JP4220200B2 - Electric vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner that performs, for example, cyclone dust removal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The vacuum cleaner that performs cyclone type dust removal uses a centrifugal force acting on the dust-containing air sucked into the dust removal chamber to separate dust that is heavier than this air from the air flowing through the dust removal chamber, and collects the dust in the dust removal chamber. The method is adopted. For this reason, even if there is an exception that some liquid is contained in the dust-containing air, it is easy to separate this liquid in the dust removal chamber in the same manner as dust.
[0003]
However, the separation of the liquid from the dust-containing air in the cyclone type is not complete, and a part of the liquid stored in the dust removal chamber may spill out. By the way, the majority of household vacuum cleaners are based on the assumption that they are used in a dry state that does not absorb liquids, so that the electric blower is equipped with a dry type that does not take water resistance measures. ing. Along with this, no measures have been taken for the liquid that comes out of the dust removal chamber and tries to reach the electric blower. As a result, if the liquid is sucked into the electric blower, there is a risk of causing the malfunction of the electric blower, etc., so that it is unsuitable for use such as sucking in some tea or milk spilled on the surface to be cleaned. It is.
[0004]
For this reason, a float is provided in the dust removal chamber, and special consideration is given to prevent the float from being discharged out of the dust removal chamber even if the vacuum cleaner falls down. An electric vacuum cleaner has been proposed in which the operation of the electric blower is stopped to prevent the moisture in the dust removal chamber from being discharged outside.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, under normal operation (dry operation) that is used on the assumption that water is not sucked in, the structure such as the float built in the dust removal chamber is used to detect the water level in the dust removal chamber. In this case, the dust removal performance deteriorates because of the resistance of the air flowing through the dust removal chamber.
[0006]
On the other hand, a vacuum cleaner equipped with a wet-and-dry type electric blower with water resistance measures is mainly used for business purposes. The wet-and-dry type electric blower is considerably heavier and has a larger shape than a dry (dry type) electric blower that is mainly used on the premise of dry operation.
[0007]
When such a wet-and-dry electric blower is installed in a household vacuum cleaner that is supposed to be used under dry conditions, a configuration for detecting the water level in the dust removal chamber is not required. There is no loss of efficiency. However, as described above, since the wet-and-dry type electric blower is heavy and large, it is inevitable that the vacuum cleaner body on which it is mounted is heavy and large, and it is difficult to use the electric blower. It becomes a vacuum cleaner.
[0008]
The problem to be solved by the present invention is to obtain an electric vacuum cleaner capable of suppressing a failure due to liquid suction without impairing usability or deteriorating dust removal performance.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, dust-containing air sucked into the vacuum cleaner body is passed by an electric blower built in the vacuum cleaner body, and foreign matter having a specific gravity higher than that of air is passed through the passing air by utilizing the inertial energy of the foreign matter. And a vacuum cleaner provided with a dust removal chamber having a filter attached to the upper part for separating and filtering the separated air.
[0010]
And in order to solve the said subject, it is branched from the middle part of the water removal air path part which guides the air which passed the filter downward to the vacuum cleaner main body, and this water removal air path part is aired to the inlet of an electric blower An air passage having an air guide portion for guiding is provided, and a water removal air passage portion is provided on the side of the water removal air passage portion on the side where the electric blower is disposed and is connected to the upper side wall extending upward from the inlet of the air guide portion. The lower side wall provided on the side where the electric blower is arranged and continuing downward from the inlet is moved backward to the side where the electric blower is arranged, so that the air passage cross-sectional area of the dewatering air passage portion is changed to the air guide portion. By forming the upper side narrower and the lower side wider, the water removal air passage part and the air guide part are used to remove foreign matter with a specific gravity higher than the air from the air that is directed downward through the water removal air passage part. They are separated using energy.
[0011]
When some liquid is inhaled together with air, this liquid is separated from the air by, for example, a cyclone type dust removing action in the dust removing chamber, and most of the splashed liquid splashed by this separation is caused by the filtering action of the filter. Separated from the air passing through this filter. When the amount of moisture passing through the filter increases, when the moisture-containing air flows from the dewatering air passage portion of the air passage into the air guiding portion, the moisture whose specific gravity is higher than the air is removed together with the air. Due to the downward inertia associated with being guided downward along the water wind passage, it is separated from the air flowing into the wind guide portion and reaches the lower part of the water removal wind passage. In this case, the lower side wall continuous downward from the inlet of the dewatering air passage section from the inlet of the dewatering air passage portion is recessed from an upper side wall continuous upward wind passage sectional area of the dewatering air passage portion is electrically Since the upper side is narrower and the lower side is wider with the wind part as a boundary, moisture can surely reach the lower part of the dewatering air passage part, while the moisture is sucked into the electric blower as much as possible. Such water separation can prevent the electric blower from being exposed to a liquid such as sucked water, so that a dry-type electric blower can be used.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0013]
Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes a battery-powered household vacuum cleaner, for example, a rechargeable household vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a vacuum cleaner body 2, a flexible dust suction hose 3 that is detachably connected to the body 2, an extension pipe (not shown) that is detachably connected to the tip of the hose 3, and this extension pipe. A suction port body (not shown) or the like that is detachably connected to the tip of the head is provided. An operation unit 5 shown in FIG. 2 is provided on at least one of the grips of the cleaner body 2 or the dust suction hose 3. A desired operation command such as starting and stopping of an electric blower, which will be described later, and switching between strong and weak operations, is given to the control means 6 shown in FIG.
[0014]
A swivel wheel 11 is attached to the front lower surface of the cleaner body 2, and wheels 12 (only one is shown) are attached to both sides of the rear part of the cleaner body 2. The vacuum cleaner main body 2 routed through the dust suction hose 3 is freely moved along the surface to be cleaned through the wheels 11 and 12.
[0015]
The vacuum cleaner main body 2 includes a main body main portion 2a to which the wheels 11 and 12 are attached, and a main body movable portion 2b that is rotatably connected to the main body main portion 2a via a hinge 13. The state in which the main body movable portion 2b is covered with the main body main portion 2a is held by catching between a clamp (not shown) and a clamp receiver provided on both of them, and the airtightness of the cleaner main body 2 is maintained in this state. It has become. The main body movable part 2b can be opened by removing the clamp. The main body movable portion 2 b has a handle portion 14 for carrying the cleaner main body 2, and an elbow-shaped dust suction port 15 on the front side of the handle portion 14. A dust suction hose 3 is connected to one end of a dust suction port 15 that opens in front of the cleaner body 2. The other end of the dust suction port 15 is located at the front of the cleaner body 2 and is opened downward.
[0016]
An electric blower 16 is built in, for example, the rear part of the main body 2a with the suction port 16a facing downward, more precisely, obliquely downward. The electric blower 16 is not a large and heavy wet-and-dry type, but a smaller and lighter electric blower for dry (dry type) is employed.
[0017]
For example, a plurality of secondary batteries 17 serving as a power source for driving the electric blower 16 are built in and attached to, for example, a rear portion of the main body 2a. Each secondary battery 17 is connected in series, and the battery voltage is applied to the electric blower 16. For example, a nickel metal hydride battery, a NiCd battery, or a lithium ion battery can be used as these batteries 17.
[0018]
Control means 6 (see FIG. 2) for controlling the operation of the electric blower 16 and the like is built in an appropriate place in the main body 2a. An operation unit 5 is electrically connected to the control means 6 composed of a microprocessor. The control means 6 performs duty ratio control with a current control element, for example, an FET 19 (see FIG. 2) inserted in series in the drive circuit of the electric blower 16 in accordance with the operation instruction signal designated by the operation unit 5. The magnitude of the current supplied to the electric blower 16 is changed according to the operation instruction signal, thereby changing the dust suction force and starting / stopping. Reference numeral 18 in FIG. 2 denotes a battery voltage detection circuit, and a detection signal from the circuit 18 is supplied to the control means 6.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, with reference to the suction of air into the electric blower 16, a portion located on the upstream side of the electric blower 16, for example, the front portion of the main body main portion 2a has a bottomed cylindrical collection that functions as a dust removal chamber. The dust cup 21 is provided so that it can be taken in and out from the front of the main body 2a. Reference numeral 21 a in FIG. 1 indicates a handle of the dust collection cup 21. The dust collection cup 21 has an inlet 22 at the top thereof and a filter 23 that closes the upper opening of the dust collection cup 21 except for the inlet 22.
[0020]
The lower portion of the inlet 22 forms a slanted airflow guide portion 22 a that guides the flow of the dust-containing air passing therethrough so that the flow swirls along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collection cup 21. At the upper end of the inlet 22, the downward opening end portion of the dust suction port 15 continues when the main body movable portion 2 b is closed. For this reason, the dust-containing air that passes through the dust suction port 15 with the operation of the electric blower 16 is sucked into the dust collection cup 21 through the inlet 22 that communicates with the dust suction port 15 and turns.
[0021]
The filter 23 has at least one layer of a filter body, such as foamed urethane having open cells, a fibrous filter body, etc., and the filter body is retained by a frame so as not to impede its air permeability, It has a function of filtering and removing fine dust contained in the air flow passing upward through the dust cup 21. The filter 23 can be appropriately removed from the dust collection cup 21, thereby enabling discharge of dust or the like stored in the dust collection cup 21. In the present embodiment, as a preferable example of waterproofing of the dust collection cup 21, the dust collection cup 21 including the cup bottom wall is integrally formed of a synthetic resin. However, instead of this, the cup tube portion and the cup bottom wall are separately formed, the cup bottom wall is connected to the cup tube portion via a hinge so as to be opened and closed, and one of the cup bottom wall and the cup tube portion is connected. It is also possible to provide a dust collection cup 21 having a structure in which a packing for waterproofing the seam is attached.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 2 a is provided with an air passage 24 that guides the air that has passed through the filter 23 on the upstream side of the electric blower 16. The air passage 24 includes a first air guide portion 25, a dewatering air passage portion 26, and a second air guide portion 27 that communicate with each other.
[0023]
The first air guide portion 25 is provided open to the back surface of the main body movable portion 2b. The air guide portion 25 is disposed in an airtight manner so as to cover the filter 23 from above by covering the main body movable portion 2 b with the main body main portion 2 a, and is provided to communicate with the inside of the dust collection cup 21 through the filter 23. Yes. A part of the first air guide portion 25 protrudes from the filter 23 toward, for example, the side where the electric blower 16 is located, and this protrusion portion is provided with an opening 25a that faces downward when the main body movable portion 2b is closed. ing.
[0024]
The dewatering air passage portion 26 is provided in the main body main portion 2a so as to extend straight in the vertical direction. By covering the main body movable portion 2b over the main body main portion 2a, the upper end opening of the water removal air passage portion 26 and the opening 25a of the first air guide portion 25 are communicated with each other while maintaining the airtightness of the mating surfaces. It is like that. A lower portion 26a of the water removal air passage portion 26 is used as an auxiliary dust removal chamber. An opening / closing portion 26b facing the lower portion 26a of a part of the wall defining the lower portion 26a, for example, the bottom wall of the main body main portion 2a, is provided so as to be opened and closed from the outside of the cleaner body 2. In order to perform this opening and closing, the opening / closing part 26b is attached to the main body main part 2a via a hinge 28, for example. In the state where the opening / closing part 26b is closed, the air-water tightness of the lower part 26a of the water removal air passage part 26 is maintained by packing or the like (not shown).
[0025]
A humidity sensor 29 is disposed in the lower portion 26 a of the water removal air passage portion 26. This sensor 29 is attached to the back surface of the opening / closing part 26b which is the bottom surface of the lower part 26a, for example. The humidity sensor 29 is electrically connected to the control means 6. The control means 6 suppresses the current supplied to the electric blower 16 via the FET 19 when the humidity sensor 29 detects that the inside of the lower portion 26a of the water removal air passage portion 26 has reached a predetermined humidity. The operation of the electric blower 16 is stopped. The attachment of the humidity sensor 29 to the back surface of the opening / closing part 26b is excellent in that the humidity sensor 29 can quickly react to moisture (moisture) separated in the lower portion 26a of the water removal air passage portion 26.
[0026]
However, the humidity sensor 29 can be attached not at the lower surface of the lower portion 26a of the water removal air passage portion 26 but at an arbitrary height position on the side surface of the lower portion 26a as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In the case where the operation of the electric blower 16 is continued until the water separated in the lower portion 26a of the dewatering air passage portion 26 is accumulated to some extent, the mounting height position of the humidity sensor 29 with respect to the side surface of the lower portion 26a is appropriately set. By setting, the sensitivity of the humidity sensor 29 can be adjusted, that is, the humidity sensor 29 can be made sensitive when a predetermined amount of water has accumulated in the lower portion 26a.
[0027]
The second air guide portion 27 is branched from the middle of the vertical direction in which the water removal air passage portion 26 extends so as to protrude toward the electric blower 16 and is provided in the main body main portion 2a. At the outlet end of the second air guide portion 27, the electric blower 16 is arranged with its suction port 16a facing it.
[0028]
The lower side wall 26c of the dewatering air passage portion 26 connected downward from the inlet of the second air guide portion 27 is set back from the upper side wall 26d of the water removal air passage portion 26 connected upward from the inlet. For this reason, the air passage cross-sectional area of the water removal air passage portion 26 is narrow on the upper side and wide on the lower side with the second air guide portion 27 as a boundary. With this configuration, the moisture separated by the dewatering air passage portion 26 as described later can be surely reached the lower portion 26a, while the moisture is sucked into the electric blower 16 as much as possible. Yes.
[0029]
In the electric vacuum cleaner 1 having the above configuration, the electric blower 16 can be operated for cleaning. In this cleaning, after the dust-containing air sucked into the dust collecting cup 21 from the dust suction port 15 swirls along the inner periphery of the dust collecting cup 21, the air passage 24 passes through the filter 23 from the center of the cup 21. To leak.
[0030]
As a result, in the dust collection cup 21, a cyclone type separation, which is a kind of inertial separation that separates foreign matter heavier than air (that is, dust, etc.) from the air passing through the cup 21, using the inertial energy of the foreign matter. Is done. In this cyclone type separation, the foreign matter is separated from the air passing through the dust collection cup 21 by centrifugal force and stored in the dust collection cup 21, while the air separated from the foreign matter passes through the filter 23. As it passes, the light and fine foreign matter contained in the passing air is filtered and removed by the filter 23.
[0031]
The air sucked into the air passage 24 is guided from the first air guide portion 25 of the air passage 24 to the dewatering air passage portion 26, and further guided to the second air guide portion 27 and sucked into the electric blower 16. . And the air which passed this electric blower 16 is discharged | emitted out of the cleaner body 2 through the exhaust part which is not shown provided in the rear part etc. of the cleaner body 2. FIG.
[0032]
When a small amount of tea or milk spilled on the surface to be cleaned is inhaled during such cleaning, most of the water whose specific gravity is heavier than air (foreign matter as viewed from the air) is collected by the cyclonic separation described above. Separated and stored in the dust cup 21. In addition, most of the splashed droplets resulting from the separation are separated from the air passing through the filter 23 by the filter 23.
[0033]
However, in spite of such a separation action, a case where the water passing through the filter 23 increases can be considered. In this case, the air that has passed through the filter 23 and contains moisture is guided to the air passage 24 and guided downward by the dewatering air passage portion 26 of the air passage 24. For this reason, when air that is much lighter than moisture changes its flow direction and flows into the second air guide portion 27 from the dewatering air passage portion 26, the moisture whose specific gravity is higher than the air is downwardly inertial. The energy is separated from the air that flows into the second air guide portion 27 from the water removal air passage portion 26 and is sucked into the electric blower 16, and reaches the lower portion 26 a of the water removal air passage portion 26.
[0034]
In the present embodiment, the suction port 16a of the electric blower 16 faces downward. Thereby, the moisture contained in the air to be sucked into the electric blower 16 through the second air guide portion 27 must be changed upward in accordance with its mass. For this reason, the inertial separation action in the water removal air passage portion 26 and the second air guide portion 27 can be more effectively exhibited.
[0035]
By such secondary water separation, it is possible to prevent the electric blower 16 from sucking moisture that has passed through the dust collection cup 21 that performs the primary water separation, and exposing the blower 16 to liquids such as water. . In this case, the air sucked into the electric blower 16 includes some moisture, but the electric blower 16 does not break down with some moisture.
[0036]
In addition, since a humidity sensor 29 is provided at the lower portion 26a of the water removal air passage portion 26 to which the water separated by the inertia separation action in the water removal air passage portion 26 reaches, the sensor 29 has a predetermined humidity. At the time of detection, the operation of the electric blower 16 is stopped via the control means 6. For this reason, there is no possibility that the water that has been secondarily separated in the lower portion 26 a of the water removal air passage portion 26 accumulates so much that it is sucked into the electric blower 16 through the second air guide portion 27.
[0037]
Accordingly, a small and lightweight dry-type electric blower 16 incorporated in the vacuum cleaner body 2 can be adopted, and in comparison with the case where the vacuum cleaner body 2 is equipped with a wet-and-dry type electric blower. Thus, the vacuum cleaner body 2 can be made small and lightweight. For this reason, it can be set as the vacuum cleaner 1 which is easy to handle and inexpensive, and can be used without any trouble even if a small amount of moisture is sucked.
[0038]
Between the dust collecting cup 21 that performs primary separation as described above and the electric blower 16 disposed on the downstream side of the cup 21, a water removal air passage portion 26 that guides air downward is provided, and this air passage portion. Since water is secondarily separated at 26 so that water is not sucked into the electric blower 16, it is necessary to provide a structure that provides air path resistance such as a float in the dust collecting cup 21 to prevent this suction. There is no. For this reason, the dust removal performance of the dust collection cup 21 under the dry operation, which is a normal usage pattern, is not deteriorated, and foreign matters such as dust can be separated well from the air.
[0039]
Moreover, in order to perform the second water separation, the air that has flowed out from the dust collecting cup 21 is guided downward by the dewatering air passage section 26 that guides the air downward, and moisture contained in the air thus guided is removed. Since it is the structure which carries out an inertia separation, the structure for water separation is very simple and can be implemented easily. In addition, when the vacuum cleaner 1 is not in use, the dewatering air passage section 26 can be cleaned and dried by opening the opening / closing part 26b as necessary.
[0040]
Moreover, in the above vacuum cleaner 1, since the electric blower 16 is driven with the electric power of the secondary battery 17, the power supply voltage is low. Therefore, despite the fact that the electric blower 16 may be exposed to a certain amount of moisture, it is possible to simplify the countermeasures against dielectric breakdown in the electric blower 16 and its drive circuit, and to simplify the safety measures against electric shock, and the cost is reduced accordingly. A simple vacuum cleaner 1.
[0041]
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Since this embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, description of the configuration and operation thereof will be omitted, and different portions will be hereinafter described. explain.
[0042]
In the second embodiment, a moisture absorber 31 such as a sponge is accommodated in the lower portion 26 a of the water removal air passage portion 26, and the humidity sensor 29 is covered with the absorber 31 from above. With this configuration, moisture separated by the water removal air passage portion 26 can be quickly absorbed and diffused in the moisture absorber 31 and can be quickly applied to the humidity sensor 29 . Thereby, the sensitivity of the humidity sensor 29 with respect to the water | moisture content isolate | separated by the lower part 26a of the water removal wind path part 26 can be improved, and the reliability of moisture detection can be improved. Furthermore, in 2nd Embodiment, the electric blower 16 connected to the 2nd air guide part 27 is incorporated in the cleaner body 2 with the suction port 16a facing frontward . The configuration other than the points described above is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0043]
Therefore, also in the second embodiment, a water removal air passage portion 26 that guides air downward is provided between the dust collection cup 21 that performs primary separation and the electric blower 16 that is disposed on the downstream side of the cup 21. Since the water is secondarily separated by the air passage portion 26 so that water is not sucked into the electric blower 16, the problem of the present invention can be solved in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
[0044]
The present invention can be applied to a vacuum cleaner such as a stick type or a handy type in addition to the canister type shown in the above embodiments. In the present invention, the dust removal chamber is not limited to a removable dust collection cup, and may be formed integrally with the cleaner body. Further, the dust removal chamber is separated from air and foreign matter by inertial separation. As long as the configuration can be separated from each other, the configuration is not limited to the cyclone type.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the dry-type electric blower is used, the usability is not impaired, and the dust removal chamber is not required to have a wind path resistance such as a float, so that the dust removal performance is reduced. In spite of this, it is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner that can prevent liquid from being sucked into the dry-type electric blower and suppress the failure of the electric blower.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a main body of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a vacuum cleaner body of an electric vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vacuum cleaner 2 ... Vacuum cleaner main body 15 ... Dust inlet 16 ... Electric blower 16a ... Suction port of electric blower 17 ... Secondary battery 21 ... Dust collection cup (dust removal chamber)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Filter 24 ... Air path 25 ... 1st air guide part 26 ... Dewatering air path part 26a ... Lower part of a dewatering air path part 26b ... Opening and closing part of the lower part of a dewatering air path part
26c ... Lower side wall of dewatering air passage
26d: Upper side wall 27 of the dewatering air passage part ... Second air guide part 28 ... Hinge 29 ... Humidity sensor
31 ... Moisture absorber

Claims (5)

Built-in electric blower in the main body of the vacuum cleaner with a dust suction port,
A filter that passes air sucked from the dust suction port and separates foreign matter having a specific gravity higher than air from the passing air using the inertial energy of the foreign matter, and performs filter dust removal on the separated air. A dust removal chamber attached to the upper portion is provided in the cleaner body at the upstream side of the electric blower,
A cleaning air passage having a water removal air passage portion that guides air that has passed through the filter downward, and an air passage portion that is branched from the middle of the water removal air passage portion and guides air to the suction port of the electric blower. The electric motor of the dewatering air passage section is provided on the side of the dewatering air passage section on the side where the electric blower is disposed and is connected to the upper side wall extending upward from the inlet of the air guiding section. The lower side wall provided on the side where the blower is disposed and continuing downward from the inlet is moved backward to the side where the electric blower is disposed, so that the air passage cross-sectional area of the dewatering air passage portion is A foreign object having a specific gravity greater than that of air from the air that is directed downward through the dewatering air passage portion is formed by the dewatering air passage portion and the air guiding portion. A vacuum cleaner that uses the inertial energy of the machine to separate it. The bottom of the water removal air passage section located below the baffle portion, wherein the humidity sensor to stop the operation of the inside bottom by detecting that a predetermined humidity the electric blower is provided Item 2. The vacuum cleaner according to Item 1 . The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein a moisture absorber that covers the humidity sensor from above is housed in a lower portion of the air passage cross-sectional area of the dewatering air passage portion . The part of the wall which divides the lower part of the said dewatering wind path part located below the said wind guide part is provided so that opening and closing is possible from the outer side of the said cleaner body. The vacuum cleaner as described in the item. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a power source for driving the electric blower is a secondary battery, and the secondary battery is attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner.

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