JPH1055895A - Electrostatic discharging body and vacuum cleaner using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discharge the static electricity charged in a metal part to the atmospheric air so as to surely eliminate the static electricity by fitting a felt, which is formed of conductive short fibers, to a metal part, which is charged with static electricity, so as to be electrically connected. SOLUTION: One end of a hose 2 is connected to a suction port 1a of a main body 1, and an extension pipe 3 made of metal such as aluminium and iron is connected to the other end of the hose 2. A floor nozzle 4 is connected to a tip of the extension pipe 3 for use, and a felt 5 is fitted on the extension pipe 3 like a ring so that the felt 5 directly contacts with the extension pipe 3 made of metal for electrical connection. The felt 5 is formed of conductive short fibers, and at the time of sucking dust from a surface to be cleaned, the extension pipe 3 made of metal is charged by the static electricity generated by the friction so as to raise the electrical potential. Electrical potential of the felt 5 rises at the same time, and when the electrical potential achieves the predetermined value, an end of the conductive short fiber forming the felt 5, which is directed to the atmospheric air, shows the effect for discharging static electricity so as to discharge the static electricity to the atmospheric air.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrostatic discharger for discharging static electricity charged on metal parts by air discharge and a vacuum cleaner using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, there has been an example in which a metal component provided on an electric device is charged with static electricity, thereby causing discomfort or malfunction of the device when used. Hereinafter, an example of the metal extension pipe of the vacuum cleaner will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a metal extension tube, a floor nozzle 22 is attached to one end thereof, and a hose 24 is connected to the other end thereof.
4 is connected to a main body 23 containing a motor fan for suction.

[0003] Dust on the surface to be cleaned is sucked from the floor nozzle 22 by an intake air flow generated by a motor fan in the main body 23, and is sucked into the dust box of the main body 23 through the metal extension pipe 21 and the hose 24 and stored. . When the dust-containing intake air flows through the floor nozzle, the metal extension pipe, and the hose, dust and air, dust and the floor nozzle 22, dust and metal extension pipe 2
1. Static electricity is generated by friction between dust and hose 24, air and floor nozzle 22, air and metal extension tube 21, and air and hose 24.

In the above construction, the metal extension pipe 2
Reference numeral 1 denotes a floor nozzle 22 for a surface to be cleaned, and a motor fan is electrically insulated by a hose 24 and a resin housing of a main body 23.

[0005]

In the conventional vacuum cleaner having the above-described structure, the metal extension pipe 21 is used in an electrically insulated structure, so that the suction including dust sucked from the surface to be cleaned is performed. A large amount of static electricity generated by the friction between the flow and each part is charged to the metal extension tube 21 having a particularly large capacitance.
In addition, other resin parts with extremely poor conductivity have a small amount of static electricity that can be instantaneously discharged even when touching the charged part, so they do not receive an electric shock due to discharge. In the case of 21, when the charged state is touched by hand, all the charged static electricity is instantaneously discharged and a strong electric shock is caused.

[0006] Depending on the charging potential, an arc discharge may be generated just by approaching the hand without directly touching, and electric shock may occur.

In a conventional vacuum cleaner having another configuration, static electricity charged on the metal extension tube is released to a power supply line through a winding of a motor fan. For this purpose, connection terminals and lead wires are used. It was necessary to compose a complicated mechanism by a combination of the above.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which does not impair cleaning workability and has good usability.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is to electrically connect a felt made of conductive short fibers to a metal part provided on an electric device so as to be exposed to the outside. By doing so, the static electricity charged on the metal part is corona-discharged into the air from the ends of the short fibers of the felt, so that it does not give an electric shock to the user and cause discomfort.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Attach to a metal part such as a metal extension tube provided on an electric device so as to be exposed to the outside, so as to electrically connect a felt made of conductive short fiber, and to remove static electricity charged on the metal part. The fiber ends of the conductive short fibers constituting the felt are used as discharge electrodes to discharge into the air.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the felt is pressed against the metal part by a cover having an opening and made of an electrically insulating resin, and the felt is made of the metal. It is securely connected electrically to parts.

[0012] The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the felt fibers are mounted so that the orientation direction of the fibers is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the metal part charged with static electricity. A large number of the ends are directed to the outside air, and the discharge performance is greatly improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an electric connection between the metal component and the felt is performed by attaching the felt to the metal component using a conductive double-sided tape or a conductive adhesive. Is more reliable, and the antistatic effect of the metal parts due to the discharge from the felt is higher.

According to the invention of claim 5 of the present invention, the felt is attached to the metal part by a band made of an elastic material such as rubber having an opening, and the felt is made of metal by the contraction force of the band. By pressing against the component, the electrical connection between the felt and the metal component becomes more reliable, and thereby the antistatic effect of the metal component due to the discharge from the felt becomes more reliable.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention is characterized in that the mounting of the felt to the metal part is performed by using a cylindrical body made of a material having an opening and contracting when heated. When the shape has a large diameter before contraction, the felt can be easily attached to the metal part, and after contraction by heating, the felt can be securely fixed to the metal part.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a cut is made in a felt, and the number of ends of the conductive short fibers serving as a discharge electrode is increased, so that a conductive electrode serving as a discharge electrode for electrostatic discharge is formed. The number of fiber ends can easily be increased in a large amount, and the discharge effect can be enhanced.

[0018] The invention according to claim 8 of the present invention provides an electric blower, a dust collecting chamber for collecting dust, and a suction passage for transferring dust to the dust collecting chamber by a suction force generated by operation of the electric blower. A part of the suction passage or a portion facing the suction passage of the provided vacuum cleaner is formed of a metal material, and the static electricity charged to the metal member by providing an electrostatic discharge body for electric equipment on the metal member is sequentially reduced. The air is discharged in the air by the electrostatic discharge body, and the increase in the charged potential of the metal member is reliably prevented.

[0018]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the overall configuration of the vacuum cleaner will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of a hose 2 is connected to an intake port 1a of a main body 1 containing a motor fan (not shown) for generating a suction force, and the other end of the hose 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum or iron. Connected to the extension pipe 3.

Further, a floor nozzle 4 is provided at the end of the extension pipe 3.
Connect and use. As shown in FIG.
The felt 5 is formed in a ring shape and fixed to the exterior, and is attached in direct contact with the metal extension tube 3 so as to be electrically connected thereto.

The felt 5 is made of conductive short fibers such as acrylic fibers having a diameter of 5 to 20 μm and a length of several mm to several tens of mm, the surfaces of which are plated with nickel. When dust is sucked from the surface to be cleaned, the dust and the suction air are rubbed against the floor nozzle 4 and the metal extension tube 3, and the metal extension tube 3 is charged by the static electricity. Increase. When the potential of the metal extension tube 3 increases, the potential of the felt 5 attached so as to be electrically connected thereto also increases at the same time, and when the potential reaches 5 to 6 kV or more, the conductive short fibers constituting the felt 5 The air-facing end of the electrode acts as an electrode for electrostatic aerial discharge,
The static electricity charged on the metal extension tube 3 is discharged into the air. Therefore, the increase in potential is reliably suppressed to a certain level or less due to the electrostatic charging of the metal extension tube 3.

(Embodiment 2) Referring to FIG.
4 will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted. 6 is felt 5
Is formed from a resin having a volume resistivity of 10 10 Ω · cm or more at room temperature, and has a semicircular arc shape having a substantially U-shaped cross section. A claw 12 is provided at one end of the arc, and a hole 13 for locking the claw 12 is provided at the other end. The two resin covers 6 are combined so as to face each other, and the claws 12 are connected to each other. When set in the hole 13 for locking the claw 12, one ring can be formed.

A groove 14 is formed in the inner wall of the ring, and a felt 5 made of conductive short fibers is set in the groove 14. An opening 14 is provided in the groove 14 so that the surface of the felt 5 is exposed to the outside when the felt 5 is set in the groove 14.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the felt 5 is set in the groove 14 of the resin cover 6 and the resin cover 6 is assembled in a ring shape so as to sandwich the extension tube 3. 3 is attached in a pressure contact state. In addition, since the felt 5 is directly directed to the outside air at the opening 15 provided in the groove of the resin cover 6, the air discharge from the felt 5 to the outside air is smoothly performed.

Further, since the resin cover 6 is electrically insulating, the static electricity charged to the extension tube 3 is transmitted to the resin cover 6, and the potential does not change similarly to the metal extension tube 3. Therefore, the felt 5 is formed by the resin cover 6.
, An electric field of the same level as that of the extension tube 3 is formed, so that air discharge from the felt 5 is not prevented.

(Embodiment 3) Referring to FIGS.
7 will be described. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the felts 5 made of conductive short fiber
Therefore, the ends of each fiber appear more on the end face than on the front and back faces of the felt 5.
In order to discharge static electricity efficiently in the air, the condition becomes better as the number of ends of the fiber acting as the discharge electrode increases.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, by attaching the felt 5 to the extension pipe 3 so that the cut surface thereof faces the outer space, the orientation direction of the fibers of the felt 5 becomes substantially perpendicular to the surface of the extension pipe 3. In addition, many ends of the fibers are directed to the outer space. That is, since a large number of discharge electrodes composed of the end portions of the fibers can be secured, a higher discharge effect can be obtained. .

(Embodiment 4) A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, when the felt 5 made of conductive short fibers is attached to the surface of the extension tube 3 by pressing, the fibers of the felt 5 and the extension tube 3 are in point contact or only line contact, so they are in contact with each other. The contact resistance at the part is large, and it becomes difficult for the static electricity charged in the extension tube 3 to be smoothly transmitted to the felt 5. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the felt 5 is made of a double-sided tape 7 which is made conductive by adding fibers such as aluminum to an adhesive or a conductive adhesive 8 which is made of powder of carbon or silver. In this case, the electric contact area between the extension tube 3 and the felt 5 is greatly increased, and the static electricity is smoothly conducted from the extension tube 3 to the felt 5. Therefore, the air discharge through the felt 5 of the static electricity charged in the extension tube 3 is performed very smoothly.

(Embodiment 5) Referring to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. A felt 5 made of conductive short fibers is set on the surface of the extension tube 3, and a cylindrical rubber belt 9 having a plurality of openings 9 a is placed on the felt 5.
The felt 5 is attached to the surface of the extension tube 3 while pressing the felt 5 using the contraction force of the belt 9. Therefore, the felt 5 is reliably electrically connected to the extension tube 3, and the static electricity charged in the extension tube 3 can be reliably discharged from the discharge electrode formed by the end of the conductive short fiber.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 1 shows a sixth embodiment.
This will be described with reference to 1 and 12. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. After setting the felt 5 on the surface of the extension tube 3, a cover 10 having a plurality of openings 10 a and having a heat shrink effect is put on the cover 10, and then the cover 10 is heated and shrunk, and the felt 5 is shrunk.
Is fixed to the surface of the extension tube 3 while pressing it. The assembly of the felt 5 and the cover 10 to the extension tube 3 can be easily performed because the diameter of the cover 10 before the contraction is large, and the fixing after the assembly can be performed by an easy operation of merely heating, and a reliable fixing effect is obtained. It is.

(Embodiment 7) A seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. By making a cut 11 as shown in FIG. 13 in the felt 5 for the electrostatic discharge electrode, a new end of the conductive short fiber appears also in the cut 11 part, and the number of fiber ends is much larger than that without the cut. Part is obtained. Since the end of the fiber functions as a discharge electrode for electrostatic discharge, that is, by making the cuts 11 in the felt 5, more discharge electrodes can be formed, and the effect of discharging static electricity can be increased accordingly. .

(Embodiment 8) An eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The suction of the electric vacuum cleaner 19 comprising an electric blower 16 and a dust collecting chamber 17 for collecting dust, and a suction passage 18 for transferring dust to the dust collecting chamber 17 by a suction force generated by the electric blower 16. Passage 1
Part 8 or a part facing the suction passage 18 was made of a metal material, and a felt 5 made of conductive short fibers was attached to a metal member 20 with a cover 10. As a result, dust in the intake air flowing through the suction passage 18 and the suction passage 18
Generated by friction between the walls of the felt 5
As a result, the metal member 20 is reliably prevented from being sequentially discharged in the air and charged to a large amount on the metal member 20.

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Just attach the felt made of conductive short fibers to the metal parts charged with static electricity so that they are electrically connected.
This eliminates the need for complex means such as grounding the metal parts, and eliminates the static electricity charged on the metal parts by discharging it in the air, thereby reliably preventing the occurrence of electric shock due to the static electricity. can get.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is obtained an effect that the felt for electrostatic discharge can be reliably prevented from being damaged or peeled off, and the discharge performance of the felt can be surely secured.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when felts having the same size are used, more fiber ends as discharge electrodes face the outer space,
The effect that more efficient and effective discharge performance can be ensured is obtained.

According to the invention of claim 4 of the present invention, static electricity charged on a metal part can be more smoothly transmitted to the felt for discharging, so that static electricity can be more smoothly discharged by discharging the static electricity. The effect is obtained.

According to the invention of claim 5 of the present invention, the felt is attached to the metal extension tube and the felt is attached to the metal extension tube by a very simple method of utilizing the contraction force of the rubber band. The practical effect that the electrical connection can be reliably performed can be obtained.

According to the invention described in claim 6 of the present invention, a component and a method which can be easily mounted and securely mounted by utilizing a very large dimensional change before and after shrinkage due to heating of the heat-shrinkable tube. There is a practical effect of being able to be at the same time.

Further, according to the invention of claim 7 of the present invention, a simple method of making a cut in the felt,
It is possible to easily and reliably increase the amount of the conductive short fiber end portion for electrostatic discharge, thereby obtaining an effect that the electrostatic discharge effect can be greatly and easily improved.

According to the invention of claim 8 of the present invention, by sequentially discharging static electricity generated in the suction passage of the vacuum cleaner, a large amount of static electricity is prevented from being charged in the suction passage. The effect is obtained that the generation of electric shock due to static electricity can be reliably prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a vacuum cleaner equipped with an electrostatic discharger according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the extension pipe.

FIG. 3A is a partially cutaway side view of a resin case of an electrostatic discharge body showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the felt is attached to the extension tube in the resin case.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the orientation direction of fibers of the felt.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where an electrostatic discharge body according to a third embodiment of the present invention is attached to an extension tube.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing a state where the electrostatic discharge body is attached to an extension tube.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a principal part of an electrostatic discharge body showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an electrostatic discharge body showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an extension tube to which the electrostatic discharge body is attached.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an electrostatic discharge body showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

12A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the discharge body is attached to an extension tube. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the discharge body is attached to an extension tube.

FIG. 13 is an external perspective view of a felt of an electrostatic discharge body according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway side view of a vacuum cleaner having an electrostatic discharge body provided in a suction passage, showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an external perspective view of a conventional vacuum cleaner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner main body 3 Metal extension tube 5 Felt 6 Resin case 7 Conductive double-sided tape 8 Conductive adhesive 9 Rubber belt 10 Heat shrinkable tube cover 11 Notch 15 Opening 16 Electric blower 17 Dust collection chamber 18 Suction passage 19 Vacuum cleaner 20 metal parts

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A felt made of a conductive short fiber is electrically connected to a metal part provided on an electric device so as to be exposed to the outside, and the static electricity charged on the metal part is reduced by the short of the felt. An electrostatic discharge body that discharges from the end of the fiber into the air. 2. The electrostatic discharge body according to claim 1, wherein the felt is attached to the metal component by a cover having an opening and made of a resin or the like having high electrical insulation. 3. The electrostatic discharge according to claim 1, wherein the felt is attached to the metal component such that the orientation of the conductive short fibers of the felt is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the metal component charged with static electricity. body. 4. The electrostatic discharge element according to claim 1, wherein the felt is attached to the surface of the metal part with a double-sided tape or an adhesive made of a conductive material. 5. A felt having an opening, wherein a felt is fixed to a metal part by a band made of an elastic material such as rubber.
4. The electrostatic discharge body according to any one of items 3 to 5. 6. The electrostatic discharge element according to claim 1, wherein the felt is fixed to the metal part by a tubular body having an opening and made of a material that contracts when heated. 7. The electrostatic discharge body according to claim 1, wherein a cut is made in the felt, and the felt is engaged with a metal part. 8. An electric blower, a dust collecting chamber for collecting dust, and a suction passage for transferring dust to the dust collecting chamber by a suction force generated by the operation of the electric blower, wherein A part or a part facing the suction passage is formed of a metal material, and the metal member is provided with the metal member.
An electric vacuum cleaner provided with the electrostatic discharge body described in the item.