JPH0220250B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a connection structure for a suction hose to a vacuum cleaner body.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a connection structure for a suction hose to a vacuum cleaner body, for example, a substantially cylindrical connection port is provided on the vertical front surface of the vacuum cleaner body to communicate the dust collection chamber with the outside. The hose is provided horizontally, and a straight, substantially cylindrical hose has a structure in which a connecting pipe portion on the main body side is fitted and connected to the connecting port portion. That is, in this structure, the direction of the connecting pipe portion of the hose relative to the cleaner body is fixed in one horizontal direction.

In addition, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-132533, the front surface of the vacuum cleaner body is formed into an inclined surface, and a cylindrical connection that is perpendicular to the direction of inclination, that is, inclined upward, is provided on this inclined surface. Provide a mouth part,
A structure has also been adopted in which a straight hose connection pipe portion is fitted and connected to the inclined connection port portion. That is,
With this structure, the connecting pipe portion of the hose is fixed to the vacuum cleaner body in a state facing upward at a certain angle.

Also, Utility Model Application Publication No. 1986-94152, Utility Model Application No. 1987-
As shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 97560, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-97562, and Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-101051, a connection port body has a connection port portion on the top surface of a vacuum cleaner body that can freely rotate in the horizontal direction. There is also a structure in which a connecting pipe portion of a hose bent at a substantially right angle is fitted and connected to the connecting port portion of the hose. That is, in this structure, the direction of the connecting pipe portion of the hose relative to the cleaner body can be changed only within a substantially horizontal plane.

In addition, in the vacuum cleaner described in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-101051, etc., in order to maintain airtightness between the outer part of the connection port and the dust collection chamber, the dust collection of the connection port is A structure is adopted in which the annular lip portion of the packing attached to the chamber side end is rotatably brought into contact with the wall forming the dust collection chamber in the vacuum cleaner main body from only its radial direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 48-5531, a vertical cylindrical connection port is provided on the top surface of the vacuum cleaner body, and a hose connection pipe portion bent approximately at right angles is attached to the connection port. In addition to the fitting connection, a structure is also adopted in which the orientation of the hose connecting tube with respect to the vacuum cleaner body can be changed only in a substantially horizontal plane by means of a rotating portion provided on the connecting tube of the hose.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, when cleaning, for example, the extension pipe and the suction port body are connected to the hand grip provided on the opposite side of the connection pipe part of the hose, and the extension pipe is connected from the suction port body. and sucks dust into the dust collection chamber of the vacuum cleaner body through the hose. At this time, although the hose is flexible, as in the vacuum cleaner disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-132533, the direction of the connection pipe of the hose is fixed relative to the main body of the vacuum cleaner. With this structure, the suction port connected to the hose cannot be directed over a wide area without moving the vacuum cleaner itself, making cleaning difficult.

Also, Utility Model Publication No. 60-101051 or Utility Model Publication No. 48
In the vacuum cleaner shown in Publication No. 5531, the direction of the hose connection tube relative to the vacuum cleaner body can be freely changed in the horizontal plane, but it cannot be changed in the vertical direction. It is difficult to clean high places, and if the short hose is forcibly bent, the hose is easily damaged. Furthermore, in order to move the vacuum cleaner body while cleaning, the hand grip part of the hose is grasped and pulled, but at this time, the vacuum cleaner body does not move and only the hose tends to rotate horizontally. There was also the problem that the main body of the vacuum cleaner was prone to tipping over due to its poor tracking ability.

Furthermore, if the connecting pipe of the hose is bent at a substantially right angle, as in the vacuum cleaner disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-101051, the air passage resistance increases and the suction performance deteriorates. There was a problem where the decline was large.

Therefore, in order to change the direction of the hose with respect to the vacuum cleaner body not only horizontally but also vertically, in vacuum cleaners such as the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-101051, the direction of the rotation axis of the connection port body is set horizontally. It is conceivable to adopt a structure that is tilted to the opposite direction.

However, when this structure is adopted, a weight imbalance occurs due to tensile stress when grasping and pulling the hand part of the hose during cleaning, or due to the weight of the hose, which changes the inclination of the rotation axis of the connection port body. Since this connection port body tends to tilt, it is difficult to use a structure in which the annular lip part contacts the dust collection chamber forming wall only from the axial direction, as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-101051. , the lip part tends to separate from the wall forming the dust collection chamber, and airtightness may be impaired.

An object of the present invention is to be able to change the direction of the connecting pipe on the main body side of the hose with respect to the vacuum cleaner body not only horizontally but also vertically, so that it can be moved from a low place such as the floor to a high place such as the ceiling. By providing a vacuum cleaner that can easily clean a wide range of areas, has good travel followability when moving the vacuum cleaner body by pulling the hose, and can prevent deterioration in suction performance. be.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner main body that has a built-in electric blower and a dust collection chamber that communicates with the electric blower, and A connection port body is provided with a connection port portion that is rotatably supported by the vacuum cleaner body and communicates the dust collection chamber with the outside; A vacuum cleaner comprising: a packing having an annular lip rotatably abutted on a chamber forming wall; and a hose forming a connecting pipe connected to the connecting port of the connecting port body. An inclined surface descending toward the front is formed on the outer surface of the machine body, and the connection port body is provided on this inclined surface, while a bent part is provided in the connecting pipe portion of the hose on the side of the vacuum cleaner main body,
This hose is rotatable in the circumferential direction with respect to the vacuum cleaner body with a rotation axis in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface thereof, and an annular holding portion is provided on the dust collection chamber forming wall toward the connection port body. The annular lip portion is provided so as to protrude from the inside in the radial direction, and the annular lip portion is brought into contact with the base portion of the annular holding portion.

(Function) In the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the connection pipe portion on the main body side has a bent portion of the hose at the connection port portion of the connection port body provided on the slope that descends toward the front of the outer surface of the vacuum cleaner main body. is connected, and due to the rotation of the connection port body, the hose rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to the vacuum cleaner body with the rotation axis in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface of the vacuum cleaner body. In contrast, the connecting pipe portion having the bent portion of the hose changes direction not only horizontally but also vertically. At this time, the annular lip part of the packing where the connection port body is provided is rotatably in contact with the wall forming the dust collection chamber inside the vacuum cleaner body, so that the outer part of the connection port body and the dust collection chamber are connected to each other. However, even if the connection port body tries to tilt so that the direction of the rotation axis changes, the base of the annular holding part protruding from the dust collection chamber forming wall toward the connection port body Since the annular lip portion that originally comes into contact with the annular holding portion continues to make contact with the annular holding portion from the inside in the radial direction, airtightness is maintained continuously.

(Embodiment) The configuration of an embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a vacuum cleaner body, which is composed of a main body case 3 having an opening 2 formed on the front side of the upper surface, and a removable lid 4 for opening and closing the opening 2 of the main body case 3. The inside of the main body case 3 is partitioned into the front and back by a partition wall 6 provided approximately in the center thereof and having a communication port 5, and an electric blower 7 is disposed in a space behind the partition wall 6. At the same time, a space in front of the partition wall 6 serves as a dust collection chamber 8 having the opening 2 on the upper surface. Further, a clamp 10 biased by a spring 9 is pivotally attached to the front surface of the main body case 3, and
An engagement hole 11 is formed at the rear edge of the opening 2 .

Further, in the lower part of the main body case 3, wheels 12a and a turning ring 12b for moving the cleaner main body 1 are rotatably provided on the rear side of both sides and the front side of the lower surface.

The lid body 4 is formed in the shape of a thin box with an open bottom surface, and has the locking part 13 on its front edge with which the clamp 10 is removably engaged through a rotational movement.
In addition, a rear locking portion 14 having an L-shaped side surface and removably engaging with the engagement hole 11 of the main body case 3 is formed on the rear edge. Further, a packing 15 is provided on the periphery of the lower surface of the lid 4 to be brought into airtight contact with the periphery of the opening 2 of the main body case 3.

The front side of this lid body 4 is formed with an inclined surface 16 that descends toward the front.
6 is integrally formed with a short cylindrical holding part 17 that is perpendicular to the inclination direction thereof, and an annular stepped part 18 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is formed on the periphery of the upper end surface of this cylindrical holding part 17 in the drawing. It is formed. Further, inside the lid 4, there is a dust collection chamber that extends from the rear side of the upper surface to the front side of the lid 4 in parallel with the slope 16, and is bent vertically from there to the front edge of the slope 16. An inner wall 19, which is a forming wall, is formed. A short cylindrical insertion portion 20 is formed in the inner wall 19, and the cylindrical insertion portion 20 is surrounded and protruded toward the inclined surface 16 to form a substantially U-shaped cross section. An annular holding part 21 is formed, and an annular packing 22 is formed on the lower surface side of this annular holding part 21.
are fitted and retained. Further, a fitting step portion 23 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is formed on the front surface of the inner wall 19 .

Further, the main body case 3 is provided with a mouth frame holder 24 that is opposed to the inner wall 19 of the main body case 3 with a small gap when the lid body 4 is attached to the main body case 3.

A connection port body 31 is rotatably provided between the inclined surface 16 of the lid body 4 and the inner wall 19. This connection port body 31 is opposed to a substantially disk-shaped first connection port member 33 having a cylindrical connection port portion 32 in the center with a small gap maintained between the outer peripheral surface of the connection port portion 32. A short substantially cylindrical tubular portion 34
a substantially disc-shaped second connection port member 36 having a central portion thereof and attached to the first connection port member 33 with a screw 35; and a connection port portion 32 of these connection port members 33, 36. and a packing 37 held between the lower end portions of the cylindrical portion 34. A recess 38 is formed on the upper surface side of the connection port 32,
A locking hole 40 is formed in the side surface of this recess 38 . Further, on the upper surface of the second connection port member 36, a short cylindrical outer guide wall 41 is formed protruding from the periphery thereof, and a shorter cylindrical guide wall 41 is located inside the outer guide wall 41. A shaped inner guide wall 42 is formed to protrude. Further, the packing 37 has an annular lip portion 43 formed at its lower peripheral edge, and an annular protrusion 44 formed on its inner peripheral surface. and,
This connection port body 31 has an upper surface peripheral edge of the first member 33 formed at the annular step portion 18 of the inclined surface 16 of the lid body 4.
The inner guide wall 42 of the second member 36 is rotatably fitted to the cylindrical holding portion 17 of the lid 4, and the annular lip portion 43 of the packing 37 is rotatably fitted to the cylindrical holding portion 17 of the lid 4. It is rotatably attached to the lid 4 in a state in which it rotatably abuts the base of the annular holding portion 21 of the inner wall 19 of the lid 4 from the inside in the radial direction. In this state, the connection port 32 is perpendicular to the inclined surface 16 of the lid 4. Further, the outer guide wall 41 of the connection port body 31 is slidably abutted on the fitting step portion 23 of the inner wall 19 of the lid body 4.

Reference numeral 51 denotes a dust collection filter, which is composed of a bag-like filter medium 52 and a mouth frame 54 provided on the opening side of the bag-like filter medium 52 and having a dust collection port 53 formed therein. The dust collecting filter 51 is configured such that the cylindrical insertion portion 20 of the inner wall 19 of the lid body 4 is inserted into the dust collecting port 53 of the opening frame 54, and the opening frame 54 is inserted into the inner wall 19.
By being held by the opening frame holder 24 of the main body case 3, it can be detachably installed in the dust collection chamber 8.

Further, an auxiliary filter 55 is detachably attached to the front surface of the partition wall 6 of the main body case 3.

A hose 61 includes a bellows-shaped and bendable hose body 62, a cylindrical connecting pipe part 63 provided at one end of the hose body 62 and serving as the end of the hose 61 on the cleaner body 1 side, and the hose 61. It consists of a hand grip part (not shown) provided at the other end of the main body 62 and to which an extension tube or the like is connected.

The connecting pipe portion 63 is bent at approximately the center thereof, and the cleaner body 1 is connected to the main body 1 from this bent portion 64
A cover body 66 containing a movable clamp 65 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the side. The clamp 6
Reference numeral 5 denotes an operating section 6 that protrudes outward from the cover body 66.
7 and a locking claw portion 68 that is inserted into and removed from the locking hole 40 of the connection port body 31, and a spring 6
9 and is biased outwardly.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

During cleaning, the hose 61 is connected to the cleaner main body 1 by fitting the illustrated lower end of the connecting pipe portion 63 of the hose 61 into the connecting port 32 of the cleaner main body 1. That is, the connecting pipe portion 63 is connected to the connecting port portion 3.
2, the lower end of the cover body 66 is fitted into the recess 38 of the connection port body 31, and
The locking claw portion 69 of the clamp 65 biased by the spring 70 is inserted into the locking hole 40 of the connection port body 31 through a reciprocating motion, and the hose 61 is held in the connected state. In this state, the end surface of the hose 61 is brought into contact with the annular protrusion 44 of the packing 37. In addition,
When removing the hose 61 from the vacuum cleaner main body 1, push the operating part 67 of the clamp 65, pull out the locking claw part 68 from the locking hole 40 of the connection port body 31, and then insert the connection pipe part 63 of the hose 61 into the connection port. Pull it out from part 32.

Further, an extension pipe and a suction port body are sequentially connected to the hand-held portion of the hose 61 in a detachable manner.

Then, by driving the electric blower 7, dust is sucked in from the suction port body, and the extension pipe and hose 61
The dust is guided to the dust collection chamber 8 of the cleaner body 1 through the dust collection chamber 8 and stored in the dust collection filter 51. At this time, the user, while grasping the hand grip part of the hose 61,
Move the suction port body over the surface to be cleaned.

At that time, the connection port 32 is connected to the inclined surface 16 of the lid body 4.
A hose 6 is provided on the wall and is inclined upwardly toward the front, and is fitted and connected to this connection port 32.
Since the connecting tube portion 63 of No. 1 is bent, as the connecting tube portion 63 rotates with the rotation axis a in the direction orthogonal to the inclined surface 16 of the connecting port body 31, the tip side of the connecting tube portion 63, that is, the bent portion 64 The hose body 62 connects to the connection port 32
It swings around its axis, and its direction changes not only horizontally but also vertically. As shown in FIG. 3, the angle of inclination of the inclined surface 16 of the vacuum cleaner body 1 with respect to the horizontal surface
If the bending angle of the bent portion 64 is γ, the elevation angle of the distal end side of the connecting pipe portion 63 with respect to the horizontal plane h is γ−α−
It will vary within the range of 360-2γ from 90 to 270-α-γ.

In this way, the direction of the tip side of the connecting pipe part 63, which is the end of the hose 61 on the side of the vacuum cleaner body 1, can be changed not only horizontally but also vertically with respect to the vacuum cleaner body. It is possible to easily and efficiently clean a wide range in the horizontal and vertical directions, such as floors, walls, and ceiling surfaces.

Incidentally, the bending angle γ of the bending portion 64 of the hose 61 is desirably close to 180° in order to reduce the air path resistance there. Also, hose 6
1 rotates as the hand gripping portion is gripped and moved. In order to improve the ability to follow the rotation of the hose 61 at that time, the bending angle γ of the bent portion 64 of the hose 61 is adjusted. It is desirable that the value is large to some extent. Furthermore, when moving the vacuum cleaner main body 1 during cleaning, the hand grip part of the hose 61 is grasped and pulled. It is preferable that the inclination angle α of the surface 16 and the bending angle γ of the bending portion 64 of the hose 61 be larger to some extent. In addition, in order to efficiently perform vertical cleaning, it is desirable that the direction of the distal end of the connecting pipe portion 63 of the hose 61 changes from a state of approximately horizontal or a depression angle of about 10 degrees to a state of a somewhat large depression angle. .

In order to satisfy all of the above conditions, the maximum elevation angle β with respect to the horizontal plane h should be within a range of approximately 40° to 120°. For example, if the depression angle δ is 10°, β = 270
Since −α−γ and δ=−(γ−α−90),
The necessary condition for 40≦β≦120 is 35≦α≦
75, 115≦γ≦155. That is, it is sufficient that the inclination angle α of the inclined surface 16 is within the range of approximately 35° to 75°, and the bending angle γ of the bent portion 64 is within the range of approximately 115° to 155°.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bent portion 64 of the hose 61 is bent by smoothly curving it. With this structure, the air path at the bent portion 64 is It is possible to reduce resistance, prevent deterioration of suction performance, and
Noise can be reduced. By increasing the bending angle γ of the bending part 64, the curvature of the bending part 64 can be made smaller when the connecting pipe part 63 is injection molded with synthetic resin, so that loss of suction performance and noise can be further reduced.

Furthermore, when cleaning, the dust collection chamber 8 of the connection port body 31
The annular lip portion 43 of the packing 37 attached to the side end rotatably contacts the inner wall 19 that forms the dust collection chamber, so that the outer part of the connection port body 31 and the dust collection chamber 8 are connected to each other. Airtightness between the two is maintained.
By the way, since the axis of the connecting port body 31 which is rotatably supported and to which the hose 61 is connected is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane h, this connecting port body 31 is connected to the hose 61.
1, for example, the upper portion tends to move forward, that is, to tilt in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing. However, the annular lip 43 is attached to the annular holding portion 2 of the inner wall 19 that protrudes toward the connection port body 31.
1 from the inside in the radial direction, even if the connection port body 31 is slightly tilted as described above,
The annular lip portion 43 continues to abut against the annular holding portion 21. Therefore, airtightness is maintained reliably and deterioration of suction performance is prevented.

In the above embodiment, a structure in which the hose 61 is detachably attached to the connection port body 31 has been described, but the hose may be provided integrally with the connection port body.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the connection port body is rotatably supported on the inclined surface formed on the vacuum cleaner body, and the connection pipe portion of the hose connected to the connection port of the connection port body is provided with a bent portion. By making this hose freely rotatable in the circumferential direction with respect to the vacuum cleaner body with the rotation axis in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface, as the hose is rotated, the bent portion is formed. Since the connecting pipe section changes direction not only horizontally but also vertically with respect to the main body of the vacuum cleaner, for example, while grasping the hand grip provided on the other side of the hose, insert an extension pipe into the hand grip provided on the other side of the hose. When moving the connected suction port body along the surface to be cleaned, the degree of freedom in positioning the suction port body relative to the vacuum cleaner body increases, making it easier to clean a wide range of horizontal and vertical directions such as floors and ceilings. This can be done efficiently, and as mentioned above, the hose rotates with the axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to the inclined surface, so the main body of the vacuum cleaner can be moved by grasping the hand grip of the hose and pulling it. At the same time, the driving followability is improved. Furthermore, an annular holding part is provided on the wall forming the dust collection chamber in the vacuum cleaner body so as to protrude toward the connection port body, and the annular lip of the packing provided on the connection port body is inserted into the base of the annular holding part in the radial direction. Since the hose is brought into contact with the hose from one side, the direction of the rotation axis changes due to tensile stress applied to the hose during cleaning or due to weight imbalance due to the weight of the hose due to the tilt of the rotation axis. Even if the connection port body tends to tilt, the annular lip portion continues to abut against the annular holding portion, and therefore, airtightness is always maintained reliably, so that deterioration of suction performance can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same as above;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the same action as above. 1...Vacuum cleaner body, 7...Electric blower, 8...
Dust collection chamber, 16... Inclined surface, 19... Inner wall forming the dust collection chamber, 21... Annular holding portion, 31... Connection port body, 32... Connection port portion, 37... Packing,
43...Annular lip part, 61...Hose, 63...
...Connecting pipe section, 64...Bending section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A vacuum cleaner body having a built-in electric blower and a dust collection chamber that communicates with the electric blower, and a vacuum cleaner body rotatably supported by the vacuum cleaner body and connecting the dust collection chamber and the outside. A connection port body provided with a communicating connection port portion, and an annular lip portion provided at the dust collection chamber side end of the connection port body and rotatably abutted against the dust collection chamber forming wall in the vacuum cleaner main body. and a hose forming a connection pipe portion connected to the connection port portion of the connection port body, forming an inclined surface descending toward the front on the outer surface of the vacuum cleaner body, The spout is provided on this inclined surface, and a bent portion is provided in the connecting pipe portion of the hose on the side of the vacuum cleaner body, and the hose is rotated in a circle with the rotation axis in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface with respect to the vacuum cleaner main body. It is rotatable in the circumferential direction, and an annular holding part is provided on the dust collection chamber forming wall to protrude toward the connection port body, and the annular lip part is brought into contact with the base of the annular holding part from radially inside. A vacuum cleaner characterized by: 2. The angle of inclination of the inclined surface of the vacuum cleaner body with respect to the horizontal plane is within the range of approximately 35° to 75°, and the bending angle of the bent portion of the hose is within the range of approximately 115° to 155°. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that: