Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a vacuum cleaner that can prevent the inside of a dust collection part from being stained with dust.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner is equipped with a suction part for sucking air containing dust from a suction port, and a dust collection part having an inflow port for taking air containing dust sucked from the suction port and a seal member attached to a peripheral part of the inflow port. The seal member includes a cylindrical base part attached to the peripheral part of the inflow port, and a cylindrical rib provided in the cylindrical base part, and protruding on an inner side of the dust collection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As a conventional vacuum cleaner, Patent Document 1 discloses a dust-collection bag type vacuum cleaner in which a dust case frame containing a dust bag is set in a dust chamber of a vacuum cleaner body to capture dust in the dust bag. A commercially available disposable dust bag (a so-called paper bag) is generally used as the dust bag. In the dust-collection bag type vacuum cleaner, a rubber packing is provided on the periphery of the inlet of the dust case frame through which air containing dust flows in. This packing has an outer periphery attached to the periphery of the inlet of the dust case frame, and a check valve consisting of multiple triangular valves protruding from the inner surface of the outer periphery toward the central axis.

[0003] The dust bag is set in the dust case frame so that the air intake port of the backing of the dust bag overlaps with the packing of the dust case frame. When the vacuum cleaner is in operation, the tips of the valves of the packing move into the dust bag due to wind pressure, opening the air intake port, and air containing dust flows into the dust bag through the air intake port. When the vacuum cleaner is stopped, the tips of the valves of the packing return to their original positions and close the air intake port, preventing dust in the dust bag from leaking into the dust collection chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-055303 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The gasket of the dust case frame has a check valve to prevent dust in the dust bag from leaking into the dust collection chamber, but a gap is formed between the outer periphery of the gasket and the backing paper around the air intake of the dust bag, and dust can leak through the gap into the dust case frame while the vacuum cleaner is in operation, soiling the inside of the dust case frame.

[0006] 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]

[0007] The present invention includes a suction unit that sucks air containing dust from a suction port; a dust collecting section including an inlet for taking in air containing dust sucked from the suction port and a seal member attached to a periphery of the inlet, The sealing member provides a vacuum cleaner having a cylindrical base portion attached to the periphery of the inlet, and a cylindrical rib provided on the cylindrical base portion and protruding toward the inside of the dust collecting portion. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the sealing member can prevent dust accumulated inside the dust collection bag set in the dust collection unit from leaking into the dust collection unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [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] 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a seal member and its surrounding structure of the dust collecting section of the first embodiment, as viewed from the left side. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view of a seal member according to a first embodiment, as viewed from one end side in a central axis direction. [Figure 8] 2 is a plan view of the seal member of the first embodiment as viewed from one end side in the direction of the central axis. FIG. [Figure 9] 4 is a perspective view of the seal member of the first embodiment as viewed from the other end side in the direction of the central axis. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a sectional side view seen from the left side, illustrating a state in which dust-containing air is made to flow into a dust collection pack of the dust collection section of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the tip of the protruding piece of the sealing member in FIG. 6 has been moved toward the inside of the dust collecting section by wind pressure. [Figure 12] 9 is a plan view of a state in which a tip of a protruding piece of the sealing member in FIG. 8 has been moved toward the inside of the dust collecting section by wind pressure. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dust collecting section of the first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 14] 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 15] 5 is a sectional side view seen from the left side showing the pressing mechanism before the dust collection bag of the first embodiment is set in a dust collection section. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a dust collection pack is set in a dust collection section with a lid body of the first embodiment open. [Figure 17] 5 is a sectional side view seen from the left side showing the pressing mechanism after the dust collection bag of the first embodiment has been set in a dust collection section. FIG. [Figure 18A] 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 18B] FIG. 18B is a left side view of the dust collection pack of FIG. 18A. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how a dust collection bag is set in a dust collection section of the first embodiment. [Figure 20] 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 21] FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a locked state of a locking part of the dust collecting part in the first embodiment. [Figure 22] 6A to 6C are explanatory views showing a first operation of the interlocking mechanism of the lock portion of the first embodiment. [Diagram 23] 13 is an explanatory view showing a second operation of the interlocking mechanism of the lock portion of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 24] 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. [Diagram 25] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 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.

[0011] (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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment cut along the center line and seen 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 the upper front end portion of the surrounding wall 41. In this embodiment, the protruding edge portion 52 is a region including the recessed groove 44 and its left and right sides (see FIG. 4). The inlet 45 is provided penetrating the surrounding wall 41 at the bottom of the recessed groove 44. In this embodiment, the inlet 45 is disposed in the vicinity of directly above the receding edge portion 53.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the seal member 56 of the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment and its surrounding structure as seen from the left side. The seal member 56 is provided to maintain the sealing performance between the dust collecting unit 4 and the dust collecting pack 81 (see FIG. 2). The seal member 56 has a cylindrical base portion 56a attached to the periphery of the inlet 45 of the dust collecting unit 4, a first cylindrical rib 56b provided at the lower end of the cylindrical base portion 56a and protruding toward the inside of the dust collecting unit 4, an annular lip 56c provided around the first cylindrical rib 56b, a protruding piece 56d protruding from a part of the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a toward the central axis 6 of the cylindrical base portion 56a, and a second cylindrical rib 56e provided on the cylindrical base portion 56a and protruding toward the outside of the dust collecting unit 4. The sealing performance of the connection portion between the suction unit 3 and the dust collecting unit 4 is maintained by a packing 39a.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the seal member 56 of the first embodiment as viewed from one end side (upper side) in the direction of the central axis 6. In order to easily understand the structure of the seal member 56, the seal member 56 will be described based on the seal member 56 attached to the dust collection unit 4. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the seal member 56, a pair of grooves 56f are provided at the front and rear of the periphery of the cylindrical base portion 56a. The range of the cylindrical base portion 56a in the direction of the central axis 6 corresponds to the distance between the lower end surface located at the root of the first cylindrical rib 56b and the upper end surface located at the root of the second cylindrical rib 56e. The boundary between the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a and the inner surface of the first cylindrical rib 56b is a smooth continuous surface without any steps. The pair of grooves 56f are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a between the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a. The cylindrical member 41a of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting unit 4 has an opening for forming the inlet 45, and a pair of grooves 56f of the seal member 56 are fitted into the periphery of the opening. The upper end surface of the seal member 56, which is located inside the second cylindrical rib 56e, is a step 56g. This step 56g corresponds to the upper end surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a. The cover member 41b of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting unit 4 has an annular rib 41c provided in a downwardly protruding manner on the periphery of the opening for forming the inlet 45. The annular rib 41c of the cover member 41b is fitted into the inside of the second cylindrical rib 56e so as to abut against the step 56g of the seal member 56. As a result, the seal member 56 is sandwiched between the cylindrical member 41a and the cover member 41b.

[0021] FIG. 8 is a plan view of the sealing member of the first embodiment as viewed from one end side (upper side) in the direction of the central axis 6. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the protruding piece 56d is a tongue-shaped part protruding rearward from the front part of the inner surface of the cylindrical base part 56a in a direction approximately perpendicular to the central axis 6. The protruding piece 56d has a tip 56m that extends beyond the central axis 6 from the inner surface of the cylindrical base part 56a. This tip 56m is close to the rear part of the inner surface of the cylindrical base part 56a and is curved so as to follow the curved inner surface (inner peripheral surface) of the cylindrical base part 56a. The protruding piece 56d may be slightly inclined toward the inside of the dust collecting part 4 (the other end side (lower side) in the direction of the central axis 6) with respect to the central axis 6.

[0022] The protruding piece 56d has a small piece-like connecting portion 56i that connects to the front portion of the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a, a pair of adjacent edges 56n that are close to each other along the cylindrical inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a, a tip 56m that is provided on the opposite side of the connecting portion 56i in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis 6, and a pair of spaced edges 56p that are spaced from the cylindrical inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a. The pair of adjacent edges 56n are provided on both sides of the connecting portion 56i in the rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as the circumferential direction) around the central axis 6. The pair of spaced edges 56p are provided on both sides of the tip 56m in the circumferential direction. The protruding piece 56d and the cylindrical base portion 56a are integrated by the connecting portion 56i. Between the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a, and between the pair of spaced edges 56p of the protruding piece 56d and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a, ventilation gaps 56h for passing air are provided. In the ventilation gaps 56h, the gaps between each spaced edge 56p and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56 are wider than the gaps between the tip 56m and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a. In this embodiment, there is no gap between the pair of adjacent edges 56n and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a, but there may be a narrow gap.

[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the seal member of the first embodiment as viewed from the other end side (lower side). As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, the seal member 56 has a regulating rib 56j on the lower surface of the protruding piece 56d facing the inside side (first cylindrical rib 56b side) of the dust collecting section 4. In the present embodiment, three regulating ribs 56j are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction on the lower surface of the protruding piece 56d, and each regulating rib 56j extends in the front-rear direction. The height of each regulating rib 56j in the direction of the central axis 6 increases continuously from the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d toward the connecting part 56i. The portion of each regulating rib 56j on the connecting part 56i side is an end oblique side 56s that increases continuously in height from the connecting part 56i toward the tip 56m.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 6, the annular lip 56c is provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical base portion 56a on the lower side near the pair of grooves 56f. The annular lip 56c has an inner lip portion 56x on the outer periphery of the first cylindrical rib 56b and an outer lip portion 56y on the outer periphery of the inner lip portion 56x. The inner lip portion 56x is curved in a direction (inward) in which the tip edge of the inner lip portion 56x approaches the central axis 6. The outer lip portion 56y is curved in a direction (outward) in which the tip edge of the outer lip portion 56y moves away from the central axis 6. The seal member 56 further has an annular rib 56k between the first cylindrical rib 56b and the inner lip portion 56x. The annular rib 56k protrudes downward from the lower end surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a with a protruding dimension that does not exceed the first cylindrical rib 56b and the inner lip portion 56x. The first cylindrical rib 56b has an inner diameter equal to that of the cylindrical base portion 56a and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the air intake port 83 of the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81, and protrudes downward beyond the inner lip portion 56x and the outer lip portion 56y. Note that the opening of the first cylindrical rib 56b may become continuously narrower toward the lower end, in which case the inner diameter of the first cylindrical rib 56b at the lower end is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical base portion 56a.

[0025] 6, in a state where the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81 is attached to the dust collection section 4, the first cylindrical rib 56b of the seal member 56 fits into the intake port 83 of the mounting plate 82 and protrudes to the inside of the dust collection section 4 (the inside of the dust collection pack 81). At this time, the inner lip portion 56x and the outer lip portion 56y contact the surface of the mounting plate 82 (the surface on the outside of the dust collection section 4), thereby restricting the protrusion of the first cylindrical rib 56b to the inside of the dust collection section 4. In the case of this embodiment, the tip of the first cylindrical rib 56b slightly exceeds the intake port 83 but does not reach the inside of the pack body 85. The tip of the first cylindrical rib 56b may protrude to an extent that it is aligned with the back surface of the mounting plate 82.

[0026] When the dust collection pack 81 is set in the dust collection unit 4, a small gap S exists between the first cylindrical rib 56b and the air intake port 83, but compared to the case where the first cylindrical rib 56b is not provided, dust is less likely to enter the inner lip portion 56x side. In addition, the inner lip portion 56x and the outer lip portion 56y contact the surface of the mounting plate 82 to form a double seal, so that dust in the dust collection pack 81 is further prevented from leaking out to the surface side of the mounting plate 82. Note that either the inner lip portion 56x or the outer lip portion 56y may be omitted, but it is preferable that both are provided. When the dust collection pack 81 is set in the dust collection unit 4, the annular rib 56k contacts the tip of the inner lip portion 56x and regulates the bending of the inner lip portion 56x toward the central axis 6 side so that the tip of the inner lip portion 56x does not get too close to the first cylindrical rib 56b. This allows the attachment plate 82 and the inner lip portion 56x to come into contact with each other more easily, improving sealing performance. The annular rib 56k may be omitted, and when the inner lip portion 56x is omitted, the annular rib 56k is also omitted.

[0027] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional side view seen from the left side showing a state in which air containing dust flows into the dust collection pack 81 of the dust collection unit 4 of the first embodiment. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d of the seal member 56 in Fig. 6 has moved to the inside of the dust collection unit 4 by wind pressure. Fig. 12 is a plan view of a state in which the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d of the seal member 56 in Fig. 8 has moved to the inside of the dust collection unit 4 by wind pressure. When the suction unit 3 (electric suction machine 22) of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 (see Fig. 2) is driven to generate suction force, air containing dust flows from the outside of the dust collection unit 4 to the inside through the inlet 45, and the wind pressure at this time causes the connecting portion 56i to elastically deform (bend), so that the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d of the seal member 56 moves to the inside of the dust collection unit 4, and the protruding piece 56d is inclined toward the other end side (downward) with respect to the central axis 6. This greatly expands the ventilation gap 56h in the seal member 56. At this time, in this embodiment, there is no gap between the pair of adjacent edge portions 56n of the seal member 56 and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a, but a narrow gap may be formed.

[0028] When the protruding piece 56d is inclined, the ends of the plurality of restricting ribs 56j on the connecting portion 56i side come into contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a or the inner surface of the first cylindrical rib 56b, thereby restricting the movement of the protruding piece 56d so that the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d is not inclined too much. In the case of this embodiment, the restricting rib 56j comes into contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion 56a and the inner surface of the first cylindrical rib 56b, and restricts the movement of the protruding piece 56d toward the inside of the dust collecting unit 4 to such an extent that the protruding piece 56d maintains a state in which it obliquely intersects with the central axis 6. The protruding piece 56d is inclined downward from the state before inclination, for example, at an angle range of about 25 to 30 degrees.

[0029] 10, the exhaust opening 61 is provided at a position away from the inlet 45 at the rear of the surrounding wall 41 of the dust collecting section 4, and the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d is inclined toward the inside of the dust collecting section 4 toward the exhaust opening 61, and the tip 56m of the protruding piece 56d moves to the inside of the dust collecting pack 81 below the first cylindrical rib 56b. As a result, the air containing dust is likely to flow from the ventilation gap 56h of the seal member 56 to the rear inner surface 56q of the pack body 85 as shown by the arrow B. If the air containing dust flows linearly toward the lower inner surface 56r of the pack body 85 directly below the inlet 45, a lot of dust will collide with the lower inner surface 56r with force because the distance from the lower end of the first cylindrical rib 56b to the lower inner surface 56r is shorter than the distance from the lower end of the first cylindrical rib 56b to the rear inner surface 56q. As a result, fine dust is likely to slip through the lower inner surface 56r and come out to the outside. In this embodiment, in order to prevent such a situation, the protruding piece 56d guides a large amount of dust to flow toward the rear inner surface 56q of the pack body 85.

[0030] When dust flows into the pack body 85, the dust may fly around the intake port 83 of the mounting plate 82, but the dust is unlikely to enter the narrow gap S between the first cylindrical rib 56b and the intake port 83. Furthermore, the gap between the surface of the mounting plate 82 around the intake port 83 and the annular lip 56c (the inner lip portion 56x and the outer lip portion 56y) is sealed. Therefore, dust is unlikely to leak out of the dust collection pack 81 through the gap S. When dust-containing air 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. At this time, the pack body 85 is larger in the front-rear direction than in the left-right direction, so the pack body 85 expands greatly in the front-rear direction.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 5, the open end 51 of the surrounding wall 41 intersects the central axis 24 at an angle, and the cover 42 with the open end 51 closed also intersects 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 intersects 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 this 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 is locked to the locking recess 59 of the closed cover 42 (see FIG. 4).

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the dust collecting unit 4 of the first embodiment, as viewed from diagonally below. As shown in FIG. 13, an exhaust opening 61 is provided at the rear end of the peripheral wall 41 of the dust collecting unit 4 in the direction of the central axis 24. A hinge portion 55 is provided on the lower surface (rearward edge portion 53) of the peripheral wall 41 opposite to the exhaust opening 61, for connecting the lid body 42 to the peripheral wall 41 in an openable and closable manner. A lock mechanism 66 including a pair of locking claws 63, a lock release lever 64, and a biasing member 65 (see FIG. 5), and a surrounding wall 67 covering the lock mechanism 66 are provided on the lower surface of the peripheral wall 41 on the exhaust opening 61 side. A pair of locking 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 locking 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.

[0035] Fig. 14 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. Fig. 14 shows a state before the dust collecting pack 81 is set in the dust collecting unit 4. The open end 51 of the peripheral wall 41 opposite the exhaust opening 61 is opened or closed by the lid body 42. A packing 71 is provided on the outer peripheral end of the lid body 42 that contacts the open end 51 of the peripheral wall 41. Fig. 14 also shows a state in which a pair of second engagement portions 72 of a locking portion, which will be described later, penetrate the peripheral wall 41 and protrude into the inside of the dust collecting unit 4.

[0036] 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 FIGS. 16 and 18A) of the mounting plate 82 and positions it in the recess 73.

[0037] A plurality of ribs 75 extending in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis 24 of the surrounding wall 41 are provided on the inner surface of the surrounding 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 surrounding 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. Furthermore, a pressing mechanism 76 (see FIG. 15) including an abutment portion 76a is provided at a front position on the left side of the recess 73, and an abutment piece 77 capable of abutting against the abutment portion 76a is provided on the inner surface of the lid 42.

[0038] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of the pressing mechanism 76 seen from the left side before the dust collection pack 81 (see FIG. 10) of the first embodiment is set in the dust collection unit 4. The contact portion 76a of the pressing mechanism 76 is a rod-like or plate-like member extending in the front-rear direction, and a left-right shaft portion 76b is provided on the rear end side of the contact portion 76a from the middle in the front-rear direction. The front end of the contact portion 76a can protrude into the inside of the dust collection unit 4 from an opening 78 formed on the left side of the recess 73 of the dust collection unit 4. The pressing mechanism 76 further includes a biasing member 76c that biases the rear end of the contact portion 76a so that the front end of the contact portion 76a protrudes toward the inside of the dust collection unit 4. In FIG. 15, a compression coil spring is illustrated as the biasing member 76c, but a torsion coil spring provided on the shaft portion 76b may also be used. If an attempt is made to close the lid 42 without the dust collection pack 81 being set in the dust collection unit 4, the abutment piece 77 of the lid 42 will come into contact with the abutment portion 76a of the pressing mechanism 76, preventing the lid 42 from being closed. This mechanism allows the user to recognize that a dust collection pack has been forgotten to be set in the dust collection unit 4.

[0039] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the dust collection pack 81 (see FIG. 10) is set in the dust collection unit 4 with the cover 42 of the first embodiment open. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view from the left side showing the pressing mechanism 76 after the dust collection pack 81 of the first embodiment is set in the dust collection unit 4. Note that in FIGS. 16 and 17, only the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81 is shown. When the dust collection pack 81 is set in the dust collection unit 4, the abutment portion 76a of the pressing mechanism 76 pressed by the left part (second protrusion 87 described later) of the mounting plate 82 moves upward (inside the wall of the surrounding wall 41) against the biasing force of the biasing member 76c. As a result, even when the cover 42 is closed, the abutment piece 77 does not abut the abutment portion 76a, so that the cover 42 can be closed. At this time, the front end of the second protrusion 87 of the mounting plate 82 abuts against the small protrusion 76d provided at the lower end of the tip of the abutment portion 76a.

[0040] Fig. 18A is a plan view of dust collection pack 81 before use which is set in dust collection unit 4 (see Fig. 10) of the first embodiment. Fig. 18B is a left side view of dust collection pack 81 in Fig. 18A. Dust collection pack 81 before use which is set inside dust collection unit 4 (see Fig. 14) is in a folded state. Dust collection pack 81 includes pack body 85 having opening 84, and mounting plate 82 provided at opening 84 of pack body 85.

[0041] 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 port 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).

[0042] 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 at one end 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 of 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. 16). 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.

[0043] 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. 16). During this setting, the second protrusion 87 presses the abutment portion 76a of the pressing mechanism 76, and the abutment portion 76a is maintained in a pressed state. Thereafter, when the lid body 42 is closed, even if the rear end 82a of the mounting plate 82 is not pressed to the position of the positioning rib 74 of the recess 73, the abutment piece 77 that rotates together with the lid body 42 abuts against the front end 86a of the mounting plate 82 and presses the mounting plate 82, so that the rear end 82a of the mounting plate 82 moves to the position of the positioning rib 74 of the recess 73 (see FIG. 16). Then, as described above, the abutment piece 77 does not abut against the abutment portion 76a, and the lid body 42 closes (see FIG. 17). Before the lid body 42 is completely closed, the abutment piece 77 comes off the front end 86a of the mounting plate 82 and moves to the back side of the mounting plate 82.

[0044] FIG. 19 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 (the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 is substantially vertical in FIG. 19, but 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, the open state is maintained 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 to 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. That is, 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. More specifically, 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, whereby 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. 16).

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 13). 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 (see Fig. 13) 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.

[0047] 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 (see FIG. 13) on the exhaust opening 61 side of the dust collection unit 4 engage with a pair of engagement recesses 37 (see FIG. 3) on the intake port 36 side of the suction unit 3. This restricts left-right movement of the lower side of the dust collection unit 4 relative to the holding unit 312. In addition, the dust collection unit 4 is designed to have a gap between the surface of the housing 21 having the intake port 36 and the surface of the dust collection unit 4 having the exhaust opening 61 when the dust collection unit 4 is attached to the holding unit 312. Therefore, when the dust collection unit 4 is pressed along the central axis 24 toward the surface of the housing 21 having the intake port 36 while the dust collection unit 4 is attached to the holding unit 312, the dust collection unit 4 can move toward the surface of the housing 21 having the intake port 36.

[0048] By providing such a gap, the possibility that the surface of the housing 21 having the intake port 36 and the surface of the dust collection unit 4 having the exhaust opening 61 come into contact with each other before the installation is completed can be reduced, and the dust collection unit 4 can be easily attached 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 unit 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 the dust collection unit 4 is attached to the holding unit 312 of the suction unit 3. In the dust collection unit 4 attached to the holding unit 312 of the suction unit 3, the operating unit 91 of the lock unit 43 is hidden by the holding unit 312 and cannot be pressed from the outside, and further, the locking hook 310 of the holding unit 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 during operation of the vacuum cleaner 1. 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.

[0049] 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 13). 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] In this embodiment, dust tends to accumulate in the space behind the intake port 83 in the dust collection pack 81 (see FIG. 10). 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.

[0052] Fig. 20 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. 20 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 and locks it, a pair of second locking portions 72 (see Fig. 16) 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.

[0053] Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a locked state of the locking portion 43 of the dust collecting portion 4 in the first embodiment. Fig. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a first operation of the interlocking mechanism 93 of the locking portion 43 in the first embodiment. Fig. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a second operation of the interlocking mechanism 93 of the locking portion 43 in the first embodiment. Figs. 21 to 23 show the posture of the dust collecting portion 4 when the dust collecting pack 81 containing dust is disposed of. In addition, Figs. 21 to 23 are simplified configuration diagrams to make the mechanism of the interlocking mechanism 93 easier to understand.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 21, 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. 14). 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 cylindrical member 41a of the surrounding wall, and the second part 95 is rotatable about a second shaft 97 parallel to the first shaft 96. As shown in FIG. 20, the first part 94 has a hole 94a at the position of the inlet 45 and the seal member 56, 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.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 21, 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 97a, 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. 21, a gap X is provided between the abutment piece 101 and the action piece 102 in the locked state.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 21, the cylindrical member 41a is provided with a pair of left and right through holes 103 near the inlet 45 (see FIG. 19) 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.

[0057] 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. 22 and 23. As shown in Fig. 22, 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 released. 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.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 23, 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. As a result, the second portion 95 and the pair of second locking portions 72 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. 24. 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 are released from the mounting plate 82 of the dust collection pack 81, the mounting plate 82 is pressed by the abutting portion 76a (see FIG. 15) of the pressing mechanism 76, and the mounting plate 82 moves in a direction away from the second locking portions 72 (toward the inside of the dust collection unit 4). At this time, the biasing member 76c of the pressing mechanism 76 biases the abutting portion 76a in a direction to remove the intake port 83 (see FIG. 6) of the mounting plate 82 from the first cylindrical rib 56b, so that the intake port 83 of the mounting plate 82 is easily removed from the first cylindrical rib 56b (see FIG. 6) of the seal member 56 of the dust collection unit 4. Therefore, when the dust collection pack 81 falls freely (naturally), the mounting plate 82 is less likely to come into contact with the second locking portions 72 and the first cylindrical rib 56b, and the dust collection pack 81 can fall smoothly.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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 in a substantially horizontal direction 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 substantially horizontal direction, but it is sufficient that the dust collecting unit 4 can be removed with the inlet 45 of the dust collecting unit 4 facing upward (including diagonally upward), and the dust collecting unit may be removed with the central axis 24 of the dust collecting unit 4 inclined with respect to the substantially horizontal direction. Therefore, for example, even if a part of the protruding piece 56d (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 protruding piece 56d 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.

[0062] Second embodiment Fig. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a vacuum cleaner of a second embodiment. In Fig. 25, elements similar to those in Fig. 4 are given the same reference numerals. In the first embodiment, a handheld or stick type vacuum cleaner 1 (see Fig. 1) is illustrated, but in the second embodiment, a canister type vacuum cleaner 114 shown in Fig. 25 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. 25, the dust collecting unit 4 is illustrated in a simplified form.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 25, 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 through the connection port 124 and the inlet 45 into the dust collecting pack in the dust collecting unit 4, 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 performing 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. 25, the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 is facing substantially horizontally, but it is sufficient that the dust collection unit 4 can be removed with the inlet 45 facing upward (including diagonally upward), and the dust collection unit may be removed with the central axis 24 of the dust collection unit 4 tilted from the substantially horizontal direction. Also, the dust collection unit 4 may be placed upright on the suction unit 116. In this case, for example, the cover 42 may be placed on the suction part 116 so that the cover 42 faces upward, the inlet 45 faces backward, and the exhaust opening 61 faces downward, and the holding part 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 holding part 115 is rotated 90 degrees so that the front opening 123 of the holding part 115 shown in FIG. 25 faces upward.

[0066] 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 all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1: electric vacuum cleaner, 2: suction port, 3: suction section, 4: dust collection section, 5: battery, 6: central shaft, 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, 41c: annular rib, 42: lid body, 43: lock section, 44: recessed groove, 45: inlet port, 50: notched recess, 51: opening end, 52: protruding edge portion, 53: receding edge portion, 55: hinge portion, 56: seal member, 56a: cylindrical base portion, 56b: first cylindrical rib, 56c: annular lip, 56d: protruding piece, 56e: second cylindrical rib, 56f: groove portion, 56g: step portion, 56h: ventilation gap, 56i: connecting portion, 56j: restricting rib, 56k: annular rib, 56m: tip, 56n: adjacent edge portion, 56p: separating edge portion, 56q: rear inner surface, 56r: lower inner surface, 56s: end oblique side, 56x: inner lip portion, 56y: outer lip 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 engagement portion, 73: recess, 74: positioning rib, 75: rib, 76: pressing mechanism, 76a: contact portion, 76b: shaft portion, 76c: biasing member, 76d: small protrusion, 77: contact piece, 78: opening, 81: dust collection bag, 82: mounting plate, 82a: rear end, 83: air intake port, 84: opening, 85: pack body, 85a: rear end, 86: first protrusion, 86a: front end, 87: second protrusion, 91: operation portion, 92: arrow, 93: interlocking mechanism, 94: first portion, 94a: hole portion, 95: second portion, 96: first shaft, 96a: first pivot portion, 97: second shaft, 97a: second pivot portion, 98: biasing member, 99: connecting portion, 101: abutment piece, 102: action piece, 103: through hole, 104: seal member, 105,106: arrow, 114: vacuum cleaner, 115: holding part, 116: suction part, 117: wheels, 118: front wheels, 119: housing, 120: suction connection port, 121: handle, 122: recess, 123: front opening, 124: connection port, 125: intake port, 126: ventilation passage, 127: arrow, 310: locking hook, 311: recess, 312: holding part, L1, L2: length, L3, L4: dimensions, S, X: gap,

Claims

1. a suction unit that sucks air containing dust from a suction port; a dust collecting section including an inlet for taking in air containing dust sucked from the suction port and a seal member attached to a periphery of the inlet, The sealing member of the vacuum cleaner has a cylindrical base portion attached to the periphery of the inlet, and a cylindrical rib provided on the cylindrical base portion and protruding toward the inside of the dust collecting portion.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member further has a protruding piece that protrudes from a part of the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion toward a central axis of the cylindrical base portion to a position beyond the central axis.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2 , wherein the protruding piece is inclined toward an inside of the dust collecting section when air flows from the suction section into the dust collecting section.

4. The dust collecting section has an exhaust port for exhausting air from inside the dust collecting section to the outside, the exhaust port being located away from the inlet port; 4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein when air flows from the suction section to the dust collecting section, the protruding piece is inclined toward the inside of the dust collecting section toward the exhaust port, and a tip of the protruding piece protrudes further toward the inside of the dust collecting section than the cylindrical rib.

5. The seal member further has a restricting rib on an inner surface of the protruding piece facing the inside of the dust collecting portion, 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the restricting rib restricts the inclination of the protruding piece by coming into contact with the cylindrical base portion or the cylindrical rib when the protruding piece is inclined.

6. 6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the cylindrical rib has a length that reaches the air intake port of the mounting plate of the dust bag set in the dust collecting section but does not protrude into the inside of the dust bag, and fits into the air intake port.

7. The protruding piece further has a connecting portion that connects to a part of the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion, a pair of adjacent edge portions that are close to the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion and are provided on both sides of the connecting portion in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis, a tip portion that is disposed at a position beyond the central axis, and a pair of distant edge portions that are spaced apart from the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion and are provided on both sides of the tip in the circumferential direction, 7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein ventilation gaps for passing air are provided between the tip and the inner surface of the cylindrical base, and between the pair of spaced edges and the inner surface of the cylindrical base.

8. The seal member further includes an annular lip disposed about the periphery of the cylindrical rib; 8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the annular lip contacts a mounting plate of a dust bag set in the dust collecting section.

9. 9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the annular lip has an inner lip portion circumferentially outward of the cylindrical rib and an outer lip portion circumferentially outward of the inner lip portion.

10. The seal member further includes an annular rib between the cylindrical rib and the inner lip portion; 10. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein, when the dust bag is set in the dust collecting section, the inner lip portion that is in contact with the mounting plate abuts against the annular rib.

11. the dust collection unit has a locking unit that releasably engages with the mounting plate so as to maintain a state in which the cylindrical rib is fitted into the air intake port, and a pressing mechanism that presses the mounting plate in a direction to remove the air intake port from the cylindrical rib, 11. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the mounting plate released from the locking portion is pressed by a pressing mechanism to disengage the air inlet from the cylindrical rib.

12. The dust collection unit is detachable from the suction unit. The dust collecting section further includes a cylindrical peripheral wall and a cover provided at one end of the peripheral wall in a central axis direction so as to be openable and closable. 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 interlocking mechanism is capable of interlocking a first operation of disengaging the first engaging portion from the cover body with a second operation of disengaging the second engaging portion from the mounting plate; 12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the pressing mechanism has a contact portion that contacts the mounting plate of the dust collection bag set in the dust collection section, and a biasing member that biases the contact portion in a direction to remove the air intake port of the mounting plate from the cylindrical rib.

13. 5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical rib has a length that reaches the air intake port of the mounting plate of the dust collection bag set in the dust collection section but does not protrude into the inside of the dust collection bag, and fits into the air intake port.

14. The protruding piece further has a connecting portion that connects to a part of the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion, a pair of adjacent edge portions that are close to the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion and are provided on both sides of the connecting portion in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis, a tip portion that is disposed at a position beyond the central axis, and a pair of distant edge portions that are spaced apart from the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion and are provided on both sides of the tip in the circumferential direction, The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein ventilation gaps for allowing air to pass therethrough are provided between the tip and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion, and between the pair of spaced apart edges and the inner surface of the cylindrical base portion.

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