JP6459424B2 - Vacuum cleaner and its suction tool - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and its suction tool.

  One form of the suction tool of a vacuum cleaner is provided with the case provided with a suction inlet, and the illumination unit which outputs light. The lighting unit has a role of providing an environment in which a user of the vacuum cleaner can easily find garbage by irradiating light on a surface to be cleaned existing in front of the case. A well-known form relating to the lighting unit is a form including a circuit board which is disposed in the case and electrically connected to the main body of the vacuum cleaner, and a bullet-type LED mounted on the circuit board. Note that Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional suction tool.

JP 2013-172808 A

  In order to appropriately irradiate light immediately below the front of the case with the conventional lighting unit, it is required to arrange the bullet-type LED in the front part of the case as much as possible. However, the height of the suction tool may be increased by arranging the bullet-type LED in the front portion of the case. In this case, it becomes difficult for the suction tool to enter a narrow portion such as under the furniture.

  The objective of this invention is providing the suction tool which can adjust the irradiation range of light easily, and a vacuum cleaner provided with the same.

  A suction tool for a vacuum cleaner according to an aspect of the present invention includes a case including a suction port, a light source disposed in the case, and a light guide plate that transmits light output from the light source, and the light guide plate. The light that has passed through is irradiated onto the surface to be cleaned.

  According to the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner and the vacuum cleaner including the suction tool, the light irradiation range can be easily adjusted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the suction tool of the first embodiment. These are the schematic diagrams of the suction tool of Embodiment 2. FIG. These are the schematic diagrams of the suction tool of Embodiment 3. FIG. These are the schematic diagrams of the suction tool of Embodiment 4. FIG. These are the perspective views of the electric vacuum cleaner of Embodiment 5. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the suction tool of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a top view of the suction tool of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a front view of the suction tool of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the suction tool of FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lower assembly of FIG. 9 in which optical element groups are arranged. FIG. 10 is a top view of the lower assembly of FIG. 9 with the optical element group omitted. FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the optical element group in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the optical element group in FIG. 9. FIG. 13 is a partial front view of a state in which elements of the optical element group in FIG. 12 are combined. FIG. 13 is a partial front view of a state in which elements of the optical element group in FIG. 12 are combined. FIG. 13 is a partial front view of a state in which elements of the optical element group in FIG. 12 are combined. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view around the light source in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the light source in FIG. 11 in which an optical element group is arranged. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view around the light source in FIG. 10 in which an optical element group is omitted. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view around the light source in FIG. 10. These are sectional drawings of the X21-X21 line of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X22-X22 in FIG. These are sectional drawings of the X23-X23 line of FIG. FIG. 22 is an enlarged view around the optical element group in FIG. 21. FIG. 23 is an enlarged view around the optical element group in FIG. 22. FIG. 24 is an enlarged view around the light source in FIG. 23. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the lighting unit of FIG. 10. FIG. 8 is a top view of the front portion of the suction tool of FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a front view of the suction part of FIG. 6. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the front portion of the suction tool of FIG. 22.

(An example of the form that the vacuum cleaner and its suction tool can take)
[1] One form of a suction tool of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes a case having a suction port, a light source disposed in the case, and a light guide plate that transmits light output from the light source, Light to be transmitted through the light guide plate is irradiated onto the surface to be cleaned.

  According to this suction tool, the light output from the light source is applied to the light guide plate, and the light transmitted through the light guide plate is applied to the surface to be cleaned. According to the light irradiation method provided in the present suction tool, the part for irradiating the surface to be cleaned occupies the inside of the case as compared with the conventional suction tool in which the bullet-type LED is arranged inside the case. There is room for narrowing the space. For this reason, the irradiation range of light can be adjusted easily. Moreover, the height of the suction tool can be set low compared with the conventional suction tool.

[2] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, the light guide plate has an elongated shape and is arranged along the width direction of the case.
According to this suction tool, light can be irradiated to a wide range in the width direction in front of the case. For this reason, light unevenness in the width direction of the case is less likely to occur.

[3] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, an incident boundary surface of light is formed at an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate, and the incident boundary surface and the light source face each other.
According to the present suction tool, since the function of irradiating light from the light guide plate is realized by a simple operation of arranging the light source on the end side of the light guide plate, the number of components constituting the light source is hardly increased.

  [4] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, the case includes a front wall, the front wall includes a window that irradiates a surface to be cleaned with light output from the light source, and the light source includes The light guide plate is disposed between the left and right sides of the case, the light guide plate is disposed between the light source disposed on the left side of the case and the light source disposed on the right side of the case, and at least a part of the light guide plate is Opposite the window.

  According to this suction tool, the light output from the light sources arranged on the left and right sides of the light guide plate passes through the light guide plate, and further passes through the window and is irradiated onto the surface to be cleaned. For this reason, the surface to be cleaned becomes brighter. Moreover, since each light source is arrange | positioned at the right-and-left both sides of a light-guide plate, the height of a suction tool can be set low in the suction tool in which several light sources are arrange | positioned.

  [5] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, the light guide plate is formed on a back surface of the light guide plate, and is formed on a reflective boundary surface that reflects light forward, and on a front surface of the light guide plate. A part of the light output from the light source is transmitted forward through the light guide plate and then reflected forward by the reflective boundary surface, and the light guide plate is reflected by the transmission boundary surface. Irradiate in front of.

  According to this suction tool, the light traveling backward in the light guide plate is reflected to the front side by the reflection boundary surface, and this light is transmitted through the transmission boundary surface and applied to the surface to be cleaned. For this reason, the light output from the light source is efficiently applied to the surface to be cleaned.

[6] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, at least one of the reflection boundary surface and the transmission boundary surface is inclined so as to fall down to the front side of the case.
According to this suction tool, the light transmitted through the transmission boundary surface travels approximately downward in front of the case. For this reason, light is appropriately irradiated to the area where the user's line of sight is likely to concentrate on the surface to be cleaned, and the visibility of dust by the user is improved.

  [7] According to an example of the suction tool of the electric vacuum cleaner, the reflective boundary surface includes a prism, and the pattern of the prism is formed on the light reflected by the reflective boundary surface in the plan view of the case. The pattern includes a component that travels along the front-rear direction and a component that travels obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case.

  According to the present suction tool, the direction of the light reflected by the reflection boundary surface is determined by the prism pattern. For this reason, the freedom degree regarding the setting of the irradiation range of the light formed in a to-be-cleaned surface is raised.

  Further, the light traveling along the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case easily reaches a far side on the front side of the case, and the light traveling obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction of the case in the plan view of the case It tends to spread in the width direction of the case on the front side. For this reason, a wide light irradiation range is formed on the front side of the case.

[8] One form of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes the suction tool.
The user of the electric vacuum cleaner can clean the surface to be cleaned while irradiating the surface to be cleaned with the suction tool. For this reason, this vacuum cleaner can provide a user with an easy-to-clean environment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the inside of a suction tool 10 which is one of the elements constituting the vacuum cleaner. The suction tool 10 is connected to the main body (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner by an extension tube or a hose (not shown) which is another element constituting the vacuum cleaner, and includes a plurality of elements. According to an example, the plurality of elements constituting the suction tool 10 are a case 20 that forms the outer shape of the suction tool 10, a rotary brush 11 that scrapes up dust, an electric motor 12 that applies torque to the rotary brush 11, and the front of the case 20. And the illumination unit 100 which irradiates light below is included. The plurality of elements further includes a circuit board 70 that supplies power to the lighting unit 100 and the motor 12.

  The case 20 is connected to an auxiliary suction tool 90 which is another element constituting the vacuum cleaner. The auxiliary suction tool 90 includes a suction passage 91 through which air flows, and is connected to an extension pipe or a hose (not shown). The suction tool 10 and the auxiliary suction tool 90 have a detachable structure that can be attached and detached by a user.

  The case 20 has a bottom wall 21 that supports each element, a front wall 22 that forms the periphery of the case 20, a pair of side walls 23, a rear wall 24, an upper wall 25 that forms the ceiling of the case 20 (see FIG. 6), and An accommodation space 26 that is a space formed by these walls is provided. The case 20 further includes a suction port 27 that opens to the bottom wall 21 and a window 28 that opens to the front wall 22. The shape of the case 20 is substantially bilaterally symmetric with respect to a center line passing through the center of the suction tool 10 in the width direction (hereinafter, “center line of the suction tool 10”).

  The case 20 further includes a brush housing 20 </ b> A constituting a part of the bottom wall 21 and a suction passage 29 connected to the suction passage 91 of the auxiliary suction tool 90. The suction port 27 is an opening of a space formed in the brush housing 20A. The suction passage 29 is connected to the space of the brush housing 20A.

  The rotating brush 11 is disposed in a space formed in the brush housing 20A, and is supported by the case 20 so as to be rotatable with respect to the brush housing 20A. According to an example, the position of the rotating brush 11 in the front-rear direction of the case 20 is set to a position where the bristles of the rotating brush 11 substantially contact the back surface of the front wall 22 while the rotating brush 11 is rotating.

  The circuit board 70 is disposed in the accommodation space 26 of the case 20 and is fixed to the case 20. According to an example of the usage pattern of the vacuum cleaner, the circuit board 70 is electrically connected to the main body of the vacuum cleaner through the auxiliary suction tool 90, the extension pipe, and the hose. According to another example of the usage pattern of the vacuum cleaner, the circuit board 70 is electrically connected to the main body of the vacuum cleaner via the auxiliary suction tool 90 and the hose.

  The illumination unit 100 includes a light source 110 that outputs light to the accommodation space 26, and a light guide plate 210 that transmits light output from the light source 110. The light source 110 is disposed on the outer side of the suction tool 10 in the width direction with respect to the portion where the hair is planted in the rotating brush 11, and is mounted on the light source substrate 111 and electrically connected to the circuit board 70. Chip LED 112 is provided. The light source substrate 111 is fixed to the case 20. The chip LED 112 is driven by a current supplied from the light source substrate 111.

  The light guide plate 210 has an elongated shape, is disposed in the housing space 26 of the case 20 along the width direction of the suction tool 10, and faces the space on the front side of the case 20 through the window 28. The light guide plate 210 further has an inclined posture so as to fall down to the front side of the case 20 and is directly or indirectly fixed to the case 20.

  The light guide plate 210 is an optical element that transmits light output from the chip LED 112 and includes a plurality of boundary surfaces. The plurality of boundary surfaces include an incident boundary surface 211 that is a boundary surface at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210, a reflective boundary surface 212 that reflects light traveling inside the light guide plate 210 to the front side of the light guide plate 210, and The transmission interface 213 transmits light traveling through the light guide plate 210. A prism is formed on at least a part of the reflection boundary surface 212. An incident gap 120 that is a minute gap is formed between the chip LED 112 and the incident boundary surface 211.

For example, the suction tool 10 operates as follows.
The circuit board 70 supplies power supplied from the main body of the vacuum cleaner to one or both of the light source board 111 and the electric motor 12. When the current is supplied to the light source substrate 111, the chip LED 112 outputs light. The light output from the chip LED 112 enters the light guide plate 210 from the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 and travels through the light guide plate 210. The light traveling inside the light guide plate 210 passes through the transmission boundary surface 213 without being reflected by the reflection boundary surface 212, or passes through the transmission boundary surface 213 after being reflected by the reflection boundary surface 212. The light transmitted through the transmission boundary surface 213 passes through the window 28 of the case 20 and is irradiated to the front of the case 20 and the front lower side. For this reason, the floor which is an example of a to-be-cleaned surface is illuminated by the irradiated light.

According to the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 1, the following effects are acquired, for example.
(1) The suction tool 10 includes a light source 110 disposed in the case 20 and a light guide plate 210 that transmits light output from the light source 110. According to this configuration, as compared with the conventional suction tool in which the bullet-type LED is arranged inside the case, there is a room for narrowing the space occupied by the part for irradiating the surface to be cleaned in the case. . For this reason, the irradiation range of light can be adjusted easily. Moreover, compared with the conventional suction tool, the height of the suction tool 10 can be set low.

  (2) The light irradiation method of the suction tool 10 is an irradiation method using the light guide plate 210 that is an element that outputs light to the surface to be cleaned. According to this irradiation method, compared with an irradiation method using a bullet-type LED, which is another element that outputs light to the surface to be cleaned, the area that the element that outputs light occupies in the front-rear direction of the suction tool is set narrower. There is a lot of room. For this reason, according to the suction tool 10, even if the arrangement | positioning form which arrange | positions the light-guide plate 210 in the front part in the suction tool 10 is taken in, the influence with respect to arrangement | positioning of the other element which comprises the suction tool 10 is small, or others There is virtually no effect on the arrangement of elements. For this reason, the suction tool 10 can adjust the irradiation range of light easily.

  (3) The light source 110 is arranged on the outer side in the width direction of the case 20 with respect to the portion where the hair is planted in the rotary brush 11. According to this configuration, the position of the light source 110 in the height direction of the case 20 is not easily restricted by the rotating brush 11. For this reason, the room which sets the position of the light source 110 and the light-guide plate 210 low spreads.

  (4) According to the configurations of (1) to (3), the position of the rotating brush 11 in the front-rear direction of the case 20 is not easily restricted by the lighting unit 100. For this reason, the room for the position of the rotating brush 11 to approach the front wall 22 of the case 20 increases. The suction tool 10 of Embodiment 1 is based on this configuration, and the front portion of the rotating brush 11 is disposed in the vicinity of the back surface of the front wall 22. For this reason, dust existing in the vicinity of the front wall 22 of the case 20 is easily sucked by the suction port 27.

  (5) The light guide plate 210 has an elongated shape and is arranged along the width direction of the case 20. According to this configuration, light is irradiated to a wide range in the width direction in front of the case 20. For this reason, unevenness of light in the width direction of the case 20 hardly occurs.

  (6) The light guide plate 210 includes an incident boundary surface 211 at the end in the longitudinal direction. The incident boundary surface 211 faces the light source 110. According to this configuration, since the function of irradiating light from the light guide plate 210 is realized by a simple operation of arranging the light source 110 on the end side of the light guide plate 210, the number of components constituting the light source 110 increases. Hateful.

  (7) The case 20 includes a front wall 22. The front wall 22 includes a window 28 that irradiates the surface to be cleaned with light output from the light source 110. The light sources 110 are arranged on both the left and right sides in the case 20. The light guide plate 210 is disposed between the light source 110 disposed on the left side of the case 20 and the light source 110 disposed on the right side of the case 20. At least a part of the light guide plate 210 faces the window 28.

  According to this configuration, light output from the light sources 110 arranged on the left and right sides of the light guide plate 210 passes through the light guide plate 210 and further passes through the window 28 and is irradiated onto the surface to be cleaned. For this reason, the surface to be cleaned becomes brighter. Moreover, since each light source 110 is arrange | positioned at the right-and-left both sides of the light-guide plate 210, the height of the suction tool 10 can be set low in the suction tool 10 with which the several light source 110 is arrange | positioned.

  (8) The light sources 110 are disposed at the left and right ends of the case 20. An elongated light guide plate 210 is disposed on the brush housing 20A. Further, the light guide plate 210 is disposed between the front wall 22 of the case 20 and the rotation shaft of the rotary brush 11 in the front-rear direction of the case 20. According to this configuration, for example, as compared with a case where the bullet-type LED is disposed above the rotating brush 11, a room for setting the height of the case 20 to be low is widened.

  (9) The incident boundary surface 211 formed at the end in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210 and the light source 110 face each other. According to this configuration, for example, as compared with the case where the light source 110 is disposed above the light guide plate 210, a room for setting the height of the case 20 to be low is widened. In addition, as compared with the case where the light source 110 is disposed behind the light guide plate 210, there is more room for setting the depth of the case 20 to be shorter.

  (10) An incident gap 120 is formed between the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 and the chip LED 112. According to this configuration, even if a shocking force is applied to the case 20 and the light guide plate 210 moves relative to the case 20, the light guide plate 210 is unlikely to contact the chip LED 112. For this reason, the possibility that the chip LED 112 is damaged is reduced.

  (11) The light guide plate 210 is inclined so as to fall into the front side of the case 20. According to this configuration, the light transmitted through the light guide plate 210 travels approximately downward in front of the case 20. For this reason, light is appropriately irradiated to the area where the user's line of sight is likely to concentrate on the surface to be cleaned, and the visibility of dust by the user is improved.

  (12) The light guide plate 210 is fixed to the case 20 directly or indirectly. According to this configuration, the light guide plate 210 is unlikely to move relative to the case 20 even when a shocking force is applied to the case 20.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside of the suction tool 10 according to the second embodiment. The suction tool 10 according to the second embodiment further includes the following configuration not explicitly described in the first embodiment. In the description of the second embodiment, elements denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have the same or similar functions as the corresponding elements in the first embodiment.

  In addition to the first light source 110 that is the light source 110 shown in Embodiment 1, the lighting unit 100 includes a second light source 110 having a configuration substantially similar to that of the first light source 110. The second light source 110 is disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the suction tool 10 with respect to the left end portion of the light guide plate 210. The first light source 110 and the second light source 110 have a substantially bilaterally symmetrical relationship with respect to the center line of the suction tool 10.

According to the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 2, in addition to the effects (1) to (12) obtained by the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 1, the following effects are further obtained.
(13) The illumination unit 100 includes a pair of left and right light sources 110. According to this configuration, since the amount of light emitted from the illumination unit 100 to the surface to be cleaned increases compared to the case where the second light source 110 is not present, the visibility of dust by the user is further improved.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inside of the suction tool 10 according to the third embodiment. The suction tool 10 according to the third embodiment further includes the following configuration not explicitly described in the second embodiment. In the description of the third embodiment, elements denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the second embodiment have the same or similar functions as the corresponding elements in the second embodiment.

  The illumination unit 100 further includes a reflection plate 220 disposed on the reflection boundary surface 212 side of the light guide plate 210. The reflection plate 220 is made of a material having a high reflectance, is fixed to the case 20, and covers almost the entire reflection boundary surface 212. In addition, the form regarding the coupling | bonding of the light-guide plate 210 and the reflecting plate 220 is arbitrary selection, and the form in which the light-guide plate 210 is fixed to the reflecting plate 220 or the form in which the light-guide plate 210 is not fixed to the reflecting plate 220 is selected. Is done.

According to the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 3, in addition to the effects (1) to (13) obtained by the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 2, the following effects are further obtained.
(14) The illumination unit 100 includes a reflection plate 220. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent light from being transmitted from the reflection boundary surface 212 of the light guide plate 210 to the back side of the light guide plate 210. For this reason, the light incident on the light guide plate 210 from the light source 110 is efficiently irradiated onto the surface to be cleaned.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inside of the suction tool 10 according to the fourth embodiment. The suction tool 10 according to the fourth embodiment further includes the following configuration not explicitly described in the third embodiment. In the description of the fourth embodiment, elements having the same reference numerals as those in the third embodiment have the same or similar functions as the corresponding elements in the third embodiment.

  The illumination unit 100 further includes a transparent cover 230 disposed on the transmission boundary surface 213 side of the light guide plate 210. The transparent cover 230 is fitted into the window 28 of the case 20, is fixed to the case 20, and covers almost the entire transmission boundary surface 213 of the light guide plate 210. The transparent cover 230 further has a function as a lens that refracts the light transmitted through the light guide plate 210 by condensing or diffusing the light in the short direction of the transparent cover 230.

According to the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 4, in addition to the effects (1) to (14) obtained by the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 3, the following effects are further obtained.
(15) The lighting unit 100 includes a transparent cover 230. According to this configuration, even if the case 20 collides with a surrounding object, the transparent cover 230 prevents the object from contacting the light guide plate 210. For this reason, the possibility that the light guide plate 210 is damaged is reduced.

  (16) The transparent cover 230 is fitted into the window 28. According to this configuration, the possibility that light transmitted through the light guide plate 210 leaks from the periphery of the transparent cover 230 to the outside of the case 20 is reduced, and light is efficiently irradiated onto the surface to be cleaned.

  (17) The transparent cover 230 also serves as a lens. According to this configuration, the light transmitted through the light guide plate 210 is collected or diffused by the transparent cover 230. For this reason, light is efficiently irradiated from the illumination unit 100 to the surface to be cleaned. In addition, compared to the case where a lens is present separately from the transparent cover 230, the area occupied by the illumination unit 100 in the front-rear direction of the case 20 is less likely to expand.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electric vacuum cleaner 300 according to the fifth embodiment. The vacuum cleaner 300 includes a main body 310 including an electric blower 311, a hose 320 connected to the main body 310, an extension pipe 330 connected to the hose 320, an auxiliary suction tool 90 connected to the extension pipe 330, and an auxiliary suction tool The suction tool 10 connected to 90 is provided. The illustrated suction tool 10 and auxiliary suction tool 90 are examples of specific forms that can be taken by those elements schematically shown in FIGS. In the description of the fifth embodiment, elements having the same reference numerals as those in the fourth embodiment have the same or similar functions as the corresponding elements in the fourth embodiment.

  The main body 310 includes a power cord 312 and is driven by power supplied from an external power source via the power cord 312. The electric power supplied to the main body 310 is further formed through a power supply path (not shown) formed in the hose 320, the extension pipe 330, and the auxiliary suction tool 90, or in the hose 320 and the auxiliary suction tool 90. It is supplied to the suction tool 10 via a power supply path (not shown).

  The main body 310 and the hose 320 have a detachable structure that can be attached and detached by the user. The hose 320 and the extension pipe 330 have a detachable structure that can be attached and detached by the user. The extension tube 330 and the auxiliary suction tool 90 have a detachable structure that can be attached and detached by the user.

  According to the electric vacuum cleaner 300, the suction fan 10 sucks dust existing on the surface to be cleaned P (see FIG. 30) by driving the electric blower 311 of the main body 310, and the auxiliary suction tool 90, the extension pipe 330, The hose 320 guides the dust to the dust collection chamber of the main body 310.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the suction tool 10. The suction tool 10 further includes a pedal 14 in addition to the case 20 and the like. The pedal 14 is disposed on the rear side of the case 20. When the pedal 14 is depressed, the pedal 14 pushes up the auxiliary suction tool 90, and the auxiliary suction tool 90 is separated from the case 20.

  The case 20 includes an upper case 30 that forms the outer shape of the upper portion of the case 20, a lower case 40 that forms the outer shape of the lower portion of the case 20, and a bumper 50 that forms the outer shape between the upper case 30 and the lower case 40. Is provided. The lower case 40 and the bumper 50 are combined with each other to form a lower assembly 60 (see FIG. 9). The case 20 is configured by the upper case 30 and the lower assembly 60 being coupled to each other.

  An example of the upper case 30 is a molded product formed by two-color molding, an upper front case 30A that forms the outer shape of the front portion of the upper case 30, and an upper rear case that forms the outer shape of the rear portion of the upper case 30. 30B. As shown in FIG. 23, the upper front case 30A mainly covers the front portion of the lighting unit 100 and the brush housing 20A from above. The upper rear case 30B covers the remaining portion that is not covered by the upper front case 30A.

  The upper front case 30A has a color with low light transmittance. The lower case 40 is molded in one color and has a color with low light transmittance. The bumper 50 is molded in one color by a material softer than the upper case 30 and the lower case 40, and has a color with low light transmittance.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom wall 41 of the lower case 40 constitutes the bottom wall 21 of the case 20. The front wall 32 of the upper case 30, the front wall 42 of the lower case 40, and the front wall 52 of the bumper 50 constitute the front wall 22 of the case 20. The side wall 33 of the upper case 30, the side wall 43 of the lower case 40, and the side wall 53 of the bumper 50 constitute the side wall 23 of the case 20. The rear wall 34 of the upper case 30 and the rear wall 44 of the lower case 40 constitute the rear wall 24 of the case 20. The upper wall 31 of the upper case 30 constitutes the upper wall 25 of the case 20.

  A notch extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in the front wall 32 of the upper case 30 and the front wall 52 of the bumper 50. The window 28 of the case 20 is constituted by a notch in the front wall 32 and a notch in the front wall 52. The front wall 52 of the bumper 50 includes a guide surface 57 that constitutes the lower surface of the window 28. The guide surface 57 is a surface inclined downward from the rear to the front of the suction tool 10, and guides light output from the illumination unit 100 to the lower front of the case 20.

  FIG. 7 is a top view of the suction tool 10. The width direction of the case 20, which is the longitudinal direction of the case 20, substantially matches the width direction of the suction tool 10. The front-rear direction of the case 20, which is the short direction of the case 20, substantially matches the front-rear direction of the suction tool 10. The shape of the case 20 is substantially symmetrical with respect to the center line of the suction tool 10.

  FIG. 8 is a front view of the suction tool 10. A part of the rotating brush 11 may protrude below the bottom surface of the case 20 and contact the surface to be cleaned P (see FIG. 30). According to the suction tool 10, the height of the suction tool 10 is set low by providing the irradiation system which irradiates light with the light-guide plate 210 (refer FIG. 9). The setting of the height contributes to widening the room for the suction tool 10 to enter a narrow space such as under the furniture.

  FIG. 9 shows the suction tool 10 disassembled. In addition to the case 20 and the like, the suction tool 10 further includes a belt 13 that connects the rotary brush 11 and the electric motor 12, and a switch unit 80 that switches between supply and stop of electric power to the electric motor 12. The electric motor 12 is fixed to the lower case 40.

  The illumination unit 100 includes a pair of light sources 110, a light guide plate 210, a reflection plate 220, and a transparent cover 230, and a narrow range near the front wall 22 (see FIG. 6) in the housing space 26 of the case 20 and the front wall. It is arranged in the vicinity of the corner formed by 22 and the side wall 23. The illustrated light source 110, light guide plate 210, reflector 220, and transparent cover 230 are examples of specific forms that can be taken by those elements schematically shown in FIG. The light guide plate 210, the reflection plate 220, and the transparent cover 230 are combined with each other to constitute the optical element group 200.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lower assembly 60 to which the optical element group 200 is attached. The transparent cover 230 fits the window 28 of the case 20 and forms part of the outline of the suction tool 10. The bumper 50 includes a guide surface 57 that guides light output from the illumination unit 100 to the lower front of the case 20.

  The switch unit 80 includes a limit switch 81 that is electrically connected to the electric motor 12 by a lead wire (not shown), and a wheel type switch 82 that turns the limit switch 81 on or off (see FIG. 22). The switch unit 80 further includes a switch cover 83 that covers the wheel switch 82 and a spring (not shown) that applies a reaction force to the wheel switch 82.

  The wheel type switch 82 is supported by the lower case 40 so as to be rotatable with respect to the lower case 40, and receives a reaction force of a spring (not shown) so as to jump out below the lower case 40. When the wheel type switch 82 is pushed into the switch cover 83 side by the surface to be cleaned, the limit switch 81 is set to ON, and current is supplied from the circuit board 70 to the electric motor 12. On the other hand, when the wheel-type switch 82 is not pushed into the switch cover 83 side because it is not in contact with the surface to be cleaned, the limit switch 81 is set to OFF and no electric current is supplied to the motor 12.

11 is a plan view of the lower assembly 60 of FIG.
The lower case 40 further includes a plurality of ribs 45 rising from the bottom wall 41 and a plurality of element fitting recesses 46 into which a part of the reflection plate 220 is fitted. The bumper 50 further includes a plurality of ribs 54 that rise from the bottom wall 51. The lower case 40 and the bumper 50 form a plurality of element fitting recesses 56 into which a part of the transparent cover 230 is fitted. The lower assembly 60 includes a plurality of functional areas defined by one or both of the ribs 45 and the ribs 54.

  The plurality of functional areas include a suction tool placement portion 61 where the auxiliary suction tool 90 is placed, a lever placement portion 62 where the lever (not shown) of the pedal 14 is placed, and a board placement portion where the circuit board 70 is placed. 63. The plurality of functional regions further include a switch placement portion 64 in which the switch unit 80 is placed, a motor placement portion 65 in which the motor 12 is placed, and an upper suction portion 66 that forms a space above the brush housing 20A. The plurality of functional regions further include a right light source arrangement unit 67 in which the right light source 110 is arranged, a left light source arrangement unit 67 in which the left light source 110 is arranged, and an optical element in which the optical element group 200 is arranged. An arrangement unit 68 is included.

  The lower case 40 further includes an upper suction port 47 formed on the brush housing 20A. As shown in FIG. 25, the upper suction port 47 has a space surrounded by the ribs 45 forming the upper suction portion 66 (hereinafter referred to as “space of the upper suction portion 66”) and a space formed inside the brush housing 20A. Connect.

  The upper case 30 further includes an upper suction port 35 formed at the boundary between the upper front case 30A and the upper rear case 30B. The upper suction port 35 connects the space outside the upper wall 31 of the upper case 30 and the space below the upper wall 31 in the housing space 26 of the case 20. This space is connected to the space of the upper suction portion 66.

  For this reason, when negative pressure acts on the suction passage 29 shown in FIG. 22, the air in the space of the upper suction portion 66 is sucked into the brush housing 20 </ b> A via the upper suction port 47. Further, the air outside the upper wall 31 is sucked into the suction passage 29 via the upper suction port 35 of the upper case 30. For this reason, dust in the air existing in the upper front part of the case 20 is sucked into the case 20.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the upper suction portion 66 is formed in the front portion of the lower case 40. For this reason, the region formed between the front wall 52 of the lower assembly 60 and the upper suction portion 66 is narrow. According to an example, the size of the area of the case 20 in the front-rear direction is narrower than the area necessary for placing the bullet-type LED.

  FIG. 17 is a plan view of the periphery of the light source 110 in a state where the optical element group 200 is not disposed. FIG. 19 is a perspective view thereof. The light source substrate 111 is fitted into the rib 54 of the bumper 50. Steps are formed in the upper part and the lower part of the light source substrate 111. The rib (not shown) of the upper case 30 is abutted against the step of the upper part, and the rib (not shown) of the bumper 50 is abutted to the step of the lower part, so that the light source substrate 111 with respect to the case 20 is more securely held. Is done. A space is formed outside the light source substrate 111 in the width direction of the case 20. This space contributes to reducing the possibility that the side wall 23 of the case 20 comes into contact with the light source substrate 111 when an impact force is applied to the side wall 23 of the case 20.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the suction tool 10 further includes a plurality of lead wires 71 that connect the circuit board 70 and the light source substrate 111 of each light source 110. One lead wire 71 is wired in a narrow passage formed between the rib 45 forming the upper suction portion 66 and another rib 45 formed on the rear side of the rib 45, and the left light source substrate 111. Connected to. Another lead wire 71 is connected to the right light source substrate 111.

  As shown in FIG. 17, one of the plurality of ribs 45 formed on the lower case 40 includes a rib 45 that faces the light source substrate 111 at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the suction tool 10. Therefore, a linear portion having a certain length is formed around each lead wire 71 connected to the light source substrate 111, and the linear portion is fitted into the rib 45. This wiring configuration contributes to maintaining the connection between the light source substrate 111 and the lead wire 71 even when a shocking force is applied to the case 20.

  The light source arrangement portion 67 is mainly configured by the bottom wall 51 of the bumper 50, the front wall 52, the side wall 53, the rib 54, and the rib 45 of the lower case 40. According to the case 20 in which the upper case 30 (see FIG. 6) and the lower assembly 60 are combined, the upper portion of the light source arrangement portion 67 is covered with the upper wall 31 of the upper case 30 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a plan view of the periphery of the light source 110 in a state where the optical element group 200 is arranged. FIG. 20 is a perspective view thereof. The optical element group 200 arranged in the lower assembly 60 surrounds a part of the periphery of the light source arrangement unit 67. Therefore, the upper wall 31 (see FIG. 24) of the upper case 30, the bottom wall 51 of the bumper 50, the front wall 52, the side wall 53, the rib 54, the rib 45 of the lower case 40, and the optical element group 200 67 is roughly occluded. This structure contributes to preventing dust or the like outside the case 20 from entering the light source arrangement portion 67.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the light source arrangement portion 67 is formed outside the brush housing 20 </ b> A in the width direction of the suction tool 10. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 21, the light source 110 is arranged outside the portion where the bristles of the rotary brush 11 exist in the width direction of the suction tool 10.

  According to the suction tool 10, the light source 110 is disposed outside the portion where the bristles of the rotating brush 11 are disposed, and the light source 110 is not disposed above the rotating brush 11. For this reason, the height of the ceiling portion of the brush housing 20A can be set high without increasing the thickness from the ceiling portion of the brush housing 20A to the upper wall 31 of the upper case 30. Moreover, the height of the suction tool 10 can be set low. According to this configuration, for example, one or both of the effect of improving the design of the suction tool 10 and the effect of facilitating the suction tool 10 to enter a narrow part such as under the furniture can be obtained.

  FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the separated optical element group 200. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the separated optical element group 200 on the back side. FIG. 14 is a front view of the left part of the combined light guide plate 210 and reflector 220. FIG. 15 is a front view of an intermediate portion of the combined light guide plate 210 and reflector 220. FIG. 16 is a front view of the right portion of the combined light guide plate 210 and reflector plate 220. The short direction of the light guide plate 210 is a direction along the incident boundary surface 211, and the short direction of the reflector 220 and the transparent cover 230 is substantially the same as the short direction of the light guide plate 210.

  The material constituting the light guide plate 210 is, for example, an acrylic transparent plastic, a polycarbonate resin, or a cycloolefin resin. As shown in FIG. 12, the light guide plate 210 includes a plurality of functional parts. According to an example, the plurality of functional parts include a light guide part 216 constituting a main part of the light guide plate 210 and a plurality of protrusions 217 protruding from the light guide part 216.

  The light guide unit 216 is a rectangular parallelepiped object, and includes a pair of incident boundary surfaces 211, a reflection boundary surface 212, a transmission boundary surface 213, an upper surface 214, and a lower surface 215. A part of the plurality of protrusions 217 protrudes from the upper surface 214 to the outside of the light guide plate 210 in the short direction. Another part of the plurality of protrusions 217 protrudes from the lower surface 215 to the outside of the light guide plate 210 in the short direction.

  An example of the material constituting the reflector 220 is white resin. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the reflector 220 includes a plurality of functional parts. According to an example, the plurality of functional parts include a light shielding part 221 constituting a main part of the reflection plate 220, a plurality of accommodating parts 222 protruding from the upper part and the lower part of the light shielding part 221, and an end part of the light shielding part 221. Each of which includes an umbrella 223 formed thereon. As shown in FIG. 13, the plurality of functional parts further include a plurality of spacers 224 protruding from the back surface of the light shielding portion 221 and a pair of fitting ribs 225 protruding from the back surface of the end portion of the light shielding portion 221.

  The cross-sectional shape along the short direction of the light shielding part 221 is substantially U-shaped. This shape is set to cover the reflection boundary surface 212, the upper surface 214, and the lower surface 215 of the light guide plate 210. The umbrella 223 is formed so as to protrude from the light shielding portion 221 to the upper surface side and the rear surface side. The cross-sectional shape along the short direction of the umbrella 223 is substantially L-shaped. This shape is set to cover a part of the chip LED 112 as shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the transparent cover 230 includes a plurality of functional parts. According to an example, the plurality of functional parts include a transmission part 231 constituting a main part of the transparent cover 230, a plurality of legs 232 protruding downward from the lower end of the transmission part 231, and a rear side from the upper end of the transmission part 231. A plurality of arms 233 protruding to the side are included. The transmission part 231 is a convex lens that collects light in the short direction of the transparent cover 230.

  The plurality of functional parts further includes a plurality of notches 234 formed between adjacent arms 233, an upper support part 235 protruding from the upper part of the rear surface of the transmission part 231, and a lower side protruding from the lower part of the rear surface of the transmission part 231. A support portion 236 is included. The upper support portion 235 and the lower support portion 236 are formed over the entire length of the transparent cover 230. In the upper support portion 235 and the lower support portion 236, the surface facing the transmission boundary surface 213 of the light guide plate 210 is a flat surface and extends in the longitudinal direction. The upper support part 235 and the lower support part 236 sandwich the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 between the lower case 40 (see FIG. 26).

  The elements of the optical element group 200 are combined as follows. As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the light guide part 216 of the light guide plate 210 is disposed in the light shielding part 221 of the reflection plate 220, and the protrusion 217 of the light guide plate 210 is disposed in the housing part 222 of the reflection plate 220. The light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 are combined. For this reason, the entire reflection boundary surface 212 shown in FIG. On the other hand, the incident boundary surface 211 and the transmission boundary surface 213 of the light guide plate 210 are not covered by the reflection plate 220.

  According to the above coupling, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the upper surface 214 and the lower surface 215 of the light guide plate 210 are in contact with the inner surface of the light shielding portion 221. For this reason, the position of the light guide plate 210 relative to the reflection plate 220 is determined in the short direction of the reflection plate 220.

  In addition, according to the above-described coupling, the side surface along the short direction of each protrusion 217 is in contact with the inner surface of the accommodating portion 222. For this reason, the position of the light guide plate 210 relative to the reflection plate 220 is determined in the longitudinal direction of the reflection plate 220.

  The state where the position of the light guide plate 210 in the longitudinal direction of the reflection plate 220 and the position of the light guide plate 210 in the short direction of the reflection plate 220 are determined as described above is a state where the light guide plate 210 is fixed to the reflection plate 220. It is an example.

  The combined light guide plate 210 and reflecting plate 220 are arranged on the back surface of the transparent cover 230 shown in FIG. 13 and combined with the transparent cover 230, whereby the elements of the optical element group 200 are combined. Each part of the combined optical element group 200 has the following relationship.

  Each accommodating portion 222 on the upper side of the reflection plate 220 is fitted into the notch 234 of the transparent cover 230. For this reason, the position of the reflecting plate 220 with respect to the transparent cover 230 in the longitudinal direction of the optical element group 200 is determined. The upper support portion 235 and the lower support portion 236 of the transparent cover 230 support the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220, respectively. Based on this relationship, the front positions of the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 with respect to the transparent cover 230 are determined.

  Since the combined light guide plate 210 and reflector 220 are supported in the longitudinal direction by the upper support portion 235 and the lower support portion 236, an impact force applied to the front wall 22 of the case 20 (see FIG. 6). Is distributed. For this reason, a strong force is not easily transmitted to the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220.

  The arm 233 of the transparent cover 230 covers the reflection plate 220 from above and contacts the upper surface of the light shielding unit 221. For this reason, the position of the reflecting plate 220 with respect to the transparent cover 230 on one side in the short direction of the optical element group 200 is determined.

  The state in which the position of the reflecting plate 220 in the longitudinal direction of the transparent cover 230 and the position of the reflecting plate 220 in one of the short sides of the transparent cover 230 are determined as described above is as follows. 230 is an example of a combined state.

  The combined optical element group 200 is combined with the lower assembly 60 as follows. Each receiving portion 222 on the lower side of the reflecting plate 220 shown in FIG. 13 is fitted into each element fitting recess 46 of the lower case 40 shown in FIG. Each leg 232 of the transparent cover 230 shown in FIG. 13 is fitted into an element fitting recess 56 formed by the lower case 40 and the bumper 50 shown in FIG. The state in which the accommodating portion 222 and the leg 232 are fitted in the corresponding recesses is an example of the state in which the combined optical element group 200 is fixed to the lower assembly 60.

25 and 26 show the relationship between the lower assembly 60 and the optical element group 200. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 25 or 26, the light guide plate 210 is disposed in the vicinity of the front wall 22 of the case 20. For this reason, the distance between the light guide plate 210 and the surface to be cleaned P is shortened. For this reason, the illumination intensity of the light irradiated to the to-be-cleaned surface P becomes high.

  For example, the arrangement of the light guide plate 210 is such that the position of the light guide plate 210 in the front-rear direction of the case 20 is between the front wall 22 and the core of the rotating brush 11 or the light guide plate 210 in the front-rear direction of the case 20. It can be defined by the distance from the front wall 22 being a predetermined distance or less. The predetermined distance is, for example, the radius or diameter of the rotating brush 11.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the spacer 224 of the reflecting plate 220 contacts the rib 45 of the lower case 40, and the upper support portion 235 and the lower support portion 236 of the transparent cover 230 support the light guide plate 210 and the reflecting plate 220, respectively. . For this reason, the reflecting plate 220 and the light guide plate 210 are held in an inclined posture so as to fall down to the front side of the case 20. For this reason, the reflection boundary surface 212 and the transmission boundary surface 213 of the light guide plate 210 are held in an inclined posture so as to fall down to the front side of the case 20.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the arm 233 of the transparent cover 230 sandwiches the reflector 220 and the light guide plate 210 between the upper part of the brush housing 20A. For this reason, the positions of the reflection plate 220 and the light guide plate 210 with respect to the lower assembly 60 in the height direction of the case 20 are determined.

  The tip of the arm 233 of the transparent cover 230 is abutted against the rib 45 rising from the brush housing 20A. This relationship contributes to weakening the force transmitted to the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 when a shocking force is applied to the case 20 from the front side.

  The upper case 30 further includes a plurality of support ribs 36 protruding downward from the inner surface of the upper wall 31 near the front wall 32. When the upper case 30 is coupled to the lower assembly 60, the front wall 32 and the rib 45 of the upper case 30 sandwich the arm 233 therebetween, and the support rib 36 holds the arm 233 from above. For this reason, the position of the optical element group 200 with respect to the case 20 is more reliably held.

  The upper support portion 235 of the transparent cover 230 supports the upper portions of the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220, and the lower support portion 236 supports the lower portions of the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220, and a wide range of the transmission boundary surface 213. Is opposed to the back surface of the transmission part 231 through a gap. For this reason, when a shocking force is applied to the front wall 22 of the case 20, a strong force is not easily transmitted to the main part including the center of the transmission boundary surface 213 of the light guide plate 210.

  The entire transmission part 231 of the transparent cover 230 is disposed inside the case 20 with respect to the front wall 52 of the bumper 50. This arrangement contributes to preventing the case 20 from contacting the transmitting part 231 even if the case 20 collides with a surrounding object. Further, approximately the entire transmission portion 231 is disposed inside the case 20 with respect to the front wall 32 of the upper case 30. This arrangement also contributes to preventing the object from coming into contact with the transmission part 231.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 19, one of the ribs 54 of the bumper 50 includes a rib fitting recess 55. The rib fitting recess 55 opens to the front side of the case 20. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the fitting rib 225 of the reflecting plate 220 is fitted into the rib fitting recess 55. This combination of elements contributes to more reliably holding the position of the optical element group 200 with respect to the case 20. For this reason, even if an impact force is applied to the case 20, the optical element group 200 is more difficult to move with respect to the case 20. For this reason, the positional relationship between the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 and the chip LED 112 is difficult to shift. Further, the possibility that the optical element group 200 contacts the light source 110 is further reduced.

  According to the state in which the optical element group 200 is attached to the lower assembly 60 (see FIG. 10), as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, the incident gap 120 is formed between the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 and the chip LED 112. Is formed. Further, a reflection gap 130 that is a gap narrower than the incident gap 120 is formed between the end face of the umbrella 223 and the light source substrate 111. According to an example, the distance of the incident gap 120 is about 0.5 mm, and the distance of the reflection gap 130 is about 0.3 mm.

  For this reason, even if a shocking force is applied to the case 20 and the light guide plate 210 moves in a direction approaching the light source 110, the umbrella 223 is light sourced before the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 contacts the chip LED 112. Contact the substrate 111. For this reason, the possibility that the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 contacts the chip LED 112 is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 9, after the light source 110 is assembled to the lower assembly 60, the reflector 220 is assembled to the lower assembly 60 from above the lower assembly 60. For this reason, the shape of the umbrella 223 is set to a shape that does not interfere with the light source 110. The umbrella 223 suppresses the light output from the chip LED 112 from traveling to a portion other than the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210, and contributes to increasing the incident efficiency of light on the incident boundary surface 211.

  FIG. 27 shows models of the light source 110, the light guide plate 210, and the transparent cover 230. The positional relationship between the chip LED 112 and the incident boundary surface 211 is set so that, for example, the normal line passing through the center of the output surface of the chip LED 112 substantially matches the normal line passing through the center of the incident boundary surface 211.

  The reflection boundary surface 212 includes a reflection region R1 where a prism is formed and a pair of transmission regions R2 where a prism is not formed. Each transmission region R2 is formed from the incident boundary surface 211 to a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction. The reflection region R1 is formed between one transmission region R2 and the other transmission region R2. The transmission region R2 is formed mainly with the intention of obtaining the following action.

  According to another form that the light guide plate 210 can take, the entire reflection boundary surface 212 is set in the reflection region R1. On the other hand, in the area near the chip LED 112, the luminance of light is high. For this reason, according to said another form, light with high brightness | luminance may be reflected by the reflective interface 212. FIG. When this light is visually recognized by the user, the user may feel strong glare. Therefore, the light guide plate 210 of the fifth embodiment forms a transmissive region R2, thereby weakening the degree of light reflection in the vicinity of the chip LED 112 as compared to the other embodiment.

  According to an example, the prism is constituted by a number of V grooves. The number of V-grooves shown is an example. The V-groove is formed symmetrically with respect to the center line passing through the center of the light guide plate 210 in the longitudinal direction. The prism pattern is set so that light is efficiently reflected in each of the front-rear direction and the inclination direction of the suction tool 10, and further, a predetermined component is included in the light reflected by the reflection boundary surface 212. Is done.

  An example of the predetermined component includes a component that travels along the front-rear direction of the case 20 in a plan view of the case 20 and a component that travels obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case 20. The component that travels obliquely includes a component that transmits a portion on the right side of the center of the transmission boundary surface 213 in the width direction and a component that transmits a portion on the left side of the center of the transmission boundary surface 213 in the width direction. These components intersect at the front side of the front wall 22 of the case 20 after passing through the transmission boundary surface 213. An example of the tilt direction is a direction having an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the front-rear direction. The main factors that determine the prism pattern are the angle, depth, and pitch of the prism.

  The depth of the V groove gradually becomes deeper from the incident boundary surface 211 side toward the longitudinal center of the light guide plate 210. This is intended to relatively increase the degree of light reflection at the center side because light is less likely to reach the center side of the light guide plate 210 in the longitudinal direction. This pattern design contributes to suppressing light unevenness in the longitudinal direction of the suction tool 10. The change in the depth of the V-groove in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210 is preferably smooth.

25 and 26 show the optical element group 200 and an enlarged structure around it.
The irradiation range (hereinafter “unit irradiation range”) of light formed on the surface to be cleaned P by the illumination unit 100 is determined by various factors. The relationship between the window 28 and the optical element group 200 corresponds to one of them. According to an example, the relationship between the window 28 and the optical element group 200 is defined as follows based on the relationship between each normal line and line segment shown in the figure.

  The normal line NX is a normal line of the transmission boundary surface 213 that passes through the center of the light guide 216. The normal line NT is a normal line of the transmission boundary surface 213 that passes through an angle formed by the transmission boundary surface 213 and the upper surface 214. The normal line NB is a normal line of the transmission boundary surface 213 that passes through an angle formed by the transmission boundary surface 213 and the lower surface 215. The line segment SA is a line segment defined with an angle formed by the transmission boundary surface 213 and the lower surface 215 as a base point.

  The edge of the front wall 32 of the upper case 30 exists above the normal line NT. The guide surface 57 of the bumper 50 exists below the normal line NB. An angle TA (see FIG. 30) formed by the normal line NX and the line segment SA is an angle in which the directivity characteristics of the light guide unit 216 are included in a predetermined range. According to the illustrated example, the formed angle TA is about 20 °.

  The transmissive portion 231 of the transparent cover 230 has a shape that encompasses both the region between the normal line NT and the normal line NB and the region corresponding to the formed angle TA. This setting of the shape reduces the possibility that the light transmitted through the transmission boundary surface 213 of the light guide plate 210 is blocked by the window 28 and contributes to the light reaching a wide range on the front side of the front wall 22 of the case 20. To do.

  FIG. 28 shows an example of the light irradiation range in plan view of the suction tool 10. FIG. 29 shows an example of an irradiation range of light in the front view of the suction tool 10. FIG. 30 shows an example of a light irradiation range in the side view of the suction tool 10. The light irradiation range shown in each drawing is an example in which the specifications of each element of the suction tool 10 are set as follows.

  The width of the case 20 is about 230 mm. The longitudinal dimension of the light guide 216 is about 200 mm. The longitudinal dimension of the light guide plate 210 with respect to the width of the case 20 is about 85%. The dimension of the light guide 216 in the short direction is about 5 mm. The thickness of the light guide 216 is about 2 mm.

  The length of the transmission part 231 in the transparent cover 230 in the longitudinal direction is about 196 mm. The setting of this dimension is intended to set the length of the transmission part 231 as long as possible within a range shorter than the length of the light guide plate 210.

  The formation range (see FIG. 27) of the transmission region R2 of the light guide plate 210 is about 5 mm. The width of the chip LED 112 is about 1.4 m. The height of the chip LED 112 is about 3 mm. In addition, each dimension is an example and does not intend restrict | limiting the structure which each element can take.

  According to an example of the characteristics of the chip LED 112, the luminous flux when a forward current of about 60 mA is supplied to the chip LED 112 is about 43.1 lm. The circuit board 70 (see FIG. 9) supplies a constant current to the chip LED 112. An example is about 25 mA.

  The illumination unit 100 forms a substantially trapezoidal unit irradiation range on the surface to be cleaned P (see FIGS. 28 to 30). For this reason, the unit irradiation range has the following four boundaries. The first boundary is a front boundary in the unit irradiation range (hereinafter “front boundary”). The second boundary is a rear boundary in the unit irradiation range (hereinafter “rear boundary”). The third and fourth boundaries are the right and left boundaries in the unit irradiation range (hereinafter “side boundaries”, respectively).

  The dominant factors related to the position of the front boundary are, for example, the following two factors. The first is the intensity of light output from the chip LED 112. The second is the angle TP formed by the normal line NX of the transmission boundary surface 213 shown in FIG. 30 and the surface to be cleaned P, and the center height of the light guide plate 210 (hereinafter “center height HC”). . The center height HC is a distance from the surface to be cleaned P to the center of the light guide plate 210. According to the lighting unit 100, the angle TP and the center height HC are set such that the distance LF between the front end of the front wall 22 and the front boundary is included in a predetermined range.

  The predetermined range is, for example, 90 mm to 110 mm. According to the illustrated example, the formed angle TP is set to about 17.8 °, the center height HC is set to 31.9 mm, and the distance LF is set to 93.2 mm. The setting of this distance contributes to the light reaching the surface to be cleaned P that is located farther on the front side of the front wall 22 of the case 20.

  A dominant factor related to the position of the rear boundary is the inclination angle of the guide surface 57 formed on the front wall 52 of the bumper 50. The inclination angle of the guide surface 57 is indicated by an angle TB formed by a line segment SB that is a line segment that passes through the guide surface 57 and intersects the normal line NX, and the normal line NX. According to the lighting unit 100, the angle TB is set such that the distance LR between the front end of the front wall 22 and the rear boundary is included in a predetermined range.

  The predetermined range is, for example, 8 mm to 18 mm. According to the illustrated example, the angle formed between the normal line NX and the line segment SB is set to about 42.2 °, and the distance LR is set to about 13.1 mm. This setting of the distance contributes to irradiating light to the surface to be cleaned P existing in the vicinity of the front wall 22 of the case 20.

For example, the suction tool 10 operates as follows.
When the circuit board 70 shown in FIG. 10 supplies a current to the light source board 111, the chip LED 112 outputs light. As shown in FIG. 27, the light output from the chip LED 112 enters the light guide plate 210 from the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210. A part of the light output from the chip LED 112 and traveling in a direction different from the incident boundary surface 211 is reflected by the umbrella 223 (see FIGS. 14 and 16) of the reflection plate 220, and is transmitted from the incident boundary surface 211 to the light guide plate 210. Incident inside.

  The light incident on the inside of the light guide plate 210 is transmitted directly through the transmission boundary surface 213 or reflected by the reflection boundary surface 212 and transmitted through the transmission boundary surface 213. The light transmitted through the transmission boundary surface 213 is collected by the transmission part 231 of the transparent cover 230 and then reaches the surface to be cleaned P. For this reason, a substantially trapezoidal unit irradiation range is formed on the surface to be cleaned P, and an environment in which dust existing on the surface to be cleaned P is easily visible is provided to the user.

According to the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 5, in addition to the effects (1) to (17) obtained by the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 4, the following effects are further obtained.
(18) The lighting unit 100 covers the chip LED 112 with the umbrella 223 of the reflection plate 220. According to this configuration, part or all of the light output from the chip LED 112 and traveling toward the portion other than the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 is reflected by the umbrella 223. For this reason, the quantity of the light which injects into the entrance boundary surface 211 increases, and the quantity of the light irradiated to the to-be-cleaned surface P from the illumination unit 100 increases. For this reason, the visibility of the garbage by a user improves.

  (19) The light guide plate 210 has a transmission region R <b> 2 on the reflection boundary surface 212. According to this configuration, since the degree of light reflection in the vicinity of the chip LED 112 is weakened, the possibility of causing the user to feel strong glare is reduced.

  (20) The end of the light guide plate 210 in the longitudinal direction is covered with the front wall 22 of the case 20. According to this configuration, the front wall 22 prevents light in the vicinity of the chip LED 112 from traveling to the front side of the case 20. For this reason, a possibility that a user may feel strong glare is reduced.

  (21) The light guide plate 210 includes a prism on the reflection boundary surface 212. According to this configuration, even if the length of the light guide plate 210 with respect to the width of the case 20 is set short, the width of the unit irradiation range can be widened by the prism pattern design. For this reason, a substantially trapezoidal unit irradiation range can be formed on the surface P to be cleaned. Moreover, the freedom degree regarding the setting of the length of the longitudinal direction of the window 28 of the case 20 and the light-guide plate 210 is raised.

  (22) The depth of the V-groove constituting the prism of the reflection boundary surface 212 gradually increases from the longitudinal end of the light guide plate 210 toward the center. According to this configuration, since the prism strongly reflects light on the center side in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210 that is relatively difficult for light to reach, unevenness of light hardly occurs in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210.

  (23) The prism of the light guide plate 210 is configured such that the light reflected on the left side of the suction tool 10 in the width direction and the light reflected on the right side intersect each other around the center in the width direction in front of the case 20. Pattern designed. According to this configuration, a region where the user's viewpoint is likely to concentrate becomes brighter, and a lot of dust shadows are formed by irradiation of light from the left and right, so that the visibility of the dust by the user is further improved.

  (24) The accommodating portion 222 of the reflecting plate 220 is fitted into the element fitting recess 46 of the lower case 40. According to this configuration, even if a shocking force is applied to the side wall 23 of the case 20, the reflecting plate 220 hardly moves in the width direction with respect to the lower case 40. For this reason, the possibility that the reflection plate 220 contacts the light source substrate 111 is reduced.

  (25) The protrusion 217 of the light guide plate 210 is fitted into the accommodating portion 222 of the reflection plate 220. According to this configuration, even if a shocking force is applied to the side wall 23 of the case 20, the light guide plate 210 is difficult to move in the longitudinal direction with respect to the reflection plate 220. For this reason, the possibility that the light guide plate 210 contacts the chip LED 112 is reduced.

  (26) The transparent cover 230 also serves as a lens. According to this configuration, since the light diffused over a wide range by the light guide plate 210 is collected by the transparent cover 230, the amount of light irradiated to the surface to be cleaned P increases.

  (27) The upper case 30 is formed by two-color molding, and the upper front case 30A has a color with low light transmittance. According to this configuration, the light output from the light source 110 or the light transmitted through the light guide plate 210 is not easily transmitted through the upper case 30. For this reason, light is efficiently irradiated from the illumination unit 100 to the surface P to be cleaned. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the formation of a state in which at least one of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 is dimly illuminated, and an aesthetic appearance is easily obtained.

  (28) The bumper 50 has a color with low light transmittance. According to this configuration, the light output from the light source 110 is unlikely to pass through the bumper 50. For this reason, light is efficiently irradiated from the illumination unit 100 to the surface P to be cleaned. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the formation of a state in which at least one of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 is dimly illuminated, and an aesthetic appearance is easily obtained.

  (29) The lower case 40 has a color with low light transmittance. According to this configuration, the light output from the light source 110 is unlikely to pass through the lower case 40. For this reason, light is efficiently irradiated from the illumination unit 100 to the surface P to be cleaned. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the formation of a state in which at least one of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 is dimly illuminated, and an aesthetic appearance is easily obtained.

  (30) The transmission part 231 of the transparent cover 230 is arranged inside the case 20 with respect to the front wall 32 of the upper case 30 and the front wall 52 of the bumper 50. According to this configuration, when the front wall 22 of the case 20 collides with a surrounding object, the possibility that the transparent cover 230 collides with the object is reduced. For this reason, the transparent cover 230 and the light guide plate 210 are not easily damaged. Further, since the transparent cover 230 is not easily damaged, the transparency of the transparent cover 230 is not easily lowered. For this reason, the possibility that the illuminance decreases due to scratches on the transparent cover 230 is reduced.

  (31) The leg 232 of the transparent cover 230 is fitted into the element fitting recess 56 of the bumper 50. Further, the tip of the arm 233 is abutted against the rib 45 of the lower case 40. In addition, the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 are disposed on the back side of the transparent cover 230. According to this configuration, when a shocking force is applied to the front wall 22 of the case 20, the leg 232 and the element fitting recess 56, and the arm 233 and the rib 45 receive the force. It is difficult for force to be transmitted to the reflector 220. For this reason, the possibility that the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 are damaged is reduced.

  (32) The upper support portion 235 of the transparent cover 230 supports the upper portion of the light guide plate 210, and the lower support portion 236 supports the lower portion of the light guide plate 210. According to this configuration, even if an impact force is applied to the front wall 22 of the case 20, the force is dispersed in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210 by the upper support portion 235 and the lower support portion 236. Further, the transmission part 231 is unlikely to contact the transmission boundary surface 213. For this reason, a possibility that the main part including the center of the permeation | transmission boundary surface 213 of the light-guide plate 210 will be reduced is reduced. That is, the possibility that one of the main functions of the lighting unit 100 is impaired is reduced.

  (33) The suction tool of Patent Document 1 does not have a light source around the center in the width direction of the case. For this reason, the amount of light irradiated around the center in the width direction of the case is secured by finely adjusting the optical axes of the pair of light sources arranged near the side walls of the case. On the other hand, the suction tool 10 of Embodiment 5 includes a light guide plate 210 disposed over a wide range including the center in the width direction of the case 20. For this reason, even if it does not finely adjust the optical axis of a light source like the suction tool of patent document 1, the quantity with which light is irradiated over the wide area | region in the width direction of case 20 is securable. For this reason, the design relating to the arrangement of the light sources is simplified.

  (34) The vacuum cleaner 300 includes the suction tool 10. The user of the vacuum cleaner 300 can clean the surface to be cleaned while irradiating the surface to be cleaned P with the suction tool 10. For this reason, the electric vacuum cleaner 300 can provide a user with an easy-to-clean environment.

(Modification)
The description regarding each embodiment is an illustration of the form which the vacuum cleaner and its suction tool according to this invention can take, and it is not intending restrict | limiting the form. The vacuum cleaner and its suction tool according to the present invention may take a form in which, for example, the following modifications of the embodiments and combinations of at least two modifications not contradicting each other are combined.

According to the case 20 of the modified example, the edge of the front wall 32 constituting the window 28 is set substantially on the normal line NT.
-According to the case 20 of a modification, the edge of the front wall 52 which comprises the window 28 exists in the substantially same position as the normal line NB.

  The pattern design of the light guide plate 210 is an arbitrary choice. The illumination unit 100 of the modification has a prism pattern design in which an irradiation range different from the light irradiation range shown in FIGS. 28 to 30 is formed.

  The formation range and position of the reflection region R1 and the transmission region R2 on the reflection boundary surface 212 of the light guide plate 210 are arbitrary selection items. According to the light guide plate 210 of the modification, the entire reflection boundary surface 212 is set in the reflection region R1. According to the light guide plate 210 of another modified example, a predetermined range including the center in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 210 is set as the transmission region R2. Further, according to the light guide plate 210 of another modification, the entire reflection boundary surface 212 is set in the transmission region R2. In this case, for example, the reflection plate 220 tries to replace the prism of the reflection boundary surface 212. It should be noted that the reflective plate 220 can be used instead of the prism of the reflective boundary surface 212 even when the reflective plate 220 is formed integrally with the light guide plate 210.

  The arrangement form of the light guide plate 210 is an arbitrary selection item. According to an example, the entire light guide plate 210 is disposed behind the window 28. In this case, the length of the light guide plate 210 approximately matches the length of the window 28.

  The cross-sectional shape along the short direction of the light guide plate 210 is an arbitrary choice. The light guide plate 210 of the modified example has a cross-sectional shape different from the rectangular parallelepiped shape. One example is a substantially semicircular shape, a substantially triangular shape, a substantially U shape, or a substantially L shape.

The posture of the light guide plate 210 with respect to the case 20 is an arbitrary selection item. According to the suction tool 10 of the modification, the light guide plate 210 is arranged substantially upright with respect to the case 20.
-According to the light guide plate 210 of the modified example, the shape of the light guide plate 210 is set so that the reflection boundary surface 212 has a posture of falling to the front side of the case 20 and the transmission boundary surface 213 has another posture.

  -According to the light guide plate 210 of the modified example, the shape of the light guide plate 210 is set so that the transmission boundary surface 213 has a posture of falling down to the front side of the case 20 and the reflection boundary surface 212 has another posture.

  The light guide plate 210 of the modified example includes a diffusing agent instead of the structure for diffusing light by the V groove of the prism. Still another form of the light guide plate 210 has a structure in which light is diffused by both the V-groove and the diffusing agent.

  The modified suction tool 10 can be configured to adjust the position of the light source 110 when the reflector 220 is disposed on the lower assembly 60, or the light source 110 is disposed on the lower assembly after the reflector 220 is disposed on the lower assembly 60. The structure which can be arrange | positioned to 60 is provided. In this case, the umbrella 223 of the reflection plate 220 may take a structure that further covers the chip LED 112 from the front side and the lower side of the case 20. In the case where the umbrella 223 has the structure, the whole or almost the entire periphery of the chip LED 112 is covered with the umbrella 223. For this reason, the light output from the light source 110 enters the incident boundary surface 211 more efficiently.

  The arrangement form of the transparent cover 230 is an arbitrary selection item. According to the suction tool 10 of the modified example, the transparent cover 230 is disposed behind the window 28 instead of the form in which the transparent cover 230 is fitted into the window 28.

  -The transparent cover 230 of a modification is further provided with the 2nd arm which protrudes from the back lower surface of the permeation | transmission part 231. FIG. The cross-sectional shape along the short direction of the transparent cover 230 is substantially U-shaped. Like the arm 233, the tip of the second arm contacts the rib 45 of the lower case 40. The arm 233 and the second arm sandwich the light guide plate 210 and the reflection plate 220 therebetween. According to this configuration, when a shocking force is applied to the front wall 22 of the case 20, the force is received by the arm 233 and the second arm. For this reason, the force applied to the light guide plate 210 is further weakened, and the light guide plate 210 is hardly damaged.

  The function of the lens with respect to the transparent cover 230 is an optional choice. The modified transparent cover 230 does not include the function of a convex lens. In this case, the illumination unit 100 may take a form in which a lens is arranged on the front side of the light guide plate 210 separately from the transparent cover 230 or a form in which no lens is arranged.

  The transparent cover 230 of the modification has a function of a concave lens instead of the function of a convex lens. In this case, the light transmitted through the light guide plate 210 is diffused by the concave lens. For this reason, the irradiation range of light is managed by the concave lens, and soft light is irradiated to a wide range of the surface to be cleaned P. In another form of the transparent cover 230, one of the front surface and the back surface of the transparent cover 230 is convex, or one of the front surface and the back surface of the transparent cover 230 is concave. In still another form of the transparent cover 230, one of the front and back surfaces of the transparent cover 230 is convex, and the other of the front and back surfaces of the transparent cover 230 is concave.

The illumination unit 100 according to the modification has a configuration in which one light source 110 is omitted from the illumination unit 100 of the third or fourth embodiment.
-According to the illumination unit 100 of the modification, the light guide plate 210 is directly fixed to the case 20.

  -According to the illumination unit 100 of the modification, the incident gap 120 is not formed, and the incident boundary surface 211 of the light guide plate 210 and the chip LED 112 are in contact with each other. According to this configuration, the light output from the chip LED 112 enters the light guide plate 210 more efficiently.

The lighting unit 100 according to the modification includes a light source 110 at a position overlapping the rotating brush 11 in the width direction of the case 20.
-The illumination unit 100 of a modification is provided with LED of another type instead of surface mount type LED. One example is a bullet-type LED or a bulb-type LED lamp.

  The illumination unit 100 of the modified example irradiates light to another region in addition to the region on the front side of the case 20. Moreover, the illumination unit 100 of another modification irradiates light to another area instead of the area on the front side of the case 20. An example of another region is one or more of a region on the side of the case 20, a region on the rear side of the case 20, and a region on the bottom side of the case 20. The region on the front side of the case 20 and the other region are examples of the periphery of the case 20.

The lighting unit 100 according to the modification includes a light source 110 as a separate element from the suction tool 10. One example is the auxiliary suction tool 90.
The lighting unit 100 according to the modification includes a plurality of optical element groups 200 arranged side by side in the width direction of the suction tool 10.

  The detailed description above is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, each of the above-described embodiments, or one or a plurality of modifications, includes room for being combined with each other as necessary. Technical features or subject matter of the present disclosure may be present in fewer than all features of a particular embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. The scope of the present disclosure is determined based on both the rights conferred by the claims and the full scope of equivalents thereof.

(Appendix)
[1] A suction tool for a vacuum cleaner comprising a case having a suction port and a light guide plate for guiding light to the periphery of the case.

  In order to appropriately irradiate light immediately below the front of the case with the conventional lighting unit, it is required to arrange the bullet-type LED in the front part of the case as much as possible. On the other hand, for example, since the thickness of the front wall of the suction tool is set to be thin, it may not be allowed to dispose the bullet-type LED in front of the rotating brush. In that case, for example, a bullet-type LED is disposed on the upper side of the rotating brush, and the light irradiation range by the illumination unit is adjusted by adjusting the direction of the optical axis, the number of bullet-type LEDs, and the like. Thus, according to the conventional suction tool, a comparatively big restriction | limiting may be imposed regarding adjustment of the irradiation range of light.

  On the other hand, the light irradiation method provided in the suction tool is an irradiation method using a light guide plate that is an element that outputs light to the surface to be cleaned. According to this irradiation method, compared with an irradiation method using a bullet-type LED, which is another element that outputs light to the surface to be cleaned, the area that the element that outputs light occupies in the front-rear direction of the suction tool is set narrower. There is a lot of room. For this reason, according to the present suction tool, even if the arrangement form in which the light guide plate is arranged in the front part of the suction tool is incorporated, the influence on the arrangement of other elements constituting the suction tool is small, or There is virtually no impact on placement. For this reason, this suction tool can adjust the irradiation range of light easily.

[2] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, the light guide plate has an elongated shape and is disposed along the width direction of the case. Suction tool.
According to this suction tool, light is irradiated to a wide range in the width direction in front of the case. For this reason, light unevenness in the width direction of the case is less likely to occur.

  [3] An example of the suction tool of the electric vacuum cleaner further includes a rotating brush disposed in the suction port, and a brush housing formed in the case and accommodating the rotating brush, wherein the light guide plate includes the light guide plate. The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to [2], which is disposed on the brush housing.

  According to an example of a conventional suction tool, a bullet-type LED, which is an element that outputs light to the surface to be cleaned, is disposed on the upper side of the brush housing and at a position away from the brush housing. According to this suction tool, compared with this conventional suction tool, the light guide plate, which is an element that outputs light to the surface to be cleaned, is disposed in the vicinity of the brush housing. For this reason, the room which can set the height of a case low expands.

  [4] An example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner further includes a light source that outputs light, and an incident boundary surface that is a boundary surface formed at an end portion in a longitudinal direction of the light guide plate and the light source face each other. The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to [2] or [3].

  According to the present suction tool, compared to the case where the light source is arranged above the case with respect to the light guide plate, the area occupied by the light guide plate and the light source in the vertical direction of the case is difficult to expand. For this reason, the room which sets the height of a case low, for example expands.

[5] According to an example of the vacuum cleaner suction tool, the vacuum cleaner suction tool according to [4], wherein a gap is formed between the incident boundary surface and the light source.
According to this suction tool, even if a shocking force is applied to the case and the light guide plate moves relative to the case, the light guide plate is unlikely to contact the light source. For this reason, the possibility that the light source is damaged is reduced.

  [6] According to an example of the suction tool of the electric vacuum cleaner, the light source is arranged on the outer side in the width direction of the case with respect to the end portion of the rotating brush. Or the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner as described in said [5] which quotes the [4].

  According to this suction tool, the position of the light source in the height direction of the case is not easily restricted by the rotating brush. For this reason, room for setting the positions of the light source and the light guide plate in the height direction of the case low is widened.

  [7] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, the light guide plate transmits light reflected by a reflection boundary surface that is a back surface of the light guide plate through a transmission boundary surface that is the front surface of the light guide plate. The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to any one of [1] to [6].

  According to the present suction tool, since the light reflected by the reflective boundary surface is guided to the periphery of the case, the light irradiated on the surface to be cleaned is compared with the case where the light traveling inside the light guide plate is not reflected. The amount increases.

  [8] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, at least one of the reflection boundary surface and the transmission boundary surface is inclined so as to fall down to the front side of the case. Vacuum cleaner suction tool.

  According to the present suction tool, the light transmitted through the light guide plate travels approximately downward in front of the case. For this reason, light is appropriately irradiated to the area where the user's line of sight is likely to concentrate on the surface to be cleaned, and the visibility of dust by the user is improved.

[9] The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to [7] or [8], in which an example of the vacuum cleaner suction tool further includes a transparent cover facing the transmission boundary surface.
According to the present suction tool, even if the case collides with a surrounding object, the transparent cover prevents the object from contacting the light guide plate. For this reason, the possibility that the light guide plate is damaged is reduced.

[10] According to an example of the vacuum cleaner suction tool, the vacuum cleaner suction tool according to [9], wherein the transparent cover also serves as a lens.
According to the present suction tool, since the light transmitted through the light guide plate is condensed or diffused by the transparent cover, the range of light irradiated from the light guide plate to the surface to be cleaned is likely to be stable. In addition, compared to the case where a lens is present separately from the transparent cover, the area occupied by the illumination element in the front-rear direction of the case is difficult to expand.

[11] The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to any one of [7] to [10], wherein the vacuum cleaner suction tool further includes a reflecting plate facing the reflective boundary surface.
According to the present suction tool, the light traveling to the back side of the light guide plate is reflected by the reflecting plate, and the light may travel to the front side of the light guide plate. For this reason, the light incident on the light guide plate from the light source is efficiently applied to the surface to be cleaned.

[12] According to an example of the vacuum cleaner suction tool, the vacuum cleaner suction tool according to any one of [7] to [11], wherein a prism is formed on the reflection boundary surface.
According to the present suction tool, the direction of the light reflected by the reflection boundary surface is determined by the prism pattern. For this reason, the freedom degree regarding the setting of the irradiation range of the light formed in a to-be-cleaned surface is raised.

  [13] According to an example of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner, the prism pattern is a component that travels along the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case, with respect to the light reflected by the reflection boundary surface. And the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner as described in said [12] which is a pattern containing the component which advances diagonally with respect to the front-back direction of the said case in planar view of the said case.

  According to the present suction tool, light traveling along the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case easily reaches a far side on the front side of the case. Further, the light traveling obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case tends to spread in the width direction of the case on the front side of the case. For this reason, a wide light irradiation range is formed on the front side of the case.

[14] One form of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes the suction tool according to any one of [1] to [13].
The user of the electric vacuum cleaner can clean the surface to be cleaned while irradiating the surface to be cleaned with the suction tool. For this reason, this vacuum cleaner can provide a user with an easy-to-clean environment.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a vacuum cleaner suction tool used in various environments including a household vacuum cleaner suction tool and a commercial vacuum cleaner suction tool.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Suction tool 11: Rotary brush 12: Electric motor 13: Belt 14: Pedal 20: Case 20A: Brush housing 21: Bottom wall 22: Front wall 23: Side wall 24: Rear wall 25: Top wall 26: Accommodating space 27: Suction Port 28: Window 29: Suction passage 30: Upper case 30A: Upper front case 30B: Upper rear case 31: Upper wall 32: Front wall 33: Side wall 34: Rear wall 35: Upper suction port 40: Lower case 41: Bottom wall 42: Front wall 43: Side wall 44: Rear wall 45: Rib 46: Element fitting recess 47: Upper suction port 50: Bumper 51: Bottom wall 52: Front wall 53: Side wall 54: Rib 55: Rib fitting recess 56: Element fitting recess 57: Guide surface 60: Lower assembly 61: Suction tool placement portion 62: Lever placement portion 63: Board placement portion 64: Switch placement Part 65: Motor arrangement part 66: Upper suction part 67: Light source arrangement part 68: Optical element arrangement part 70: Circuit board 71: Lead wire 80: Switch unit 81: Limit switch 82: Wheel type switch 83: Switch cover 90: Auxiliary Suction tool 91: Suction passage 100: Illumination unit 110: Light source 111: Light source substrate 112: Chip LED
120: Incident gap 130: Reflection gap 200: Optical element group 210: Light guide plate 211: Incident boundary surface 212: Reflective boundary surface 213: Transmission boundary surface 214: Upper surface 215: Lower surface 216: Light guide portion 217: Projection 220: Reflector plate 221: Shading part 222: Housing part 223: Umbrella 224: Spacer 225: Fitting rib 230: Transparent cover 231: Transmission part 232: Leg 233: Arm 234: Notch 235: Upper support part 236: Lower support part 300: Electricity Vacuum cleaner 310: Body 311: Electric blower 312: Power cord 320: Hose 330: Extension pipe R1: Reflection area R2: Transmission area P: Surface to be cleaned TP: Angle formed TA: Angle formed TB: Angle formed HC: Center height NX: normal NT: normal NB: normal SA: line segment SB: line segment LF: distance LR: distance

Claims (7)

A case with a suction port;
A rotating brush supported by the case so as to be rotatable with respect to the case;
A light source disposed outside the rotating brush in the width direction of the case in the case ;
A light guide plate for guiding the light output from the light source,
A light incident boundary surface is formed at an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate, and the surface to be cleaned is irradiated with light transmitted through the light guide plate when the incident boundary surface and the light source face each other. Machine suction tool. The suction tool for a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the light guide plate has an elongated shape and is disposed along the width direction of the case. The case includes a front wall;
The front wall includes a window for irradiating the surface to be cleaned with light output from the light source,
The light sources are arranged on both the left and right sides in the case,
The light guide plate is disposed between the light source disposed on the left side of the case and the light source disposed on the right side of the case;
At least part of the light guide plate faces the window.
The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to claim 1 or 2 . The light guide plate is formed on the back surface of the light guide plate and includes a reflective boundary surface that reflects light forward, and a transmission boundary surface that is formed on the front surface of the light guide plate and irradiates light forward.
Part of the light output from the light source is transmitted forward through the light guide plate, then reflected forward by the reflective boundary surface, and irradiated to the front of the light guide plate by the transmission boundary surface.
The suction tool of the vacuum cleaner as described in any one of Claims 1-3 . At least one of the reflection boundary surface and the transmission boundary surface is inclined so as to fall down to the front side of the case.
The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to claim 4 . The reflective interface comprises a prism;
The prism pattern includes a component that travels along the front-rear direction of the case in a plan view of the case with respect to the light reflected by the reflection boundary surface, and the front-rear direction of the case in the plan view of the case Is a pattern that contains components that travel diagonally
The vacuum cleaner suction tool according to claim 4 or 5 . A vacuum cleaner provided with the suction tool as described in any one of Claims 1-6 .