Electric vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide an electric vacuum cleaner capable of discarding a dust collecting pack without soiling hands.SOLUTION: Provided is an electric vacuum cleaner comprising a suction part for sucking air including dust from a suction port, and a dust collecting part inside which a dust collecting pack having a mounting plate can be set. The dust collecting part having a cylindrical shape has a lid body that can be opened / closed on one end side in a center axis direction, and a lock part. The lock part has: a first locking part for disengageably engaging with and locking the closed lid body; a second locking part for disengageably engaging with the mounting plate of the dust collecting pack; an interlock mechanism for interlocking the first locking part and the second locking part; and an operation part for operation of the interlock mechanism to be operated; and the interlock mechanism interlocks a first operation for detaching the first locking part from the lid body and a second operation for detaching the second locking part from the mounting plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] As conventional vacuum cleaners, Patent Document 1 discloses a canister type vacuum cleaner that captures dust in a breathable dust bag set in a dust chamber of the vacuum cleaner body, and Patent Document 2 discloses a stick type vacuum cleaner that captures dust in a breathable dust bag set in a container that is detachable from the vacuum cleaner body. Commercially available disposable dust bags (so-called paper bags) are generally used as the dust bags. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-126597 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2022-509096 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the vacuum cleaners of Patent Documents 1 and 2, when disposing of the dust bag, the user must grab the dust bag with his or her hands and dispose of it in a trash can.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which has been made in consideration of the above circumstances. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is provided with a suction section that sucks in dust-containing air from a suction port, and a dust collection section in which a dust collection bag having an attachment plate can be set, The dust collecting section is cylindrical and has an openable / closable lid and a locking section at one end in the central axis direction, the locking portion has a first locking portion that releasably locks to the closed lid body, a second locking portion that releasably locks to the mounting plate of the dust collection bag, an interlocking mechanism that interlocks the first locking portion with the second locking portion, and an operating portion that is operated to operate the interlocking mechanism; The vacuum cleaner has an interlocking mechanism that interlocks a first action of disengaging a first engagement portion from a cover body with a second action of disengaging a second engagement portion from a mounting plate. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, when the cover of the dust collection unit is faced downward and an unlocking operation is performed using the operating part of the lock unit, the cover opens and the dust collection bag falls to the outside. Therefore, the user does not need to grab the dust collection bag by hand and dispose of it in a trash can. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, seen obliquely from above. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of the electric vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment, as viewed from the left side. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a suction part of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a dust collecting section of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment, seen obliquely from above. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the dust collecting unit of the first embodiment taken along the center line and seen from the left side. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dust collecting section of the first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover of a dust collecting unit of the first embodiment is open. [Figure 8A] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a dust collection bag before use that is set in a dust collecting unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a left side view of the dust collection pack of FIG. 8A. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how a dust collection bag is set in a dust collection section of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a cross-sectional side view seen from the left side, showing a state in which dust has accumulated in a dust collection pack in the dust collection section of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lock portion of the dust collecting unit of the first embodiment is exposed to the outside. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a locked state of a locking part of the dust collecting part in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 6A to 6C are explanatory views showing a first operation of the interlocking mechanism of the lock portion of the first embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is an explanatory view showing a second operation of the interlocking mechanism of the lock portion of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a full dust collection bag is discarded from the dust collection unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lock portion of a dust collecting unit of a second embodiment is exposed to the outside. FIG. [Figure 17] 17 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operating portion of the locking portion in FIG. 16 is operated. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a vacuum cleaner according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0010] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, seen from diagonally above. As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner 1 of the first embodiment includes a suction unit 3 that sucks air containing dust from a suction port 2, a dust collection unit 4 that is detachably attached to the suction unit 3, and a battery 5 that is detachably attached to the suction unit 3. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 1 that can be used as a handheld type or a stick type is illustrated, and a dust collection bag (e.g., a paper bag) is set in the dust collection unit 4. More specifically, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes an extension tube and a suction port body (not shown), and can be used as a stick type when the suction port body is connected to the suction port 2 of the vacuum cleaner 1 via the extension tube, and can be used as a handheld type when the suction port body is connected directly to the suction port 2.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the electric vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment as seen from the left side. As shown in FIG. 2, the suction unit 3 includes a housing 21, an electric suction unit 22 provided in the housing 21, and an operation button unit 23 that can operate the electric suction unit 22 to drive, stop, adjust the output, etc. FIG. 2 shows the electric vacuum cleaner 1 with the central axis 24 of the cylindrical dust collecting unit 4 in a horizontal state. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the structure of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 will be described with the left side of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 in FIG. 2 as the front, the right side as the rear, the near side as the left, the depth side as the right, the upper side as the upper side, and the lower side as the lower side. The front-rear, left-right, up-down directions of the structure of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 using the drawings from FIG. 3 onwards are based on FIG. 2. The electric suction unit 22 is inclined so that the front is located lower than the rear. In this way, a space is formed below the electric suction unit 22, and it is possible to place components such as a board in the space.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the suction unit 3 of the vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment, seen obliquely from below. As shown in Fig. 3, the housing 21 has an electric component storage section 31 that stores the electric suction device 22 (see Fig. 2), a rod-shaped section 32 that protrudes forward from the upper front end of the electric component storage section 31, a suction tube section 33 connected to the front end of the rod-shaped section 32, a handle section 34 provided on the rear end side of the electric component storage section 31, and a battery holding section 35 provided at the lower end of the electric component storage section 31 to detachably hold the battery 5.

[0013] The electric component storage section 31 of the housing 21 has an intake port 36 on the front wall, an engagement recess 37 below the intake port 36, and an exhaust port 38 on the right wall that communicates with the intake port 36. A connection port 39 communicating with the intake port 2 is provided at the lower end of the suction tube section 33 of the housing 21 near the boundary with the rod-shaped section 32, a locking hook 310 is provided forward of the connection port 39, and a recess 311 is provided rearward of the connection port 39. A packing 39a is provided around the connection port 39. The suction tube section 33 has an upper member 33a and a lower member 33b (see Figs. 1-3). The packing 39a is attached around the connection port 39 of the upper member 33a. As shown in Fig. 2, the outer peripheral end of the packing 39a is sandwiched between the upper member 33a and the lower member 33b, and the outer peripheral end of the packing 39a is not exposed. This configuration prevents the user from accidentally touching the outer peripheral end of the packing 39a and causing the packing 39a to turn over. The suction tube portion 33 is a section between the suction port 2 and the connection port 39 through which air flows, and no air flows inside the rod-shaped portion 32.

[0014] In the housing 21, the lower end portion of the suction tube portion 33, the lower end portion of the rod-shaped portion 32, and the front end portion (front wall) of the electrical component storage portion 31 form a holding portion 312 that detachably holds the dust collection portion 4 (see FIG. 2). The holding portion 312 is provided with an engagement recess 37, a locking hook 310, and a recess 311 related to the attachment and detachment of the dust collection portion 4 to the holding portion 312, as well as a connection port 39 for sending air containing dust to the dust collection portion 4.

[0015] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dust collection unit 4 of the vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment, seen obliquely from above. As shown in Fig. 4, the dust collection unit 4 has a cylindrical surrounding wall 41 with both ends open in the direction of the central axis 24 (see Fig. 2), an openable and closable lid body 42 provided on one end side of the surrounding wall 41, and a locking portion 43 provided along the outer surface of the surrounding wall 41. This locking portion 43 is involved in opening and closing the lid body 42 and engaging and disengaging the dust collection pack. When the lid body 42 is in a closed state, the closed lid body 42 corresponds to the bottom of the dust collection unit 4.

[0016] The surrounding wall 41 has a cylindrical member 41a and a cover member 41b that covers the upper outer surface of the cylindrical member 41a. A part of the locking portion 43 is covered by the cover member 41b. A groove 44 extending in the direction of the central axis 24 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the upper surface of the cover member 41b, and an inlet 45 penetrating the cover member 41b and the cylindrical member 41a is provided at the position of the groove 44. A rubber seal member 56 is provided at the inlet 45.

[0017] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment cut along the center line and viewed from the left side. As shown in FIG. 5, the open end 51 provided on one end (front end) side of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting unit 4 has a protruding edge portion 52 protruding toward one end (front end) side in the direction of the central axis 24 and a receding edge portion 53 receding toward the other end (rear end) side in the direction of the central axis 24 when viewed from a direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the central axis 24 of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting unit 4. The protruding edge portion 52 is an upper front end portion having the recessed groove 44 of the surrounding wall 41. The inlet 45 penetrates the vicinity of the protruding edge portion 52 at the bottom of the recessed groove 44 in the surrounding wall 41.

[0018] A seal member 56 is provided at the inlet 45 of the dust collection unit 4. The seal member 56 is provided to maintain the sealing of the connection between the suction unit 3 and the dust collection unit 4 (see FIG. 2). The seal member 56 has an inner seal portion 56a attached along the periphery of the inner side (center axis 24 side) of the inlet 45, a film portion 56b having radial notches provided outside the inner seal portion 56a, and an outer seal portion 56c provided around the film portion 56b (see FIGS. 5 and 11). The inner seal portion 56a contacts the periphery of the intake hole 83 of the mounting plate 82 in the dust collection pack 81 (see FIG. 8A) set in the dust collection unit 4 to maintain the airtightness of the dust collection pack 81. The film portion 56b prevents dust accumulated in the dust collection pack 81 from leaking out from the inlet 45 to the outside. The outer seal portion 56c comes into contact with a cylindrical inlet forming portion 57 of the cover member 41b of the surrounding wall 41 (see FIG. 4).

[0019] The open end 51 of the surrounding wall 41 crosses the central axis 24 at an angle, and the cover 42 with the open end 51 closed also crosses the central axis 24 at an angle (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from the left side (the direction of viewing the cross section), the open end 51 crosses the central axis 24 at an angle so that the angle between the open end 51 and the protruding edge 52 is an acute angle. The first locking portion 58 of the locking portion 43 is provided on the protruding edge 52, and the cover 42 is attached to the retreating edge 53 via a hinge portion 55. The inclination of the open end 51 is such that the hinge portion 55 provided on the retreating edge 53 is positioned slightly rearward from directly below the inlet 45. A locking recess 59 is provided on the end of the cover 42 opposite the hinge portion 55, and the first locking portion 58 locks with the locking recess 59 of the closed cover 42 (see FIG. 4). In Figure 4, the cover 42 remains closed, but the first locking portion 58 is shown both in a state where it is locked in the locking recess 59 (see Figure 12) and in a state where it has moved upward and disengaged from the locking recess 59 (see Figure 13).

[0020] By having the opening end 51 intersect the central axis 24 obliquely instead of at a right angle, the opening area of ​​the opening end 51 is increased while the vertical frontage dimension of the opening end 51 is kept small. As a result, the inside of the surrounding wall 41 is easily visible, and the user's hand can easily reach the opening end 51, making it easier to set the dust collection bag at the dust collection bag setting position (the position of the recess 73) in the surrounding wall 41, improving convenience. Furthermore, since the opening end 51 can be opened widely even if the vertical frontage dimension of the opening end 51 is small, even a dust collection bag that is filled with dust and greatly expanded can be easily removed from inside the surrounding wall 41.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, when viewed from the left side (the direction of viewing the cross section), the exhaust opening 61 is inclined in the same direction as the opening end 51 and crosses the central axis 24 obliquely, but the inclination of the exhaust opening 61 is closer to a right angle with respect to the central axis 24 than the inclination of the opening end 51. Furthermore, in the peripheral wall 41 of the dust collection unit 4, the length L1 in the direction of the central axis 24 from the protruding edge 52 on the lid body 42 side to the end on the exhaust opening 61 side is longer than the length L2 in the direction of the central axis 24 from the receding edge 53 on the lid body 42 side to the end on the exhaust opening 61 side. The inclination of the opening end 51 and the length L1 being longer than the length L2 are based on the way the dust collection pack set in the dust collection unit 4 swells. This will be described in detail later.

[0022] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dust collecting section of the first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from below. As shown in Fig. 6, an exhaust opening 61 is provided at the rear end in the direction of the central axis 24 of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting section 4.

[0023] A hinge portion 55 is provided on the underside (rearward edge portion 53) of the surrounding wall 41 opposite the exhaust opening 61, for connecting the cover 42 to the surrounding wall 41 in an openable and closable manner. A lock mechanism 66 including a pair of lock claws 63, an unlock lever 64, and a biasing member 65 (see FIG. 5), and a surrounding wall 67 for covering the lock mechanism 66 are provided on the underside of the surrounding wall 41 on the exhaust opening 61 side. The pair of lock claws 63 protrude to the outside from a pair of holes provided on the end surface of the surrounding wall 67 on the exhaust opening 61 side. The pair of lock claws 63 are biased by a biasing member 65 (e.g., a compression spring) in the surrounding wall 67 so as to protrude in an outward direction (outward direction of the surrounding wall 67) substantially parallel to the central axis 24. The pair of locking claws 63 are connected to an unlocking lever 64, and by pulling the unlocking lever 64 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the locking claws 63 protrude outward, the pair of locking claws 63 retract into the surrounding wall 67 against the biasing force of the biasing member 65.

[0024] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid body 42 of the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment is open. As shown in Fig. 7, the open end 51 of the surrounding wall 41 opposite the exhaust opening 61 is opened or closed by the lid body 42. A packing 71 is provided at the outer peripheral end of the lid body 42 that contacts the open end 51 of the surrounding wall 41.

[0025] Fig. 7 shows a state in which a pair of second engagement portions 72 of the lock portion 43 penetrate the surrounding wall 41 and are engaged with a mounting plate 82 of a dust collection bag set within the surrounding wall 41. The pack body of the dust collection bag is not shown in Fig. 7. The configuration of the lock portion 43 will be described in detail later.

[0026] The inner surface behind the recessed groove 44 of the surrounding wall 41 forms a shallow rectangular recess 73 for attaching a mounting plate 82 of the dust collection bag, and a positioning rib 74 for positioning the mounting plate 82 is provided at the rear end of this recess 73. The positioning rib 74 receives a rear end 82a (see FIG. 8A) of the mounting plate 82 and positions it in the recess 73.

[0027] 7, a plurality of ribs 75 extending in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis 24 of the peripheral wall 41 are provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 41. The plurality of ribs 75 extend in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis 24 from the periphery of the exhaust opening 61 along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 41, and are formed in a substantially right-angled triangle whose height increases from the opening end 51 side toward the exhaust opening 61 side.

[0028] Furthermore, a first piece 76 that can rotate up and down is provided at a front position on the left side of the recess 73, and a second piece 77 that can abut against the first piece 76 is provided on the inner surface of the cover body 42. The first piece 76 is a rod-shaped or plate-shaped member. When the dust collection pack is set in the dust collection unit 4 and the mounting plate 82 is locked and positioned by the second locking portion 72, the tip (front end surface) of the first piece 76 faces forward. The first piece 76 is biased downward (toward the mounting plate 82) by a biasing member (e.g., a torsion coil spring) not shown, and when the dust collection pack is not set in the dust collection unit 4, the tip (front end surface) of the first piece 76 faces diagonally downward toward the front. In this way, the first piece 76 is capable of rotating around an axis not shown. When the dust collection bag is not set in the dust collection unit 4, when the cover 42 is to be closed, the second piece 77 abuts against the tip (front end face) of the first piece 76 and is prevented from closing. This allows the user to recognize that the dust collection bag has been forgotten to be set. When the dust collection bag is set in the dust collection unit 4, the first piece 76 is pushed by the mounting plate 82 and moves to an upper position, so that the second piece 77 does not abut against the first piece 76 even when the cover 42 is closed. Therefore, the cover 42 can be closed. Note that while FIG. 7 shows the first piece 76 in its entirety, the first piece 76 is pushed by the mounting plate 82 and moves upward, so that only the tip (lower end) is actually visible, and FIG. 7 shows the first piece 76 in a state where it has moved downward for ease of understanding.

[0029] Fig. 8A is a plan view of a dust collection pack 81 before use which is set in the dust collection unit 4 of the vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment. Fig. 8B is a left side view of the dust collection pack of Fig. 8A. As shown in Figs. 8A and 8B, the dust collection pack 81 before use which is set inside the dust collection unit 4 (see Fig. 7) is in a folded state. The dust collection pack 81 includes a pack body 85 having an opening 84, and an attachment plate 82 provided at the opening 84 of the pack body 85.

[0030] The pack body 85 is formed in a bag shape from a breathable material such as paper, woven fabric, or nonwoven fabric. The mounting plate 82 is formed from hard paper, resin, or the like, and has an air intake hole 83 communicating with an opening 84 of the pack body 85. When the pack body 85 is folded, it is substantially rectangular in shape with a dimension L3 in one direction larger than a dimension L4 in a direction perpendicular to the one direction, as viewed from the mounting plate 82 side. The mounting plate 82 is provided on this substantially rectangular surface (the surface having the opening 84). The opening 84 of the pack body 85 is provided on one end side of the center in the longitudinal direction parallel to the one direction of the pack body 85. The capacity of the dust collection pack 81 is preferably a capacity capable of collecting at least 30 days' worth of dust, which is the standard set by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA).

[0031] The mounting plate 82 has a surface exposed to the outside and a back surface opposite to the surface, and the periphery of the back surface is fixed to the periphery of the opening 84 of the pack body 85, for example, by an adhesive. The planar shape of the mounting plate 82 is a shape in which the outer periphery of a substantially square partly protrudes. The mounting plate 82 has a first protrusion 86 on one end side and a second protrusion 87 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pack body 85. In the case of this embodiment, the first protrusion 86 on the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81 set in the dust collection section 4 is located between the pair of second locking parts 72 of the lock part 43, and the pair of second locking parts 72 are locked to the front ends 86a on both sides of the first protrusion 86 (see FIG. 7). At this time, one end side of the mounting plate 82 becomes the front end 86a, and the other end side of the mounting plate 82 becomes the rear end 82a.

[0032] Furthermore, the second protrusion 87 is located on the left side when the mounting plate 82 is set in the dust collecting unit 4 (see FIG. 7). During this setting, the inclined end 87a provided on the second protrusion 87 slides against the first piece 76, and the first piece 76 is pushed in and moves upward by sliding against the inclined end 87a, and is maintained in a pushed-in state by the second protrusion 87 of the mounting plate 82. Furthermore, when the mounting plate 82 is pushed into the recess 73 to such an extent that the first piece 76 moves upward, and then the lid 42 is closed, the rotating second piece 77 pushes in the front end 86a of the mounting plate 82, and the rear end 82a (see FIG. 8A) of the mounting plate 82 moves to the position of the positioning rib 74 of the recess 73. Then, as described above, the second piece 77 does not abut against the first piece 76, and the lid 42 is closed.

[0033] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of setting the dust collection pack 81 on the dust collection unit 4 of the first embodiment. When setting the dust collection pack 81 on the dust collection unit 4, it is easy to attach the dust collection pack 81 by maintaining the lid 42 side of the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 facing upward with the lid 42 open (although it is substantially vertical in FIG. 9, the central axis 24 may be inclined with respect to the vertical with the lid 42 facing downward). At this time, since the lid 42 is configured to open by 90 degrees or more, it is maintained in an open state by its own weight. In this state, the attachment plate 82 is inserted into the recess 73 while the other end 85a of the pack body 85 of the dust collection pack 81 is inserted inside the surrounding wall 41. At this time, if the operation part 91 of the lock part 43 is pressed in the direction of the arrow 92, the pair of second engagement parts 72 rotate and fall toward the edge of the opening end 51 and do not get in the way, but the attachment plate 82 can be easily inserted into the recess 73 as follows without continuing to press the operation part 91. In this case, the mounting plate 82 can be set in the recess 73 by inserting the mounting plate 82 into the dust collecting unit 4 while pushing the pair of second locking portions 72 toward the edge side of the opening end 51 with the mounting plate 82. When the mounting plate 82 is moved until the rear end 82a of the mounting plate 82 fits into the groove between the back of the recess 73 and the positioning rib 74 and the mounting plate 82 is pushed toward the back side beyond the second locking portions 72, the second locking portions 72 are pushed by the mounting plate 82 and rotated, and when the front end 86a of the mounting plate 82 passes over the second locking portions 72, the pair of second locking portions 72 return to their original positions (locking positions), and the pair of second locking portions 72 are locked to the front end 86a of the mounting plate 82 (see FIG. 7).

[0034] When setting the dust collection pack 81, the rear end 85a of the pack body 85 moves along the rib 75, causing the other end 82a of the mounting plate 82 to move away from the pack body 85, making it easier to visually check the other end 82a of the mounting plate 82 and the positioning rib 74. Therefore, the other end 82a of the mounting plate 82 can be easily inserted into the groove between the back of the recess 73 and the positioning rib 74 and set.

[0035] Here, the air flow during preparation for cleaning and operation of the vacuum cleaner of this embodiment will be described. After setting the dust collection bag 81 in the dust collection unit 4 and closing the cover 42 as described above, the dust collection unit 4 is attached to the holding part 312 of the suction unit 3 (see Figs. 3 and 6). At this time, the lower end of the holding part 312 of the suction unit 3 is fitted into the recessed groove 44 of the dust collection unit 4, so that the left-right movement of the dust collection unit 4 relative to the holding part 312 is restricted. Specifically, with the notched recess 50 (see Fig. 4) described later hooked on the locking hook 310, the exhaust opening 61 side of the dust collection unit 4 is rotated upward, and the dust collection unit 4 approaches the intake port 36 of the suction unit 3 from the front diagonally downward.

[0036] A protrusion 32a is provided near the base of the rod-shaped portion 32 on the surface having the intake port 36 of the housing 21 of the suction unit 3 (see FIG. 3). Furthermore, a notched recess 50 is provided near the locking recess 59 of the cover 42 of the dust collection unit 4 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when the dust collection unit 4 is rotated and attached to the holding unit 312 of the suction unit 3 with the notched recess 50 hooked on the locking hook 310, the protrusion 32a fits into the recessed groove 44 on the exhaust opening 61 side of the dust collection unit 4, and the left-right movement of the dust collection unit 4 relative to the holding unit 312 is restricted. In addition, before the lower end of the holding unit 312 fits into the recessed groove 44 of the dust collection unit 4, the protrusion 32a also serves as a guide when fitting the lower end of the holding unit 312 into the recessed groove 44 of the dust collection unit 4. Furthermore, a pair of locking claws 63 on the exhaust opening 61 side of the dust collection unit 4 engage with a pair of engagement recesses 37 on the intake port 36 side of the suction unit 3 (see FIG. 2). This restricts the left-right movement of the dust collection unit 4 on the lower side relative to the holding unit 312. In addition, the dust collection unit 4 is designed to have a gap between the surface having the intake port 36 of the housing 21 and the surface having the exhaust opening 61 of the dust collection unit 4 when the dust collection unit 4 is attached to the holding unit 312. Therefore, when the dust collection unit 4 is pressed toward the surface having the intake port 36 of the housing 21 along the central axis 24 while the dust collection unit 4 is attached to the holding unit 312, the dust collection unit 4 can move toward the surface having the intake port 36 of the housing 21. By providing such a gap, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the surface having the intake port 36 of the housing 21 and the surface having the exhaust opening 61 of the dust collection unit 4 will come into contact with each other before the attachment is completed, making it easier to attach the dust collection unit 4 to the holding unit 312. Although not shown, markings of the same color are provided near the notched recess 50 of the lid 42 and the locking hook 310 of the holding part 312. This makes it easier for the user to understand that the notched recess 50 and the locking hook 310 are to be locked when attaching the dust collection unit 4 to the holding part 312. In the dust collection unit 4 attached to the holding part 312 of the suction unit 3, the operation part 91 of the lock part 43 is hidden by the holding part 312 and cannot be pressed from the outside, and further, the locking hook 310 of the holding part 312 is locked to the notched recess 50 of the lid 42 of the dust collection unit 4, so that the lid 42 does not open unexpectedly while the vacuum cleaner 1 is in operation.In addition, there is a gap between the first locking portion 58 of the dust collection unit 4 and the lower end of the holding portion 312 of the suction unit 3, and it is assumed that the operating portion 91 of the dust collection unit 4 attached to the holding portion 312 of the suction unit 3 may rotate downward for some reason. However, even if the first locking portion 58 rotates upward until it contacts the lower end of the suction tube portion 33, the first locking portion 58 remains locked in the locking recess 59 of the closed lid body 42, so that the lid body 42 does not open. As an example of such a situation, it is assumed that a foreign object is caught between the holding portion 312 and the operating portion 91 when the dust collection unit 4 of the suction unit 3 is attached.

[0037] When the dust collecting unit 4 is attached to the suction unit 3, the packing 39a of the connection port 39 of the suction unit 3 comes into contact with the protruding rib-shaped periphery of the inlet 45 in the recessed groove 44 of the dust collecting unit 4, and the connection port 39 and the inlet 45 are connected (see Figs. 2 to 4). Furthermore, the packing 36a provided on the periphery of the intake port 36 of the suction unit 3 comes into contact with the periphery of the exhaust opening 61 of the dust collecting unit 4, and the exhaust opening 61 and the intake port 36 are connected (see Figs. 2, 3, and 6). As shown in Fig. 2, the surface of the housing 21 having the intake port 36 and the surface of the dust collecting unit 4 having the exhaust opening 61 are each inclined with respect to the central axis 24. At this time, the electric suction machine 22 is inclined so that the front part is located lower than the rear part so that the central axis 24 and the central axis of the electric suction machine 22 intersect near the intake port 36. By arranging in this manner, the area of ​​the intake port 36 can be secured to be large. Further, a pre-filter (not shown) is provided in the intake port 36. The pre-filter is fitted in an annular groove (not shown) provided in the peripheral wall of the intake port 36. This structure reduces the possibility that the pre-filter will fall off when the dust collection unit 4 is removed from the holding unit 312. Instead of the annular groove, the pre-filter may be held by a plurality of protrusions protruding from the peripheral wall of the intake port 36. In addition, the operating unit 91 of the locking unit 43 of the dust collection unit 4 is stored in the recess 311 of the holding unit 312 of the suction unit 3. In this way, the dust collection unit 4 is held by the holding unit 312 with the operating unit 91 facing the holding unit 312 of the suction unit 3.

[0038] Although the dust collection pack in the dust collection unit 4 is not shown in FIG. 2, the dust collection pack is assumed to be set in the dust collection unit 4. After the dust collection unit 4 with the dust collection pack set is attached to the suction unit 3 as described above, the operation button unit 23 is operated to drive the electric suction machine 22, and then a negative pressure is generated in the dust collection unit 4, generating a suction force. The suction force causes air containing dust to flow from the suction port 2 of the suction unit 3 into the suction tube unit 33, and the air containing dust flows into the dust collection pack through the connection port 39 and the inlet port 45 of the dust collection unit 4. The dust that flows into the dust collection pack is captured in the pack body, and the air from which the dust has been removed flows into the electric component storage unit 31 through the intake port 36 of the suction unit 3, passes through the electric suction machine 22, and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 38. At this time, since fine dust may slip through the pack body, a filter may be provided in the intake port 36. Although such fine dust particles may adhere to the outer surface of the bag body, the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment allows the user to dispose of the dust collection bag in a trash can without having to grab the bag with their hands. This will be described in detail later.

[0039] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view seen from the left side showing a state in which dust has accumulated in the dust collection pack 81 of the dust collection unit 4 of the first embodiment. When air containing dust flows into the dust collection pack 81, the pack body 85 expands to a certain extent, and when the pack body 85 is filled with dust, the pack body 85 expands and unfolds almost completely as shown in FIG. 10. At this time, since the pack body 85 has a larger dimension in the front-rear direction than in the left-right direction, the pack body 85 expands greatly in the front-rear direction. When sucking in air containing dust, the air that flows into the pack body 85 from the inlet 45 of the dust collection unit 4 through the intake port 83 of the dust collection pack 81 flows toward the exhaust opening 61 in the longitudinal direction of the pack body 85, for example, as shown by the arrow B. In addition, the air that flows into the pack body 85 has a flow that directly collides with the inner surface of the pack body 85 facing the intake port 83 of the dust collection pack 81. Fine dust is more likely to slip through the inner surface of the pack body 85 with which the air directly collides. Therefore, a seal that does not have ventilation properties may be provided on the outer surface of the pack body 85 that faces the inner surface of the pack body 85 with which the air directly collides. This can reduce the amount of fine dust passing through. The size of this seal is preferably equal to or larger than the area of ​​the intake port 83.

[0040] Therefore, in this embodiment, dust tends to accumulate in the space behind the intake port 83 in the dust collection pack 81. Therefore, in the dust collection pack 81 of this embodiment, the space behind the intake port 83 is secured to be wide, and the space in front of the intake port 83 where dust does not easily accumulate is intentionally narrowed. Furthermore, in the space in front of the intake port 83 of the dust collection pack 81, dust tends to accumulate in the space closer to the intake port 83 than in the space farther away. Therefore, the space closer to the intake port 83 (upper space) is made wider than the space farther away (lower space). Therefore, according to this dust collection unit 4, the internal space of the dust collection unit 4 is formed in a shape that follows the shape of the dust collection pack 81 in a state where it is almost completely expanded, that is, when viewed from the left side (the direction in which the cross section is viewed), the closed lid body 42 diagonally intersects with the central axis 24 (see FIG. 2) of the dust collection unit 4, and this makes it difficult for dead space to occur in the lower front part of the dust collection unit 4. To achieve this, as explained in Figure 5, in the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collection section 4, the length L1 in the direction of the central axis 24 from the protruding edge 52 on the lid body 42 side to the end on the exhaust opening 61 side is longer than the length L2 in the direction of the central axis 24 from the receding edge 53 on the lid body 42 side to the end on the exhaust opening 61 side.

[0041] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the locking portion 43 of the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment is exposed to the outside. Fig. 11 shows a state in which the cover member 41b (see Fig. 4) of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting unit 4 is removed. The locking portion 43 has a first locking portion 58 that detachably locks to the closed lid body 42, a pair of second locking portions 72 (see Fig. 7) that detachably lock to the mounting plate 82 of the dust collecting pack 81, an interlocking mechanism 93 that interlocks the first locking portion 58 and the second locking portion 72, and an operating portion 91 that is operated to operate the interlocking mechanism 93. The interlocking mechanism 93 has a first portion 94 and a second portion 95.

[0042] Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a locked state of the locking portion 43 of the dust collecting portion 4 in the first embodiment. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a first operation of the interlocking mechanism 93 of the locking portion 43 in the first embodiment. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a second operation of the interlocking mechanism 93 of the locking portion 43 in the first embodiment. Figs. 12 to 14 show the posture of the dust collecting portion 4 when the dust collecting pack 81 containing dust is disposed of. In addition, Figs. 12 to 14 are simplified configuration diagrams to make the mechanism of the interlocking mechanism 93 easier to understand.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 12, in the interlocking mechanism 93, the first part 94 is integrated with the first locking part 58, and the second part 95 is integrated with a pair of second locking parts 72 (see FIG. 7). The first part 94 is rotatable about a first shaft 96 extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the central axis 24 of the surrounding wall 41, and the second part 95 is rotatable about a second shaft 97 parallel to the first shaft 96. As shown in FIG. 11, the first part 94 has a hole 94a at the position of the inlet 45 and the seal member 56 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 11), and has a pair of left and right first pivot parts 96a on the first shaft 96 on the left and right side surfaces outside the hole 94a. The second shaft 97 is located slightly forward of the first shaft 96, and the second part 95 has a pair of left and right second pivot parts 97a on the second shaft 97. In this specification, "integrated" is not limited to a structure in which the first portion 94 and the first locking portions 58 are physically integrated, but also includes a structure in which the first portion 94 and the first locking portions 58 are connected by another member, and the first locking portions 58 move simultaneously or nearly simultaneously when the first portion 94 is moved. Furthermore, in this specification, "integrated" is not limited to a structure in which the second portion 95 and the pair of second locking portions 72 are physically integrated, but also includes a structure in which the second portion 95 and the pair of second locking portions 72 are connected by another member, and the pair of second locking portions 72 move simultaneously or nearly simultaneously when the second portion 95 is moved.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 12, the end of the first part 94 opposite to the first locking part 58 is integrated with a push button type operating part 91. Furthermore, the interlocking mechanism 93 includes a biasing member 98 (e.g., a compression spring) provided between the cylindrical member 41a of the surrounding wall 41 (see FIG. 5) and the operating part 91. The second part 95 includes a connecting part 99 that passes under the front part of the hole 94a of the first part 94 and connects with the pair of left and right second pivot parts, and a pair of left and right abutment pieces 101 provided on the connecting part 99, and the pair of left and right abutment pieces 101 and the pair of left and right second locking parts 72 are integrated. Furthermore, the first part 94 includes a pair of left and right action pieces 102 that can abut with the pair of left and right abutment pieces 101 of the second part 95. As shown in FIG. 12, a gap X is provided between the abutment piece 101 and the action piece 102 in the locked state.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 12, the cylindrical member 41a is provided with a pair of left and right through holes 103 near the inlet 45 (see FIG. 10) between the inlet 45 and the cover 42, and a seal member 104 having radial notches is attached to the periphery of the pair of left and right through holes 103. When the cover 42 of the dust collection unit 4 is closed, the first part 94 of the interlocking mechanism 93 is biased by the biasing member 98 in a direction in which the operating part 91 moves away from the cylindrical member 41a, so that the first locking part 58 is biased in a direction to lock with the locking recess 59 of the cover 42. At this time, the second part 95 is pressed toward the cylindrical member 41a by the first part 94, and the pair of left and right second locking parts 72 protrude into the cylindrical member 41a through the notches of the seal member 104 and are locked with the front end 86a of the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81 set inside the dust collection unit 4.

[0046] The interlocking mechanism 93 is configured to interlock a first operation of disengaging the first locking portion 58 from the locking recess 59 of the lid body 42 with a second operation of disengaging the pair of left and right second locking portions 72 from the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81. Specifically, the interlocking mechanism 93 operates as shown in Figs. 13 and 14. As shown in Fig. 13, first, when the operating portion 91 is lightly pushed in the direction of the arrow 92, the first portion 94 rotates in the direction of the arrow 105 about the first shaft 96, and the first locking portion 58 is disengaged from the locking recess 59 of the lid body 42. For example, when the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 is oriented in a substantially vertical direction and the lid body 42 is oriented downward, the lid body 42 opens by its own weight, and the open end 51 of the dust collection unit 4 is opened. In the present embodiment, during the first operation, the pair of action pieces 102 of the first portion 94 push the pair of abutment pieces 101 of the second portion 95, so that the second portion 95 rotates slightly in the direction of the arrow 106 around the second shaft 97. At this time, because of the gap X, the second portion 95 rotates slightly after the first portion 94 starts to rotate. Therefore, the pair of second locking portions 72 connected to the second portion 95 also rotate slightly in the direction of the arrow 106, but the pair of second locking portions 72 maintain a state of being locked to the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection bag 81. Note that a biasing member (not shown) that biases the lid body 42 in the opening direction may be provided on the hinge portion 55. In this case, when the first operation is performed in which the first locking portion 58 is released from the locking recess 59 of the lid body 42, the lid body 42 is biased by the biasing member to open.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 14, when the operating portion 91 is further pushed in the direction of the arrow 92, the first portion 94 further rotates in the direction of the arrow 105 about the first shaft 96, whereby the pair of action pieces 102 of the first portion 94 further presses the pair of abutment pieces 101 of the second portion 95. This causes the second portion 95 and the pair of second locking portions 72 to further rotate in the direction of the arrow 106 about the second shaft 97, and a second operation is performed in which the pair of second locking portions 72 are detached from the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81. By the second operation, the dust collection pack 81 containing dust naturally falls downward to the outside from the open end 51 of the dust collection unit 4 due to its own weight, as shown in FIG. 15. Therefore, the user does not need to grab the dust collection pack 81 with his / her hands to discard it, and the user's hands that grab the dust collection pack 81 do not get dirty. Furthermore, when the pair of second locking portions 72 detach from the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection bag 81, the mounting plate 82 is pushed by the first pieces 76, and the mounting plate 82 moves in an outward direction away from the second locking portions 72. Therefore, when the dust collection bag 81 freely falls (naturally falls), it is less likely to come into contact with the second locking portions 72, and the dust collection bag 81 can fall smoothly.

[0048] According to the interlocking mechanism 93 of this embodiment, the first and second actions are interlocked with a time lag so that the second locking portion 72 is released from the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81 after the first locking portion 58 is released from the lid body 42. At this time, the slight rotation of the second locking portion 72 during the first action is a preparatory action before the second action. According to the dust collection unit 4 of this embodiment, for example, when the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 is oriented in a substantially vertical direction and the lid body 42 faces downward, the lid body 42 is completely opened by the first action of the interlocking mechanism 93, and then the dust collection pack 81 falls naturally by the second action of the interlocking mechanism 93, so that the dust collection pack 81 can be smoothly disposed of without hitting the lid body 42. When disposing of the dust collection bag 81, for example, with the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 oriented substantially horizontally, the operation part 91 of the locking part 43 may be pushed upward to open the lid 42, and at this time, the hinge part 55 is located below the opening end 51, so that the lid 42 can easily open by its own weight. Note that when pressure on the operation part 91 is stopped, the locking part 43 performs an operation generally opposite to that described above.

[0049] In this embodiment, the gap X between the action piece 102 of the first part 94 and the contact piece 101 of the second part 95 in the interlocking mechanism 93 may be adjusted to a gap such that the contact piece 101 and the action piece 102 do not come into contact with each other when the first locking part 58 is released from the locking recess 59 of the cover 42. In this case, the slight rotation of the second locking part 72 during the first operation can be eliminated, so that the time until the second locking part 72 is released from the mounting plate 82 after the cover 42 is opened can be extended. By adjusting the gap X in this manner, the time until the second locking part 72 is released from the mounting plate 82 after the cover 42 is opened can be adjusted. This can prevent the dust collection pack 81 from falling and getting caught on the cover 42 before the cover 42 is fully opened, even if the user pushes the operation part 91 in the direction of the arrow 92 at once.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, after cleaning, when the vacuum cleaner 1 is held with the central axis 24 of the dust collecting unit 4 approximately horizontal and the lock mechanism 66 is unlocked to remove the dust collecting unit 4 from the suction unit 3, the dust collecting unit 4 can be removed with the inlet 45 of the dust collecting unit 4 facing upward. Note that in FIG. 2, the central axis 24 of the dust collecting unit 4 is in a state of being oriented in a substantially horizontal direction, but the central axis 24 of the dust collecting unit 4 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction as long as the dust collecting unit 4 can be removed with the inlet 45 of the dust collecting unit 4 facing upward. Therefore, for example, even if a part of the film portion 56b (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) of the seal member 56 provided at the inlet 45 of the dust collecting unit 4 is missing or even if the film portion 56b is not provided, the dust in the dust collecting pack is unlikely to leak out from the inlet 45 to the outside. In addition, after the dust collecting pack is discarded, the dust collecting unit 4 can be washed with water to keep it clean.

[0051] Second embodiment FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the locking portion 107 of the dust collecting portion of the second embodiment is exposed to the outside. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state in which the operating portion of the locking portion of FIG. 16 is operated. In FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the same elements as those in FIG. 11 are given the same reference numerals. The second embodiment is configured similarly to the first embodiment except that the locking portion of the dust collecting portion of the first embodiment is different in configuration. Below, the differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be mainly described. The locking portion 107 of the dust collecting portion of the second embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. 16 when the operating portion 109 is not operated. To explain in detail with reference to Figure 16, the locking portion 107 has a first locking portion 58 that releasably engages and locks the closed lid body 42, a second locking portion (not shown) that releasably engages with the mounting plate of the dust collection bag (not shown), an interlocking mechanism 108 that interlocks the first locking portion 58 and the second locking portion, and an operating portion 109 that is operated to operate the interlocking mechanism 108.

[0052] The interlocking mechanism 108 includes a first part 110 movable in the direction of the central axis 24 of the tubular member 41a (front-rear direction), a second part 111 integrated with the first locking part 58 and the second locking part (not shown), and a biasing mechanism 112 that biases the operating part 109 rearward. The first part 110 includes a slide part 110a, a pivoting part 110b that is L-shaped in plan view and provided at the rear end of the slide part 110a, and a bifurcated part 110c provided at the front end of the slide part 110a. The bifurcated part 110c is bifurcated so as to avoid the seal member 56 provided at the inlet on the left and right sides. The biasing mechanism 112 includes a link piece 112a that is pivotally attached to the upper surface of the tubular member 41a so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the central axis 24. The link piece 112a has a right end 113a and a left end 113b. The link piece 112a is rotatable about an axis provided at the center in the longitudinal direction. The link piece 112 is provided with a pair of elongated holes extending in the longitudinal direction of the link piece 112 at a right end 113a and a left end 113b.

[0053] The operation unit 109 has a push button unit 109a and a holding cylinder unit 109b that covers the push button unit 109a so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The push button unit 109a is movable in the front-rear direction along the upper surface of the cylinder member 41a, and is biased backward by a biasing member (e.g., a compression coil spring) (not shown) provided in the holding cylinder unit 109b. The push button unit 109a has an operation piece 109c that extends toward the link piece 112 through the inside of the holding cylinder unit 109b, and is slidably fitted into an elongated hole in the right end unit 113a of the link piece 112 via a shaft provided at the front end of the operation piece 109c in a direction perpendicular to the central axis 24. The pivoting unit 110b of the first part 110 is slidably fitted into an elongated hole in the left end unit 113b of the link piece 112 via a shaft provided at a direction perpendicular to the central axis 24. With this configuration, the right end 113a of the link piece 112a is biased backward, and the left end 113b of the link piece 112a is biased forward.

[0054] The second portion 111 has a pair of pivots 111a having a left-right axis provided at left and right positions near the front of the seal member 56, a pair of rotating pieces 111b pivotally attached to the pair of pivots 111a via shafts, and a connecting portion 111c connected to the pair of rotating pieces 111b. The first locking portion 58 is integrated with the connecting portion 111c, and a pair of second locking portions (not shown) are integrated with the pair of rotating pieces 111b. The pair of second locking portions are disposed on the opposite side (front side) of the pair of rotating pieces 111b across the pair of pivots 111a. Furthermore, the pair of rotating pieces 111b are provided with long holes 111d extending in the front-rear direction, and a pair of protrusions provided on the left and right side surfaces of the front end of the bifurcated portion 110c of the first portion 110 are slidably fitted into the long holes 111d of the pair of rotating pieces 111b.

[0055] As in the first embodiment, the interlocking mechanism 108 is configured to interlock a first operation for disengaging the first locking portion 58 from the locking recess (not shown) of the lid body 42 with a second operation for disengaging the pair of left and right second locking portions (not shown) from the mounting plate of the dust bag. As shown in FIG. 16, in the free state of the interlocking mechanism 108 (a state in which the operating portion 109 is not operated), the push button portion 109a is biased backward, so that the left end portion 113b of the link piece 112a is biased forward. Therefore, the first portion 110 moves forward, and the first locking portion 58 and the pair of second locking portions (not shown) are in an engaged state. At this time, the pair of left and right convex portions of the bifurcated portion 110c of the first portion 110 are located at the front ends of the long holes 111d of the pair of left and right rotating pieces 111b of the second portion 111, and the pair of left and right rotating pieces 111b are inclined so that their rear ends are raised upward.

[0056] 17, when the push button 109a is pushed forward to release the locking portion 107, the right end 113a of the link piece 112a rotates forward and the left end 113b of the link piece 112a rotates backward, thereby moving the first portion 110 backward. At this time, the pair of left and right protrusions of the bifurcated portion 110c of the first portion 110 slide backward along the long holes 111d of the pair of left and right rotating pieces 111b of the second portion, thereby rotating the pair of rotating pieces 111b downward about the pair of pivots 111a.

[0057] As the pair of rotating pieces 111b rotate downward, the pair of second locking parts (not shown) rotate upward around the pair of pivot parts 111a, and the connecting part 111c and the first locking part 58 rotate upward around the pair of pivot parts 111a. In other words, when the pair of rotating pieces 111b at the rear rotate downward around the pair of pivot parts 111a, the pair of second locking parts, the connecting part 111c and the first locking part 58 at the front rotate upward like a seesaw, thereby performing a first operation in which the first locking part 58 is released from the locking recess (not shown) of the cover 42. Note that the first operation is performed before the push button part 109a is pushed all the way forward, in other words, on the way to pushing the push button part 109a all the way forward. In this first operation, although not shown, the connection parts of the pair of pivot pieces 111b with the pair of second locking parts rise, and the connection parts push up the connecting part 111c with a time difference from the rise. At this time, if the lid body 42 is facing downward, the lid body 42 opens by its own weight. The state immediately after the first locking part 58 is released from the locking recess (not shown) of the lid body 42 and before the lid body 42 is opened is shown. Note that, as in the first embodiment, a biasing member (not shown) that biases the lid body 42 in the opening direction may be provided on the hinge part (not shown). In this case, when the first operation is performed in which the first locking part 58 is released from the locking part of the lid body 42, the lid body 42 is biased by the biasing member to open.

[0058] After the first operation, as shown in FIG. 17, when the push button portion 109a is pushed further forward from the position where the first operation was performed, the connecting portion 111c further swings upward. This causes a second operation in which a pair of second locking portions (not shown) are released from the mounting plate of the dust collection bag, thereby allowing the dust collection bag to fall naturally to the outside. When the pressure on the push button portion 109a of the operation portion 109 is stopped, the lock portion 107 performs an operation generally opposite to the above-mentioned operation. In the second embodiment, the case where the cover body 42 does not cross the central axis 24 of the cylindrical member 41a diagonally (the case where the cover body 42 is perpendicular to the central axis 24) is illustrated, but the cover body 42 may cross the central axis 24 of the cylindrical member 41a diagonally as in the first embodiment. In Figure 17, push button portion 109a is pressed all the way forward, so that normally lid body 42 would be open and the second engagement portion would be detached from the mounting plate of the dust collection bag. However, for the sake of explanation, lid body 42 is shown in a closed state.

[0059] Third embodiment Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a vacuum cleaner of a third embodiment. In Fig. 18, elements similar to those in Fig. 4 are given the same reference numerals. In the first and second embodiments, a handheld or stick type vacuum cleaner 1 (see Fig. 1) is illustrated, but in the third embodiment, a canister type vacuum cleaner 114 shown in Fig. 17 is illustrated. Specifically, this vacuum cleaner 114 includes the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment and a suction unit 116 having a holding unit 115 on which the dust collecting unit 4 is detachably placed. In Fig. 18, the dust collecting unit 4 is illustrated in a simplified form.

[0060] The suction unit 116 includes a housing 119 having a pair of left and right wheels 117 and a front wheel 118, an electric suction machine (not shown) housed in the housing 119, and a power supply unit (not shown) that supplies power to the electric suction machine. The power supply unit can be a battery or a cord reel with a plug that can be connected to a commercial power source (outlet). The housing 119 further includes a suction connection port 120 provided at the lower front end, a handle 121 provided at the upper front end, and a recess 122 provided behind the handle 121, and a cylindrical holding unit 115 is provided behind the recess 122.

[0061] The holding part 115 has a front opening 123 connected to the recess 122, a connection port 124 provided on the upper inner surface near the front opening 123, and an intake port 125 provided deep inside the holding part 115, and an exhaust port (not shown) is provided at the rear end of the holding part 115. Furthermore, in the suction part 116, the suction connection port 120 and the connection port 124 are connected by a ventilation passage 126, the intake port 125 and an exhaust port (not shown) are connected by another ventilation passage (not shown), and an electric suction machine (not shown) is provided in this other ventilation passage. A connection hose (not shown) formed by connecting a suction port body, an extension pipe, and a flexible hose is connected to the suction connection port 120.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 18, the dust collecting unit 4 can be attached to and detached from the holding unit 115 of the suction unit 116 in the direction of the arrow 127. When the dust collecting unit 4 is attached to the holding unit 115 of the suction unit 116, the inlet 45 of the dust collecting unit 4 is connected to the connection port 124 of the holding unit 115, and the exhaust opening 61 of the dust collecting unit 4 is connected to the intake port 125 of the holding unit 115. When the canister type vacuum cleaner 114 is driven, as in the first embodiment, air containing dust from the ventilation passage 126 flows into the dust collecting pack in the dust collecting unit 4 through the connection port 124 and the inlet 45, the dust is captured by the dust collecting pack, and the air from which the dust has been removed passes through the exhaust opening 61 of the dust collecting unit 4, the intake port 125 of the holding unit 115, and another ventilation passage, and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port. After cleaning, the dust collection unit 4 is removed from the suction unit 116, and the dust collection pack containing dust can be disposed of from the dust collection unit 4 by the same operation as in the first embodiment. When removing the dust collection unit 4 from the suction unit 116, the inlet 45 can be kept facing upward, so that dust in the dust collection pack is unlikely to leak out from the inlet 45 to the outside. In FIG. 18, the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction, but the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 may be inclined relative to the horizontal direction as long as the dust collection unit 4 can be removed with the inlet 45 facing upward. Also, the dust collection unit 4 may be structured to be placed upright on the suction unit 116. In this case, for example, the dust collection unit 4 may be placed on the suction unit 116 so that the cover 42 faces upward, the inlet 45 faces backward, and the exhaust opening 61 faces downward, and the holding unit 115 may be configured so that the connection port 124 is connected to the inlet 45 and the intake port 125 is connected to the exhaust opening 61. In this case, the structure is such that the holding portion 115 is rotated 90 degrees so that the front opening 123 of the holding portion 115 shown in FIG. 18 faces upward.

[0063] A preferred aspect of the present invention includes a combination of any of the above-mentioned aspects. In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, various modifications of the present invention are possible. These modifications should not be interpreted as not belonging to the scope of the present invention. The present invention should include the meaning equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the said scope. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1: electric vacuum cleaner, 2: suction port, 3: suction section, 4: dust collection section, 5: battery, 21: housing, 22: electric suction machine, 23: operation button section, 24: central shaft, 31: electrical component storage section, 32: rod-shaped section, 32a: convex section, 33: suction tube section, 33a: upper member, 33b: lower member, 34: handle section, 35: battery holding section, 36: intake port, 36a: packing, 37: engagement recess, 38: exhaust port, 39: connection port, 39a: packing, 41: surrounding wall, 41a: tube member, 41b: cover member, 42: lid body, 43: lock section, 44: recessed groove, 45: inlet port, 50: notched recess, 51: opening end, 52: protruding edge section, 53: retreating edge portion, 55: hinge portion, 56: seal member, 56a: inner seal portion, 56b: membrane portion, 56c: outer seal portion, 57: inlet forming portion, 58: first locking portion, 59: locking recess, 61: exhaust opening, 63: locking claw, 64: lock release lever, 65: biasing member, 66: lock mechanism, 67: surrounding wall, 71: packing, 72: second locking portion, 73: recess, 74: positioning rib, 75: rib, 76: first piece, 77: second piece, 81: dust collection bag, 82: mounting plate, 82a: rear end, 83: intake port, 84: opening, 85: pack body, 85a: rear end, 86: first protrusion, 86a: front end, 87: second protrusion, 87a: inclined end, 91: operation portion, 92: arrow, 93: interlocking mechanism, 94: first portion, 94a: hole portion, 95: second portion, 96: first shaft, 97: second shaft, 98: biasing member, 99: connecting portion, 101: abutment piece, 102: action piece, 103: through hole, 104: sealing member, 105,106: arrow, 107: locking portion, 108: interlocking mechanism, 109: operation portion, 109a: push button portion, 109b: holding tube portion, 109c: operation piece, 110: first portion, 110a: slide portion, 110b: pivot portion, 110c: bifurcated portion, 111: second portion, 111a: pivot portion, 111b: rotating piece, 111c: connecting portion, 112: biasing mechanism, 112a: link piece, 113a: right end portion, 113b: left end portion, 114: vacuum cleaner, 115: holding portion, 116: suction portion, 117: wheel, 118: front wheel, 119: housing, 120: suction connection port, 121: handle, 122: recess, 123: Front opening, 124: Connection port, 125: Air intake port, 126: Ventilation passage, 127: Arrow, 310: Locking hook, 311: Recess, 312: Holding portion, L1, L2, L3, L4: Length,

Claims

1. The dust collecting unit has a suction section that sucks in dust-containing air from a suction port, and a dust collecting unit in which a dust collecting bag having a mounting plate can be set, The dust collecting section is cylindrical and has an openable / closable lid and a locking section at one end in the central axis direction, the locking portion has a first locking portion that detachably locks to the closed lid body, a second locking portion that detachably locks to the mounting plate of the dust collection bag, an interlocking mechanism that interlocks the first locking portion with the second locking portion, and an operating portion that is operated to operate the interlocking mechanism; The vacuum cleaner includes a linking mechanism that links a first action of disengaging the first engaging portion from the cover body and a second action of disengaging the second engaging portion from the mounting plate.

2. The interlocking mechanism has a first portion integrated with the first locking portion and a second portion integrated with the second locking portion, The first portion is rotatable about a first axis extending in a direction perpendicular to a central axis direction of the dust collecting portion, the second portion is rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis; the first action is an action in which the first portion and the first engaging portion rotate by operating the operating portion, and the first engaging portion disengages from the lid body; 2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the second action is an action in which the rotating first portion comes into contact with the second portion to rotate the second portion and disengage the second engaging portion from the mounting plate of the dust bag.

3. 2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking mechanism interlocks the first action with the second action so that the second engagement portion disengages from the mounting plate of the dust bag after the first engagement portion disengages from the lid body.

4. The interlocking mechanism has a first portion integrated with the first locking portion and a second portion integrated with the second locking portion, The first portion is rotatable about a first axis extending in a direction perpendicular to a central axis direction of the dust collecting portion, the second portion is rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis; the first action is an action in which the first portion and the first engaging portion rotate by operating the operating portion, and the first engaging portion disengages from the lid body; 4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the second action is an action in which the rotating first portion comes into contact with the second portion to rotate the second portion and disengage the second engaging portion from the mounting plate of the dust bag.

5. 5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the closed lid body intersects the central axis of the dust collecting unit obliquely when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the dust collecting unit.

6. the open end provided on one end side of the dust collecting portion has, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the dust collecting portion, a protruding edge portion protruding toward one end side in the central axis direction of the dust collecting portion and a receding edge portion receding toward the other end side in the central axis direction of the dust collecting portion, 6. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the first engaging portion of the locking portion is provided on the protruding edge portion, and the cover body is provided on the receding edge portion via a hinge portion.

7. The peripheral wall of the dust collecting section has an inlet penetrating near the protruding edge and an exhaust opening on the other end side in the central axis direction, the suction unit has a suction tube portion having a suction port, a connection port connectable to an inlet of the dust collection unit, an air intake port connectable to an exhaust opening of the dust collection unit, and an exhaust port for exhausting the air that has flowed in from the air intake port to the outside; The second engaging portion is provided near the inlet and between the inlet and the lid, 7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, further comprising a positioning rib for positioning the attachment plate of the dust bag on the inner surface of the dust collecting portion near the inlet.

8. The dust collecting section has an exhaust opening provided on a side opposite to the cover body in the central axis direction of the dust collecting section, 7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the length in the central axial direction of the dust collecting section from the protruding edge portion on the lid side to the end portion on the exhaust opening side is longer than the length in the central axial direction from the receding edge portion on the lid side to the end portion on the exhaust opening side.

9. The suction unit has a holding part that detachably holds the dust collecting unit, The operating portion is provided on an outer surface of the peripheral wall of the dust collecting portion, 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the dust collecting unit is held by the holding unit with the operation unit facing the holding unit of the suction unit.

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