JPH09238873A - Steam vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent deterioration of a floor made of material quality easily affected by high temperature by attaching a steam temperature lowering means for lowering the temperature of steam ejected from a ejecting nozzle of a jetting part in a steam vacuum cleaner adapted to produce steam, thereby removing soil adhering to the floor or the like. SOLUTION: A steam vacuum cleaner 1 comprises a cleaning means main body 10 and a steam producer 50 which is fitted to an air pipe 40 and adapted to heat water supplied from a water storage tank 60 by a steam producer 70 having a heater built in to evaporate the same. In this case, an air flow collecting lid 130 for collecting some of exhaust air is provided on a rear wall of a main body case 101 of a vacuum cleaner 100, one end of an exhaust air supply hose 131 as an exhaust air supply means for forming steam temperature lowering means is connected to the air flow collecting lid 130, and the other end is connected to an air supply pipe 32c of a steam ejecting device 32. Thus, the steam, the temperature of which is lowered, is ejected from a jet nozzle 32a so as to prevent deterioration of the floor surface of material quality easily affected by high temperature.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steam cleaner for generating steam to remove dirt and the like adhering to a floor or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, dirt on a floor surface to be cleaned or dirt adhered to the surface is softened by spraying steam and the floor surface is slidably contacted with a brush or the like for quick cleaning. And a steam-type vacuum cleaner is used to ensure removal or cleaning.

By the way, recently, building materials made of various materials have been developed, and a variety of materials such as floors have been developed. Some of these materials are not preferable when exposed to a high temperature by the jetted steam. On the other hand, since the conventional steam-type vacuum cleaner is not provided with means for lowering the temperature of the steam to be ejected, in the case of a flooring material which is not preferable when exposed to the high temperature, the high temperature remains as it is. However, there is a problem that the flooring is deteriorated in some cases.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional steam type vacuum cleaner, the temperature of the jetted steam cannot be lowered, so that the floor made of a material vulnerable to high temperature is deteriorated in some cases. There was a problem.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the invention according to claim 1 has a jetting portion having a steam jetting port provided on the side facing the surface to be cleaned. Steam-type cleaning provided with a cleaning tool body having a cleaning member provided in the vicinity of the spouting portion, a water storage tank, and a steam generator that supplies water supplied from the water storage tank as steam to the steam spouting portion. In the machine, a steam type vacuum cleaner is provided with a steam temperature lowering means for lowering the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection port of the ejection portion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention having the above-described structure, the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection portion is lowered by providing the steam temperature lowering means, so that the deterioration of the floor made of a material vulnerable to high temperature is prevented. It has the effect of being able to prevent it.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a jet portion having a steam jet port provided on the surface side facing the surface to be cleaned, a cleaning member arranged near the jet portion, and a suction hose. A cleaning tool main body having a cleaning body that is operated by the suction airflow of the electric vacuum cleaner main body connected via
In a steam cleaner including a water storage tank and a steam generator that supplies water supplied from the water storage tank as steam to the steam ejection unit, an exhaust port of an electric vacuum cleaner body and the ejection unit are connected in communication. The steam type vacuum cleaner comprises steam temperature lowering means for lowering the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection port of the ejection part by means of supplying exhaust air.

According to the second aspect of the invention thus constructed, the temperature of the steam is lowered by the exhaust air of the vacuum cleaner body. Therefore, in addition to the function of the first aspect, the exhaust air It has the effect of promoting the ejection of steam by the wind pressure.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is that the steam temperature lowering means in the invention according to claim 1 or 2 is constituted by air supply means for supplying air for lowering the temperature of the steam to the jet portion. It is a thing.

According to the invention of claim 3 configured as described above, the temperature of the steam is lowered by the air supplied by the air supply means. Therefore, in addition to the function of the invention of claim 1, Similar to the invention described in Item 2, it has an effect of promoting the ejection of steam, and also has an effect of efficiently lowering the temperature with a small amount of air flow since the outside air is supplied.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the steam cleaner 1 is connected to an electric vacuum cleaner body 100, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a main part of the steam cleaner 1 in section, and FIG. It is a figure which shows a generator.

The steam cleaner 1 comprises a cleaning tool main body (hereinafter simply referred to as a main body) 10, a ventilation pipe 40 connected to the main body 10, a steam generator 50 attached to the ventilation pipe 40, and the like. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 10 is composed of an upper case 11 which constitutes one of the cases of the main body 10, and a cleaning body 20 which will be described later and is attached to the upper case 11. The case of the cleaning body 20 is a lower case 21 that forms the other case of the main body 10.

As shown in the figure, the upper case 11 has a ceiling wall 11a in the upper part, and an annular wall 11b extending downward from the outer periphery of the ceiling wall 11a in the figure.
It is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having a storage space 12 inside. The ceiling wall 11a is formed with an intake hole 13 composed of a plurality of elongated holes, and the annular wall 11b is formed.
A connection pipe 14 is formed on the rear side (right side in the drawing).

Next, the cleaning body 20 will be described. This cleaning body 20 includes the above-mentioned lower case 21 in which the ejector arrangement portion 27, the fan storage chamber 29, and the vibrator arrangement portion 30 are formed, and the steam ejection provided in the ejector arrangement portion 27. It comprises a steam ejector 32 as a unit, a fan 35 housed in the fan housing chamber 29, a vibrating body 36 arranged in the vibrating body arrangement section 30, and the like.

The lower case 21 has a bottomed cylindrical portion 24 formed by a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped base 22 and an annular wall 23 formed by the base 22 as a bottom wall so as to project upward in the drawing. And a jetty 25 having a substantially rectangular cross-section formed by projecting downward at the front end and the rear end of the base 22.
And 26. Further, the jetty portions 25 and 2 are provided on the lower side surface of the base 22, that is, the side facing the floor surface or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as the floor surface) as the surface to be cleaned.
The ejector arrangement portion 27 is formed at a position between the ejector arrangement portion 27 and the nozzle 6. Further, a partition wall 28 is formed at a position slightly lower than the middle portion of the annular wall 23 on the upper surface side of the base 22, and the fan storage chamber 29 is provided above the partition wall 28 and downward. A vibrating body disposition chamber 30 is formed. A bearing mounting portion 28a is formed in the center of the partition wall 28, and a bearing 31 is mounted on the bearing mounting portion 28a.

The steam ejector 32 having a large number of ejection openings 32a formed toward the floor is attached to the ejector arrangement portion 27 by an appropriate fitting not shown. . A connection pipe 32b extending rearward is provided in the steam ejector 32 through a groove portion 26a formed in the jetty portion 26, and a tip end portion thereof projects from a rear end of the base 22. Further, the connection pipe 32b is provided with an air supply pipe 32c formed by branching the connection pipe 32b. Further, the jetty portions 25 and 26 are provided with brushes 33, 33 as cleaning members facing downward, that is, toward the floor surface.

The fan storage chamber 29 accommodates the fan 35 integrally attached to a rotary shaft 34 rotatably supported by the bearing 31, and the lower end portion of the rotary shaft 34. Is provided so as to project downward from the bearing 31 and to project into the vibrating body disposition chamber 30, and a vibrating body 36 is attached to the lower end of the rotary shaft 34.

The vibrating body 36 is composed of an arm portion 36a having one end attached to the rotary shaft 34 and a weight 36b attached to the other end side of the arm portion 36a, and the fan 35 rotates. Then, the vibrating body 36 rotates together with the fan 35, and the weight 36 forming a part of the vibrating body 36.
Since b is eccentric to the rotation axis, vibration is generated, and this vibration is transmitted to the case 21 and the case 21 vibrates. Due to the vibration of the case 21, the jetty portions 25, 26
The tip ends of the brushes 33, 33 provided on the sliding contact the floor surface.
That is, the brushes 33, 33 operate so as to make sliding contact with the floor surface by the vibration generated by the vibrating body 36 that rotates together with the fan 35. Also, a steam cleaner 1
When using, the weight of substantially the entire steam cleaner 1 is added to the brushes 33, 33, so that the tip end of the brush comes into sliding contact while pressing the floor surface. By the contact, dirt on the floor surface or solidly adhered dirt and the like are removed. Then, as will be described later, the steam ejected from the steam ejector 32 softens the dirt on the floor surface or the adhered dirt and the like, and the brushes 33, 33 make sliding contact with each other easily and reliably. It is to be removed or cleaned.

A through hole 23a is formed on the side wall of the fan storage chamber 29, that is, on the rear side of the annular wall 23. The through hole 23a and the through hole 14a of the connecting pipe 14 formed in the upper case 11 are connected to each other. Are communicatively connected by a stretchable ventilation pipe 37 made of bellows made of rubber or the like.

The fan storage chamber 29 communicating with the intake hole 13, the elastic ventilation pipe 37, and the connecting pipe 14 constitute a suction air passage formed in the main body 10, and one of the suction air passages is formed. The fan accommodating chamber 29 and the ejector disposing portion 27, which are parts, are airtightly separated by a partition formed by a base 22, a partition wall 28, an annular wall 23, and the like. Ejector 3 disposed in the installation portion 27
The steam ejected by 2 is not sucked into the suction air passage.

When the electric blower of the electric vacuum cleaner body 100, which will be described later, is driven, the fan 35 is rotated by the suction airflow sucked from the intake holes 13 by the suction action of the electric blower main body 100.

The lower case 21 of the cleaning body 20
Are arranged between the inner peripheral wall of the annular wall 11b of the upper case 11 and the outer peripheral wall of the annular wall 23 while positioning the bottomed tubular portion 24 in the storage space 12 of the upper case 11. Is attached via an elastic support body 38 formed of a coil spring or the like, and the lower case 21 is attached to the upper case 11 by the elastic support body 38 and the elastic ventilation pipe 37.
It is swingably mounted in the storage space 12 of. Further, when the lower case 21 is attached to the upper case 11, the lower case 21, that is, the cleaning member is provided between the upper surface of the base 22 of the lower case 21 and the opening edge of the annular wall 23 of the upper case 11. A small gap G is formed so as not to come into contact when the 20 vibrates.

Next, the ventilation pipe 40 connected to the upper case 11 of the main body 10 will be described. This ventilation pipe 4
0 is formed of a hollow pipe 41 made of synthetic resin or metal, and the end portion at the lower end in the drawing is a connecting portion 42. The connecting portion 42 and the connecting pipe 14 formed in the upper case 11 are connected to each other. The vent pipe 40 is integrally attached to the upper case 11 by fitting.
Further, an operating handle 43 formed in an L shape is formed on the other end side of the hollow pipe 41. Further, a connection pipe 44 formed by projecting to the side of the hollow pipe 41 is provided near the operation handle 43 of the hollow pipe 41. The connecting pipe 44 communicates with the hollow pipe 41, and is tapered gradually toward the tip. The operation handle 43 does not communicate with the hollow pipe 41.

Next, the steam generator 50 will be described. The steam generator 50 includes a case 5 made of a synthetic resin or a metal plate and having a substantially elliptical cross section.
1. A water storage tank 60, which is positioned and accommodated in the case 51 by an appropriate positioning means (not shown), a steam generator 70, and an electric pump (hereinafter simply referred to as a pump) for sending water in the water storage tank 60 to the steam generator 70. It is composed of 80).

The case 51 is open at both ends, that is, at the upper end and the lower end in the drawing, and the both end openings are closed by lid members 53 and 54. An attachment hole 53a and a water injection hole insertion hole 53b are attached to the lid member 53 so as to penetrate the ventilation pipe 40, that is, the hollow pipe 41.
Is formed, and the lid member 53 is formed with a power feed line insertion hole 53c. In addition, a mounting hole 54 that penetrates the hollow pipe 41 and is mounted in the lid member 54.
a and an insertion hole 54b through which the steam supply pipe 58 is inserted
Are formed.

Next, the water storage tank 60 is made of a hollow, substantially cylindrical body made of synthetic resin or the like, and a water injection port 61 is formed on the upper end side, and the water injection port 61 is the lid member 5.
The water injection port insertion hole 53b formed in No. 3 is inserted into the water injection port insertion hole 53b, and the tip portion thereof protrudes from the lid member 53 to the outside.
Is always closed by a removable plug 61a.
A water supply port 62 is formed on the lower end side.

Next, the pump 80 comprises a well-known electric pump, is located on the downstream side of the water storage tank 60, and has an inlet 81 on the water storage tank 60 side and an outlet 82 on the steam generator 70 side which will be described later. Located in the case 51
Is housed inside. The suction port 81 is connected to the water supply port 62 of the water storage tank 60 by the water supply pipe 55.

Next, the steam generator 70 operates as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the tube body is formed of an insulating material and has a through hole 72 surrounded by a thick wall 71. The thick tube wall 71 surrounds the through hole 72. Thus, the heater 73 is embedded. Power is supplied to the heater 73 by a power supply line 74 connected to a terminal (not shown). The rear end side of the through hole 72 is connected to the discharge port 82 of the pump 80 by a water supply pipe 56, and the through hole 7
The opening on the front end side of 2 is made of a member having heat resistance and flexibility, and the insertion hole 5 formed in the lid member 54.
It is connected to the connecting pipe 32b of the steam ejector 32 through a steam supply pipe 58 inserted through 4b. Further, since the steam supply pipe 58 has flexibility, when the cleaning body 20, that is, the lower case 21 swings, the swing is not hindered.

The power supply line 74 is pulled out to the outside through a power supply line insertion hole 53c formed in the lid member 53, and a male connector 75 is attached to the tip of the power supply line 74. The connector 75 is the connecting pipe 10 of the suction hose 103 of the electric vacuum cleaner body 100, which will be described in detail later.
4 is connected to the female connector 108.

In the vicinity of the case 80 where the pump 80 is provided, a predetermined time has elapsed since the power supply line 74 was connected and the power supply line 74 was energized, that is, the steam generator 70 was started. After the passage, the pump 80
A relay means 85 having a time counting function for starting energization is provided to the power supply line 74 via the relay means 85.
Is supplied to the pump 80, that is, the electric motor of the pump 80.

Then, the heater 73 of the steam generator 70
When the power is supplied to the through hole 72 through the power supply line 74, the inner wall of the through hole 72 is gradually heated, and after a predetermined time elapses, the through hole 72 is
The water that flows into is heated almost instantaneously to a temperature sufficient to turn it into steam or steam. In this way, when the steam generator 70 is heated, that is, when the relay means 85 having the timing function measures the predetermined time, the relay means 85 energizes the pump 80 to drive the pump 80 and the water tank. The water stored in 60 is sent to the steam generator 70, and this water is turned into steam almost instantly by the steam generator 70, and the generated steam is passed through the steam supply pipe 58 to the steam ejector. It is sent to 32 and is ejected from the ejection port 32a toward the floor surface.

Next, the electric vacuum cleaner body 100 connected to the steam cleaner 1 having the above-described structure will be described. The main configuration of this electric vacuum cleaner 100 is the same as a conventionally known one. That is, a dust collection chamber and an electric blower chamber (not shown) are provided in the main body case 101, and the dust collection device and the electric blower chamber are housed in the dust collection chamber and the electric blower chamber, respectively. A suction port 102 communicating with the dust collecting chamber is provided, and the suction port 1
To 02, one end of a flexible suction hose 103 is connected. At the other end of the suction hose 103, a connecting pipe 104 is provided.
The connecting pipe 104 is attached to and detachable from the connecting pipe 44 provided in the ventilation pipe 40, that is, the hollow pipe 41. Therefore, the connecting pipe 104 gradually expands toward the tip end so as to fit into the connecting pipe 44. A fitting hole that is tapered to open is formed.

A female plug 105 is provided near the lower portion of the suction port 102 of the main body case 101, and a male plug 107 provided at one end of a cord 106 is connected to the female plug 105. The other end of the cord 106 has a female connector 108 provided on the connecting pipe 104.
It is connected to the. A male connector 75 provided on the power supply line 74 is connected to the female connector 108.

Then, the connecting pipe 1 of the suction hose 103.
04 and the connecting pipe 44 of the ventilation pipe 40 are connected to each other, the steam cleaner 1 is installed in the vacuum cleaner body 100.
And the feeder 74 is connected to the male connector 7
By connecting the female connector 5 to the female connector 108, power can be supplied to the steam generator 70 and the pump 80 via the power supply line 74.

An exhaust port (not shown) is formed on the rear wall of the main body case 101 in FIG. 1, and a wind collecting lid 130 for collecting a part of exhaust air exhausted from the exhaust port.
The wind collecting lid 130 is connected to one end side of a flexible exhaust air supply hose 131 as a means for supplying exhaust air which constitutes steam temperature lowering means. The other end side of 131 is connected to the air supply pipe 32c of the steam ejector 32, whereby the exhaust port and the steam ejector 32 as the ejecting portion are communicatively connected. Further, the exhaust air supply hose 131 is locked and positioned by a locking tool 132 provided on the outer peripheral wall of the main body case 101. Although not shown, the exhaust air supply hose 131 is attached so as to be integrated by attachment means provided in each of the case 51 and the suction hose 103 of the steam generator 50, and the exhaust air supply hose 131 is attached during cleaning. The case 51 of the steam generator 50 and the suction hose 103 can be moved integrally.

Further, although not shown, inside the air collecting lid 130, an adjusting means for adjusting the amount of exhaust air sent to the exhaust air supply hose 131, such as a valve for adjusting the opening area of the exhaust air supply hose 131, is provided. Is provided, and the degree of decrease in steam temperature can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of exhaust air supplied to the steam ejector 32 by this adjusting means. The adjusting means may be provided on the exhaust air supply hose 131 located near the operating handle 43. In such a case, the steam cleaner 1
There is an advantage that you can adjust while operating.

In the upper part of the main body case 101 of the electric vacuum cleaner main body 100, the drive switch 115 for driving the electric vacuum cleaner main body 100, that is, the electric blower, the steam generator 70 of the steam generator 50, and the pump 80 are energized. Alternatively, a switch (hereinafter referred to as a steam generator drive switch) 116 that is not energized is provided.
When the steam cleaner 1 is connected to the electric vacuum cleaner body 100 for use, the steam generator drive switch 116 is closed to connect the steam generator 70 and the relay means 85 to the pump 80. The power is supplied to operate the motor, and the drive switch is closed to drive the electric motor blower. In addition, in the case of performing a normal cleaning by connecting a conventionally known suction port body (not shown) to the electric vacuum cleaner body 100 in place of the steam cleaner 1, only the drive switch 115 is operated.

Next, the operation of the steam cleaner 1 constructed as described above will be described. First, a case where the steam cleaner 1 is used by being connected to the electric vacuum cleaner body 100 will be described.

The steam cleaner 1 is attached to the electric vacuum cleaner body 10
When connected to 0, as described above, the vent pipe 40, that is, the connection pipe 44 of the steam cleaner 1 is connected to the connection pipe 104 of the suction hose 103, and the female connector 108 and the male connector 75 are connected. Then, the steam cleaner 1 is connected to the electric vacuum cleaner body 100. Then, the steam generator drive switch 116 is closed. Then, the heater 73 of the steam generator 70 is energized via the power supply line 74, and after a predetermined time, the peripheral wall of the through hole 72 of the steam generator 70 is heated almost instantly to a state where water becomes steam, that is, steam. It On the other hand, the relay means 85 starts timing from the time when the steam generator 70 is energized, and the pump 80 when the predetermined time is reached.
Then, the power supply is started to drive the pump 80. This pump 8
When 0 is driven, the water stored in the water storage tank 60 is supplied to the steam generator 70, and this water is almost instantaneously generated as steam and sent to the steam ejector 32 via the steam supply pipe 58. It is ejected toward the floor from the ejection port 32a. When steam is ejected from the steam ejector 32, the drive switch 115 is closed to drive the electric motor blower. When the electric blower is driven, the suction action of the electric blower sucks the outside air through the intake hole 13 formed in the upper case 11 of the steam cleaner 1, and the air is sucked into the fan storage chamber 29, the ventilation pipe 40, and It is sucked in via the suction hose 103.

As described above, when the sucked air, that is, the suction airflow, passes through the fan storage chamber 29 forming a part of the suction air passage, the fan 35 rotates to generate a rotational force, This rotational force is transmitted to the rotary shaft 34 that rotates together with the fan 35, and the vibrating body 36 rotates together with the rotary shaft 34. The lower case 21, that is, the cleaning body 20 vibrates by the rotation of the vibrating body 36, and this vibration is transmitted to the brushes 33, 33.
The tip of 3 slides on the floor. That is, as described above, the brushes 33, 33 are the vibrators 3 that rotate together with the fan 35.
The vibration of 6 operates so as to make sliding contact with the floor surface.

Since substantially the entire weight of the steam cleaner 1 is added to the brushes 33, 33, the tips of the brushes 33, 33 are in sliding contact with the floor surface in a pressed state. Since the steam is ejected from the steam ejector 32 at this time, dirt on the floor surface or dirt adhered firmly to the floor surface is softened by the steam, washed by the steam and pressed by the brushes 33, 33. It can be easily and surely removed by the sliding contact action.

During the cleaning, that is, the electric vacuum cleaner body 1
During the operation of 00, the air sucked through the intake hole 13 and the suction air passage is exhausted from the exhaust port (not shown) provided in the main body case 101, and a part of the exhaust air is collected. The air is collected by the wind lid 130 and supplied to the steam ejector 32 through the exhaust air supply hose 131,
Steam whose temperature is lowered is jetted from the jet port 32a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the floor surface made of a material that is vulnerable to high temperatures.

In the steam cleaner 1, the cleaning unit 20 is operated while jetting steam to clean the floor surface with the brushes 33, 33, so that the floor surface becomes dirty or adheres firmly to the floor surface. Since it is possible to easily and surely remove the filth that is present and to clean it, and as described above, by supplying the exhaust air to the steam ejector 32 to lower the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection port 32a,
It is possible to prevent deterioration of a floor made of a material that is sensitive to high temperatures.

Next, a description will be given of the case of performing normal cleaning, that is, the case of using the steam type vacuum cleaner 1 as a normal vacuum cleaner without using it. In this case, the suction port (not shown) is provided in the main body 100 of the vacuum cleaner. The body is connected to the connecting pipe 104, the drive switch 115 is closed to fold, and the carpet or the like is cleaned.

In the above embodiment, the brush 33 is used as the cleaning member, but the cleaning member is not limited to the brush 33 and may be a thin rubber plate or a mop member. .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the vibrating body 36 is provided in order to cause the brush 33 as the cleaning body to slide in contact with the rotating force of the fan 35, and the brush 33 is slid by the vibration of the vibrating body 36. Although the contact operation is performed, the invention is not limited to this, and for example, the vibrating body disposition chamber 3
A decelerating means composed of a plurality of gears is provided in the portion 0, that is, a space, and a brush is provided around the ejector placement portion 27 on a donut-shaped frame to provide a cleaning body configured as an annular rotary brush. The rotational force of the fan 35 may be configured to be transmitted to the annular rotary brush via the speed reducing means, so that the cleaning element may be brought into sliding contact with the rotational force of the fan 35. In this case, since it is not necessary to vibrate the lower case 21, the upper case 1
It is only necessary to fix and attach to 1 by screws or the like, and the lower case 21 and the upper case 11 may have appropriate configurations.

Further, the cleaning member may be a cylindrical rotating brush having a rotating shaft parallel to the surface to be cleaned, and the rotating brush may be driven by the fan 35. In this case, the fan accommodating chamber 29 is formed so that the rotating shaft 34 of the fan 35 can be arranged in the horizontal direction, and the tip end of the rotating shaft 34 is hermetically protruded from the fan chamber 29, and the protruding part It suffices that pulleys are respectively provided on the tip end portion of the rotary shaft 34 and the rotary shaft of the rotary brush, and the belt is hung on these pulleys. In this case, the positional relationship between the cylindrical rotating brush and the steam ejector 32 may be appropriately determined depending on the conditions such as the shape of the cleaning tool body.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the second embodiment different from the first embodiment is the configuration of steam temperature lowering means for lowering the temperature of steam and the configuration related thereto, and the other configuration is the first. The configuration is similar to that of the embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the steam cleaner 1a
In the drawing of the case 51 of the steam generator 50, an electric fan 140 as an air supply unit is attached and arranged by an appropriate attaching unit (not shown) in the lower portion. The exhaust port of the electric fan 140, that is, the blower port, and the air supply pipe 32c of the steam jet 32 are connected by a blower pipe 141. Further, a control box 142 is provided in the vicinity of the ventilation pipe 40, that is, the operation handle 43 of the hollow pipe 41, and a gate current is controlled in the control box 142 to control the load current, although not shown. A control means composed of an element such as an SCR to be controlled and a control circuit for controlling the gate current is housed, and an input terminal (not shown) of the control means has a power feed line 74a having one end connected to the male connector 75. It is connected. A power supply line 74b is connected to an output terminal (not shown) of the control means, and power is supplied to the electric fan 140 through the power supply line 74b. Further, the control box 142 is provided with a control knob 143 for adjusting the gate current, and by operating the control knob 143, the current supplied to the electric fan 140 is controlled. The control including the stop of the electric fan 140, that is, the rotation speed is controlled by controlling the current, and the air volume can be adjusted.

The steam cleaner 1a of the second embodiment has the same structure as that of the first embodiment except the above structure. In addition, the electric vacuum cleaner body 100a according to the second embodiment includes a wind collecting lid 130 and an exhaust air supply hose 13.
1. The structure is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the locking tool 132 is not provided.

Next, the operation of the steam cleaner 1a according to the second embodiment having the above structure will be described.

The steam cleaner 1a is replaced by the electric vacuum cleaner body 1
00a, the steam cleaning device 1a is connected to the suction hose 1 as in the case of the first embodiment.
No. 03 connecting pipe 104 is connected to the connecting pipe 44 of the ventilation pipe 40, and the female connector 108 is connected to the male connector 75.
To connect the steam cleaner 1a to the vacuum cleaner body 1
00a. Then, the steam generator drive switch 116 is closed. Then, the heater 73 of the steam generator 70 is energized via the power supply line 74, and after a predetermined time, the peripheral wall of the through hole 72 of the steam generator 70 is heated almost instantly to a state where water becomes steam, that is, steam. It On the other hand, the relay means 85 starts clocking from the time when the steam generator 70 is energized, and when the predetermined time is reached, power supply to the pump 80 is started and the pump 8
Drive 0. When the pump 80 is driven, the water stored in the water storage tank 60 causes the water generated in the steam generator 7 to flow.
0, the water is generated almost instantaneously as steam, is sent to the steam ejector 32 via the steam supply pipe 58, and is ejected from the ejection port 32a toward the floor surface.
When steam is ejected from the steam ejector 32, the drive switch 115 is closed to drive the electric motor blower. When the electric blower is driven, the suction effect of the electric blower sucks the outside air through the intake hole 13 formed in the upper case 11 of the steam cleaner 1a, and the air is sucked into the fan storage chamber 29 and the ventilation pipe 4.
0 and suction hose 103.

When steam is ejected from the steam ejector 32, the control knob 143 is operated to drive the electric fan 140 to supply air to the steam ejector 32. Steam supply 3 by this air supply
The temperature of the steam ejected from 2 will be lowered. That is, the steam whose temperature has dropped is ejected from the steam ejector 32.

Then, when the sucked air, that is, the sucked airflow, passes through the fan storage chamber 29, the fan 35 rotates to generate a rotational force, and this rotational force is generated by the fan 35.
It is transmitted to the rotating shaft 34 that rotates together with the rotating shaft 3 and
The vibrating body 36 rotates together with 4. The rotation of the vibrating body 36 causes the lower case 21, that is, the cleaning body 20 to vibrate, and this vibration is transmitted to the brushes 33, 33, so that the tip ends of the brushes 33, 33 make sliding contact with the floor surface. That is, as described above, the brushes 33, 33 operate so as to come into sliding contact with the floor surface by the vibration of the vibrating body 36 that rotates together with the fan 35.

Further, since substantially the entire weight of the steam cleaner 1a is added to the brushes 33, 33, the tips of the brushes 33, 33 are brought into sliding contact with the floor surface in a pressed state. Since the steam is ejected from the steam ejector 32 at this time, dirt on the floor surface or dirt adhered firmly to the floor surface is softened by the steam, washed by the steam and pressed by the brushes 33, 33. The sliding contact action of the can easily and surely remove it.

Further, since air is supplied from the electric fan 140 to the steam ejector 32, steam having a lowered temperature is ejected from the ejection port 32a, so that the deterioration of the floor surface made of a material vulnerable to high temperature can be prevented. It is a thing.

As described above, the steam cleaner 1a according to the second embodiment, like the steam cleaner 1 according to the first embodiment, ejects steam to clean the cleaning body 2 as well.
Since the floor surface can be cleaned by sliding the brushes 33, 33 by operating 0, dirt on the floor surface or dirt adhered firmly to the floor surface can be easily and surely removed and cleaned. As described above, since the electric fan 140 supplies air to the steam ejector 32, that is, the outside air to lower the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection port 32a, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the floor made of a material vulnerable to high temperature. is there.

Further, by operating the control knob 143,
Since the temperature of steam can be freely changed by changing the number of rotations of the electric fan 140 including stop, and changing the amount of air supplied to the steam ejector 32, the temperature of steam can be adjusted over a wide range as needed. it can.

Further, in the second embodiment, since the steam temperature lowering means is constituted by the electric fan 140, the amount of air supplied to the steam ejector 32 is controlled by the amount of current supplied to the electric fan 140. There is an advantage that it can be performed with a simple configuration of adjusting the number of rotations.
Further, since the outside air is supplied to the steam ejector 32 to lower the temperature of the steam, the temperature can be efficiently lowered with a small amount of air, and therefore, the air supply unit, that is, the electric fan 140 is downsized. be able to.
Further, in the above embodiment, the air supply means is arranged in the case 51 of the steam generator 50, but it may be arranged in the main body 10.

Further, also in the steam cleaner 1a according to the second embodiment, when normal cleaning is performed, the suction port body (not shown) is connected to the connection pipe 104 and the drive switch 115 is closed. It is operated for cleaning.

In the first embodiment, the steam temperature lowering means is an exhaust air supply hose 13 for supplying exhaust air.
In the second embodiment, the air supply means, that is, the electric fan 140 is used. However, the steam temperature lowering means is not limited to these, and for example, the steam generator 70 to the steam ejector may be used. A part of the steam supply pipe up to 32 may be made of a metal pipe having good heat conduction, and a heat radiating plate may be provided on the metal pipe to lower the temperature of the steam. It may be arranged in the air passage to cool the metal pipe by the suction air flow to lower the temperature of the steam.

Further, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the description has been made of the type in which the steam type vacuum cleaner is used by being connected to the electric vacuum cleaner body. Except for the invention described in claim 2, a steam type cleaning method in which the cleaning body is not driven by the suction airflow, for example, the cleaning body is vibrated by an electromagnetic vibration device to drive the cleaning body, or the cleaning body is not driven. As a matter of course, the steam temperature can be lowered as a machine.

[0064]

According to the first aspect of the present invention configured as described above, the cleaning member can be operated while jetting steam and the floor surface can be slidably contacted by the cleaning member to clean the floor surface. It is possible to easily and reliably remove strongly adhered dirt, etc. and to reduce the temperature of the steam spouted from the spouting part by providing steam temperature lowering means, so it is made of a material that is sensitive to high temperatures. The effect of preventing deterioration of the floor can be achieved.

According to the invention of claim 2 configured as described above, since the temperature of the steam is lowered by the exhaust air of the electric vacuum cleaner main body, the exhaust gas is produced in addition to the effect of claim 1. The effect of encouraging the spray of steam by the wind to spray the steam well onto the floor surface can be achieved.

In addition to the effect of claim 1, the invention of claim 3 configured as described above has a configuration in which air for lowering the steam temperature is supplied to the jet portion by the air supply means for supplying air. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, as in the case of the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to promote the spouting of steam to spray the steam satisfactorily on the floor surface and to supply the outside air. As a result, the temperature can be lowered with a small amount of air flow, so that the effect of efficiently lowering the temperature of steam can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a steam cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention is connected to a vacuum cleaner body.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a main part of the steam cleaner.

3A and 3B are views showing a steam generator of the steam cleaner, FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the whole, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view thereof (a cross section taken along line XX in FIG. Figure).

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a cross section of a main part of a steam cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a Steam type vacuum cleaner 10 Case body 11 Upper case 20 Cleaning body 21 Lower case 32 Steam ejector (steam ejection part) 32a Steam ejector jet 33 Brush (cleaning member) 40 Vent pipe 50 Steam generator 60 Water storage Tank 70 Steam generator 80 Pump (supply means) 100, 100a Vacuum cleaner main body 131 Exhaust air supply hose (steam temperature lowering means) 140 Electric fan (air supply means)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Harada 43 Horiyamashita, Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture Tec Hadano Factory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning tool main body having a jetting part having a steam jetting port provided on the side facing the surface to be cleaned and a cleaning member provided in the vicinity of the jetting part, a water storage tank, and this water storage tank. A steam-type cleaner provided with a steam generator that supplies water supplied from the steam as steam to the steam spouting part, wherein a steam temperature lowering means for lowering the temperature of the steam spouting from the spouting part of the spouting part is provided. Steam type vacuum cleaner characterized by. 2. An electric vacuum cleaner having a steam ejection port provided on the side facing the surface to be cleaned and having a steam ejection port, a cleaning member disposed in the vicinity of the ejection port, and connected via a suction hose. A steam cleaner that includes a cleaning tool body having a cleaning body that is operated by a suction airflow of the body, a water storage tank, and a steam generator that supplies water supplied from the water storage tank to the steam ejection section as steam. The steam temperature lowering means for lowering the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection port of the ejection part is constituted by means for connecting the exhaust port of the electric vacuum cleaner body and the ejection part in communication with each other to supply exhaust air. Steam type vacuum cleaner. 3. The steam cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the steam temperature lowering means is constituted by an air supply means for supplying air for lowering the steam temperature to the jet portion.