JP2015130956A - Cleaner and cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaner and cleaning method capable of performing cleaning under the environment of a clean room, etc. by preventing foreign materials such as dust on a floor surface from been stirred up and leaking to the outside of a suction head even when air is blown toward the floor surface.SOLUTION: A cleaner includes: a suction head 10 having a nozzle 16 for blowing air and an exhaust duct 11 for sucking foreign materials on a floor surface 50; and a main body having a motor for sucking exhaust air from the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 and sending the sucked air to the nozzle 16. The suction head 10 has a sealed space that is formed inside the exhaust duct 11 by the separation of the exhaust duct 11 from an external space when the suction head is grounded on the floor surface 50.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning method.

  Conventionally, various types of vacuum cleaners that remove foreign matters such as dust on the floor are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, by providing a blow-out port that blows air to the floor surface and blows up dust in the vicinity of the suction port of a vacuum cleaner nozzle that is used by being connected to the suction port of the main body of the vacuum cleaner. A technique is disclosed that can reliably absorb dust buried in the fabric without damaging the fabric to be cleaned.

JP-A-10-155704

  However, the vacuum cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a structure that makes it difficult to control the behavior of dust that rises by blowing air onto the floor surface, so that the dust that has risen leaks out of the suction head. There is a problem that such a vacuum cleaner cannot be used in a clean room or the like.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and prevents foreign matter such as dust on the floor from rising and leaking outside the suction head even when air is blown toward the floor. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning method capable of cleaning in an environment such as a clean room.

  The vacuum cleaner of the present invention communicates with a suction head having a nozzle for blowing air and an exhaust duct for sucking foreign matter on the floor, an air supply passage communicating with the nozzle of the suction head, and the exhaust duct of the suction head. A hose having an exhaust passage, and an air passage connected to the exhaust passage of the hose for sucking exhaust gas from the exhaust duct of the suction head and removing the foreign matter by suction. A main body having a motor for sending to the nozzle via the suction head, the suction head is isolated from the external space when the ground is grounded to form a sealed space in the exhaust duct Features.

  According to such a vacuum cleaner, the suction head is grounded to the floor surface and the exhaust duct is isolated from the external space to form a sealed space in the exhaust duct. This prevents the foreign matter such as dust on the floor from flying up and leaking outside the suction head even when air is blown from the nozzle toward the floor. You will be able to clean with.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, an opening / closing valve is provided in at least one of the nozzle or the exhaust duct of the suction head, and the opening / closing valve is closed when the suction head is separated from the floor surface. The on-off valve may be opened when the suction head is further pushed into the floor surface while the suction head is in contact with the floor surface.

  In this case, the main body is provided with an air chamber in which air sucked by the motor is stored in a compressed state and a pressure increasing valve disposed on the outlet side of the air chamber, and the suction head is provided on the floor surface. The pressure increase valve is closed when the pressure increase valve is away from the air chamber, and the pressure increase valve opens when the suction head is further pushed into the floor surface while the suction head is in contact with the floor surface. Compressed air may be sent to the nozzle of the suction head.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, a contact sensor is provided on the bottom surface of the suction head, and an opening / closing valve is provided on at least one of the nozzle or the exhaust duct of the suction head. The on-off valve is closed when it is separated from the floor surface, and the on-off valve is opened when the contact sensor comes into contact with the floor surface because the suction head contacts the floor surface. It may be.

  In this case, the main body is provided with an air chamber in which air sucked by the motor is stored in a compressed state and a pressure increasing valve disposed on the outlet side of the air chamber, and the suction head is provided on the floor surface. The pressure increasing valve closes when the pressure sensor is away from the pressure sensor, and when the contact sensor contacts the floor surface, the pressure increasing valve opens and compressed air is sent from the air chamber to the nozzle of the suction head. It may be like this.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the air discharge port by the nozzle in the suction head may be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the air exhaust port by the exhaust duct.

  In this case, either one of the discharge port of the nozzle and the exhaust port of the exhaust duct may be disposed outside or inside at a position substantially at the same center in the suction head with respect to the other.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the exhaust duct may have a lower side wall portion that is grounded to a floor surface, and a lower end portion of the lower side wall portion may protrude toward the center of the suction head.

  In this case, a portion of the lower wall portion protruding toward the center of the suction head may be inclined or curved with respect to the vertical direction.

  The vacuum cleaner of the present invention may further include a pressure control mechanism for reducing the pressure in the exhaust duct of the suction head.

  In this case, a cleaning environment pressure detection sensor for detecting the pressure in the cleaning environment and a head internal pressure detection sensor for detecting the pressure in the exhaust duct are provided, and the exhaust duct detected by the head internal pressure detection sensor is provided. The pressure control mechanism may be operated based on a result of comparison between the atmospheric pressure inside and the cleaning environment pressure detected by the cleaning environment pressure detection sensor.

  The cleaning method of the present invention includes a suction head having a nozzle that blows air and an exhaust duct that sucks foreign matter on the floor, an air supply passage that communicates with the nozzle of the suction head, and an exhaust duct of the suction head. Connected to the exhaust passage of the hose, sucks exhaust from the exhaust duct of the suction head, and sends the sucked air to the nozzle through the air supply passage of the hose A cleaning method using a vacuum cleaner comprising a main body having a motor, wherein the suction head is grounded to a floor surface and the exhaust duct is isolated from an external space to form a sealed space in the exhaust duct; A step of sucking exhaust gas from the exhaust duct of the suction head by the motor; and air after being sucked to remove the foreign matter Through the air supply passage and comprising the a step of sending to said nozzle.

  According to such a cleaning method, air is blown from the nozzle toward the floor surface in order to form a sealed space in the exhaust duct by grounding the suction head to the floor surface and isolating the exhaust duct from the external space. In this case, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust on the floor from rising and leaking outside the suction head. This makes it possible to perform cleaning in an environment such as a clean room.

  In the cleaning method of the present invention, air may be blown in the sealed space in a state where the inside of the suction head is depressurized from the atmospheric pressure of the cleaning environment.

  In the cleaning method of the present invention, when the sealed space is formed at the start of cleaning, the step of sucking exhaust gas from the exhaust duct of the suction head by the motor removes air after being sucked and the foreign matter is removed. It may start before the step of sending to the nozzle via the air supply passage of the hose.

  In the cleaning method of the present invention, the step of sucking exhaust from the exhaust duct of the suction head by the motor at the time of releasing the sealed space at the end of cleaning, the air after being suctioned and removing the foreign matter You may come to finish after the process sent to the said nozzle through the said air supply path of the said hose.

  According to the vacuum cleaner and the cleaning method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust on the floor from rising and leaking outside the suction head even when air is blown toward the floor. Cleaning can be performed in an environment such as a clean room.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the cleaner by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the suction head in the cleaner shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view by the AA arrow of the suction head shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a state when the suction head shown in FIG. 2 is grounded on the floor surface. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state when the suction head shown in FIG. 2 is grounded on the floor surface and further pushed into the floor surface. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state immediately before the suction head shown in FIG. 2 is separated upward from the floor surface. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the suction head in the cleaner by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows a structure when the suction head shown in FIG. 7 is seen from the bottom face side. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the cleaner shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the cleaner by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the cleaner shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 10 following FIG. 11. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the suction head in the cleaner by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view by the BB arrow of the suction head shown in FIG.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 6 is a figure which shows the cleaner by this Embodiment. Among these, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the suction head in the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the suction head shown in FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state when the suction head shown in FIG. 2 is grounded to the floor surface, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the floor after the suction head shown in FIG. 2 is grounded to the floor surface. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state when pushed into the surface, and FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before the suction head shown in FIG. 2 is separated upward from the floor surface.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the cleaner according to the present embodiment is provided with a main body 30, a hose 24 connected to the main body 30, and a tip of the hose 24, and sucks foreign matter such as dust on the floor surface 50. The suction head 10 is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, a nozzle 16 is provided inside the suction head 10, and foreign matter such as dust on the floor surface 50 rises when air is blown downward from the nozzle 16. Further, an exhaust duct 11 is disposed outside the nozzle 16 in the suction head 10, and foreign matters such as dust rising from the floor surface 50 are sucked through the exhaust duct 11. Details of the configuration of the suction head 10 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hose 24 includes an air supply passage 26 that is disposed on the center side and communicates with the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10, and an exhaust passage 28 that is disposed on the outer side and communicates with the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10. It has a concentric double structure. Here, air is sent from the main body 30 to the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10 via the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24, and exhaust is returned from the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 to the main body 30 via the exhaust passage 28. It is like that. In order to improve the operability of the vacuum cleaner, the hose 24 may be made of, for example, a bellows.

  The body 30 is connected to the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24 and is connected to the motor 32 for sucking exhaust gas from the exhaust duct 11, and is sent from the exhaust duct 11 through the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24. A dust collection bag 34 in which foreign matter such as dust is collected is provided. An air chamber 40 is connected to the dust collection bag 34 via a pre-filter 36 and a high dust collection filter 38, and the exhaust sucked by the motor 32 passes through the dust collection bag 34 and then the pre-filter 36 and the high dust collection filter 34. The dust is removed by the dust collecting filter 38 and then stored in the air chamber 40 in a compressed state. Here, the prefilter 36 removes foreign matters such as dust having a relatively large diameter contained in the air sent from the dust bag 34 to the air chamber 40. The high dust collection filter 38 is composed of, for example, an ULPA filter (Ultra Low Penetration Air Filter), and removes, for example, 99.9999% of fine foreign matters having a size of, for example, 0.1 μm contained in the air removed by the prefilter 36 It comes to be removed at a rate. Further, a pressure increasing valve 42 is provided on the outlet side of the air chamber 40. When the pressure increasing valve 42 is opened, the compressed air in the air chamber 40 is sent to the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24. Yes.

  Next, details of the configuration of the suction head 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, a substantially cylindrical nozzle 16 is provided inside the suction head 10. Here, the tip portion 16a of the nozzle 16 has a tapered shape, and the tip portion 16a is provided with a blowout hole 16b. The air outlet 40 of the main body 30 shown in FIG. The compressed air sent to the nozzle 16 through the air supply passage 26 is jetted downward from the blowing hole 16b (see the arrow in FIG. 5). In addition, a valve body 17 for receiving a valve seat 14 described later is provided inside the nozzle 16. The nozzle 16 is normally controlled so that the valve seat 13 and the valve body 18 and the valve seat 14 and the valve body 17 are in contact with each other by a known means such as an elastic body (not shown). When the suction head 10 is further pushed into the floor 50 after the suction head 10 contacts the floor 50 by a person, the exhaust duct 11 moves relatively downward from the position shown in FIG. It has become. Details of the operation of the nozzle 16 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially cylindrical exhaust duct 11 is disposed outside the nozzle 16 in the suction head 10. Specifically, the exhaust duct 11 has a lower wall portion 12 and an upper wall portion 22. When air is jetted downward from the blowing hole 16b of the nozzle 16 in a state where the bottom surface of the lower wall portion 12 is grounded to the floor surface 50, the jetted air is injected into the inner peripheral surface of the lower wall portion 12 and the nozzle 16. 1 and the space between the inner peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 16 in order and flowing upward (see the arrow in FIG. 5), the hose 24 shown in FIG. It is sent to the exhaust passage 28. Further, a contact sensor 20 is provided at the lower end portion of the upper side wall portion 22 shown in FIG. 2, and when the suction head 10 is further pushed into the floor surface 50 after the suction head 10 contacts the floor surface 50. The contact sensor 20 and the upper wall portion 22 are integrally moved toward the floor surface 50, and the contact sensor 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12. When the contact sensor 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12, the pressure increasing valve 42 provided in the main body 30 shown in FIG. 1 is opened. In the present embodiment, the suction head 10 has such a shape that the exhaust duct 11 is isolated from the external space and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 11 when grounded to the floor surface 50. .

  In the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the air discharge port by the nozzle 16 in the suction head 10 (that is, the cross-sectional area of the blowing hole 16b of the nozzle 16) is the cross-sectional area of the air exhaust port by the exhaust duct 11 ( That is, the sectional area of the space between the inner peripheral surface of the lower wall portion 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 16 or the sectional area of the space between the inner peripheral surface of the upper wall portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 16). It is getting smaller. As a result, the pressure of the air blown downward from the blowing hole 16b of the nozzle 16 can be increased, and even when foreign matter such as dust adheres to the floor surface 50, such foreign matter such as dust is more You will be able to dance more reliably. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the discharge port of the nozzle 16 is disposed closer to the center of the suction head 10 than the exhaust port of the exhaust duct 11.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the cleaner according to the present embodiment, the lower end portion of the lower wall portion 12 of the exhaust duct 11 protrudes toward the center of the suction head 10. Specifically, a portion (indicated by reference numeral 12a in FIG. 2 and the like) protruding toward the center of the suction head 10 in the lower wall portion 12 is curved with respect to the vertical direction. By providing such a protruding portion 12a on the lower wall portion 12, when the air in the exhaust duct 11 is sucked by the motor 32 after the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor surface 50, FIG. As indicated by the arrows, the air flows along the curved surface of the protruding portion 12a of the lower wall portion 12, so that the air flow in the exhaust duct 11 is smooth, and in the vicinity of the lower wall portion 12 on the floor surface 50. It is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust from staying. In addition, the part which protrudes toward the center of the suction head 10 in the lower side wall part 12 may incline linearly instead of curving with respect to a perpendicular direction. Moreover, the part which protrudes toward the center of the suction head 10 in such a lower side wall part 12 may be removable from the said lower side wall part 12. FIG.

  A disc-shaped valve body 18 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 16, and a hollow disc-shaped valve seat 13 that receives the valve body 18 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall portion 12. The valve body 18 and the valve seat 13 constitute an on-off valve in the exhaust duct 11. Specifically, in a state where the suction head 10 is not in contact with the floor surface 50, the valve body 18 closes the gap between the hollow portions provided in the valve seat 13 as shown in FIG. It is designed to be closed. On the other hand, when the suction head 10 is further pushed into the floor 50 after the suction head 10 contacts the floor 50 and the nozzle 16 moves relative to the exhaust duct 11 from the position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the valve element 18 is separated from the valve seat 13 so that the on-off valve in the exhaust duct 11 is opened.

  In addition, a valve seat 14 is provided in a fixed position inside the nozzle 16, and a hollow disc-shaped valve body 17 that receives the valve seat 14 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 16. In the nozzle 16, the valve seat 14 and the valve body 17 constitute an on-off valve. Specifically, when the suction head 10 is not in contact with the floor surface 50, the valve seat 14 closes the gap between the hollow portions provided in the valve body 17 as shown in FIG. It is designed to be closed. On the other hand, when the suction head 10 is further pushed into the floor 50 after the suction head 10 contacts the floor 50 and the nozzle 16 moves relative to the exhaust duct 11 from the position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the valve seat 14 is separated from the valve body 17 so that the on-off valve in the nozzle 16 is opened.

  Next, operation | movement of the cleaner of this Embodiment which consists of such a structure is demonstrated. First, the motor 32 provided in the main body 30 is driven by turning on the main switch of the vacuum cleaner. However, in this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing valve constituted by the valve seat 14 and the valve body 17 in the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10 and the opening / closing constituted by the valve seat 13 and the valve body 18 in the exhaust duct 11. Since the valves are closed, the cleaner is in a so-called idling state without exhaust being sucked from the exhaust duct 11 by the motor 32.

  Thereafter, the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor 50 as shown in FIG. 4 by moving the suction head 10 downward from a state where the suction head 10 is separated from the floor 50 as shown in FIG. At this time, the exhaust duct 11 is isolated from the external space, and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 11. When the suction head 10 is further pushed toward the floor surface 50 in such a state, the nozzle 16, the contact sensor 20, and the upper side wall portion 22 further move downward toward the floor surface 50 as indicated by arrows in FIG. 4. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the valve seat 14 is separated from the valve body 17 to open the on-off valve in the nozzle 16, and the valve body 18 is separated from the valve seat 13 to open and close in the exhaust duct 11. The valve will open. Further, when the contact sensor 20 and the upper wall portion 22 are integrally moved downward toward the floor surface 50 side and the contact sensor 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12, the main body 30 shown in FIG. The provided pressure increasing valve 42 opens. As a result, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, the compressed air sent from the air chamber 40 of the main body 30 to the nozzle 16 through the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 is jetted downward from the blowout hole 16b, and the floor surface Foreign matter such as dust on the air 50 soars in the exhaust duct 11. At the same time, when the on-off valve in the exhaust duct 11 is opened, the exhaust in the exhaust duct 11 is performed by the motor 32. It is sent to the dust bag 34 via 28. In this way, the floor 50 is cleaned by the cleaner according to the present embodiment.

  Thereafter, for example, when the cleaning of the floor surface 50 is completed based on the judgment of the operator or the like, the pushing of the suction head 10 to the floor surface 50 is released. As a result, the nozzle 16, the contact sensor 20, and the upper side wall portion 22 move upward so as to be separated from the floor surface 50 as indicated by arrows in FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state immediately before the suction head 10 shown in FIG. 2 is separated upward from the floor surface 50. As shown in FIG. When the contact sensor 20 is separated from the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12, the pressure increasing valve 42 provided in the main body 30 is closed. This prevents air from being sent from the air chamber 40 to the nozzle 16. Further, when the nozzle 16 moves upward so as to be separated from the floor surface 50, as shown in FIG. 6, the valve seat 14 closes the gap in the hollow portion provided in the valve body 17, thereby opening and closing the nozzle 16 inside. The valve is closed, and the opening / closing valve in the exhaust duct 11 is closed by the valve body 18 closing the gap in the hollow portion provided in the valve seat 13. As a result, exhaust is not sucked from the exhaust duct 11 by the motor 32, and the cleaner returns to a so-called idling state. And the drive of the motor 32 provided in the main body 30 is stopped by turning off the main switch of the cleaner. In this way, a series of operations of the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment is completed. The contact between the valve seat 13 and the valve body 18 and the contact between the valve seat 14 and the valve body 17 may be simultaneous, but more preferably, the contact between the valve seat 13 and the valve body 18 is more than the contact between the valve seat 14 and the valve body 17. Slower is preferable. This is because the risk of air leaking out from the sealed space is reduced, and contamination of the clean room environment can be prevented more reliably.

  According to the cleaner and the cleaning method of the present embodiment configured as described above, the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor 50 and the exhaust duct 11 is isolated from the external space, thereby being sealed in the exhaust duct 11. In order to form a space, even if air is blown from the nozzle 16 toward the floor surface 50, foreign matter such as dust on the floor surface 50 is prevented from rising and leaking out of the suction head 10. It becomes possible to perform cleaning under such an environment.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment, as described above, the opening and closing valves are provided in the nozzle 16 and the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10, respectively, and when the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50. These on-off valves are closed, and the on-off valves are mechanically opened when the suction head 10 is further pushed into the floor surface 50 with the suction head 10 grounded to the floor surface 50. Yes. According to such a configuration, the opening / closing valve provided in the nozzle 16 or the exhaust duct 11 is simply operated by pushing the suction head 10 further into the floor surface 50 with the suction head 10 grounded to the floor surface 50. Opening and closing operations can be performed, and the operability of the vacuum cleaner can be improved. In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the opening / closing valve is provided in each of the nozzle 16 and the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 has been described. However, the opening / closing valve is provided only in either the nozzle 16 or the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10. It may be provided.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment, as described above, the main body 30 is arranged on the air chamber 40 where the air sucked by the motor 32 is stored in a compressed state and on the outlet side of the air chamber 40. The pressure increasing valve 42 is provided, and the pressure increasing valve 42 is closed when the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50, and the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor surface 50. When 10 is further pushed into the floor surface 50, the pressure increasing valve 42 is opened, and compressed air is sent from the air chamber 40 to the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10. According to such a configuration, the pressure increasing valve 42 can be opened and closed by a simple operation of pushing the suction head 10 further into the floor surface 50 with the suction head 10 grounded to the floor surface 50. Thus, the operability of the vacuum cleaner can be improved. Furthermore, since air is sent to the suction head 10 in a state where the suction head 10 is pushed into the floor surface 50 by the repulsive force of an elastic body or the like, leakage from the sealed space to the outside can be prevented more reliably.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 thru | or FIG. 9 is a figure which shows the cleaner by this Embodiment. Among these, FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the suction head in the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration when the suction head shown in FIG. 7 is viewed from the bottom side. It is. Moreover, FIG. 9 is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the cleaner shown in FIG.7 and FIG.8. In describing the vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. A description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the suction head 60 of the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment is provided with a ring-shaped nozzle 66 along the inner peripheral surface of a substantially cylindrical casing 61. Further, foreign matter such as dust on the floor surface 50 is soared when air is jetted obliquely downward from the nozzle 66a of the nozzle 66. Here, the nozzle 66 communicates with the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 so that compressed air is sent from the air chamber 40 of the main body 30 to the nozzle 66 via the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24. It has become.

  Further, in the casing 61 of the suction head 60, an exhaust duct 64 is disposed concentrically on the center side of the suction head 60 with respect to the nozzle 66, and foreign matters such as dust on the floor 50 are exhausted. It is designed to be sucked through. Specifically, when air is ejected from the ejection port 66a of the nozzle 66 with the bottom surface 60a of the suction head 60 grounded to the floor surface 50, the ejected air flows upward through the exhaust duct 64. (See the arrow in FIG. 7), which is sent to the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a plurality (for example, four) of contact sensors 62 are provided on the bottom surface 60 a of the suction head 60. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the contact sensor 62 when the suction head 60 shown in FIG. 7 is viewed from the bottom side. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, when the suction head 10 contacts the floor 50 and each contact sensor 62 contacts the floor 50, the pressure increasing valve 42 provided in the main body 30 is opened.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the suction head 60 is grounded to the floor surface 50, the exhaust duct 64 is isolated from the external space and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 64. It has a shape like this.

  Although not shown, in the cleaner according to the present embodiment, an electromagnetic valve is provided between the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 and the nozzle 66 of the suction head 60, and the exhaust of the hose 24 is exhausted. An electromagnetic valve is also provided between the passage 28 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60. These solenoid valves are closed when the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50, and each solenoid valve is opened when each contact sensor 62 contacts the floor surface 50.

  Next, the operation of the cleaner of the present embodiment having the configuration as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the motor 32 provided in the main body 30 is driven by turning on the main switch of the vacuum cleaner (STEP 1). However, in this state, an electromagnetic valve provided between the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 and the nozzle 66 of the suction head 60 and an exhaust valve 28 of the hose 24 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60 are provided. The electromagnetic valves remain closed, and the vacuum cleaner is in a so-called idling state without being exhausted by the motor 32 from the exhaust duct 64 (STEP 2).

  Thereafter, the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor 50 as shown in FIG. At this time, the exhaust duct 64 is isolated from the external space, and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 64. Further, when the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor surface 50 and each contact sensor 62 contacts the floor surface 50 (“YES” in STEP 3), it is between the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 and the nozzle 66 of the suction head 60. The provided solenoid valve and the solenoid valve provided between the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60 are each opened (STEP 4). Moreover, when each contact sensor 62 contacts the floor 50, the pressure increase valve 42 provided in the main body 30 opens (STEP 5). As a result, compressed air sent from the air chamber 40 of the main body 30 to the nozzle 66 via the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 is jetted obliquely downward from the jet outlet 66a (STEP 6), and dust on the floor surface 50, etc. The foreign matter soars in the exhaust duct 64. At the same time, exhaust in the exhaust duct 64 is performed by the motor 32, and foreign matter such as dust that has risen from the floor 50 is sent from the exhaust duct 64 to the dust collection bag 34 through the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24. The normal operation state is set (STEP 7). In this way, the floor 50 is cleaned by the cleaner according to the present embodiment.

  Thereafter, when the cleaning of the floor surface 50 is completed, the suction head 60 is separated from the floor surface 50 (“NO” in STEP 8). This prevents each contact sensor 62 from coming into contact with the floor surface 50, and the pressure increasing valve 42 provided in the main body 30 is closed (STEP 9). This prevents air from being sent from the air chamber 40 to the nozzle 66. Further, since each contact sensor 62 does not come into contact with the floor surface 50, an electromagnetic valve provided between the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 and the nozzle 66 of the suction head 60, and an exhaust passage of the hose 24. Each of the solenoid valves provided between 28 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60 is closed (STEP 10). As a result, the exhaust gas is not sucked from the exhaust duct 64 by the motor 32, and the cleaner returns to a so-called idling state (STEP 11). And the drive of the motor 32 provided in the main body 30 is stopped by turning OFF the main switch of a cleaner (STEP 12). In this way, a series of operations of the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment is completed.

  According to the cleaner of the present embodiment configured as described above, the suction duct 60 is connected to the floor 50 when the exhaust duct 64 is in the external space, as in the cleaner according to the first embodiment. Therefore, even if air is blown from the nozzle 66 toward the floor surface 50, foreign matters such as dust on the floor surface 50 are isolated. It is prevented from flying up and leaking to the outside of the suction head 60, which makes it possible to perform cleaning in an environment such as a clean room. Further, since air is ejected from the ring-shaped nozzle 66 and sucked from the center, when dust or powder having low adhesion to the floor surface 50 is to be cleaned, suction is performed without raising the dust or powder. As a result, the effect of reducing the risk of dust or powder leaking outside the sealed space can be expected.

  In the vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment, as described above, the contact sensor 62 is provided on the bottom surface 60a of the suction head 60, and the nozzle 66 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60 are respectively opened and closed. A solenoid valve is provided as a valve. When the suction head 60 is separated from the floor surface 50, each solenoid valve is closed. When the contact sensor 62 comes into contact with the floor surface 50 by the grounding of the suction head 60 to the floor surface 50. Each solenoid valve opens. According to such a configuration, the electromagnetic valve provided in the nozzle 66 or the exhaust duct 64 can be opened and closed by a simple operation of grounding the suction head 10 to the floor 50, and the vacuum cleaner can be operated. Operability can be improved. In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the electromagnetic valve is provided in each of the nozzle 66 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60 has been described. However, the electromagnetic valve is provided only in either the nozzle 66 or the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60. It may be provided.

  Further, in the vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment, as described above, when the suction head 60 is separated from the floor surface 50, the pressure increasing valve 42 is closed, and the contact sensor 62 contacts the floor surface 50. When this occurs, the pressure increasing valve 42 is opened and compressed air is sent from the air chamber 40 to the nozzle 66 of the suction head 60. According to such a configuration, the opening and closing operation of the pressure increasing valve 42 can be performed by a simple operation of grounding the suction head 60 to the floor surface 50, and the operability of the cleaner can be improved.

  Further, a contact sensor having the same configuration as the contact sensor 62 according to the second embodiment may be provided on the bottom surface of the suction head 10 according to the first embodiment as shown in FIGS. . In this case, instead of providing an on-off valve constituted by the valve seat 14 and the valve body 17 or an on-off valve constituted by the valve seat 13 and the valve body 18, an electromagnetic valve is provided as an on-off valve in the exhaust duct 11 or the nozzle 16. Will be provided. When the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50, each solenoid valve is closed. When the contact sensor comes into contact with the floor surface 50 by the grounding of the suction head 10 to the floor surface 50, Each solenoid valve opens.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 are views showing the cleaner according to the present embodiment. Among these, FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the cleaner by this Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. In describing the vacuum cleaner according to the third embodiment with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. A description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment is provided with a pressure control mechanism 80 for controlling the pressure on the air supply side to the suction head 10 and the pressure on the exhaust side from the suction head 10 in the main body 30. Yes. The pressure control mechanism 80 has a cylinder 82 and a piston 84 that reciprocates within the cylinder 82, and when the piston 84 moves leftward within the cylinder 82 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 10, the suction head 10. The pressure of the circulating air atmosphere including the inside is reduced. A first valve 86 is provided between the air supply passage 26 for supplying air to the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10 and the cylinder 82, and the exhaust passage 28 for exhausting air from the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10. And a cylinder 82 are provided with a second valve 88 (FIG. 10 shows a state in which the first valve 86 is opened and the second valve 88 is closed). Further, a filter 89 is provided between the exhaust passage 28 from the suction head 10 and the cylinder 82, and foreign matter such as dust sucked by the suction head 10 is removed by the filter 89, and the pressure control mechanism 80. It does not enter the cylinder 82.

  In the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment, the valve seat 13, the valve seat 14, the valve body 17, and the valve body 18 in the suction head 10 of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are installed. Not. Instead, as shown in FIG. 10, an injection valve 26 a made up of an electromagnetic valve is provided between the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 and the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10. A suction valve 28 a made up of an electromagnetic valve is provided between the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24 and the exhaust duct 64 of the suction head 60. The injection valve 26 a and the suction valve 28 a are closed when the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50, while the suction head 10 is placed on the floor surface 50 with the suction head 10 installed on the floor surface 50. When the contact sensor 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12 by further pushing inward, the injection valve 26a and the suction valve 28a are opened. Instead of using the contact sensor 20, the contact sensor 62 described in the second embodiment may be used.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the main body 30 is provided with a cleaning environment pressure detection sensor 70 for detecting the pressure of the cleaning environment (specifically, the pressure in the clean room). Inside the suction head 10, a head internal pressure detection sensor 72 for detecting the pressure in the exhaust duct 11 is provided.

  Next, operation | movement of the cleaner of this Embodiment which consists of a structure as shown in FIG. 10 is demonstrated using the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. First, the motor 32 provided in the main body 30 is driven by turning on the main switch of the vacuum cleaner (STEP 21). However, in this state, the injection valve 26a provided between the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 and the nozzle 16 of the suction head 10 and the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24 and the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 are provided. The suction valves 28a thus closed remain closed, and the vacuum cleaner is in a so-called idling state without exhaust being sucked from the exhaust duct 11 by the motor 32 (STEP 22).

  Thereafter, the suction head 10 is grounded to the floor surface 50 as shown in FIG. 4 by moving the suction head 10 downward from the state where the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50 as shown in FIG. 2 (STEP 23). . At this time, the exhaust duct 11 is isolated from the external space, and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 11. When the suction head 10 is further pushed toward the floor surface 50 in such a state, the contact sensor 20 and the upper side wall portion 22 integrally move downward toward the floor surface 50 as shown by arrows in FIG. Thus, the contact sensor 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12. As a result, the suction valve 28 a is opened (STEP 24), and the motor 32 sucks the exhaust duct 11, and foreign matter such as dust on the floor 50 is discharged from the exhaust duct 11 to the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24. Is sent to the dust bag 34 (STEP 25). The same applies to the case where the contact sensor 62 described in the second embodiment is used instead of using the contact sensor 20, and the contact sensor 20 will be described below as an example. Moreover, when the contact sensor 20 contacts the upper surface of the lower wall part 12, the injection valve 26a is opened (STEP 26), and the pressure increasing valve 42 provided in the main body 30 is opened. As a result, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, the compressed air sent from the air chamber 40 of the main body 30 to the nozzle 16 through the air supply passage 26 of the hose 24 is jetted downward from the blowout hole 16b, and the floor surface Foreign matter such as dust on the air 50 soars in the exhaust duct 11 and is sent to the main body 30 through the exhaust passage 28 of the hose 24 to cause air circulation (STEP 27).

  Next, in the pressure control mechanism 80, the first valve 86 is opened (STEP 28), and the piston 84 moves in the cylinder 82 in the pressure reducing direction (left direction in FIG. 10) indicated by the arrow in FIG. 10 (STEP 29). . As a result, air is drawn into the cylinder 82 of the pressure control mechanism 80 from the air supply passage 26 to the suction head 10, so that the circulating air atmosphere including the inside of the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 is reduced. Thereafter, the first valve 86 is closed (STEP 30). Further, the air pressure in the clean room detected by the cleaning environment air pressure detection sensor 70 is compared with the air pressure in the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 detected by the head internal air pressure detection sensor 72, and the suction head 10 exhausts. If the air pressure in the duct 11 is not lower than the air pressure in the clean room (“NO” in STEP 31), the first valve 86 is opened again so that further pressure reduction in the exhaust duct 11 is performed. Become. On the other hand, when the pressure in the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 is smaller than the pressure in the clean room (“YES” in STEP 31), the normal operation state is set (STEP 32). Thus, when cleaning is performed by the cleaner according to the present embodiment under the condition that the pressure in the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 is smaller than the pressure in the clean room, the atmosphere in the suction head 10 is Leakage to the outside of the suction head 10 is further suppressed, and even when the cleaner according to the present embodiment is used in a clean room, the clean room is more reliably prevented from being contaminated.

  Thereafter, when the cleaning of the floor surface 50 is completed, the suction head 10 is separated from the floor surface 50. As a result, the contact sensor 20 does not come into contact with the upper surface of the lower wall portion 12, the injection valve 26a is closed (STEP 40), and the pressure increasing valve 42 provided in the main body 30 is closed. In this way, air is not sent from the air chamber 40 to the nozzle 16 (STEP 41).

  Next, in the pressure control mechanism 80, the second valve 88 is opened (STEP 42), and the piston 84 in the cylinder 82 is in the normal pressure direction (FIG. 10), which is the direction opposite to the pressure reduction direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. To the right) (STEP 43). As a result, the air in the cylinder 82 is sent to the exhaust side to the suction head 10, so that the circulating air atmosphere including the inside of the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 returns to normal pressure. Thereafter, the second valve 88 is closed (STEP 44). Further, the air pressure in the clean room detected by the cleaning environment air pressure detection sensor 70 is compared with the air pressure in the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 detected by the head internal air pressure detection sensor 72, and the suction head 10 exhausts. If the air pressure in the duct 11 is not the same as the air pressure in the clean room (“NO” in STEP 45), the second valve 88 is opened again to return the exhaust duct 11 to normal pressure. Will come to be. On the other hand, when the pressure in the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 is the same as the pressure in the clean room (“YES” in STEP 45), the suction valve 28a is closed (STEP 46). As a result, the suction operation from the exhaust duct 11 is stopped (STEP 47), and the cleaner returns to a so-called idling state. And the drive of the motor 32 provided in the main body 30 is stopped by turning OFF the main switch of a cleaner (STEP48). In this way, a series of operations of the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment is completed.

  According to the cleaner of the present embodiment configured as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the pressure control mechanism 80 for reducing the atmospheric pressure in the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 is provided. The pressure control mechanism 80 can reduce the pressure of the circulating air atmosphere including the inside of the exhaust duct 11 of the suction head 10 to be lower than the pressure in the clean room. For this reason, the atmosphere in the suction head 10 is further suppressed from leaking to the outside of the suction head 10, and the clean room is contaminated even when the cleaner according to the present embodiment is used in the clean room. Is more reliably prevented.

  The pressure control mechanism 80 described above is not limited to the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment having the suction head 10 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, and the suction head 60 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The present invention can also be applied to the vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams showing the cleaner according to the present embodiment. Among these, FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the suction head in the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a transverse sectional view of the suction head shown in FIG. In describing the vacuum cleaner according to the fourth embodiment with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. A description thereof will be omitted.

  In the cleaner according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, a substantially cylindrical exhaust duct 91 is disposed outside the nozzle 16 in the suction head 90. Specifically, the exhaust duct 91 has a lower wall portion 92 and an upper wall portion 22. Here, unlike the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, in the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment, the lower wall portion 92 has a substantially rectangular cross section. By adopting a simple shape, an effect of effectively cleaning a clean room and a corner of the apparatus that are difficult to clean is produced. In particular, the screw holes of the apparatus are often installed at corners and ends in the apparatus, and since the suction head 90 fits into the ends and corners due to the substantially rectangular shape, foreign matter (for example, screw) Etc.) can be removed by suction without being scattered outside. In addition, an air passage (indicated by reference numeral 94 in FIGS. 13 and 14) having a rectangular cross section is formed inside the lower wall portion 92. In the suction head 90 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 as well, when air is jetted downward from the blowing hole 16b of the nozzle 16 in a state where the bottom surface of the lower wall portion 92 is grounded to the floor surface 50, the jet is ejected. The air flows upward through the space between the inner surface of the lower wall portion 92 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 16 and the space between the inner peripheral surface of the upper wall portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 16 in order. It is sent to the exhaust passage 28. A contact sensor 20 is provided at the lower end of the upper side wall 22, and when the suction head 10 is further pushed into the floor 50 after the suction head 10 contacts the floor 50, the contact sensor 20. And the upper side wall part 22 moves toward the floor surface 50 side integrally, and this contact sensor 20 contacts the upper surface of the lower side wall part 92. As shown in FIG. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the suction head 90 is grounded to the floor surface 50, the exhaust duct 91 is isolated from the external space and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 91. It has a shape like this.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the cleaner according to the present embodiment, the lower end portion of the lower wall portion 92 of the exhaust duct 91 protrudes toward the center of the suction head 90. Specifically, a portion (indicated by reference numeral 92a in FIG. 13) that protrudes toward the center of the suction head 90 in the lower wall portion 92 is curved with respect to the vertical direction. By providing such a protruding portion 92 a on the lower wall portion 92, when the air in the exhaust duct 91 is sucked by the motor 32 after the suction head 90 contacts the floor surface 50, the lower wall portion 92 is provided. Since the air flows along the curved surface of the protruding portion 92a of 92, the air flow in the exhaust duct 91 becomes smooth, and foreign matters such as dust stay in the vicinity of the lower wall portion 92 on the floor surface 50. Can be prevented. In addition, the part which protrudes toward the center of the suction head 90 in the lower side wall part 92 may incline linearly instead of curving with respect to the perpendicular direction. Further, the portion of the lower wall portion 92 that protrudes toward the center of the suction head 90 may be removable from the lower wall portion 92.

  According to the cleaner of the present embodiment configured as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the suction head 90 exhausts when grounded to the floor surface 50, as in the cleaner according to the first embodiment. Since the duct 91 is isolated from the external space and a sealed space is formed in the exhaust duct 91, even if air is blown from the nozzle 16 toward the floor surface 50, the duct 91 is on the floor surface 50. It is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust from rising and leaking out of the suction head 90, which makes it possible to perform cleaning in an environment such as a clean room.

  The vacuum cleaner and the cleaning method according to the present invention are not limited to the modes described in the first to fourth embodiments as described above, and are within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Various changes can be made.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Suction head 11 Exhaust duct 12 Lower wall part 12a Protruding part 13 Valve seat 14 Valve seat 16 Nozzle 16a Tip part 16b Outlet hole 17 Valve body 18 Valve body 20 Contact sensor 22 Upper wall part 24 Hose 26 Air supply passage 26a Injection valve 28 Exhaust passage 28a Suction valve 30 Main body 32 Motor 34 Dust collection bag 36 Pre-filter 38 High dust collection filter 40 Air chamber 42 Booster valve 50 Floor surface 60 Suction head 60a Bottom surface 61 Casing 62 Contact sensor 64 Exhaust duct 66 Nozzle 66a Spout 70 Cleaning Ambient pressure detection sensor 72 In-head pressure detection sensor 80 Pressure control mechanism 82 Cylinder 84 Piston 86 First valve 88 Second valve 89 Filter 90 Suction head 91 Exhaust duct 92 Lower wall portion 92a Projecting portion 94 Air passage

Claims (15)

A suction head having a nozzle for blowing air and an exhaust duct for sucking foreign matter on the floor;
A hose having an air supply passage communicating with the nozzle of the suction head and an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust duct of the suction head;
A motor that is connected to the exhaust passage of the hose, sucks exhaust from the exhaust duct of the suction head, and sends air after being sucked and removed of the foreign matter to the nozzle via the air supply passage of the hose A body having
With
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein when the suction head is grounded to a floor surface, the exhaust duct is isolated from an external space to form a sealed space in the exhaust duct.   An opening / closing valve is provided on at least one of the nozzle or the exhaust duct of the suction head, and the opening / closing valve is closed when the suction head is separated from the floor surface. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve opens when the suction head is further pushed into the floor surface while being grounded to the floor surface.   The main body is provided with an air chamber in which air sucked by the motor is stored in a compressed state and a pressure increasing valve disposed on the outlet side of the air chamber, and the suction head is separated from the floor surface. The pressure increasing valve is closed when the suction head is in contact with the floor surface, and when the suction head is further pushed into the floor surface, the pressure increasing valve is opened and the suction chamber is opened. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein compressed air is sent to the nozzle of the head. A contact sensor is provided on the bottom surface of the suction head,
An opening / closing valve is provided on at least one of the nozzle or the exhaust duct of the suction head, and the opening / closing valve is closed when the suction head is separated from the floor surface. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve opens when the contact sensor comes into contact with the floor surface by grounding the floor surface.   The main body is provided with an air chamber in which air sucked by the motor is stored in a compressed state and a pressure increasing valve disposed on the outlet side of the air chamber, and the suction head is separated from the floor surface. The pressure increasing valve is closed when the contact sensor is in contact with the floor surface, and the pressure increasing valve is opened so that compressed air is sent from the air chamber to the nozzle of the suction head. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4.   The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a cross-sectional area of an air discharge port by the nozzle in the suction head is smaller than a cross-sectional area of an air exhaust port by the exhaust duct.   The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein one of the discharge port of the nozzle and the exhaust port of the exhaust duct is disposed on the outer side or the inner side at substantially the same center position in the suction head with respect to the other. .   8. The exhaust duct according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust duct has a lower side wall portion that is grounded to a floor surface, and a lower end portion of the lower side wall portion protrudes toward a center of the suction head. The vacuum cleaner described.   The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the lower wall portion protruding toward the center of the suction head is inclined or curved with respect to a vertical direction.   The vacuum cleaner as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 9 further provided with the pressure control mechanism for reducing the atmospheric pressure in the said exhaust duct of the said suction head.   A cleaning environment pressure detection sensor for detecting the pressure in the cleaning environment and a head pressure detection sensor for detecting the pressure in the exhaust duct are provided, and the pressure in the exhaust duct detected by the head pressure detection sensor is provided. The vacuum control device according to claim 10, wherein the pressure control mechanism is operated based on a comparison result between a cleaning environment pressure detection sensor and a cleaning environment pressure detected by the cleaning environment pressure detection sensor. A suction head having a nozzle for blowing air and an exhaust duct for sucking foreign matter on the floor; a supply passage communicating with the nozzle of the suction head; and a hose having an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust duct of the suction head; A main body having a motor connected to the exhaust passage of the hose, sucking exhaust gas from the exhaust duct of the suction head, and sending the sucked air to the nozzle through the air supply passage of the hose. A cleaning method using a vacuum cleaner,
Forming a sealed space in the exhaust duct by grounding the suction head to a floor surface and isolating the exhaust duct from an external space;
Sucking exhaust from the exhaust duct of the suction head by the motor;
Sending air after being sucked to remove the foreign matter to the nozzle through the air supply passage of the hose;
A cleaning method characterized by comprising:   The cleaning method according to claim 12, wherein air is blown in the sealed space in a state where the inside of the suction head is depressurized from the atmospheric pressure of the cleaning environment.   At the time of forming the sealed space at the start of cleaning, the step of sucking exhaust from the exhaust duct of the suction head by the motor removes the air after being sucked and removed from the foreign matter through the air supply passage of the hose. The cleaning method according to claim 12, wherein the cleaning method starts before the step of feeding the nozzle to the nozzle.   At the time of releasing the sealed space at the end of cleaning, the step of sucking exhaust gas from the exhaust duct of the suction head by the motor removes the air that has been sucked and removed the foreign matter through the air supply passage of the hose. The cleaning method as described in any one of Claims 12 thru | or 14 complete | finished after the process sent to the said nozzle.

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