JPH11206649A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cleaner of an air circulation type which has improved operability and external appearance and is small in size and light in weight and inexpensive. SOLUTION: The air discharged from a motor-operated blower 31 is returned to a suction port body 101, where the air is recovered. The body 101 includes a connection pipe 102 having therein an axially passing suction passage 112 and an exhaust passage 113, and a suction port main body 103, to which the pipe 102 is rotatably connected and which has a main suction passage 106 and a main exhaust passage 105, which are separated from each other. A pair of axis parts 112a, 113a protruding from the pipe 102 are rotatably fitted into a pair of axis holes 123 provided in the main body 103, respectively, to connect the pipe 102 to the body 103. The suction passage 112 is brought into direct communication with the main suction passage 106 through the part 112a, while the passage 113 is brought into direct communication with the main exhaust passage 105 through the part 113a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air circulation type vacuum cleaner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air-circulating vacuum cleaner draws air from an intake port of a suction opening body by the operation of an electric blower, captures dust by passing the sucked air through a filter, and passes through the filter through the filter. The air discharged from the electric blower is returned to the air inlet, and the returned air is collected from the air inlet and cleaned while circulating the air, which is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-193239. In this publication, a suction port is pivotally attached to the lower end of a cleaner body containing an electric blower, a dust collecting chamber, and the like, and the suction port and the suction side of the cleaner body are connected by a flexible suction hose. Upright type vacuum cleaner that can connect and connect the suction port body and the exhaust side of the cleaner body with a flexible exhaust hose and circulate the air sucked from the suction port of the suction port body for cleaning. Is described.

According to this vacuum cleaner, the rotation of the suction opening relative to the main body of the cleaner is allowed by the bending of the suction hose and the exhaust hose, and the suction opening is independent of the angle of the main body with respect to the surface to be cleaned. By rotating the suction port, the suction port can always be opposed to the surface to be cleaned, and cleaning can be performed.

[0004]

According to the structure using the flexible intake and exhaust hoses as the structure for permitting the rotation of the suction opening as described above, these hoses can bend. In this case, a resistance is generated at the time, and there is a problem that handling operability is not good. In addition, since the intake and exhaust hoses are repeatedly bent over a long period of use, the intake and exhaust hoses are likely to be fatigued and cracked. For this reason, since the intake and exhaust hoses must be made robust, there is a problem that the operability is further reduced, in addition to the increase in weight, and the cost is increased. Further, since both the intake and exhaust hoses are provided to be exposed to the outside, not only the size of the entire vacuum cleaner is increased, but also the appearance is poor.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a small, lightweight, and low-cost air circulation type vacuum cleaner which can improve operability and appearance.

A second problem to be solved by the present invention is that
While solving the first problem, it is possible to smoothly and easily rotate the suction port main body and the connection pipe, and to perform an air seal at a connection section between the suction port main body and the connection pipe. It is an object of the present invention to obtain an air-circulating vacuum cleaner that can simplify the above.

A third problem to be solved by the present invention is that
While solving the second problem, it is possible to improve the straightness when the suction port body is pushed and pulled and to move it, and it is possible to reliably separate the air returned to the suction port body and the air sucked and collected. It is to obtain an air circulation type vacuum cleaner.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a suction port body, wherein air sucked from the suction port body by an operation of an electric blower in a cleaner body is passed through a filter to capture dust, and the filter is removed. It is assumed that an electric vacuum cleaner that cleans the air passing therethrough and discharged from the electric blower is returned to the suction port body, collected and circulated.

[0009] In order to solve the first problem, the invention according to claim 1 provides a connection pipe in which the suction port body has an intake passage and an exhaust passage penetrating in the axial direction.
The connecting pipe is rotatably connected and includes a main body of an inlet body having a main part intake air passage and a main part exhaust air path partitioned from each other inside, and the intake passage and the main part intake air are provided. The air passage is directly communicated with the air passage, and the exhaust passage in the main part is directly communicated with the air passage.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body of the suction port body and the connecting pipe are rotatably connected to each other, so that the bottom surface of the main body of the suction port body is covered by the rotation during cleaning. It can always face the cleaning surface. At the time of cleaning, the air discharged from the electric blower is returned to the suction port through the exhaust passage in the main portion of the main portion of the suction port main body and the exhaust passage of the connection pipe, which are communicated with each other, and the returned air is returned to the suction port. The air is sucked and collected in the suction side of the electric blower through the air intake passage in the main part of the suction opening body main part and the intake passage of the connection pipe which are communicated with each other, so that cleaning can be performed while circulating the air in this way. it can. The air intake passage and the main air intake passage are directly communicated with each other,
Since the exhaust passage and the exhaust air passage in the main part are directly communicated with each other, a flexible intake hose is used as a structure for circulating air and cleaning while allowing rotation at the suction opening body as described above. And there is no need to use exhaust hoses.

In carrying out the invention of claim 1,
In order to solve the second problem as well, a pair of pivots provided in one of the connection pipe and the suction port main body as in the invention of the second aspect dependent on the invention of the first aspect. Part and a pair of pivot holes provided in the other are rotatably fitted to each other to connect the connection pipe and the suction port main part, and to pass through at least one of the pair of pivot parts,
It is preferable that the intake passage is directly connected to the intake air passage in the main part, and the exhaust passage is directly connected to the exhaust air passage in the main part.

In the invention of claim 2, claim 1
In addition to the above operation of the invention, a structure for rotatably connecting the main body of the suction port body and the connection pipe to each other is secured at two places by fitting a pair of pivot shafts and a pair of pivot holes, It is possible to stabilize the connection state between the suction port main body and the connection pipe.
And, since the pivot portion and the pivot hole are fitted and connected as described above, in the direct communication between the inside of the suction port body main portion and the inside of the connection pipe made through at least one pivot portion, the circular shape of the pivot portion is formed. An air seal can be made on the outer periphery.

Similarly, in carrying out the invention of claim 2, in order to solve the second problem as well, as in the invention of claim 3, which is dependent on the invention of claim 2, a pair of the pivot portions is provided. And the pair of pivot holes may be provided on the same axis.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the second aspect.
In addition to the above-mentioned operation of the invention, the two connecting structures in which the main body of the suction opening body and the connecting pipe are rotatably connected to each other have the same axis, so that the center of rotation does not shift, and therefore, In addition, the rotation of the main body of the suction port body and the connection pipe can be smoothly performed.

Further, in implementing the invention of claim 2 or 3, in order to solve the third problem as well, a pair of inventions according to claim 4 dependent on the invention of claim 2 or 3 is provided. One of the pivots forms a part of the intake passage, and the other forms a part of the exhaust passage. The pair of pivots is 180 ° apart and protrudes in opposite directions to be provided in the connection pipe. And, a pair of the pivot portions are rotatably fitted to a pair of the pivot holes provided in the suction port main portion at a distance from each other, and the connection pipe and the suction port main portion are connected to each other. It is good to connect.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the second aspect is provided.
In addition to the above-described operation of the third aspect of the present invention, since air is circulated at the suction port through the two pivots projecting in opposite directions, the distance between the two pivots can be increased, and the distance between the two pivots can be increased. Thus, the distance between the points of action of the force on the main part of the suction port body when the suction port body is pushed and pulled to be moved can be widened.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1, 2, and 4, the cleaner body is formed by connecting an upper case 22 and a lower case 23 made of synthetic resin with screws or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, in the cleaner body 21, a substantially U-shaped outer housing portion 24 and an inner housing portion 25 inside the outer housing portion 25 are defined by a U-shaped partition wall 26. One end of the partition wall 26 protrudes upward in FIG. 3, and an operation handle 27 is protruded from a wall at the end thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper case 22 has a pair of notches 22a,
b, a part of the outer housing portion 24 is exposed by the longer notch 22a, and a part of the outer housing portion 24 is exposed by the shorter notch 22b. These exposed portions are provided on both sides of the central axis of the cleaner body 21.

A communication pipe 28 is provided at the front end of the cleaner main body 21 opposite to the rear end where the handle 27 protrudes. The communication pipe 28 is provided in the cleaner body 2.
The first communication pipe 28a is made of a synthetic resin molded separately from the first communication pipe 1 and is partitioned by a partition wall 28c as shown in FIG.
And a second communication pipe portion 28b to form a substantially Y-shape. The communication pipe 28 has one end of the first communication pipe 28a and the other end of the second communication pipe 28b that are parallel to each other protruding from the cleaner body 21, and the first communication pipe 28a and the second communication pipe 28b are opposite to each other. The other end bent in the direction is inserted into the outer housing portion 24 and attached.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner housing 25 houses an electric blower 31 and a cord reel 32, respectively, and is provided with a dust collecting chamber 33. The electric blower 31 is arranged close to the communication pipe 28 side,
The code reel 32 is arranged close to the handle 27 side,
In addition, the dust collecting chamber 33 includes the electric blower 31 and the cord reel 32.
It is arranged between and. Therefore, the communication pipe 28 and
The electric blower 31, the dust collecting chamber 33, and the code reel 32 are provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the cleaner main body 21 in this order.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electric blower 31 is provided with a blower fan 42, a cooling fan 43, a fan cover 44, an internal fan cover 45, and a fan cover 4 as shown in FIG.
6, the exhaust port body 47, the cooling valve 48 and the like are attached.

That is, the motor section 41 is composed of a frame body 51 having a bottomed cylindrical shape with one end opened,
Disc-shaped frame end plate 52 provided by closing the opening of
The stator 54 is housed in a metal motor frame 53 made of the following. An armature 55 is housed inside the stator 54, and its rotating shaft 55 a is rotated on the motor frame 53 via bearings 56 and 57. Freely supported,
Further, a pair of brush devices 58 penetrating therethrough are attached to the frame main body 51 and formed. The tip of the brush 58a of the brush device 58 is elastically pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the commutator 55b of the armature 55. A plurality of cooling air holes 59 (only one is shown) are formed in the bottom wall of the frame body 51. The opening edge 51a of the frame main body 51 has a larger diameter than the frame end plate 52, and at least one of the opening edges 51a has an exhaust hole 60a.
Is open.

Both ends of the rotating shaft 55a are bearing 56, bearing 5
7 are penetrated, and the blower fan 42 is attached to one end of the bearing 56 so as to rotate integrally with the armature 55. Rotary shaft 55a penetrating bearing 56
A cooling fan 43 is attached to the other end of the armature so as to rotate integrally with the armature 55. Metal fan cover 4
4 is the opening edge 51 so as not to block the exhaust hole 60.
a fan cover 44 is fitted in the air inlet 4 at a central portion thereof in close proximity to the inlet of the cooling fan 43.
4a. Internal fan cover 45 made of synthetic resin
Is screwed to the outer surface of the frame end plate 52, and is provided so as to cover the blower fan 42 from the frame end plate 52 side. The tip of the peripheral wall of the internal fan cover 45 facing the outlet of the blower fan 42 is in contact with the inner surface of the fan cover 44, and a plurality of through holes 61 are formed in the bottom plate of the internal fan cover 45. . Therefore, the air sucked from the air inlet 44 a by the rotation of the blower fan 42 passes through the fan cover 44 and passes through the internal fan cover 45.
After being changed in direction along the inner surface and flowing out from the through hole 61, the air is discharged from the exhaust hole 60 to the outside of the motor frame 53 through the space between the internal fan cover 45 and the frame end plate 52. ing.

A fan cover 46 made of a synthetic resin is fitted to the outer surface of the frame body 51 on the bottom side so as to cover the cooling fan 43 so as not to block the cooling air hole 59. The fan cover 46 has a cooling air inlet 62 facing the cooling fan 43 at the center. A cooling air outlet 63 is opened on the side of the blower fan 42 of the frame body 51. Therefore, the air sucked from the cooling air inlet 62 by the rotation of the cooling fan 43
Through the motor frame 53, flows through the motor frame 53, cools the stator 54 and the like, and then is discharged through the cooling air outlet 63 to the outside of the motor frame 53. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, a lower case 23 of the cleaner body 21 is provided with a cooling air intake 64 communicating with a cooling air inlet 62. The cooling air intake 64 is composed of a plurality of slit-shaped holes. The communication path from the cooling air intake 64 to the cooling air inlet 62 is separated from other parts in the cleaner main body 21 by a partition provided in the cleaner main body 21 or the like.

The exhaust port 47 is provided so as to surround a portion of the motor frame 53 on the side of the blower fan 42. The exhaust port 47 has an exhaust port 65 communicating with the exhaust hole 60.
And a cooling exhaust port 66 which is separated from the exhaust port 65 and communicates with the cooling air outlet 63. A conduit 67 is connected to the cooling exhaust port 66, and the cooling valve 48 is attached to a tip of the conduit 67. As shown in FIG. 3, the distal end of the conduit 67 communicates both the electric blower 31 and the dust collecting chamber 33 and communicates with the suction gap 68 provided therebetween. As shown in FIG. 5, the cooling valve 48 is a leaf valve provided with a small hole 48a at the center of the rubber plate. When the negative pressure in the suction gap 68 is small, the opening at the tip of the conduit 67 is closed, and When the negative pressure in the suction gap 68 is increased, the suction gap 68 is elastically deformed to open the end opening of the conduit 67 to increase the amount of cooling air. In FIG. 5 and the like, reference numeral 69 denotes a rubber vibration-proof packing fitted on the outer periphery of the fan cover 44.

The exhaust port 65 of the motor section 41 and the communication pipe 2
8 is connected to the second communication pipe portion 28b via the exhaust passage 71 in the main body. The exhaust passage 71 in the main body is connected to the exhaust port 65.
An elbow-shaped exhaust pipe 72 connected to the
Flexible and extensible exhaust hose 73 having one end connected to the other end thereof, and a joint pipe 7 connected to the other end of the hose 73 and detachably fitted to the second communication pipe portion 28b.
And 4. The exhaust air passage 71 in the main body is housed in the outer housing portion 24 with most of the exhaust hose 73 exposed from the notch 22b. Therefore, by utilizing the expansion and contraction performance of the exhaust hose 73, the joint pipe 74 can be pulled out from the notch 22b by pulling the joint pipe 74 in a direction to shorten the length as necessary. Thereby, air discharged from the joint pipe 74 directly or through a blower attachment (not shown) connected as necessary can be used as a blower.

The cord reel 32 is used to supply power to the electric blower 31. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a power supply cord 81, a rotatable reel body 82 around which the power supply cord 81 is wound, and a Reel body 82
And a slip ring (not shown). The spiral spring 83 is wound and tightened when the power supply cord 81 is pulled out, and stores the spring force. When the lock release button 84 is pressed, the stored spring force is released and the drawn power supply cord 81 is wound up. ing.

In the dust collecting chamber 33, a first paper pack is provided.
The filter 85 is detachably accommodated, and a flat plate-shaped second filter 86 facing the suction gap 68 is attached. The mesh of the second filter 86, which is not always necessary, is coarser than the mesh of the first filter 85. The first filter 85 is the upper case 2
2 is opened and closed, and the dust collecting chamber 3 is removed.
3. As shown in FIG. 4, an opening 85b which is opened and closed by a seal valve made of a thin rubber plate (not shown) is provided in a mouth frame 85a of the filter 85.
Is provided. Further, a dust suction port 88 (see FIG. 3) communicating with the inside of the filter 85 and the opening 85b is connected to the side wall of the dust collection chamber 33 in which the mouth frame 85a is set.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dust suction port 88 and the first communication pipe portion 28a of the communication pipe 28 are connected to the intake air passage 89 in the main body.
Connected through. The main body intake air passage 89 includes an intake pipe 90 connected to a dust suction port 88, and a flexible and extendable intake hose 9 having one end connected to the intake pipe 90.
And a joint pipe 9 connected to the other end of the intake hose 91 and detachably fitted to the first communication pipe 28a.
And 2. The intake air passage 89 in the main body is accommodated in the outer accommodating portion 24 such that a portion of the intake hose 91 on the joint pipe 92 side is exposed from the notch 22a. Therefore, by utilizing the expansion and contraction performance of the intake hose 91, the joint pipe 92 can be pulled out from the notch 22a by pulling the joint pipe 92 in a direction of shortening the length as necessary. Thereby, air can be taken in directly from the joint pipe 92 or through a suction attachment (not shown) connected as necessary.

A suction port 101 made of synthetic resin is connected to the communication pipe 28. This suction port body 101 is
As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 to FIG.
A main body 103 of the suction opening body, a rotary cleaning body 104, an exhaust air passage 105 in the main portion, an intake air passage 106 in the main portion, and the like are provided. Hereinafter, these configurations will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connection pipe 102 has a first connection pipe portion 112 using an inner space penetrating in the axial direction as an intake passage, and a second connection pipe portion using the inner space penetrating in the axial direction as an exhaust passage. It has a substantially Y-shape with two connecting pipes 113. The connection pipe portions 112 and 113 are partitioned by a partition wall 111. The connection pipe 102 has one ends of the first connection pipe 112 and the second connection pipe 113 which are parallel to each other fitted into the inside of the communication pipe 28, and screws the connection flange 28d and the connection flange 102a. Thereby, it is attached to the communication pipe 28. In this connection, the partition wall 111 is also fitted to the partition wall 28c. By the above connection, the first communication pipe 28a and the first connection pipe 112 are connected to each other, and the second communication pipe 28b and the second connection pipe 113 are connected to each other.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
2 and 113 are pivot portions 112 projecting in a cylindrical shape.
a, 113a. The pair of pivots 112
a and 113a are located on the same axis D (see FIG. 3) and project in opposite directions at 180 ° from each other. At least one retaining flange 112af, 113af (see FIG. 6) that is continuous in the circumferential direction is provided on the outer periphery of the distal end of each of the pivots 112a, 113a.

As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG.
Reference numeral 03 is formed by connecting the main body upper body 121 and the main body lower body 122 by screwing or the like. This main part 10
A recess 103a is formed in the center of the rear side of the upper and lower surfaces of the recess 103a. The concave side wall of the recess 103a is located on the same axis D and has a circular pivot. Holes 123 are provided respectively. The pair of pivot holes 123 are formed by fitting semicircular grooves provided in the two cases 121 and 122, and the retaining flanges 112af and 113af are hooked from the inside of the suction port main portion 103. It has a step 123a (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The connection pipe 10 is provided in both pivot holes 123.
The two pivot portions 112a and 113a are individually fitted and mounted. As a result, the connecting pipe 102 is connected to both the pivot holes 1.
23 is rotatably connected to the inlet main portion 103 so that the connecting tube 23 can be turned upside down as a bearing.
The insides of the two connection pipe portions 112 and 113 are individually directly communicated with the inside of the suction port main portion 103.

A rotary cleaning body chamber 125 is formed inside the front part of the main body 103 of the suction opening body by the rib-shaped walls protruding into the upper and lower bodies 121 and 122 and the air guide 124. A rectangular intake port 12 is provided on the bottom wall 122a of the suction port main body 103 so as to face the cleaning body chamber 125.
6 are formed. Rotary cleaning body chamber 125 and intake port 1
Reference numeral 26 extends in the width direction of the suction port main body 103. As shown in FIG. 9 and the like, the bottom wall 122a is
6, a front bottom wall portion 122af located on the front side of the inlet body main portion 103, and a rear side located on the back side (on the connection pipe 102 side) of the inlet body main portion 103 with the air inlet 126 as a boundary. And bottom walls 122ab, which are formed of horizontal walls having the same height.

The rotary cleaning member chamber 125 contains the rotary cleaning member 1.
04 is built-in. The rotating cleaning body 104 has upper and lower rib-shaped bearing walls 1 that partition the shaft portions (see FIG. 3) protruding from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rotating cleaning body chamber 125 into both longitudinal ends of the rotating cleaning body chamber 125.
It is rotatably supported between 27. A number of rubber cleaning blades 104a provided on the peripheral surface of the rotary cleaning body 104 are provided in parallel with each other. When each blade 104a is provided while being twisted in the circumferential direction instead of being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rotary cleaning body 104, the cleaning blades provided so as to be twisted in opposite directions to each other are provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the rotary cleaning body 104. It may be provided so as to form a V-shape. Thereby, the force given to the rotary cleaning body 104 in accordance with the discharge air to be described later can be made uniform on both longitudinal sides of the rotary cleaning body 104. The lower end of the cleaning blade 104a has an air inlet 126.
When it is positioned at the center in the width direction, the suction surface 126 is elastically deformed and strikes the surface to be cleaned C (see FIG. 9).

Necessary air guide walls are provided at various points in the main body 103 of the suction opening. As a result, the rotary cleaning body chamber 125 and the first connection pipe 11 are provided in the suction port main body 103.
2 and the main-unit intake air passage 106, and the main-unit intake air passage 106 is partitioned so as to communicate with the rotary cleaning body chamber 125 and the second connection pipe portion 113.
05 are respectively formed.

The exhaust air passage 105 in the main part is formed between the upper and lower bodies 121 and 122, and the exhaust air passage chamber into which the pivot portion 113a of the second connecting pipe 113 is inserted to directly communicate with the exhaust passage. As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, a relay exhaust air passage portion 105b extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body upper body 121 and formed in a rectangular tubular shape as shown in FIG. Exhaust air path 105c
And

As shown in FIG. 7, the relay exhaust air passage portion 105
One end in the longitudinal direction of b is opened and communicated with the exhaust air passage chamber 105a, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is closed. A communication hole 129 (see FIG. 6) through which the air passage portions 105b and 105c communicate with the air guide wall 128 of the main body upper body 121 which also serves as a partition separating the relay exhaust air passage portion 105b and the exhaust air passage portion 105c. ) Is provided. The communication hole 129 is formed to be elongated in the width direction of the suction port main portion 103. An upward inclined surface 105a1 is provided on the bottom surface of the exhaust air passage chamber 105a to smoothly direct the air (exhaust) discharged from the second connection pipe portion 113 to the opening of the relay exhaust air passage portion 105b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the synthetic resin air guide 124 is integrated with a first guide plate 130 provided in the main body upper body 121 and the main body lower body 122 continuously with the guide plate 130. And the second guide plate 131 provided at the bottom. The first guide plate 130 is curved along the outer periphery of the upper part of the rotary cleaning body 104, and
A curved upper passage is formed between the inner passage 21 and an inner surface of the upper passage 21.
The rear edge of the first guide plate 130 in the width direction is the wind guide wall 1.
28, the main part supply / exhaust air passages 105, 10
The two air passages 105 and 106 are partitioned so that the air passage 6 is not communicated on the wind guide wall 128 side. The second guide plate 131 is provided integrally with the back surface of the front wall of the main body lower body 122 in the longitudinal central portion, and the upper end opening (entrance) of the lower passage formed inside thereof is continuous with the curved upper passage. In addition, an outlet opened at the lower end of the lower passage is communicated with the longitudinally central portion of the rotary cleaning body chamber 125.

The outlet forming the spout 132 on one side in the width direction of the inlet 126, for example, on the front side, is formed in a slot shape with the front bottom wall portion 122af to be elongated in the width direction of the main body 103 of the inlet body. Then, air is blown rearward along the surface to be cleaned C, and the air is blown to the lower end of the cleaning blade 104a of the rotary cleaning body 104. And this fumarole 132
Are formed to protrude toward the intake port 126, for example. In order to realize this protruding structure, a wind guide protruding wall 133 protruding toward the air inlet 126 is formed on the lower edge of the second guide plate 131. The wind guide projection wall 133 is parallel to the front bottom wall portion 122af.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the main intake air passage 106 is formed in a longitudinal direction of the air guide wall 134 of the main body lower body 122 which also serves as a partition partitioning the rotary cleaning body chamber 125 continuously with the air guide wall 128. Direction (width direction of suction port main body 103)
Suction opening 135 provided by cutting out the center
have. The intake air passage 106 is directly connected to an intake passage in the first connection pipe 112 into which the pivot 112a is inserted. The suction opening 135 is provided on the rear bottom wall portion 122ab side, and at least a lower portion thereof is provided at a position substantially equal to the height of the jet port 132.

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 and the like, reference numeral 141 denotes a front wheel attached to the front of the main body 103 of the suction port.
Reference numeral 142 denotes a rear wheel attached to the rear of the suction port main body 103. The lower wheels 142 have lower ends thereof.
3, the suction port body 101 can be moved smoothly by their rotation.

The upright type vacuum cleaner having the above structure is
With the power supply cord 81 drawn from the cord reel 32 connected to the power supply, the handle 27 is held and the electric blower 3
1 is used for cleaning by moving the cleaner main body 21 while operating the nozzle 1 and moving the suction opening body 101 along a surface C to be cleaned such as a floor surface.

In this cleaning operation, the blower fan 42 and the cooling fan 43 of the electric blower 31 are simultaneously rotated.
Therefore, air containing dust is sucked in from the air inlet 126 of the air inlet body 101 by the air suction effect generated by the rotation of the blower fan 42, and this air passes from the inside of the rotary cleaning body chamber 125 through the main body air intake air passage 106. Thus, the first connection pipe portion 112 of the connection pipe 102 directly connected to the air passage 106, that is, the first communication pipe portion 28 of the communication pipe 28 through the intake passage.
a, and then through the air intake passage 89 in the main body, the dust collecting chamber 3
3 is sucked into the filter 85. Since the air sucked in the intake path passes through the filter 85, the dust contained in the air is captured by the filter 85 at that time.

The air that has passed through the filter 85 and the filter 86 immediately behind the filter 85 is sucked into the blower fan 42 through the air inlet 44a of the electric blower 31 via the suction gap 68 immediately behind the filter 86, and The air is discharged from the outlet of the blower fan 42 along the blade. The discharged air passes through the exhaust hole 60 and is exhausted to the outside of the motor unit 41 from the exhaust port 65 of the exhaust port body 47. The flow of the air passing through the electric blower 31 is indicated by a solid arrow in FIG.

The air thus discharged, that is, the exhaust air from the electric blower 31 passes through the exhaust air passage 71 in the main body, and then the second communication pipe portion 28b of the communication pipe 28 and the connection pipe 10
2 is directly discharged to the second connection pipe portion 113 of the main portion, that is, the exhaust passage 105 in the main portion through the exhaust passage.
5 is blown energetically toward the cleaning blade 104a of the rotary cleaning body 104. As a result, the exhaust gas is returned to the intake port 126 and the rotary cleaning body 104 in the rotary cleaning body chamber 125 is rotated by the force, so that the lower end of the cleaning blade 104a is
The cleaning surface C, which is close to and opposed to the cleaning surface 26, is hit so as to hit the cleaning surface C, and dust on the cleaning surface C such as a carpet is scraped out. At the same time, the exhaust gas returned to the intake port 126 as described above is collected and circulated through the above-described intake path having the intake opening 135 of the main-unit intake air passage 106 as an inlet. Due to such air circulation, dust and the like scraped off from the surface to be cleaned C as described above are simultaneously collected in the intake path.
Note that the flow of the air flowing back through the suction port body 101 is indicated by solid arrows in FIG.

As described above, since the exhaust gas is circulated without being discharged to the outside, it is excellent in that dust and the like are not blown to the outside by the exhaust gas. In addition, since the operation sound of the electric blower 31 propagating on the exhaust air, specifically, the wind noise generated by the blower fan 42 is extremely small, the noise during use can be significantly reduced. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner is suitable for use under quiet conditions such as in a hospital or at night.

Further, as described above, the rotary cleaning member 105 is rotated by utilizing the energy of the exhaust gas returned to the air inlet 126 to positively remove dust on the surface C to be cleaned.
It is also excellent in that it can be extracted into the inside and sucked out from the intake port 126 by the recovered air, so that the dust collection performance can be improved. Further, the suction port body 101 is excellent in that the suction port body 101 is hardly sucked to the surface to be cleaned C, and the suction port body 101 can be moved lightly.

During the cleaning, the cooling fan 43 is also rotated at the same time, so that the outside air is sucked in from the outside of the cleaner body 21 through the cooling air intake port 64 by this rotation. After flowing through the inside of the motor frame 53 and being discharged from the cooling exhaust port 66 while cooling the armature 55 and the armature 55 by air, the conduit 67
From the air blower 31 through the suction gap 68. The above air flow is indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG.

When the amount of dust accumulated in the filter 85 is small and the resistance of the air path in the filter 85 is small during the suction of the outside air as described above, the cooling valve 48 closes the opening of the end of the conduit 67. Therefore, a small amount of outside air for cooling passing through the small hole 48 a of the cooling valve 48 is sucked into the electric blower 31. In such a state, the cooling fan 43 is cooled mainly by the air sucked into the electric blower 31 through the dust collection chamber 33 and the motor frame 53
The electric motor unit 41 is cooled by the cooling outside air flowing inside.

When the amount of dust in the filter 85 increases and the air path resistance in the filter 85 increases, and the negative pressure in the dust collection chamber 33 increases, the negative pressure in the suction gap 68 increases. At the same time, the cooling valve 48 is moved to a position where the tip of the conduit 67 is opened as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Therefore, a large amount of the outside air for cooling
The electric motor 41 and the blower fan 42 of the electric blower 31 are mainly cooled by the introduction of the outside air. As described above, the amount of outside air for cooling is controlled by the degree of accumulation of dust in the filter 85.
The temperature rise of the electric blower 31 can be suppressed irrespective of the amount of dust in the inside 5.

When the cleaning is performed while circulating the air as described above, the cleaner main body 21 is pushed and pulled through the handle 27, and accordingly, the position of the cleaner main body 21 with respect to the suction opening main body 103. Also changes,
Nevertheless, since the main body 103 and the connecting pipe 102 are rotatably connected to each other, the bottom wall 1 having the air inlet 126 of the main body 103 is formed by the rotation.
The dust can be sucked in from the air inlet 126 with the surface 22a always facing the surface C to be cleaned.

The vacuum cleaner body 21 for such cleaning
Regardless of a change in the relative position between the suction pipe body main part 103 and the first part of the connection pipe 102 connected to the cleaner body 21 side.
The inside of the connection pipe portion 112 and the intake air passage 106 in the main portion of the suction port main portion 103 are directly communicated with each other.
2 is connected directly to the main air intake passage 105, so that the suction port body 101 as described above is connected.
There is no need to use a flexible intake hose and exhaust hose for communicating the suction port body 101 and the cleaner main body 21 as a structure for cleaning by circulating the air while allowing the rotation at.

Therefore, by omitting these hoses, the entire vacuum cleaner can be formed in a small size, and the overall appearance of the vacuum cleaner can be improved. Moreover, as described above, the pivot 112
Since the connection pipe 102 and the suction pipe main body 103 are relatively rotated at the connection between the a and 113a and the fitted pivotal support holes 123, the connection pipe 102 connected to the cleaner body 21 and the suction port main body 103 are flexible. The resistance to the rotation is less than that of the structure in which the rotation is performed while the flexible hose is bent. Thereby, the rotation is performed lightly and easily, and the handling operability of the vacuum cleaner can be improved.

In addition, the above-mentioned pivots 112a, 113a
In the connecting portion formed by the shaft and the pivot hole 123, even if the rotation is repeated, the generation and disappearance of bending as in the case of the flexible hose are not repeated. No danger of occurrence and excellent durability. Therefore, the weight does not become heavy as in the case of using the robust intake and exhaust hoses, so that the cost can be reduced and the entire vacuum cleaner can be reduced in weight. Operability can be further improved.

Further, as described above, the connection pipe 102 and the suction port main body 103 are connected to each other by a pair of pivots 112a and 113a.
And a pair of pivot holes 123 are rotatably fitted to each other and connected to each other, and through both pivot portions 112a and 113a, the inside of the first connection pipe portion 112 of the connection pipe 102 and the main portion intake air passage 106
And the inside of the second connection pipe part 113 of the connection pipe 102 and the exhaust air passage 105 in the main part are directly connected, so that the main body 103 of the suction port body and the connection pipe 102 are rotatably connected to each other. Two structures can be secured. This makes it possible to stabilize the connection between the main body 103 of the inlet body and the connecting pipe 102, and thus the main part 103 of the mouth body 103
And the connecting pipe 102 can be rotated smoothly and easily, and this rotation can be performed lightly and easily, so that the handling operability of the cleaner can be further improved.

In addition, a pair of pivots 112a, 113a
And a pair of pivot holes 123 are provided on the same axis D, and the axis D of the two connection structures in which the suction port main body 103 and the connection pipe 102 are rotatably connected to each other is shared. The center of movement does not shift, and the rotation of the main body 103 of the suction port body and the connecting pipe 102 can be smoothly and easily performed. Therefore, the rotation can be performed lightly and easily,
The handling operability of the vacuum cleaner can be further improved.

In the connecting portion for directly communicating as described above, since the circular outer circumferences of the pivot portions 112a and 113a and the circular pivot hole 123 fitted thereto are air-sealed, a suction port is provided. The air seal between the main body 103 and the connection pipe 102 can be easily performed. In particular, the pivot 112a,
113a: A retaining flange 1 that is circumferentially continuous with the outer periphery of 113a.
At least one of 12af and 113af is provided, and an annular receiving wall portion to be fitted thereto, that is, a step portion 123a
Are provided in the pivot hole 123, the pivot portions 112 a and 113 a are accidentally pulled out from the pivot hole 123 and the suction port body 101.
Since there is no fear that the air seal will be disassembled and the fitting gap at the connecting portion is bent, the air seal can be more reliably performed.

In addition, the pivot portion 1 for intake of the connection pipe 102
The exhaust shaft 12a and the exhaust shaft portion 113a are separated from each other by 180 ° and protruded in opposite directions, and these are rotatably fitted in a pair of pivot holes 123 of the suction port main body 103 separated from each other. Then, the connection pipe 102 and the suction port main body 103 are connected, and the pair of pivots 112a,
According to the configuration in which the air is circulated in the suction port body 101 through the hole 113a, the distance between the pivot portions 112a and 113a can be increased. Thereby, according to this distance, the distance between the points of action of the force on the suction opening main body 103 when the suction opening 101 is moved by pushing and pulling can be widened. Accordingly, the straightness of the suction port body 101 when the suction port body 101 is moved by pushing and pulling is improved, and the handling operability of the cleaner can be improved.

In addition, since the distance between the pivot portions 112a and 113a is large, the main unit intake air passage 106, the first connection pipe portion 112 directly communicating therewith, and the main unit exhaust air passage 1
05 and the second connection pipe portion 113 directly communicating with it can be reliably separated. Therefore, the phenomenon that the air returned to the suction port 126 in the suction port body 101 and the air suctioned from the suction port 126 to the cleaner main body 21 side does not generate a bypass in the pair of connecting portions, and the suction is prevented. The weakening of the force of the air flowing inside the mouth body 101 can be reduced. That is, the energy loss of the air (exhaust) that rotates the rotary cleaning body 104 can be reduced.

In the first embodiment, in the above-described cleaning operation, the blowing port 132 for blowing the air returning to the suction port 126 toward the suction port 126 is not downward but shown in FIG. The air blows toward the cleaning blade 104a from there, so that the air blows toward the cleaning blade 104a.
Is blown horizontally along the inner surface of the bottom wall 122a of the cleaning blade 104a so as to be substantially parallel to the surface C to be cleaned.
Through the suction opening 135.

According to the flow of the air around the intake port 126, it is possible to prevent the air from colliding with the surface C to be cleaned and generating turbulent flow, so that the surface C to be cleaned can be prevented. Of the air circulating from the gap between the air and the bottom wall 122a can be suppressed from leaking to the outside. Therefore, especially on the surface C to be cleaned having a high degree of flatness, such as a wooden floor, the light dust on the surface C is blown around the opening 101 by the movement of the suction opening 101. To prevent the light dust from
6 can be easily sucked, and the dust suction performance can be improved. Moreover, since the leakage of the circulating air from the gap as described above can be suppressed to a level that does not substantially cause a problem, the bottom wall 1 of the main body 103 of the suction port body can be suppressed.
Since it is not necessary to provide a windproof means such as a brush bristle or a rubber lip which is easily elastically deformed around the periphery of 22a, the dust on the surface to be cleaned C is not pushed and moved according to the movement of the suction port body 101. , To ensure that the dust is sucked into the cleaning surface C
Can be cleaned.

Further, as described above, since the resentment port 132 protrudes along the surface C to be cleaned, for example, toward the suction opening 135, the directivity of the air blown out from the resentment port 132 is reduced. The height is increased, and the wind that tends to pass through the air inlet 126 can be reduced. In addition, as described above, at least the lower portion of the suction opening 135 and the indignation opening 132 are substantially the same height, so that the air blown out from the indignation opening 132 is caused to flow straight toward the suction opening 135. be able to. Therefore, the bottom wall 122a and the cleaning surface C
It is possible to further reduce the leakage of air from the space between them and improve the dust suction performance. In addition, since the amount of air blown to the cleaning blade 104a can be secured more due to the extremely small amount of wind passing through the air inlet 126 as described above, the rotating cleaning body 104 is rotated by the air blown from the indignation port 132. The applied force (torque) can be further increased. Therefore, the ability to remove dust from the surface C to be cleaned is improved, and the cleaning performance can be improved.

Further, as described above, the air exhaust passage 105 in the main part and the air intake passage 106 in the main part are partitioned by the air guide 124 provided in the main part 103 of the inlet body. Are better. That is, the suction port main body 10
The exhaust gas guided into the nozzle 3 collides with the rotary cleaning body 104 before arriving at the spout 132, and is diverted therearound. All the exhaust gas introduced into the suction port main body 103 without reaching the opening 135 can be blown out from the blowing port 132 and collected and circulated from the suction opening 135 via the cleaning blade 104a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rotation of the rotary cleaning body 104 from being reduced due to the useless short-circuit reflux. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the performance of the cleaning body 104 from releasing dust from the surface C to be cleaned and to remove the dust on the surface C to be cleaned. And suction performance can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment. For example, in the first embodiment, a pair of pivots are provided in the connection pipe, and a pair of pivotal support holes to be fitted to them are provided in the main body of the suction port body. Part is provided in the main part of the suction port body,
It is also possible to provide a pair of pivot holes to be fitted in these holes in the connecting pipe. Further, the pivot hole may have a short cylindrical shape.

Further, in the present invention, one of the pair of pivots does not form an air path for directly connecting the inside of the main body of the suction port and the passage in the connection pipe, and may be closed. In this case, the intake passage and the exhaust passage are arranged concentrically (accordingly on the same axis D) in the other pivot portion forming the air path, and the intake passage in the main portion is directly connected to these passages individually. It may be implemented by providing an exhaust air passage.

Further, in the present invention, the structure for directly connecting the two air passages in the main part of the suction opening body and the two passages of the connection pipe is not limited to the first embodiment.
You may make it communicate directly with a part other than a pivot part and a pivot hole.

The present invention is not limited to the upright type vacuum cleaner shown in the first embodiment, but can be applied to canister type, handy type and other various types of vacuum cleaners. Can also be applied. Therefore, it may be provided in the suction opening 101 connected to the cleaner main body 21 through a relay pipe such as an extension pipe or the like having an intake air path outside the main body and an exhaust air path outside the main body, or a ventilation hose. Further, the present invention can be applied to an air circulation type vacuum cleaner having a suction port body without a rotary cleaning body.

[0069]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

According to the air-circulating vacuum cleaner according to the first aspect of the present invention, a flexible intake hose and an exhaust hose for connecting the suction port body and the electric blower side are not used. Cleaning can be performed by circulating air while allowing rotation at the suction port body, so that the appearance can be improved, and the size and weight can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Operability can be improved with ease.

According to the second aspect of the invention dependent on the first aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the invention, the main part of the suction port body and the connecting pipe are provided at two places. Since the mutually connected state is stabilized by being rotatably connected to each other, the main body of the suction port body and the connection pipe can be smoothly and easily rotated, and air is generated by the circular outer periphery of at least one of the pivot portions. Since sealing is performed, air sealing at the connection between the main portion of the suction port body and the connection pipe can be easily performed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, which is dependent on the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect of the invention, the main part of the suction port body and the connecting pipe are rotatably connected to each other. Since the axis which is the center of rotation in the two connection structures is the same, the rotation between the suction port main body and the connection pipe can be smoothly and easily performed.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is dependent on the second or third aspect of the invention.
According to the invention described in (2), in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2 or 3, since the distance between the two pivots is large, the straightness of the suction port body when the suction port body is pushed and pulled and moved is improved. As a result, it is possible to reliably separate the main part intake air path and the intake path directly communicating therewith from the main part exhaust air path and the exhaust path directly communicating therewith.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the entire configuration of a circulation type upright vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the entire configuration of the recirculating upright vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recirculating upright type vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment, with the upper case removed, with a portion cut away.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing the configuration of the entire circulation type upright vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a configuration of an electric blower provided in the circulation-type upright vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a partially cut-away configuration of a suction port provided in the circulation type upright vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing a configuration of a main body upper body provided in the suction port shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main lower body provided in the suction port shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a configuration of the suction port shown in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference numeral 21: vacuum cleaner main body, 31: electric blower, 33: dust collecting chamber, 85: filter, 86: filter, 101: suction port body, 102: connection pipe, 103: main part of the suction port body, 105: exhaust air in the main part Road 106, main body intake air passage 112, first connection pipe (intake passage) 113: second connection pipe (exhaust passage) 112a, 113a pivot shaft 123: pivot hole 126: intake Mouth, D ... axis.

Claims (4)

[Claims] An air blower provided in a cleaner body has an air inlet, and air sucked from the air inlet is passed through a filter to capture dust, and passes through the filter to be discharged from the electric blower. A vacuum cleaner for cleaning while returning the collected air to the suction port body and collecting and circulating the air, wherein the suction port body has an intake passage and an exhaust passage penetrating in the axial direction therein, and a connection pipe. A connection pipe rotatably connected to the main body and having a main body having an intake air passage and an exhaust air passage in the main part partitioned from each other inside the main body, wherein the air intake passage and the air intake air in the main part are provided. A vacuum cleaner, wherein the exhaust path and the exhaust air path in the main part are directly connected to each other while directly communicating with a path. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a pair of pivots provided in one of said connection pipe and said main part of said suction port and a pair of pivots provided in the other are rotatably fitted to each other. A connection pipe is connected to the main body of the suction port body, and at least one of the pair of pivots is used to directly communicate the intake passage with the intake air passage in the main portion. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is in direct communication with an air passage. 3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the pair of pivot portions and the pair of pivot holes are provided on the same axis. 4. One of the pair of pivots forms a part of the intake passage, and the other forms a part of the exhaust passage. The pair of pivots are separated by 180 ° and project in opposite directions. The connection pipe and the connection pipe and the connection pipe are rotatably fitted to the pair of pivot holes provided in the suction port main body separately from each other. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the main body of the suction port body is connected to the suction port body.