JP3208623B2 - Vacuum cleaner floor brush - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art A floor brush with a built-in rotary brush, in which a rotary brush is rotated by a motor provided inside a floor brush of a vacuum cleaner, is known. If you use a rotating brush to clean the carpet floor while dusting it out, there is the advantage of easy and thorough cleaning. Further, if a floor sensor is attached to the main body of the floor brush and the rotation of the built-in rotary brush is automatically controlled while detecting the presence or absence of the floor surface with the floor sensor, the switching operation of the switch is unnecessary, which is more convenient.

[0002] The present invention relates to a floor brush for a vacuum cleaner of this type, and more particularly to a floor brush for a vacuum cleaner in which the rotation of a built-in rotary brush is automatically controlled by a mechanical floor sensor. .

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 is a bottom view of a floor brush which has been conventionally publicly implemented, and FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a part thereof. 11 and 12, 1 is a floor brush, 2 is a main body, 3 is a connection pipe, and 4 is a case. 5 is a suction port on the bottom surface of the main body 2, 6 is a rotary brush having a contact piece 6a formed on the outer periphery, 9
Is a band-shaped bumper made of an elastic material. The rotating brush 6 is connected to a motor (not shown), and the bumper 9 is provided on a side surface of the main body 2. 10 is a floor sensor, 10a is a storage part, 11 is a cutout part of the case 4, 12 is a standing wall, and 13 is a fixed frame that partitions the storage part 10a. 16 is a swing axis, 17
Is a swing frame, 17a is a swing end of the swing frame 17, 19 is a cam,
21 is a switch.

[0004] The switch 21 is connected to a drive circuit of a rotary brush motor. 22 is an auxiliary wheel, 23 and 24
Is a boss and a stopper, 25 is a ball, and 26 is a coil spring. The ball 25 is movably housed in the housing 10a. Further, the coil spring 26 applies an expanding force in the direction of the arrow around the swing shaft 16 to the swing frame 17. G is a gap formed between the case 4 and the swing frame 17 communicating with the inside of the storage portion 10a, and 28 and 29 are front wheels and rear wheels.

When the main body 2 of the conventional floor brush 1 having such a configuration is placed on the floor, as shown in FIG.
When the rear wheels 28 and 29 come into contact with the floor,
And the rotating brush 6 is driven. In this state, the main body 2
Is slid on the floor surface, dust swept from the carpet floor by the rotating brush 6 is sucked through the suction port 5.

When the main body 2 is lifted and separated from the floor, the swing frame 17 is pushed by the ball 25 and the coil spring 26 and swings clockwise about the swing shaft 16 as a fulcrum. Swing frame 17
Is pulled out and reaches the lower limit position (hereinafter,
The "lower limit", regardless of the placement of the body) is shown in FIG. The cam 19 turns off the switch 21 by the clockwise swing of the swing shaft 16, and the rotation of the rotary brush 6 automatically stops. In this manner, the presence / absence of the floor is detected in response to the swing operation of the floor sensor including the swing frame 17, and the rotation of the rotary brush 6 is controlled.

[0007]

If the floor brush 1 is reciprocated back and forth while pressing the floor brush when cleaning the room with the conventional floor brush 1, turbulence is generated, and dust and dust are generated on the floor. Soared up. The soared dust and dust will enter the storage unit 10a from the gap G of the floor sensor 10. As a result, dust entering inside may adhere to the bearing of the swinging shaft 16 and the surface of the ball 25, and a frictional force may be generated at the contact portion to make the movement smooth, thereby causing a malfunction in floor detection. was there.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the floor brush of the conventional vacuum cleaner.
It is an object of the present invention to realize a floor brush of a vacuum cleaner which has a small floor sensor and can withstand long-term use.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a movable body which is provided in a storage portion on a bottom surface of a main body, and which is displaced inward and outward as an external force is applied to the main body and the floor surface. A floor brush of a vacuum cleaner having a built-in floor sensor including a switch means for opening and closing a power supply circuit of the rotating brush in response to a displacement operation of the movable body, the movable body is housed inside, and is expandable and contractable to seal the movable body. And a floor brush of a vacuum cleaner provided with a suitable sealing means.

Further, according to the present invention, an outward spring force is provided by a coil spring provided in a storage portion on the bottom surface of the main body, and the main body and the floor are swung inward and outward with a swing shaft as a fulcrum as the main body comes into contact with and separate from the floor surface. A swingable body in which a movable and movable ball contacts a stopper to suppress inward swinging, and switch means for opening and closing a power supply circuit of the rotating brush in response to the swinging movement of the swinging body. A floor brush of a vacuum cleaner having a built-in floor sensor, wherein at least a coil spring and a ball are housed inside the floor brush, and the floor brush of the vacuum cleaner is provided with an expandable sealing means for sealing. .

[0011]

When the floor brush is placed on the floor surface, the floor sensor operates by the weight of the floor brush and the coil spring is compressed. And
The swing frame is pulled into the main body while swinging. At the same time, the swing shaft rotates and the switch closes, the motor is driven, and the dust on the carpet is beaten out by the rotation of the rotating brush. If the floor brush is slid in this state, the beaten dust is sucked through the suction port to clean the floor.

When cleaning proceeds and moves to the corner of the room, the bumper of the main body comes into contact with the wall surface, and the suction of air along the floor surface is prevented. At this time, a ventilation path parallel to the wall surface is formed in the bumper, and an airflow is generated from the upper portion of the main body along the wall surface. As a result, dust near the corner where the floor surface intersects with the wall surface is easily sucked.

When the main body is separated from the floor, the swing frame swings in the opposite direction by the coil spring and the ball and is pulled out. At this time, the cam interlocks and turns off the switch,
Stop the rotation of the rotating brush. As described above, the floor surface is detected by the swinging motion of the swing frame due to the contact and separation between the main body and the floor surface, and the rotation of the rotating brush is controlled by the floor sensor. Since the lowermost position of the swinging end of the swinging frame is inside the raised portion on the bottom surface of the main body, the swinging end does not hit the sill or the like and is not damaged.

When the body is turned upside down and the bottom side faces upward, the stopper comes into contact with the moved ball to prevent the swing frame from being retracted. Therefore, the cam and the switch on the swing shaft continue to be in the same state, and the stopped state of the rotating brush is maintained. Therefore, even if a finger or the like touches the rotating brush, there is no risk of injury and the device is safe. Further, since the swing frame is connected to the main body by a stretchable sealing film and the gap of the storage section is sealed, entry of dust into the storage section is prevented.

[0015]

[Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. In the embodiment of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for the portions corresponding to the conventional device.

1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a floor brush of a vacuum cleaner. 2 is a main body of the rectangular floor brush 1, and 3 is a connecting pipe. Reference numeral 4 denotes a case of the main body 2 molded into a rectangular box shape with resin, and an upper case 4b having an opening / closing lid 4a.
And a lower case 4c. Reference numeral 5 denotes a suction port which is open horizontally at a position near the front of the bottom surface of the lower case 4c, and reference numeral 6 denotes a suction port 5.
The rotary brush has a contact piece 6a made of a loose spiral elastic body formed on the outer periphery and provided in correspondence with the above. Rotating brush 6
Is connected to a motor provided inside the main body 2 to expose the contact piece 6a from the suction port 5 to the bottom surface.

The connection pipe 3 communicates with the suction port 5 and is attached to the rear part of the main body 2 so as to be tiltable and swingable. The connection pipe 3 is connected to a main body of a cleaner having a built-in electric blower through an extension pipe and a flexible tube (not shown). Reference numeral 7 denotes a pin terminal provided at a connecting portion of the connection pipe 3, reference numeral 8 denotes left and right lock pieces that slide to lock the open / close lid 4a, and reference numeral 9 denotes an elastic bumper. The bumper 9 is attached to the left and right sides from the front of the main body 2, and concaves and convexes forming the ventilation passage 9 a are formed continuously at substantially equally spaced concave portions.

Reference numeral 10 is a floor sensor, and 10a is a storage unit.
The floor sensor 10 mechanically detects the floor surface, and
Control the rotation of the motor that drives the motor. The floor sensor 10 has an improved structure of the above-described conventional device, and an exploded perspective view and an enlarged view showing the structure thereof are shown in FIGS. 11 is a notch formed in the rear part of the lower case 4c, 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes an upright wall which is provided upright around the notch 11 and has a bearing 12a. The floor sensor 10 is provided in the case 4 using the notch 11.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a fixed frame which covers the storage portion 10a and forms a partition wall with the inside of the main body 2, and 14 and 15 denote bearings 14a.
Are formed in a hollow middle frame and a holding frame. Reference numeral 16 denotes a swing shaft supported by upper and lower bearings 12a and 14a;
Is a swing frame (swing angle θ... FIG. 7) which swings around a swing shaft 16 which is formed in a shallow ark and is biased and fixed to one end side.
Reference numeral 18 denotes a bellows-shaped elastic sealing film. Fixed frame 13
Are divided into two parts, a sensor part 13b having a bulging part 13a and a switch part 13c. The upper end of the sealing film 18 is clamped by the peripheral portion of the sensor portion 13b and the middle frame 14, and is fixed to the lower case 4c. The other end of the sealing film 18 is connected to the periphery of the swing frame 17 by the holding frame 15.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a cam fixed to the tip of the pivot shaft 16, and reference numeral 21 denotes a switch whose contacts are opened and closed by the cam 19. The switch 21 is connected to a power supply circuit of the motor for the rotary brush 6. Reference numeral 22 denotes an auxiliary wheel provided outside the swing frame 17, and reference numerals 23 and 24 denote bosses and a pair of stoppers formed inside the swing frame 17. Reference numeral 25 denotes a heavy ball made of, for example, steel, and reference numeral 26 denotes a coil spring. The ball 25 is accommodated in the space surrounded by the fixed frame 13 and the swing frame 17 so as to be vertically movable by its own weight, while the lateral movement range is limited by the stopper 24. The coil spring 26 is disposed between the boss 23 and the fixed frame 13 and constantly applies a clockwise elastic force to the swing frame 17 in FIG.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a lower case 4c near the floor sensor 10.
, A plurality of raised portions, 28 is a front wheel, and 29 is a rear wheel. A gap is provided between each of the protruding portions 27 to form a ventilation passage 27a communicating with the suction port 5. When the swing frame 17 swings by the angle θ and is at the lower limit, the swing end 17 a
Is formed so as to be inside by δ from the tip of the raised portion 27 (see FIG. 7). 6F is a floor surface to be cleaned,
W is a wall surface perpendicular to the floor surface F, and C is a corner where the floor surface F and the wall surface W intersect.

The operation of the present invention having the above configuration will be described below. The extension brush and the flexible tube are connected to the connection pipe 3, and the floor brush 1 is connected to the main body of the vacuum cleaner. When the cord of the main body of the vacuum cleaner is pulled out and connected to a power outlet, an electric open circuit in the floor brush 1 is connected via the pin terminal 7 of the connecting portion, and the rotary brush 6 can be driven. Here, the user turns on the hand switch and puts the floor brush 1 on the floor surface F.
When placed on the upper side, the coil spring 26 is compressed by the weight of the floor brush 1, and the swing frame 17 swings counterclockwise and is drawn into the main body 2. At the same time, the swing shaft 16 rotates, the switch 21 closes, the motor is driven, and the rotating brush 6 starts rotating.

The relative relationship of the swing frame 17 and the ball 25 to the main body 2 at this time is shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. When the rotating brush 6 rotates in this state, dust on the floor F such as a carpet is beaten by the rotating contact piece 6a. Then, the floor brush 1 is slid by grasping the extension pipe and the flexible tube, and the beaten dust is sucked through the suction port 5 to clean the floor surface F. The sucked dust is collected in a dust bag inside the main body of the cleaner through the connection pipe 3 and the like.

As the cleaning progresses and moves from the center of the room to the corner,
The side surface of the bumper 9 of the main body 2 comes into contact with the wall surface W, and the suction of air along the floor surface F is prevented. However, since the ventilation path 9a is formed in the bumper 9 with concave and convex portions, the flow of air flowing from the upper portion of the main body to the suction port 5 along the wall surface W through the ventilation path 9a as shown by an arrow in FIG. Occurs. As a result, dust near the corner C where the floor F and the wall W intersect is easily sucked. Similarly,
A corner C where the floor surface F intersects the left or right wall surface W, and the floor surface F
Is also a corner C of a three-dimensional wall surface intersecting the front surface and the left or right wall surface W, dust is sucked in by the ventilation passage 9a formed by the concave portion of the bumper 9.

When the main body 2 is separated from the floor surface F during cleaning,
The swing frame 1 is determined by the expansion force of the coil spring 26 and the weight of the ball 25.
7 swings by the angle θ to reach the state shown in FIG. At this time, cam 1
The switch 9 is turned off in conjunction with the swing shaft 16 to stop the rotation of the rotary brush 6. In this manner, the floor F is detected by the swinging motion of the swing frame 17 accompanying the contact and separation between the main body 2 and the floor F, and the rotation of the rotary brush 6 is turned on / off via the switch 21. Is controlled. In this case, since the lowermost position of the swinging end 17a at which the swinging end 17a swings is inside the raised portion 27, the swinging end 17a
Can be prevented from being damaged by hitting a threshold or the like. In addition, since the swing frame 17 is connected to the lower case 4c with the elastic sealing film 18 and the inside of the storage portion 10a is sealed, entry of dust is prevented.

On the other hand, FIG. 8 shows a state in which the main body 2 is turned upside down to check the adhesion state of dust on the rotating brush 6, and the like. When the bottom side of the main body 2 faces upward as shown in the figure, the ball 25 moves to the fixed frame 13 side by its own weight and is stopped. At this time, even if the swing frame 17 is pressed down by mistake, the stopper 24 comes into contact with the ball 25 and further movement of the swing frame 17 is prevented. Therefore, the cam 19 and the switch 21 on the swing shaft 16 are kept as they are, and the stop of the rotary brush 6 is maintained.
Therefore, even if a finger touches the rotating brush 6, there is no risk of injury and safety can be maintained.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show an application example of the bumper 9 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the bumper 9
A large number of through holes for ventilation are provided. Each through-hole is opened on the upper surface side and the bottom surface of the main body 2, and a ventilation path 9a such that these through-holes lead to the suction port 5 described in FIG.
Is configured. Since the ventilation passage 9a is formed by a large number of through holes, the elasticity of the bumper 9 increases, the cushioning action becomes strong, and the weight of the main body 2 is reduced by the volume of the through hole.

The bumper 9 shown in FIG. 10 has a structure in which projections are provided near the left and right ends of the main body 2. 2
The recess between the two projections, in this application
a is constituted. According to the configuration of FIG. 10, the structure of the bumper 9 is simplified with the same function, and the light and low-cost floor brush 1 can be provided.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the case of the rotating brush in which the brush is rotated by the motor has been described as an example. However, the configuration of the bumper of the present invention is also applied to the case of the rotating brush which rotates without power. can do. In addition, although the ventilation path of the bumper is illustrated and described with trapezoidal irregularities and through-holes penetrating in the vertical direction, a rectangular wave-like or semi-circular and diagonally penetrating through-hole or a structure combining irregularities and through-holes is used. Any structure may be used as long as a ventilation path is provided along the required wall surface.

Also, the ark-shaped swing frame has been described as an example of a floor sensor which detects a floor surface by rotating and displacing the swing shaft as a fulcrum. The main body of the floor brush is placed on the floor surface. The movable body may be in a hemispherical shell shape or a semi-cylindrical shape as long as it is a linear or rotationally displaceable member. The material and the shape are not necessarily limited to the embodiment.

[0031]

According to the present invention, there is provided a movable body which is provided in a storage portion on the bottom surface of a main body and which is displaced inward and outward with the contact between the main body and the floor surface when an outward force is applied, and a displacement of the movable body. An expandable and contractible sealing means for accommodating and sealing a movable body inside a floor brush of a vacuum cleaner having a floor sensor including a switch means for opening and closing a power supply circuit of a rotating brush in response to an operation. And a floor brush of a vacuum cleaner provided with the above.

Further, according to the present invention, an outward spring force is provided by a coil spring provided in a housing portion on the bottom surface of the main body, and the inner and outer sides swing about a swing axis as a fulcrum as the main body and the floor come into contact with and separate from each other. A swingable body in which a movable and movable ball contacts a stopper to suppress inward swinging, and switch means for opening and closing a power supply circuit of the rotating brush in response to the swinging movement of the swinging body. A floor brush of a vacuum cleaner having a built-in floor sensor, wherein at least a coil spring and a ball are housed inside the floor brush, and the floor brush of the vacuum cleaner is provided with an expandable sealing means for sealing. .

As a result, erroneous operation of the floor sensor caused by dust adhering to the ball or the like caused by the turbulence generated by the operation of pressing the floor brush against the floor and sliding it back and forth is prevented, A floor brush of a vacuum cleaner that has few failures and can be used for a long time can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration near a floor sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the vicinity of a floor sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the operation of the floor sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another operation of the floor sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view showing a configuration of an application example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view showing a configuration of another application example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view showing the configuration of a conventional floor brush.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration near a conventional floor sensor.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing the operation of a conventional floor brush.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of a conventional floor sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Floor brush 2 Main body 3 Connection pipe 4 Case 5 Suction port 6 Rotary brush 9 Bumper 9a Ventilation path 10 Floor sensor 10a Storage unit 13 Fixed frame 15 Pressing frame 16 Swing axis (movable axis) 17 Swing frame (movable body) 17a Swinging end 18 Sealing film (sealing means) 19 Cam 21 Switch 22 Auxiliary wheel 23 Boss 24 Stopper 25 Ball 26 Coil spring 27 Raised portion 28 Front wheel 29 Rear wheel F Floor surface W Wall C Corner

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Takehiro Yamaguchi 1728 Komaeda, Hanazono-cho, Osato-gun, Saitama 1 Mitsubishi Electric Home Equipment Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-6-327759 (JP, A) (58) ) Surveyed field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47L 9/04

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A movable body which is provided in a storage portion on a bottom surface of a main body, and which is displaced inward and outward as an external force is applied thereto when the main body comes into contact with or separates from a floor surface, and the displacement operation of the movable body. A floor brush of a vacuum cleaner having a floor sensor having a switch means for opening and closing a power supply circuit of the rotating brush in correspondence with the above, wherein the movable body is housed in the interior thereof and expandable and contractable sealing means for sealing the movable body. A floor brush for a vacuum cleaner, comprising: 2. An external spring force provided by a coil spring is provided in a storage portion on a bottom surface of the main body, and swings inward and outward with a swing axis as a fulcrum according to contact and separation between the main body and the floor surface, A movable ball that comes into contact with a stopper to suppress an inward swing, and a switch that opens and closes a power supply circuit of the rotary brush in response to the swing operation of the swing body. A floor brush for a vacuum cleaner having a floor sensor, wherein at least the coil spring and the ball are accommodated in the inside thereof, and a stretchable sealing means for sealing is provided.