WO2019065085A1

WO2019065085A1 - Cyclone unit and vacuum cleaner comprising same

Info

Publication number: WO2019065085A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/032391
Authority: WO
Inventors: 直人一橋
Original assignee: 工機ホールディングス株式会社
Priority date: 2017-09-27
Filing date: 2018-08-31
Publication date: 2019-04-04
Also published as: JPWO2019065085A1; JP6888684B2

Abstract

Provided are a cyclone unit and vacuum cleaner comprising same, having dust collection performance enhanced beyond what has gone before. Provided is a cyclone unit, which comprises a cylindrical-container shaped outer tube (21) extending along an axis and comprising a suction port for suctioning, in a direction tangential to said outer tube (21), outside air including dust, and an inner tube unit (41) positioned within the outer tube (21) on the same axis, connected to the interior of the outer tube (21) at one end of said axis, and comprising a cylinder part (42) for discharging to the outside the air within the outer tube, and in which the suctioned air is rotated within the outer tube (21) and the dust is separated from the air using centrifugal force. The cylinder part (42) comprises: a first tube part (42a), comprising a wall part connected to one end of the outer tube and continuous therewith; and a second tube part (42b) for interior-exterior communication in the radial direction thereof. A protrusion part (48) is formed by a region of a portion of the first tube part (42a) in the circumference direction thereof being outwardly enlarged in the radial direction thereof. The forming of the protrusion part (48) allows avoiding a phenomenon of separation with regard to an airstream rotating within the outer tube (21), and enhances dust collection performance.

Description

Cyclone unit and cleaner provided with the same

The present invention relates to an improvement of a cyclone cleaner, and more particularly to a cyclone unit having an improved dust collection performance by improving dust separation performance and a cleaner including the same.

A conventional portable cleaner (vacuum cleaner) incorporates a motor and a dust collection fan inside a housing, and a dust collection chamber is disposed in front of the housing for collecting dust and the like sucked by the rotation of the dust collection fan. The dust collection chamber is provided with a suction port for suctioning air containing dust and the like, and on the opposite side away from the suction port in the axial direction, a filter device such as a bag-like filter medium for filtering the suctioned dust and the like It is disposed detachably. A switch for starting and stopping the motor is disposed in a part of the housing, and the air flow generated by the rotation of the motor sucks dust-mixed air from the suction port and causes the air in the dust collection chamber to flow in the axial direction. The dust was collected by passing through a filter device. In recent years, a so-called "cyclone type" cleaner has been put to practical use in addition to the filter type and the paper pack type in which the dust-mixed air is separated only by the filter device as described above.

The cyclone type cleaner allows dust-mixed air to flow in tangentially from the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical swirl chamber, and centrifugally separates the dust contained in the air by the strong swirl flow formed in the swirl chamber. It is a thing. The dust separated by the swirling flow collides inside the outer wall of the outer cylinder, falls along the inner surface of the outer wall, and moves to the dust collection chamber side. The air separated from the dust near the axial center of the swirl chamber can be continuously collected by centrifugal force by being axially discharged through the exhaust pipe. The technology of Patent Document 1 is known as such a cyclone type cleaner. In Patent Document 1, the intake air is introduced tangentially into the swirl chamber, and a tornado swirl flow is generated in the swirl chamber. The swirl chamber was provided with an exhaust pipe communicating the outer side and the inner side in the axial direction, and the air was sucked from an opening provided in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the exhaust pipe. At the closed lower end of the exhaust pipe, there is provided a straightening vane whose outer peripheral edge extends radially outward in a substantially reverse funnel shape and whose edge is a thin film having flexibility. At this time, by narrowing the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the straightening vane and the wall surface of the swirl chamber to 1/2 or less of the distance between the exhaust pipe and the wall surface, the dust accumulated on the bottom of the dust collection chamber Flow) to prevent it from being wound up and discharged from the exhaust pipe.

JP, 2006-20833, A

According to Patent Document 1 mentioned above, it can be suppressed to a certain extent that the separated dusts soar as they enter the exhaust stack. However, there has been a demand to further reduce the prevention of the dust collected in the dust collection chamber from entering the turning chamber. There is also a demand for more efficient separation of dust and air in the swing chamber.

In the cyclone unit having a cylindrical exhaust pipe as shown in Patent Document 1 and generating a swirling flow along the outer circumference of the exhaust pipe as a result of the inventor examining the flow of air in the swirling chamber, the swirling chamber It has been found that an air flow separation phenomenon occurs between the swirl flow and the outer surface of the exhaust stack located inside the swirl flow produced by the above. This peeling phenomenon occurs only in a partial region (peeling region) in the circumferential direction, and the flow velocity of the swirling flow is lowered in the peeling region, and the separation efficiency of dust and air is lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cyclone unit having a dust collection performance further improved than in the prior art and a cleaner provided with the same. Another object of the present invention is a cyclone unit capable of effectively suppressing that dust once separated by a swirling flow and accumulated in a dust collection chamber soars again and returns to the swirling chamber and is discharged to the outside from an exhaust port. To provide a cleaner equipped with Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cyclone unit and a cyclone unit capable of preventing turbulence of the swirling flow in the swirling chamber and avoiding an air flow separation phenomenon between the exhaust cylinder outer surface and the swirling flow which is generated in part. To provide a cleaner equipped with

The representative features of the invention disclosed in the present application will be described as follows. According to one feature of the present invention, the cylindrical container-like outer cylinder having a suction port extending in the axial direction and suctioning the outside air containing dust in the tangential direction and coaxially connected with one end in the axial direction inside the outer cylinder And an inner cylinder unit for discharging air in the outer cylinder to the outside, and a cyclone unit for swirling outside air in the outer cylinder to separate air and dust using centrifugal force. The unit has an axially extending cylindrical portion, and a portion of the cylindrical portion is configured to have a radially outer portion of a protruding portion that is partially enlarged in the circumferential direction. The cylindrical portion includes a first cylindrical portion having a continuous cylindrical wall portion connected to one end of the outer cylinder, and an air passing portion arranged axially in line with the first cylindrical portion and communicating the inside and the outside in the radial direction. It has the 2nd cylinder part formed, and a projection part is provided in the perimeter side of the 1st cylinder part. In addition, the projecting portion is disposed at a position where it can face the suction port of the outer cylinder in the first cylindrical portion, and a position where the projecting portion entirely or partially overlaps in the axial direction.

According to another feature of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction passing through the protrusion is formed such that the outer edge of a part of the circumferential direction is a perfect circle and the remaining contour is an ellipse. For example, half of the circumferential direction may be a true circle and the other may be an ellipse. Furthermore, the protrusion was such that the distance from the axial center to the outer edge position on the suction port side was longer than the distance from the axial center to the outer edge position on the non-suction port side. By asymmetrically forming the shapes on the upstream side and the downstream side of the swirling direction of the first cylindrical portion in which the projecting portion is formed in this manner, it is possible to adjust the flow of the air flow swirling around the first cylindrical portion. The projecting portion is disposed continuously with one end side of the cylindrical portion, and the axial length of the projecting portion is shorter than the axial length of the suction port, and is formed in a part or the whole of the first cylindrical portion in the axial direction It was made to be done. The maximum projecting point of the projecting portion that most protrudes in the radial direction when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the cyclone unit is located on the upstream side where air from the suction port flows in as seen from the axis. The second cylindrical portion is formed of a plurality of frames extending in the axial direction, and the opening between the frames is an air passing portion that enables air to be communicated in the radial direction, and the air passing portion filters the air. Filters are provided. Furthermore, a dust guard that is axially closed and that protrudes radially outward from the outer edge position is provided at an end of the second cylinder of the inner cylinder unit on the side away from the first cylinder. Using a cyclone unit having the above characteristics, a portable hand-held cleaner is realized using a fan that sucks air from the exhaust port of the cyclone unit, a motor that rotates the fan, and a connecting pipe connected to the suction port did.

According to still another feature of the present invention, the cylindrical portion of the inner cylinder unit is provided with an air passage portion communicating the inside and the outside in the radial direction, and the other end side opposite to one end in the axial direction with respect to the air passage portion And a dust guard having a wall surface projecting radially outward so as to be adjacent to the. The inside of the outer cylinder has a swirl chamber in which the inner cylinder unit is located, and a dust collection chamber located on the opposite side of the swirl chamber and on the opposite side of the open chamber for storing separated dust. By providing the narrowed portion in which the inner diameter is narrowed so as to have the curvature radius R1, the inner diameter of the lower end of the narrowed portion is configured to be equal to or less than the maximum diameter of the dust guard. This narrowed portion is bent in the opposite direction to the first bent portion at a radius of curvature R2 on the other end side of the first bent portion which narrows the outer cylinder inward at the curvature radius R1 and the first bent portion It is comprised including a 2nd bending part. The dust guard of the cyclone unit has an umbrella-like shape, and is disposed so that the opening surface faces the dust collection chamber side. Also, the dust guard has a conical shape in which the side opposite to the dust collection chamber is convex, and a shape in which a cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction from the conical dust collection chamber side end is connected. It was formed to be connected to the inner cylinder unit so as to enter the inside of the. Here, it is preferable that the inner diameter of the lower end of the throttling portion of the dust collection chamber and the outer diameter of the dust guard be substantially equal. A gap is provided between the dust guard and the lower end of the outer cylinder and the throttling portion, and the gap has a ratio of a first distance C1 in the radial direction to a second distance C2 in the axial direction: 1: 0.5 to 1: It was made to be in the range of 2. In a cross-sectional view passing through the axis of the cyclone unit, the throttling portion is formed by an arc-shaped inner wall surface of radius R1 centered on the lower end outer edge position of the dust guard. In addition, the inner cylinder unit includes a cylinder portion having a first cylinder portion connected to one end of the outer cylinder, and a second cylinder portion disposed adjacent to the first cylinder portion and having an air passing portion, and It has a dust guard connected to the side opposite to the first cylindrical portion with respect to the cylindrical portion. Using such a cyclone unit, a cleaner was constructed by providing a fan for sucking air from the exhaust port of the cyclone unit, a motor for rotating the fan, and a connecting pipe connected to the suction port of the cyclone unit.

According to the present invention, the cylindrical portion of the cyclone unit is provided with the protruding portion whose diameter in the circumferential direction is partially expanded in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the peeling region can be eliminated and degradation of the separation performance can be prevented. In addition, since a throttling portion in which a part of the outer cylinder is squeezed inward is formed, dust once separated by the swirling flow and accumulated in the dust collecting chamber soaks up again and is returned to the swirling chamber and discharged from the exhaust port to the outside Can be effectively suppressed.

It is a perspective view showing the whole shape of cleaner 1 concerning the example of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the internal structure of the cleaner 1 which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the parts which constitute the cyclone unit of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the inner cylinder unit 41 of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which assembled the cyclone unit of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion CC in FIG. 5; It is a partial perspective view of the inner cylinder unit 41 of FIG. 3, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the shape of the cylindrical part 42 and the dust guard 46 part. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of intake air in the cyclone unit 20. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the shape of the throttle portion 24 of the outer cylinder 21. It is a figure for demonstrating the peeling phenomenon which arises in the inner cylinder unit 41, Comprising: It is sectional drawing of the CC part of FIG. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cyclone unit concerning a 2nd example of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the shape of the outer cylinder 81 of the cyclone unit which concerns on the 3rd Example of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted. Moreover, in the present specification, the directions of front and rear, left and right, upper and lower directions, one end side of the inner cylinder unit or the cylindrical portion, and the other end side are described as directions shown in the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the cleaner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention (except for the nozzle portion). In the present embodiment, the vertical direction is defined and described on the basis of a state in which the longitudinal direction is substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. The cleaner 1 is a so-called portable vacuum cleaner that performs dust collection operation while holding it with one hand by a worker, and is a so-called cordless vacuum cleaner that does not require a power cord by using a battery pack 90 as a power source. . The cleaner 1 comprises a cleaner main body having a main housing 2 accommodating a motor and a dust collection fan, a cyclone unit 20 detachably attachable to the end of the cleaner main body, a pipe 65 to which a nozzle (not shown) is attached, and a pipe 65 To the inlet of the cyclone unit 20. The conduit formed in the pipe attachment portion 15 and the conduit connected to the pipe attachment portion 15 form a connection conduit connected to the cyclone unit 20 to the suction port. The substantially cylindrical main body housing 2 is configured to be divided into two by a vertical plane including the longitudinal direction by integral molding of a synthetic resin, and the motor housing portion 2a with a slightly smaller diameter on the rear side becomes a diameter on the front side Is formed to be somewhat thick. A grip portion 3 for a worker to grip is provided on the upper side of the main body housing 2, and a battery pack 90 is attached to one end side in the longitudinal direction. The battery pack 90 can be used as a power tool or the like, and can be removed from the main housing 2 by sliding the battery pack 90 upward while pushing the latch button 91. In order to charge the battery pack 90, the battery pack 90 is removed from the main body housing 2 and carried out using an external charger (not shown). The gripping portion 3 has a substantially D shape in a side view, and is a shape suitable for the operator to grip with one hand.

A substantially cylindrical outer cylinder 21 is attached to the other end side of the main body housing 2 in the longitudinal direction. The outer cylinder 21 forms a casing of the cyclone unit 20, and forms a swirl chamber 22 for swirling the sucked air to generate a swirl flow, and a dust collection chamber 23 for storing the collected dust. It is a container for forming. The outer cylinder 21 is manufactured by integral molding of a synthetic resin such as plastic, and the swirl chamber 22 which is a large diameter cylindrical portion is disposed on the side close to the main body housing 2 and a cup having a somewhat small diameter adjacent to the swirl chamber 22 Shaped dust collecting chamber 23 is provided. A pipe attachment portion 15 to which a pipe 65 is connected is provided on the side surface of the swirl chamber 22, and a flow path through which dust-mixed air sucked through a pipe 65 from a nozzle not shown flows into the interior of the swirl chamber 22. Form The pipe attachment portion 15 is manufactured by integral molding of a synthetic resin, and is fixed to the main body housing 2. The outer cylinder 21 is configured to be rotatable by a predetermined angle with respect to the main body housing 2, and the outer cylinder 21 is moved in the axial direction with respect to the main body housing 2 and abutted to a predetermined position. It is attached to the main body housing 2 by rotating in a direction. When the outer cylinder 1 is removed, the opposite movement may be performed. The mounting base 14 is a holding member that holds the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 21, and is integrally formed with the main body housing 2. In the vicinity of the rear end of the main housing 2, a plurality of air holes 6 for discharging the air sucked by a motor described later to the outside are formed in a large number in the circumferential direction.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A motor 9 is disposed inside the body housing 2 so that an axis of the rotation axis is parallel to the axis A1, and a fan 8 for generating a flow of suction air is provided on the rotation axis of the motor 9. The motor 9 is, for example, a direct current motor, and uses a battery pack 90 attached to the main body housing 2 as a power supply. The rotation of the motor 9 is turned on or off by a switch (not shown) provided on the upper portion of the grip portion 3 of the main body housing 2. The switch is configured to be able to switch in two steps, and the motor 9 rotates rapidly and the suction force is large "HIGH" mode, and the rotation of the motor 9 is low and suction force is small "LOW" It can be operated in any of the modes. In the present embodiment, the battery pack 90 is used as the power supply of the motor 9, but it may be a cleaner driven by an AC power supply supplied with an AC cord using an AC motor. Further, the types of the motor 9 and the fan 8 in the present embodiment are not particularly limited, and a brushless motor may be driven using a microcomputer and an inverter circuit.

On the front side of the fan 8, a fan guide 7 is provided to rectify the air flow flowing into the fan 8. The fan guide 7 is a wall surface having a through hole formed to suck air around the axis of the fan 8, and a secondary filter 55 is provided on the upstream side of the fan guide 7. The secondary filter 55 is held in the outer cylinder 21 by the filter holding member 56.

For example, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium ion battery can be used as the battery pack 90. When the voltage drops due to the use of the cleaner 1, the battery pack 90 is removed from the cleaner 1 Charge using a charger. The cyclone unit 20 provided on the front side of the main body housing 2 is mainly configured by the outer cylinder 21 and the inner cylinder unit 41 housed inside thereof. The outer cylinder 21 has a screw-in structure with respect to the main body housing 2 and is mounted so as to be rotated relative to the main body housing 2 and configured to be removable by rotating in the reverse direction.

The inner cylinder unit 41 forms a closing wall 49 that closes the opening of the outer cylinder 21 (opening close to the motor 9), and a cylindrical portion 42 extending in the axial direction from the opening of the closing wall 49 is formed. The cylindrical portion 42 is a pipe formed coaxially with the outer cylinder 21. One end side close to the motor 9 is open (exhaust port 50), and the end opposite to the motor 9 is closed by the dust guard 46 Shape. An air passage portion 44a through which air can flow from the radially outer side to the inner side is formed in the cylindrical portion of the inner cylinder unit 41, and a mesh-like primary filter 47 (described later) is provided. The cyclone unit 20 of the present embodiment is provided with a secondary filter 55 in addition to the primary filter 47, but either one or both may be omitted.

In order to provide the secondary filter 55, one end side (motor side) of the accommodation chamber 53a of the inner cylinder unit 41 is the opening 54, and the secondary filter 55 is accommodated inside in the axial direction from the opening 54 side. The secondary filter is obtained by bending non-woven fabrics made of several kinds of fibers having different thicknesses into a pleated shape together and can be manufactured using a known filter material commercially available. The end of the inner cylinder unit 41 on the motor 9 side is held in the inner cylinder unit 41 by the filter pressing member 56 (FIG. 1) in order to hold the secondary filter 55.

An opening 28 a serving as a suction port is formed on the side surface (cylindrical surface) of the outer cylinder 21. The opening 28 a forms an inlet to the turning chamber 22 formed by the outer cylinder 21 by facing the outlet of the pipe mounting portion 15. The pipe attachment portion 15 is a non-rotational member fixed to the main body housing 2 and is attached to the main body housing 2 while rotating the outer cylinder 21 around the axis A1, and the outlet side opening of the pipe attachment portion 15 15b faces the opening 28a. The pipe mounting portion 15 is a pipe having a predetermined length extending in the axial direction centering on the axis C1 (see FIG. 3) parallel to the axis A1, and is bent approximately 90 degrees in the vicinity of the outlet side opening 15b. The central axis B1 (see FIG. 3) of the side opening 15b is formed to coincide with the axis B1 of the opening 28a of the outer cylinder 21. An opening 15 b is formed on the other side of the outer cylinder 21, and a step portion 16 is formed so that the pipe 65 is inserted inside. By forming the step portion 16, the insertion position of the pipe 65 into the pipe attachment portion 15 is defined. The pipe 65 is a pipe formed by integral molding of a synthetic resin, and an opening 65a at one end (see FIG. 3) and an opening at the other end (not shown) are formed. A nozzle for suction is provided. As the nozzle, any known nozzle such as a floor nozzle, a skimmer nozzle, or a nozzle with a brush can be connected.

When the power switch (not shown) is turned on to rotate the motor, the fan 8 (see FIG. 2) rotates to generate an air flow AF as shown by a dotted line. The air flow AF flows from the pipe 65 to the pipe mounting portion 15, and flows from the pipe mounting portion 15 into the interior of the swing chamber 22 through the opening 28a. At this time, air is introduced in a tangential direction along the inner wall of the swirl chamber 22 to generate an air flow swirling around the cylindrical portion 42 in the swirl chamber 22. Dust having a higher specific gravity than air hits the wall surface of the outer cylinder 21 by the swirling air flow, moves toward the dust collection chamber 23 by centrifugal force, and finally accumulates in the dust collection chamber 23. The swirling of the intake air in the swirling chamber 22 occurs coaxially with the axis A1, but since the suctioned air continuously flows in from the opening 28a, it changes in the direction of the vertical component to the rotating surface while rotating It becomes movement and movement called spiral, tornado, or cyclone air flow. As a result, the centrifugal force due to the swirling flow acts not only radially outward but also in a direction parallel to the axis A1. On the other hand, of the air separated from dust, air on the inner circumferential side is sucked into the cylindrical portion 42 through the air passing portion 44 a and flows in the direction of the secondary filter 55 through the exhaust port 50. The air that has passed through the secondary filter 55 is sucked by the fan 8 and is discharged from the air holes 6 to the outside of the main housing 2 through the flow path on the outer peripheral side of the motor 9. Although the air flow AF indicated by the dotted line is illustrated as being exhausted by the exhaust cylinder after making a round in the cylindrical portion 42, a powerful swirling flow that causes a very large number of turns in practice Occurs.

FIG. 3 is a developed cross-sectional view of parts constituting the cyclone unit 20. As shown in FIG. The cyclone unit 20 is mainly configured by an outer cylinder 21 which is a cylindrical container having an opening 25 and a bottom surface 26 and an inner cylinder unit 41 housed inside the outer cylinder 21. The inner cylinder unit 41 closes the opening 25 of the outer cylinder 21 and forms an exhaust port 50 for air discharged in the axial direction. The inner cylinder unit 41 of the present embodiment also forms a storage chamber for the secondary filter 55. The secondary filter 55 is added to assist the function of the cyclone unit 20, and collects dust using a filtration filter.

The outer cylinder 21 forms a swirl chamber 22 inside the side close to the motor 9 when viewed in the direction of the axis A1, and forms a dust collection chamber 23 inside the side (opposite to the motor side) remote from the motor 9. An opening 25 is formed at an end (one end side) of the turning chamber 22 of the outer cylinder 21 on the motor 9 side, and a mounting rib 27 for mounting to the main housing 2 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the opening 25 Ru. The mounting ribs 27 are formed in a plurality of places (for example, three places) in the circumferential direction. When attaching the outer cylinder 21 to the main body housing 2 (see FIG. 1), press the outer cylinder 21 in the axial direction while aligning the mounting ribs 27 in the circumferential direction at the mounting opening of the main body housing 2 The outer cylinder 21 is engaged with the main housing 2 by fitting the mounting rib 27 and a recess (not shown) formed on the mounting base 14 by rotating the outer cylinder by a predetermined amount, for example, about 60 degrees in the circumferential direction. Fix it. Moreover, when removing the outer cylinder 21, it carries out in the reverse procedure of this. A packing or the like may be used in combination so that air does not leak from the junction of the outer cylinder 21 and the main housing 2 when mounted.

The inner shape is important for the shape of the outer cylinder 21, and in order to generate a swirling flow, the outer cylinder 21 has an inner wall surface having a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis A1. Since the shape of the outer wall surface is arbitrary, it is arbitrary to form design irregularities or patterns on the outer wall surface, ribs for improving strength, and the like. The conventional outer cylinder 21 has an axis by forming a smooth cylindrical inner wall surface in which the swirl chamber 22 and the dust collection chamber 23 have the same diameter, or is narrowed toward the dust collection chamber like a shell type. The change in the inner diameter of the inner wall surface from the swirl chamber 22 to the dust collection chamber 23 in the direction was smooth. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the swirl chamber 22 and the dust collection chamber 23 has a step-like shape that is distinctly different, and the shape of the transition region, i.e., the throttling portion 24 changes rapidly. Here, the swirl chamber 22 has a large diameter, the dust collection chamber 23 has a small diameter, and in the transition region of the dust collection chamber 23, the tangential direction of the inner wall surface is narrowed inward until it becomes substantially perpendicular to the axis A1. . The dust collection chamber 23 has a tubular shape having a substantially constant diameter in the direction of the axis A1. However, the diameter D3 of the non-motor side end of the narrowed portion 24 is formed so as to be slightly larger than the diameter D4 of the bottom surface 26 because of the molding process of the synthetic resin. The boundary between the swirling region (swirling chamber) of the air taken in in the axial direction and the region (dust collecting chamber) for collecting dust separated from the swirled air is the dust in the outer cylinder 21. It is not clear if you look at the movement situation. Therefore, in the present specification, the side farther from the motor than the lower end of the dust guard 46 in the direction of the axis A1, that is, the opposite motor side closer to the bottom surface 26 is defined as the dust collection chamber 23. The side close to the closing wall 49 is defined as the swirl chamber 22. Therefore, the generation of the swirling flow by the intake air occurs not only in the swirl chamber 22 but also in the dust collection chamber 23.

The inner cylinder unit 41 is disposed coaxially with the outer cylinder 21. The inner cylinder unit 41 functions as a lid unit for closing the opening 25 of the outer cylinder 21 and also functions as an exhaust unit for discharging the air in the outer cylinder 21. The inner cylinder unit 41 is attached to the inside of the outer cylinder 21 so that the inner cylinder unit 41 is fixed to the main housing 2 by the outer cylinder 21. The inner cylinder unit 41 has a closing wall 49 which is an annular wall for closing the opening 25 of the outer cylinder 21 and an opening on the inner peripheral side of the closing wall 49 coaxially with the axis A1. It is mainly comprised by the cylindrical cylindrical part 42 arrange | positioned. The cylindrical portion 42 serves as a guide member for generating a swirling flow around the cylindrical portion 42 and forms an outlet from the swirling chamber 22 of the air to be discharged. The outlet from the swirl chamber 22 is formed by a plurality of radially open slits formed in the second cylindrical portion 42 b of the cylindrical portion 42. The plurality of slits are formed by a plurality of radially extending frames 44. The end of the cylindrical portion 42 on the side away from the motor 9 serves as a closing surface so as not to suck air in the axial direction from the dust collection chamber 23. By this configuration, it is possible to exhaust only the inner part of the air swirling in the swirl chamber 22, that is, the air component having a low dust mixing rate. In the present embodiment, a dust guard 46 which is umbrella-shaped when viewed in cross section as shown in FIG. The dust guard 46 is disposed so that the opening thereof faces the dust collection chamber 23 and is fixed to the cylindrical portion 42. Here, the dust guard 46 portion is also integrally molded with the cylindrical portion 42 by integral molding of synthetic resin.

The shape of the motor side (one end side) of the inner cylinder unit 41 can be arbitrarily configured according to the device to which the cyclone unit 20 is applied by the closing wall 49. Here, a storage chamber 53 a for storing the secondary filter 55 is formed in the relationship applied to the handy type cleaner 1. Further, on the outer peripheral side of the closing wall 49, a first mounting portion 51 which is a cylindrical surface to be fitted to the opening 25 of the outer cylinder 21 is formed. Further, on the motor side portion adjacent to the first mounting portion 51, a second mounting portion 52 which is a cylindrical surface having a diameter slightly larger than that of the first mounting portion 51 is formed. The second mounting portion 52 is a surface on which a mounting holding holding cylindrical surface 17 (see FIG. 1) formed integrally with the main body housing 2 abuts. The first attachment portion 51, the second attachment portion 52, and the cylindrical wall 53 are connected in a step-like manner, and the secondary filter 55 is held by using the inner attachment portion of the second attachment portion 52 and the cylindrical wall 53. Here, the detailed shape of the secondary filter 55 is not shown but is simply indicated by hatching, but in practice, the filter material is accommodated in a cup-shaped container having an air passage hole formed on the bottom surface. The opening is fixed by a mesh or slit lid. In the vicinity of the motor side end of the secondary filter 55, the outer edge position of the lid is illustrated as a flange 55a.

The pipe attachment portion 15 is provided by arranging a cylindrical pipe in a direction parallel to the axis A1 as a flow path of air to be sucked, and connecting the pipe by bending the pipe in the inside direction of the outer cylinder 21. One end of the pipe attachment portion 15 is the inlet side opening 15a, and the other end side opening is the outlet side opening 15b. The inlet side opening 15a is disposed so that the surface thereof is orthogonal to the air flow direction, and a curved wall portion 15c is formed in which the inner portion of the pipe mounting portion is bent in an arc shape, and flows along the axis C1 of the pipe 65 The direction of the incoming air flow is bent and directed perpendicular to the axis A1. Since the pipe 65 is inserted on the inner peripheral side of the inlet side opening 15 a side of the pipe mounting portion 15, the pipe mounting portion 15 is formed with the step portion 16 for limiting the insertion position. In addition, although the pipe attachment part 15 and the pipe 65 of a present Example were made into the simple insertion type, you may make it fix using a screw for fixation, or using some fitting means.

Next, details of the inner cylinder unit 41 will be further described using FIG. The cylindrical portion of the inner cylinder unit 41 is formed of a first cylindrical portion 42a whose outer peripheral portion is closed and a frame 44 parallel to the axis A1, and is formed so that air can move radially inward and outward. It is formed by the cylindrical portion 42b. Here, six frames 44 (shown in detail) extending in parallel with the axis A1 are formed, and portions other than the columnar frame 44 are opened to allow air to flow from the radially outer side to the inner side. A mesh-like filter 47 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the frame 44 to restrict dust from passing through the opening. It is preferable that the inner cylinder unit 41 be removed as a net made of synthetic resin as the filter 47 to be used so that it can be washed with water or the like. Further, in order to prevent the mesh from being clogged after many years of use, it is preferable that the dust be easily detached from the filter 47 when the motor is stopped, as a surface shape that prevents the dust from adhering to the mesh. A dust guard 46 is provided on the opposite motor side (other end side) of the filter 47.

The dust guard 46 is formed of a conical portion 46a having a shape in which the side opposite to the dust collection chamber is convex, and a cylindrical portion 46b connected to the outer edge of the conical portion 46a. By forming the outer diameter to be large so as to protrude outward, an inclined surface 46d is formed so as to extend radially outward of the cylindrical portion 42 and to the side opposite to the motor. Dust attached to the mesh filter 47 during rotation of the motor 9, particularly dust which can not pass through the filter 47, falls from the surface of the filter 47 by gravity when the motor 9 is stopped and the flow of wind by the fan 8 is stopped. The dust falls on the slope 46 d of the dust guard 46 and falls into the dust collection chamber 23. Thus, the inclined surface of the conical portion 46 a is formed so as to project radially outward relative to the cylindrical portion 42, so that dust that can not pass through the filter 47 can be moved in the direction of the dust collection chamber 23. . Further, since not only the conical portion 46a but also the cylindrical portion 46b is formed, the flow path from the outer peripheral surface of the swirl chamber 22 into the dust collection chamber 23 can be narrowed. The effect of narrowing the flow path is to improve the separation effect of dust in the swirl chamber 22 and to suppress that the dust separated and collected in the dust collection chamber 23 is returned to the swirl chamber 22 again. It is.

The outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 42a is additionally formed with a projecting portion 48 whose surface protrudes radially outward substantially in half in the circumferential direction. The protrusion 48 is formed of the same material as the first cylindrical portion 42 a. The range (protrusion range 43) in the direction of the axis A1 in which the protrusion 48 is provided is from the boundary with the closing wall 49 to near the end of the first cylindrical portion 42a (the boundary with the second cylindrical portion 42b). The cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis A1 of the protrusion 48 is the same in the cross section at any position within the protrusion range 43, and the specific protrusion shape will be described later with reference to FIGS.

The rib 45 is a reinforcing material formed on the inner wall surface side of the six elongated frames 44 extending in the axial direction, and the orthogonal cross-sectional shape of the frame 44 and the axis A1 of the rib 45 portion is substantially T-shaped. The length of the rib 45 is formed to be longer in the axial direction than the frame 44, and the end on the motor side reaches the inner wall surface position of the first cylindrical portion 42a. On the other hand, the end on the side opposite to the motor 45 of the rib 45 is connected to the dust guard 46 to increase the connection strength between the dust guard 46 and the cylindrical portion 42. On a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 53,

ribs

53b, 53c, 52a are formed as an engaging portion when the inner cylinder unit 41 is attached to the main housing 2 (see FIG. 2). When the

ribs

53b, 53c, 52a rotate the inner cylinder unit 41 by a predetermined amount in the circumferential direction, the

ribs

53b, 53c, 52a are fitted with mounting recesses (not shown) formed on the main body housing side and do not come off in the axial direction Will be held by

As described above, the inner cylinder unit 41 forming the exhaust cylinder has the first cylindrical portion 42a connected to the closing wall 49 and the second cylindrical portion 42b connected to the dust guard 46, and the second cylindrical portion Since the air passage (exhaust opening) is formed by the exhaust cylinder formed by 42b, the pipe and the front end of the cyclone unit (the end on the opposite motor side) are directed upward against the direction of gravity ( Even in the case where the dust falls from the dust collection chamber 23 to the vicinity of the cylindrical portion 42 in the turning chamber 22 in the inverted posture), the filter 47 is disposed at a high position with respect to the bottom (closing wall 49) in the inverted posture. Ru. Therefore, even when the cleaner 1 is activated in the inverted posture, dust does not easily adhere to the filter 47 provided in the second cylindrical portion 42b, and clogging can be suppressed.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the cyclone unit 20 of FIG. 3 is assembled. When the fan 8 is rotated by operating the switch (not shown) of the cleaner 1 and activating the motor 9, a suction force is generated in the outer cylinder 21, whereby air containing dust etc. is sucked from the suction nozzle. The air flow AF sucked into the inside of the pipe 65 flows from the pipe 65 into the pipe mounting portion 15, and the direction of flow at the pipe mounting portion 15 is bent approximately 90 degrees to form a suction port from the suction pipe 28. It flows into the interior of the swing chamber 22 in the direction of the arrow AF1. The inflow direction of the air flow AF1 to the outer cylinder 21 is a tangential direction of the cylindrical wall surface of the outer cylinder 21, and the inflowed air swirls along the wall surface inside the outer cylinder 21 (however, FIG. 5). (The direction of the swirling flow is not shown). Here, the position where the projecting portion 48 is provided is formed at a position overlapping with the inflowing air flow AF1 in the axial direction, and in this case, one axial end side of the projecting portion 48 is disposed in contact with the closing wall 49. Further, the projecting range 43 (see FIG. 4) in which the projecting portion 48 is formed as viewed in the direction of the axis A1 is arranged so as to partially overlap the length occupied by the opening 15b of the pipe mounting portion 15. By providing the projection 48 near the closing wall 49 in this manner, the projection 48 can be formed on one end side of the cyclone air flow.

The swirled air flows so as to swirl around the cylindrical portion 42, and the air located inside is sucked from the second cylindrical portion 42b through the filter 47 as shown by the arrow AF3, and is directed to the axis A1 direction motor side Flow like arrow AF4. The air that has passed through the exhaust port 50, as indicated by the arrow AF4, has most of the dust removed, but contains slight dust. Fine dust is completely removed by flowing through the secondary filter 55 in the direction of the axis A1. The air AF 5 which has passed through the secondary filter 55 is drawn by the fan 8 and flows around the motor 9 as shown in FIG. 2 and is discharged from the air holes 6 to the outside of the main housing 2.

The dust separated by the strong swirling in the outer cylinder 21 moves along the wall surface of the outer cylinder 21 into the inside of the dust collection chamber 23 by the swirling flow flowing as indicated by a dotted line AC. At the time of work using the cleaner 1, the operator holds the grip 3 (see FIG. 1) with one hand and moves the nozzle (not shown) along the floor surface, so the bottom surface 26 of the outer cylinder 21 is downward. The secondary filter 55 is often on the upper side. Therefore, in the dust collection chamber 23, heavy dust is easily moved from the swirl chamber 22 to the dust collection chamber 23 and accumulated on the bottom surface 26 by the movement of the swirl flow AC and the gravity. However, among the accumulated dust, particularly light dust does not accumulate on the bottom surface, rides on the swirling flow AC and flows again along the dust guard 46 side. At that time, part of the air flows in the direction of the arrow AC1, and the other swirls inside the dust guard 46 as indicated by the arrow AC2. Since the flow of the arrow AC2 only swirls in the dust collection chamber 23, there is no adverse effect. However, since the air flowing in the direction of the arrow AC1 returns to the inside of the swirl chamber 22, there is a possibility that the dust component may be sucked from the second cylindrical portion 42b through the filter 47 as indicated by the arrow AF3. In the present embodiment, in order to reduce the dust component contained in the swirling flow AC1, the distance between the lower end of the dust guard 46 and the throttling portion 24 in the radial direction is narrowed. The amount of can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, the axial direction distance between the lower end of the dust guard 46 and the throttling portion 24 is also narrow. Here, a radial distance (first distance) C1 between a lower end of the outer edge of the cylindrical portion 46b of the dust guard 46 and the outer cylinder 21 is formed substantially the same as an axial distance (first distance) C2.

The shape of the dust guard 46 is formed by a conical portion 46 a of an axial length t 3 (inner volume portion) and a cylindrical portion 46 b of an axial length t 4. Therefore, the portion of the inner space 46 e formed by the dust guard 46 is substantially added to the volume of the dust collecting chamber 23. In addition, the apex 46c of the conical portion 46a is located inside the second cylindrical portion 42b when viewed in the direction of the axis A1. This is because the vicinity of the apex indicated by the arrow 46c is a portion that does not significantly affect the flow of air from the air flow AF3 to AF4 even if it protrudes inside the second cylindrical portion 42b. The internal angle θ of the conical portion 46a of the dust guard 46 is 124 degrees here, but if it is set in the range of about 90 to 150 degrees, it is efficient in rectifying the air flow of AC2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 5, which is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the axis A1 and the axis C1. The dust-mixed air guided by the pipe mounting portion 15 passes through the opening 28a serving as the suction port of the cyclone unit 20 in the direction of the arrow AF1 and is sucked into the swing chamber 22. The cross section of the inner wall surface parallel to the axis C1 of the pipe mounting portion 15 is a flat wall portion 15d on one side, and a curved wall portion 15c is a portion adjacent thereto. The curved wall portion 15c is formed to bend the suctioned air by 90 degrees as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the plane wall 15d is formed to create an airflow in the tangential direction toward the inside of the swirl chamber 22, and is formed to be continuous with the plane wall 22b of the outer cylinder 21. Ru. The air flow AF1 flows in the tangential direction of the inner space of the swirl chamber 22 along the

plane wall portions

15d and 22b, and flows along the circular inner wall surface 22a of the swirl chamber 22 in cross section. Further, since the first cylindrical portion 42a of the cylindrical portion 42 is positioned on the inner peripheral side of the inner wall surface 22a, a specific direction (when the axis A1 is viewed in the direction of FIG. 6) along the outer wall surface of the first cylindrical portion 42a Turn counterclockwise) and flow like arrow AF2. The air that has flowed in this way becomes a rotational flow, but since the air is continuously drawn from the opening 28a, the swirling flow moves not only in the circumferential direction but also in the axial direction (the opposite motor side of the axis A1) So, it becomes tornado flow. The air moved in the circumferential direction and the axial direction in the tornado shape is sucked from the inner peripheral side in the second cylindrical portion 42b (see FIG. 5) positioned on the opposite motor side than the first cylindrical portion 42a, and the outer cylinder It is discharged to the outside of 21.

Here, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, when the joint portion (opening portion 28a) side with the pipe attachment portion 15 is defined as the suction port side viewed from the axis A1, and the opposite side is defined as the anti suction port side. The wall thickness of the first cylindrical portion 42a is configured such that the suction port side, which is the upstream side in the swirling inflow direction, and the opposite suction port side, which is the downstream side in the swirling inflow direction, are different. Here, although the thickness t1 on the side opposite to the suction port is constant, the protrusion 48 is formed such that the wall thickness on the suction port side is larger than the thickness t1, and the maximum wall thickness is t2. As a result, the outer peripheral shape of the first cylindrical portion 42a and the projection 48 in the plane perpendicular to the axis A1 is elliptical on the suction port side and circular on the non-suction port side.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the inner cylinder unit 41 of FIG. 3, showing the shapes of the cylindrical portion 42 and the dust guard 46 portion. Here, the illustration of the cylindrical wall 53 (see FIG. 5) of the inner cylinder unit 41 is omitted. The extending cylindrical portion 42 is a cylindrical portion (first cylindrical portion 42a) in which a through hole is not formed in the radial direction about 1/3 of the motor side (the upper side when viewed in FIG. 3), and the motor side (see FIG. 3) And the lower side) is a second cylindrical portion 42b having an air passing portion 44a formed by six frames 44 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The second cylindrical portion 42b is an opening for large air penetration in the radial direction, and a mesh filter 47 (see FIG. 3) is pasted so as to cover the entire outer peripheral side of the frame 44. 47 is not shown. The filter 47 (not shown) serves as a primary filter, and can prevent dust larger than the mesh from moving to the inside of the inner cylinder unit 41. A radially inward extending rib 45 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the portion where the six frames 44 are formed. The ribs 45 are reinforcing members disposed corresponding to the respective frames 44, and are disposed such that the longitudinal direction extends in parallel with the longitudinal direction (the direction of the axis A1) of the frames 44. Although it is not necessary to provide the rib 45 if the strength is sufficient, the rib 45 is provided here and the circumferential width of the frame 44 is formed as thin as possible to secure a large effective passing area of the filter 47. A dust guard 46 for closing the front end of the cylindrical portion 42 is formed on the opposite motor side (the lower side when viewed in FIG. 3) of the cylindrical portion (second cylindrical portion 42b) in which the frame 44 is disposed. The dust guard 46 is an umbrella-like member in which the conical portion 46 a and the cylindrical portion 46 b are combined as described in FIG. 4. Incidentally, in the portion shown by the internal space 46e in FIG. 7, the upper wall can be seen as a flat surface orthogonal to the axis A1 in FIG. 3, but its shape is convex as shown in the cross section of FIG. Is formed.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the flow of intake air in the cyclone unit 20. As shown in FIG. A suction pipe 28 is formed at the motor-side end of the outer cylinder 21 of the cyclone unit 20. The opening 28a serving as the suction port of the suction tube 28 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the opening surface is disposed orthogonal to the suction direction (the tangential direction of the outer cylinder 21). A dotted line indicates a rough flow of the intake air flow AF, and the intake air is swirled in the swirl chamber 22 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, and dust having a heavier specific gravity than air is swirled. Only air that is separated radially outward by centrifugal force and contains almost no dust on the inner circumferential side is sucked via the second cylindrical portion 42b (air flow AF3 in FIG. 5), and air is axially discharged from the exhaust port 50. Exhaust flow AF4. In FIG. 8, the air flow AF is an arrow for two turns, but in actuality, a large number of turns occur continuously.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the detailed shape of the throttle portion 24 of the outer cylinder 21. As shown in FIG. The dust guard 46 is fixed to the other end side of the frame (second cylindrical portion 42 b) by the plurality of frames 44. The narrowed portion 24 of the outer cylinder 21 has an outline of the rotation radius R1 about the lower end outer edge position 46f of the umbrella-like dust guard 46 when viewed in an arbitrary vertical cross section passing through the axis A1 as shown in FIGS. It is formed by an arc-shaped inner wall surface having. Thus, after providing the first bent portion for narrowing the outer cylinder 21 inward at the curvature radius R1, a second bent in the opposite direction to the first bent portion on the opposite motor side of the first bent portion The bent portion of the That is, in the present embodiment, the squeezed portion of the outer cylinder 21 is refolded to the outside so as to be returned. In the definition in the present specification, for convenience, the lower end position of the narrowed portion 24 of the outer cylinder 21 is the angular position of the second bent portion or the central position of the arc-shaped curved portion of the rotation radius R2. In the present embodiment, as the second bent portion, a bent shape or a step shape that is substantially at right angles as the left circle 1 in the enlarged view of the cross-sectional shape is used. At this time, the outline connecting the vertex positions of the bent portion in the circumferential direction has the same diameter as the outline connecting the lower end outer edge position 46f in the circumferential direction, and is the same position as projecting toward the axis A1. If formed in this manner, the distance from the maximum outer edge position 46f of the dust guard 46 in the narrowed portion 24 to the outer cylinder 21 becomes constant from the axial direction to the radial direction, so dust collection from the turning chamber 22 using the narrowed portion 24 The flow path restriction to the chamber 23 can be efficiently performed under certain conditions. Further, since the cross-sectional shape at the lower end position of the throttling portion 24 is bent substantially at right angles, the dust flowing into the dust collection chamber 23 is guided radially inward while being circumferentially swirled along the wall surface of the swirl chamber 22 It is possible to efficiently prevent the dust captured in the dust collection chamber 23 from returning to the swirl chamber 22 again.

The cross-sectional shape shown on the lower side of FIG. 9 is not limited to the shape of the circle 1 on the left side, but may be a bent portion having a minute radius of curvature R2 as the circle 2 on the right. In the present embodiment, the term "flexion" not only means bending with a clear angle, but also includes a shape that gently bends in an arc shape, and a shape that does not form a straight line when viewed in cross section. Shall be broadly pointed out. Although the substantial effect of the second bent portion is the same as that of the round 1, by forming the curvature radius R2, it is possible to suppress the turbulence (turbulence) of the air flow AF generated in the vicinity thereof. The radius of curvature R2 is formed such that the direction to the center position is opposite to the radius of curvature R1. That is, while the radius of curvature R2 has a central position on the inner side from the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder 21, the radius of curvature R2 has a central position on the outer surface from the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder 21. By forming in this way, it was possible to form a second bend that bends in the opposite direction to the first bend.

As described above, if the vicinity of the upper end of the dust collection chamber 23 is formed as the squeezed portion 24, the dust moves smoothly from the swirl chamber 22 to the dust collection chamber 23 while the dust that has entered the dust collection chamber 23 again The phenomenon of returning to the swing chamber 22 can be prevented. In addition, since the dust guard 46 is a pentagon having a height t5 from the opening surface 46g in a cross sectional view, the volume of the inner portion is substantially added to the volume of the dust collection chamber 23, so the size is limited. The substantial volume of the dust collection chamber 23 can be increased in the outer cylinder 21 of the frame.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the peeling phenomenon which occurs in the inner cylinder unit 41, and is a cross-sectional view of a portion CC of FIG. FIG. 10 (1) is a view showing the cross-sectional shape of the inner cylinder unit 41 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 (2) is a virtual conventional example in the case of manufacturing the inner cylinder unit when manufactured using the prior art. is there. The inventor observed the state of the air flow AF in the dust collection chamber 23 when manufacturing the cyclone unit 60. First, it experimented with inner cylinder unit 41 'using the prior art like FIG. 10 (2). This structure is obtained by omitting the formation of the projecting portion 48 from the inner cylinder unit 41 of the present embodiment. Therefore, the shape of the first cylindrical portion 42a 'is circular in the vertical cross section through the axis A1. The shapes of the other parts except for the point that the protrusion 48 is not formed are the same as the cross-sectional shape described in FIG. In FIG. 10 (2), when the motor 9 is activated to form a swirling flow in the outer cylinder 21, the flowing directions of the swirling flow are as shown by the air flows AF1 and AF2 in FIG. At this time, a region 58 indicated by dotted hatching is a high-speed flow region in which air flows at high speed along the outer wall of the first cylindrical portion 42a '. The high-speed flow area is formed on the side opposite to the suction port in the periphery of the first cylindrical portion 42a ', and in this case, the swirl angle of the inflowing air flow AF1 reaches approximately 0 to 180 degrees. Further, the high-speed flow area 58 is formed not in the radially outer side but in a portion close to the radially inner inner cylinder unit 41 ′. This is because the path length is shorter on the inner circumferential side, and the path length is longer in the portion near the wall surface of the outer cylinder 21 on the outer circumferential side.

As shown in FIG. 10 (2), when the high-speed flow area 58 is formed on the side opposite to the suction port in the periphery of the inner cylinder unit 41, the area on the inner peripheral side (the area on the suction port side) on the opposite side Air flow separation phenomenon was confirmed. In the figure, the hatching 59 indicates the area where the peeling phenomenon has occurred. Here, the “peeling area” is a phenomenon in which the inner peripheral portion of the air flow AF2 (refer to FIG. 6) that flows swirling flows on the outer peripheral side away from the outer edge position of the first cylindrical portion 42a ′. The portion 59 is an area where air does not flow. Therefore, the air flow AF2 is present only in the portion outside the outer edge position of the hatching 59, and as a result, the swirling flow velocity is reduced. Here, the phenomenon that the air flow AF2 (refer to FIG. 6) that swirls and flows starts to separate from the inner wall surface (the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 42a ') from around the arrow 58a It becomes larger near the near arrow 58b, and the peeling amount becomes maximum near the arrow 58c near the turning angle of 270 degrees. When the air flow AF2 further flows past the maximum position, the separation amount gradually decreases to the vicinity of the arrow 58d near the turning angle 315 degrees, and near the turning angle 360 degrees (the next air flow AF turning angle 0 degree position) As shown by arrow 58e, the amount of peeling disappears. According to experiments by the inventor, since the separation region 59 has no swirling flow velocity, the centrifugal separation effect of dust does not occur and the decomposition performance is reduced. In addition, the presence of the separation region 59 is not preferable because it hinders the smooth flow of air in the swirl chamber 22. Therefore, in order to avoid the obstruction of the air flow, in the present invention, the inner wall surface is formed so as to protrude radially outward so as to close the separation region with the wall surface as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 10 (1), a wall surface (protrusion part 48) which protrudes radially outward on the side opposite to the suction port is formed around the inner cylinder unit 41. The shape of the projecting portion 48 corresponds to the shape of the peeling region 59 of FIG. That is, here, the thickness of the inner wall surface starts to increase from the vicinity of the arrow 48a of the turning angle 180 degrees of the air flow AF2 (refer to FIG. 6) which flows swirling and becomes larger near the arrow 48b near the turning angle 225 degrees, The amount of outward projection in the radial direction is maximized near the arrow 48c near the turning angle of 270 degrees. The amount of protrusion gradually decreases to the vicinity of the arrow 48d near the turning angle 315 degrees when the maximum protruding position is seen in the vertical cross section with the axis line A1, and the turning angle near 360 degrees (the next air flow AF turning angle 0 At the position), the protrusion amount becomes zero as shown by the arrow 48e. Thus, the projecting portion 48 is formed on the side closer to the opening 28a (the suction port side) which is the suction port than the virtual line E1 passing through the axis A1 and orthogonal to the inflow direction of the air flow. The outer edge contour of the projecting portion 48 formed on the suction port side seen in a cross section perpendicular to the axis A1 is elliptical, and the outer rim contour of the first cylindrical portion 42a on the non-suction port side is perfect circular. In addition, as described above with reference to FIG. 7, the projecting portion 48 additionally formed on the first cylindrical portion 42a is simultaneously formed by integral molding of a synthetic resin. As described above, in the present embodiment, by eliminating the peeling area present in 59, it is possible to prevent the lowering of the swirling flow velocity and to prevent the deterioration of the dust separation performance.

Next, a cyclone unit 60 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the shape of the outer cylinder 61, in particular, the shape of the narrowed portion 64 is different from that of the outer cylinder 21 of the first embodiment, and parts other than the outer cylinder 61 are shown in the first embodiment. Since the same parts as the cyclone unit 20 are used, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. The outer cylinder 61 is connected to the swing chamber 62 for generating a swirling flow around the cylindrical portion 42 of the inner cylinder unit 41 and to the opposite motor side of the swing chamber 62, and is a dust collection chamber for storing separated dust. 63 are formed. The outer diameter and shape of the swirl chamber 62 may be the same as the outer cylinder 21 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, it does not have a clear step (the shape of the inner wall surface of the step portion 32 in FIG. 3) when looking at the inner wall surface of the throttle portion 64, but narrows gently from the inner diameter of the turning chamber 62. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the throttling portion 64 when viewed in a cross section passing through the axis A1 is formed so as to include two curved surfaces having the curvature radii R1 and R2. The shape of the squeezed portion 64 on the side close to the swing chamber 62 has an inner wall surface 64a having a radius of curvature R1 around the outer edge position 46f of the open end of the dust guard 46. The opposite motor side of the inner wall surface 64a is fixed by the inner wall surface 64b having a radius of curvature R2 opposite to the radius of curvature R1 so as to expand the wall surface narrowed inwardly by the inner wall surface 64a. It connected to the part (fixed diameter part) which has an internal diameter. In the constant diameter portion of the dust collection chamber 63, the inner diameter is equal to or less than the inner diameter of the dust collection chamber inlet (or the inner diameter D7 of the dust guard 46) over the entire axial direction A1. In the present embodiment, the boundary position viewed in the axial direction of the throttling portion 64 and the swirl chamber 62 is the inner wall surface of the dust collection chamber 63 when a parallel line with the axis A1 is drawn from the outer edge position 46f of the open end of the dust guard 46. And the lower end position of the diaphragm unit 64. The shape-changed portion of the outer cylinder 61 does not have to stay in the narrowed portion 64, and may have a curved shape extending to the end portion of the swirl chamber 62 beyond the narrowed portion 64. The radial interval C1 of the boundary portion from the swirl chamber 62 to the dust collection chamber 63 may be the same as the interval C1 shown in FIG. In addition, the axial length C2 from the outer edge position 46f of the open end of the dust guard 46 to the inner wall surface of the dust collection chamber 63 is larger than the distance C1 here, that is, the distance C1 is 1 of the distance C2. It was about .6 times. As a result of experiments by the inventor, it has been found that a good effect can be obtained if the axial length C2 is about 0.5 to 2.0 times the interval C1.

Also in FIG. 11, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, since the high-speed swirling air flow formed in the swirl chamber 62 does not easily enter the dust collection chamber 63, it is possible to suppress the dust collected in the dust collection chamber 63 from flowing back and flowing back to the swirl chamber 62. The dust collected at one end can be effectively suppressed from reaching the second cylindrical portion 42b serving as the exhaust cylinder. Therefore, since the dust once collected is likely to stay in the dust collection chamber 63, clogging of the primary filter 47 can be suppressed, and the dust collection performance can also be enhanced.

Next, a cyclone unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The third embodiment differs from the outer cylinder 61 of the second embodiment only in the shape of the outer cylinder 81, particularly in the shape of the vicinity of the throttle portion 84, and parts other than the outer cylinder 81 are shown in the first embodiment. The same parts as the cyclone unit 20 are used. Here, the first bent portion 84a of the radius of curvature R1 is formed so as to narrow the inner diameter in the narrowed portion 84, and the curvature is brought into contact with the front of the narrowed portion 84 (the opposite motor side than the first bent portion). A second bent portion 84b bent in a direction opposite to the first bent portion at a radius R2 was formed. At this time, the radial distance C1 of the boundary portion from the swirl chamber 82 to the dust collection chamber 83 and the axial length C2 from the outer edge position 46f of the open end of the dust guard 46 to the inner wall surface of the dust collection chamber 83 are , And may be the same as the intervals shown in FIG.

Here, the bent portion 84 b is extended to the squeeze return portion 85 largely beyond the throttling portion 84. In the squeeze return portion 85, a third bend portion 85a bent in the direction opposite to the second bend portion is further provided, and the inner wall shape of the dust collection chamber 83 on the bottom surface 87 side of the squeeze return portion 85 is cylindrical. To be close to By providing the throttling portion 84 and the throttling return portion 85 in this manner, the distance between the dust guard 46 and the dust collection chamber 83 can be narrowed in the radial direction and the axial direction, so the first embodiment and the second embodiment The same effect as the example can be obtained. The purpose of providing the throttling portion 84 and the throttling return portion 85 is to narrow the distance between the dust guard 46 and the dust collection chamber 83 in the radial and axial directions. Therefore, instead of forming the first and second bent portions as shown in FIG. 12 in the wall surface shape of the outer cylinder 81, a ring-shaped separate member is disposed inside the cylindrical outer cylinder, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to form a projection projecting radially inward in a cross-sectional view such as 12. By forming the convex portion in a part of the outer cylinder 81 in this manner, it is possible to suppress a phenomenon in which dust staying near the bottom surface 87 of the dust collection chamber 83 returns to the inside of the dust collection chamber 83. The ring-shaped separate member may be made of synthetic resin, rubber or the like, and may be bonded to the inside of the outer cylinder.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on three Examples, this invention is not limited only to the above-mentioned Example, A various change is possible within the range which does not deviate from the meaning. For example, narrow the radial and axial distance of the path from the swirl chamber side to the dust collection chamber side by separating the narrow end of the dust guard 46 from the lower end outer edge of the dust guard 46, for example. If it can do, it may be an arbitrary aperture shape. In the above embodiment, the outer cylinder is integrally formed and the swirl chamber and the dust collection chamber are manufactured in the same casing, but they are formed in a separate shape so that the swirl chamber portion and the dust collection chamber portion can be separated. It is good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... cleaner, 2 ... main body housing, 2a ... motor accommodation part, 2b ... filter accommodation room, 3 ... grasping part, 6 ... air hole, 7 ... fan guide, 8 ... fan, 9 ... motor, 14 ... mounting base, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Pipe attachment part, 15a ... entrance side opening, 15b ... Exit side opening, 15c ... Curved wall part, 15d ... Plane wall part, 16 ... Step difference part, 17 ... Holding cylindrical surface, 20 ... Cyclone unit, 21 ... Outer cylinder , 22: turning chamber, 22a: inner wall surface, 22b: flat wall portion, 23: dust collecting chamber, 24: throttling portion, 25: opening portion, 26: bottom surface, 27: mounting rib, 28: suction pipe, 28a ... Opening portion 32 Stepped portion 41 Inner cylinder unit 42 Cylindrical portion 42a First cylindrical portion 42b Second cylindrical portion 43 Projection range 44 Frame 44a Air passing portion 45 Ribs, 46, dust guards, 46a, cones, 46b, cylinders 46c: apex 46d: slope 46e: internal space 46f: outer edge position 46g: opening face 47: primary filter 48: projection 49: closing wall 50: exhaust port 51: first Mounting part, 51a: convex part, 52: second mounting part, 52a: rib, 53: cylindrical wall, 53a: accommodation chamber, 53b, 53c: rib, 54: opening, 55: (secondary) filter, 55a: Flange part 56 filter holding member 58 high speed flow area 59 separation area 60 cyclone unit (virtual conventional example) 61 outer cylinder 62 rotation chamber 63 dust collection chamber 64 throttle section , 64a: inner wall surface (first bent portion), 64b: inner wall surface (second bent portion), 65: pipe, 65a: opening, 81: outer cylinder, 82: swirl chamber, 83: dust collection chamber, 84 ... throttling part, 85 ... throttling return part, 87 ... bottom face, 90 ... battery pack Click, 91 ... latch button, AF ... air flow (air flow), A1 ... axial (longitudinal direction of the cyclone unit), (anti-suction port side) t1 ... wall thickness, (suction port side) t2 ... wall thickness

Claims

A cylindrical container-like outer cylinder having a suction port extending in the axial direction and suctioning in the tangential direction the external air containing dust, and coaxially disposed in the outer cylinder and connected to the axial one end inside the outer cylinder A cyclone unit having an inner cylinder unit for discharging air to the outside, and swirling outside air in the outer cylinder so as to separate air and dust using centrifugal force,
The cyclone unit is characterized in that the inner cylinder unit has an axially extending cylindrical portion, and the cylindrical portion has a protruding portion in which a partial region in the circumferential direction is expanded radially outward.
The cylindrical portion includes a first cylindrical portion having a wall portion connected and continuous with the one end of the outer cylinder, and a second cylindrical portion axially aligned with the first cylindrical portion and radially communicating the inside and the outside Have
The cyclone unit according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on the first cylindrical portion.
The cyclone unit according to claim 2, wherein the projecting portion is disposed at a position overlapping the suction port in the first cylindrical portion in the axial direction.
The cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction passing through the projecting portion is characterized in that a part of the outer edge in the circumferential direction is a perfect circle, and the remaining contour is formed in an elliptical shape. Cyclone unit.
The projection according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a distance from the axial center to the outer edge position on the suction port side is longer than a distance from the axial center to the outer edge position on the opposite suction port side. Cyclone unit as described in.
The cyclone unit according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the shapes of the upstream side and the downstream side of the turning direction of the first cylindrical portion in which the projecting portion is formed are asymmetrical.
The projection according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the projection is disposed continuously with the one end, and an axial length of the projection is shorter than an axial length of the suction port. Cyclone unit described.
The cyclone unit according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the projecting portion is formed on a part or the entire area of the first cylindrical portion in the axial direction.
The maximum projection point of the projection which is most projected in the radial direction when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction is located on the upstream side where air from the suction port flows in, as viewed from the axis. The cyclone unit according to any one of to 8.
The second cylindrical portion is formed of a plurality of frames extending in the axial direction, and an opening portion between the frames is an air passing portion which enables air to be communicated in the radial direction,
The cyclone unit according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the air passage portion is provided with a filter for filtering air.
A dust guard is provided at an end of the second cylindrical portion of the inner cylinder unit on the side away from the first cylindrical portion, and a dust guard is provided that is axially closed and protrudes radially outward from an outer edge position. The cyclone unit according to any one of Items 2 to 10.
It has a cyclone unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, a fan for sucking air from the exhaust port of the cyclone unit, a motor for rotating the fan, and a connecting pipe connected to the suction port. Cleaner that is characterized by.
The cleaner according to claim 12, wherein a secondary filter for filtering air is provided at a portion from the exhaust port to the fan.
A cylindrical container-like outer cylinder extending in the axial direction and attracting external air containing dust in the tangential direction, and coaxially disposed inside the outer cylinder and connected to the one end in the axial direction, the air in the outer cylinder to the outside A cyclone unit having an inner cylinder unit for discharging, wherein outside air is swirled between the inner cylinder unit and the outer cylinder to separate air and dust using centrifugal force,
The inner cylinder unit is formed with an air passage portion communicating the inside and the outside in the radial direction, and protrudes radially outward so as to be adjacent to the other end side opposite to the one end in the axial direction with respect to the air passage portion Provide a dust guard with a wall,
The inside of the outer cylinder has a swirl chamber in which the inner cylinder unit is positioned, and a dust collection chamber located on the other end side of the swirl chamber and storing dust separated therefrom.
The inner diameter of the lower end of the narrowed portion is made equal to or less than the maximum diameter of the dust guard by providing a narrowed portion in which the inner diameter is narrowed so as to have the curvature radius R1 at the connection portion of the dust collection chamber with the swirl chamber. Cyclone unit characterized by