JP3729726B2 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner provided with a cyclone dust collector.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Vacuum cleaners equipped with a cyclone dust collector that separates dust by swirling intake air sucked by an electric blower are widely used. An example of such a cyclone dust collecting type vacuum cleaner can be found in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-166829. FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the vacuum cleaner disclosed in the publication. The vacuum cleaner 1 connects a suction port body 6 via a suction hose 4 and a connection pipe 5 to a main body 2 incorporating an electric blower 3. The suction port body 6 has a suction port 7 facing the floor surface f. Between the suction hose 4 and the connection pipe 5, a cyclone dust collecting device 8 having a dust cup 9 is arranged. The inlet part of the cyclone dust collector 8 is connected to the connection pipe 5, and the outlet part is connected to the suction hose 4, whereby the connection pipe 5, the cyclone dust collector 8 and the suction hose 4 are connected from the suction port body 6. An intake passage that reaches the electric blower 3 is formed. A handle portion 35 protrudes from the cyclone dust collecting device 8. At the base of the handle portion 35, an operation portion on which various operation keys, an operation status display portion, and the like are arranged is provided. A control unit 37 that controls various operations of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is disposed in the main body 2.
[0003]
In the vacuum cleaner 1 configured as described above, when the electric blower 3 is driven, an intake flow is generated in the intake passage, and dust such as a floor surface is sucked from the suction port 7 of the suction port body 6. The air current passes through the connecting pipe 5 to the cyclone dust collecting device 8, where the air current swirls at a high speed, and the dust in the air current is centrifuged. Dust is collected in a dust cup 9 which is dust collecting means, and only air is sucked from the suction hose 4 to the electric blower 3 and discharged out of the main body 2.
[0004]
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a conventional cyclone dust collecting device 8, and shows a case where the longitudinal direction of the connection pipe 5 is vertical. Reference numeral 10 denotes a cyclone body of the cyclone dust collector 8. The cyclone main body 10 has a centrifuge chamber 12 formed in a laterally projecting manner at the upper end of a connecting pipe 11 connected to the connecting pipe 5. The centrifuge chamber 12 has a substantially circular horizontal cross section, and an air inlet 13 from the connecting pipe 11 opens in a part of the inner peripheral wall thereof. The inflow port 13 is provided at a position where the air inflow direction is tangential to the inner wall of the centrifugal separation chamber 12. An exhaust cylinder 14 is disposed in the center of the centrifuge chamber 12.
[0005]
The exhaust tube 14 is a cylindrical member having a closed bottom surface and an open top surface, and a plurality of exhaust ports 15 are provided on the outer peripheral portion. The exhaust port 15 is covered with a filter 16 made of synthetic fiber such as nylon and made into a fine mesh. The upper surface opening of the exhaust cylinder 14 is inserted into a connecting pipe 17 formed on the ceiling surface of the centrifuge chamber 12. The upper part of the outer surface of the exhaust tube 14 is a male threaded portion 18. A seal 20 made of an elastic material such as rubber is placed on a flange 19 formed below the exhaust tube 14, and the threaded portion 18 is connected to the lower end of the connecting pipe 17 (this is The exhaust tube 14 is attached so as to hang down from the ceiling surface of the centrifuge chamber 12. The suction hose 4 is connected to the other end of the connecting pipe 17. The lower end of the centrifuge chamber 12 is an opening 21, and the opening 22 at the upper end of the dust cup 9 is inserted in an airtight manner.
[0006]
The dust cup 9 as the dust accumulating means has a circular horizontal cross section, and the vertical cross section extends toward the opening 22 in a tapered shape. The mechanism for holding the dust cup 9 is as follows. An upward hook 23 is formed below the side face facing the connecting pipe 11, which is one side face of the dust cup 9. On the side surface of the connecting tube 11, a downward hook 24 is formed to engage the hook 23. When the dust cup 9 removed from the cyclone main body 10 is slid in parallel with the connecting tube 11 so that the opening 22 approaches the opening 21 of the centrifugal separation chamber 12, the opening 22 of the dust cup 9 is removed. The centrifuge chamber 12 is inserted into the opening 21 and the hook 23 engages with the hook 24. If the dust cup 9 is pressed to the limit, that is, until the lip of the dust cup 9 hits the seal 25 made of an elastic material attached to the inside of the opening 21 of the centrifuge chamber 12, the opening 22 of the dust cup 9 is centrifuged. It will be airtightly joined to the opening 21 of the separation chamber 12. At the same time, the hook 23 and the hook 24 are also engaged deeply, and the dust cup 9 does not leave the connecting pipe 11 even if a lateral force is applied to the lower portion of the dust cup 9.
[0007]
In order to maintain the mounting state, the mounting piece 26 is attached near the upper end of the outer surface of the dust cup 9. The mounting piece 26 is attached to the dust cup 9 via a horizontal shaft 27 and can be rotated in a vertical plane. At the upper end of the mounting piece 26, a locking claw 29 that engages with the convex portion 28 on the outer surface of the cyclone body 10 is formed. The lower part of the mounting piece 26 is a pressing part 30 for pressing with a finger. A compression coil spring 31 is inserted between the pressing portion 30 and the outer surface of the dust cup 9, and a rotational biasing force that engages the locking claw 29 with the convex portion 28 is applied to the mounting piece 26.
[0008]
The opposing surfaces of the locking claw 29 and the convex portion 28 are inclined surfaces with the locking claw 29 side facing upward and the convex portion 28 side facing downward. Therefore, when the dust cup 9 is slid to attach the dust cup 9 to the cyclone body 10, the inclined surfaces of the locking claw 29 and the convex portion 28 come into contact with each other, and the attachment piece 26 resists the urging force of the compression coil spring 31. Then rotate. If the locking claw 29 gets over the convex portion 28, both engage with each other, and the engaged state is maintained by the compression coil spring 31. If it will be in this state, even if it tries to pull out the dust cup 9 from the cyclone main body 10, it cannot be pulled out. The dust cup 9 can be removed by pressing the pressing portion 30 and releasing the engagement of the locking claw 29 with respect to the convex portion 28.
[0009]
When air is sucked into the cyclone dust collector 8, the intake air flows from the connecting pipe 11 through the inlet 13 into the centrifugal chamber 12 and tangentially along the inner wall of the centrifugal chamber 12. A high-speed swirling airflow is formed around the exhaust tube 14. The dust contained in the air flow is separated from the air flow by the centrifugal force accompanying the high-speed turning, and falls into the dust cup 9 and accumulates. The air flow swirling around the exhaust tube 14 enters the exhaust tube 14 through the exhaust port 15 and is sucked into the suction hose 4.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the cyclone dust collecting type vacuum cleaner as described above, when dust of a predetermined amount or more accumulates in the dust cup, the separation efficiency of the sucked dust is remarkably lowered due to a decrease in the swirling speed of the intake flow or a decrease in the intake amount. Furthermore, the burden on the electric blower increases, leading to failure of the electric blower and burning. Therefore, until now, the dust cup has been made transparent so that the amount of accumulated dust can be visually recognized from the outside, or a reference line is displayed on the dust cup to make the user recognize the dust disposal timing. However, such alerting means are not sufficient to allow the user to actually take dust disposal action, ensuring that dust separation efficiency is maintained above a certain level and that safe operation of the electric blower is ensured. It was hard to say.
[0011]
Therefore, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner equipped with a cyclone dust collector, provided with means for allowing the user to know the dust accumulation status in the dust accumulation means of the cyclone dust collector without relying on the user's visual observation. The purpose is to encourage the shift to the disposal action and to prevent the reduction of dust separation efficiency and the power down of the electric blower.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, dust on the floor or the like is sucked from the suction port by the air flow generated by the operation of the electric blower, and the sucked air flow is swirled through the intake passage communicating with the suction port. In a vacuum cleaner equipped with a cyclone dust collecting device that separates the separated dust from the dust accumulating means, and that the dust accumulating means has a predetermined amount of dust accumulated outside the dust accumulating means. A dust accumulation detecting means for detecting by a light sensor that receives light emitted from the light emitting section, and a notifying means for notifying a user that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated in the dust collecting means. The emitted light passes through the side wall of the dust accumulating means and enters the inside of the dust accumulating means, and passes through the side wall on the opposite side of the dust accumulating means. A plurality of shielding plates perpendicular to the bottom surface of the bottom surface of the shielding plate are provided so as to protrude radially from the approximate center of the bottom surface, and the dust accumulation detection means is provided at a position slightly lower than the top of the shielding plate in the height direction. did.
[0013]
As described above, the dust accumulation detecting means for detecting and notifying that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated on the dust accumulation means is provided, so that the user who tends to forget to check the dust accumulation means is surely informed of the dust accumulation status. be able to. Even if the dust accumulating means is arranged at a position where it is difficult to check the dust accumulation status, it is possible to easily know the dust accumulation status.
[0014]
In the present invention, after the dust accumulation detecting means detects a predetermined amount of dust accumulation, the electric blower is operated in the safe operation mode. Thus, even if the user does not take a dust disposal action after detecting a predetermined amount of dust accumulation, the operation mode is changed to reduce the burden on the electric blower, and problems such as failure and burning can be avoided.
[0015]
In the present invention, the dust collecting means is provided with three shielding plates perpendicular to the bottom surface of the dust collecting means so as to project radially from the center of the bottom surface at intervals of 120 °.
[0017]
In the present invention, the dust accumulating means has a circular horizontal cross section, and an upper end is provided with an opening through which the swirling airflow flows and a lower end is closed, and the dust accumulating means The portion of the side wall located on the optical axis of the optical sensor was arranged substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. Thereby, when light passes through the dust accumulating means, the degree of light transmission loss due to reflection, dispersion, etc. is reduced, and light can be efficiently delivered to the optical sensor.
[0018]
According to the present invention , the protective rib is protruded from at least one of the inner wall of the dust accumulating means and the windward side of the portion located on the optical axis of the optical sensor. Thereby, it is prevented that the light transmission part is damaged by dust in the airflow, and the amount of light reaching the optical sensor can be maintained.
[0019]
In the present invention, the portion of the wall of the dust accumulating means located on the optical axis of the optical sensor is made of a material that is harder and less damaged than the other portions. This makes it possible to maintain the light transmission to the optical sensor without forming the entire dust collecting means with a highly transparent material that is not easily damaged (high hardness resin, tempered glass, industrial diamond, etc.).
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these embodiments, the basic configuration as a vacuum cleaner is the same as the conventional structure introduced in FIGS. 7 and 8, and the same reference numerals are used for the same components as the conventional structure, and the description is omitted. To do.
[0022]
1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The cyclone dust collecting device 8 has dust collecting means for collecting dust separated from the airflow. Here, the dust cup 9 detachably attached to the cyclone main body 10 is used as the dust collecting means, but the configuration of the dust collecting means is not limited to this. A configuration in which a dust collecting hatch is provided in a dust collecting container fixed to the cyclone main body 10 may be employed.
[0023]
Inside the dust cup 9, a shielding member 40 for preventing the dust from turning is provided. The shielding member 40 is formed separately from the dust cup 9, and a disk 41 having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner bottom surface of the dust cup 9 serves as a base. Three vertical shielding plates 40a, 40b, and 40c are integrally formed on the disc 41 so as to project radially from the center of the disc at 120 ° intervals.
A cutout 42 is formed on the edge of the disc 41. Further, a stopper 43 is erected at a position slightly apart from the notch 42 in terms of angle. On the other hand, a rib 44 is formed on the inner surface of the dust cup 9 at a portion close to the bottom. The rib 44 corresponds to the notch 42, and the size and position are set so as to pass through the notch 42. The upper surface of the rib 44 is a guide surface that is inclined toward the inner bottom surface of the dust cup 9. A gap is provided between the rib 44 and the inner bottom surface of the dust cup 9, and the width of the gap is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the disc 41.
[0025]
The shielding member 40 is attached to the dust cup 9 as follows. First, the shielding member 40 is inserted from the opening 22 with the disc 41 facing down. At the time of insertion, attention is paid so that the position of the notch 42 coincides with the rib 44. When the rib 44 passes through the notch 42 and the disc 41 reaches the bottom of the dust cup 9, the shielding member 40 is rotated in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. 2 until the stopper 43 hits the rib 44. At the angular position where the stopper 43 hits the rib 44, the rib 44 is detached from the notch 42 and presses the upper surface of the disc 41, so that the shielding member 40 is firmly fixed. The stopper 43 is in contact with the rib 44 from the upstream side in the air swirling direction, and the force applied by the swirling airflow to the shielding member 40 acts in a direction in which the coupling with the dust cup 9 is maintained.
[0026]
In a state where the shielding member 40 is mounted in the dust cup 9, the top of the shielding member 40 is separated from the bottom of the exhaust tube 14 by a predetermined distance, and the side edges of the shielding plates 40 a, 40 b, 40 c and the inner wall of the dust cup 9. A space 45 is formed between them.
[0027]
When it is necessary to remove the shielding member 40 for reasons such as cleaning the dust cup 9, the shielding member 40 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow Y in FIG. Pull out. In addition, the shielding member 40 is not limited to the shape separately formed from the dust cup 9 as described above. The portions of the shielding plates 40a, 40b, and 40c may be integrally formed on the bottom surface of the dust cup 9.
[0028]
The dust cup 9 is provided with dust accumulation detecting means 50 for detecting that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated therein. The dust accumulation detecting means 50 is constituted by an optical sensor. The optical sensor is disposed so as to receive light that passes through the dust cup 9, and therefore the dust cup 9 is formed of a transparent resin that transmits light. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of arm portions 51 a and 51 b project symmetrically from the connecting pipe 11, and this is provided with a support member for separating and arranging the dust accumulation detecting means 50 from the dust cup 9. To do. The arms 51a and 51b are shaped to wrap the outer surface of the dust cup 9 over an angle of about 120 °. The arm parts 51a and 51b are at a position slightly lower than the top part of the shielding member 40 in the height direction. The arm portions 51a and 51b may be formed integrally with the connecting tube 11, or may be fixed separately.
[0029]
The optical sensor light emitting part 52a is fixed to the arm part 51a, and the optical sensor light receiving part 52b is fixed to the arm part 51b so that the optical axes of the light emitting part side and the light receiving part side coincide. The light emitted from the light sensor light emitting part 52a passes through the side wall of the dust cup 9 and enters the inside of the dust cup 9, and passes through the side wall on the opposite side of the dust cup 9 and enters the light sensor light receiving part 52b. The shielding plates 40a, 40b, and 40c are arranged at angular positions and dimensions that do not block the optical axis from the optical sensor light emitting unit 52a to the optical sensor light receiving unit 52b when the shielding member 40 is set at a predetermined position. Yes. The light emission of the optical sensor light emitting unit 52 a is controlled by the control unit 37, and the light reception signal of the optical sensor light receiving unit 52 b is also processed by the control unit 37.
[0030]
A protective rib 53 protrudes from the inner wall of the dust cup 9. The protective rib 53 protects the inner wall of the dust cup 9 located on the optical axis of the optical sensor from the swirling airflow, that is, dust contained in the airflow adheres to the inner wall, or dust rubs the inner wall and damages the inner wall. It is for preventing and it is provided in the windward side of the said location. The height of the protective rib 53, that is, the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2, is set to a minimum necessary to cover the inner wall of the dust cup that transmits light from the optical sensor. In FIG. 2, the protective rib 53 exists on the side of the photosensor light receiving part 52b, but can also be provided on the photosensor light emitting part 52a.
[0031]
A notification means is arranged in the operation unit 36. This notifying means is for notifying the user that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated in the dust cup 9, which emits a light signal by a light emitting body such as an LED, and displays a message with characters or icons on the liquid crystal screen. Various types can be employed, such as those to be issued and those to be warned by voice.
[0032]
The dust collection operation in the above embodiment will be described. When air is sucked into the cyclone dust collector 8, the intake air flows from the connecting pipe 11 through the inlet 13 into the centrifuge chamber 12, tangentially along the inner wall of the centrifuge chamber 12, and exhausted. A high-speed swirling airflow is formed around the cylinder 14. Dust contained in the air current is separated from the air current by centrifugal force generated by high-speed rotation. The airflow from which the dust has been separated enters the exhaust cylinder 14 through the exhaust port 15 and is sucked into the suction hose 4.
[0033]
As a high-speed swirling air flow is generated around the exhaust tube 14, a secondary swirling air flow is generated in the entire interior of the dust cup 9. Dust separated from the high-speed swirling airflow falls on the bottom of the dust cup 9 while swirling on this secondary swirling airflow.
[0034]
When the airflow swirling through the space 45 encounters the shielding plates 40a, 40b, and 40c of the shielding member 40, the airflow changes direction in the outer circumferential direction. At this time, dust having a large mass contained in the airflow is separated from the airflow by inertia and falls between the shielding plates. The airflow in which the dust has been dropped continues to travel along the inner wall of the dust cup 9, collides with the next shielding plate, and the dust is similarly separated. In this way, dust accumulates in the dust cup 9 from the bottom. The shielding plates 40a, 40b, and 40c not only promote the separation of dust from the airflow in this way, but also stop the accumulated dust from swirling following the swirling airflow or reduce the swirling speed, so that the dust accumulation detecting means 50 It plays the role of ensuring the dust detection by.
[0035]
The optical sensor light emitting unit 52 a periodically emits light based on a command from the control unit 37, and the optical sensor light receiving unit 52 b receives the light transmitted through the dust cup 9 and sends a light reception signal to the control unit 37. When the amount of accumulated dust in the dust cup 9 increases and reaches the optical axis level of the optical sensor, the light emitted from the optical sensor light-emitting unit 52a is blocked by the dust and weak light is incident on the optical sensor light-receiving unit 52b. There are many cases where it only reaches or does not reach at all. If light reception cannot be confirmed a predetermined number of times, for example, three times in succession, the control unit 37 determines that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated in the dust cup 9.
[0036]
The control unit 37 that has determined that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated in the dust cup 9 operates the electric blower 3 in the safe operation mode. The safe operation mode is an operation mode that immediately stops operation, stops operation after a predetermined time, or operates with power down for a predetermined time, and selects any operation mode in advance at the manufacturer shipment stage. However, the user may select the operation mode. Thereby, protection of the electric blower 3 is measured.
[0037]
In addition, the control unit 37 notifies the user that the dust accumulation detection unit 50 has detected a predetermined amount of dust accumulation via the notification unit disposed in the operation unit 36. The notification means performs a notification operation to the user by a light emission signal, a message by a character or an icon, a voice or the like. Thus, the user knows that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated in the dust cup 9, and moves to the next action. That is, if the electric blower 3 is not stopped, stop it, remove the dust cup 9 from the cyclone main body 10, throw away the dust inside, clean and dry the dust cup 9 if necessary, and set the dust cup 9 again. To prepare for the next use.
[0038]
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the wall of the dust cup located on the optical axis of the optical sensor is disposed substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. For this reason, the dust cup side walls constituting the incident part and the emission part of the dust cup 9 are parallel flat parts 54a and 54b. In the configuration of FIG. 2, the light exiting the photosensor light-emitting portion 52 a is transmitted obliquely through the side wall of the dust cup 9, so that light is reflected at the boundary surface, causing a loss in light transmission. Further, the wall thickness of the dust cup 9 is apparently thick, and the loss due to the dispersion of light within the wall is large. On the other hand, if the side wall of the dust cup 9 is arranged substantially perpendicular to the optical axis as shown in FIG. 4, the loss of reflection and dispersion can be reduced.
[0039]
A protective member 55 made of a transparent material is disposed inside the flat portions 54a and 54b. The inner wall of the dust cup 9 is provided with a mechanism for detachably holding the protective member 55 by, for example, fitting. The protective member 55 prevents the inner wall of the dust cup 9 from being damaged by dust. When the protective member 55 itself is damaged by dust and the transparency is lowered, the protective member 55 is replaced with a new protective member 55. Thereby, the light transmittance of the dust cup 9 is always kept at a good level, and dust accumulation is reliably detected.
[0040]
A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the wall of the dust cup 9 located on the optical axis of the optical sensor is made of a material different from the wall of the other part of the dust cup 9. Specifically, a flat portion similar to that of the embodiment of FIG. 4 was formed on the side wall of the dust cup 9, and a plug 56 made of a transparent material was embedded therein. The plug 56 is made of a hard and scratch-resistant material, such as a high-hardness resin, tempered glass, industrial diamond, or the like. As a result, it is possible to reduce the degree to which the portion through which the light from the optical sensor is transmitted is damaged and the transmittance is lowered, and the dust cup 9 itself can be formed of an inexpensive material that may be damaged. It is also possible to mold the dust cup 9 with an opaque resin instead of a transparent resin.
[0041]
The cyclone dust collector 8 of each said embodiment can be combined with the vacuum cleaner of a different type from FIG. For example, in the vacuum cleaner 70 of FIG. 6, the connection pipe 72 which can be tilted up from the large suction inlet 71 was raised, and the cyclone dust collector 8 which combined the electric blower 73 integrally was arrange | positioned on the upper part. Other various types of vacuum cleaners can be combined in accordance with the structure of the vacuum cleaner.
[0042]
Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, other various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following effects.
(1) Dust on the floor or the like is sucked from the suction port by the air flow generated by the operation of the electric blower, and the air flow is separated from the dust by swirling the sucked air flow through the intake passage communicating with the suction port. In the vacuum cleaner equipped with the cyclone dust collecting device for collecting dust on the dust collecting means, the dust collecting detecting means for detecting and notifying that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated on the dust collecting means is provided. The user who tends to forget the check can be surely informed of the dust accumulation status. Even if the dust collecting means is arranged at a position where it is difficult to check the dust collecting status, the dust collecting status can be easily known.
[0044]
(2) Since the electric blower is operated in the safe operation mode after the dust accumulation detecting means detects the predetermined amount of dust accumulation, the user takes a dust disposal action after detecting the predetermined amount of dust accumulation. Even if not, the operation mode is changed to lighten the load on the electric blower, and problems such as failure and burning can be avoided.
[0045]
{Circle around (3)} By using an optical sensor that receives light transmitted through the dust accumulating means as a constituent element of the dust accumulating detection means, the dust accumulation detecting means can be made inexpensive and highly reliable.
[0046]
(4) Since the dust collecting means is provided with a shielding member for preventing the dust from turning, the movement of the dust in the dust collecting means stops or at least slows down. Is certain.
[0047]
(5) Since the wall of the dust accumulating means located on the optical axis of the optical sensor is arranged at a substantially right angle to the optical axis of the optical sensor, reflection, dispersion, etc. will occur when light passes through the dust accumulating means. The degree of occurrence of the optical phenomenon is reduced, and light can be efficiently delivered to the optical sensor.
[0048]
(6) Optical sensor The protective rib that protects the wall of the dust accumulating means located on the optical axis from the swirling airflow is formed on the inner wall of the dust accumulating means, so that the light transmission part may be damaged by the dust in the airflow. The amount of light that is prevented and reaches the light sensor can be maintained.
[0049]
(7) The wall of the dust accumulating means located on the optical axis of the optical sensor is made of a material different from other parts of the wall of the dust accumulating means, so that the entire dust accumulating means is highly transparent and hardly damaged. Resin, tempered glass, industrial diamond, etc.) and light transmission to the optical sensor can be maintained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cyclone dust collecting apparatus showing a first embodiment of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the cyclone dust collecting apparatus taken along a line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing a second embodiment of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of a vacuum cleaner provided with a cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional cyclone dust collecting type vacuum cleaner. Fig. 8 Vertical section of a conventional cyclone dust collector [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner 2 Main body 3 Electric blower 4 Suction hose 5 Connection pipe 6 Suction port body 7 Suction port 8 Cyclone dust collector 9 Dust cup (dust collecting means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cyclone main body 11 Connection pipe 12 Centrifugal separation chamber 14 Exhaust pipe 36 Operation part (location of an alerting | reporting means)
37 Control part 40 Shielding member 50 Dust accumulation detection means 51a, 51b Arm part 52a Optical sensor light emitting part 52b Optical sensor light receiving part 53 Protective ribs 54a, 54b Flat part 55 Protective member 56 Plug made of transparent material

Claims (6)

Dust on the floor surface is sucked from the suction port by the air flow generated by the operation of the electric blower, the air flow sucked through the intake passage communicating with the suction port is separated from the dust, and the separated dust is dust In a vacuum cleaner equipped with a cyclone dust collecting device that accumulates in the accumulating means,
A dust accumulation detecting means for detecting that a predetermined amount of dust has accumulated on the dust collecting means by means of an optical sensor that receives light emitted from a light emitting unit provided outside the dust collecting means, and a predetermined amount of dust on the dust collecting means. Providing notification means for notifying the user that dust has accumulated,
The light emitted from the light emitting part is transmitted through the side wall of the dust collecting means and enters the dust collecting means, and is transmitted through the side wall on the opposite side of the dust collecting means.
In the dust accumulating means, a plurality of shielding plates perpendicular to the bottom surface of the dust accumulating means are provided so as to protrude radially from the approximate center of the bottom surface, and the dust accumulation detecting means is arranged in the height direction with the shielding. A vacuum cleaner provided at a position slightly lower than the top of the plate.   2. The dust collecting means, wherein three shielding plates perpendicular to the bottom surface of the dust collecting means are provided so as to project radially from the center of the bottom surface at intervals of 120 °. The vacuum cleaner described. After dust accumulation detecting means detects the dust accumulation of a predetermined amount, the electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that to operate the electric blower in a safe operating mode. The dust accumulating means has a circular horizontal cross section, and an upper end is provided with an opening through which the swirling airflow flows and a lower end is closed.
The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a portion of the side wall of the dust accumulating means located on the optical axis of the optical sensor is disposed substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. The protective rib is protruded from at least one of the inner wall of the dust accumulating means and the windward side of the portion located on the optical axis of the optical sensor. Item 5. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of Items 4 to 6. In the wall of the dust accumulation unit, electrical described the portion located on the light sensor light axis, to one of claims 1 to 5 than the other portion, characterized by being constituted by a hard and scratch resistant material Vacuum cleaner.

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