JP7418162B2 - vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

As a conventional vacuum cleaner, Patent Document 1 states that when the bumper of the suction port contacts the indoor wall, the contact state is detected by a detection unit (light-emitting element or pressure-sensitive sensor) provided inside the bumper. A detection signal is sent from the detection unit to the control unit installed inside the vacuum cleaner body, and based on the detection signal, the control unit increases the output of the electric blower installed inside the vacuum cleaner body to remove dust near the wall. A vacuum cleaner has been proposed that is configured to suction and remove.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a distance sensor is provided at the front end of the suction port body, the distance between the indoor wall and the suction port body is detected by the distance sensor, and a detection signal from the distance sensor is sent inside the vacuum cleaner body. Based on the detection signal that includes information that the distance between the wall and the suction port is less than a predetermined distance, the control unit controls the output of the electric blower installed inside the vacuum cleaner body. A vacuum cleaner has been proposed that is configured to increase the amount of dust near the wall and remove it by suction.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-253145 JP 2019-63354 Publication

In the case of the vacuum cleaners described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the state in which the suction port body is close to the wall is detected by a sensor (a light emitting element, a pressure sensor, a distance sensor, etc.), which increases the cost. was. Furthermore, since it is necessary to provide a sensor at the front end of the suction port body where the bumper is provided, the structure around the bumper has become complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner made in view of such circumstances.

According to the present invention, the present invention includes a vacuum cleaner main body provided with an electric blower and a dust collection section, and a suction port body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body directly or via an extension pipe,
The suction port body includes a casing having a bottom portion provided with a suction port, a rotating brush provided in the vicinity of the suction port within the casing, and a brush provided within the casing that rotates the rotating brush. and a bumper that is swingably provided at the front end in the direction in which the housing moves forward, about an axis in the left and right direction,
The vacuum cleaner main body has a control unit that can control the electric blower and the brush motor and can detect the load on the brush motor,
When the bumper comes into contact with the rotating brush that swings backward due to contact with an obstacle, and the load on the brush motor increases to a predetermined value or more, the control unit controls the electric blower. A vacuum cleaner configured to increase the output of a vacuum cleaner is provided.
Further, according to the present invention, the present invention includes a vacuum cleaner main body provided with an electric blower and a dust collection section, and a suction port body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body directly or via an extension pipe,
The suction port body includes a casing having a bottom portion provided with a suction port, a rotating brush provided in the vicinity of the suction port within the casing, and a brush provided within the casing that rotates the rotating brush. and a bumper that is swingably provided at the front end in the direction in which the housing moves forward, about an axis in the left and right direction,
The vacuum cleaner main body has a control unit that can control the electric blower and the brush motor and can detect the load on the brush motor,
When the bumper comes into contact with the rotating brush that swings backward due to contact with an obstacle, and thereby the load on the brush motor increases to a predetermined value or more, the control section applies a suction force. A vacuum cleaner is provided that is configured to increase.

According to the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, suction force control during wall cleaning can be easily performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of this invention. It is a perspective view showing the suction mouth body in the vacuum cleaner of a 1st embodiment. It is a top view of the suction port body of 1st Embodiment. It is a front view of the suction port body of 1st Embodiment. It is a right view of the suction port body of 1st Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the suction port body of 1st Embodiment. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 4. FIG. It is an explanatory view showing the state where the bumper of the suction port body of a 1st embodiment was brought into light contact with the wall surface of the room. It is an explanatory view showing a state where the bumper of the suction port body of the first embodiment is pressed against the wall surface of the room. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of the suction port body in the state of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating output control of the electric blower by the control unit in the state of FIG. 9. FIG. It is an explanatory view showing a state where the left corner of the suction port body of the first embodiment is viewed from the bottom surface side pressed against a corner on the floor surface of the room. FIG. 13 is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of a corner of the suction port body shown in FIG. 12; It is a figure explaining the relationship between the bumper shape and the hardness of a brush bristle in the suction port body of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the bumper shape and the hardness of a brush bristle in the suction port body of 3rd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
<Overall configuration of vacuum cleaner>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, this vacuum cleaner 1 includes a vacuum cleaner main body 10, a battery 40 that is removably attached to the vacuum cleaner main body 10, a suction port body 50 of the present invention, a vacuum cleaner main body 10 and a suction It includes an extension pipe 60 that is detachably connected to the mouth body 50. In addition, in the first embodiment, a cordless stick-type vacuum cleaner is typically illustrated, but the suction port body 50 of the present invention can also be applied to a handy-type, canister-type, upright-type vacuum cleaner, etc. Applicable.

The cleaner main body 10 includes a drive device 20 that includes an electric blower 26 (see FIG. 11), and a dust collector 30 as a dust collector that is detachably attached to the drive device 20.

The drive device 20 includes a control unit 25 and a plurality of power receiving terminals (not shown) that are provided in a mounting portion of the battery 40 and can be electrically connected to the plurality of power feeding terminals of the battery 40. is electrically connected to the control section 25 via lead wires.
Further, the drive device 20 has a handle 22 having an operation switch 21 at the rear thereof, and the operation switch 21 is electrically connected to the control section 25 via a lead wire.

The control unit 25 is a part that controls the vacuum cleaner 1, and includes, for example, a calculation unit, a storage unit, and the like. The control unit 25 can include, for example, a microcontroller having a calculation unit, a storage unit, a timer, an input/output port, and the like. The calculation unit is, for example, a CPU, GPU, FPGA, or the like. The storage unit can include ROM such as mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory (nonvolatile memory), and RAM such as FeRAM, SRAM, and DRAM.
The control unit 25 may be composed of a plurality of control boards. These plural control boards can be connected by signal lines or power lines. The control unit 25 includes, for example, a control board with an electric blower drive circuit, a control board with a rotating brush drive circuit, a control board with a charging circuit, a microcontroller, and the like.

The dust collection device 30 includes a dust collection container 31 and a filter section 32 that is detachably attached to the dust collection container 31, and centrifugally separates relatively large dust that has flowed into the dust collection container 31 together with the air from the air. However, the filter section 32 is configured to capture relatively small dust particles.

<About the suction port>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suction port body of the vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the suction port body of the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the suction port body of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the suction port body of the first embodiment, FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the suction port body of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a cross section taken along the line II in FIG. It is a diagram. Note that in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 to 7, the front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right directions of the suction port body are indicated by arrows.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the suction port body 50 includes a suction port body 51, a joint portion 58 connected to the suction port body 51, and a connecting pipe portion 59 connected to the joint portion 58.
The suction port main body 51 includes a housing 52 having a bottom portion 52a provided with a suction port 51a, a peripheral portion 52b, and an upper portion 52c, and a bumper 53 provided at the front end of the peripheral portion 52b of the housing 52. Be prepared.

The bottom portion 52a of the housing 52 is formed in a substantially T-shape (see FIG. 6), and the front portion 52aa of the bottom portion 52a extends in the left-right direction, and the rear portion 52ab protrudes rearward from the middle portion of the front portion 52aa in the left-right direction. ing.
The rear portion 52ab is formed into a substantially U-shape, and a joint portion 58 is exposed below the rear portion 52ab. Further, a rear roller 54 is provided on the rear lower surface of the rear portion 52ab. Note that the shape of the rear portion 52ab is not limited to a substantially U-shape, and may be, for example, a shape in which the rear roller 54 is provided on a flat surface where the joint portion 58 is not exposed.

Further, the bottom portion 52a has the suction port 51a extending in the left-right direction on the front end side of the front portion 52aa, and the front end of the suction port 51a is open.
In addition, on the front end sides of both left and right ends (left and right sides of the suction port 51a) of the front part 52aa of the bottom part 52a, there is a part that moves away from the floor surface F as it goes forward when the housing 52 is placed on the floor surface F. A pair of left and right inclined surface portions 52ax are provided that are inclined in the direction. In the first embodiment, the inclined surface portion 52ax having a convex curved surface shape is illustrated, but the inclined surface portion may be a flat surface.

On the left and right sides of the suction port 51a of the bottom portion 52a, a portion rearward of the inclined surface portion 52ax is a substantially flat surface, and a sheet-like member 57 is provided extending from this substantially flat surface to the inclined surface portion 52ax. Note that the sheet-like member 57 will be described in detail later.
Furthermore, a floor surface detection switch 55 having wheels is provided on the right side of the rear portion of the bottom portion 52a.

The peripheral portion 52b is a portion that surrounds the front portion 52aa including the suction port 51a of the bottom portion 52a from the front, back, right and left.
The upper part 52c is a part that is connected to the surrounding part 52b and covers the bottom part 52a, and has a recessed part 52ca into which the joint part 58 is fitted in the middle part in the left-right direction on the rear end side. Furthermore, a pair of left and right attachment recesses 52cb are provided on both left and right end sides of the front end of the upper portion 52c, which are recessed rearward into which a pair of left and right attachment pieces 53aa of the upper bumper 53a of the bumper 53 are inserted.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the bumper of the suction port body of the first embodiment is lightly abutted against the wall surface of the room, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the bumper of the suction port body of the first embodiment is pressed against the wall surface of the room It is an explanatory diagram showing the state where it hit. Moreover, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of the suction port body in the state of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the output control of the electric blower by the control unit in the state of FIG. 9.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 11, the bumper 53 includes an upper bumper 53a having the pair of left and right mounting pieces 53aa, and a lower bumper 53b provided along the lower edge of the upper bumper 53a.

The pair of left and right mounting pieces 53aa of the upper bumper 53a each have left and right side surfaces, and a convex portion is provided on each of the left and right side surfaces on the same axis in the left and right direction. On the other hand, the pair of left and right mounting recesses 52cb of the housing 52 each have left and right inner surfaces, and a recess is provided on each of the left and right inner surfaces on the same axis P1 in the left and right direction (see FIG. 2).

When attaching the upper bumper 53a to the housing 52, by inserting the pair of left and right attachment pieces 53aa of the upper bumper 53a into the pair of left and right attachment recesses 52cb of the housing 52, each convex of the pair of left and right attachment pieces 53aa of the upper bumper 53a is inserted. are fitted into the respective recesses of the pair of left and right mounting recesses 52cb of the housing 52. Thereby, the upper bumper 53a is attached to the housing 52 so as to be swingable about the axis P1.
Note that the plurality of convex portions of the upper bumper 53a may be changed to concave portions, and the plurality of concave portions of the housing 52 may be changed to convex portions.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, a biasing member 53c is provided on the front end surface of the peripheral portion 52b of the housing 52 facing the upper bumper 53a, and the biasing member 53c causes the upper bumper 53a to move forward. energized. Although a plurality of small block-shaped elastic foam bodies are used as the biasing member 53c in this embodiment, compression coil springs, torsion coil springs, etc. may also be used.
In a free state in which the bumper 53 is not pushed into contact with a wall surface or the like, the upper bumper 53a is located at the front end 52x of the housing 52 that protrudes most forwardly (the left and right portions of the front end of the peripheral portion 52b that are not covered by the bumper 53). ) (see Figures 2 and 3).

The lower bumper 53b is provided along the lower edge of the upper bumper 53a. Specifically, the lower bumper 53b is attached to the upper bumper 53a by fitting portions provided at the upper end edge of the lower bumper 53b and the lower end edge of the upper bumper 53a into each other. Alternatively, the upper bumper 53a and the lower bumper 53b may be integrally molded from different materials, and the lower bumper 53b may be configured to have more flexibility than the upper bumper 53a.

Further, the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b is curved backward (toward the rotating brush 56 side), and in the free state of the bumper 53, the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b is close to the rotating brush 56 without contacting it. . Further, the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b has a shape extending linearly in the left-right direction.
Further, when the bumper 53 hits the indoor wall surface W2 (see FIG. 10) and swings toward the rotating brush 56 during cleaning, the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b comes into contact with the rotating rotating brush 56. As a result, the load on the brush motor 56m (see FIG. 11) increases to a predetermined value or more, which causes the control section 25 to increase the output of the electric blower 26, which will be described in detail later. Further, when the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b comes into contact with the rotating rotating brush 56, for example, both left and right ends of the upper bumper 53a come into contact with protruding stoppers provided near the left and right front ends of the housing 52, This prevents the lower bumper 53b from swinging excessively toward the rotating brush 56.
In addition, in FIGS. 7 and 10, the rotation trajectory of the tip of the bristles of the rotating brush 56 is shown by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, a pair of left and right corners 52k at the front end of the casing 52 (corners 52k between the front end of the peripheral part 52b and the left and right side surfaces) are bent into an L-shape when viewed from above. A convex portion 52y is provided as a protrusion.
Further, raised portions 52z extending in the vertical direction are provided at the lower portions of the left and right side surfaces of the peripheral portion 52b of the housing 52, and a pair of left and right sheet-like members 57, which will be described later, are formed on the outer surfaces of the pair of left and right raised portions 52z. Some are pasted. As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of left and right protrusions 52z are arranged on both left and right sides of the suction port 51a at a position rearward of the tip of the lower bumper 53b (in the free state) when viewed from the bottom 52a side.

The joint portion 58 includes a first cylindrical portion 58a provided in the suction port main body 51, and a second cylindrical portion rotatably connected to the first cylindrical portion 58a in the left-right direction about an axis P2 in the front-rear direction. 58b (see FIGS. 2 and 7). Note that a ventilation path is formed between the suction port 51a of the suction port main body 51 and the first cylindrical portion 58a of the joint portion 58.
The second cylindrical portion 58b has a recess 58ba that receives an upstream connecting end portion 59a of the connecting tube portion 59, which will be described later, so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction about the left-right axis P3. This recessed portion 58ba has two large and small concave curved surface portions provided at a lower portion and an upper portion.

The connecting pipe portion 59 connects the upstream connecting end portion 59a provided on the upstream end side in the direction in which air flows within the suction port body 50 (hereinafter referred to as the “airflow direction”), and the vacuum cleaner body 10 directly or by extension. It has a downstream connecting end 59b that is detachably connected via the pipe 60.
The upstream connecting end portion 59a has a convex curved surface portion 59aa that can slide into contact with the upper small concave curved surface portion of the second cylindrical portion 58b of the joint portion 58, and also has a convex curved surface portion 59aa that can make sliding contact with the lower large concave curved surface portion of the second cylindrical portion 58b. It has a sliding contact end portion 59ab that can be slidably contacted.

The suction port body 50 also includes a rotating brush 56 (see FIG. 7) that is rotatably provided near the suction port 51a in the suction port body 51 and is rotatable about an axis P4 in the left-right direction, and A brush motor 56m (see FIG. 11) provided in the suction port body 51, and a rotational force transmission mechanism (not shown) provided in the suction port body 51 to transmit the rotational force of the brush motor 56m to the rotating brush 56. In this embodiment, pulleys are provided at one end of the rotating brush 56 and at the output shaft of the brush motor 56m, and a rotational force transmission mechanism is configured by connecting these pulleys with a timing belt. Note that the rotating brush is not shown in FIG. 6.

In addition, in the suction port body 50, a pair of pin-shaped power receiving terminals (not shown) are provided around the downstream connecting end 59b of the connecting pipe portion 59, and a pair of power receiving terminals and a brush motor 56m (see FIG. 11) are provided. ) is electrically connected to a pair of terminals provided at the terminals by lead wires (not shown).
Further, a pair of clip-shaped power supply terminals that can be electrically connected to a pair of power reception terminals of the connection pipe section 59 of the suction port body 50 are provided at the upstream connection end of the extension pipe 60 , and A pair of pin-shaped power receiving terminals is provided at the side connection end, and the pair of power feeding terminals and the pair of power receiving terminals are electrically connected by a lead wire.

Further, at the connection part of the vacuum cleaner main body 10 with the extension pipe 60, a pair of clip-shaped terminals that can be electrically connected to a pair of power receiving terminals of the extension pipe 60 or a pair of power receiving terminals of the connecting pipe part 59 of the suction port body 50 are provided. A pair of power supply terminals are provided, and these pair of power supply terminals are electrically connected to a control unit 25 (see FIGS. 1 and 11) provided in the drive device 20 of the vacuum cleaner main body 10 by a lead wire. There is.

According to the vacuum cleaner 1 configured in this way, by turning on the operation switch 21 of the vacuum cleaner body 10 shown in FIG. 1, the electric blower 26 (see FIG. 11) in the drive device 20 is driven to suck Air containing dust on the floor is sucked into the suction port 51a of the mouth body 50, and the brush motor 56m (see FIG. 11) inside the suction mouth body 50 is driven to rotate the rotary brush 56 to clean the floor. The surface is cleaned.

<About the relationship between the bumper and the rotating brush>
As shown in FIG. 11, the rotating brush 56 has a shaft portion 56a and brush bristles 56b provided on the outer circumference of the shaft portion 56a. The brush bristles 56b are made of a group of fibers, and the group of fibers is flocked onto a band-shaped base material. Note that a flexible blade may be provided between the brush bristles 56.
In this embodiment, four rows of brush bristles 56b are spirally attached to the outer circumference of the shaft portion 56a at equal intervals. Further, in this embodiment, the hardness of the brush bristles 56b (fiber group) is a standard hardness between the hardness of the brush bristles of the second embodiment and the hardness of the brush bristles of the third embodiment, which will be described later. An example of a case is shown below. Here, the hardness of the brush bristles means the stiffness of the fibers (difficulty in bending the fibers).
Note that the brush bristles 56b may be provided parallel to the axis P4 of the shaft portion 56a, or may be provided entirely on the outer circumferential portion of the shaft portion 56a.

In the present invention, the hardness of the brush bristles 56b and the direction of the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating brush 56 (direction of arrow A in FIG. 11) are defined as the rotation of the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b. They are mutually adjusted so that when they come into contact with the bristles 56b of the brush 56, the load on the brush motor 56m is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.
In the case of this embodiment, the lower end edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b is curved slightly toward the shaft portion 56a side than the rotational direction of the portion of the shaft portion 56a adjacent to the lower end edge 53bx. In this case, the tip side of the rotating brush bristles 56b comes into sliding contact with the inner surface of the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b.

<About sheet-like members>
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the left corner of the suction port body of the first embodiment is pressed against a corner on the indoor floor surface when viewed from the bottom side, and FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the state shown in FIG. It is an explanatory view which expanded the corner part vicinity of a suction port body.
As shown in FIGS. 6, 12, and 13, the sheet-like members 57 are provided at positions near the left and right ends of the suction port 51a on the lower surface of the bottom 52a of the housing 52, respectively.
This sheet-like member 57 has a front seal part 57a extending in the front-rear direction and corresponding to a front-rear seal part, and a rear seal part 57b extending in the left-right direction and provided at the rear of the front seal part 57a corresponding to left-right seal parts. However, it consists of a T-shaped piece in which a front seal part 57a and a rear seal part 57b are joined.

In the case of the present embodiment, the sheet-like member 57 is made of a raised fabric having a raised surface on a base material. In this case, the raised hair may be planted in a direction perpendicular to the base material, or the raised hair grown perpendicular to the base material may be made to fall diagonally backward to form oblique hair. By forming the beveled hair, for example, when moving the suction port body 50 from a flooring to a carpet, the raised fabric can smoothly overcome a stepped portion of the carpet.

Further, by making the sheet-like member 57 T-shaped, if the lengths of the rear seal portion 57b protruding from the front seal portion 57a to the left and right are the same, the two sheet-like members 57 provided on the suction port body 51 can be One type of sheet-like member 57 can be used (common).
Note that the sheet-like member 57 is not limited to a raised cloth, and may be, for example, a soft sheet material such as a non-woven fabric, a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, or a foamed resin sheet having a predetermined thickness.

The front seal portion 57a is attached to the housing 52 in a range extending from the substantially flat lower surface of the bottom portion 52a to the front inclined surface portion 52ax by, for example, adhesive.
The rear seal portion 57b is attached, for example, by adhesive, in a range extending from the substantially flat lower surface of the bottom portion 52a of the housing 52 to the raised portion 52z of the peripheral portion 52b. More specifically, the inner end of the rear seal portion 57b on the suction port 51a side extends to a position closer to the suction port 51a than the front seal portion 57a. Further, an outer end portion 57ba of the rear seal portion 57b on the side opposite to the suction port 51a extends above the raised portion 52z on the side of the peripheral portion 52b.

By extending the front seal portion 57a of the sheet-like member 57 to the inclined surface portion 52ax of the bottom portion 52a of the suction port main body 51, the front seal portion 57a of the sheet-like member 57 is secured when lowering the suction port body 50 onto the floor surface F. can come into contact with the floor F (not shown). Thereby, when the floor surface F is a flooring, damage to the flooring caused by the suction port body 50 can be suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the suction port body 50 is placed on the floor F, the suction port body 51 is supported at approximately three locations: the pair of left and right sheet members 57 and the rear roller 54. . At this time, the hatched area of the sheet-like member 57 shown in FIG. 13 is in contact with the floor surface, and the area of the sheet-like member 57 other than the hatched area is not in contact with the floor surface. In other words, the contact portion of the sheet-like member 57 that is in contact with the floor surface is sealed so that no gap is formed between the floor surface and the suction port body 51.

<About cleaning corners and walls>
As shown in FIG. 12, a corner C surrounded by two adjacent walls W1, W2 and a floor F (in FIG. 13, a floor surrounded by walls W1, W2 and a dotted line) When cleaning the area on the surface, for example, the left side surface of the suction port body 50 is brought close to one (side) wall surface W1, and the suction port body 50 is advanced to the other (front) wall surface W2. At this time, the outer end portion 57ba of the rear seal portion 57b of the sheet-like member 57 extending from the bottom portion 52a of the suction port body 50 to the left side surface of the peripheral portion 52b can be brought into sliding contact with the side wall surface W1. In other words, the outer end 57ba of the rear seal portion 57b serves as a side bumper to prevent damage to the wall surface W1.

When the bumper 53 of the suction port body 50 is in light contact with the front wall surface W2, the bumper 53 is hardly pushed in, so that the convex portions 52y provided at the left and right corners 52k of the suction port body 50 touch the front wall surface W2. It does not come into contact with W2 (see Figure 8).
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, when the bumper 53 (upper bumper 53a) of the suction port body 50 is strongly pressed against the front wall surface W2, the upper bumper 53a and the lower bumper 53b move backward with respect to the suction port body 51. sway to. At this time, the convex portions 52y provided at the left and right corners 52k of the suction port body 50 come into contact with the front wall surface W2, and the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b comes into contact with the bristles 56b of the rotating rotating brush 56. (See Figure 11). Note that the convex portion 52y on the corner C side also comes into contact with the side wall surface W1.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b comes into contact with the bristles 56b of the rotating rotating brush 56, the load on the brush motor 56m increases to a predetermined value or more, and the current of the brush motor 56m increases. The value increases above a predetermined value.
The control unit 25 detects the current value of the brush motor 56m, and increases the output (rotation speed) of the electric blower 26 when detecting that the current value of the brush motor 56m has increased to a predetermined value or more. The output increase rate at this time should be, for example, about 1.5 to 2 times the output of the electric blower 26 when cleaning flooring, or about the same as the output of the electric blower 26 when cleaning carpets. Can be done. Alternatively, the output may be greater than the output of the electric blower 26 when cleaning a carpet. By doing so, the suction power of the vacuum cleaner can be strengthened when cleaning near walls.
Furthermore, the control unit 25 may maintain the increase in the output of the electric blower 26 for a predetermined period of time. The maintenance time (duration time) in this case can be, for example, about 3 to 10 seconds. The timing to start counting this duration may be when it is detected that the current value of the brush motor 56m has fallen below a predetermined value, or when the current value of the brush motor 56m has increased to a predetermined value or more. It may start from the time when it is detected.

In the cleaning state in which the left corner 52k of the suction port body 50 is brought close to the corner C surrounded by the two wall surfaces W1 and W2 and the floor F, the convex portion 52y is connected to the corner C of the two wall surfaces W1. , W2, the upper bumper 53a of the bumper 53 abuts the front wall surface W2, and the rear seal portion 57b of the sheet-like member 57 abuts the side wall surface W1. As a result, an air flow path G1 (see FIGS. 9, 10, and 11) is formed around the front seal part 57a at the corner C (the part along the inclined surface part 52ax of the front seal part 57a), and the upper bumper 53a Air inlets G2 and G3 (see FIG. 13), which are open upward and serve as inlets of the air flow path, are formed between the convex portion 52y and the convex portion 52y and the rear seal portion 57b, respectively. At this time, the air flow path G1 around the front seal portion 57a is formed so that air can flow reliably especially into the back of the corner C and its surroundings.

Therefore, when air containing dust is sucked into the suction port 51a, as shown by the arrow Q (air flow) in FIGS. 9 and 13, the air inlet G2 on the front wall W2 side and the side Air flows into the air flow path G1 around the front seal portion 57a from above the air inlet G3 on the wall surface W1 side. In other words, air flows into the corner C. Thereby, the dust existing in the corner C rises from the floor surface F and flows into the suction port 51a together with the air, so that the corner C is cleanly dusted. At this time, as the output of the electric blower 26 is increased as described above, the suction force is strengthened, and the dust in the corner C that is easy to accumulate and difficult to remove is removed due to the strong suction force and the introduction of air into the corner C. Efficient removal due to synergistic effects.
In addition, since air flows from above into the small gap between the wall surface W and the bumper 53 (upper bumper 53a) and heads toward the lower bumper 53b near the wall surface W2, the dust present on the wall surface W2 is removed from the floor surface. It floats up from F and flows into the suction port 51a along with the air, and the edge of the wall surface W2 is cleanly cleaned of dust.

In addition, when cleaning the corner C, as shown by the arrow R (air flow) in FIG. , and flows into the suction port 51a, so that the dust near the side wall surface W1 is also removed.
Note that even when the suction port body 50 is moved along the side wall surface W1 toward the corner C, from above the air inlet G3 between the convex portion 52y and the rear seal portion 57b, the front seal portion Since air is flowing to the suction port 51a through the air flow path G1 around the air passage 57a, dust near the side wall surface W1 is also removed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, after cleaning the corner C by maintaining the increase in the output of the electric blower 26 for a predetermined time, the suction port body 50 is temporarily separated from the front wall surface W2, and the A strong suction force can be maintained even while the suction port body 50 is moved to the area adjacent to the left side of the cleaned area. Therefore, the suction port body 50 can be moved leftward along the wall surface W2 to clean a wide area near the wall while maintaining a strong suction force without continuously pressing the bumper 53 against the wall surface W2. Further, if the output of the electric blower 26 decreases and the driving noise becomes small immediately after the suction port body 50 separates from the wall surface W2, the strength of the suction force during wall cleaning becomes noticeable, but according to the present invention, the strength of the suction force is The user can recognize that cleaning is being performed while maintaining suction power. In other words, the user can clean the area near the wall without worrying about the strength of the output (driving sound) of the electric blower 26.
Note that while the suction port body 50 is temporarily separated from the front wall surface W2 and the suction port body 50 is moved to an area adjacent to the left side of the cleaned area of the wall surface W2 while maintaining strong suction force, the bumper 53 When it is detected that the brush motor 56m is pressed against the wall surface W2 and the current value of the brush motor 56m has increased to a predetermined value or more, the count of the predetermined time (the duration of the increase in suction force) is reset. By doing so, a strong suction force can be maintained while moving the suction port body 50, and a wide area near the wall can be cleaned by moving the suction port body 50 to the left along the wall surface W2.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the bumper shape and the hardness of the brush bristles in the suction port body of the second embodiment. Note that in FIG. 14, elements similar to those in FIG. 11 are given the same reference numerals.
The vacuum cleaner of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment except that the hardness of the bristles 156b of the rotating brush 156 and the shape of the lower edge 153bx of the lower bumper 153b of the bumper 153 are different from the first embodiment. It is structured in roughly the same way. Hereinafter, differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the bristles 156b of the rotating brush 56 are softer than the bristles 56b in the first embodiment (see FIG. 11).
Further, in the second embodiment, the lower edge 153bx of the lower bumper 153b is curved upward more than the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b in the first embodiment. In other words, the lower edge 153bx of the lower bumper 153b is curved in a direction opposite to the rotational direction (arrow A direction) of the portion of the shaft portion 56a adjacent to the lower edge 153bx.
In this case, the tip side of the rotating brush bristles 156b collides with the top of the lower edge 153bx of the lower bumper 153b, so that the brush when the lower edge 153bx of the lower bumper 153b contacts the rotating soft brush bristles 156b. The load on the motor 56m (see FIG. 11) is adjusted so as to increase above a predetermined value similar to the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the bumper shape and the hardness of the brush bristles in the suction port body of the third embodiment. Note that in FIG. 15, elements similar to those in FIG. 11 are given the same reference numerals.
The vacuum cleaner of the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment except that the hardness of the bristles 256b of the rotating brush 256 and the shape of the lower edge 253bx of the lower bumper 253b of the bumper 253 are different from the first embodiment. It is structured in roughly the same way. Hereinafter, the differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly explained.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the bristles 256b of the rotating brush 256 are harder than the bristles 56b in the first embodiment (see FIG. 11).
Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the lower edge 253bx of the lower bumper 253b is curved more downward than the lower edge 53bx of the lower bumper 53b in the first embodiment. In other words, the lower edge 253bx of the lower bumper 253b is curved in a direction generally forward of the rotational direction (arrow A direction) of the portion of the shaft portion 56a adjacent to the lower edge 253bx.
In this case, the tip side of the rotating brush bristles 256b comes into sliding contact with the inner surface of the lower edge 253bx of the lower bumper 253b, so that the lower edge 253bx of the lower bumper 253b contacts the rotating hard brush bristles 256b. Adjustment is made so that the load on the motor 56m (see FIG. 11) increases above a predetermined value similar to the first embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
Although the lower end edge of the lower bumper described in the first to third embodiments had a shape extending linearly in the left-right direction, the lower end edge of the lower bumper may be formed in an uneven shape. In this case, the uneven shape includes, for example, a comb tooth shape, a triangular waveform including a sawtooth waveform, a rectangular waveform, a sine waveform, a combination thereof, and the like.
According to this configuration, the contact area between the lower edge of the lower bumper and the bristles of the rotating rotating brush is increased, and the bristles of the rotating rotating brush rub against the uneven lower edge of the lower bumper, thereby removing dust from the brush. It separates from the hair and is easily sucked into the suction port.

(Other embodiments)
1. In the first to third embodiments, depending on the hardness of the bristles of the rotating brush and the orientation of the lower edge of the lower bumper, the load on the brush motor when the lower edge of the lower bumper comes into contact with the rotating brush bristles is a predetermined value. Although the case where adjustment is made to increase the amount above is illustrated, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the bristles of a rotating brush have soft bristles, the bottom edge of the lower bumper should be formed in a shape that increases the contact area between the bristles and the bottom edge of the lower bumper. The lower edge of the bumper may be formed in a shape that reduces the contact area between the lower edge of the bumper and the brush bristles.

2. In the first to third embodiments, the case where the bristles in multiple rows of the rotating brush have the same hardness is illustrated, but the bristles in the multiple rows may have different hardnesses. Alternatively, in a plurality of rows of bristles, both ends and the center portion in the axial direction of the rotating brush may have different hardness. In these cases as well, the lower edge of the lower bumper may be formed in such a shape that the load on the brush motor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value when the lower edge of the lower bumper comes into contact with the rotating plural rows of brush bristles.

3. If the lower bumper moves away from the rotating brush and the load or current value of the brush motor falls below a predetermined value, the control unit may control the output of the electric blower to immediately return to its original state. According to this configuration, power consumption of the battery can be suppressed.
4. An opening for adjusting suction force is provided on the upstream side of the dust collector 30 in the air flow direction in the ventilation path of the drive device 20, and a valve mechanism is provided for electrically and mechanically opening and closing the opening for adjusting the suction force. It's okay to be hit. The opening/closing operation of this valve mechanism is controlled by the control unit 25, and when the opening for adjusting the suction force is open, the suction force of the drive device 20 causes air to flow into the ventilation path from the outside. It has become. When the current value of the brush motor 56m is less than a predetermined value, the control unit 25 opens the opening for adjusting the suction force, and when it detects that the current value of the brush motor 56m has increased to a predetermined value or more. The suction force adjustment opening is closed and the suction force of the suction port 51a is increased. Further, the opening for adjusting the suction force can also function as a dust suction port for sucking dust that is kicked up in the air into the drive device 20.

(summary)
A vacuum cleaner according to the present invention (first invention) includes a vacuum cleaner main body provided with an electric blower and a dust collection section, and a suction port body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body directly or via an extension pipe. ,
The suction port body includes a casing having a bottom portion provided with a suction port, a rotating brush provided in the vicinity of the suction port within the casing, and a brush provided within the casing that rotates the rotating brush. and a bumper that is swingably provided at the front end in the direction in which the housing moves forward, about an axis in the left and right direction,
The vacuum cleaner main body has a control unit that can control the electric blower and the brush motor and can detect the load on the brush motor,
When the bumper comes into contact with the rotating brush that swings backward due to contact with an obstacle, and the load on the brush motor increases to a predetermined value or more, the control unit controls the electric blower. is configured to increase the output of the
According to this configuration, when cleaning near walls where dust tends to accumulate and where it is difficult to remove dust by suction, the output of the electric blower is increased by pressing the bumper of the suction port against the wall, resulting in a stronger suction force than usual. Dust near the wall can be removed by suction.
In addition, according to this configuration, there is no need for a dedicated sensor to detect when the suction port is close to the wall, so the suction force can be controlled without increasing costs, and the surrounding structure of the bumper can be reduced. It doesn't make it complicated.
Further, in this case, the control unit may be configured to maintain an increase in the output of the electric blower for a predetermined period of time.
According to this configuration, when the bumper of the suction port body is pressed against the wall to increase the output of the electric blower, and then the suction port body is moved away from the wall and to an area next to the wall, the electric blower continues to operate even during the movement. can maintain an increase in output. This makes it possible to clean a wide area near the wall by moving the suction port in the left-right direction along the wall while maintaining a strong suction force without continuously pressing the bumper against the wall. Furthermore, when the suction port body separates from the wall, the output of the electric blower decreases and the driving sound becomes small, making the strength and weakness of the suction force noticeable when cleaning the wall. The user can recognize that the cleaning is being performed while maintaining the cleaning status.

Further, the vacuum cleaner of the present invention (second invention) includes a vacuum cleaner main body provided with an electric blower and a dust collecting section, and a suction port body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body directly or via an extension pipe. Equipped with
The suction port body includes a casing having a bottom portion provided with a suction port, a rotating brush provided in the vicinity of the suction port within the casing, and a brush provided within the casing that rotates the rotating brush. and a bumper that is swingably provided at the front end in the direction in which the housing moves forward, about an axis in the left and right direction,
The vacuum cleaner main body has a control unit that can control the electric blower and the brush motor and can detect the load on the brush motor,
When the bumper comes into contact with the rotating brush that swings backward due to contact with an obstacle, and thereby the load on the brush motor increases to a predetermined value or more, the control section applies a suction force. A vacuum cleaner configured to increase
According to this configuration, when cleaning near a wall where dust tends to accumulate and it is difficult to remove dust by suction, the suction force is increased by pressing the bumper of the suction port body against the wall, and the suction force is increased when cleaning near the wall with a stronger suction force than usual. Dust can be removed by suction.
Further, according to this configuration, there is no need for a dedicated sensor for detecting the proximity of the suction port to the wall, so the structure around the bumper does not become complicated.
Further, in this case, the control unit may be configured to maintain the increase in the suction force of the electric blower for a predetermined period of time.
According to this configuration, when the bumper of the suction port is pressed against the wall to increase the suction force, and then the suction port is moved away from the wall to an area next to the wall, the suction force is increased even during the movement. can be maintained. This makes it possible to clean a wide area near the wall by moving the suction port in the left-right direction along the wall while maintaining a strong suction force without continuously pressing the bumper against the wall. In addition, if the suction force decreases and the suction sound becomes small as soon as the suction port separates from the wall, the strength and weakness of the suction force will be noticeable when cleaning the wall, but with the above configuration, the strong suction force can be maintained near the wall. The user can recognize that the device is being cleaned.

The vacuum cleaner of the present invention may be configured as follows, and these may be combined as appropriate.

- The rotating brush has a shaft portion and brush bristles provided on the outer circumference of the shaft portion,
The bumper has a lower edge that can come into contact with the brush bristles,
The hardness of the brush bristles and the shape of the lower edge of the bumper may be mutually adjusted so that the load is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.
For example, in the case of hard bristles, the lower edge of the bumper should be oriented in the forward direction relative to the rotating direction of the rotating brush, and as the hardness of the bristles gradually becomes softer, the lower edge of the bumper should be gradually aligned with the rotating direction of the rotating brush. should face in the opposite direction. This suppresses extreme variations in the load on the brush motor due to differences in the hardness of the brush bristles, and makes it easy to ensure that the load on the brush motor exceeds a predetermined value regardless of the hardness of the bristles. Become.

- The bumper may have an uneven lower end edge that can come into contact with the rotating brush.
According to this configuration, dust attached to the rotating brush can be easily removed by rubbing against the uneven lower edge of the bumper.

- The suction port may extend to the front end of the housing.
According to this configuration, since the suction port extends to the front end of the housing, relatively large dust (for example, dust about the size of a peanut) can be easily removed by suction.

Note that the disclosed embodiments should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the claims are included.

1 Vacuum cleaner 10 Vacuum cleaner body 20 Drive device 25 Control unit 26 Electric blower 30 Dust collector (dust collector)
50 Suction port body 51a Suction port 52 Housing 52a Bottom 52x Front end 53 Bumper 53bx Lower edge 56 Rotating brush 56a Shaft 56b Brush bristles 56m Brush motor 60 Extension pipe P1 Axial center W2 Wall surface (obstacle)

Claims (7)

A vacuum cleaner main body provided with an electric blower and a dust collection part, and a suction port body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body directly or via an extension pipe,
The suction port body includes a casing having a bottom portion provided with a suction port, a rotating brush provided in the vicinity of the suction port within the casing, and a brush provided within the casing that rotates the rotating brush. and a bumper that is swingably provided at the front end in the direction in which the housing moves forward, about an axis in the left and right direction,
The bumper has a bent portion between an upper end edge and a lower end edge of the bumper , and the bent portion protrudes most in the forward direction,
A biasing member that biases the bent portion forward is provided between the front end of the housing and the bent portion of the bumper attached to the housing, and a lower end edge of the bumper is provided at the bent portion. It is located at a lower height than the
The vacuum cleaner main body has a control unit that can control the electric blower and the brush motor and can detect the load on the brush motor,
When the bent portion of the bumper comes into contact with an obstacle , the lower end edge of the bumper swings rearward against the urging force of the urging member, causing the rotation to rotate below the shaft portion of the rotating brush. The vacuum cleaner is characterized in that the control section is configured to increase the output of the electric blower when the brush comes into contact with the brush motor, thereby increasing the load on the brush motor to a predetermined value or more. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to maintain an increase in the output of the electric blower for a predetermined period of time. A vacuum cleaner main body provided with an electric blower and a dust collection part, and a suction port body connected to the vacuum cleaner main body directly or via an extension pipe,
The suction port body includes a casing having a bottom portion provided with a suction port, a rotating brush provided in the vicinity of the suction port within the casing, and a brush provided within the casing that rotates the rotating brush. and a bumper that is swingably provided at the front end in the direction in which the housing moves forward, about an axis in the left and right direction,
The bumper has a bent portion between an upper end edge and a lower end edge of the bumper , and the bent portion protrudes most in the forward direction,
A biasing member that biases the bent portion forward is provided between the front end of the housing and the bent portion of the bumper attached to the housing, and a lower end edge of the bumper is provided at the bent portion. It is located at a lower height than the
The vacuum cleaner main body has a control unit that can control the electric blower and the brush motor and can detect the load on the brush motor,
When the bent portion of the bumper comes into contact with an obstacle , the lower end edge of the bumper swings rearward against the urging force of the urging member, causing the rotation to rotate below the shaft portion of the rotating brush. The vacuum cleaner is characterized in that the control unit is configured to increase suction force when the brush comes into contact with the brush and the load on the brush motor increases to a predetermined value or more. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to maintain the increase in suction force of the electric blower for a predetermined period of time. The rotating brush has a shaft portion and brush bristles provided on an outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion,
The bumper has a lower edge that can come into contact with the brush bristles,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hardness of the brush bristles and the shape of the lower edge of the bumper are mutually adjusted so that the load is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. . The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bumper has an uneven lower edge that can come into contact with the rotating brush. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the suction port extends to the front end of the housing.

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