KR101452212B1 - Connecting tube having dust sensing function for use in a vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a connection pipe for a vacuum cleaner having a dust detection function that detects the presence or absence of dust on a surface to be cleaned and informs the user of the dust. According to the present invention, there is provided a connection pipe comprising: a body having a first air intake passage for moving intake air containing dust or dirt therein; A body connected to the tubular body and having a second air intake passage communicating with the first air intake passage; A sensor disposed on the second air intake passage of the body for sensing whether dust or dirt passes through the second air intake passage; A lamp unit operating according to a signal from the detection sensor; A rotating part rotatably installed on the body; A rotation drive channel unit installed in the body and rotating the rotation unit by sucking air from the outside into the second air intake channel by the air suction force in the second air intake channel of the body; A generator connected to the rotation unit for rotation by the rotation unit and generating electric power to operate at least the detection sensor and the lamp unit; And a muffler part installed in the body for reducing noise generated during rotation of the rotary part and air flow.

Dust, sensing, power generation, impeller, lamp, muffler, tube

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a connecting tube for a vacuum cleaner having a dust detecting function,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner connection pipe having a dust detection function that detects presence or absence of dust on a surface to be cleaned during cleaning and informs a user.

    In general, a vacuum cleaner generates a strong suction force by using a vacuum motor, and sucks dust or dirt on the surface to be cleaned to clean the surface to be cleaned. Accordingly, a vacuum cleaner is very useful for cleaning dirt on a surface to be cleaned such as a carpet, a floor, and the like.

   However, when the above-described vacuum cleaner is used to clean a cleaning area that is relatively dusty or relatively visible, it is easy for the user to check whether or not dust is present on the surface to be cleaned. However, if the cleaning area is cleaned with a relatively fine dust, There is a problem that the user can not easily grasp the presence or absence of dust on the cleaning surface.

  In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-76120 discloses a dirt suction path such as an extension pipe, which is driven by a rotary blade rotated by external air sucked by an air suction force in a dirt suction path, An electric vacuum cleaner in which a generator is installed is disclosed. The electric vacuum cleaner is configured to automatically generate electric power through a generator driven by a rotary wing during cleaning to operate a dirt sensor or the like so as to inform the user of the presence or absence of dust in a suction nozzle or a dirt suction line equipped with a dirt sensor. Accordingly, the user can grasp the presence or absence of dust on the surface to be cleaned or the completion of the cleaning through the operation of a dirt sensor or the like at the time of cleaning.

   However, in such an electric vacuum cleaner, since the rotary blades for driving the generator are rotated by the external air sucked by the air suction force of the dirt suction path, when the rotary blades are rotated by the external air, There is a problem that noise may be generated when joining. Such noise is a cause of deteriorating the quality of the vacuum cleaner.

   [Literature] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-76120, March 23, 1999

   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust detecting function capable of detecting presence or absence of dust on a surface to be cleaned automatically without generating a large noise, And to provide a connector for use.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection pipe for a vacuum cleaner having a dust detection function, including: a tubular body having a first air intake passage for moving intake air containing dust or dirt; A body connected to the tubular body and having a second air intake passage communicating with the first air intake passage; A sensor disposed on the second air intake passage of the body for sensing whether the dust or dirt passes through the second air intake passage; A lamp unit operating according to a signal from the detection sensor; A rotating part rotatably installed on the body; A rotation drive channel unit installed in the body and rotating the rotation unit by sucking air from the outside into the second air intake channel by the air suction force in the second air intake channel of the body; A generator connected to the rotation unit for rotation by the rotation unit and generating electric power to operate at least the detection sensor and the lamp unit; And a muffler part installed in the body for reducing noise generated during rotation of the rotary part and air flow.

    Here, the tube body may be a straight tube, a multi-stage tube, or a flexible tube.

   Each of the body and the tubular body can be detachably attached to the suction nozzle, the operation handle or the operation handle and the cleaner body. To this end, the body and the tubular body preferably include first and second connecting portions detachably connected to the suction nozzle and the operation handle, respectively.

    The detection sensor may be an optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion.

    The lamp unit includes a first luminescent lamp operated by a first signal generated when the detection sensor detects dust or dirt, and a second luminescent lamp operated by a second signal generated when the detection sensor fails to sense dirt .

   The rotary part may be an impeller having a rotary shaft disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second air intake passage of the body.

   The rotation drive channel portion is formed on a rotation portion mounting portion provided on the outer side of the body and mounting the rotation portion therein; A plurality of suction openings formed on an outer circumferential surface of the rotatable portion mounting portion for sucking outside air, a rotating portion mounting space in which the rotating portion is mounted and the outside air is moved through the rotating portion, and an outlet tube portion formed on one surface of the rotating portion mounting portion to communicate with the second air intake passage .

   The muffler part preferably includes a plurality of resonance holes formed in the body, and a sound absorbing material filled in a space between the cover and the body.

   Since the muffler unit is provided inside the body for the vacuum cleaner having the dust detection function according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively reduce the noise generated when the rotation unit rotates and when the air in the body and the external air are merged. Therefore, there is an advantage that the user can be notified of the presence of dust on the surface to be cleaned automatically without generating a large noise during cleaning.

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vacuum cleaner connection tube having a dust detection function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

   7 is a view illustrating an example of a vacuum cleaner 100 to which a connection pipe 120 for a vacuum cleaner having a dust sensing function according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

   Referring to FIG. 7, the vacuum cleaner 100 includes a suction nozzle 110 for sucking air containing dust, dirt, and the like, and a dust detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is connected to the suction nozzle 110 A connection pipe 120, an operation handle 130, a suction hose 140 connected to the operation handle 130, and a suction hose 140 connected to a dust collecting chamber (not shown) and a motor chamber (not shown) And includes a cleaner main body 150 which is divided and partitioned.

   1 is a perspective view illustrating a connection pipe 120 for a vacuum cleaner having a dust detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

   1 and 7, the connection pipe 120 is detachably installed between the suction nozzle 110 and the operation handle 130, and is connected to the pipe 111 and the dust sensing unit 118 .

   The tube 111 is composed of a straight tube 113 in the form of a cylinder. The straight tube 113 is connected to the suction nozzle 110 and the operation handle 130 to supply suction air containing dust or dirt sucked through the suction nozzle 110 from the suction nozzle 110 to the operation handle 130). The first air suction passage (124)

  2 and 3, the dust detection unit 118 includes a body 114, a detection sensor 125, a lamp unit 145, a rotation unit 135, a rotation drive flow path unit 190, a generator 155, and a cover portion 150. [

  The body 114 has a rectangular second air intake passage 124 'that receives and fixes the straight tube 113 at the upper portion thereof and has a cylindrical second air intake passage 124' communicating with the first air intake passage 124 of the straight tube 113 Shaped tube.

  The detection sensor 125 senses whether there is dust or dirt in the intake air passing through the second air intake passage 124 'when the intake air sucked by the intake nozzle 110 during cleaning passes through the second air intake passage 124' The second air intake passage 124 '. The detection sensor 125 may be an optical sensor 126 having a light emitting portion 127 and a light receiving portion 128. In this case, the light emitting unit 127 is installed on the upper surface of the body 114 so as to generate light toward the second air intake passage 124 ', and the light receiving unit 128 emits light from the light emitting unit 127, And is disposed on the other surface of the body 114 to receive light passing through the air suction passage 124 '. Accordingly, when there is dust or dirt in the air passing through the second air intake passage 124 ', the light emitted from the light emitting portion 127 is blocked by dust or dirt, And when there is no dust or dirt in the air, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 127 is received by the light receiving portion 128 to generate an 'on' signal.

   The lamp unit 145 operates in response to a signal from the detection sensor 125 at the time of cleaning so that dust or dirt in the intake air sucked by the suction nozzle 110 and passed through the second air intake passage 124 ' And is provided on the circuit board 147. [0064] The lamp unit 145 includes a first light emitting lamp 148 operated by an'OFF` signal generated when the detection sensor 125 senses dust or dirt, and a second light emitting lamp 148 when the detection sensor 125 can not detect dirt And a second light emission lamp 149 operated by an 'on' signal generated. The first and second light emitting lamps 148 and 149 are formed of laser emitting diodes (LEDs) capable of emitting red light and blue light, respectively. A transparent plate 152 is provided on the upper cover 151 of the cover unit 150 facing the first and second light emitting lamps 148 and 149.

   The rotating portion 135 generates a rotating force for rotating a coil portion (not shown) of the generator 155, and is constituted by an impeller 136. 3 to 5, the impeller 136 includes a rotating shaft 137 connected to the shaft of the generator 155 mounted on the generator mounting portion 163 of the generator bracket 160 separately formed from the body 114 Respectively. The rotating shaft 137 of the impeller 136 is disposed in parallel to the intake air flow direction of the second air intake passage 124 ', that is, the longitudinal axis of the air intake passage 124'.

  The rotation drive channel portion 190 sucks the outside air from the outside by the suction force of the vacuum motor of the vacuum cleaner, that is, the air suction force in the second air suction passage 124 'to rotate the impeller 136, 160 of the first embodiment.

   The rotation drive channel portion 190 includes a plurality of suction openings 193 formed at predetermined intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the rotary portion mounting portion 161, an impeller mounting space 194 in the rotary portion mounting portion 161 to which the impeller 136 is mounted, And a discharge tube 196 arranged on the upper surface of the rotary part mounting part 161 so as to communicate with the air suction passage 124 '. At this time, the discharge pipe portion 196 is formed in a stepped shape such that the rotational axis 137 of the impeller 136 is disposed parallel to the direction of the intake air flow of the second air intake passage 124 '.

   The generator 155 generates electric power for operating the detection sensor 125 and the lamp unit 145 so that the shaft is connected to the rotation shaft 137 of the impeller 136 for rotation by the impeller 136. The generator 155 is provided with a coil portion provided on the shaft between the N pole magnet and the S pole magnet so that the impeller 136 is a known generator capable of generating, for example, a voltage of 15 V when rotating at about 4300 rpm Lt; / RTI > The coil portion of the generator 155 is connected to the circuit board 147 on which the lamp portion 145 is mounted so as to supply the generated power to the lamp portion 145 and the detection sensor 125. The lamp unit 145 and the detection sensor 125 are electrically connected to the circuit board 147. The circuit board 147 is connected to the circuit portion of the operation handle 130 by wires and connecting portions not shown in order to use the power generated by the generator 155 as a power source for driving the power supply portion or the circuit portion of the operation handle 130. [ As shown in FIG.

  The cover part 150 is composed of an upper cover 151 and a lower cover 153. The upper cover 151 is formed to surround the entire component mounting region of the body 114 provided with components such as the sensor 125, the lamp unit 145, the rotation unit 135, and the generator 155, Or the like. A transparent plate 152 is disposed on the upper side of the upper cover 151 and a plurality of air suction holes 151a are formed in the center of the upper cover 151 to suck outside air by the air suction force in the second air suction passage 124 ' .

   The lower cover 153 is formed to surround the non-mounting area of the body 114 on which the muffler unit 131 described later is formed, and is fixed to the body 114 by fastening means such as screws.

   Noise generated when the impeller 136 rotates and external air sucked through the air suction hole 151a join with air in the second air suction passage 124 'through the rotation driving flow passage 190 As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in order to reduce noise, a muffler portion 131 is formed in the component non-mounting region of the body 114. Fig. The muffler portion 131 is composed of a resonance hole 133 and a sound absorbing material 134 such as a sponge. The resonance hole 133 is formed in a predetermined shape and arrangement, for example, an elliptical grating arrangement or a zigzag arrangement in the component non-mounting region of the body 114. [ The sound absorbing material 134 is filled in the space isolated from the external and component mounting areas by the partition walls of the body 114 and the lower cover 153 in the component non-mounting area of the body 114. [ According to this configuration, the external air sucked through the rotary drive channel portion 190 by the noise generated during rotation of the impeller 136 and the air suction force in the second air intake passage 124 ' The noise generated when joining with the intake air in the intake duct 124 'is firstly removed by the sound absorbing material 134 or the resonance hole 133 and then attenuated by the second resonance hole 133 or the sound absorbing material 134, do.

   The lower end of the body 114 and the upper end of the straight tube 113 are provided with a first and a second tubular member 113 for fastening the connection pipe 120 thus configured to be detachably attached between the suction nozzle 110 and the operation handle 130. [ Connection portions 115 and 119 are formed. The first connection portion 115 is formed of a cylindrical tube having a diameter smaller than that of the first corresponding connection portion 110a so as to be inserted into the first corresponding connection portion 110a of the suction nozzle 110 (see FIG. 7). The first connection part 115 is formed with a first flexible projection 117 inserted into the first fixing groove 110a 'formed in the first corresponding connection part 110a when connected to the first corresponding connection part 110a . The first flexible protrusion 117 is pushed by the first button 110a "of the first corresponding connection portion 110a and is held in the first fixed portion 110a " when the first connection portion 115 is separated from the first corresponding connection portion 110a, The second connecting portion 119 is constituted by a cylindrical tube having a larger diameter than the second corresponding connecting portion to receive the second corresponding connecting portion (not shown) of the operating handle 130 . The second connecting portion 119 is provided with a second fixing groove 122 (see Fig. 1) into which a second flexible projection (not shown) formed in the second corresponding connecting portion is inserted when connected to the second corresponding connecting portion, A pressing portion 121 'for pressing the second flexible protrusion inserted into the second fixing groove 122 elastically downward to separate the second flexible protrusion from the second fixing groove 122 when separated from the corresponding connecting portion, (See FIG. 3).

    Although the connection pipe 120 having the dust sensing function according to the present invention is illustrated and described as being applied to the connection pipe composed of the straight pipe 113, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the coupling tube 120 may be configured to have the same configuration as the coupling tube formed by a multi-stage tube (not shown) that can be folded telescopically, or a suction hose formed by a flexible hose or tube And can be applied as a principle. When the connection pipe 120 is applied to the suction hose, the suction hose is connected to the first and second connection portions 115 and 119, the operation handle 130 and the first and second corresponding contacts (not shown) And is removably coupled between the operation handle 130 and the cleaner main body 150 via the operating handle 130. [

   The dust detecting operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 having the connecting pipe 120 having the dust detecting function according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG.

   7, when the vacuum cleaner 100 is operated while bringing the suction nozzle 110 into contact with the surface to be cleaned, as shown in FIG. 7, in order to clean dirt or dust on the surface to be cleaned, A vacuum motor (not shown) of the suction nozzle 110 operates to generate a suction force, thereby sucking air through an air inlet (not shown) of the suction nozzle 110. The suction air sucked through the air suction port is introduced into the second air suction passage 124 'of the body 114 of the connection pipe 120 and the first air suction passage 124 of the straight pipe 113, The dust is moved to the cleaner main body 150 through the suction hose 130 and the suction hose 140 so that the dust is separated from the dust collecting chamber and then discharged to the outside.

  At this time, the impeller 136 of the rotary part 135 is moved from the outside to the air suction hole 151a of the upper cover 151 and the air suction hole 151b of the second cover 151 'by the suction force of the vacuum motor of the vacuum cleaner, And is rotated by the external air sucked through the suction opening 193 of the rotation drive channel portion 190. As a result, the generator 155 generates electric power by a coil part in which the shaft of the generator 155 connected to the rotation shaft 137 of the impeller 136 rotates and rotates together with the shaft of the generator 155. The power generated by the generator 155 is transmitted to the lamp unit 145 and the detection sensor 125 through the circuit board 147. As power is supplied to the sensing sensor 125, the light emitting portion 127 of the optical sensor 126 of the sensing sensor 125 emits light. Accordingly, when the dust or dirt passes between the light emitting unit 127 and the light receiving unit 128, the light sensor 126 can not receive the light emitted from the light receiving unit 128 due to dust or dirt, Off 'signal. When no dust or dirt passes through the light receiving unit 128, the light receiving unit 128 receives the light and generates an' on 'signal. When the 'off' signal is generated from the optical sensor 26, the lamp unit 145 provided on the circuit board 147 turns on the first luminescent lamp 148 to emit red light And when the 'on' signal is generated, the second light emitting lamp 149 is turned on as shown in FIG. 6C to generate blue light. As a result, the user can know whether dust or dirt is present or not on the surface to be cleaned, depending on the time or frequency of occurrence of red light or blue light.

    When the cleaning operation is completed and the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 is stopped, the air does not move through the air intake passage 124 ', so that the impeller 136 of the rotary part 135 does not rotate and the generator 155 ) Does not develop power. As a result, the first and second luminescent lamps 148 and 149 of the lamp unit 145 are all turned off as shown in FIG. 6A.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, such appropriate changes and modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to a connection pipe of a vacuum cleaner such as a straight tube type extension pipe, a multistage pipe type extension pipe or a flexible pipe type suction hose, and can be used to detect the presence or absence of dust on the surface to be cleaned and inform the user.

   1 is a perspective view illustrating a connection pipe for a vacuum cleaner having a dust detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

   FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the connector taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1;

   FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connection pipe shown in FIG. 1,

   4 is a perspective view of the generator bracket of the connection pipe shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

   FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the impeller and the generator of the connection pipe shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,

   6A, 6B and 6C are partial cross-sectional views illustrating the operation of the sensing unit and the lamp unit of the dust sensing unit of the connector shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and Figs.

   7 is a perspective view illustrating a vacuum cleaner to which a connection pipe having a dust sensing function according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

100: Vacuum cleaner 110: Suction nozzle

111: tube 114: body

120: connector 118: dust detection unit

125: detection sensor 126: light sensor

130: Operation handle 135:

136: impeller 145:

148, 149: Luminescent lamp 150: Cover part

151, 153: cover 155: generator

190: rotation drive channel portion 193: suction opening

194: Impeller mounting space 196: Discharge tube

Claims (8)

A tubular body having a first air intake passage for moving intake air containing dust or dirt therein; A body connected to the tubular body and having a second air intake passage communicating with the first air intake passage; A sensing sensor disposed on the second air intake passage of the body for sensing whether the dust or dirt passes through the second air intake passage; A lamp unit operating according to a signal from the detection sensor; A rotating part rotatably installed on the body; A rotation drive channel portion installed in the body for sucking air from the outside into the second air intake passage by the air suction force in the second air intake passage of the body to rotate the rotation portion; A generator connected to the rotation unit to rotate by the rotation unit and to generate electric power for operating at least the detection sensor and the lamp unit; And And a muffler portion installed on the body for reducing noise generated during rotation of the rotary portion and during air flow, The rotating portion and the muffler portion are disposed to face each other with the second air intake passage therebetween, The muffler unit includes: A plurality of resonance holes formed on one side of the body facing the discharge direction of the air discharged from the rotating portion side to the second air suction passage; And And a sound absorbing material disposed on an outer side of the body corresponding to the plurality of resonance holes.       The connecting tube for a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body includes one of a straight tube, a multi-stage tube, and a flexible tube.     The connection pipe for a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the body and the tubular body are detachably attached to a suction nozzle, an operation handle, or an operation handle and a cleaner body, respectively.     The connection pipe for a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the detection sensor includes an optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion.    The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lamp unit comprises:    A first luminescent lamp operated by a first signal generated when the detection sensor senses dust or dirt; And    And a second luminescent lamp operated by a second signal generated when the detection sensor fails to detect dirt. The connection tube for a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,     The connecting pipe for a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rotating portion includes an impeller having a rotation axis disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis of the second air intake passage of the body.     [2] The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotation drive passage portion is formed on a rotatable portion mounting portion that is installed on the outside of the body and mounts the rotation portion therein; A plurality of suction openings formed in an outer circumferential surface of the rotary part mounting part for sucking outside air, a rotary part mounting space in which the rotary part is mounted and the outside air moves through the rotary part, And a discharge pipe connected to the vacuum cleaner.    The sound absorbing device according to claim 1, And the space between the cover and the body is filled with the dust.

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