JP3941922B2 - Electric vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner in which a battery is a power source of an electric blower.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, this type of vacuum cleaner has a vacuum cleaner body in which an electric blower is housed, and a battery serving as a power source for the electric blower is detachably housed in the bottom of the vacuum cleaner body. A battery housing opening is opened. A flat lid that holds the battery accommodated in the battery accommodating port and prevents the battery from being detached from the battery accommodating port can be removed by a locking mechanism such as a screw. The battery housing opening is closed so as to be openable and closable. In general, since a battery serving as a power source for the electric blower is heavy, the lid is attached to a battery accommodating port in which the battery is accommodated in a state in which a certain degree of strength is secured.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described electric vacuum cleaner, the lid for preventing the battery housed in the battery housing port of the vacuum cleaner main body from being detached to a certain degree by a locking mechanism such as screwing the battery housing port. Since each screw body, which is a locking mechanism for the lid body, must be removed every time the battery is taken out from the battery housing port, the lid body can be taken out and attached to the battery housing port. It has a problem that it is not easy.
[0004]
This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the vacuum cleaner with which extraction and attachment of a battery are easy.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The vacuum cleaner of the present invention has a battery housing opening for attaching and detaching a battery which is provided on the outer surface of the vacuum cleaner body and serves as a power source for the electric blower, and a battery housing portion for housing the battery inside, and the battery housing opening. A lid that can be opened and closed, removably attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner above the battery compartment, and a dust collector that collects dust from the suction air blown by the electric blower , and an upper end connected to the dust collector In addition, the lower end portion holds the lid while the dust collecting portion is attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner, thereby providing a handle that prevents the battery from being detached from the battery housing port. And by removing the dust collecting part from the vacuum cleaner main body, the removal of the battery from the battery accommodating port by the handle provided in this dust collecting part is released, so the battery can be taken out from this battery accommodating port It becomes. In particular, when the battery is charged by removing the battery from the battery accommodating port, the battery is frequently taken out, which is particularly effective.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the configuration of an embodiment of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0007]
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, 1 is a vacuum cleaner as a cleaning device, and this vacuum cleaner 1 is self-supporting traveling as a self-supporting movement on a floor surface as a surface to be cleaned such as a factory or a house, that is, self-propelled A possible vacuum cleaner body 2 is provided. The vacuum cleaner main body 2 is configured by fitting a lower end edge of a case body 4 as a cylindrical peripheral surface portion whose upper end is closed to an outer peripheral edge of a substantially circular flat plate-like bottom plate portion 3.
[0008]
In addition, a pair of traveling wheels 5 serving as moving means for moving the cleaner body 2 on the floor surface as the surface to be cleaned, that is, moving on both sides of the bottom plate portion 3 with respect to the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2 rotate. It is attached freely. These traveling wheels 5 are fitted into elongated and substantially rectangular fitting openings 6 that are opened in both sides of the bottom plate portion 3 with respect to the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2, and some outer peripheral edges of these traveling wheels 5 are cleaned. It protrudes from the machine body 2 to the lower side of the cleaner body 2.
[0009]
Further, wheel drive control means 7 for controlling the rotational drive of the traveling wheels 5 is attached to the bottom plate portion 3 inside each of the traveling wheels 5. This wheel drive control means 7 is comprised by the magnetic clutch, the electric motor, etc. Further, on the rear side of the back surface of the bottom plate portion 3 with respect to the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2, a turning wheel 8 that rotates along the surface direction of the bottom plate portion 3 is rotatably attached. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the swivel wheel 8 is attached to an intermediate rear side between the traveling wheels 5.
[0010]
An inclined surface 9 that is inclined upward is formed on the front side of the bottom plate portion 3 of the cleaner body 2. This inclined surface 9 makes it easy to get over a step such as a door rail by the cleaner body 2.
[0011]
On the other hand, at the center of the bottom plate portion 3 in the vacuum cleaner main body 2, an elongated rectangular main body suction port 11 that is opened facing the floor surface is provided. The main body suction port 11 is between the traveling wheels 5 and has a longitudinal direction along the radial direction of the cleaner body 2, which is a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2. Further, the base end side of the main body suction port 11 has a dust collecting cup 12 as a dust collecting portion that is detachably attached from the rear of the case body 4 of the cleaner body 2 via a connecting pipe as a tubular body (not shown). Are connected in an airtight manner. The dust collecting cup 12 turns the sucked air sucked in, separates the dust sucked together with the sucked air from the sucked air by centrifugal separation by its own weight, and collects the dust inside.
[0012]
The dust collecting cup 12 is removably accommodated in a cup accommodating portion 13 provided on the rear side of the bottom plate portion 3 of the vacuum cleaner body 2 and includes a cup portion 14 having a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom. Yes. The cup portion 14 is configured by connecting a cylindrical peripheral surface portion 16 from the outer peripheral edge of the flat plate-shaped bottom surface portion 15 upward. A circular opening 17 is opened at the upper end portion of the peripheral surface portion 16, and the peripheral surface portion 16 has a tapered shape that gradually increases in diameter from the bottom surface portion 15 side toward the opening portion 17 side. Is formed.
[0013]
Further, on the side of the opening 17 in the peripheral surface portion 16 of the cup portion 14, as shown in FIG. 1, a circle as a connection port that is airtightly connected to the base end side of the main body suction port 11 through a connection pipe. A shaped inlet 18 is opened. In addition, on the opening 17 side of the peripheral surface portion 16 of the cup portion 14 substantially facing the inflow port 18, a handle body 19 as a handle serving as a grip portion when the cup portion 14 is removed from or attached to the cleaner body 2. The upper end area which is one end area in the longitudinal direction is connected. The handle body 19 has a shape obtained by curving an elongated rod-like body in an arc shape, and a lower end portion which is the other end portion of the handle body 19 protrudes downward from the bottom surface portion 15 of the cup portion 14. For this reason, the longitudinal dimension of the handle body 19 is larger than the height dimension of the cup portion 14. Furthermore, the handle body 19 projects outward from the outer surface of the case body 4 of the cleaner body 2 when the cup portion 14 is attached to the cleaner body 2.
[0014]
Further, in the cleaner main body 2 above the cup housing portion 13, an electric blower 21 serving as a suction means for sucking intake air together with dust from the main body suction port 11 is housed so as to be movable in the vertical direction. . The electric blower 21 is accommodated with the suction side facing downward and the exhaust side facing upward. And on the suction side of the electric blower 21, a cylindrical motor packing 22 that is detachably fitted into the opening 17 of the dust collecting cup 12 and is connected in an airtight manner to the opening 17 is concentric. It is attached. The motor packing 22 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber.
[0015]
Further, a slide switch 23 as a moving means for moving the electric blower 21 in the vertical direction is attached to the rear outer surface of the cleaner body 2 corresponding to the side portion of the electric blower 21. The slide switch 23 is a lever that moves the electric blower 21 in the vertical direction while maintaining the horizontal state of the electric blower 21.
[0016]
On the other hand, on the lower side of the front outer surface of the case body 4 of the cleaner body 2, a plurality of non-contact type sensors 24, which are contact control units as detection means for detecting the surrounding state of the cleaner body 2, for example, Seven are attached. Each of these non-contact type sensors 24 detects an obstacle such as a step having a height higher than the height that can be overcome by the cleaner body 2 preset at the time of design.
[0017]
These non-contact type sensors 24 are arranged in the radial direction of the case body 4 from the front center of the case body 4 along the circumferential direction at intervals. The non-contact type sensors 24 are an infrared sensor that detects an obstacle existing at a predetermined distance by emitting infrared light, an image sensor that detects an obstacle in a photographed image, and the like.
[0018]
Further, in the cleaner main body 2 on the front side of the dust collecting cup 12, the driving wheel 5 is rotationally driven via the wheel drive control means 7 based on the detection of the contact object by any non-contact type sensor 24. A control circuit 25 is attached as control means for controlling the main body 2 so that the cleaner body 2 is self-propelled. The control circuit 25 is attached on the bottom plate portion 3 on the rear side of the main body suction port 11. Further, the control circuit 25 is connected to the electric blower 21 and controls the driving state of the electric blower 21.
[0019]
Further, on the rear side surface of the case body 4 of the cleaner body 2 below the cup housing portion 13, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped secondary battery 26 which is a battery pack as a battery serving as a power source for the electric blower 21. Is opened, and a rectangular battery housing opening 27 is removably accommodated in the cleaner body 2. Here, the secondary battery 26 is an external rechargeable battery that is charged by taking it out from the cleaner body 2 and installing it on a charging stand (not shown). The rotation of the electric blower 21 and the traveling wheel 5 is driven according to the control.
[0020]
Further, the battery housing opening 27 is opened horizontally toward the rear of the cleaner body 2 and is formed in an elongated rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction in the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2. . A battery housing chamber 28 serving as a battery housing portion for housing the secondary battery 26 in the cleaner body 2 is defined in the battery housing port 27. Further, the battery housing port 27 has a battery holding member as a flat lid that prevents the secondary battery 26 from being detached from the battery housing port 27 by closing the battery housing port 27 so that the battery housing port 27 can be opened and closed. A lid 29 is attached.
[0021]
The battery holding lid 29 is curved in an arc shape that is flush with the outer surface of the case body 4 of the cleaner body 2 when the battery housing port 27 is closed. Further, one side edge in the longitudinal direction of the battery holding lid 29 is rotatably connected to one side edge of the battery housing port 27. Furthermore, the other side edge in the longitudinal direction of the battery holding lid 29 is a hook-like engagement claw that is detachably engaged with a concave engagement edge 31 formed on the other side edge of the battery housing port 27. The part 32 is integrally formed.
[0022]
Here, the battery holding lid 29 has a dust collecting cup 12 in the cup housing portion 13 in a state where the battery housing port 27 in which the secondary battery 26 is housed in the battery housing chamber 28 is closed by the battery holding lid 29. Is pressed by the lower end portion of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 and is held and fixed in the battery accommodating port 27. That is, the secondary battery 26 accommodated in the battery accommodating chamber 28 is retained in the battery accommodating chamber 28 by holding the battery holding lid 29 by the lower end portion of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 accommodated in the cup accommodating portion 13. Are indirectly held to prevent the battery housing 27 from being detached.
[0023]
Next, the cleaning operation of the above embodiment will be described.
[0024]
First, the cleaner body 2 travels in a factory or in a residence, such as a travel route, a floor plan area to be cleaned, a furniture layout, a travel time, a travel time interval, and other independent travel conditions, and cleaning by an electric blower 21. Data such as conditions is input to the control circuit 25 in advance.
[0025]
When the preset time is reached, the traveling wheel 5 and the electric blower 21 are appropriately driven based on data such as a self-supporting running condition and a cleaning condition preset in the control circuit 25 of the cleaner body 2.
[0026]
Here, the traveling wheel 5 is rotationally driven by the control via the wheel drive control means 7 by the control circuit 25 to cause the cleaner body 2 to travel substantially over the entire floor surface.
[0027]
At this time, the control circuit 25 controls the power supplied to the electric blower 21 and sucks dust on the floor surface from the main body suction port 11 together with the intake air.
[0028]
The suction air sucked from the main body suction port 11 is sucked into the cup part 14 of the dust collection cup 12 from the inlet 18 of the dust collection cup 12 through the connecting pipe, and then the cup part 14 The whirling swirls toward the tangential direction of the peripheral surface portion 16 of the cup portion 14, and the dust sucked together with the suction air swirls as the suction air turns.
[0029]
Then, the dust moves along the inner surface of the peripheral surface portion 16 of the cup portion 14 due to the centrifugal force of the vortex flow sucked in a spiral shape, falls by its own weight, and is separated from the suction air. Dust is collected in the cup part 14.
[0030]
On the other hand, the suction air swirled in the cup part 14 is sucked into the suction side of the electric blower 21 through the motor packing 22 from the center of the vortex located on the central axis of the peripheral surface part 16 of the cup part 14 and exhausted. Become a wind.
[0031]
The exhaust air is exhausted from the exhaust side of the electric blower 21 and then exhausted from the upper side of the cleaner body 2 to the outside.
[0032]
Further, when the remaining amount of electric charge of the secondary battery 26 is reduced due to running and dust absorption of the cleaner body 2, the control circuit 25 appropriately controls the rotational driving of the running wheels 5 via the wheel drive control means 7 to a predetermined position. To run.
[0033]
Further, when cleaning is completed after traveling in the entire region, the driving of the electric blower 21 is stopped by the control circuit 25 and the traveling wheel 5 is appropriately controlled via the wheel drive control means 7 to travel to a predetermined position. Let
[0034]
Here, when the presence of an obstacle located at a predetermined distance is detected by the non-contact sensor 24 of the cleaner body 2 during cleaning, the control circuit 25 passes the wheel 5 through the wheel drive control means 7. The rotation drive is controlled to avoid contact with this obstacle, and the amount of electric power supplied to the electric blower 21 is increased to increase the suction force by the electric blower 21 from the main body suction port 11.
[0035]
Next, the assembly operation of the above embodiment will be described.
[0036]
First, when removing the dust in the cup part 14 of the dust collecting cup 12 accommodated in the cup accommodating part 13 of the cleaner body 2, the slide switch 23 of the cleaner body 2 is moved downward, and this The electric blower 21 and the motor packing 22 in the cleaner body 2 are moved upward, and the airtight fitting of the motor packing 22 to the opening 17 of the cup portion 14 is released.
[0037]
In this state, the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 is gripped, and the dust collecting cup 12 is pulled out from the cup housing portion 13 of the cleaner body 2 to be taken out, thereby collecting in the cup portion 14 of the dust collecting cup 12. It becomes possible to remove the dust, and the holding and fixing of the battery holding lid 29 by the lower end portion of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 is released.
[0038]
For this reason, the battery holding lid 29 can be rotated with respect to the battery accommodating port 27 to open the battery accommodating port 27, so that the battery accommodating port 27 can be opened. The secondary battery 26 accommodated in 28 can be taken out from the battery accommodating port 27.
[0039]
Then, by installing the secondary battery 26 on a charging stand (not shown), the secondary battery 26 can be charged.
[0040]
Next, when attaching the charged secondary battery 26 to the vacuum cleaner body 2, first, the battery holding port 27 of the vacuum cleaner body 2 is opened by the battery holding lid 29, and then the Then, the secondary battery 26 is accommodated in the battery accommodating chamber 28.
[0041]
Thereafter, the battery holding lid 29 is rotated to be closed, and the engaging claw portion 32 of the battery holding lid 29 is engaged with the engaging edge portion 31 of the battery accommodating port 27 so that the battery accommodating port 27 is moved. The battery holding lid 29 closes it.
[0042]
In this state, after the cup portion 14 of the dust collecting cup 12 is accommodated in the cup accommodating portion 13 of the cleaner body 2, the slide switch 23 of the cleaner body 2 is moved upward, so that the cleaner body 2 The electric blower 21 and the motor packing 22 are moved downward, and the motor packing 22 is airtightly fitted into the opening 17 of the cup portion 14 of the dust collecting cup 12.
[0043]
At this time, since the lower end portion of the handle body 19 of the dust collection cup 12 is in contact with or close to the outer surface of the battery holding lid 29, the motor packing 22 is fitted into the opening 17 of the dust collection cup 12 by the slide switch 23. Accordingly, the blocking of the battery housing port 27 by the battery holding lid 29 is held and fixed.
[0044]
As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the secondary battery 26 is accommodated in the battery accommodating chamber 28 of the cleaner body 2 from the battery accommodating port 27 of the cleaner body 2, and the battery accommodating port 27. In a state where the battery holding lid 29 is closed, the dust collecting cup 12 is accommodated in the cup accommodating portion 13 of the cleaner body 2 so that the lower end portion of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 is connected to the battery accommodating port 27. Is in contact with the outer surface of the battery holding lid 29 closed.
[0045]
Here, since the secondary battery 26 accommodated in the cleaner body 2 has a relatively large weight compared to other parts of the cleaner body 2, the cleaner body 2 can be moved independently. When the battery is moved, the battery holding lid 29 may be rotated by the weight of the secondary battery 26 itself to open the battery accommodating port 27. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure a certain degree of strength for holding the battery housing port 27 closed by the battery holding lid 29.
[0046]
For this reason, by moving the slide switch 23 of the cleaner body 2 upward and fitting the motor packing 22 into the opening 17 of the dust collecting cup 12 accommodated in the cup accommodating portion 13, the battery holding lid 29 is fitted. There is no need to provide an additional mechanism such as a door lock, and furthermore, the lower end of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 can be secured without fixing the battery holding lid 29 to the battery accommodating port 27 by screwing or the like. It is possible to hold the contact of the battery with the battery holding lid 29 by the weight of the electric blower 21 generally having a larger weight than the secondary battery 26.
[0047]
As a result, since the opening operation by the rotation of the battery holding lid 29 with respect to the battery accommodating port 27 can be reliably pressed and held, the battery is accommodated by the secondary battery 26 in the battery accommodating chamber 28 closed by the battery holding lid 29. Separation from the opening 27 can be reliably prevented with a simple configuration, and the battery holding lid 29 can be easily opened and closed with respect to the battery housing opening 27.
[0048]
Further, in this state, the slide switch 23 is moved downward to release the fitting of the dust collecting cup 12 to the opening 17 by the motor packing 22, and the dust collecting cup 12 is accommodated in the cup of the cleaner body 2. By removing from the part 13, the holding and fixing of the battery holding lid 29 of the cleaner body 2 by the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 can be released.
[0049]
Therefore, the battery holding lid 29 can be rotated to open the battery receiving port 27. Therefore, the battery holding port 27 can be opened by rotating the battery holding lid 29. The secondary battery 26 can be taken out from 27. As a result, each of the attachment and detachment of the secondary battery 26 to and from the battery housing port 27 and the holding of the secondary battery 26 housed in the battery housing chamber 28 from the battery housing port 27 can be reliably and easily performed. Easy to do.
[0050]
Further, the lower end portion of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 is curved in an arc shape toward the peripheral surface portion 16 side of the cup portion 14 of the dust collecting cup 12, thereby making the dust collecting cup 12 a vacuum cleaner main body. When the battery holding lid 29 is held at the lower end of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 by being accommodated in the two cup accommodating portions 13, the outer surface of the battery holding lid 29 can be held from the side.
[0051]
Therefore, the secondary battery 26 accommodated in the battery accommodating chamber 28 of the cleaner body 2 is moved in a state where the cup part 14 of the dust collecting cup 12 is accommodated in the cup accommodating part 13 of the cleaner body 2. Even if the secondary battery 26 collides with the inside of the battery holding lid 29, the opening operation of the battery holding lid 29 is more reliably performed by the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the lower end region of the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the secondary battery 26 from being detached from the battery accommodating port 27.
[0052]
Here, since the self-moving electric vacuum cleaner 1 is generally heavy in weight, if the electric vacuum cleaner 1 stops while it is moving independently on the floor and cleaning, the electric vacuum cleaner Since it is not easy to lift 1 to a predetermined position, the secondary battery 26 is taken out from the battery storage chamber 28 of the vacuum cleaner body 2 of the vacuum cleaner 1 and the secondary battery 26 is charged. It is desirable that the battery is charged after being replaced with a separate secondary battery 26.
[0053]
For this reason, in the vacuum cleaner 1 in which the secondary battery 26 is replaceable, the frequency of taking out and attaching the secondary battery 26 from the battery accommodating port 27 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is extremely increased. The structure in which the battery holding lid 29 is held by the handle body 19 is particularly effective, and the usability of the user can be reliably improved.
[0054]
In the above embodiment, the battery holding lid 29 is attached to the battery receiving port 27 of the cleaner body 2 so as to be openable and closable, and the battery is held by the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12 attached to the cleaner body 2. Although it is configured to hold the battery housing port 27 closed by the lid 29, if the secondary battery 26 accommodated in the battery housing chamber 28 is directly held by the handle body 19 of the dust collecting cup 12, the battery holding Even if the lid 29 is not provided, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the removal of the dust collecting part from the vacuum cleaner main body releases the suppression of the detachment of the battery from the battery accommodating port by the handle of the dust collecting part. The battery can be easily installed and removed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view showing an embodiment of a vacuum cleaner of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory top view showing the same electric vacuum cleaner.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Vacuum cleaner 2 Vacuum cleaner body
12 Dust collection cup as dust collection part
19 Handle body as a handle
21 Electric blower
26 Secondary battery as battery
27 Battery compartment
28 Battery compartment as battery compartment
29 Battery retention lid as lid

Claims (2)

A vacuum cleaner body containing an electric blower,
A battery housing opening provided on the outer surface of the vacuum cleaner body for attaching and detaching a battery serving as a power source for the electric blower; a battery housing section provided in the vacuum cleaner body for housing the battery therein;
A lid that can open and close the battery compartment;
A dust collecting part that is detachably attached to the vacuum cleaner body above the battery housing part, and that collects dust from the suction air by the electric blower,
The upper end is connected to the dust collector , and the handle holds the lid from the lower end while the dust collector is attached to the cleaner body, thereby preventing the battery from being detached from the battery housing port. A vacuum cleaner characterized by comprising: The dust collector has an opening at the top,
The electric blower is provided with a motor packing on the suction side and is movable in the vertical direction,
2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the motor packing is airtightly fitted into the opening of the dust collecting unit in a state where the electric blower is moved downward .

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