cylindrical outer case 22, and a cylindrical dust collecting container 23 with a bottom is accommodated in the outer case 22 so as to be detachable. The upper opening 24 of the dust collecting container 23 is covered with a disk-shaped thick filter 25 so that the support frame 26 that supports the thick filter 25 is connected to the flange 13 of the upper case 10 and the dust collection. The container 23 is detachably sandwiched between the upper edge 27 of the container 23.

  The support frame 26 of the thick filter 25 is provided with a suction port 30 at one location. The suction port 30 is a suction port 31 provided in the flange portion 13 when the upper case 10 is coupled to the lower case 11. It is designed to be connected to the communication. An L-shaped connection tube 33 at the end of the extension tube 6 is connected to the suction port 31 and the suction port 30 so as to be rotatable and detachable. The upper case 10 and the lower case 11 are coupled from above and below by a plurality of clamping devices 34 provided on the outer periphery of the lower case 11.

  Further, an exhaust port 37 for exhausting the air discharged from the outlet 36 of the electric blower 16 outward is provided in a part of the upper case 10. Further, a handle 38 that is pivotally supported at both ends and can be buried in the cover 12 and a power switch 39 for driving the electric blower 16 are provided on the upper surface of the cover 12.

  A rectangular mounting hole 40 is provided in the outer peripheral portion of the cover 12 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction at an angle of approximately 180 degrees from the suction port 31. One side of the outer side of the mounting hole 40 substantially coincides with the inner wall surface of the annular protrusion 14, and the holding member attachment body 41 shown in FIG. 3 is attached so as to sandwich the annular protrusion 14. The holding member mounting body 41 is made of an integral iron material including a single cord hooking portion 42 provided at the upper portion and a member mounting body 44 having two leg portions 43 which are divided at the lower portion thereof. It is configured. The two leg portions 43 having the spring property are provided with retaining portions 45 that project in an arc shape toward the inside so that intermediate portions thereof are close to each other. In addition, through holes 46 are provided at the end portions of the two leg portions 43, respectively.

  The holding member mounting body 41 is detachably held by inserting one leg portion 43 from above the mounting hole 40 of the cover 12. At the time of this insertion, the retaining portion 45 on each of the leg portions 43 which are bifurcated opens so as to get over the annular protrusion 14, and after getting over, the leg portion 43 closes to the original state and the annular protrusion 14 is closed It is in a state of being pinched elastically.

  The end portions of a cord holding member 47 having a spring property with an intermediate portion formed in a spiral shape are inserted into the through holes 46 respectively provided in the two leg portions 43. The cord holding member 47 is made of a single metal material having a circular cross section, and is supported by inserting a fixing portion 48 bent in a U shape at one end into the through hole 46 of each leg portion 43. The intermediate portion is wound around the power cord 17 with a winding portion 49 having a slightly smaller inner diameter than the outer periphery of the power cord 17 and having a wide pitch interval, and the other end is bent into a U-shape. ing. Since the power cord 17 is covered with an elastic insulator, the power cord 17 is wound around the cord holding member 47 by being inserted between the pitches of the winding portions 49 so as to turn around the cord holding member 47. Can be installed in the finished condition.

  The cord holding member 47 has one end portion inserted into the two through-holes 46 provided in each of the two leg portions 43, so that the cord holding member together with the power cord 17 as the cleaner body 2 moves. When the 47 is pulled, the tension is distributed to the two leg portions 43 to increase the strength, and the leg portions 43 act so as to approach each other to strengthen the annular protrusion 14 of the cover 12. Since holding is performed, the holding force can be further strengthened.

  Next, the usage state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 which is the electric device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5. In FIG. 1, the cleaning operator inserts the plug 50 of the power cord 17 into a wall outlet (not shown) and turns on the power switch 39 to drive the electric blower 16 that is a power consuming unit.

  In this state, by grasping the operation tube 5 of the extension pipe 6 and moving the suction port body 7 back and forth and right and left, the air and dust sucked from the suction port body 7 are moved inside the extension tube 6 and the suction hose 3. It passes at high speed and flows into the dust collecting container 23 from the suction port 31 and the suction port 30 of the cleaner body 2. Inside the dust collecting container 23, the speed of the airflow is slowed down, dust having a high specific gravity falls and accumulates, and dust having a low specific gravity is captured when the airflow passes through the thickness filter 25. Thereafter, the airflow that has passed through the electric blower 16 is exhausted to the outside via the outflow port 36 and the exhaust port 37.

  During this cleaning operation, the operator pulls the operation tube 5 of the suction hose 3 and moves, but the cleaner body 2 travels in the front-rear and left-right directions by the wheels 20 along with this movement. Then, the intermediate portion of the power cord 17 with the plug 50 inserted into the wall power outlet is caught by an obstacle on the floor or the like, or the main body of the cleaner 2 reaches the position of the entire length of the power cord 17. If the power cord 17 is extended, the cord holding member 47 attached to the holding member attachment body 41 and wound around the outer periphery of the power cord 17 prevents the power cord 17 from being pulled further.

  At this time, even if an abrupt tension is applied to the power cord 17, the cord holding member 47 exhibits a buffering effect due to the spring property. Even when a bending force is applied to the portion of the power cord 17 supported by the cord holding member 47, the spring property of the entire cord holding member 47 and the winding portion 49 are wound a plurality of times with a wide pitch interval. Therefore, it is possible to prevent sharp bending. Accordingly, the power cord 17 can prevent breakage of the conductive wires inside the power cord 17 and damage to the connection portion with the electric blower built in the cleaner body 2.

  Next, the storage state after the completion of the cleaning operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the cleaning operation is continued as described above and the necessary room or the like is cleaned, the power switch 39 is turned off to stop the driving of the electric blower 16 serving as the power consuming unit. Then, the plug 50 is removed from the power outlet, and the power cord 17 is hooked on the cord hooking portion 42 provided integrally with the holding member mounting body 41 from the portion close to the cleaner body 2 and wound around several times. Subsequently, the wound bundle of power cords 17 is wound and fixed from the outer periphery by a restraint band 51. Thereby, the power cord 17 can be stored even in a narrow place while being hooked on the cord hooking portion 42.

  The above cleaning operation was performed by removing the entire length of the power cord 17 from the cord hooking portion 42 of the holding member attachment body 41. However, when the long power cord 17 is attached, When the cleaning range is narrow, the cleaning work can be performed while a part of the power cord 17 is accommodated in the cord hooking portion 42.

[Example 2]
The end portions of the cord holding member 47 of the above embodiment are inserted into the through holes 46 of the two leg portions 43, respectively, but only inserted into and supported by the through holes 46 of one of the leg portions 43. You can also. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the end portion of the cord holding member 47 is inserted and fixed only in the through hole 46 of the outer leg portion 43, the holding member attachment body with the cord holding member 47 attached. 41 can be removed from the cover 12 by pulling upward, or can be attached to the cover 12 by inserting one leg 43 from above into the mounting hole 40 and pushing it down.

Example 3
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the leg portion 43 on the outer side of the member mounting body 44 is bent outward so that the fixing portion 48 of the cord holding member 47 inserted into the through-hole 46 becomes the annular protrusion of the cover 12. The holding member mounting body 41 can be attached and detached more easily from the cleaner body 2 without colliding with or coming into contact with 14. In addition, by making each end edge part of the holding member attachment body 41 into a curved surface shape, damage to the power cord 17 due to collision or friction can be reduced.

  In the case of the second embodiment and the third embodiment, since the holding member mounting body 41 can be easily detached from the cleaner body 2, the holding member mounting body 41 is removed from the cleaner body 2 when the cleaning operation is completed. The suction hose 3 is removed and wound around the upper surface of the flange portion 13 of the upper case 10 and the outer periphery of the upper cover 10 above it several times, and then the holding member attachment body 41 is inserted from above, and the inner leg portion 43 Since the suction hose 3 can be pressed from the outside, the suction hose 3 can be held in a stable state above the flange portion 13. Then, the power cleaner 17 can be stored in a small space by hooking the power cord 17 on the cord hooking portion 42 several times thereafter.

  In any of the above embodiments, the cord hooking portion 42 is integrally provided on the holding member mounting body 41. However, only the member mounting body 44 is inserted into the mounting hole 40 of the cover 12 without the cord hooking portion 42 being provided. The cord holding member 47 may be attached to the member attaching body 44. However, in this case, the power cord 17 cannot be hooked and held on the member mounting body 44.

  Furthermore, although the member attachment body 44 is bifurcated to provide two leg portions 43, this leg portion is inserted into the mounting hole 40 provided in the cover 12 as one piece, and the through-hole provided in the lower end portion of the leg portion is provided. A cord holding member 47 may be attached to the mouth.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the cord hooking portion 42 is provided so as to protrude straight upward from the member mounting body 44. However, the cord hooking portion 42 may be protruded in the horizontal direction so that the power cord 17 is hooked. good. Further, the power cord 17 is protruded obliquely upward from the member attachment body 44, or once protruded obliquely downward from the member attachment body 44, and then bent upward or obliquely upward so that the power cord 17 is hooked on the bent portion. You can also.

  Although the present invention has been described with respect to the case where it is adopted in a vacuum cleaner according to the above-described embodiment, it is not limited to a vacuum cleaner, and can be a travelable electric device including a power consuming unit. It can be carried out with an electric painting machine, a small welding machine, or the like.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the vacuum cleaner which is an electric equipment of this invention. Example 1 It is a partial cross section figure of the vacuum cleaner main body in the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the holding member attachment body used for the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and a cord hook part. It is a fragmentary perspective view showing the state which used the holding member attachment body and the cord hook part for the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view showing the state which accommodated and hold | maintained the power cord in the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the use condition of a holding member attachment body and a cord hook part in the other Example of this invention. (Example 2) It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the use condition of a holding member attachment body and a cord hook part in the other Example of this invention. Example 3

Explanation of symbols

1 Vacuum cleaner (electric equipment)
2 Vacuum cleaner body (electric equipment body)
16 Electric blower (Power consumption part)
17 Power cord 20 Wheel 40 Mounting hole 41 Holding member attachment body 42 Cord hook part 43 Leg part 49 Winding part

Claims (3)

An electric device body having a wheel for traveling and a built-in power consuming part;
One end of the power consuming unit is connected to the power cord, and the power cord is drawn out of the electric device body.
A plug connected to the other end of the power cord and inserted into a power outlet;
A cord holding member having a spring property in which an outer periphery near one end of the power cord is wound a plurality of times by a spiral winding unit;
A holding member attachment body in which the cord holding member is attached to the electric device body;
An electric device capable of traveling, characterized in that it is provided.   The holding member mounting body includes a cord hooking portion that integrally protrudes upward or horizontally, and the electric cord can be hooked and held several times on the cord hooking portion. Item 1. An electric device capable of traveling according to item 1.   The electric device body is provided with a mounting hole, and the holding member mounting body is provided with a pair of legs that are split into two and projecting downward integrally, and one of these legs is inserted into the mounting hole. 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cord holding member is held at both ends of the leg portions, and the holding member attachment body is attached to the electric device main body. Electrical equipment.

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