JP6954206B2 - Suction device and vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a suction device and a vacuum cleaner.

The vacuum cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 below includes a stirrer in the form of a brush bar, and the bristles extending in a plurality of radial directions and the bristles of each other. It has a sealing material arranged between them. The vacuum cleaner head forms a chamber that at least partially surrounds the brush bar, a contaminated air inlet formed in the lower portion of the chamber, and a front opening that exposes the brush bar in front of the housing. Has a housing. The brush bar is rotationally supported with respect to the housing and is located inside the chamber so that the brush bar is in close contact with the housing, thereby limiting the flow of air through the front opening.

Japanese Patent No. 6193495

In the above-mentioned conventional technique, when trying to suck in relatively large dust, the brush bar rides on the large dust and a gap is created between the brush bar and the surface to be cleaned, the degree of vacuum on the surface to be cleaned is lowered, and the suction capacity is increased. descend. Also, when cleaning the wall, the brush bar comes into contact with the wall, making it difficult to suck up dust at the corners between the wall and the floor.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a suction tool and an electric vacuum cleaner that can suck in relatively large dust and are advantageous in improving the degree of vacuum on the surface to be cleaned. The purpose is to provide.

The suction tool according to the present invention is a suction tool for sucking dust from the surface to be cleaned, and has a body having a bottom opening, an internal space communicating with the bottom opening and allowing dust-containing air to pass through, and a front surface of the body. A front flocked portion having a plurality of hairs attached to the front wall forming the above, a side flocked portion arranged laterally with respect to the bottom opening, and a rear flocked portion arranged rearward with respect to the bottom opening. With wheels attached to the body , multiple bristles project below the lower edge of the front wall, and front flocked portions continue along the longitudinal direction of the bottom opening over the entire length of the bottom opening. The side flocked portion has a plurality of hairs protruding from the bottom surface of the body, and the rear flocked portion has a plurality of hairs protruding from the bottom surface of the body to clean the horizontal surface to be cleaned. In this state, the lower end of the front flocked part is in contact with the horizontal surface to be cleaned, the gap between the lower end of the front wall and the horizontal flocked surface is closed by the front flocked part, and the body is the horizontal surface to be cleaned. On top of it, supported by wheels, it can move on a horizontal surface to be cleaned, with front flocking, side flocking, and rear flocking surrounding the entire circumference of the bottom opening and the front wall. At least part of the is made of soft material, which allows the debris to reach the bottom opening by deforming the anterior flocked area and the front wall as the debris in front of the suction tool passes through the anterior flocked area. It is a thing.
Further, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes the suction tool and an electric blower that generates an air flow for sucking dust into the suction tool.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a suction tool and an electric vacuum cleaner that can suck in a relatively large amount of dust and are advantageous in improving the degree of vacuum with respect to the surface to be cleaned.

It is a perspective view which shows the electric vacuum cleaner according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which looked at the suction tool provided in the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1 from diagonally above. It is sectional drawing of the suction tool shown in FIG. It is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification with respect to FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the vacuum cleaner according to Embodiment 1. It is a bottom view of the suction tool according to the second embodiment. It is a side view of the suction tool according to Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals to simplify or omit duplicate description.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes a suction tool 2, a suction pipe 3, a suction hose 4, a vacuum cleaner main body 5, a handle 6, and an operation unit 7.

The suction tool 2 is detachably connected to one end of the suction pipe 3. The other end of the suction pipe 3 is detachably connected to one end of the suction hose 4. The other end of the suction hose 4 is detachably connected to the hose connection port of the vacuum cleaner main body 5.

The vacuum cleaner main body 5 includes an electric blower 5a that generates an air flow for sucking dust into the suction tool 2, and a dust separating portion that separates dust from air containing dust. The dust separation portion of the vacuum cleaner main body 5 may be, for example, a cyclone type or a paper pack type.

When the user uses the vacuum cleaner 1 for cleaning, the user grips the handle 6. An operation unit 7 having a switch or the like manually operated by the user is installed near the handle 6.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suction tool 2 included in the vacuum cleaner 1 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the suction tool 2 shown in FIG. As shown in these figures, the suction tool 2 includes a body 8 and a connecting pipe 9. The connecting pipe 9 is arranged on the rear surface side of the body 8 at the center of the body 8 in the longitudinal direction. The connecting pipe 9 is connected to the suction pipe 3 described above. The suction tool 2 is for sucking dust together with air while moving on a surface to be cleaned such as a floor surface. The suction tool 2 of the present embodiment is also called a vacuum cleaner head.

The body 8 has an elongated appearance formed by combining an upper case 8a and a lower case 8b. The length of the body 8 in the longitudinal direction may be, for example, in the range of 10 cm or more and 30 cm or less. As shown in FIG. 3, the body 8 has a bottom opening 8c and an internal space 8d. Dust-containing air flows into the body 8 through the bottom opening 8c. The internal space 8d communicates with the bottom opening 8c. The dust-containing air passes through the internal space 8d and moves to the inside of the connecting pipe 9.

The rotary cleaning body 10 is arranged in the internal space 8d. The rotary cleaning body 10 is rotatable. The rotary cleaning body 10 has hairs 10a in contact with the surface to be cleaned. The bristles 10a may be a large number of fibrous brush bristles made of a resin material such as nylon. When the rotary cleaning body 10 rotates, the bristles 10a scrape up the dust on the surface to be cleaned. The rotary cleaning body 10 is also called an agitator or a beater bar.

The body 8 includes a front wall 8e that forms the front surface of the body 8. The connecting pipe 9 is connected to the body 8 via a joint 11. The joints 11 allow the connecting tube 9 to rotate about a first and second rotation axes that are not parallel to the body 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction tool 2 includes a motor 12 that rotates the rotary cleaning body 10. The motor 12 is arranged inside the body 8. The driving force of the motor 12 is transmitted to the rotary cleaning body 10 via a power transmission mechanism such as a belt (not shown) to rotate the rotary cleaning body 10. The rotation axis of the rotary cleaning body 10 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the body 8.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first wheel 13 and the second wheel 14 are attached to the body 8. The body 8 can move smoothly on the surface to be cleaned by being supported by the first wheel 13 on the surface to be cleaned. The second wheel 14 is attached to the body 8 via a support member (not shown) that is rotatable with respect to the body 8. The second wheel 14 can be displaced with respect to the body 8 by rotating the support member. When the suction tool 2 is floating from the surface to be cleaned, the second wheel 14 projects downward from the bottom surface of the body 8. When the suction tool 2 is placed on the surface to be cleaned, the second wheel 14 retracts inside the body 8. The suction tool 2 has a built-in safety switch (not shown) that is turned on when the second wheel 14 is retracted and turned off when the second wheel 14 is projected. When this safety switch is turned on, the rotary cleaning body 10 is in a driveable state, and when the safety switch is turned off, the rotation of the rotary cleaning body 10 is stopped.

The motor 12 is an example of a drive unit that rotates the rotary cleaning body 10. Instead of this example, the drive unit that rotates the rotary cleaning body 10 may use, for example, a turbine that is rotated by an air flow.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction tool 2 includes a front flocking portion 8g having a plurality of bristles attached to the front wall 8e. The plurality of hairs of the front flocked portion 8g project below the lower end 8h of the front wall 8e. The plurality of hairs of the front flocked portion 8 g extend straight downward. The front flocked portion 8 g has a holding portion for holding the upper end portion, that is, the root portion of a plurality of hairs. In FIG. 4, for convenience, the cross section of the front flocked portion 8 g is represented by hatching with diagonal lines.

From the viewpoint of increasing the degree of vacuum in the internal space 8d of the suction tool 2, it is desirable that the position of the lower end 8h of the front wall 8e is low. However, if the position of the lower end 8h of the front wall 8e is low, the large dust in front of the suction tool 2 is repelled by the front wall 8e, and the large dust cannot be sucked.

In the following description, a horizontal and flat surface to be cleaned is referred to as a "horizontal cleaning surface". When the suction tool 2 cleans the horizontal cleaning surface, the gap between the lower end 8h of the front wall 8e and the horizontal cleaning surface is at least partially closed by the front flocked portion 8g. As a result, the following effects can be obtained. By closing the gap between the lower end 8h of the front wall 8e and the horizontal cleaning surface by the front flocked portion 8g, the degree of vacuum in the internal space 8d of the suction tool 2 can be increased. Therefore, excellent suction performance can be obtained. Since the front flocked portion 8 g is easily deformable, large dust in front of the suction tool 2 can easily reach the bottom opening 8c through the front flocked portion 8 g. Therefore, the large dust can be surely sucked in. When cleaning the wall, by making the front wall 8e in contact with the wall, dust at the corner between the wall and the floor can be reliably sucked up.

With the suction tool 2 cleaning the horizontal cleaning surface, the lower end of the front flocked portion 8g may come into contact with the horizontal cleaning surface. Further, with the suction tool 2 cleaning the horizontal cleaning surface, there may be a slight gap between the lower end of the front flocked portion 8g and the horizontal cleaning surface.

It is desirable that the front flocked portion 8g is formed along the longitudinal direction of the bottom opening 8c over almost the entire length of the bottom opening 8c.

It is desirable that at least a part of the front wall 8e is made of a relatively easily deformable soft material such as elastomer and vinyl chloride. By doing so, the following effects can be obtained. When the large dust in front of the suction tool 2 passes through the front flocked portion 8 g, not only the front flocked portion 8 g but also the front wall 8e is deformed, so that the large dust can reach the bottom opening 8c more easily. Therefore, the large dust can be sucked in more reliably.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example with respect to FIG. In the suction tool 2 of the modified example shown in FIG. 5, when the body 8 is viewed from the side surface, the protruding direction of the plurality of hairs of the front flocked portion 8g is diagonally downward toward the rear of the body 8. There is. According to this modification, the following effects can be obtained. Large debris in front of the suction tool 2 can more easily pass through the front flocked portion 8g. Therefore, the large dust can be sucked in more reliably.

It is desirable that the hair of 8 g of the front flocked portion is flexible. This is because if the hair of the front flocked portion 8 g is flexible, large dust in front of the suction tool 2 can easily pass through the front flocked portion 8 g. From this point of view, it is desirable that the hair of the front flocking portion 8g is more flexible than the hair 10a of the rotary cleaning body 10. Specifically, the first condition that the hair of the front flocked portion 8 g has a lower bending rigidity than the hair having the highest bending rigidity among the hairs 10a of the rotary cleaning body 10 and the thickness of the hair of the front flocked portion 8 g. However, the second condition, which is thinner than the thickest hair of the rotary cleaning body 10 and the length of the hair of the front flocking portion 8g, is longer than the shortest hair of the rotary cleaning body 10a. It is desirable to satisfy at least one of the third conditions. By doing so, the hair of the front flocked portion 8 g becomes flexible, and the above effect can be more reliably achieved.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes a control unit 16. The control unit 16 controls the operation of the electric blower 5a and the motor 12 based on the signal received from the operation unit 7. The control unit 16 can adjust the suction force of the electric blower 5a by adjusting the output of the electric blower 5a. The control unit 16 can adjust the rotation speed of the rotary cleaning body 10 by the motor 12. The control unit 16 may be realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the control unit 16 may include at least one processor 16a and at least one memory 16b.

In the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, the flow rate of air passing through the suction tool 2 when the electric blower 5a is operated at the maximum output ^{may be 1.0 m 3} / min or less. In the present embodiment, even in the case of such a relatively low air flow rate, the degree of vacuum of the internal space 8d of the suction tool 2 can be sufficiently increased by providing the front flocking portion 8g.

Embodiment 2.
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, but the differences from the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same part or the corresponding part will be simplified or explained. Omit. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the suction tool 2 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side view of the suction tool 2 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the suction tool 2 of the present embodiment includes side flocking portions 8i and 8j and a rear flocking portion 8k. The side flocked portions 8i and 8j are arranged laterally with respect to the bottom opening 8c. The side flocked portion 8i is on the opposite side of the side flocked portion 8j via the bottom opening 8c. The side flocked portions 8i and 8j have a plurality of hairs protruding from the bottom surface of the body 8. The rear flocked portion 8k is arranged rearward with respect to the bottom opening 8c. The rear flocked portion 8k has a plurality of hairs protruding from the bottom surface of the body 8. In FIG. 7, for convenience of easy viewing, the front flocked portion 8 g, the side flocked portions 8i, 8j, and the rear flocked portion 8k are shown as shaded areas.

In the present embodiment, by providing the side flocked portions 8i and 8j and the rear flocked portion 8k, the degree of vacuum of the internal space 8d of the suction tool 2 can be increased more reliably, so that more excellent suction performance can be obtained. Be done. Further, in the present embodiment, the front flocking portion 8g, the side flocking portions 8i, 8j, and the rear flocking portion 8k surround the entire circumference of the bottom opening 8c. As a result, the degree of vacuum in the internal space 8d of the suction tool 2 can be increased more reliably, so that even better suction performance can be obtained.

With the suction tool 2 cleaning the horizontal cleaning surface, the lower ends of the side flocking portions 8i and 8j and the rear flocking portion 8k may come into contact with the horizontal cleaning surface. Further, with the suction tool 2 cleaning the horizontal cleaning surface, there may be a slight gap between the lower ends of the side flocking portions 8i and 8j and the rear flocking portion 8k and the horizontal cleaning surface.

In the embodiment described above, a vacuum cleaner of a type generally called a canister type has been described as an example, but a vacuum cleaner of a type generally called a vertical type, an upright type, a stick type, a one-handed carrying type, or the like, Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to other types of vacuum cleaners, such as a type of vacuum cleaner called a shoulder-mounted type.

The present invention is also applicable to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves on the surface to be cleaned, which is generally called a robot vacuum cleaner. In this case, both a rotary cleaner and a suction tool having a drive unit for driving the rotary cleaner and an electric blower for generating an air flow for sucking dust may be provided in the main body of the robot vacuum cleaner.

1 Vacuum cleaner, 2 Suction tool, 3 Suction pipe, 4 Suction hose, 5 Vacuum cleaner body, 5a Electric blower, 6 Handle, 7 Operation part, 8 Body, 8c Bottom opening, 8d Internal space, 8e Front wall, 8g Front Flocked part, 8i, 8j side flocked part, 8k rear flocked part, 9 connecting pipe, 10 rotary cleaner, 10a hair, 11 joints, 12 motor, 13 first wheel, 14 second wheel, 16 control unit

Claims (5)

It is a suction tool for sucking dust from the surface to be cleaned.
A body having a bottom opening and an internal space communicating with the bottom opening and allowing dust-containing air to pass through.
A front flocked portion having a plurality of hairs attached to a front wall forming the front surface of the body ,
A side flocked portion arranged laterally with respect to the bottom opening,
A rear flocked portion arranged behind the bottom opening and
The wheels attached to the body and
With
The plurality of hairs protrude below the lower end of the front wall and
The front flocked portion is continuously formed along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface opening over the entire length of the bottom surface opening.
The side flocked portion has a plurality of hairs protruding from the bottom surface of the body, and has a plurality of hairs.
The rear flocked portion has a plurality of hairs protruding from the bottom surface of the body, and has a plurality of hairs.
In a state where the horizontal surface to be cleaned is cleaned, the lower end of the front flocked portion is in contact with the horizontal surface to be cleaned, and the gap between the lower end of the front wall and the horizontal surface to be cleaned is formed by the front flocked portion. Blocked ,
The body can move on the horizontal surface to be cleaned by being supported by the wheels on the horizontal surface to be cleaned.
The entire circumference around the bottom opening is surrounded by the front flocking portion, the side flocking portion, and the rear flocking portion.
At least part of the front wall is made of soft material
Wherein when the dust in front of the suction device is passed through the front flocked portion, said that the front wall is deformed the front bristle portion, suction tool of the dust Ru can reach the bottom opening. The suction tool according to claim 1, wherein when the body is viewed from the side surface, the protruding direction of the plurality of hairs is a direction obliquely downward toward the rear of the body. The rotary cleaning body arranged in the internal space and
A drive unit for rotating the rotary cleaning body is provided.
The rotary cleaning body has a plurality of hairs in contact with the horizontal surface to be cleaned, and has a plurality of hairs.
The first condition that the hair of the front flocking portion has a lower bending rigidity than the hair having the highest bending rigidity among the hairs of the rotary cleaning body,
The second condition is that the thickness of the hair at the front flocking portion is thinner than the thickest hair among the hairs of the rotary cleaning body.
The suction according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the length of the hair of the front flocking portion satisfies at least one of the third conditions, which is longer than the shortest hair of the rotary cleaning body. Ingredients. The suction tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An electric vacuum cleaner including an electric blower that generates an air flow for sucking dust into the suction tool. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4 , wherein the flow rate of air passing through the suction tool is 1.0 m ³ / min or less when the electric blower is operated at the maximum output.

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