JP2013094540A - Suction nozzle for vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction nozzle for vacuum cleaner, capable of holding a rotary brush at a designed position in an unnatural attitude.SOLUTION: The nozzle 10 includes: a body casing 11 having a suction port 16 at the bottom; the rotary brush 17 provided at the suction port 16; and a motor 18 for driving the rotary brush 17. The rotary brush 17 includes: a cylindrical brush base 42 from the outer surface of which brush bristles 41 are protruded; end brackets 43L, 43R fitted and fixed to both ends of the brush base 42 to form a brush base assembly 40; a shaft 44 extending through the center of the brush base assembly 40; bearings 45L, 45R interposed between the end brackets 43L, 43R and the shaft 44 to connect the brush base assembly 40 to the shaft 44 in a relatively rotatable manner; and shaft holders 46L, 46R fixed to both ends of the shaft 44.

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction port body of a vacuum cleaner.

  Many vacuum cleaner suction ports are provided with a rotating brush at the suction port. The rotating brush is rotated by a power source such as a motor or a wind turbine, and scrapes dust from the floor or carpet. Examples of such suction ports can be found in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  An example of the structure of a conventionally used rotating brush is shown in FIG. The rotating brush 100 shown in FIG. 12 has a cylindrical brush base 102 in which brush hairs 101 (represented by phantom lines) protrude from the outer surface, and is fitted and fixed to both ends of the brush base 102 to constitute a brush base assembly 104. The end brackets 103L and 103R are provided. The end brackets 103L and 103R are synthetic resin injection-molded products, and stud shafts 105L and 105R protruding toward the outside of the brush base 102 are insert-molded at the centers thereof. The stud shafts 105L and 105R are made of steel.

  The stud shafts 105L and 105R are supported by bearings 107L and 107R held by shaft holders 106L and 106R. Bolts 108L and 108R penetrating the end surfaces of the shaft holders 106L and 106R are screwed in the axial direction from the end surfaces of the stud shafts 105L and 105R, so that the stud shaft 105L and the shaft holder 106L, and the stud shaft 105R and the shaft holder 106R are not separated from each other. Are linked together.

  The bolts 108L and 108R have unthreaded shaft portions 108La and 108Ra between the threaded portion and the head that are thinner than the head but thicker than the threaded portion. The unthreaded shaft portions 108La and 108Ra serve as spacers. A certain gap is ensured between the bolt head and the end surfaces of the stud shafts 105L and 105R. Therefore, even if the bolts 108L and 108R are screwed to the limit, the shaft holders 106L and 106R are not compressed by the bolts 108L and 108R, and the shaft holders 106L and 106R continue to be rotatable with respect to the stud shafts 105L and 105R.

  The shaft holders 106 </ b> L and 106 </ b> R are fitted in holder holders of a suction port housing (not shown) to support the rotating brush 100. The end bracket 103R is formed with a power transmitted portion 109 connected to a power source (not shown). A motor (not shown) is assumed as the power source, and the power transmitted portion 109 is configured as a timing pulley connected to the motor by a timing belt (not shown).

JP-A-6-54780 JP 2010-238772 A

  The rotating brush having the conventional structure shown in FIG. 12 has a structure in which end brackets are fixed to both ends of a brush base, and stud shafts are protruded from the respective end brackets. It was difficult to align. For this reason, the stud shaft is often eccentric with respect to the design position or is inclined with respect to the design angle. When the stud shaft is eccentric or inclined as described above, the rotating brush is also eccentric or inclined with respect to the design position. Such a rotating brush generates vibration when rotating, and generates noise and vibration.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said point, and it aims at providing the suction inlet body of the vacuum cleaner which can hold | maintain a rotating brush in the correct attitude | position in a design position.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner comprising a main body housing having a suction port on a bottom surface, a rotating brush provided in the suction port, and a power source for driving the rotating brush. In the suction port body, the rotating brush includes a cylindrical brush base from which brush hairs protrude from an outer surface, two end brackets that are fitted and fixed to both ends of the brush base to form a brush base assembly, A shaft that penetrates the center of the brush base assembly, a bearing that is interposed between the end bracket and the shaft to connect the brush base assembly and the shaft so as to be relatively rotatable, and is fixed to both ends of the shaft. The main body housing includes two shaft holders, and a holder receiving portion for receiving and fixing the shaft holder is formed in the main body casing.

  In the suction port body of the vacuum cleaner having the above configuration, it is preferable that the bearing is fixed to the end bracket and the shaft holder is fixed to the shaft.

  In the suction port body of the electric vacuum cleaner having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a stopper is attached to the shaft so as to abut against an end surface of the bearing and prevent relative movement of the shaft relative to the bearing in the axial direction.

  In the suction port body of the vacuum cleaner having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that one of the end bracket and the shaft holder located on the same side surround the other, and the two face each other with a narrow space therebetween. .

  In the suction port body of the vacuum cleaner having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a power transmitted portion connected to the power source is formed on one of the end brackets.

  According to the present invention, the shaft is passed through the center of the brush base assembly including the brush base and the end brackets fixed to both ends thereof, and the brush base assembly is rotated with respect to the shaft by interposing a bearing between the shaft and the end bracket. Since the shaft is fixed to the main body with a shaft holder, the shaft axis is not shifted or tilted on the left and right of the brush base assembly, and the brush base assembly is designed. Can be installed in the correct position. Thereby, the shake when the rotating brush rotates is reduced, and noise and vibration can be suppressed.

It is the schematic explaining the whole structure of a vacuum cleaner. It is a perspective view of a suction inlet. It is a top view of a suction inlet. It is a side view of a suction inlet. It is a front view of a suction inlet. It is sectional drawing of the suction inlet body cut | disconnected along the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the suction inlet body cut | disconnected along the BB line of FIG. It is a top view of the sound-absorbing material arranged in the expansion chamber of the suction port body. It is a bottom view of a suction inlet. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the same suction port body as in FIG. 9 and shows a state where the rotating brush is removed. It is sectional drawing of the rotating brush which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional rotating brush.

  In FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner main body 1 is supported at three points by one caster type front wheel 2 and two rear wheels 3, and an electric blower 4 and a dust collecting device 5 are provided inside. The dust collector 5 may be a cyclone dust separation system or a bag-like filter. A flexible hose 6 communicating with the dust collector 5 is connected to the front surface of the vacuum cleaner main body 1. A handle portion 8 having an operation portion 7 is provided at the tip of the hose 6, an extension pipe 9 is connected to the handle portion 8, and a suction port body 10 is connected to the tip of the extension pipe 9.

  When a cord (not shown) is pulled out from a cord reel (not shown) built in the vacuum cleaner body 1 and connected to a power outlet (not shown), the vacuum cleaner body 1 is ready for operation. When the user holding the handle portion 8 pulls the hose 6, the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 moves following the user. When the user operates the operation unit 7 to put the electric blower 4 into an operating state, an airflow flows into the dust collector 5 through the suction port body 10, the extension pipe 9, and the hose 6. Dust contained in the airflow is collected by the dust collector 5, and the airflow after the dust collection is discharged to the outside of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 via the electric blower 4.

  Then, the structure of the suction inlet 10 is demonstrated based on the figure from FIG. 2 to FIG.

  The suction inlet 10 includes a main body casing 11 that is elongated to the left and right when viewed from the front, and a connecting pipe 12 that plays a role of connecting the main body casing 11 to the extension pipe 9. The connecting pipe 12 is connected to the center of the rear part of the main body casing 11, and the main body casing 11 and the connecting pipe 12 have a T shape. The main body housing 11 is configured by combining a plurality of components. A cover 13 is combined with the upper surface of the main body casing 11. The cover 13 has substantially the same planar shape as the main body casing 11 and covers the entire upper surface of the main body casing 11.

  The front end of the connection pipe 12 is connected to the introduction pipe 14 (see FIG. 6). The introduction pipe 14 is fixed to the main body casing 11 and communicates with a suction port described later. As a result, the connection pipe 12 communicates with the suction port. A spherical bulge 14 a is formed at the rear end of the introduction pipe 14, and the front end of the connection pipe 12 is fitted into the universal joint 15. By interposing the universal joint 15, the connection pipe 12 can change both the inclination with respect to the main body housing 11 and the angle around the axis line within a predetermined angle range.

  A suction port 16 that opens downward is formed in the front portion of the main body housing 11. The suction port 16 extends in the front width direction of the main body housing 11. The introduction pipe 14 opens at the center of the suction port 16. In particular, the lower portion of the introduction pipe 14 extends in a funnel shape toward the suction port 16, and sucks air from a wide range.

  A rotary brush 17 is provided inside the suction port 16. The structure of the rotating brush 17 will be described in detail later. The rotating brush 17 has substantially the same front width as the suction port 16 and is driven by a motor 18 (see FIG. 7). The rotary brush 17 and the motor 18 are connected by a timing belt (not shown). The motor 18 is stored in a motor storage chamber 19 formed as an independent space in the main body casing 11. The connection pipe 12 is provided with a power supply terminal 20 connected to a power supply terminal (not shown) of the extension pipe 9, and power is supplied to the motor 18 from the vacuum cleaner body 1 through the power supply terminal 20.

  A caster 21 is provided on the lower surface of the main body housing 11 at a position directly below the universal joint 15. The casters 21 come into contact with the floor surface to support the suction port body 10 and give a light movement to the suction port body 10.

  A roller 22 is provided on the lower surface of the main body housing 11 at a position forward of the caster 21 and biased to the left as viewed from the front. The roller 22 can move up and down and serves as an actuator for a safety switch (not shown) for the motor 18. That is, in a state where the suction port body 10 is placed on the floor, the roller 22 also hits the floor and retreats inside the main body casing 11. In this state, the safety switch is in a conductive state, and the motor 18 can be operated by supplying power to the motor 18. As the suction port 10 is lifted from the floor, the roller 22 protrudes from the main body casing 11. When the roller 22 is away from the floor, the safety switch is in a non-conductive state and the power supply to the motor 18 is cut off. Therefore, the rotating brush 17 does not rotate in a state in which a part of the body can be contacted, and the danger caused thereby is avoided.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 13 is not attached to the main body casing 11 without a gap, and the peripheral edge is in close contact with the main body casing 11, but there is no gap between the cover 13 and the main body casing 11 in other places. Has produced. This gap becomes the expansion chamber 23. The expansion chamber 23 covers at least the upper portion of the motor storage chamber 19. In the embodiment, the expansion chamber 23 extends over the entire top surface of the main body housing 11. The motor storage chamber 19 and the expansion chamber 23 communicate with each other through a plurality of small holes (not shown).

  Sound waves generated in the motor storage chamber 19 are introduced into the expansion chamber 23 through a small hole (not shown), and a certain ratio disappears due to sound wave interference in the expansion chamber 23. As a result, the noise level leaking to the outside decreases. The expansion chamber 23 also functions as a sound insulation space that separates the motor storage chamber 19 from the outside, further contributing to noise reduction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a sound absorbing material 24 is disposed in the expansion chamber 23. As the sound absorbing material 24, for example, urethane foam can be used. By arranging the sound absorbing material 24, the sound wave entering the expansion chamber 23 is absorbed by the sound absorbing material 24, so that the sound insulation performance is further enhanced. It is preferable that the sound absorbing material 24 has a size that spreads over almost the entire interior of the expansion chamber 23. The sound absorbing material 24 shown in FIG. 8 is just the size. The sound absorbing material 24 is not shown in FIG.

  The same idea that the expansion chamber 23 is provided for the motor storage chamber 19 is also applied to the suction port 16. That is, the suction port 16 has a ceiling 16 a at a height that does not get caught by the outer periphery of the rotating brush 17, and the space above the ceiling 16 a becomes the expansion chamber 25. The introduction pipe 14 also communicates with the expansion chamber 25. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, a plurality of small holes 26 are formed in the ceiling 16 a, and the suction port 16 and the expansion chamber 25 communicate with each other through the small holes 26.

  As noise generated at the suction port 16, noise generated by a transmission mechanism that transmits a rotational force from the motor 18 to the rotating brush 17, a sound that the rotating brush 17 strikes and rubs the floor, and air flows around the rotating brush 17. Wind noise, etc., is the main thing. The sound wave generated at the suction port 16 is introduced into the expansion chamber 25 through the small hole 26, and a certain ratio disappears due to the sound wave interference in the expansion chamber 25. As a result, the noise level leaking to the outside decreases. The expansion chamber 25 also functions as a sound insulation space that separates the suction port 16 from the outside, further contributing to noise reduction.

  Noise reduction measures are taken not only for the main housing 11 but also for the connecting pipe 12. This will be described below.

  The connection pipe 12 is covered with a cover 30 at least at a part of the outer periphery. The cover 30 of the embodiment is composed of parts divided into left and right parts, and is configured to sandwich the connecting pipe 12 from the left and right. By joining the two parts with screws, a sheath-like cover 30 surrounding at least half of the length of the connecting pipe 12 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, fish dorsal and prone protrusions 31 and 32 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the connecting pipe 12 along the length direction. The protrusions 31 and 32 hit the inner surface of the cover 30 and play a role of determining the relative position of the cover 30 with respect to the connecting pipe 12.

  The protrusion 32 protrudes outside the cover 30. The protruding portion is a hook 34 having an inverted T-shaped cross section. A hook receiver (not shown) is formed on the lower surface of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 so as to be exposed when the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 is erected with the rear surface facing down. When the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 is stood up and the hook 34 is engaged with the hook receiver, the connecting pipe 12 is held by the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 with the axis line vertical. If the extension pipe 9 and the hose 6 are connected to the connecting pipe 12, all the components from the hose 6 to the suction port body 10 are stored together with the electric vacuum cleaner main body 1 in the connected state.

  A space surrounded by the cover 30 outside the connection pipe 12 is an expansion chamber 35. The inside of the connecting pipe 12 and the expansion chamber 35 communicate with each other through a plurality of small holes 36 formed in the outer peripheral wall of the connecting pipe 12.

  Noise generated on the main body housing 11 side is transmitted to the inside of the connecting pipe 12. The sound wave is introduced into the expansion chamber 35 through the small hole 36, and a certain ratio disappears due to sound wave interference in the expansion chamber 35. As a result, the noise level leaking to the outside decreases. The expansion chamber 35 also functions as a sound insulation space that separates the inside and the outside of the connecting pipe 12 and further contributes to noise reduction.

The connecting pipe 12 is formed with a small-diameter portion 12 a having a smaller inner diameter than the front and rear portions in a section covered with the cover 30. In the embodiment, the section in which the small hole 36 is formed is the small diameter portion 12a. Due to the presence of the small diameter portion 12a, the flow velocity of the airflow flowing through the inside of the connecting pipe 12 is increased, and the dust suction force at the suction port 16 can be kept strong. When the inner diameter of the connecting pipe 12 other than the small diameter portion 12a is 34 mm, for example, a numerical value such as 27 mm is set as the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 12a.

  A sound absorbing material (not shown) is disposed in the expansion chamber 35. As the sound absorbing material, for example, urethane foam can be used. By arranging the sound absorbing material, the sound wave entering the expansion chamber 35 is absorbed by the sound absorbing material, so that the sound insulation performance is further enhanced. It is preferable that the sound absorbing material has a size that spreads over almost the entire interior of the expansion chamber 35.

  An outside air inlet 38 (see FIG. 7) formed by a plurality of slits is formed on the front surface of the cover 30. When the airflow passes through the connection pipe 12 at a high speed, the inside of the connection pipe 12 becomes negative pressure, and the air inside the expansion chamber 35 is drawn into the connection pipe 12. The amount of air drawn to the connecting pipe 12 is supplemented with external air that enters from the outside air intake 38. Thus, the leakage of noise to the outside is further reduced by forming an air flow that enters from the outside air inlet 38 and exits into the connecting pipe 12.

  In this embodiment, the cover 30 is attached to the connection pipe 12 that forms a part of the suction port body 10. However, if the view is changed, the extension pipe 9 is also a connection pipe, and the cover 30 is attached to the extension pipe 9 so that the expansion chamber 35 is provided. It is also possible to configure.

  The structure of the rotating brush 17 is shown in FIG. The rotating brush 17 includes a cylindrical brush base 42 from which the bristle 41 protrudes from the outer surface, and two end brackets 43L and 43R that are fitted and fixed to both ends of the brush base 42 to constitute the brush base assembly 40. . The end brackets 43L and 43R are synthetic resin injection molded products.

  A straight steel shaft 44 extends through the center of the brush base assembly 40. Bearings 45L and 45R are interposed between the end brackets 43L and 43R and the shaft 44, and connect the brush base assembly 40 and the shaft 44 so as to be relatively rotatable. The bearings 45L and 45R may be sliding bearings made of metal, or may be rolling bearings such as ball bearings or roller bearings.

  The bearings 45L and 45R are press-fitted and fixed to the end brackets 43L and 43R. If the end bracket 43L and the bearing 45L and the end bracket 43R and the bearing 45R are rotatable relative to each other, the end brackets 43L and 43R may be melted by frictional heat during the relative rotation. If 45L and 45R are fixed, such a concern is eliminated.

  Shaft holders 46 </ b> L and 46 </ b> R are fixed to both ends of the shaft 44. An irregular shape such as a spline is formed at the end of the shaft 44, and the end is press-fitted into the shaft holders 46L and 46R which are synthetic resin injection molded products, thereby fixing the shaft 44 and the shaft holders 46L and 46R. Is achieved. The body housing 11 is formed with a holder receiving portion (not shown) for receiving and fixing the shaft holders 46L and 46R. The main body housing 11 and the shaft holders 46L and 46R can be fixed using, for example, screws.

  Similar to the relationship between the end brackets 43L and 43R and the bearings 45L and 45R, if the shaft holders 46L and 46R and the shaft 44 are relatively rotatable, the shaft holders 46L and 46R may be melted by frictional heat during relative rotation. If the shaft holders 46L and 46R are fixed to the shaft 44, such a concern is solved.

  One end of the end bracket 43L and the shaft holder 46L positioned on the same side surround the other. In the embodiment, the shaft holder 46L surrounds the end bracket 43L. At this point, the end bracket 43L and the shaft holder 46L face each other with a narrow gap. In the relationship between the end bracket 43R and the shaft holder 46R located on the same side as the end bracket 43R, the end bracket 43R wraps the shaft holder 46R, and the end bracket 43R and the shaft holder 46R face each other at a narrow interval. With this configuration, the bearings 45L and 45R are sealed and are not easily contaminated with dust.

  The end bracket 43R is formed as a power transmitting portion in which a portion surrounding the shaft holder 46R is connected to a power source. The power transmission part is a timing pulley 47 connected to the motor 18 by a timing belt (not shown), and the shaft holder 46R is taken into the inner diameter part thereof. As described above, since the portion having a certain inner diameter is necessary to surround the shaft holder 46R and the portion is the timing pulley 47, the configuration is rational.

  An annular groove (not shown) is formed in the shaft 44 at a position outside the bearings 45L and 45R, slightly away from the end surfaces of the bearings 45L and 45R. The ring-shaped stopper 48 fitted in the annular groove hits the bearings 45L and 45R, receives a thrust force, and prevents the axial movement of the shaft 44 relative to the bearings 45L and 45R. Accordingly, the end bracket 43L and the shaft holder 46L, and the end bracket 43R and the shaft holder 46R maintain a certain positional relationship in the axial direction of the shaft 44. As the stopper 48, for example, an E-ring can be used.

  Thus, the shaft 44 is passed through the center of the brush base assembly 40 including the brush base 42 and the end brackets 43L and 43R fixed to both ends thereof, and the bearings 45L and 45R are interposed between the shaft 44 and the end brackets 43L and 43R. The brush base assembly 40 is made rotatable with respect to the shaft 44 by interposing it, and the shaft 44 is fixed to the main body casing 11 of the suction port body 10 by the shaft holders 46L and 46R. The brush base assembly 40 can be attached to the correct design position in the correct posture without causing the axis of the shaft 44 to be shifted or inclined on the left and right. Thereby, the vibration when the rotating brush 17 rotates decreases, and noise and vibration can be suppressed.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The present invention can be widely used for a suction port body of a vacuum cleaner.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vacuum cleaner main body 4 Electric blower 5 Dust collector 6 Hose 9 Extension pipe 10 Suction port body 11 Main body housing 12 Connection pipe 16 Suction port 17 Rotary brush 18 Motor 40 Brush stand assembly 41 Brush hair 42 Brush stand 43L, 43R End bracket 44 Shaft 45L, 45R Bearing 46L, 46R Shaft holder 47 Timing pulley (power transmission part)
48 Stopper

Claims (5)

In the suction port body of a vacuum cleaner comprising a main body housing having a suction port on the bottom surface, a rotating brush provided in the suction port, and a power source that drives the rotating brush,
The rotating brush is
A cylindrical brush base with brush hairs protruding from the outer surface;
Two end brackets fitted and fixed to both ends of the brush base to form a brush base assembly;
A shaft passing through the center of the brush base assembly;
A bearing interposed between the end bracket and the shaft to connect the brush base assembly and the shaft in a relatively rotatable manner;
Including two shaft holders fixed to both ends of the shaft;
In the main body housing,
A holder receiving part for receiving and fixing the shaft holder is formed,
The suction mouth of the vacuum cleaner characterized by this.   The suction port body of the vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is fixed to the end bracket, and the shaft holder is fixed to the shaft.   The suction port body of the vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a stopper is attached to the shaft so as to abut against an end surface of the bearing and prevent relative movement of the shaft relative to the bearing in the axial direction.   4. The end bracket and the shaft holder located on the same side of the end bracket are in a relationship in which one of them surrounds the other, and the two face each other with a narrow space therebetween. The suction mouth of the vacuum cleaner.   The suction mouth of a vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a power transmitted portion connected to the power source is formed on one of the end brackets.

Images