JP2007125285A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cleaner which can effectively clean dust along a wall. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum cleaner is equipped with a main suction opening 20 which opens toward a floor face and has a rotary brush and a suction passage 17 which leads dust absorbed with air through the main suction opening 20 to a vacuum cleaner body 1; a front suction opening 22 is formed communicating with the suction passage 17 ahead of the main suction opening 20 and a shutter 27 which can freely open/close is attached to the front suction opening. Since the dust can be absorbed with air through the front suction opening 22 which is ahead of the main suction opening 20, the dust along a wall can be easily absorbed through the front suction opening 22 and cleaning efficiency can be raised. Furthermore, the shutter 27 is attached and the front suction opening 22 is opened/closed; the shutter 27 is closed and suction ability in the main suction opening 20 is raised during cleaning the center of the room, and the shutter 27 is opened and the dust along the wall can be effectively cleaned against the wall. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention particularly relates to the structure of the suction port portion of a vacuum cleaner suitable for an automatic traveling cleaner.

As a conventional electric vacuum cleaner, Patent Document 1 discloses a support wheel attached to a chassis, drive means connected to the support wheel to drive the support wheel, and guide the cleaner on the cleaning surface. Dust from the air sucked into the cleaner through the dust air inlet port, which is supported by the chassis and communicated with the cleaner head, with a control mechanism that controls the drive means, a dust air inlet port facing the cleaning surface A vacuum cleaner is disclosed that includes a separating device for separating the.
Special table 2002-532178

  By the way, in a self-propelled cleaner as shown in Patent Document 1, a bumper may be equipped to protect a room or a vacuum cleaner body. If such a bumper is provided, the suction port is inevitably provided in the bumper. Since it is necessary to arrange it behind, there was a difficulty that the floor under the bumper could not be cleaned.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that can enhance the cleaning effect from the front.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a suction path that guides dust sucked together with air from a main suction port to a dust collecting part on the vacuum cleaner body side, and communicates with the suction path ahead of the main suction port. A front suction port is formed.

  According to the above configuration, even if the main suction port can not be arranged at the front end of the cleaner body due to the presence of a bumper or the like, dust can be sucked together with air from the front suction port ahead of the main suction port, Even when the main body of the cleaner hits a wall and cannot move forward any more, dust near the wall can be easily sucked from the front suction port, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

  Moreover, the main suction inlet can open to the wall surface of the recessed part which accommodates a rotating brush. Thereby, a floor surface is hit | damaged with a rotating brush, dust can be lifted and can be efficiently attracted | sucked to a suction path.

  In the present invention, the front suction port can be opened and closed by providing a shutter. Thereby, for example, when cleaning the central portion of the room, the shutter is closed to increase the suction capability at the main suction port, and the shutter is opened at the wall and the dust at the wall can be efficiently cleaned.

  The moving form of the shutter in this case may be either a slide system or a rotation system. However, if the shutter is supported so as to be able to open and close around the horizontal axis, the opening / closing mechanism can be formed in a small space.

  Moreover, a bumper can be provided in the cleaner body to protect the wall of the room and the cleaner itself. The bumper is provided on the front side of the main body of the cleaner so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. When the bumper moves backward, the bumper contacts the shutter and opens the front suction port.

  According to the above configuration, since the shutter is opened and closed by the movement of the bumper in the front-rear direction, the shutter opens when the bumper hits the wall and moves backward, and dust from the wall can be sucked from the front suction port. In the central area of the room, the bumper is not affected by the external force, so that the front position can be maintained and the shutter can be kept closed.

  The front end surface of the shutter can be an inclined surface that inclines downward from the front end toward the rear end. By making the front end surface of the shutter an inclined surface, even if there is a step on the floor surface of the room, the inclined surface of the shutter hits the step and can easily get over.

  Moreover, in this invention, the suction inlet body which has the cleaning means provided with the main suction inlet and the front suction inlet in the front part of the cleaner main body other than the aspect which forms and arranges the main suction inlet and the front suction inlet in the cleaner main body The structure which connects may be sufficient. That is, the present invention has a suction port body connected to the front portion of the vacuum cleaner body, a main suction port and a front suction port are formed in the suction port body, and the suction path is a collection of the vacuum cleaner body from the suction port body. A configuration in which the dust part is formed can be employed.

  According to the above configuration, the suction port body that is a cleaning means can be provided as a separate unit from the main body of the cleaner, so that the suction port body according to the environment can be appropriately selected from various suction port bodies while sharing the cleaner body. You can choose.

  Moreover, the main wheel which drive | works a floor surface can be provided in a cleaner body, and an auxiliary wheel can be provided in a suction inlet. The main wheel can smoothly travel on the floor surface, and the auxiliary wheel can smoothly travel on the level difference on the floor surface.

  Furthermore, an auxiliary wheel can be provided in the shutter, and the front suction port can be opened and closed by this auxiliary wheel. As a result, the shutter can travel on the level difference on the floor surface smoothly. In addition, since the auxiliary wheel is used as a closing means for the front suction port, the number of parts can be reduced.

  In addition, the present invention is not only a vacuum cleaner that is manually operated with a handle, but also includes a traveling means that travels on the floor and a steering means that controls the traveling direction, and is a self-propelled type that is capable of automatic traveling. It can also be applied to vacuum cleaners.

  As the traveling means in this case, a configuration including a wheel traveling on the floor and a drive motor for driving the wheel can be exemplified. Further, since steering can be turned by stopping or reversing one of the left and right drive wheels of the cleaner body and driving the other drive wheel forward, the steering means includes left and right drive wheels, The structure provided with the control part which controls this drive wheel can be illustrated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since dust can be sucked together with air from the front suction port ahead of the main suction port, the front suction port even if the cleaner body hits a wall or the like and cannot move further. Therefore, the dust at the wall can be easily sucked and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, a self-propelled cleaner that moves independently in a space surrounded by an obstacle such as a wall of a room, furniture, or a bed will be described as an example. To do. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the self-propelled cleaner, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the self-propelled cleaner is disposed on the front side of the cleaner body 1, the suction port body 2 that sucks dust such as dust and dust on the floor, and the cleaner body. A bumper 3, a dust collector 4 as a dust collecting part detachably attached to the cleaner body 1, a traveling means 5 that travels on the floor surface, and a steering means 6 that controls the traveling direction are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner main body 1 has a semicylindrical housing recess 7 formed on the upper surface of an oval casing, and a capsule-shaped dust collector 4 is detachably attached to the housing recess 7. It is installed. The storage recess 7 is formed with an introduction port 8 that guides the dust sucked together with the air from the suction port of the suction port body 2 to the dust collector side, and the air blown out from the dust collector 4 is an electric blower at the rear of the casing. An exhaust port 10 for discharging to the 9 side is formed.

  Further, below the storage recess 7, a control unit 12 including a control wheel for controlling the driving wheel 36 for driving the cleaner body 1 and the electric blower 9 is provided. Further, an obstacle detection sensor 13 for detecting surrounding obstacles is disposed on the front side of the dust collector 4.

  The bumper 3 is attached movably in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction by a spring (not shown) so as to relieve an impact when it collides with an obstacle or a wall surface on the front side of the cleaner body.

  Next, the suction port will be described. 4A and 4B show a suction port body of the self-propelled cleaner, wherein FIG. 4A is a side sectional view showing an open posture of the shutter, and FIG. 4B is a side sectional view showing a closed posture of the shutter. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the suction port body, and FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the suction port body.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the suction port body 2 is provided with a cleaning means for cleaning the floor surface, and is disposed in the concave portion 14 formed on the front bottom surface of the cleaner body 1, and its rear end portion. Is supported by the vacuum cleaner body 1 so as to be swingable around the vertical axis 15. In addition, shock absorbers 16 are provided at the rear end of the suction port body 2 to relieve shock when contacting the rear surface 14a of the recess 14 on both the left and right sides of the vertical axis 15. As a result, the suction port body 2 can be swung within a swing range of about 30 degrees around the vertical axis 15 with respect to the cleaner body 1 and can move straight while balancing left and right. .

  The suction port body 2 includes a suction flow path 17 surrounded by a lower case 17a and an upper case 17b. The front bottom surface of the lower case 17a is recessed in a semi-cylindrical shape, and the rotating brush 19 is housed in the recessed portion 18 so as to be rotatable around the horizontal axis 19a. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the rotary brush 19 has a flocked surface arranged on a peripheral surface, and is driven by an electric motor and a belt (both not shown) provided in the suction port body 2. The electric motor is disposed on the cleaner body side in the vicinity of the vertical axis 15 that is the rotation center of the suction port body 2, and the power on the cleaner body side is transmitted by a belt to drive the rotary brush 19. Also good. The rotation direction of the rotary brush 19 is controlled to rotate in the reverse direction to the forward direction of the drive wheel 36 described later. As a result, the rotating brush 19 strikes the floor surface to raise the dust, and the raised dust is guided to the center side in the horizontal axis direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a partition wall 21 is formed at a central position in the horizontal axis direction of the recess 18, a main suction port 20 is formed in the vicinity thereof, and is conveyed to the central side in the axial direction by the rotating brush 19. The dust can be sucked from the main suction port 20 into the suction flow path 17.

  The main suction port 20 is formed in a tangential direction on the front upper side of the recess 18 and communicates with the suction flow path 17. Therefore, a swirling flow is generated in the recess 18 due to the rotation of the rotary brush 19, and the dust suction capacity is enhanced in combination with the tangential suction flow acting on the main suction port 20 by driving the electric blower 9. It has become.

  Further, a front suction port 22 that opens on the floor and communicates with the suction flow path 17 is formed in front of the main suction port 20 so that, for example, dust at the wall can be sucked. The dust sucked from the front suction port 22 is guided to the introduction port 8 of the housing recess 7 on the cleaner body 1 side from the flexible elbow pipe 23 through the internal suction flow path 17 together with the air. The dust flows into the dust collector 4 and is separated from the dust by the swirling flow in the dust collector. The dust is collected in the dust collector. Through the exhaust port 10 and discharged to the outside by the blower 9.

  Thus, the suction path 25 for separating and collecting the dust sucked together with the air from the main suction port 20 follows the path as described above. In addition, the suction flow path 17 of the suction port body 2 has an arcuate path 17c in a side view with the front suction port 22 facing rearward, and opens to the main suction port 20 in the middle and in the left-right direction on the rear end side. The elbow pipe 23 is connected to the end of the rear flow path 17d.

  The front suction port 22 is opened at the front end of the suction port body 2 with substantially the entire left and right width, and a shutter 27 for opening and closing the front suction port 22 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter 27 is composed of a plate-like member supported on the suction port 2 so as to be able to open and close around the horizontal axis 28, and an auxiliary wheel 37 is rotatable around the horizontal axis at the lower end thereof. Is provided. The auxiliary wheel 37 travels on the floor surface with the shutter 27 closed, closes the front suction port 22, and leaves the floor surface with the shutter 27 open posture to open the front suction port 22. The shutter 27 with the auxiliary wheel 37 allows the vehicle to run smoothly on the level difference on the floor surface, and the auxiliary wheel 37 is used as a means for closing the front suction port 22, so that the number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, a projection 29 that contacts the bumper 3 when the bumper 3 is retracted is formed on the front surface of the shutter 27 in the left-right direction. The bumper 3 and the projection 29 come into contact with each other, and the shutter 27 is rotated around the horizontal axis 28. Thus, the front suction port 22 is opened. The front end surface of the shutter 27 is an inclined surface 31 that inclines downward from the front end toward the rear end, so that it can easily get over the step on the floor surface.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the suction port body 2 is provided with side suction ports 34 on both the left and right sides thereof. The side suction port 34 is an L-shaped nozzle made of rubber or the like, and dust sucked from the side suction port 34 flows into the suction flow path 17 from the recess 18 together with air. Further, the side suction port 34 protrudes to the side from the side surface of the cleaner body 1 and protrudes to the side of the width of the bumper 3 or slightly to the side so that it is easy to remove dust such as near the wall. is doing. In addition, since the side suction port 34 is comprised from flexible members, such as rubber | gum, even if it makes it protrude to the side rather than the bumper 3, it can bend and drive | work.

  The dust collector 4 is detachably housed in a housing recess 7 formed on the upper surface of the vacuum cleaner main body 1, and removes dust such as dust and dust sucked into the dust collection chamber from the suction port body 2. The cyclone type is configured to rotate the intake air including the dust collection chamber, separate the air and dust by the filter of the exhaust pipe, and discharge the sucked air to the outside of the dust collection chamber.

  The traveling means 5 for traveling the cleaner body includes drive wheels 36 and auxiliary wheels 37. The drive wheels 36 rotate independently on the left and right sides, and can control the respective drive wheels so that they can run and turn straight. Therefore, the driving means 36 and the control unit 12 that controls the steering wheel 6 constitute the steering means 6 that controls the traveling direction.

  In the above configuration, the front suction port 22 is closed by the shutter 27 when the self-propelled cleaner travels on the floor surface in the central region of the room. In this state, when the driving wheel 36 is driven to drive the blower 9 and the rotating brush 19 in the recess 18 of the suction port body 2 is rotated, dust hit by the rotating brush 19 is lifted up, and the front side of the recess 18 The air is sucked together with air from the main suction port 20 and is introduced into the dust collector 4 from the suction port 17 in the suction port body 2 through the elbow pipe 23 through the inlet on the cleaner body side. In the dust collector 4, dust and air are separated in the dust collection chamber by the swirling flow generated by the driving of the blower 9, the dust is collected in the dust collection chamber, and the air passes through the exhaust tube 4 a to the cleaner body side. It is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port.

  When the self-propelled cleaner travels to the wall and the bumper 3 collides with the wall or the like, the bumper 3 moves backward and contacts the protrusion 29 of the shutter 27, and the shutter 27 rotates upward around the horizontal axis 28. If it does so, the auxiliary wheel 37 which obstruct | occluded the front inlet 22 will rotate upwards, and the front inlet 22 will be open | released.

  When the blower 9 and the rotary brush 19 are driven in this state, the dust is guided to the central portion in the axial direction of the rotary brush 19 by the swirling flow generated by the rotary brush 19 and sucks the dust from the main suction port 20 in the central portion. In addition, dust near the wall can be sucked from the front suction port 22 and introduced into the suction flow path 17.

  When the self-propelled vacuum cleaner leaves the wall, the external force is removed from the bumper 3, so that the bumper 3 returns to the original front position by a spring (not shown), and the shutter 27 is also closed by its own weight or a spring (not shown). The front suction port 22 is closed by the auxiliary wheel 37. Accordingly, the suction flow path 17 is cleaned by two systems of the main suction port 20 and the side suction port 34.

  In this way, dust can be sucked together with air from the front suction port 22 in front of the main suction port 20, so that even when the cleaner body 1 hits a wall or the like and cannot move forward any more, the front suction port 22 can approach the wall. The dust can be easily sucked and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

  Further, since the front suction port 22 is provided with a shutter 27, when the central portion of the room is cleaned, the shutter 27 is closed to increase the suction capability at the main suction port 20, and the shutter 27 is opened near the wall. Dust near the wall can be efficiently cleaned.

  In addition, since the front end surface of the shutter 27 is the inclined surface 31, even when there is a step on the floor surface of the room, the inclined surface 31 of the shutter 27 hits the step and can easily get over. Furthermore, since the driving wheel 36 that travels on the floor surface is provided in the cleaner body 1 and the auxiliary wheel 37 for floor surface traveling is provided on the shutter 27, the driving wheel 36 smoothly travels on the floor surface, By providing the auxiliary wheel 37 on the shutter 27, it is possible to smoothly climb up a step on the floor surface.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, correction and a change can be added within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking a self-propelled cleaner as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a vacuum cleaner that is manually operated. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the example which comprised the suction inlet body in the vacuum cleaner main body separately was shown, not only this but a main suction inlet, a front suction inlet, and also a side suction inlet are formed in a vacuum cleaner main body. The present invention can be applied even to a vacuum cleaner.

The perspective view of the self-propelled cleaner which is an embodiment of the present invention Top view of the self-propelled cleaner in FIG. Side sectional view of the self-propelled cleaner of FIG. The suction opening body of a self-propelled cleaner is shown, the figure (a) is a side sectional view showing an open posture of a shutter, and the figure (b) is a side sectional view showing a closed posture of a shutter. Perspective view of suction port Front sectional view of the suction port

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner main body 2 Suction inlet 3 Bumper 4 Dust collector 5 Traveling means 6 Steering means 7 Accommodating recessed part 8 Inlet 9 Electric blower 10 Exhaust outlet 12 Control part 13 Obstacle detection sensor 14 Recessed part 15 Vertical axis 16 Shock absorber 17 Suction Flow path 18 Concave 19 Rotating brush 20 Main suction port 22 Front suction port 23 Elbow pipe 27 Shutter 28 Horizontal axis 29 Projection 31 Sloped surface 34 Side suction port 36 Drive wheel 37 Auxiliary wheel

Claims (10)

It has a suction passage for guiding dust sucked together with air from the main suction port to a dust collecting part on the vacuum cleaner body side, and a front suction port communicating with the suction passage is formed in front of the main suction port. Electric vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the main suction port opens in a wall surface of a recess that accommodates the rotating brush. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a shutter for opening and closing the front suction port. 4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the shutter is supported so as to be capable of opening and closing about a horizontal axis. 5. The electric cleaning according to claim 4, wherein a bumper is provided in front of the front suction port so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the bumper contacts the shutter to open the front suction port when the bumper moves backward. Machine. 6. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the front end surface of the shutter is an inclined surface inclined downward from the front end toward the rear end. A suction port body is connected to the front portion of the vacuum cleaner body, a main suction port and a front suction port are formed in the suction port body, and the suction path is formed from the suction port body to a dust collecting portion of the vacuum cleaner body. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, wherein a main wheel that travels on the floor surface is provided in the cleaner body, and an auxiliary wheel is provided in the suction port body. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an auxiliary wheel is provided on the shutter, and the auxiliary wheel opens and closes a front suction port. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a traveling unit that travels on a floor surface and a steering unit that controls a traveling direction, and is capable of automatic traveling.

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