JP6980060B1 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric vacuum cleaner capable of naturally encouraging the withdrawal of a charging cable of a secondary battery when used for cleaning. SOLUTION: An electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a main body case 12, an electric blower 13 housed in the main body case 12 to generate a suction negative pressure, a secondary battery 18 for storing electric power consumed by the electric blower 13, and a main body. It includes a handle portion 11 provided on the case 12 and a charging socket 67 provided on the main body case 12 for guiding charging power to the secondary battery 18. The shortest distance between the charging socket 67 and the handle portion 11 is such that the charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 interferes with the user's finger holding the handle portion 11, or the user who tries to grip the handle portion 11. It is set to a predetermined distance L or less that hinders the movement of the fingers. [Selection diagram] Fig. 4

Description

The embodiment according to the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

It is possible to achieve both the ease of attaching and detaching the vacuum cleaner to and from the storage device and the stability of storage so that the vacuum cleaner does not fall out of the storage device when the cable for charging the secondary battery is removed from the vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaners are known.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-015325

Generally, a vacuum cleaner is equipped with an electric blower that generates a suction negative pressure in order to suck dust together with air. This electric blower consumes a large amount of power, for example 130 watts, to generate sufficient suction negative pressure. On the other hand, the secondary battery has a charging power that is extremely smaller than the power consumed by the electric blower, for example, 13 watts, that is, one tenth of the power consumed by the electric blower, and takes longer than the operable time of the electric blower. Will be charged. That is, the power consumption of the electric blower greatly exceeds the charging power of the secondary battery.

Such a large difference between the discharge power of the secondary battery (that is, the power consumption of the electric blower) and the charge power of the secondary battery contributes to the simplification of the charging circuit of the secondary battery, and eventually the miniaturization of the electric vacuum cleaner. , Contributes to weight reduction.

However, since the power consumption of the electric blower is much larger than the charging power of the secondary battery, it is supplied from the charging cable even when the charging cable of the secondary battery is connected to the vacuum cleaner. It is difficult to operate an electric blower with electric power alone. That is, the electric blower consumes and drives the electric power stored in the secondary battery even when the charging cable of the secondary battery is connected to the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, if the charge rate of the secondary battery (remaining battery level, State Of Charge, SOC) is insufficient, the electric blower will be connected to the vacuum cleaner even though the charge cable of the secondary battery is connected. Instead, it stops in a very short time.

Therefore, when the charging cable of the secondary battery is connected to the vacuum cleaner, the control for suppressing the operation of the electric blower may be applied to the vacuum cleaner. However, the control that the electric blower does not start even though the cable is connected gives a feeling of strangeness to the user who operates the operation start switch, and makes it suspect that the vacuum cleaner is out of order.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner capable of naturally encouraging the withdrawal of a charging cable of a secondary battery when used for cleaning.

In order to solve the above problems, the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention stores a main body case, an electric blower housed in the main body case to generate a suction negative pressure, and electric power consumed by the electric blower. It includes a secondary battery, a handle portion provided on the main body case, and a charging socket provided on the main body case to guide charging power to the secondary battery. The shortest distance between the charging socket and the handle portion is 3 cm or less, and the charging socket is substantially in a virtual plane in which the direction in which the charging plug is pulled out from the charging socket includes the extending direction of the handle portion. It is arranged in parallel and set in a direction approaching the handle portion from the charging socket, or set in a direction approaching the virtual plane and in a direction approaching the handle portion from the charging socket.

The left side view of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The plan view of the electric vacuum cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The vertical sectional view of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In the plurality of drawings, the same or corresponding configurations are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective sectional view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a stick type and a handy type. The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a vacuum cleaner main body 2 that can be operated by hand.

Further, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes an extension pipe 3 that can be attached to and detached from the vacuum cleaner main body 2 and a suction port that can be attached to and detached from the extension pipe 3, like a general vacuum cleaner.

In the state where the user holds the vacuum cleaner 1, FIG. 1 corresponds to a view of the vacuum cleaner 1 viewed from the right side of the user, and FIG. 4 shows the vacuum cleaner 1 on the right side of the user. FIG. 5 corresponds to a view viewed from diagonally rearward, and FIG. 5 corresponds to a view of the vacuum cleaner 1 viewed from diagonally rearward to the left of the user.

The vacuum cleaner main body 2 includes a main body case 12 having a handle portion 11, an electric blower 13 housed in the main body case 12 to generate a suction negative pressure, and a suction pipe 15 fluidly connected to the suction side of the electric blower 13. The separate dust collector 16 detachably attached to the main body case 12, the main body control unit 17 mainly controlling the electric blower 13, the secondary battery 18 housed in the main body case 12, and the main body case 12. It is provided with a holding mechanism 19 that holds the separated dust collecting unit 16 detachably.

The vacuum cleaner main body 2 drives the electric blower 13 by the electric power stored in the secondary battery 18, and causes the suction negative pressure generated by the drive of the electric blower 13 to act on the separated dust collecting unit 16. The suction negative pressure acting on the separated dust collecting unit 16 acts on the suction pipe 15, the extension pipe 3, and the suction port in sequence. The suction negative pressure that reaches the suction port body acts on the suction port of the suction port body. The suction negative pressure acting on the suction port sucks dust-containing air (hereinafter referred to as "dust-containing air") from the floor surface into the suction port and separates it through the suction port body, the extension pipe 3, and the suction pipe 15. Dust-containing air is made to flow into the dust collecting unit 16. The separated dust collecting unit 16 separates dust from the dust-containing air sucked by the suction negative pressure, collects the separated dust, accumulates the dust, and sends the separated air to the electric blower 13. The electric blower 13 exhausts the air from which the dust has been separated to the outside of the main body case 12.

The main body case 12 houses the electric blower 13, the control circuit board 21 on which the main body control unit 17 is mounted, and the secondary battery 18.

Further, the main body case 12 has a front portion 12a for supporting the suction pipe 15 projecting to the front of the main body case 12, a central portion 12b for accommodating the electric blower 13 and the control circuit board 21, and a rear portion for accommodating the secondary battery 18. It includes a 12c and a handle portion 11 erected on the central portion 12b and the rear portion 12c.

Further, the main body case 12 includes an input unit 22 arranged within a range in which the user who holds the handle unit 11 can move his / her fingers.

The front portion 12a and the rear portion 12c of the main body case 12 are arranged on the extension of the suction pipe 15 in the longitudinal direction (stretching direction), while the central portion 12b of the main body case 12 is arranged in the longitudinal direction (stretching direction) of the suction pipe 15. ), And a portion that protrudes in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15 from the front portion 12a and the rear portion 12c. The central portion 12b of the main body case 12 according to the present embodiment has a portion protruding upward (in the direction of the solid arrow U in FIG. 1) from the front portion 12a and the rear portion 12c of the main body case 12. The central portion 12b of the main body case 12 has an appearance of being inclined backward toward the rear portion 12c of the main body case 12.

The central portion 12b of the main body case 12 is an electric blower accommodating portion 25 accommodating the electric blower 13, and the rear portion 12c of the main body case 12 is a battery accommodating portion 26 accommodating the secondary battery 18.

The suction pipe 15 projects from the front portion 12a of the main body case 12 toward the front. The suction pipe 15 is a straight pipe that extends straight without bending substantially. The direction along the center line of the suction pipe 15, the extension direction of the suction pipe 15, and the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15 are substantially the same, and substantially coincide with the front-rear direction of the main body case 12.

The suction pipe 15 has a joint structure in which the extension pipe 3 can be attached and detached. This joint structure is provided at a portion farthest from the main body case 12, that is, at the protruding end of the suction pipe 15. The suction pipe 15 is a fluid inlet of the vacuum cleaner main body 2, and fluidly connects the extension pipe 3 and the separated dust collecting portion 16. By removing the extension pipe 3 from the vacuum cleaner main body 2, the suction pipe 15 has a first opening 15a that also functions as a suction port when the vacuum cleaner main body 2 is used alone. That is, the protruding end of the suction pipe 15 is open in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15.

The base end portion of the suction pipe 15 is housed in the front portion 12a of the main body case 12 and supported by the main body case 12. The base end portion of the suction pipe 15 has a second opening 15b connected to the separated dust collecting portion 16. The base end portion of the suction pipe 15 is aligned with the separated dust collecting portion 16 arranged in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15, and the second opening 15b of the base end portion is the diameter of the suction pipe 15 toward the separated dust collecting portion 16. It is open toward the outside in the direction. That is, the second opening 15b of the suction pipe 15 is opened toward the upper side of the main body case 12. The second opening 15b of the suction pipe 15 is provided on the top surface of the front portion 12a of the main body case 12. The top surface of the front portion 12a of the main body case 12 comes into contact with the separated dust collecting portion 16 when the separated dust collecting portion 16 is attached to the main body case 12. Then, the second opening 15b of the suction pipe 15 fluidly connects the separated dust collecting portion 16 and the suction pipe 15.

The separated dust collecting unit 16 is arranged in an L-shaped accommodation space formed by the front portion 12a of the main body case 12 and the central portion 12b of the main body case 12. The separation dust collecting unit 16 separates dust from the dust-containing air flowing into the vacuum cleaner main body 2, collects and accumulates the dust, and sends clean air from which the dust has been removed to the electric blower 13. The separation dust collecting unit 16 may be a centrifugal separation method that centrifuges the dust and the air by utilizing the difference in mass between the dust and the air, or may be a filtration separation having a filter for filtering the dust from the dust-containing air. It may be a method.

Further, the separated dust collecting portion 16 extends in a cylindrical shape along the front-rear direction of the main body case 12. In other words, the separate dust collector 16 is a tubular container having a center line extending in the front-rear direction of the main body case 12. The direction along the center line of the separated dust collecting unit 16, the extending direction of the separated dust collecting unit 16, and the longitudinal direction of the separated dust collecting unit 16 are substantially the same, and substantially coincide with the front-rear direction of the main body case 12. ing. Therefore, the center line of the separated dust collecting portion 16 is substantially parallel to the center line of the suction pipe 15. Further, the separated dust collecting unit 16 is attached to the suction pipe 15. That is, the longitudinal direction of the separated dust collecting portion 16 follows the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15. The diameter of the separate dust collector 16 is larger than the diameter of the suction pipe 15, and the separate dust collector 16 is located in the left-right direction (width direction) of the vacuum cleaner main body 2 with respect to the suction pipe 15 and the front portion 12a of the main body case 12. It stands out. The left-right direction (width direction) of the vacuum cleaner main body 2 substantially includes the center line of the tubular separated dust collecting unit 16 and the center line of the suction pipe 15, or the cylindrical separated dust collecting unit 16. It corresponds to the normal direction of the virtual plane substantially passing through the center line and the center line of the suction pipe 15. Further, this virtual plane corresponds to the vertical cross section of the vacuum cleaner 1 in FIG.

The separated dust collecting unit 16 is arranged at one end of the tubular shape to collect dust separated from the air, and is arranged on the side surface 32 of the tubular shape to be fluidly connected to the suction pipe 15. It has an introduction port 33 to be provided, and an outflow port 35 that is arranged at the other end of the tubular shape and sends out air from which dust is separated to the electric blower 13. One end of the separate dust collector 16 is an end arranged on the front side when the separate dust collector 16 is attached to the main body case 12, and the other end of the separate dust collector 16 is. In the state where the separated dust collecting portion 16 is attached to the main body case 12, it is an end portion arranged on the rear side.

The separation / dust collecting unit 16 includes, for example, a centrifugal separation unit 36 which is a first-stage separation stage and a filtration separation unit 37 which is a second-stage separation stage. The centrifugal separation unit 36 centrifuges a relatively large amount of dust from the dust-containing air flowing from the introduction port 33. The centrifugally separated dust is accumulated in the dust collecting chamber 31. In the centrifugal separation unit 36, a swirling flow that separates the dust from the dust-containing air is generated by the suction negative pressure. At the center of the vortex of this swirling flow, fine dust having a relatively small mass, which is difficult to separate by the centrifuge 36, collects. The air containing the fine dust is guided to the filtration separation unit 37. The filter 38 of the filtration separation unit 37 filters out fine dust contained in the air. The clean air from which the fine dust has been filtered out flows out from the outlet 35 and is sucked into the electric blower 13.

The centrifuge section 36 is a cylindrical centrifuge device extending in the front-rear direction of the main body case 12, and is covered with a tubular container 39 that also serves as a dust collecting chamber 31. The container 39 has a tubular shape and has an introduction port 33 on its side surface (that is, the side surface 32 of the separated dust collecting unit 16). The introduction port 33 is fluidly connected to the second opening 15b of the suction pipe 15 with the separated dust collecting portion 16 mounted on the main body case 12.

The outlet 35 of the separation / dust collecting unit 16 is provided at the other end of the cylindrical centrifugal separation unit 36. The outflow port 35 is arranged at the center of the end surface on the rear side of the separated dust collecting unit 16 and is opened toward the rear of the separated dust collecting unit 16. The outlet 35 may be provided on the side surface of the rear end portion of the separated dust collecting portion 16, that is, on the side surface 32 of the separated dust collecting portion 16.

The separation / dust collecting unit 16 may be a multi-stage centrifugal separation device having a plurality of stages of centrifugal separation units.

The holding mechanism 19 detachably connects the first mechanism 41 that detachably connects one end of the separated dust collecting portion 16 and the main body case 12, and the other end of the separated dust collecting portion 16 and the main body case 12. The second mechanism 42, which is connected to the above, is provided.

The first mechanism 41 is a lock mechanism that connects the separated dust collecting unit 16 and the main body case 12 by hooking the convex portion 41b provided on the main body case 12 to the concave portion 41a provided in the separated dust collecting unit 16. The concave portion 41a and the convex portion 41b of the first mechanism 41 are caught or disengaged due to a change in the relative positions of the separated dust collecting portion 16 and the main body case 12.

The convex portion 41b of the first mechanism 41 is provided at the front end portion of the upper surface of the front portion 12a of the main body case 12. The concave portion 41a of the first mechanism 41 is one end of the separated dust collecting portion 16 and is arranged at a position suitable for the convex portion 41b.

The second mechanism 42 is a lock mechanism for connecting the separated dust collecting portion 16 and the main body case 12 by hooking the concave portion 42b provided in the main body case 12 on the convex portion 42a provided in the separated dust collecting portion 16. Unlike the first mechanism 41, the second mechanism 42 includes an operation piece 43 capable of removing the convex portion 42a from the concave portion 42b while maintaining the relative positions of the separated dust collecting portion 16 and the main body case 12. ing. The operation piece 43 is provided in the separation dust collecting unit 16, and the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 is integrated with the operation piece 43.

The recess 42b of the second mechanism 42 is provided at the top of the central portion 12b of the main body case 12, that is, at a portion farthest from the suction pipe 15 in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15. The convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 is the other end portion of the separated dust collecting portion 16 and is arranged at a position suitable for the concave portion 42b. The concave portion 41a of the first mechanism 41 and the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 are both provided in the separated dust collecting portion 16, and are the center in the longitudinal direction and the center in the lateral direction of the separated dust collecting portion 16. It is practically placed in the target. Further, the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 as viewed from the concave portion 41a of the first mechanism 41 is arranged at the farthest portion in the separated dust collecting portion 16.

The operation piece 43 can be operated with mechanical movement including slide and swing, and is a part of various mechanisms for converting the movement associated with this operation into a movement for removing the convex portion 42a from the concave portion 42b. For example, the user can slide the operation piece 43 to remove the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 from the concave portion 42b. Further, when the operation piece 43 is not operated by the user, the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 is moved to a position where it is hooked on the concave portion 42b.

When the separated dust collecting portion 16 is mounted on the main body case 12, the first mechanism 41 and the second mechanism 42 both hook the convex portions 41b and 42a on the corresponding concave portions 41a and 42b to separate and dust collecting portions. 16 and the main body case 12 are connected. Then, when the operation piece 43 is operated and the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 comes out of the concave portion 42b of the second mechanism 42, the lock of the second mechanism 42 is released. At this time, the convex portion 41b of the first mechanism 41 is maintained in a state of being caught in the concave portion 41a. Therefore, the user keeps the other end of the separated dust collecting unit 16 away from the main body case 12 with the first mechanism 41 as a fulcrum in a state where the second mechanism 42 is unlocked. Then, the separated dust collecting portion 16 is separated from the main body case 12, and the convex portion 41b of the first mechanism 41 eventually comes out of the concave portion 41a, and the lock of the first mechanism 41 is also released.

When the separated dust collecting portion 16 is separated from the main body case 12, first, the convex portion 41b of the first mechanism 41 is hooked on the concave portion 41a. With the first mechanism 41 locked, the user brings the other end of the separated dust collecting portion 16 closer to the main body case 12 with the first mechanism 41 as a fulcrum. Then, the separated dust collecting portion 16 is attached to the main body case 12, and the convex portion 42a of the second mechanism 42 is eventually caught by the concave portion 42b, and the second mechanism 42 is also locked.

The separated dust collecting unit 16 according to the present embodiment is attached to and detached from the main body case 12 while drawing an arc trajectory, but may be attached and detached while drawing a linear trajectory in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15. In this case, it is preferable that the first mechanism 41 and the second mechanism 42 are locked and unlocked substantially at the same time. The moving direction of the separated dust collecting unit 16 when the separated dust collecting unit 16 is attached to and detached from the main body case 12 may be a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15. Therefore, when the separate dust collecting unit 16 is attached to the main body case 12, the separate dust collecting unit 16 moves in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15 toward the suction pipe 15 and separates and collects dust from the main body case 12. When the portion 16 is detached, the separated dust collecting portion 16 may move in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15 in the direction away from the suction pipe 15.

The central portion 12b of the main body case 12, that is, the electric blower accommodating portion 25, fluidly connects the connecting port 51, which is fluidly connected to the outlet 35 of the separated dust collecting unit 16, and the connecting port 51 and the electric blower 13. It is provided with a separation section downstream air passage pipe 52. The electric blower accommodating portion 25 is provided between the connecting port 51 and the battery accommodating portion 26. The electric blower accommodating portion 25 includes a first portion 25a connected to the separated dust collecting portion 16 mounted on the main body case 12, and a second portion 25b connected to the rear portion 12c of the main body case 12, that is, the battery accommodating portion 26. , A third site 25c in the middle connecting the first site 25a and the second site 25b.

The connecting port 51 is provided at the first portion 25a of the electric blower accommodating portion 25. The connecting port 51 faces the outlet 35 provided on the rear end surface of the separated dust collecting unit 16 in a state where the separated dust collecting unit 16 is mounted on the main body case 12. That is, the connecting port 51 faces the outflow port 35 arranged at the center of the end surface on the rear side of the separated dust collecting portion 16. Therefore, the connecting port 51 is arranged on an extension of the center line of the separated dust collecting unit 16 with the separated dust collecting unit 16 mounted on the main body case 12.

The suction side of the electric blower 13 is connected to the separation dust collecting section 16 via the connecting port 51 and the separation section downstream air passage pipe 52. The electric blower 13 sucks air from the separated dust collecting unit 16 to generate a sucking negative pressure. The electric blower 13 includes an impeller 55, an electric motor 56 that generates a rotational driving force of the impeller 55, and a rotary shaft 57 that transmits a rotational driving force from the electric motor 56 to the impeller 55.

The impeller 55 is, for example, a turbofan and includes a plurality of blades. Each blade has a twisted shape that gradually erects in the radial direction of the hub from the central part of the conical hub toward the outer edge of the hub. In other words, each wing is a so-called three-dimensional wing whose airfoil or wing section changes from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The impeller 55 is covered with a case 59 having a suction port 58.

The suction port 58 is arranged in the projection region PA of the outlet 35 in the opening direction of the outlet 35 of the separated dust collecting unit 16. The suction port 58 according to the present embodiment is located on the center line of the separated dust collecting unit 16 so as to be compatible with the outlet 35 arranged at the center of the end surface on the rear side of the separated dust collecting unit 16. It overlaps the outlet 35 in the longitudinal view of the portion 16. When the outlet 35 is arranged on the side surface 32 of the separated dust collecting unit 16, the suction port 58 faces the side surface 32 of the separated dust collecting unit 16 and is placed in the radial view of the separated dust collecting unit 16. It suffices if it overlaps with the outlet 35.

The rotation shaft 57 extends from the projection region PA toward the extension line in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15. In other words, the rotating shaft 57 is tilted with respect to the front-rear direction of the main body case 12, the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15, and the longitudinal direction of the separated dust collecting portion mounted on the main body case 12. The rotation axis 57 may or may not penetrate into the projection region PA. Further, the rotating shaft 57 may or may not reach the extension line in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15. The rotating shaft 57 extends from the connecting port 51 toward the battery accommodating portion 26. That is, the rotating shaft 57 is inclined with respect to the direction in which the separated dust collecting portion 16, the electric blower accommodating portion 25, and the battery accommodating portion 26 in a state of being mounted on the main body case 12 are arranged. In other words, the rotating shaft 57 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction of the main body case 12. Further, the rotation shaft 57 is inclined backward and downward, and is moved away from the suction pipe 15 toward the extension line in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15 from the connecting port 51.

The electric blower 13 has a cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape centered on the rotating shaft 57. The electric blower 13 is housed in the electric blower accommodating portion 25 with the center line tilted from the connecting port 51 toward the secondary battery 18. The inclination of the electric blower 13 is a forward-upward inclination and a backward-downward inclination in which the upstream side of the electric blower 13 having the suction port 58 is directed toward the front upper side of the main body case 12.

The portion of the central portion 12b of the main body case 12 adjacent to the front portion 12a is the circuit board accommodating portion 61 accommodating the control circuit plate 21 on which the main body control unit 17 is mounted. The circuit board accommodating portion 61 is located on an extension line in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15 and is arranged directly behind the suction pipe 15. Therefore, the control circuit board 21 housed in the circuit board accommodating portion 61 is arranged directly behind the suction pipe 15. Further, the control circuit plate 21 is sandwiched between the electric blower 13 that inclines forward and the suction pipe 15.

The main body control unit 17 includes a microprocessor and a storage device that stores various arithmetic programs, parameters, and the like executed by the microprocessor. The storage device stores various settings (arguments) related to a plurality of preset operation modes. The plurality of operating modes are associated with the output of the electric blower 13. Different input values (input value of the electric blower 13 and current target value flowing through the electric blower 13) are set in each operation mode. Each operation mode is associated with an operation input received by the input unit 22. The main body control unit 17 selectively selects an arbitrary operation mode corresponding to the operation input to the input unit 22 from a plurality of preset operation modes, and reads the selected operation mode setting from the storage unit. The electric blower 13 is operated according to the read operation mode setting.

The rear portion 12c of the main body case 12, that is, the battery accommodating portion 26, is on an extension line in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15 and is connected to the rear end portion of the electric blower accommodating portion 25. The battery accommodating portion 26 is arranged directly behind a portion located at the lowermost portion of the electric blower 13 that tilts forward. Therefore, the secondary battery 18 accommodated in the battery accommodating portion 26 is on the extension line in the longitudinal direction of the suction pipe 15, behind the control circuit board 21, and directly behind the portion located at the lowermost portion of the electric blower 13. Have been placed.

The secondary battery 18 is also referred to as a storage battery, a rechargeable battery, and a rechargeable battery. The secondary battery 18 stores the electric power consumed by the electric blower 13 and the main body control unit 17. The secondary battery 18 may be detachable from or detachable from the main body case 12, or may be fixed so as not to be detachable. The detachable secondary battery 18 can be appropriately replaced and used by preparing a plurality of secondary batteries 18. When the charge rate of the secondary battery 18 mounted on the vacuum cleaner 1 drops, the secondary battery 18 is replaced with a charged secondary battery 18, so that the vacuum cleaner 1 can be operated. Can be continued.

The handle portion 11 is integrally provided with the main body case 12. The handle portion 11 is a portion that the user grips by hand in order to clean the floor surface with the vacuum cleaner 1. Therefore, it is preferable that the handle portion 11 has an appropriate shape that can be easily grasped by human fingers.

The handle portion 11 is bridged between the first portion 25a of the main body case 12 and the battery accommodating portion 26. The front end of the handle portion 11 is connected to the portion farthest from the suction pipe 15 of the central portion 12b of the main body case 12, in other words, the portion corresponding to the top of the central portion 12b in the radial direction of the suction pipe 15. There is. The rear end of the handle 11 is connected to the rearmost portion of the top surface of the rear 12c of the main body case 12. A continuous space is provided in the left-right direction of the main body case 12 between the handle portion 11 and the back surface of the central portion 12b of the main body case 12 and between the handle portion 11 and the top surface of the rear portion 12c of the main body case 12. It penetrates in the width direction). In this space, four fingers including the user's finger holding the handle portion 11, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger are arranged.

Further, the handle portion 11 is arranged on an extension line in the longitudinal direction of the tubular separated dust collecting portion 16 and extends so as to intersect the extension line of the center line of the tubular separated dust collecting portion 16. Further, the handle portion 11 extends substantially parallel to the extending direction of the rotating shaft 57 of the electric blower 13.

The input portion 22 is provided on the top surface of the front end portion of the handle portion 11 so that the user who holds the handle portion 11 can easily operate it with his / her thumb.

The input unit 22 includes an operation start switch 22a that accepts the operation start operation of the electric blower 13, and an operation stop switch 22b that accepts the operation stop operation of the electric blower 13. The operation start switch 22a and the operation stop switch 22b are electrically connected to the main body control unit 17. The user of the vacuum cleaner 1 can selectively select the operation mode of the electric blower 13 by operating the input unit 22. The operation start switch 22a also functions as an operation mode changeover switch during the operation of the electric blower 13. In this case, the main body control unit 17 switches the operation mode in the order of strong → medium → weak → strong → medium → weak → ... each time the operation signal is received from the operation start switch 22a. The input unit 22 may individually include a strong operation switch (not shown), a medium operation switch (not shown), and a weak operation switch (not shown) instead of the operation start switch 22a.

The handle portion 11, the rotating shaft 57 of the electric blower 13, the secondary battery 18, and the input portion 22 are arranged so as to draw a parallelogram. The handle portion 11 and the rotation shaft 57 of the electric blower 13 are arranged on one opposite side of the parallelogram. The secondary battery 18 and the input unit 22 are arranged on opposite sides of the parallelogram.

By the way, the electric blower 13 and the secondary battery 18 are being made smaller and more efficient. The miniaturization and high efficiency of the secondary battery 18 enable continuous use for a longer period of time by allocating the same volume as the conventional one to the battery accommodating portion 26. On the other hand, the electric blower 13 is preferably as small and lightweight as possible so as to exhibit the required suction efficiency and the required suction performance.

Further, while the electric blower 13 and the secondary battery 18 are becoming smaller and more efficient, the separated dust collecting unit 16 needs to have an appropriate volume in order to function as a container for accumulating dust. be. The separated dust collecting unit 16 which is too small requires frequent maintenance and impairs the convenience of the user.

From the above, the miniaturization of the vacuum cleaner main body 2 is realized by adopting a smaller electric blower 13 while being restricted by the volumes of the separate dust collector 16 and the secondary battery 18.

However, tentatively, the center line of the electric blower 13 and the center line of the separated dust collecting unit 16 are aligned in a straight line in the front-rear direction of the main body case 12, and the cylinder has an outer diameter dimension similar to that of the separated dust collecting unit 16. When the electric blower 13 is housed in the main body case 12 extending in a shape, the vacuum cleaner main body 2 exhibits a low-design appearance extending in the front-rear direction.

Therefore, the main body case 12 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment is connected to the rear of the separated dust collecting unit 16 to accommodate the electric blower 13 and the electric blower accommodating unit 25 to be connected to the rear of the electric blower accommodating unit 25. A battery accommodating portion 26 for accommodating the secondary battery 18 is provided.

The electric blower accommodating portion 25 is saddle-shaped. That is, the third part 25c in the middle, which connects the first part 25a connected to the separated dust collecting part 16 mounted on the main body case 12 and the second part 25b connected to the battery accommodating part 26, is the first part. It is narrower than 25a and the second site 25b. The bottom surface of the electric blower accommodating portion 25 is substantially flat, while the left and right side surfaces and the top surface of the electric blower accommodating portion 25 are narrowed in a saddle shape.

Further, the electric blower accommodating portion 25 is recessed in an arc shape. That is, in the plan view of the main body case 12 (FIG. 2), both side surfaces of the electric blower accommodating portion 25 are inside the main body case 12 and are recessed so as to be scooped toward the inside of the electric blower accommodating portion 25. .. Further, in the side view of the main body case 12 (FIGS. 1 and 4), the top surface of the electric blower accommodating portion 25 is the bottom surface of the main body case 12, and is scooped toward the bottom surface of the electric blower accommodating portion 25. It is dented. Therefore, the electric blower accommodating portion 25 has an appearance surface and a design surface drawn by an arc having a string straddling between the first portion 25a and the second portion 25b.

Further, the electric blower accommodating portion 25 is an arc-shaped saddle shape recessed in a direction away from the handle portion 11.

Further, the electric blower accommodating portion 25 is an arc-shaped saddle shape recessed in a direction approaching the rotating shaft 57 in a cross-sectional view passing through the center of the rotating shaft 57 of the electric blower 13.

The saddle-shaped electric blower accommodating portion 25 described above contributes to slimming down the main body case 12 in front of the handle portion 11. Further, in the space between the electric blower accommodating portion 25 and the handle portion 11, the fingers are arranged when the handle portion 11 is gripped, and the degree of freedom of movement of the fingers in this space is improved. In other words, the saddle-shaped electric blower accommodating portion 25 improves the ease of gripping the handle portion 11.

The electric blower accommodating portion 25 has an exhaust port 65 for discharging the exhaust gas of the electric blower 13 from the inside of the main body case 12 in the vicinity of the battery accommodating portion 26. The normal on the outer surface of the portion where the exhaust port 65 is provided is inclined toward the first portion 25a of the electric blower accommodating portion 25. The exhaust port 65 has a plurality of elongated holes arranged in a fan shape with a wide front along the saddle shape of the electric blower accommodating portion 25. Each elongated hole extends in the front-rear direction of the main body case 12 while being inclined forward. The opening area of the plurality of elongated holes may be set larger as the distance from the fan shape is increased, or may be set uniformly. The exhaust port 65 may be located on the left and right side portions of the electric blower accommodating portion 25, avoiding the bottom portion and the upper portion of the electric blower accommodating portion 25.

Further, the electric blower accommodating portion 25 is provided with a charging socket 67 that guides charging power to the secondary battery 18. The charging socket 67 is connected to the secondary battery 18 via the charging circuit of the secondary battery 18.

The shortest distance D1_min between the charging socket 67 and the handle portion 11 is such that the charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 interferes with the user's finger holding the handle portion 11, or the user who tries to grip the handle portion 11. It is set to a predetermined distance or less that hinders the movement of the fingers. The predetermined distance is, for example, 3 centimeters. It is even better if the shortest distance D1_min is, for example, in the range of 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

Further, the charging socket 67 is installed in a place where the electric blower accommodating portion 25 can be seen from the handle portion 11 side.

Further, the charging socket 67 is set so that the insertion direction of the charging plug 68 into the charging socket 67 is set substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the extending direction of the handle portion 11, or is set in a direction away from the virtual plane. Arranged to be. In the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, this virtual plane substantially includes the center line of the tubular separated dust collecting unit 16 and the center line of the suction pipe 15, or the cylindrical separated dust collecting unit 16 It is a virtual plane substantially passing through the center line of the above and the center line of the suction pipe 15, and corresponds to the vertical cross section of the vacuum cleaner 1 in FIG.

When the charging plug 68 is inserted into the charging socket 67, the charging plug 68 protrudes from the charging socket 67 in a direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the extending direction of the handle portion 11, or the charging plug 68 is inserted into the charging socket 67. The charging plug 68 protrudes from the charging socket 67 in a direction approaching the virtual plane including the extending direction of the handle portion 11. The charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 in this way protrudes in a direction approaching the handle portion 11 based on the positional relationship between the handle portion 11 and the charging socket 67.

In other words, in the charging socket 67, the shortest distance D_min between the charging plug 68 inserted in the charging socket 67 and the handle portion 11 interferes with the finger of the user who grips the handle portion 11, or the handle portion 11 is gripped. It is arranged so as to hinder the movement of the user's fingers. The handle portion 11 has a straight line portion provided with an input portion 22 that the thumb of the user who grips the handle portion 11 can easily reach. This straight line portion extends along the front-rear direction of the main body case 12. The charging socket 67 is provided at a position where the charging plug 68 is inserted into the charging socket 67 so that the charging plug 68 is parallel to the straight line portion. Further, the charging socket 67 is provided at a position where the charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 projects in a direction intersecting the portion of the handle portion 11 gripped by the user.

Therefore, when the charging plug 68 is inserted into the charging socket 67, it is difficult for the user to smoothly grip the handle portion 11 because the charging plug 68 itself or the power line connected to the charging plug 68 interferes with the charging plug 68. Then, when using the vacuum cleaner 1, the user pulls out the charging plug 68, which hinders the gripping of the handle portion 11, from the charging socket 67 very naturally. In other words, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes a handle portion 11 that is difficult to grip when the charging plug 68 is inserted into the charging socket 67. The vacuum cleaner 1 can naturally prompt the user to remove and pull out the charging plug 68 when trying to grip the handle portion 11 without paying special attention or intention to the user.

Further, since the charging socket 67 is extremely close to the handle portion 11 (shortest distance D_min), for example, a display or a sign prompting the user to pull out the charging plug 68 when using the vacuum cleaner 1 in the vicinity of the charging socket 67. By providing the above, the user can be surely recognized the display or the sign.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the state where the user holds the vacuum cleaner 1, FIG. 6 corresponds to a view of the vacuum cleaner 1 viewed from diagonally forward to the left of the user. Further, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner main body 2 from which the separated dust collecting unit 16 has been removed.

In addition to FIGS. 1 to 5, as shown in FIG. 6, the main body case 12 of the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment has a part of the side surface 32 of the separate dust collector 16 mounted on the main body case 12. It is provided with a recess 71 that covers and accommodates a part of the separated dust collecting unit 16.

The recess 71 is provided in the central portion 12b of the main body case 12 and is opened forward and upward of the main body case 12.

The recess 71 has a wall surface facing the rear end surface of the separated dust collecting portion 16. The connecting port 51 connected to the electric blower 13 is arranged in the central portion of the wall surface. When the separated dust collecting unit 16 is mounted on the main body case 12, this wall surface faces the rear end surface of the separated dust collecting unit 16 and is arranged on the rear end surface of the separated dust collecting unit 16. Is connected to the connection port 51.

The recess 71 sandwiches a part of the rear end portion of the separated dust collecting portion 16, and the farther away from the suction pipe 15, the smaller the overlap between the recess 71 and the separated dust collecting portion 16 in the longitudinal direction of the separated dust collecting portion 16. Has a shape like that. The recess 71 has a U-shaped wall surface in front view, which is connected to a wall surface facing the front surface of the main body case 12 and is opened upward of the main body case 12. This wall surface rises in pairs from the connecting portion between the front portion 12a and the central portion 12b of the main body case 12 so as to sandwich the left and right sides of the separated dust collecting portion 16 mounted on the main body case 12. Further, the recess 71 has an inclined surface 72 that is inclined toward the rear and upper side of the main body case 12. The inclined surface 72 faces the upper front surface of the main body case 12. Therefore, the U-shaped wall surface of the recess 71 is a wedge-shaped or tapered wall surface whose width (width in the front-rear direction of the main body case 12) becomes narrower toward the upper side.

The recess 71 formed as described above covers a part of the other end (rear end) of the separated dust collecting portion 16 attached to and detached from the main body case 12. The portion of the separated dust collecting portion 16 covered by the recess 71 is a portion of the other end of the main body case 12 adjacent to the front portion 12a and the central portion 12b of the main body case 12, and is attached to and detached from the main body case 12. In this state, the portion closer to the front portion 12a on the left and right sides of the main body case 12 is hidden in the recess 71.

When the separate dust collector 16 is attached to the main body case 12 from which the separate dust collector 16 has been removed as shown in FIG. 6, the separate dust collector 16 is shown in FIG. 6 as described above. It is attached to the main body case 12 while drawing an arc as shown by the solid line arrow A. Then, when the separated dust collecting unit 16 is attached to and detached from the main body case 12, the recess 71 of the main body case 12 accommodates a part of the separated dust collecting unit 16 without hindering the movement of the separated dust collecting unit 16. Further, the recess 71 of the main body case 12 sandwiches the movement path immediately before the separated dust collecting portion 16 is attached to the main body case 12. Therefore, the recess 71 also functions as a guide for guiding the separated dust collecting portion 16 mounted on the main body case 12 to a regular mounting position.

The separated dust collecting unit 16 is a portion that is dominant in the entire width of the vacuum cleaner main body 2. Therefore, for example, if the vacuum cleaner main body 2 hits an obstacle such as furniture while cleaning with the electric vacuum cleaner 1, the separated dust collector 16 collides with the obstacle prior to the main body case 12. There is a high risk. If the separated dust collecting unit 16 collides with an obstacle prior to the main body case 12, the separated dust collecting unit 16 may fall off from the main body case 12.

However, in the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, the separated dust collecting unit 16 is housed in the recess 71 of the main body case 12, so that the separated dust collecting unit 16 collides with an obstacle prior to the main body case 12. Even in this case, the separated dust collecting unit 16 can be firmly held in the main body case 12. In particular, when an external force is applied from the left and right sides of the vacuum cleaner body 2, the recess 71 firmly holds the separated dust collecting portion 16 against the external force. When an external force is applied from above the vacuum cleaner main body 2, the recess 71 and the front portion 12a of the main body case 12 cooperate to firmly hold the separated dust collecting portion 16.

It is extremely exceptional that an external force is applied to the separated dust collecting portion 16 from below the vacuum cleaner main body 2 when the handle portion 11 is gripped and the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is operated. An obstacle that the vacuum cleaner main body 2 also approaches from below the vacuum cleaner main body 2 usually comes into contact with the main body case 12 prior to the separation dust collecting unit 16.

As described above, the shortest distance between the charging socket 67 and the handle portion 11 of the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment is the user in which the charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 grips the handle portion 11. The distance is set to D_min or less, which interferes with the fingers of the user or hinders the movement of the user's fingers trying to grip the handle portion 11. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 1 can naturally promote the withdrawal of the charging plug 68 by causing a sense of discomfort in the usage difference of gripping the handle portion 11 while the charging plug 68 is inserted in the charging socket 67.

Further, in the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, the insertion direction of the charging plug 68 into the charging socket 67 is set to be substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the extending direction of the handle portion 11, or is virtual. It comprises a charging socket 67 arranged to be set away from the plane. That is, the charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 protrudes toward the handle portion 11, and the power line connected to the charging plug 68 passes in the vicinity of the handle portion 11. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 1 can naturally promote the withdrawal of the charging plug 68 by causing a sense of discomfort in the usage difference of gripping the handle portion 11 while the charging plug 68 is inserted in the charging socket 67.

Further, in the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, the charging plug 68 inserted into the charging socket 67 interferes with the fingers of the user who grips the handle portion 11, or the user who tries to grip the handle portion 11. It includes a charging socket 67 that is arranged to impede the movement of the fingers. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 1 can naturally promote the withdrawal of the charging plug 68 by causing a sense of discomfort in the usage difference of gripping the handle portion 11 while the charging plug 68 is inserted in the charging socket 67.

Therefore, according to the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present invention, it is possible to naturally encourage the withdrawal of the charging cable of the secondary battery 18 when it is used for cleaning.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 ... electric vacuum cleaner, 2 ... vacuum cleaner body, 3 ... extension tube, 11 ... handle part, 12 ... body case, 12a ... front part, 12b ... center part, 12c ... rear part, 13 ... electric blower, 15 ... suction pipe , 15a ... 1st opening, 15b ... 2nd opening, 16 ... Separation dust collector, 17 ... Main body control unit, 18 ... Secondary battery, 19 ... Holding mechanism, 21 ... Control circuit board, 22 ... Input unit, 22a ... Operation start switch, 22b ... Operation stop switch, 25 ... Electric blower accommodating part, 25a ... First part, 25b ... Second part, 25c ... Third part, 26 ... Battery accommodating part, 31 ... Dust collection chamber, 32 ... Side surface , 33 ... Introduction port, 35 ... Outlet, 36 ... Centrifugal separation part, 37 ... Filtration separation part, 38 ... Filter, 39 ... Container, 41 ... First mechanism, 41a ... First mechanism recess, 41b ... First mechanism 42 ... second mechanism, 42a ... second mechanism convex part, 42b ... second mechanism concave part, 43 ... operation piece, 51 ... connection port, 52 ... separation part downstream air passage pipe, 55 ... impeller, 56 ... Motor, 57 ... Rotating shaft, 58 ... Suction port, 59 ... Case, 61 ... Circuit board housing, 65 ... Exhaust port, 67 ... Charging socket, 68 ... Charging plug, 71 ... Main body case recess, 72 ... Tilt surface.

Claims (1)

With the main body case
An electric blower housed in the main body case to generate a suction negative pressure,
A secondary battery that stores the power consumed by the electric blower,
The handle part provided on the main body case and
A charging socket provided in the main body case and guiding charging power to the secondary battery is provided.
The shortest distance between the charging socket and the handle is 3 cm or less.
The charging socket is set so that the direction in which the charging plug is pulled out from the charging socket is substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the extending direction of the handle portion and is set in a direction approaching the handle portion from the charging socket. An electric vacuum cleaner arranged so as to be set in a direction approaching a flat surface and in a direction approaching the handle portion from the charging socket.

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