JP2010252981A - Suction port body and vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a floor brush for which a shock-absorbing property is improved without lowering a traveling performance. <P>SOLUTION: A traveling wheel 23 is arranged in a case body so as to be freely rotated and moved along front and back directions. For the movement of the traveling wheel 23 to the rear, repulsion is imparted to the front by a coil spring 54. When the front part of the traveling wheel 23 projected more to the front than the front part of the case body collides with an obstacle O, the traveling wheel 23 is moved to the rear and absorbs a shock while the coil spring 54 imparts the repulsion to the front to the traveling wheel 23. The shock-absorbing property is improved without lowering the traveling performance by making the traveling wheel 23 softer or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction port body having a traveling wheel rotatably disposed in a case body, and a vacuum cleaner including the same.

  Conventionally, a floor brush as a suction port used in a vacuum cleaner includes a horizontally long case body and a connecting pipe that is rotatably connected to a rear portion of a central region in the left-right width direction of the case body. Yes. A horizontally long suction port is formed as an opening on the lower surface of the case body that faces the floor surface to be cleaned. In addition, large-diameter traveling wheels are rotatably attached to both sides of the case body in order to smoothly climb over steps such as sills and carpets and improve traveling performance on the floor surface. These traveling wheels are configured by attaching an annular wheel portion having flexibility to an outer peripheral portion of a relatively hard traveling wheel main body. And these traveling wheels are arrange | positioned so that the front end side may protrude a little forward from the front part of a case body (for example, refer patent document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-178758 (page 4, FIG. 1)

  However, the floor brush described above has a problem that when traveling toward an obstacle such as a wall, the front part of the traveling wheel collides with the obstacle before the case body and receives a large impact. is doing.

  In this regard, although it is conceivable to improve the shock-absorbing property by increasing the thickness of the wheel part on the outer periphery of the traveling wheel and making the wheel part softer, in the case of such a configuration, the floor brush There is a problem that the wheel portion of the traveling wheel sinks due to the weight of the vehicle and the traveling performance may be deteriorated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the suction inlet body which improved the buffering property, without reducing running property, and a vacuum cleaner provided with the same.

  The present invention relates to a traveling wheel that is disposed on a case body so as to be rotatable and movable in the front-rear direction, and at least a portion of the traveling wheel projects forward from the front portion of the case body in a state of being located at the forefront. And an urging means for applying a repulsive force forward with respect to the rearward movement of the wheel.

  According to the present invention, the case body is provided with a repulsive force forward by the urging means with respect to the rearward movement of the traveling wheel arranged rotatably in the front and rear direction on the case body. When a part of the traveling wheel that projects forward from the front part of the vehicle collides with an obstacle, the traveling wheel moves backward while absorbing a shock while being given a repulsive force forward by the urging means. The cushioning can be improved without lowering the running performance by making the running wheels softer.

It is a horizontal sectional view showing the main part of the suction port body of an embodiment of the present invention, (a) shows a state where the traveling wheel is in contact with an obstacle, (b) is a traveling wheel has moved to the rear Indicates the state. It is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main part of the same suction port body, (a) shows a state in which the front cover is in contact with an obstacle, (b) shows a state in which the traveling wheel is in contact with the obstacle, (c) Indicates a state in which the traveling wheel has moved backward. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the rotating shaft vicinity of the running wheel of a suction inlet body same as the above. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the running wheel vicinity of a suction inlet body same as the above. It is a side view which shows the running wheel vicinity of a suction inlet same as the above. It is a front view which shows the running wheel vicinity of a suction inlet same as the above. It is a top view of a suction inlet same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the vacuum cleaner provided with the suction inlet same as the above.

  The configuration of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 8, reference numeral 11 denotes a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner 11 is configured to collect dust sucked together with intake air generated by driving the electric blower 13 accommodated in the cleaner body 12 (not shown). To collect.

  The vacuum cleaner main body 12 houses a main body control circuit (not shown) as a main body control means for controlling the operation of the electric blower 13, and a main body suction port 14 for sucking air from the outside is opened at the front. ing. The main body suction port 14 is connected to a flexible and bendable elongated substantially cylindrical hose body 15 in communication. At the tip of the hose body 15, a hand operation unit 16 that can select an operation mode of the electric blower 13 is provided. The hand operating unit 16 is provided with a gripping portion 17 that is gripped by an operator when cleaning, and projects a predetermined signal to the main body control circuit to clean the gripping portion 17. A plurality of setting buttons 18 for setting the electric blower 13 and the like in the machine main body 12 to a plurality of operation modes are provided.

  Further, an elongated, substantially cylindrical extension tube 19 that can be extended and retracted is detachably connected to the tip of the hand operation unit 16. That is, the extension pipe 19 is connected to the suction side of the electric blower 13 through the hose body 15. Further, the extension pipe 19 is placed on the tip of a floor surface F (FIG. 2) as an indoor surface to be cleaned, for example, and a floor as a suction port for sucking dust on the carpet. The brush 20 is connected in a detachable manner. Therefore, the floor brush 20 is connected to the suction side of the electric blower 13 through the extension pipe 19, the hose body 15, and the main body suction port. The electric blower 13, the main body control circuit, and the like are each configured to be supplied with power from a commercial AC power source or a secondary battery.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8, the floor brush 20 is rotatably connected to a horizontally long case body 21 as a suction port body and a rear portion of the case body 21. The connecting pipe 22, the traveling wheels 23 disposed on both sides of the case body 21, the holding case 24 as a retaining portion for retaining the traveling wheels 23 on the case body 21, and the front of the case body 21 A front cover 25 is provided.

  The case body 21 covers the lower case 26 whose upper side is opened, the middle case 27 mounted on the lower case 26, and the upper side of the lower case 26 and the middle case 27. The lower case 26 and the middle case And an upper case 28 that rotatably holds the connecting tube 22 between the connecting tube 22 and the upper case 28. Further, the case body 21 is provided with a drive source that is an electric part as a drive means (not shown), that is, a motor, and a rotating brush 32 as a rotary cleaning body rotated by the motor.

  In the lower case 26, a horizontally-long rectangular suction port 35 into which the rotary brush 32 is fitted is cut out at the front end.

  The middle case 27 is disposed at the rear part of the lower case 26 and is integrally fixed on the lower case 26.

  Further, the upper case 28 is formed with a front rectangular suction port 36 in the form of a horizontally elongated rectangle at the front end. The front suction port 36 communicates with the suction port 35 and is fitted with the front cover 25.

  Further, the motor can rotate forward and backward, and its drive is controlled by a control circuit (not shown).

  Further, the rotating brush 32 has a plurality of cleaning members 38 attached around a substantially cylindrical rotating brush assembly 37 which is a shaft portion as an attaching member.

  Here, the rotating brush assembly 37 is made of, for example, metal or synthetic resin. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating brush assembly 37, a groove 39 that holds the base end side of each cleaning member 38 is formed in a spiral shape.

  The cleaning member 38 is, for example, a blade that is a wiping member, brush hair that is a scraping member, or a combination of these, and the base end side is held in the groove 39 of the rotating brush assembly 37, so that the rotating brush assembly 37 With respect to the outer peripheral surface of the rotary brush assembly 37, a spiral wall shape is formed along the axial direction of the rotary brush assembly 37, and the distal end side protrudes in the radial direction of the rotary brush assembly 37.

  The connection pipe 22 communicates with the suction port 35, and an end projecting rearward from the case body 21 is detachably connected to the distal end side of the extension pipe 19 (FIG. 8). The connecting pipe 22 is connected to the case body 21 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 to 6, each traveling wheel 23 includes a traveling wheel body 41, a wheel portion 42 attached to the outer periphery of the traveling wheel body 41, and a holding case for the traveling wheel body 41. A sliding holding portion 43 serving as a connecting portion connected to the 24 side is provided, and is configured in a block shape (unit shape) integrally with the holding case 24. Since the configuration of each traveling wheel 23 is symmetrical in the left-right width direction of the floor brush 20, only the configuration of one traveling wheel 23 will be described below, and the description of the other traveling wheel 23 will be omitted.

  The traveling wheel main body 41 is formed to have a large diameter by, for example, a hard synthetic resin, and is substantially perpendicular to the main body 44 over the entire outer periphery of the circular plate-shaped main body 44 and the main body 44. A traveling part 45 extending to the side part of the case body 21 and a cylindrical (boss-like) rotating shaft 46 extending from the central axis of the main body part 44 to the side part of the case body 21 are integrally provided. ing. Further, the center of the rotating shaft 46 of the traveling wheel main body 41 is located above the central axis of the rotating brush 32 and below the rotating shaft of the connecting pipe 22. The traveling wheel main body 41 is fitted in recesses 48 formed on both side portions of the case body 21.

  The main body 44 has a diameter dimension that is larger than at least the vertical dimension of the front part of both side parts of the case body 21.

  The traveling unit 45 constitutes a traveling surface of the traveling wheel main body 41 and is formed in a planar shape.

  The rotating shaft 46 is a portion connected to the holding case 24 side, and is provided with a plurality of slits 46a linearly from the distal end side to the proximal end side along the axial direction, and these slits 46a are substantially equally spaced in the circumferential direction. Are spaced apart. For this reason, the rotating shaft 46 is divided into a plurality of rotating shaft pieces 46b. In addition, a locking claw portion 46c, which is a retaining portion protruding outward, is formed at the tip of the rotating shaft piece 46b.

  The wheel portion 42 is in contact with the floor F and covers at least the outer surface of the traveling portion 45 (in the above-described embodiment, the outer surface of each of the main body portion 44 and the traveling portion 45 is covered. ), Which is affixed to the traveling wheel main body 41. The wheel portion 42 is formed of various materials that are softer than the traveling wheel main body 41, such as a brushed cloth or a nonwoven fabric.

  The sliding holding portion 43 includes a sliding holding portion main body 51 that is a bearing body main body sandwiched between the holding cases 24, and a cylindrical bearing 52 that protrudes laterally from the sliding holding portion main body 51. It is prepared as one.

  The sliding holding portion main body 51 is set to have a small size in the front-rear direction with respect to the inside of the holding case 24, and can slide in the holding case 24 in the front-rear direction.

  A rotary shaft 46 is inserted into the bearing 52 so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction. Further, in the bearing 52, a locking recess 52a is formed in a stepped shape to engage with each locking claw portion 46c of the rotating shaft 46, and each locking claw portion 46c and the locking recess 52a are connected to each other. The running wheel main body 41 is prevented from coming off from the bearing 52 by the engagement.

  The holding case 24 is a housing portion that houses the sliding holding portion 43 and a coil spring 54 as an urging means. The holding case 24 includes a traveling wheel lower case 55 that is a connection portion lower case and a traveling wheel upper case 56 that is a connection portion upper case, and a sliding hole 57 through which the bearing 52 slides in the front-rear direction is provided on the side. An opening is formed in the part. The traveling wheel lower case 55 and the traveling wheel upper case 56 are integrally fixed to each other by a plurality of fixing portions 58. Furthermore, the holding case 24 is arranged so that the sliding hole 57 side is exposed from an opening 59 formed in the side of the case body 21.

  The traveling wheel lower case 55 is formed in a box shape whose upper side is opened, and cylindrical (boss-shaped) fixing recesses 61 are formed on the lower side of the bottom part so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction. The fixed concave portions 61, 61 are inserted and fitted with fixed convex portions 62, 62 protruding upward from the lower case 26 of the case body 21, and the fixed concave portions 61, 61 and the fixed convex portions 62, 62 are inserted and fitted. The traveling wheel lower case 55 (holding case 24) is fixed to the side portion of the lower case 26. Further, the position of the traveling wheel lower case 55 with respect to the lower case 26 is regulated by a rib-like regulated lower rib portion 64 protruding upward from the lower case 26. The regulated lower rib portion 64 is in contact with the outer side surface of the traveling wheel lower case 55 from the side portion opposite to the sliding hole 57 to the rear portion. The traveling wheel lower case 55 (holding case 24) is fixed to the lower case 26. It is possible to configure.

  A spring receiving portion 67 that is a biasing means receiving portion that holds the rear end portion of the coil spring 54 is integrally formed at the upper end of the rear portion of the traveling wheel lower case 55. The spring receiving portion 67 is located above the lower regulation rib portion 64 and is disposed at a position protruding rearward from the rear side surface of the traveling wheel lower case 55 (holding case 24).

  On the other hand, the traveling wheel upper case 56 is formed in a box shape with the lower side opened, and is attached so as to cover the upper side of the traveling wheel lower case 55. Further, the upper side of the upper part of the traveling wheel upper case 56 is pressed from above by a plurality of rib-shaped pressing ribs 71 protruding downward from the upper case 28. Further, the position of the traveling wheel upper case 56 with respect to the upper case 28 is restricted by a rib-like restriction upper rib portion 72 protruding downward from the upper case 28. The restriction upper rib portion 72 is in contact with the outer side surface of the traveling wheel upper case 56 from the side portion opposite to the sliding hole 57 to the rear portion.

  As a result, the holding case 24 is disposed so that the sliding hole 57 side is exposed from the opening 59 in a state of being held between the lower case 26 and the upper case 28.

  The sliding hole 57 is formed in a long hole shape along the front-rear direction between the upper edge portion of the side portion of the traveling wheel lower case 55 and the lower edge portion of the side portion of the traveling wheel upper case 56. Yes.

  Each fixing portion 58 includes a claw-like fitting claw portion 75 formed at the upper edge portion of the traveling wheel lower case 55 and a frame-like fitting rib portion 76 formed at the lower edge portion of the traveling wheel upper case 56. It is comprised by each. Then, by engaging each fitting claw portion 75 with each fitting rib portion 76, the traveling wheel lower case 55 and the traveling wheel upper case 56 are integrally fixed.

  The coil spring 54 is held at the front end by a spring holding portion 78 which is a biasing means holding portion protruding from the rear portion of the sliding holding portion main body 51 and held at the rear end portion by the spring receiving portion 67 of the holding case 24. It is arranged horizontally along the front-rear direction. The coil spring 54 is compressed between the spring holding portion 78 and the spring receiving portion 67 in a state where the coil spring 54 is contracted from the natural length to urge the sliding holding portion 43 forward. The holding portion 43 is configured to apply a repulsive force forward in a state of moving (sliding) integrally with the traveling wheels 23 backward.

  For this reason, the traveling wheel 23 is in a state where the center of the rotating shaft 46 of the traveling wheel body 41 is located slightly forward of the central axis of the rotating brush 32 in the natural state (normal state), and the coil spring 54 is contracted to the maximum. Thus, it is configured to be positioned behind the central axis of the rotating brush 32.

  Further, the front cover 25 is formed in a horizontally long shape extending between both ends of the front suction port 36, and is curved in an arc shape so as to protrude forward in a sectional view. Further, the upper end portion of the front cover 25 is pivotally supported by the upper end portion of the front suction port 36 and is rotated forward by a front cover urging means (not shown) such as a torsion spring. It is so energized. Further, the lower end portion of the front cover 25 projects forward from the front end of each traveling wheel 23 in a natural state (normal state).

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

  When assembling each traveling wheel 23 into the case body 21, first, the traveling wheel 23 is assembled in a block shape together with the holding case 24, attached to the lower case 26, and then the holding case 24 is sandwiched by the upper case 28.

  That is, the front end portion of the coil spring 54 is held by the spring holding portion 78 of the sliding holding portion 43, and the rear end portion of the coil spring 54 is held by the spring receiving portion 67 of the traveling wheel lower case 55 while sliding. The portion 43 is sandwiched between the traveling wheel lower case 55 and the traveling wheel upper case 56, and the traveling wheel lower case 55 and the traveling wheel upper case 56 are connected to the fitting claw portion 75 and the fitting rib portion 76 of each fixing portion 58. They are fixed to each other by engagement.

  Next, each rotating shaft piece 46b of the rotating shaft 46 of the traveling wheel main body 41 is inserted into the bearing 52 of the sliding holding portion 43, and each locking claw portion 46c is engaged with the locking recess 52a to travel. The ring body 41 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction in a state in which the ring body 41 is prevented from coming off from the bearing 52.

  After the traveling wheel 23 is attached from the upper side so that the fixed concave portion 61 of the holding case 24 is fitted to the fixed convex portion 62 of the lower case 26 in which the motor, the rotating brush 32, the connecting pipe 22 and the like are appropriately assembled. The upper case 28 with the front cover 25 attached is covered from above, and the upper case 28 and the lower case 26 are fixed to each other so that the upper side of the holding case 24 is pressed by the holding rib portion 71, whereby each traveling wheel 23 is The floor brush 20 is completed on both sides of the body 21. In this state, the front part of each traveling wheel 23 is located in front of the front part of the case body 21 and rearward of the lower end part of the front cover 25, and the lower part of each traveling wheel 23 is located in the case body 21. It is located below the lower surface of.

  When cleaning using the floor brush 20, as shown in FIG. 8, the connecting pipe 22 is connected to the tip of the extension pipe 19, and the floor brush 20 is placed on the floor F (FIG. 2). Then, the gripping part 17 is gripped, and the floor brush 20 is moved forward and backward through the extension pipe 19 in a state where the desired setting button 18 is operated to operate the electric blower 13 in a desired operation mode.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the floor brush 20 can obtain good traveling performance by rotating the wheel portion 42 of each traveling wheel 23 in contact with the floor surface F during traveling.

  In the floor brush 20, the dust on the floor surface F (FIG. 2) is sucked together with the air by the negative pressure acting by the operation of the electric blower 13 shown in FIG. The sucked air is sucked in and is sucked into the dust collecting portion together with dust through the extension pipe 19, the hose body 15 and the main body suction port 14 shown in FIG. 8, and the dust is collected in the dust collecting portion. After that, it is sucked into the electric blower 13 to become exhaust air, and is exhausted from an exhaust hole (not shown) of the cleaner body 12.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), when the floor brush 20 runs forward and the floor brush 20 collides with an obstacle O such as a wall or furniture, first, the lower end portion of the front cover 25 is The front cover 25 rotates in contact with the obstacle O against the bias of the front cover biasing means, and then travels as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 2 (b). The front part of the ring 23 contacts the obstacle O.

  In this state, when the floor brush 20 further travels forward, each traveling wheel 23 slides against the bias of the coil spring 54, as shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and 2 (c). It slides rearward integrally with the holding part 43 to absorb the impact at the time of collision, and at the same time the front cover 25 rotates rearward and the lower part of the front suction port 36 opens, and this opened front suction A part of the front end side of the cleaning member 38 of the rotary brush 32 protrudes from the lower portion of the mouth 36 and is positioned in the vicinity of the obstacle O. Then, when the rotary brush 32 is rotated by the operation of a predetermined setting button 18 (FIG. 8), the rotary brush 32 scrapes off dust on the floor surface F in the vicinity of the obstacle O and sucks it from the front suction port 36. clean.

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, a repulsive force is forwardly repelled by the coil spring 54 with respect to the rearward movement of the traveling wheel 23 arranged to be rotatable in the case body 21 and movable in the front-rear direction. It was set as the structure which provides. Specifically, in the above-described embodiment, the rotating shaft 46 of the traveling wheel main body 41 is rotatably supported by the bearing 52 of the sliding holding portion 43 that can slide along the front-rear direction with respect to the case body 21. In addition, the coil spring 54 is configured to apply a repulsive force forward to the backward sliding of the sliding holding portion 43. For this reason, when the front part of the traveling wheel main body 41 of the traveling wheel 23 protruding forward from the front part of the case body 21 collides with the obstacle O, the traveling wheel 23 is given a repulsive force forward by the coil spring 54. Since the traveling wheel main body 41 moves rearward and absorbs the impact, for example, the cushioning performance can be improved without lowering the traveling performance by softening the traveling wheel 23 or the like.

  That is, in the case where the wheel portion 42 is made of an elastic member or the like to increase its thickness to obtain sufficient buffering properties, when the wheel portion 42 contacts the floor surface F, the wheel portion is caused by the weight of the floor brush 20. 42 may be bent and the ground contact area (grip force) with respect to the floor surface F may be increased, resulting in a decrease in traveling performance. In the embodiment described above, the coil spring is used without increasing the thickness of the wheel portion 42. Since a large cushioning stroke can be obtained by 54, the wheel portion 42 does not bend during traveling and the grip force does not increase, and good traveling performance can be obtained.

  And since favorable buffering properties can be obtained, even when the front side of the floor brush 20 collides with the obstacle O during cleaning, it is possible to reduce the impact and sound of the collision.

  Further, by disposing the traveling wheels 23 on both sides of the case body 21, for example, compared to the case where the traveling wheels 23 are disposed only at one central portion of the case body 21, the traveling performance can be further improved. When the front side of the floor brush 20 collides with the obstacle O, it is possible to reliably bring at least one of the traveling wheels 23 into contact with the obstacle O regardless of the angle between the floor brush 20 and the obstacle O. Can be secured.

  Further, the front cover 25 whose lower end side is positioned in front of the traveling wheel 23 is disposed so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction with respect to the case body 21, so that the front cover can be cleaned when the vicinity of the obstacle O is cleaned. Since the wheel 25 is in contact with the obstacle O before the traveling wheel 23 and rotates backward, the front cover 25 opens the lower portion of the front suction port 36 so that dust on the front side can be removed from the front suction port 36. You can inhale from the bottom. Moreover, since the cleaning member 38 of the rotating brush 32 projects relatively from the lower part of the front suction port 36 that is opened by the front cover 25 contacting the obstacle O and rotating backward, the rotating brush 32 is When rotated, the protruding cleaning member 38 can scrape off dust on the floor surface F near the obstacle O. Therefore, the floor surface F near the obstacle O can be efficiently cleaned.

  And since the traveling wheel main body 41 is formed in the large diameter, the traveling wheel 23 can smoothly get over a step or the like, and good traveling performance can be obtained. Further, by making the wheel portion 42 soft, the obstacle O is not damaged at the time of collision with the obstacle O.

  In the above-described embodiment, the traveling wheel 23 may have any configuration as long as it can move along the front-rear direction with respect to the case body 21.

  Further, the front cover 25, the rotating brush 32, and the like are not essential components.

  Furthermore, the details of the vacuum cleaner 11 are not limited to the above configuration, for example, the upright type in which the floor brush 20 is connected to the lower part of the vertically long vacuum cleaner body 12 as well as the canister type vacuum cleaner 11 Any vacuum cleaner such as a vacuum cleaner or a hand-held vacuum cleaner can be used.

11 Vacuum cleaner
12 Vacuum cleaner body
13 Electric blower
20 Floor brush as suction port
21 Case body
23 Wheel
25 Front cover
41 Wheel body
46 Rotation axis
52 Bearing
54 Coil spring as biasing means

Claims (5)

The case body,
A traveling wheel disposed on the case body so as to be rotatable and movable in the front-rear direction, and at least in a state positioned at the foremost part, a traveling wheel that protrudes forward from the front part of the case body,
A suction port body comprising: biasing means for imparting a repulsive force forward with respect to the backward movement of the traveling wheel. The running wheel
A traveling wheel body having a rotating shaft;
A bearing that is arranged so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the case body, and that rotatably supports the rotary shaft;
The suction port body according to claim 1, wherein the urging means imparts a repulsive force forward with respect to the backward movement of the bearing. The suction port body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the traveling wheels are respectively disposed on both side portions of the case body. The suction according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a front cover that is arranged so as to be rotatable along the front-rear direction with respect to the case body, and at least a part of which is located in front of the traveling wheel. Mouth body. A vacuum cleaner body containing an electric blower,
A vacuum cleaner comprising: a suction port body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is connected to the suction side of the electric blower.

Images