JPH0670873A - Floor nozzle of vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To decrease an injury accident caused by a rotary brush by constituting the floor nozzle so that in the case the floor nozzle floats from the floor surface, a photosensor receives an external light and a control circuit stops automatically a rotation of the rotary brush. CONSTITUTION:In the case of a state that the floor nozzle is not used, the floor nozzle is separated from the floor surface. In this case, light goes in a little to a photosensor 9 provided on the lower face of the floor nozzle. As a result, electromotive force is generated in the photosensor 9, and a floor nozzle state deciding circuit 10 which detects the electromotive force decides that the floor nozzle is separated form the floor surface. In this regard, the floor nozzle deciding circuit 10 consists of a circuit configuration in which such a condition that the decision is executed in the case an electromotive force difference of each of plural pieces of photosensors 9 is small is imparted in order to avoid an erroneous decision. This decision operates an ON/OFF circuit 11 of a motor, and functions so as to stop the motor 7. In such a way, in the case the floor nozzle is floated from the floor surface, the number of mechanical structures having a function for stopping forcibly a rotation of a rotary brush is small, therefore, the floor nozzle can be made light in weight and small in size.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a floor nozzle equipped with a rotary brush of an electric vacuum cleaner having an optical sensor element and its control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the safety of home electric appliances has become a social issue. With regard to the electric vacuum cleaner, for example, accidents such as injuries occur when touching a finger or the like by mistake while rotating the rotary brush of the floor nozzle. Therefore, conventionally, for example, when the floor nozzle is turned upside down, the weight attached to the inside of the floor nozzle pushes up the switch attached to the upper part of the floor nozzle to activate it, and as a result, the floor nozzle has the function of forcibly stopping the rotation of the brush. Was devised. Further, a floor nozzle having a function of attaching a switch to the lower surface of the floor nozzle and turning off the switch when the floor nozzle floats above the floor surface and stopping the rotating brush has also been devised.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer shape of the floor nozzle is composed of a floor nozzle casing 1 and a hose mounting member 2. The rotating brush 4 is driven by the rotation of the motor 7 via the belt 5 and has an action of scraping out deep dust such as carpet. The dust or the like scraped out passes through the hose attached to the hose attachment member 2 by the suction force of air and is sucked into the cleaner body.

[0004]

However, with such a function, the rotary brush does not stop unless the floor nozzle is turned inside out, and there is still a large possibility of injuring a finger or the like. Further, the mechanical structure increases the size of the structure, making it difficult to reduce the weight and size of the floor nozzle. Therefore, the rotary brush is still often controlled manually.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks and to automatically control the stop of the rotating brush of the floor nozzle according to the usage state of the floor nozzle.

[0006]

A floor nozzle for an electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention comprises a floor nozzle body, a rotary brush for scraping up dust on the floor surface, and a plurality of optical sensor elements provided in a casing of the floor nozzle. , Equipped with a function that determines the state of the floor nozzle by an optical sensor, a control circuit that has a rotation control function for the rotating brush, and a motor that rotates the rotating brush, and automatically drives the rotating brush according to the usage state of the floor nozzle. That is controlled in a controlled manner.

[0007]

According to the present invention, when the floor nozzle having the above-mentioned structure is lifted from the floor surface, an optical sensor including a plurality of sensors receives external light to generate an electromotive force, and the condition determination path of the floor nozzle is compared. If the determination circuit determines that the floor nozzle has been separated from the floor surface, it detects the electromotive force between the sensors and forcibly stops the rotating brush of the floor nozzle.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in the figure, the nozzle body has an outer shape composed of upper and lower floor nozzle casings 1 and 3. Dust and the like is sucked up by the air suction port 6 and sucked into the cleaner body through the hose mounting member 2 and the hose. A rotating brush 4 serves to scrape out dust and the like in the deep part of the carpet. Reference numeral 7 denotes a motor, which drives the rotating brush 4 via the belt of 5. Reference numeral 8 is a running tire for facilitating running of the floor nozzle. A plurality of optical sensors 9 are attached to the bottom surface of the floor nozzle with some depth. This is a consideration so as not to be easily affected by outside light. FIG. 3 shows a motor control circuit configuration for a rotary brush. The floor nozzle state determination circuit 10 determines whether or not the floor nozzle is in contact with the floor surface by using the electromotive force of the optical sensor 9 composed of a plurality of sensors, and turns ON / O based on the determination result.
The FF circuit 11 controls the rotation of the motor 7 for driving the floor nozzle rotating brush.

Next, the operation of the above structure will be described with reference to FIG. The floor nozzle of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is moved along the floor surface and used during normal cleaning. At this time, the lower surface of the floor nozzle is in contact with the floor surface, and almost no light enters the optical sensor 9 provided on the lower surface of the floor nozzle.
Therefore, almost no electromotive force is generated in the optical sensor 9. On the contrary, when the floor nozzle is not used, the floor nozzle is separated from the floor surface. At this time, light slightly enters the optical sensor 9 provided on the lower surface of the floor nozzle. As a result, electromotive force is generated in the optical sensor 9, and the floor nozzle state determination circuit 10 that has detected the electromotive force determines that the floor nozzle is separated from the floor surface. However, in order to avoid erroneous determination, the floor nozzle state determination circuit 10 has a circuit configuration that provides a condition that determination is made when the electromotive force difference between the plurality of optical sensors 9 is small. This determination operates the motor ON / OFF circuit 11 to stop the motor 7. In this way, when the floor nozzle is lifted from the floor surface, it has a function of forcibly stopping the rotation of the rotary brush 4.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, the optical sensor provided in the floor nozzle is used, and when the floor nozzle is lifted from the floor surface, the optical sensor receives external light and automatically rotates the rotary brush. It has a function to stop it. Furthermore, as a result of arranging a plurality of photosensors on the floor nozzle and applying the electromotive force difference between the photosensors to the judgment condition, erroneous judgment can be reduced. Therefore, as a result, it is possible to reduce the number of accidents such as a finger injury caused by the rotating brush of the electric vacuum cleaner having the floor nozzle of the present invention. Further, since the structure of the present invention has few mechanical structures, it is possible to reduce the weight and size of the floor nozzle.

The optical sensor 9 can be further reduced in weight and size by using an inexpensive and structurally strong optical sensor element typified by cd-s and solar cells.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of a floor nozzle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an upper surface and an inside of a floor nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of a rotary brush control circuit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a control function.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Floor nozzle casing upper surface 2 Hose mounting member 3 Floor nozzle casing lower surface 4 Rotating brush 5 Belt 7 Motor 9 Optical sensor element 10 Floor nozzle state determination circuit 11 ON / OFF circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A floor nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner, a floor nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner in which a rotating brush is rotated by a motor, the above-mentioned floor nozzle having an optical sensor element in a casing, and a floor nozzle of an optical sensor. A floor nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with a control circuit having a function of determining a state and a rotation control function of a rotating brush of a floor nozzle based on the determination. 2. A floor nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner, a floor nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner in which a rotating brush is rotated by a motor, the above-mentioned floor nozzle having an optical sensor element in a casing, and a floor nozzle having an optical sensor element. A floor nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with a control circuit having a function of detecting a difference in electromotive force between photosensors and a control circuit having a rotation control function of a rotating brush by arranging a plurality of them in a vacuum nozzle.