JP3889415B2 - Electric vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner including a dust separation part on the upstream side of a dust separation part of a vacuum cleaner body in which an electric blower that creates a suction airflow is built.

  Conventionally, a dust container (dust bag) is built in a vacuum cleaner body with a built-in fan device, a handle pipe is connected to the vacuum cleaner body via a hose, and a suction nozzle is connected to the handle pipe via a shaft pipe. A vacuum cleaner having a cyclone separator adjacent to the shaft tube is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this conventional vacuum cleaner, relatively large dust in the dust-containing air sucked in by the fan device is separated and collected by the upstream cyclone separator, and smaller dust that has passed through the cyclone separator is collected. The dust bag in the cleaner body can be cleaned while being separated from the air and collected.

In the cyclone separating apparatus, a first circular passage is provided around a vortex chamber communicating with an upper connecting pipe connected to a handle pipe, and the end of this passage is communicated with an inlet of the vortex chamber. An end of the first passage on the upper connecting pipe side is closed by a wall portion. The end of the second passage is opened in the first passage. The end portion side of the second passage is a straight tube, and the wall portion is provided so as to be orthogonal to the extension line of the end. The upstream side of the second passage is connected to a shaft pipe (extension pipe) communicating with the suction nozzle. Therefore, the dust-containing air sucked into the second passage flows into the first passage after striking the wall portion facing the second passage at a right angle, and swirls around the first passage. Then, it further flows into the vortex chamber and swirls, and flows out from the center of the vortex chamber to the upper connecting pipe. Thereby, since centrifugal force acts on dust by the swirl flow centering on an axis oriented in the same direction as the straight tubular second passage, the dust and air can be separated.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-85159 (paragraphs 0008-0011, FIGS. 1 to 3)

  Since the vacuum cleaner of patent document 1 is the structure which isolate | separates dust and air by the swirling flow centering on the axis | shaft which turned to the same direction as the 2nd straight pipe | tube path located upstream of a cyclone dust collector, The flow of the dust-containing air that travels straight through the second passage is bent at a right angle, and then introduced into the circular first passage to bend the flow again to form a swirling flow. For this reason, not only the air flow is bent to form the swirl flow, but also the pressure loss due to the bending of the air flow occurs upstream thereof, so the wind speed of the swirl flow is slow and the separation performance is improved. The pressure loss is extremely large because it is bent at a right angle, and the pressure loss of the entire air path from the suction nozzle to the main body of the cleaner is also large, which is preferable for improving the suction performance. It is not a thing.

  The objective of this invention is providing the vacuum cleaner which can improve the suction performance and the dust separation performance in a dust separation part.

  This invention presupposes the vacuum cleaner which provided the dust separation part in the suction air path body connected to the cleaner body with which the electric blower was incorporated. In order to solve the above problems, a straight tubular air passage is provided in a part of the suction air passage body, and the direct tubular is formed at an inlet where dust-containing air passing through the straight tubular air passage is introduced and at a position downstream from the inlet. A dust separation unit that has an outlet that is continuous with the air passage, forms another air passage that flows dust-containing air introduced from the inlet along the straight tubular air passage, and separates dust and air by inertial separation Is provided around the straight tubular air passage, and a wind guide member is provided for introducing dust-containing air passing through the straight tubular air passage into the inlet of the other air passage.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vacuum cleaner which can improve suction performance and the dust separation performance in a dust separation part can be provided.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A vacuum cleaner denoted by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 includes a vacuum cleaner body 2 that is movable on a surface to be cleaned such as a floor surface, a suction air passage body 3, a second dust separation portion 4, and an air passage switching means 5. And.

  The vacuum cleaner body 2 incorporates an electric blower 6 that is located, for example, at the rear of the vacuum cleaner body 2 and forms a suction airflow. A suction port 2 a is provided on the upstream side of the electric blower 6, for example, on the front wall of the cleaner body 2. A dust collection chamber is formed between the suction port 2a and the electric blower 6, and the dust collection chamber has, for example, a filter having air permeability as a first dust separation portion, and preferably has a bag shape to have a dust collection function. A dust collection bag 7 made of paper or the like is disposed. In this way, the dust bag 7 located in the upstream side of the electric blower 6 and built in the cleaner body 2 can be attached to and detached from the dust chamber by opening the openable / closable body lid 2b of the cleaner body 2.

  The suction air passage body 3 includes a hose 11 having a bellows shape that can be flexibly deformed, a connection portion 12, an extension pipe 13, and a suction port body (also referred to as a suction nozzle) 14.

  The hose 11 has a connecting cylinder end 11a at one end thereof, and the connecting cylinder end 11a is detachably connected to the suction port 2a. By this connection, the suction air passage body 3 is disposed on the upstream side of the dust collection bag 7 and is provided so as to guide the dust-containing air sucked from the suction port body 14 into the dust collection bag 7. The connecting portion 12 is connected to the other end portion of the hose 11. Therefore, the hose 11 having the connecting cylinder end portion 11a and the connection portion 12 form a hose assembly.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the connecting portion 12 includes a straight tubular portion 15 and a grip portion 16 for gripping the suction air passage body 3 during a cleaning operation. The suction air passage body 3 has a straight tubular air passage (hereinafter referred to as a first air passage) 15a in a part thereof. The first air passage 15a is formed inside a straight tubular portion 15 having a straight tubular shape.

  The grip portion 16 is formed with a handle protruding from, for example, the rear portion of the straight tubular portion 15, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed to directly grip the front portion of the straight tubular portion 15. An operation panel 16a for giving an operation command to the electric blower 6 or the like is provided on the grip portion 16 including the handle.

  The other end portion of the hose 11 is connected to the rear end portion 15 b of the straight tubular portion 15. A rear end portion of the extension pipe 13 or a suction port body 14 is selectively detachably connected to the front end portion 15c of the straight tubular portion 15. The extension tube 13 can be expanded and contracted, for example. The suction port body 14 includes a head portion 14a having a lower surface facing a surface to be cleaned such as a floor surface (not shown) on its lower surface, and a rear portion of the head portion 14a via a universal joint structure. And a connecting pipe 14b attached movably. The connecting pipe 14 b can be selectively attached to and detached from the front end 15 c of the straight tubular portion 15 or the front end of the extension pipe 13.

  The second dust separation part 4 disposed upstream of the dust collection bag 7 in the cleaner body 2 is provided around the straight tubular part 15 that forms the first air passage 15a. The second dust separator 4 includes a case receiver 21, a dust collection case 22 detachably combined with the case receiver 21, a filter 23, and a dust press mechanism 24.

  Specifically, the case receiving portion 21 is formed integrally with the straight tubular portion 15. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the case receiving portion 21 is formed shorter than the straight tubular portion 15 forming the first air passage 15 a and wider than the width of the straight tubular portion 15. 15 has an opening extending in the same direction. This opening is opened upward as a preferred example. The straight tubular portion 15 is disposed within the width of the case receiving portion 21, preferably at the center in the width direction of the case receiving portion 21.

  In this arrangement, the straight tubular portion 15 and the case receiving portion 21 are provided symmetrically in the width direction (left-right direction) with the central axis of the straight tubular portion 15 as a symmetry line. For this reason, the weight balance of the case receiving part 21 with respect to the straight tubular part 15 and by extension the second dust separation part 4 is good, which is preferable when the grip part 16 is gripped and the suction air passage body 3 is operated. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the flow of the wind returning from the inside of the dust collection case 22 described later in detail to the first air passage 15a from being biased to one side in the width direction of the case receiving portion 21, and the dust collection in the dust collection case 22 also has its width. It is also preferable in that dust can be collected in a balanced manner in the width direction without being biased toward one direction.

  Due to the above-described arrangement of the first air passage 15a with respect to the case receiving portion 21, a pair of left and right along the straight tubular portion 15 is provided between the straight tubular portion 15 forming the first air passage 15a and the case receiving portion 21. A return air passage 25 is formed. In such an arrangement of the return air passage 25, the return air passage 25 is arranged in the left-right direction of the first air passage 15a and does not overlap the vertical direction of the first air passage 15a. On the other hand, it is preferable at the point which can provide the 2nd dust separation part 4 compactly.

  The front end of the return air passage 25 is closed, and the rear end portion is continued to the first air passage 15a through an outlet 26 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) opened at a position near the rear end of the straight tubular portion 15. . As a result, the outlet 26 of the return air passage 25 is joined to the first air passage 15a. The outlet 26 is provided at a position downstream of the inlet 34 described later with reference to the flow direction of the dust-containing air passing through the first air passage 15a.

  A seal packing 27 made of a soft seal material such as rubber is attached to the edge of the opening of the case receiving portion 21 along the edge. Alternatively, the seal packing 27 may be attached to the opening edge of the dust collecting case 22, but attaching to the case receiving portion 21 does not attach dust discharged when dust is discarded from the dust collecting case 22. This is preferable. The front convex portion 15d provided on the outer surface of the straight tubular portion 15 continuously to the front end of the case receiving portion 21 is provided with a case locking portion, for example, a locking hole 15f (see FIG. 3) opening rearward. Yes. A case locking member 28 is attached to a rear convex portion 15e provided on the outer surface of the straight tubular portion 15 so as to form the base of the grip portion 16 continuously to the rear end of the case receiving portion 21. The case locking member 28 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and is biased forward by a spring (not shown). The case locking member 28 can be pulled backwards against the force of the spring by operating with a finger.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 8, and the like, the dust collection case 22 includes a case body 31 having one surface, preferably a lower surface, opened, and a case lid 32 that opens and closes the front of the opening of the case body 31. And a filter support frame 33 provided at the rear part of the case body 31. The case main body 31 has a main body cover 31A that covers the front portion thereof.

  The case body 31 extends in the axial direction of the straight tubular portion 15 that defines the first air passage 15 a in the same manner as the opening of the case receiving portion 21, and the width of the lower surface opening matches the width of the opening of the case receiving portion 21. I'm doing it. A locking tongue piece 31 c projects from the front end of the case body 31 in the longitudinal direction. The locking tongue piece 31c can be inserted into and removed from the locking hole 15f from behind. A locking member receiver 31d (see FIG. 3) formed of a recess or the like is provided at the rear end portion in the longitudinal direction of the case body 31. The front portion of the case locking member 28 can be inserted into and removed from the locking member receiver 31d from behind.

  For this reason, the case main body 31 is put on the case receiving portion 21 while the locking tongue piece 31c is inserted into the locking hole 15f of the straight tubular portion 15 with the case locking member 28 of the straight tubular portion 15 pulled backward. Then, the openings of the case main body 31 and the case receiving portion 21 are aligned with each other, and in this state, the case locking member 28 is moved forward and hooked on the locking member receiving 31d of the case main body 31, thereby It is prevented from coming off. That is, the dust collection case 22 of the second dust separation unit 4 can be attached to the connection unit 12 by the above procedure. Further, the dust collecting case 22 can be removed from the connecting portion 12 by the reverse procedure.

  In a state where the dust collection case 22 of the second dust separation unit 4 is attached to the connection part 12, the dust collection case 22 is arranged with its longitudinal direction coinciding with the direction in which the central axis of the straight tubular part 15 extends. For this reason, there are few protrusions of the dust collection case 22 to the width direction of the straight tubular part 15, the balance at the time of operating the suction air path body 3 is good, and in this operation, the straight tubular part 15 has a field of view of the surface to be cleaned. It is preferable at the point which becomes the element which interrupts.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the filter support frame 33 includes a continuous inner wall 33 a extending from the rear end wall 31 a of the case body 31 to an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the case body 31 and a front portion of these inner walls 33 a integrally. The partition wall 33b is provided. The partition wall 33b is curved upward from a partition wall bottom portion that is flush with the lower end surface of the inner wall 33a. A substantially V-shaped cutout 33c tapering toward the front side is provided at the bottom of the partition wall.

  An opening having a substantially ship bottom shape, for example, is formed by the notches 33c and the lower end surfaces of a pair of inner walls 33a continuous thereto. This opening is used as an inlet 34 for dust-containing air with respect to the second dust separator 4. A rear end wall 31 a of the case body 31 is continuous with the inlet 34. The rear end wall 31a is formed of a wall along a direction that intersects at a substantially right angle to the direction in which the first air passage 15a extends, specifically, a wall that occurs vertically. A circular hole 35 is formed in the front part of the pair of inner walls 33a.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a branch port 36 that opens upward, for example, toward the opening of the case receiving portion 21 is formed in the rear portion (downstream portion) of the straight tubular portion 15. The branch port 36 is disposed so as to face the inlet 34 in a state where the dust collecting case 22 is attached to the connecting portion 12 as described above. 3 and 7, reference numeral 37 denotes a positioning portion erected from the upstream edge of the branch port 36, and the curved portion of the partition wall 33 b comes into contact with the positioning portion 37 from the rear side so that the branch port 36 and the inlet 34 is properly positioned.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, etc., the filter 23 has a filter element 23b attached to a filter frame. The filter frame is formed of a cylinder with both ends open, and a long hole-like window hole extending in the axial direction of the cylinder is provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction at an intermediate portion thereof. Further, teeth 23a are formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends of the filter frame. The filter element 23b consists of a net filter, which closes the window holes and is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the filter frame. The end of the filter element 23b does not hang on the teeth 23a.

  The filter 23 having such a configuration is supported at both ends by the inner wall 33a of the filter support frame 33 with both end portions thereof rotatably inserted into the circular holes 35. The teeth 23 a at both ends of the filter 23 are disposed between the inner wall 33 a of the filter support frame 33 and the side wall of the case body 31. With the case lid 32, which will be described in detail later, opened, the filter 23 can be rotated by putting the fingertip of the hand inserted through the opening on the teeth 23a. A space between the inner wall 33 a of the filter support frame 33 and the side wall of the case body 31 continues to the return air passage 25 in a state where the dust collection case 22 is attached to the connection portion 12. As a result, the downstream region of the filter 23, that is, in this case, the internal space of the cylindrical filter 23 is communicated with the return air passage 25 of the connecting portion 12 through the openings at both ends of the filter 23.

  With the filter 23 arranged as described above with respect to the case body 31, the inside of the dust collection case 22 is adjacent to the dust storage chamber 41 adjacent to the front side of the filter 23 and the rear side of the filter 23. It is divided into a separation chamber 42, and both the chambers 41 and 42 communicate with each other through the space above the filter 23. In a state where the dust collection case 22 is attached to the connecting portion 12, the dust chamber 41 is arranged close to the upstream side portion of the first air passage 15 a, and in this state, the separation chamber 42 is positioned relative to the dust chamber 41. It arrange | positions close to the downstream part of 1 air path 15a.

  Of the walls defining the separation chamber 42, the wall facing the outer peripheral surface of the filter 23 forms a guide wall 43 (see FIG. 3) extending from the inlet 34 to the dust storage chamber 41. The inlet side portion of the guide wall 43 is formed by the rear end wall 31a. The guide wall 43 is curved from the inlet 34 to the dust storage chamber 41 in front thereof so as to form a shape substantially similar to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the filter 23.

  The second dust separation unit 4 includes an air path from the inlet 34 to the separation chamber 42, the dust storage chamber 41, the return air passage 25 and the outlet 26, and this air passage is connected to the straight tubular air passage 15a. It is formed along.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dust chamber 41 is parallel to the front ceiling wall of the case main body 31 and the front main body of the case main body 31 that is integrally projected from the ceiling wall of the case main body 31. A pair of partition walls 31b and an openable / closable case lid 32 that contacts and separates the tips (lower ends) of the partition walls 31b. The front ceiling wall of the case body 31 is integrally connected to a guide wall 43 that is curved in an arc shape.

  The case lid 32 integrally has a pivot portion 32a at the rear end thereof. The case lid 32 is rotatably attached around the pivot portion 32a by supporting both ends of the pivot portion 32a through the left and right partition walls 31b. By the rotation of the case lid 32, the front opening of the case body 31, that is, the lower end of the pair of partition walls 31b is opened and closed.

  The pivot portion 32 a is disposed at a close distance with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the filter 23. A rib 32c (see FIG. 3) extending in the axial direction is integrally provided on the pivot 32a. The rib 32c is tapered, and is separated from the front outer peripheral surface of the filter 23 when the case lid 32 is closed as shown in FIG. 3, but when the case lid 32 is opened, the pivot portion 32a is rotated. Thus, the filter 23 is disposed at a position slightly touching the front outer peripheral surface of the filter 23.

  For this reason, by operating the teeth 23a and rotating the filter 23 with the case lid 32 opened as described above, the dust adhering to the surface of the filter element 23b is scraped and dropped to the case lid 32 side. Can do. Since air in the dust-containing air passing through the inside of the separation chamber 42 flows from the outside to the inside of the cylindrical filter 23, dust is particularly likely to adhere to the lower portion of the filter 23 that is slow in flow. Regardless of such adhesion characteristics, when dust is thrown away from the dust collecting case 22, the filter 23 can be manually rotated as described above to remove dust over the entire circumference of the filter 23. In other words, it is easy to eliminate the clogging.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the case lid 32 has a hook 32b at its free end. A hook 32b provided between the case main body 31 and the main body cover 31V, that is, outside the dust storage chamber 41 is engaged with and disengaged from a hook receiver 44 provided inside the front end portion of the main body cover 31V covering the case main body 31. it can. The hook 32b pressed against the hook receiver 44 can be engaged with the hook receiver 44, and the case lid 32 is held in a closed state by this engagement. The case lid 32 can be opened by removing the hook 32 b from the hook receiver 44.

  The hook receiver 44 is provided so as to be rotatable about the intermediate portion thereof, and is biased by a spring (not shown) to a holding position where the hook 32b is hooked. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, in order to remove the hook 32b from the hook receiver 44, a bar-shaped slide member 45 that is isolated from the dust storage chamber 41 and can be operated from the outside is provided on the upper surface of the case body 31. It is attached to the ceiling wall of the case body 31 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction in a concave groove formed extending in the front-rear direction. The tip of the slide member 45 is inserted between the upper surface portion of the case main body 31 and the main body cover 31 </ b> V, and is brought into contact with and separated from the end of the hook receiver 44 opposite to the hook end. The slide member 45 is biased by a spring (not shown) so as to maintain a position where the tip of the slide member 45 is separated from the end opposite to the hook end of the hook receiver 44.

  Therefore, as the slide member 45 is pushed forward with a finger and moved forward, the tip of the slide member 45 presses the end opposite to the hook end of the hook receiver 44, and the hook end is removed from the hook 32b. The hook receiver 44 can be rotated to a position where it can be removed. When the pushing of the slide member 45 is released, the slide member 45 is pushed back to the original position, and the hook receiver 44 is returned to a position where the hook 32b can be hooked.

  The case lid 32 is narrower than the width dimension between the front side walls of the case body 31 and has an opening closing portion that is substantially arcuate in side view as shown in FIG. A net filter 47 is attached to the opening closing portion. The mesh of the net filter 47 is the same as or coarser than the mesh of the filter element 23b of the filter 23. As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 8, a large number of armor plates 48 that are inclined at a predetermined angle in the front-rear direction are integrally provided on the outer surface of the opening closing portion. Each armor plate 48 protrudes obliquely forward so as to guide the air flowing out of the dust chamber 41 through the net filter 47 forward, and each protrusion length is an opening closing portion as shown in FIG. Is set to a length that can prevent visual recognition of the net filter 47 when viewed from the outside.

  Due to the restriction of the flow direction of the air passing through the dust chamber 41 by the armor plates 48, the dust accumulated in the dust chamber 41 is collected and compressed in the front portion of the dust chamber 41, so that The dust collected in the storage chamber 41 can be stored without being too bulky. Further, when the dust is thrown away, the visibility of the net filter 47 and the dust attached to the net filter 47 can be prevented by the respective armor plates 48, and the hands attached to the dust attached to the net filter 47 can be contaminated. 48 is preferable in that it can be prevented.

  The dust collection case 22 is provided with a dust press mechanism 24. This mechanism includes a press member 51, a gear 52, and a rack member 53. A rotating shaft 54 is attached between the front ceiling side portion of the case main body 31 and the main body cover 31 </ b> V, and both ends of the rotating shaft 54 are inserted into the dust chamber 41 in an airtight manner. The arms of the press member 51 accommodated in the dust chamber 41 are connected to both ends of the rotation shaft 54 located in the dust chamber 41. A gear 52 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the rotation shaft 54 located outside the dust storage chamber 41. The rack member 53 engaged with the gear 52 is provided so as to be slidable along a long groove opened on the upper surface of the slide member 45. The rack member 53 is urged backward by a spring 55. Thereby, the press member 51 is held at a standby position along the ceiling of the dust chamber 41 as shown in FIG. 3 indicates a cover protrusion that covers the rear end of the pressing member 51 at the standby position, and from this, dust-containing air guided along the guide wall 43 is guided diagonally forward and downward, and dust is on standby. The press member 51 at the position is not caught.

  The turning locus of the tip of the press member 51 around the turning shaft 54 substantially matches the curved shape of the inner surface of the case lid 32 in the closed state. Therefore, when the press member 51 is rotated forward in FIG. 3, the net filter 47 is cleaned by the tip of the press member 51. Further, since the pressing member 51 is rotated forward as described above from the standby position where the press member 51 lies along the ceiling of the dust chamber 41, the dust in the dust chamber 41 is caused by this rotation. It is collected in the front part inside and compressed to the front side.

  The dust collection case 22 is provided with air path switching means 5 that selectively uses the second dust separation unit 4 selectively. As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the air path switching unit 5 includes a switching member 61 that also serves as a wind guide member, an operation member 62, and a positioning portion 63.

  The switching member 61 is formed of a valve body having a shape corresponding to the shape of the inlet 34. It is preferable to use the switching member 61 as a valve body because the configuration of the air path switching means 5 can be simplified. The switching member 61 has a pivot shaft 64 integrally at its rear end portion, and is rotatably attached by supporting both ends of the pivot shaft 64 on the pair of inner walls 33a. By this rotation, the switching member 61 can move between the first position and the second position.

  The first position is a position at which the switching member 61 is arranged to form a strong dust-containing air flow that reaches the dust collection bag 7 without passing through the second dust separator 4. Specifically, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the switching member 61 blocks the branch port 36 of the first air passage 15 a and stops introduction of dust-containing air from the first air passage 15 a to the inlet 34. In this position, the flow of dust-containing air from the first air passage 15a to the dust bag 7 is allowed, and the inlet 34 is closed by the arrangement of the switching member 61 to the first position.

  The second position is a position at which the switching member 61 is disposed to form a weak dust-containing air flow that reaches the dust bag 7 through the second dust separator 4. Specifically, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the switching member 61 enters the first air passage 15a through the branch port 36 of the first air passage 15a, and communicates the first air passage 15a and the inlet 34. In addition, the flow of the dust-containing air directly from the first air passage 15a to the dust bag 7 is stopped, and the inlet 34 is opened by the arrangement of the switching member 61 to the second position.

  The arrangement posture of the switching member 61 at the second position is set to be inclined such that the free end of the switching member 61 protrudes toward the upstream side of the first air passage 15a. Thereby, the flow direction of the dust-containing air from the first air passage 15a toward the inlet 34 is smoothly changed, and generation of turbulent flow due to the change in the flow direction can be suppressed. Therefore, pressure loss can be suppressed and dust-containing air can be smoothly introduced into the inlet 34.

  The pivot base end portion 61a on the pivot 64 side of the switching member 61 made of a valve body has, for example, a flat shape, and the pivot base end portion 61a and the portion on the tip end side thereof are between each other. It is continuous with a gently curved surface without forming corners by bending. This is preferable in that the pressure loss can be further suppressed by suppressing the disturbance of the flow of the dust-containing air introduced into the inlet 34.

  The rotation base end 61a is flush with the inlet 34 side portion of the guide wall 43, in other words, the rear end wall 31a of the case body 31 in a state where the switching member 61 is disposed at the second position. As a result, the rear end wall 31a and the rotation base end portion 61a do not form a step or the like that provides air path resistance. Therefore, in introducing dust-containing air from the first air passage 15a to the inlet 34 of the separation chamber 42, pressure loss due to generation of turbulent flow can be suppressed, and dust-containing air can be smoothly introduced into the inlet 34. Is preferable.

  One end of the pivot 64 passes through one side wall of the separation chamber 42, and the operation member 62 is connected to this end. The operation member 62 has an arm shape, which can be rotated by grasping with a finger from the outside of the dust collection case 22. By this reciprocating rotation, the switching member 61 is moved between the first position and the second position.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, etc., a positioning portion 63 is integrally provided on the outer surface of one side wall of the separation chamber 42 through which the pivot shaft 64 penetrates. The positioning portion 63 has a first groove 63a and a second groove 63b in which the distal end portion of the operation member 62 is selectively engaged and disengaged. The first groove 63a holds the switching member 61 in the first position when the distal end portion of the operation member 62 is fitted therein. The second groove 63b holds the switching member 61 in the second position when the distal end portion of the operation member 62 is fitted therein.

  The electric vacuum cleaner 1 shown in FIG. 1 grips the grip 16 and drives the electric blower 6, then moves the suction air passage body 3 to move the suction mouth body 14 along the surface to be cleaned such as the floor surface. By moving it, vacuum suction type cleaning can be performed. In this case, strong suction and weak suction can be selected by operating the strong and weak switches on the operation panel 16a to control the operation of the electric blower 6, and the suction can be switched between strong and weak in the following procedure. Therefore, various suction forces can be obtained by the combination.

  In order to increase the suction force regardless of the operation on the operation panel 16a, the operation member 62 of the air path switching means 5 is hooked and held in the first groove 63a of the positioning portion 63 so that the switching member 61 is directed upward. It is only necessary to rotate it to the first position. Thereby, the dust-containing air sucked from the suction port body 14 can pass straight through the first air path 15 a of the suction air path body 3. In this case, introduction of the dust-containing air passing through the first air passage 15a into the dust collecting case 22 is hindered by the switching member 61 with the inlet 34 closed.

  Therefore, the dust-containing air sucked from the suction port body 14 is circulated through the suction air passage body 3 without passing through the second dust separation portion 4 and is guided to the suction port 2a of the cleaner body 2 to be collected in a dust bag. 7 separates dust and air. The separated dust is stored in the dust bag 7. On the other hand, the air separated from the dust in the dust bag 7 is sucked into the electric blower 6 and then discharged to the outside of the cleaner body 2.

  In this cleaning form, the second dust separation part 4 does not become an air path resistance, and the air path resistance by the dust collection part on the upstream side of the electric blower 6 is only the dust collection bag 7, so that strong suction is realized. it can.

  In order to weaken the suction force regardless of the operation on the operation panel 16a, the switching member 61 is obtained by hooking and holding the operation member 62 of the air path switching means 5 in the second groove 63b of the positioning portion 63. May be rotated downward and disposed at the second position. Thereby, the switching member 61 can prevent the dust-containing air sucked from the suction port body 14 from going straight through the first air path 15 a of the suction air path body 3. The dust-containing air thus prevented from passing is introduced into the inlet 34 of the dust collecting case 22 using the switching member 61 as a guide. The dust-containing air thus introduced into the dust collecting case 22 is guided along the guide wall 43.

  In this case, the switching member 61 that enters the first air passage 15a from the branch port 36 and protrudes forward and has an oblique posture, and the guide wall 43 continuous thereto, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the dust-containing air that has flowed into the first air passage 15a is smoothly guided so as to be returned to the side opposite to the flow direction with respect to the first air passage 15a, that is, the upstream side. Along with this, the inertia force of the pair acts on the dust in the dust-containing air introduced into the dust collecting case 22 in the centrifugal direction, so that heavy dust is attracted to the guide wall 43 and together with some air, the dust collecting case. 22 is introduced into the dust storage chamber 41.

  On the other hand, the suction pressure based on the operation of the electric blower 6 spills into the cylindrical filter 23 facing the separation chamber 42. The spillover of this suction pressure is caused by the outlet 26 located downstream from the switching member 61 blocking the flow in the first air passage 15 a and the return air passage 25 continuing from the upstream side to this outlet 26 from the filter 23. This is realized by communicating with the inside. For this reason, most of the air passing through the separation chamber 42 is sucked into the filter 23 in a direction away from the guide wall 43, then flows out into the return air passage 25, passes through the outlet 26 and passes through the first air passage 15 a. It flows into the first air passage 15a at a position downstream of the switching member 61 that blocks the flow that is going straight, and is sucked into the cleaner body 2. The separation chamber 42 having the inlet 34, the filter 23, the return air passage 25, and the outlet 26 are the second air passage of the second dust separation unit 4, that is, the second air flowing from the inlet 34 to the outlet 26 described above. A path (other wind path) is formed.

  As described above, since heavy air is attracted to the guide wall 43 and light air is sucked in, the dust and air are separated in the separation chamber 42, and the separated dust enters the dust chamber 41 as described above. It flows in with some air and is stored in the dust storage chamber 41. A part of the air that has entered the dust storage chamber 41 passes through the net filter 47 of the case lid 32 and passes between the armor plates 48 and is discharged to the return air passage 25. As a result, the air that flows out from the filter 23 in the return air passage 25 joins, and the downstream of the switching member 61 that blocks the flow in the first air passage 15a through the outlet 26 as described above. The air flows into the first air passage 15a at the position and is sucked into the cleaner body 2. The separation chamber 42 having the inlet 34, the net filter 47, the return air passage 25, and the outlet 26 are also the second air passage of the second dust separation unit 4, that is, the second air passage extending from the inlet 34 to the outlet 26 described above. An air passage is formed.

  The wind path resistance by the dust collection part in this cleaning form is both the second dust separation part 4 and the dust collection bag 7 on the downstream side thereof. In particular, as described above, in the separation mode in the second dust separation unit 4 that separates air and dust using inertial force, the pressure loss is larger than that in the dust collection bag 7. For this reason, weak suction can be realized.

  As described above, by operating the air path switching means 5 provided in the second dust separation unit 4 and selecting and arranging the switching member 61 at the first position or the second position, the input control for the electric blower 6 is performed. It is possible to switch between strong suction and weak suction without removing the dust collection case 22. For this reason, the suction force can be switched according to the cleaning place. In addition, this invention is applicable also to the vacuum cleaner which does not perform electric power control with respect to an electric blower.

  In the cleaning mode in which the switching member 61 is disposed at the second position and dust separation is performed using the second dust separation unit 4, the dust separation performance in the second dust separation unit 4 can be improved.

  That is, in the cleaning mode in which the switching member 61 is disposed at the second position and dust separation is performed using the second dust separation unit 4, the dust-containing air directly separates the dust from the straight tubular first air passage 15a. Therefore, the flow path resistance up to the second air path is small. In addition, as described above, the switching member 61 is disposed obliquely in the middle portion of the straight tubular first air passage 15a to block dust-containing air that attempts to pass straight through the first air passage 15a. It is smoothly introduced into the inlet 34 of the second dust separator 4. In this case, the inlet of the first air passage 15a, that is, the straight first air passage portion from the front end portion 15c of the straight tubular portion 15 to the switching member 61 disposed obliquely opposite thereto, Since the flow direction of the flowing dust-containing air does not change, the flow path resistance against the dust-containing air is extremely small. Therefore, the speed of the dust-containing air flowing through the first air passage portion is high. For this reason, the straight first air passage portion can be regarded as a runway for increasing the speed of the dust-containing air introduced into the inlet 34 when viewed from the second air passage of the second dust separator 4. it can.

  As described above, the high-speed dust-containing air obtained by utilizing a part of the suction air passage body 3 that guides the dust-containing air into the cleaner body 2 is separated into the second dust via the switching member 61 as described above. Since it is introduced into the inlet 34 of the part 4, a larger inertia force can be given to the dust in the dust-containing air introduced into the inlet 34. Therefore, the separation performance of dust and air by the inertial separation described above can be improved.

  At the same time, in the introduction of the dust-containing air from the straight tubular first air passage 15a to the inlet 34 of the second dust separation section 4 by the switching member 61 arranged in a slanting manner, the dust-containing air is perpendicular as described above. Therefore, the pressure loss can be made extremely small. For this reason, the suction force in the suction inlet 14 which the suction air path body 3 had in the front-end | tip part can be improved.

  Further, in the strength switching by the air path switching means 5, the second dust separation part 4 provided with the air path switching means 5 is connected to the connection part 12 having the grip part 16 for operating the suction air path body 3. Is provided. For this reason, since the operation member 62 of the air path switching means 5 is disposed at a position close to the grip portion 16, handling in operation is easy.

  Further, as described above, the second dust separation unit 4 separates the dust by generating centrifugal force with the inertia of the dust moved together with the air and the curved guide wall 43. In this case, the separation chamber 42 having the inlet 34 communicating with the branch port 36 of the first air passage 15a is provided so as to branch with respect to the first air passage 15a. As an example, it is possible to obtain an air passage that bends and guides the dust-containing air. Therefore, arrangement | positioning of the separation chamber 42 of the 2nd dust separation part 4 with respect to the 1st air path 15a is rational.

  In the case of the strong suction, the branch port 36 of the first air passage 15 a is opened, and the suction pressure acts on the case receiving portion 21 through the branch port 36, the outlet 26 and the return air passage 25. For this reason, the dust collecting case 22 is attracted to the case receiving portion 21 to ensure airtightness between them. Similarly, even in the case of weak suction, suction pressure acts on the case receiving portion 21 through the outlet 26 and the return air passage 25, so that the dust collecting case 22 is attracted to the case receiving portion 21 and the airtightness between the two. Is secured.

  When the dust separated by the second dust separation unit 4 is discarded, the dust collecting case 22 is removed from the connecting unit 12 after the dust press mechanism is operated, and the dust collecting case 22 is discarded. Then, the case lid 32 may be opened and the dust in the dust chamber 41 may be discharged. In this case, since the dust collection case 22 is attached to the connecting portion 12 held by hand, it is not necessary to move to the position of the cleaner body 2 and is preferable in terms of work in that the dust collection case 22 can be removed.

  Further, the width of the dust chamber 41 of the second dust separation unit 4 is inevitably larger than the air passage cross-sectional width of the first air passage 15a in order to ensure a predetermined amount of dust volume in the dust chamber 41. It ’s big. And since the case receiving part 21 for detachably supporting the dust collection case 22 which has the dust storage chamber 41 is integrally provided in the straight tubular part 15 which makes the 1st air path 15a, this case receiving part The width of 21 is larger than the air passage cross-sectional width and is the same as the width of the dust collecting case 22. For this reason, by utilizing the width dimension difference between the straight tubular portion 15 forming the first air passage 15a and the case receiving portion 21 having a wider width as described above, the case receiving portion 21 and the first air passage 15a are connected to each other. A return air passage 25a arranged along the first air passage 15a can be formed between the straight tubular portion 15 and a special configuration is not required for forming the return air passage 25a.

  The present invention is not limited to the one embodiment. For example, a vacuum cleaner in which the air passage is not switched in the second dust collecting portion, that is, the air guide member is provided so as not to move to a position obliquely inserted into the first air passage, and the second dust collecting portion is provided for cleaning. The present invention can also be applied to a vacuum cleaner in which dust-containing air always circulates.

The perspective view which shows the vacuum cleaner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the 2nd dust collection part periphery of the vacuum cleaner of FIG. The vertical side view which shows the 2nd dust collection part periphery of FIG. Sectional drawing around the 2nd dust collection part shown along F4-F4 line in FIG. The perspective view around the 2nd dust collection part shown in a section along line F5-F5 in FIG. The side view which shows the 2nd dust collection part of FIG. 2 in the state which isolate | separated the dust collection case and the part to which this dust collection case is attached. The perspective view which shows the part in which the dust collection case of the 2nd dust collection part of FIG. 2 is attached. The perspective view which shows the dust collection case of the 2nd dust collection part of FIG. The perspective view which abbreviate | omits and shows a part of 2nd dust collection part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric vacuum cleaner, 2 ... Vacuum cleaner main body, 3 ... Suction air path body, 4 ... 2nd dust separation part, 5 ... Air path switching means, 6 ... Electric blower, 7 ... Dust collection bag (1st dust separation part) 11 ... flexible hose, 12 ... connecting portion, 13 ... extension pipe, 14 ... suction port, 15 ... straight tubular portion, 15a ... first air passage (straight tubular air passage), 21 ... case receiving portion , 22 ... dust collecting case, 23 ... filter, 25 ... return air passage, 26 ... outlet, 31 ... case main body, 31a ... rear end wall of the case main body (portion inlet side portion), 32 ... case lid, 33 ... Filter support frame, 34 ... inlet, 36 ... branch port, 41 ... dust storage chamber, 42 ... separation chamber, 43 ... guide wall, 47 ... net filter, 61 ... switching member (wind guide member)

Claims (4)

A vacuum cleaner body with a built-in electric blower,
A suction air passage body having a straight tubular air passage in part and connected to the cleaner body at a position upstream of the electric blower,
An detachable dust collection case is provided around the straight tubular air passage, and the inlet into which the intake air passing through the straight tubular air passage is introduced and a position downstream from the inlet are provided in the straight tubular air passage. A dust separation unit having a continuous outlet, forming another air passage through which the dust-containing air introduced from the inlet flows along the straight tubular air passage, and separating air and dust by inertia separation; ,
A wind guide member for introducing dust-containing air passing through the straight tubular air passage into an inlet of the other air passage;
Vacuum cleaner equipped with.   The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the air guide member protrudes toward an upstream side of the straight tubular air passage.   The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other air passage is continuous so as to branch from the straight tubular air passage, and the dust separation portion is located upstream of the straight tubular air passage. A dust chamber provided close together, a separation chamber partially partitioned by a curved guide wall extending from the dust chamber and the inlet located closer to the downstream side of the straight tubular air passage, and the separation A filter is provided between the dust storage chamber and the inlet facing the chamber and separates air introduced from the inlet from dust introduced together with the air.   The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dust separating portion is formed integrally with the straight tubular air passage so as to be wider than the width of the air passage. A case receiving portion that has an opening extending in the same direction and covers the opening so that the dust collecting case is detachably provided; and the straight tubular air passage is disposed within the width of the opening. A return air passage communicating with the outlet is formed between the straight tubular air passage and the case receiving portion.

Images