JP2019188134A - Cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cleaner 1 having a housing 2 and an accessory connector 3 formed on the housing for detachable connection to a corresponding connection adapter 4 of a cleaning accessory 5.SOLUTION: The accessory connector 3 is directed, in a usual position of use of the cleaner 1, to a surface to be cleaned, and the cleaner 1 has a handle 6 detachably arranged in a region of the accessory connector 3. To be able to keep the cleaner 1 placid and secure during, in particular, over-floor cleaning, a handle base 10 of the handle 6 is arranged on the accessory connector 3 and/or on the connection adapter 4 of the cleaning accessory 5, and clamped between the accessory connector 3 and the connection adapter 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner comprising a housing and an accessory connector formed on the housing for releasable connection with a corresponding connection adapter of the cleaning accessory, the accessory connector being in the normal use position of the vacuum cleaner. Facing the surface to be cleaned, the vacuum cleaner has a handle removably disposed in the area of the accessory connector.

  The type of vacuum cleaner described above is a conventionally known technique. They can be for example vacuum cleaners or water wiping devices. This type of cleaner typically has a base device with a guiding handle and / or a guiding handle for moving the cleaner on the surface to be cleaned. During cleaning, the base device can stand on an attachment that can be connected to an accessory connector and can comprise a brush or the like. Furthermore, the base device can also be used for cleaning the upper floor surface, in which case the base device is usually supported or guided with the aid of a second handle.

  Patent document 1 is disclosing the vacuum cleaner which has separately the handle | steering_wheel which is arrange | positioned on a cleaning housing and can be rotated from a rest position to a use position with the handle for guidance arrange | positioned at the handle | guide handle for example. This separate handle can be used to carry the vacuum cleaner or to guide it during cleaning above the floor.

German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2015 118 621

  Based on the above-mentioned prior art, the object of the present invention is to advantageously improve the cleaner so that a comfortable and stable cleaner guide is optimized, for example during floor cleaning. This should be achieved especially in relatively large and heavy vacuum cleaners, which are usually held with both hands so that the vacuum cleaner does not rock or tilt to one side for cleaning above the floor. Is done.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is such that the handle base of the handle is disposed on the accessory connector and / or the connection adapter of the cleaning accessory, and is sandwiched between the accessory connector and the connection adapter. Present.

  It is proposed that the handle base of the handle is disposed on the accessory connector and / or on the connection accessory of the cleaning accessory and is sandwiched between the accessory connector and the connection adapter. The handle has a handle base connected to the handle portion of the handle. While the user uses the handle portion to hold the handle, the handle base serves to secure the handle on the cleaner. The handle base is arranged for securing on the vacuum cleaner or accessory connector and / or on the cleaning accessory. At that time, the cleaning accessory is also connected to the accessory connector. When the handle base of the handle is clamped between the accessory connector and the cleaning accessory connection adapter, the handle accessory base is fixed to the accessory connector at the same time, thereby fixing the handle base of the handle to the vacuum cleaner. The When the handle base is interposed between the accessory connector of the housing and the connection adapter of the cleaning accessory, an excessive gap between the cleaning accessory and the base device can be obtained by advantageously selecting the handle base material thickness. The user can perform the connecting operation in a general-purpose manner, and can receive substantially the same tactile impression when the end position of the accessory is put on the vacuum cleaner. Depending on the selected material of the handle base of the handle, at the same time, a reduction and / or minimization of play between the cleaning accessory and the accessory connector, i.e., for example, between the attachment and the base device of the cleaner, may also be realized. it can.

  The vacuum cleaner has a handle in the end region of the housing, where a cleaning accessory is usually arranged. This end region is directed to the surface to be cleaned during normal floor cleaning by a vacuum cleaner. The user of the vacuum cleaner no longer needs to grip the housing directly by hand (which is often difficult depending on the size of the vacuum cleaner) and can obtain a separate handle, with which the user can It is possible to guide safely and accurately. The cleaner's pendulum movement and thereby, for example, accidental collisions in the environment are effectively avoided. By detachably placing the handle on the cleaner, in particular on the accessory connector, the handle can be selectively removed from the cleaner, for example when it is not needed for an extended period of time. If the vacuum cleaner is used only for normal floor cleaning, for example, the handle is supported by a surface by placing the vacuum cleaner on the surface to be cleaned and intervening cleaning accessories located on the accessory connector as required. Can be easily removed from the vacuum cleaner, i.e. for example from an accessory connector. If necessary, the handle can be reattached to the vacuum cleaner. The term “accessory connector area” here means, for example, that the handle contacts the accessory connector of the cleaner over at least a partial area, for example, the handle rests flat on the accessory connector, or The handle touches only by tangent or is placed adjacent to the accessory connector or mounted on the cleaning accessory and the cleaning accessory is connected to the accessory connector. Thereby, the handle is also connected to the cleaner by connection to the contact of the cleaning accessory.

  According to one embodiment, it is presented that the vacuum cleaner is a vacuum cleaner comprising a dust collection chamber, a fan and an accessory connector, in which case a suction duct is formed between the accessory connector and the fan. Through which dust can be conveyed to the dust collection chamber during the suction operation of the vacuum cleaner. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner accessory connector, to which a cleaning accessory can be connected, has a suction opening or a suction duct connection, through or thereby through the fluid connection between the accessory and the vacuum cleaner fan. Can be formed. Thus, the accessory connector can be in direct contact with the surface or object to be cleaned without selectively connecting the accessory during use of the vacuum cleaner. For example, to clean room corners, skirting boards, upholstered furniture and the like. Alternatively, the vacuum cleaner can be used in combination with a cleaning accessory connected to an accessory connector for these or other tasks. The cleaning accessory can be, for example, a cloth brush or another cleaning accessory.

  Instead of the embodiment as a suction cleaner, the cleaner can be a wiping device, a combined suction wiping device, a polishing device, a grinding device, or the like. In particular, the present invention is also suitable for all vacuum cleaners that are configured for floor cleaning. In that case, the cleaner is not supported by the surface to be cleaned, i.e. it is not placed on the surface to be cleaned with its full weight.

  In particular, it is proposed that the handle base has a through-hole through which a vacuum cleaner housing and / or a partial area of the cleaning accessory is guided. In particular, the accessory base and / or the connection adapter of the cleaning accessory can be guided by the through hole of the handle base. Thus, in this embodiment, the handle base has a through hole for passing through a partial region of the housing or accessory. For example, the handle base is formed in the shape of a ring and can be mounted from the outside on a cylindrical partial region of the housing and / or cleaning accessory. The handle portion of the handle used for gripping the handle by the user protrudes beyond the outline of the cleaner in the region, so that the user can grasp the cleaner at the handle portion.

  According to a possible embodiment, the handle is formed from a flexible material at least at an intermediate portion between the handle base attached to the vacuum cleaner and the handle portion formed for gripping by the user's hand. And / or it is suggested that the handle portion is displaceable relative to the handle base. For example, the handle as a whole or only the intermediate part described above can be made from an elastomeric part or a rubber part. The material should be tear resistant and be as thin or deformable as possible in the region of the handle base as required. This makes it possible to place the handle on the vacuum cleaner without greatly changing the geometric dimensions of the accessory connector or connection adapter, especially the handle base placement between the accessory connector and the connection adapter Can do. When an elastic material is used as the handle base, there is also an advantage that a play without any rattling between the two parts can be obtained from each other by eliminating play that exists arbitrarily in the attachment area of the connection adapter and the accessory connector from this configuration. The entire handle, but in particular the intermediate part, can be made at least partly from rubber or elastomer. Alternatively, a plastic film can be used for making the handle, for example a PET film. In so doing, a two-component solution can be provided, in which case the handle base is formed of PET film, which PET film is bonded to the elastic material at an intermediate part between the handle base and the handle part, the elastic material A handle portion is formed. The elastic material provides a handle portion that is displaced in a suitable direction when the user is no longer touching the handle. The handle may further be formed from an elastic material at least in the middle part.

  In particular, it is suggested that the shape of the contact area of the handle that can be placed on the cleaner corresponds to the shape of the surface area of the cleaner provided for placing the contact area. According to this embodiment, the handle or at least the handle portion of the handle is formed as a molded part, and the shape thereof corresponds to the outer shape of the cleaner on which the handle portion is placed.

  In particular, it is suggested that the handle portion can be placed flat on the cleaner in a non-use position. With this embodiment, the handle portion does not protrude from the housing in the non-use position.

  In particular, the handle as a whole can consist of an elastic material, in particular a rubber or an elastomer formed as a molded body. When the handle is not in use, the handle portion rests flat on the corresponding surface area of the vacuum cleaner by a restoring force acting on the molded part, and is gripped by the user as needed, based on the flexibility of the material And can be moved from a non-use position to a gripping position. It depends on the geometry of the handle base, the handle part and possibly the intermediate part between them, as well as the weight force applied. The handle portion can be suitably adapted to the shape and size of the user's hand due to its flexibility.

  Furthermore, the handle portion of the handle is pivoted so as to pivot on a pivot shaft provided on the handle base of the handle, so that the handle portion pivots away from the cleaner and pivots closer to the cleaner. It is presented that you can. In this embodiment, the handle base and handle part of the handle can be rigid and can pivot with respect to each other by rotation about a pivot axis. Again, the handle base can be located on the accessory connector of the vacuum cleaner housing, on the connection accessory of the cleaning accessory, or between them. In particular, here too, the handle base can be a ring-shaped element and is fitted from the outside onto a preferably conical partial area of the accessory connector or connection adapter. The handle base can also be formed from a rigid material, for example from a hard plastic, or again from an elastic material, which at the same time functions as a cushioning or sealing material to reduce or eliminate play.

  It is suggested that the handle can be placed on the cleaner, particularly when not in use, by a restoring force derived from the material of the handle and / or by a restoring element provided on the handle. For example, the handle can be a molded part made of an elastic material that has an inherent restoring force due to the material properties, and the restoring force allows the pre-shaped handle to be removed when the force applied by the user is eliminated. To return to its preferred position. This position corresponds here to, for example, a non-use position that is placed flat on the housing of the vacuum cleaner. In addition, or in addition thereto, the handle may be provided with a separate restoring element, for example arranged between the accessory connector and the handle part or between the connection adapter and the handle part. Is done. The restoring element can be a spring element, for example. Alternatively, the restoring elements can also be corresponding magnet elements, which are provided one on the handle part and the other on the cleaner. The user can displace the handle portion away from the vacuum cleaner by overcoming the restoring force, in which case the handle parts automatically clean again according to the restoring force when the user's gripping force is removed. Placed on the machine. The restoring force of the handle portion prevents the unused handle from protruding from the cleaner when the cleaner is not in use, for example, preventing an unintentional collision with an object in the environment.

  Finally, it is suggested that the vacuum cleaner has a second handle in the housing area on the side remote from the accessory connector and the distance between the two handles is at least 20 cm. In this embodiment, the removably disposed handle is advantageously added to another handle rather than the sole handle of the cleaner. The further handle is arranged in another remote partial area of the vacuum cleaner housing. Depending on the size and weight of the vacuum cleaner and the size and weight of the cleaning accessories placed thereon, in particular the attachment, a distance much greater than 20 cm can be selected, for example 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm or more It is. A distance of at least 20 cm between the handles can prevent the cleaner from being unintentionally tilted or swaying back and forth. In this embodiment, the user can stably and advantageously guide the cleaner by gripping two mutually separated partial areas of the cleaner.

FIG. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner having a handle that is detachably installed. FIG. 2 is a connection adapter of a cleaning accessory in which a handle is detachably installed. FIG. 3 shows a handle gripped between the accessory connector of the vacuum cleaner and the connection adapter of the cleaning accessory. FIG. 4 is a partial area of the cleaner with the handle removably disposed thereon in the use position. FIG. 5 is a partial area of a cleaner with a handle disposed thereon according to another embodiment in a non-use position. 6 is the handle of FIG. 5 in the use position.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings showing examples.
A vacuum cleaner 1 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a manually-moving house-use vacuum cleaner, and can be used for both floor cleaning and floor upper surface cleaning. The vacuum cleaner 1 has a housing 2 with an accessory connector 3, to which an accessory 5 formed here as an attachment device is connected. The accessory 5 has a connection adapter 4 that is used for placement on the accessory connector 3.

  The vacuum cleaner 1 has a dust collection chamber 7, a fan 8 and a suction duct 9 in a normal mode, and the suction duct 9 guides from the accessory connector 3 to the fan 8 through the dust collection chamber 7. In the accessory connector 3, the suction duct 9 is connected to a corresponding suction duct (not shown) of the accessory 5.

  The vacuum cleaner 1 has a handle 21 on which a handle 22 is disposed. The handle is used for guiding or moving the cleaner 1 during the cleaning of the floor surface. The handle 22 is further provided with a switch 23, which is used for switching the fan 8 on and off, for example. The accessory 5 of the cleaner 1 used as an attachment device has a wheel 20 that contributes to the low-friction movement of the cleaner 1 on the surface to be cleaned.

  For example, in order to carry the cleaner 1 during indoor cleaning or during cleaning above the floor, the cleaner 1 further has a handle 19 which, like a handle 22, is shown in FIG. In the use position, it is arranged in the upper region of the housing 2 of the vacuum cleaner 1, here for example in the housing part 18 at a height between the dust collection chamber 7 and the fan 8.

  In particular, the vacuum cleaner 1 has a handle 6 for holding the vacuum cleaner 1 during cleaning above the floor. The handle 6 is arranged in the area of the accessory connector 3 of the housing 2. The handle 6 is clamped between the accessory connector 3 of the housing 2 and the connection adapter 4 of the accessory 5 here, so that the handle 6 is fixed at the same time while the accessory connector 3 and the connection adapter 4 are connected. For this purpose, the handle 6 has a handle base 10 (see FIG. 2) and a handle portion 13. In the illustration according to FIG. 1, only the handle portion 13 protruding outwards appears. The handle 6 is made of, for example, an elastic material such as rubber as a whole and is formed as an elastic molded part, which is a surface region 15 of the housing 2 (see FIG. 3) when the handle 6 is not in use. ) In correspondence with the shape. For this purpose, the handle portion 13 has a contact area 14 (see FIG. 2) that rests flat on the surface area 15 in the non-use position.

  FIG. 2 shows the handle 6 arranged on the cleaning accessory 5. The handle base 10 of the handle 6 is fitted into the partial region 11 of the connection adapter 4 for attachment to the cleaning accessory 5. For this purpose, the handle base 10 has a through hole, and the inner contour of the through hole corresponds to the outer contour of the partial region 11. In order to fix the handle 6 of the cleaner 1, the cleaning accessory 5 is attached to the accessory connector 3 of the cleaner 1 in the position shown in FIG. 2 and the orientation of the handle 6. For this purpose, the accessory connector 3 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is fitted into the connection adapter 4 of the accessory 5. This also simultaneously connects the suction duct 9 of the cleaner 1 with the partial region 11 of the connection adapter 4. When the cleaning accessory 5 is fixed to the cleaner 1, the handle portion 13 of the handle 6 can be touched by the user by the handle portion 13 of the handle 6 remaining outside. The handle portion 13 has a handle hole 24 through which the user can grip it.

  In the embodiment of the handle 6 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the handle 6 is formed, for example, from a single piece of the same material, here made from, for example, rubber or elastomer. The handle base 10 and the handle portion 13 are connected via an intermediate portion 12. Its intermediate part 12 is a pivoting area, through which the handle part 13 can pivot with respect to the handle base 10 and thereby with respect to the cleaner 1 or the cleaning accessory 5.

  3 and 4 show the handle portion 13 in different pivot positions, one in the non-use position (FIG. 3) and the other in the use position (FIG. 14). In the non-use position, the handle portion 13 is not touched by the user, and the weight of the cleaner 1 is not applied. Thus, the handle portion 13 is in a preferred position resting on the surface area 15 of the housing 2, which corresponds to the unloaded shape of the handle 6. On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows the use position of the handle 6. In that case, the handle portion 13 is displaced away from the surface area 15 by placing the hand on the handle hole 24 of the handle portion 13 and lifting the cleaner 1 at least partially by the handle 6. In this case, since the handle portion 13 is made of an elastic material, the shape of the handle hole 24 can be arbitrarily adapted to the user's hand (by the hardness of the material) by being deformed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it is recognized that the handle base 10 is sandwiched between the connection adapter 4 of the cleaning accessory 5 and the accessory connector 3 of the housing 2. Therefore, the handle base 10 simultaneously functions as a cushioning element or a sealing element. Furthermore, the handle base 10 can also eliminate or minimize the gaps that exist between the housing 2 and the cleaning accessory 5. For this purpose, the handle base 10 is preferably made of a ductile material. However, in order to keep the distance between the accessory connector 3 and the connection adapter 4 as small as possible, especially for use without an intervening handle, the handle base 10 should have a minimum material thickness. In particular, the thickness of the handle base 10 is recommended to be less than 2 mm, particularly less than 1 mm. According to another embodiment, the handle 6 can be formed from two different components. That is, one consists of a particularly thin handle base 10 which can be formed from a thin film, for example, and the other is formed from a handle portion 13 made of a thick rubber material. The intermediate part 12 formed between the handle base 10 and the handle part 13 can likewise be made of rubber to withstand the turning load of the handle 6. The film material of the handle base 10 can be, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

  5 and 6 show a further embodiment of the invention, in which case the handle 6 is composed of a handle portion 13 and a handle base 10, which are arranged pivotably with respect to one another. For this purpose, the handle base 10 has a pivot shaft 16 on which a handle portion 13 is pivotably mounted. The handle part 13 and the handle base 10 are here both made of hard plastic, for example. Here, the handle base 10 is formed in the shape of a ring that can be fitted into the accessory connector 3 of the housing 2 of the vacuum cleaner 1 from the outside. The accessory connector 3 is formed in a conical shape and extends toward the opposite direction of the connection adapter 4 of the cleaning accessory 5. Therefore, when the handle base 10 is fitted into the accessory connector 3, it is automatically fixed and held at the end position shown in the figure. Thereafter, the connection adapter 4 of the accessory 5 is fitted and locked in front of the handle base 10 to fix this position.

  The handle portion 13 is formed in a shape corresponding to the surface region 15 of the housing 2. The surface region 15 is here provided with a material recess, for example, in which the handle portion 13 can be buried in the non-use position shown in FIG. In this position, the handle part 13 is fixed with the aid of a restoring element 17 which here has, for example, a corresponding magnet, which is arranged in the handle part 13 and the surface area 15 of the housing 2. Has been. Alternatively or additionally, for example, a spring element can be used as the restoring element 17. The spring element pulls the handle portion 13 back into the surface area 15 when the user releases the handle 6.

  Also in the embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6, the handle 6 is detachably arranged on the accessory connector 3. However, since the handle base 10 does not protrude between the connection adapter 4 and the accessory connector 3 and is attached to the accessory connector 3 from the outside, it is not essential to minimize the material thickness of the handle base 10. .

  Furthermore, mixed configurations between both the various embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIGS. 5 to 6 are also possible. For example, the handle 6 arranged in FIGS. 5 and 6 can also be formed from an elastic material, so that the pivot shaft 16 can be omitted and the pivotability of the handle portion 13 relative to the handle base 10 is elastic. This is realized via the intermediate part 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner 2 Housing 3 Accessory connector 4 Connection adapter 5 Cleaning accessory 6 Handle 7 Dust collection chamber 8 Fan 9 Suction duct 10 Handle base 11 Partial area 12 Middle part 13 Handle part 14 Contact area 15 Surface area 16 Rotating shaft 17 Restoring element 18 Housing area 19 Handle 20 Wheel 21 Handle 22 Handle 23 Switch 24 Handle hole

Claims (9)

Vacuum cleaner (1) comprising a housing (2) and an accessory connector (3) formed in said housing (2) for removably connecting with a corresponding connection adapter (4) of the cleaning accessory (5) The accessory connector (3) faces the surface to be cleaned in the normal use position of the vacuum cleaner (1), and the vacuum cleaner (1) is removed from the area of the accessory connector (3). In said vacuum cleaner (1), having a handle (6) installed in a possible manner,
A handle base (10) of the handle (6) is installed on the accessory connector (3) and / or a connection adapter (4) of the cleaning accessory (5), and the accessory connector (3) and the A vacuum cleaner characterized by being sandwiched between the connection adapter (4).   The vacuum cleaner (1) is a suction cleaner including a dust collection chamber (7), a fan (8), and an accessory connector (3), and the accessory connector (3) and the fan (8) A suction duct (9) is disposed between the two, and during the suction operation of the vacuum cleaner (1), dust can be conveyed to the dust collection chamber (7) through the suction duct (9). Item 1. A vacuum cleaner (1) according to item 1.   The handle base (10) has a through-hole, through which the housing (2) and / or a partial region (11) of the cleaning accessory (5), in particular the accessory connector (3) and / or the 3. Vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connection adapter (4) is guided.   The handle (6) is at least an intermediate portion (12) between a handle base (10) mounted on the vacuum cleaner (1) and a handle portion (13) formed for gripping by a user's hand. ) And / or the handle portion (13) is displaceable relative to the handle base (10). The vacuum cleaner (1) described.   The shape of the contact area (14) of the handle (6) that can be placed on the cleaner (1) is that of the cleaner (1) provided for placing the contact area (14). The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it corresponds to the shape of the surface region (15).   The cleaner (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the handle portion (13) can be placed flat on the cleaner (1) in a non-use position.   The handle portion (13) of the handle (6) is pivotally attached to a pivot shaft (16) provided on a handle base (10) of the handle (6), so that the handle portion (13) is pivoted. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it can be swung away from the vacuum cleaner (1) and close to the vacuum cleaner (1).   When the handle (6) is not in use, the vacuum cleaner (1) is restored by a restoring force derived from the material of the handle (6) and / or by a restoring element (17) provided on the handle (6). The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vacuum cleaner (1) can be placed on the vacuum cleaner.   The vacuum cleaner (1) has a second handle (19) in the housing area (18) on the side remote from the accessory connector (3), and the distance between the two handles (6, 19) is at least The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is 20 cm.

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