Suction port body and vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a suction port body that can wipe a part to be cleaned near an object by a cleaning sheet, and a vacuum cleaner comprising the same.SOLUTION: A suction port body 1 comprises: a main body part 10 comprising a suction port 100 located in a front part, a front wall part 108 covering at least a portion of a front part of the suction port 100, and a sheet support part 102 for bringing a cleaning sheet 2 into contact with a part F to be cleaned; and a connection pipe 11 establishing communication between the suction port 100 and a suction source, and connected to the main body part 10. The front wall part 108 is rotatably supported at a position above a lower end part 1080, and is rotatable in a front-rear direction. The lower end part 1080 is located in front of a front end part of the sheet support part 102, and is rotated rearward by contact with an object W in front.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a suction port body to which a cleaning sheet can be attached and used, and a vacuum cleaner including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the suction port body of a vacuum cleaner, there is known one that holds a cleaning sheet such as a non-woven fabric and simultaneously performs suction cleaning and wiping cleaning on a portion to be cleaned such as a floor surface. The suction port body has a suction port located at the foremost part, and a cleaning sheet is located behind it. Therefore, even if the suction port body is brought close to or abutted against a wall surface, the cleaning sheet is positioned at a certain distance away from the wall surface, so that the portion to be cleaned near the wall cannot be wiped with the cleaning sheet.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a suction port body capable of wiping a portion to be cleaned near an object with a cleaning sheet, and a vacuum cleaner including the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The suction port body of the embodiment includes a main body having a suction port located at the front, a front wall portion covering at least a part of the front of the suction port, and a sheet support portion for bringing the cleaning sheet into contact with the portion to be cleaned, and a connecting pipe that connects the suction port and the suction source and is connected to the main body. The front wall portion has a rotation axis above the lower end portion, is rotatable in the front-rear direction around the rotation axis, and the lower end portion is in front of the front end portion of the sheet support portion and rotates backward around the rotation axis due to contact with an object in front.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0008] In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a suction port body. The suction port body 1 sweeps a cleaning target portion F which is a cleaning target surface such as a floor. In the present embodiment, a separate cleaning sheet 2 can be attached to the suction port body 1. With the cleaning sheet 2 attached, the user can move the suction port body 1 on the cleaning target portion F, thereby enabling simultaneous suction cleaning and wiping cleaning. That is, the suction port body 1 is a cleaning attachment capable of performing suction cleaning and wiping cleaning. Hereinafter, with reference to the state where the suction port body 1 is placed and used on a horizontal cleaning target portion F, the vertically upward and downward direction is defined as the up and down direction, the direction away from the user is defined as the front direction, the direction approaching the user is defined as the rear direction, and the left and right direction is defined when viewed from the front. In the drawings, the arrow FR direction is the front direction, the arrow RR direction is the rear direction, the arrow U direction is the up direction, the arrow D direction is the down direction, the arrow L direction is the left direction, and the arrow R direction is the right direction.

[0009] The suction port body 1 includes a main body portion 10 and a connecting pipe 11. The main body portion 10 is elongated in the left and right direction which is the lateral direction. That is, the main body portion 10 has a horizontally long shape.

[0010] The main body part 10 has a suction inlet 100 for suction cleaning. The suction inlet 100 is located at the front part of the main body part 10. In the illustrated example, the suction inlet 100 is located at at least the front end or the foremost part of the main body part 10. That is, the suction inlet 100 is located at at least the front surface of the main body part 10. In the present embodiment, the suction inlet 100 is opened from the front end part to the lower part of the main body part 10. In the illustrated example, the suction inlet 100 is opened from the front surface to the lower surface of the main body part 10. The suction inlet 100 is longitudinal along the longitudinal direction of the main body part 10. That is, the suction inlet 100 is longitudinal in the left - right direction. Also, the left - right dimension of the suction inlet 100 is set to be considerably larger than the front - rear dimension. That is, the suction inlet 100 has an elongated horizontally - long shape. The suction inlet 100 extends continuously between the left and right side parts of the main body part 10. The left side part of the suction inlet 100 is located at the left side part of the lower part of the main body part 10, and the right side part of the suction inlet 100 is located at the right side part of the lower part of the main body part 10. In the present embodiment, the suction inlet 100 is located corresponding to substantially the entire width of the main body part 10. That is, the left - right dimension of the suction inlet 100 is set to be substantially equal to the left - right dimension of the main body part 10. Hereinafter, "substantially" shall include the meanings of "completely" and "substantially".

[0011] The suction inlet 100 communicates with an air passage part 101. The air passage part 101 is formed inside the main body part 10 above the suction inlet 100. The air passage part 101 communicates the suction inlet 100 with the front end part which is the upstream end part of a connecting pipe 11 located behind it. The air passage part 101 is formed in a non - bent shape that inclines rearward and upward from the front end part of the suction inlet 100 toward the downstream side. The "non - bent shape" includes a straight line shape or a gentle curve shape formed without a bent part at an angle of 90 degrees or less. In the present embodiment, the air passage part 101 is in a straight line shape from the front end part of the suction inlet 100 toward the front end part of the connecting pipe 11.

[0012] In addition, the main body 10 has a sheet support portion 102 for wiping and cleaning. The sheet support portion 102 is a portion for bringing the cleaning sheet 2 into contact with the portion to be cleaned F by the weight of the suction port body 1 or the main body 10, or the pressure applied from above by the user, and preferably, it is a portion for pressing and closely attaching the cleaning sheet 2 to the portion to be cleaned F. That is, the sheet support portion 102 is a portion for sandwiching the cleaning sheet 2 between it and the portion to be cleaned F. The sheet support portion 102 is located behind the suction port 100, and in this embodiment, it is located near the rear end portion of the suction port 100 at the lower part of the main body 10. In the illustrated example, the sheet support portion 102 is close to the rear end portion of the suction port 100 along the longitudinal direction of the suction port 100 at the lower part of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the sheet support portion 102 is adjacent to the rear end portion of the suction port 100. Hereinafter, "adjacent" shall include not only the state of being adjacent without a gap but also the state of being adjacent with a slight gap.

[0013] At least a part of the sheet support portion 102 forms the entire portion extending across the rear end portion of the main body 10 behind the suction port 100 at the lower part of the main body 10. For example, substantially across the entire width of the front end portion of the sheet support portion 102, the suction port 100 is located opposite. The sheet support portion 102 and the suction port 100 have substantially equal left and right dimensions, and the central portions in the left and right directions substantially coincide.

[0014] In this embodiment, the sheet support portion 102 has a sheet holding portion 1020 for detachably attaching the cleaning sheet 2. The sheet holding portion 1020 is preferably a member that can hold the cleaning sheet 2 lightly to such an extent that the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily removed. For example, the sheet holding portion 1020 is a member that can adhesively hold the cleaning sheet 2, and a hook member of a surface fastener that holds the cleaning sheet 2 by hooking the fibers constituting the cleaning sheet 2 is preferably used. Not limited to this, as the sheet holding portion 1020, a hook member made of synthetic resin or the like integrally formed with the main body 10 may be used, or a reusable adhesive member, such as an adhesive pad, may be used.

[0015] The sheet holding part 1020 is at least partially disposed behind or on the side of the suction port 100 at the lower part and / or the upper part of the main body part 10. In the present embodiment, the sheet holding part 1020 is disposed behind the suction port 100. In the illustrated example, the sheet holding part 1020 is longitudinally long in the left-right direction, and a plurality of them are set in the front-back direction. For example, the sheet holding part 1020 has a front part sheet holding part 10200 located on the front side and a rear part sheet holding part 10201 located on the rear side. However, it is not limited to this. The sheet holding part 1020 may extend, for example, in the front-back direction, or may be scattered at a plurality of locations.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the front part sheet holding part 10200 is along the longitudinal direction of the suction port 100 at the lower part of the main body part 10 and is close to the rear part of the suction port 100. A plurality of the front part sheet holding parts 10200 are set on the left and right, and each is adjacent to the rear end part of the suction port 100. For example, a pair of the front part sheet holding parts 10200 are set on the left and right and are separated from each other in the left-right direction. In the illustrated example, the left side part of the left front part sheet holding part 10200 is located at the left side part of the lower part of the main body part 10 and is arranged in the front-back direction with the left side part of the suction port 100, and the right side part of the front part sheet holding part 10200 located at the right side part of the lower part of the right main body part 10 is arranged in the front-back direction with the right side part of the suction port 100. Further, each front part sheet holding part 10200 is longitudinally long in the left-right direction and is in the shape of a strip with a substantially constant width, and is arranged substantially parallel to the suction port 100. However, it is not limited to this. Each front part sheet holding part 10200 may be divided into a plurality in the front-back and / or left-right directions.

[0017] The rear sheet holding part 10201 is located at a distance rearward from the front sheet holding part 10200. The rear sheet holding part 10201 may be at the lower part of the main body part 10, may be at the upper part, or may be at the upper and lower parts respectively. In the illustrated example, the rear sheet holding part 10201 is arranged along the rear end part of the lower part of the main body part 10. The rear sheet holding part 10201 is in the shape of a strip that is longitudinally long in the left - right direction and has a substantially constant width, and is arranged continuously in the left - right direction across from the left side part to the right side part of the main body part 10. That is, the left side part of the rear sheet holding part 10201 is located at the left side part of the lower part of the main body part 10, and the right side part of the rear sheet holding part 10201 is located at the right side part of the lower part of the main body part 10. Not limited to this, the rear sheet holding part 10201 may be divided into a plurality in the front - rear and / or left - right directions.

[0018] In the present embodiment, the sheet holding part 1020 is arranged in the holding part mounting part 103 recessed in the main body part 10, and is substantially flush with the lower surface of the main body part 10.

[0019] Also, the sheet support part 102 has a pressing part 1021 for making it possible to contact the part to be cleaned F without holding the cleaning sheet 2. The pressing part 1021 constitutes a part of the sheet support part 102 other than the sheet holding part 1020. For example, the pressing part 1021 constitutes an area wider than the sheet holding part 1020 in the sheet support part 102. In the present embodiment, the pressing part 1021 substantially occupies the entire part between the front sheet holding part 10200 and the rear sheet holding part 10201 at the lower part of the main body part 10. The pressing part 1021 is in the shape of a strip that is longitudinally long in the left - right direction and has a substantially constant width, and is positioned substantially parallel to the suction port 100 and the sheet holding part 1020. Also, the pressing part 1021 is located continuously across between the left and right side parts of the main body part 10. That is, the left side part of the pressing part 1021 is located at the left side part of the lower part of the main body part 10, and the right side part of the pressing part 1021 is located at the right side part of the lower part of the main body part 10.

[0020] For example, the pressing portion 1021 is formed into a substantially flat plate shape by a soft material such as an elastomer or urethane. Note that the pressing portion 1021 may be divided into a plurality of parts in the front-rear direction and / or left-right direction. Also, the pressing portion 1021 may not be soft.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the pressing portion 1021 is attached to a pressing portion attachment portion 104 recessed in the lower portion of the main body portion 10, and is substantially flush with the lower portion of the main body portion 10.

[0022] Preferably, a suction hole 105 for sucking and holding the cleaning sheet 2 is opened in the lower portion of the main body portion 10. For example, the suction hole 105 is located behind the suction port 100. In the present embodiment, the suction hole 105 is located in the sheet support portion 102. The suction hole 105 is provided singly or in plurality. For example, the suction hole 105 is provided between a plurality of sheet holding portions 1020. In the present embodiment, one suction hole 105 is set at the center in the left-right direction of the lower portion of the main body portion 10. In the illustrated example, the suction hole 105 is arranged between the left and right front sheet holding portions 10200. That is, the suction hole 105 and the front sheet holding portion 10200 of the sheet holding portion 1020 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the suction port 100. Therefore, the suction hole 105 is located forward with respect to the center in the front-rear direction of the main body portion 10. In the present embodiment, the suction hole 105 is located at a distance from the left and right front sheet holding portions 10200 in the left-right direction.

[0023] The suction hole 105 communicates with a suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 5) described later. In the present embodiment, the suction hole 105 communicates with the air passage portion 101 and communicates with the suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 5) via the air passage portion 101. For example, the suction hole 105 is formed by penetrating the rear surface of the air passage portion 101. The suction hole 105 is formed in a longitudinal shape in the left-right direction. The suction hole 105 has a smaller opening area than the suction port 100. For example, the suction hole 105 is opened in a slit shape having smaller left-right dimensions and front-rear dimensions than the suction port 100.

[0024] And preferably, in the state of use of the suction port body 1, the holding force for holding the cleaning sheet 2 on the suction port body 1 is set such that the front side is stronger than the rear side. In the present embodiment, the holding force on the front side is the sum of the adhesion holding force by the front sheet holding portion 10200 and the adsorption holding force by the suction holes 105, while the holding force on the rear side is only the adhesion holding force by the rear sheet holding portion 10201, so that the holding force on the front side is set stronger than the holding force on the rear side.

[0025] The main body portion 10 is divided into a plurality of case members. In the present embodiment, the main body portion 10 includes a lower case 106 that is a first case member, an upper case 107 that is a second case member covering a part of the upper side of the lower case 106, and a front wall portion 108 that is a third case member. The lower case 106, the upper case 107, and the front wall portion 108 may each be further divided into a plurality of members.

[0026] The lower case 106 constitutes a part of the suction port 100 and a part of the air passage portion 101. The lower case 106 is formed of, for example, a hard synthetic resin or the like. Also, the lower case 106 constitutes the majority of the lower part of the main body portion 10. In the present embodiment, a sheet support portion 102 is formed at the lower part of the lower case 106. In the illustrated example, the lower case 106 is formed in a longitudinal shape in the left - right direction. The front part of the lower case 106 forms the rear part of the air passage portion 101, and the middle part to the rear part is integrated with the sheet support portion 102.

[0027] The upper case 107 constitutes the other part of the suction port 100 and the other part of the air passage portion 101. The upper case 107 is formed of, for example, a hard synthetic resin or the like. The upper case 107 covers the upper part of the front part of the lower case 106 and is fixed to the upper part of the lower case 106. In the present embodiment, the upper case 107 is formed in a longitudinal shape in the left - right direction.

[0028] The front wall portion 108 constitutes the front end portion of the suction port 100 and the lower end portion of the front end portion of the air passage portion 101. The front wall portion 108 is formed in a longitudinal shape in the left - right direction. The front wall portion 108 is formed of a member such as a soft synthetic resin, for example, a member softer than the members constituting the lower case 106 and the upper case 107. The front wall portion 108 has a rotation shaft 1081 at a position above the lower end portion 1080, the rotation shaft 1081 is rotatably supported by the upper case 107, and is rotatable in the front - rear direction about the rotation shaft 1081. That is, the rotation shaft 1081 extends in the left - right direction, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the front wall portion 108. In the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 1081 is formed at the upper end portion of the front wall portion 108. The rotation shaft 1081 is located behind the front end portion of the side wall portion of the upper case 107. The rotation shaft 1081 may be integrally formed with the front wall portion 108 according to the member constituting the front wall portion 108, or may be formed of a member such as metal separate from the front wall portion 108 and attached to the front wall portion 108.

[0029] Further, the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 is located in front of the front end portion of the seat support portion 102, and can rotate backward about the rotation shaft 1081 due to contact with an object W in front such as a wall. In the present embodiment, the front wall portion 108 is set to be rotatable until the lower end portion 1080 is located behind the front end portion of the seat support portion 102, and in the illustrated example, behind the front end portion of the front seat holding portion 10200. For example, the lower end portion of the front wall portion 108 can rotate backward to a position close to the rear surface which becomes the guide surface of the air passage portion 101 and enters the inside of the air passage portion 101. Further, the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 is in a position where it does not block the air passage portion 101. That is, the front wall portion 108 is rotatable in the front - rear direction within a range where a gap is always generated between the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 and the rear surface of the air passage portion 101.

[0030] Also, the front wall portion 108 is biased to rotate forward by biasing means such as a torsion spring or a coil spring. Therefore, when a pressing force acts from the front on the front wall portion 108, the lower end portion 1080 rotates backward, and when the pressing force is released, the front wall portion 108 is configured to return and rotate to the initial front position covering the front portion of the suction port 100.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 is in a position close to the lower portion or the lower surface of the main body portion 10, that is, in a position close to the portion to be cleaned F, in a state where the front wall portion 108 is in its normal position or the initial position of the non-rotating position, and is configured to maintain the degree of vacuum of the suction port 100.

[0032] Preferably, at least the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 is formed to be deformable rearward by the negative pressure of the air passage portion 101. For example, on the front wall portion 108, a deformation allowance portion 1082 such as a groove extending in the left-right direction is formed at a position above the lower end portion 1080 on the rear portion, that is, on the air passage portion 101 side. Thus, starting from this deformation allowance portion 1082, the range from the deformation allowance portion 1082 to the lower end portion 1080 is easily deformable in the front-rear direction. Therefore, due to the negative pressure acting on the air passage portion 101, the portion extending from the deformation allowance portion 1082 to the lower end portion 1080 is deformed further rearward than the portion extending from the deformation allowance portion 1082 to the upper end portion.

[0033] Also preferably, a protruding portion 1083 extending in the vertical direction is formed at the front portion of the front wall portion 108. In the present embodiment, the protruding portion 1083 protrudes to the foremost portion of the main body portion 10 in a state where the front wall portion 108 is in the initial position. The protruding portion 1083 is formed intermittently in a plurality in the left-right direction, which is the both-side direction, on the front wall portion 108. The protruding portion 1083 is arranged over the entire or substantially the entire left-right direction of the front wall portion 108. The protruding portion 1083 is at a position above the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108. In the present embodiment, the protruding portion 1083 has the vicinity of the front portion of the rotation shaft 1081 as its upper end portion and extends downward from that position. The lower end portion of the protruding portion 1083 may extend to the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108, but in the present embodiment, it is at the position of the intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the front wall portion 108 and above the deformation allowance portion 1082. In the illustrated example, the protruding portion 1083 is formed so as to protrude gradually forward from the upper end portion to the lower end portion. In the present embodiment, the protruding portion 1083 has a rib shape formed with a plate thickness in the left-right direction.

[0034] In the main body 10, a connecting pipe 11 is rotatably connected to the central portion in the left - right direction of the lower case 106 and the central portion in the left - right direction of the upper case 107.

[0035] The connecting pipe 11 is a connecting portion that communicates the suction port 100 and the suction hole 105 with a suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 5) to be described later via the air passage portion 101. Preferably, the connecting pipe 11 is rotatably connected to the main body 10. In the present embodiment, the connecting pipe 11 has a plurality of shaft portions whose rotation axis directions intersect each other, and the angle with respect to the main body 10 can be changed in any direction. In the illustrated example, the connecting pipe 11 is composed of a first pipe portion 110 which is an upstream - side pipe portion rotatable in the axial direction and a second pipe portion 111 which is a downstream - side pipe portion having a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the first pipe portion 110, and they are connected in communication.

[0036] The cleaning sheet 2 is a soft sheet such as a square shape formed of, for example, a non - woven fabric or cloth, and it may be a dedicated one or a general - purpose commercially available product. The cleaning sheet 2 preferably has a size or area that covers at least the sheet support portion 102 of the suction port body 1. For example, the cleaning sheet 2 is formed in a square shape having a left - right dimension equal to or larger than the left - right dimension of the sheet support portion 102 and a front - rear dimension equal to or larger than the front - rear dimension of the sheet support portion 102. The cleaning sheet 2 may be used in a state where it is appropriately folded or stacked multiple times according to the size of the sheet support portion 102, or it may be used in a state of a single sheet without being folded. The cleaning sheet 2 may be a dry type or a wet type in which a cleaning liquid such as water or a chemical solution for the portion to be cleaned F has penetrated.

[0037] Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the suction inlet body 1 is used in the vacuum cleaner CL. In the present embodiment, the suction inlet body 1 is applied to a suction-type vacuum cleaner CL that sucks dust together with air into the separation unit 5 by the negative pressure generated by the drive of a suction source 4 such as an electric blower disposed in the cleaner main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner CL. The vacuum cleaner CL may be of any type, such as a floor-running type, a canister type, a stick type, an upright type, or a handy type. In the present embodiment, the vacuum cleaner CL will be described by taking a stick-type vacuum cleaner as an example. Also, in the illustrated example, the suction inlet body 1 is mechanically and fluidly connected to the extension pipe 6, which is a pipe portion, or the cleaner main body 3 via a connection pipe 11. By connecting the connection pipe 11, the air passage portion 101 and the suction inlet 100 of the suction inlet body 1, and further the suction holes 105 (each shown in FIG. 3) in the present embodiment are fluidly communicated with the suction source 4 via the separation unit 5, respectively. Further, in the present embodiment, the operation or on / off or switching of the suction force of the suction source 4 is set by the user by operating the switch 8 of the hand operation unit 7 for gripping operation. In the cleaner main body 3, a main body control unit 9 that operates the suction source 4 according to the operation set by the switch 8 is disposed. The power supply unit B of the vacuum cleaner CL is disposed in the cleaner main body 3, for example. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit B is a battery or a secondary battery, but is not limited thereto, and may be a cord reel device that obtains power from an external power source such as a commercial power supply.

[0038] Next, the cleaning operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0039] First, the suction inlet body 1 is brought into a state where the user can perform a cleaning operation via the hand operation unit 7 by connecting the connection pipe 11 to the extension pipe 6 or the cleaner main body 3. The suction inlet body 1 is brought into a state where the user can perform a cleaning operation via the hand operation unit 7 by connecting the connection pipe 11 to the extension pipe 6 or the cleaner main body 3.

[0040] Next, align the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 within the width in the front-rear direction of the suction port 100 of the suction port body 1 and attach it to the sheet holding portion 1020. As an example, place the cleaning sheet 2 on a flat installation position such as the portion F to be cleaned, align the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 within the width in the front-rear direction of the suction port 100 of the suction port body 1, and press the suction port body 1 against the cleaning sheet 2 from above, that is, sandwich the cleaning sheet 2 between the suction port body 1 and the installation position, thereby attaching and holding the cleaning sheet 2 to the sheet holding portion 1020. In the present embodiment, since at least a part of the sheet holding portion 1020 capable of attaching and holding the cleaning sheet 2 is disposed behind the suction port 100 at the lower portion of the suction port body 1, the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily attached to the suction port body 1. Further, in the present embodiment, the front portion and the rear portion of the cleaning sheet 2 are attached and held by the front portion sheet holding portion 10200 and the rear portion sheet holding portion 10201. Note that the attachment method is not limited to placing the cleaning sheet 2 on the installation position and pressing the suction port body 1 from above. For example, the suction port body 1 may be placed on the installation position with the lower portion facing upward, and the cleaning sheet 2 with the front end portion aligned within the width in the front-rear direction of the suction port 100 may be pressed against the sheet holding portion 1020 to attach the cleaning sheet 2. That is, the sheet holding portion 1020 and the cleaning sheet 2 may be aligned in the front-rear and left-right directions with respect to each other, and either one may be pressed against the other for attachment. Further, when a large surplus portion is generated at the rear end portion of the cleaning sheet 2, this surplus portion may be folded back to the upper portion of the main body portion 10 and inserted and held, for example, between the lower case 106 of the main body portion 10 and the connecting pipe 11.

[0041] In this state, by operating the suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 5) by operating the switch 8, the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 is sucked and held to the suction port 100 by the negative pressure acting from the suction port 100. The front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 adsorbed to the suction port 100 covers, for example, the lower end portion of the rear surface of the air passage portion 101. Further, the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the cleaning sheet 2 is sucked and held by the negative pressure acting from the suction hole 105. In this way, the degree of freedom of the attachment position of the cleaning sheet 2 is improved by the suction port 100 and the suction hole 105.

[0042] Then, the user moves the suction port body 1 back and forth on the cleaning target area F shown in FIG. 1 by the hand operation unit 7 shown in FIG. 5, sucks dust from the suction port 100, and wipes and cleans the cleaning target area F with the held cleaning sheet 2. When the suction port 100 is in a normal state where the front wall portion 108 is not in contact with an object such as a wall and is not rotated rearward, that is, in an initial position, the front wall portion 108 is not deformed from the deformation allowance portion 1082 and the length in the vertical direction is maintained. Since the distance between the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 and the cleaning target area F is small and the degree of vacuum is appropriately maintained, dust can be effectively sucked in.

[0043] The cleaning sheet 2 is brought into contact with the area to be cleaned F by the self-weight of the suction port body 1 or the main body 10 and / or the pressing force applied by the user from the hand operation unit 7 via the sheet holding portion 1020 and the pressing portion 1021 of the sheet support portion 102. In this way, dust is less likely to enter between the cleaning sheet 2 and the lower part of the suction port body 1, and the area to be cleaned F can be wiped and cleaned stably over a large area. Further, the front and rear portions of the cleaning sheet 2 are held by the sheet holding portion 1020, the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 is suction-held by the suction port 100, and is also suction-held by the suction holes 105. Therefore, while the suction source 4 is operating, the cleaning sheet 2 is firmly held by the suction port body 1. In particular, since the user applies a greater force when moving the suction port body 1 forward than when moving it backward, the holding force of the cleaning sheet 2 on the front side of the suction port body 1 is stronger than that on the rear side in the usage state of the suction port body 1. This makes it particularly difficult for the cleaning sheet 2 to curl when the suction port body 1 moves forward. Furthermore, since the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 is suction-held inside the suction port 100, when the suction port body 1 is moved back and forth on the area to be cleaned F, the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 is less likely to directly receive resistance from the area to be cleaned F, preventing the cleaning sheet 2 from curling starting from the front end portion. In this embodiment, in the left-right direction, the suction holes 105 are arranged between the sheet holding portions 1020. Therefore, even without strengthening the adhesion and holding by the sheet holding portion 1020, the cleaning sheet 2 can be firmly held by the suction holding at the suction holes 105. In particular, even when the cleaning sheet 2 is wet or a general-purpose one, the cleaning sheet 2 can be reliably held. Thus, even when the suction port body 1 is moved back and forth on the area to be cleaned F, the cleaning sheet 2 is less likely to curl due to the resistance with the area to be cleaned F. Also, since the suction holes 105 are located at the center in the left-right direction of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1, it becomes possible to hold the cleaning sheet 2 in a well-balanced manner.

[0044] In addition, since the suction port 100 is open from the front surface to the lower surface of the main body portion 10 of the suction port body 1, when the suction port body 1 is advanced on the surface to be cleaned F, even coarse dust such as cat litter or rice grains on the surface to be cleaned F can be sucked in without being pushed forward. Further, as shown in FIG. 4(a), when the front portion of the main body portion 10 of the advanced suction port body 1 abuts against an object W such as a wall, first, the protruding portion 1083 of the front wall portion 108 that protrudes to the foremost portion in the initial position contacts the object W. From this state, as the suction port body 1 is pushed into the object W, the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 rotates backward about the rotation shaft 1081. In the illustrated example, the front wall portion 108 rotates to a position where the front portion of the protruding portion 1083 is flush or substantially flush with the front end portion of the side wall portion of the upper case 108 of the main body portion 10. Therefore, the front portion of the suction port 100 opens wide, and the position of the sheet support portion 102, that is, the position of the cleaning sheet 2 pressed against the surface to be cleaned F by the sheet support portion 102, relatively approaches the object W. Accordingly, it becomes possible to extend the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2 to the surface to be cleaned F near the object W, and it becomes possible to wipe and clean the surface to be cleaned F near the object W. Further, since the protruding portions 1083 are intermittently formed in the left-right direction, a vertical suction air passage is secured between the object W and the front portion of the front wall portion 108 at the position between the protruding portions 1083. Furthermore, since the lower end portion of the protruding portion 1083 is located above the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108, a suction air passage continuous in the left-right direction is secured between the object W and the front portion of the front wall portion 108 at the position below the protruding portion 1083. Further, regarding the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 that has rotated backward, as shown in FIG. 4(b), it bends backward starting from the deformation allowance portion 1082 due to the negative pressure acting in the air passage portion 101, and reaches a position where it opens without closing the air passage portion 101. Therefore, the dust on the surface to be cleaned F near the object W is not pinched between the suction port body 1 and the wall surface, and a suction air passage continuous from the front portion of the suction port body 1 or the main body portion 10 to the air passage portion 101 and the connection pipe 11 can be secured, and even relatively large coarse dust such as cat litter or rice grains can be sucked from the suction port 100.

[0045] The dust sucked in from the suction port 100 is sucked into the connecting pipe 11 by the negative pressure of the suction source 4 acting on the air duct portion 101. The sucked dust is sucked from the connecting pipe 11 into the separation unit 5 and separated and collected from the air.

[0046] When removing the dirty cleaning sheet 2 from the suction port body 1, when the user operates the switch 8 to stop the operation of the suction source 4, the negative pressure acting from the suction port 100 and the suction hole 105 disappears, so that the cleaning sheet 2 is only slightly adhered and held by the sheet holding portion 1020. Therefore, the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily removed from the sheet holding portion 1020, and when removing it, it is not necessary to apply a large force to the cleaning sheet 2, so the dust attached to the cleaning sheet 2 is not easily peeled off.

[0047] (Second Embodiment) Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Regarding the same configuration and operation as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108 is formed such that unevenness in the vertical direction is arranged in the left - right direction, which is the bilateral direction. In the illustrated example, a plurality of concave portions 10800 and a plurality of convex portions 10801 are alternately arranged in the left - right direction at the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108.

[0049] Regarding the left - right positional relationship between the concave portion 10800, the convex portion 10801, and the protruding portion 1083, it may be set arbitrarily. In the present embodiment, at the lower end portion 1080 of the front wall portion 108, the position of the lower part of the protruding portion 1083 is the convex portion 10801, and the space between the protruding portions 1083, 1083 is the concave portion 10800.

[0050] When the front part of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1 that has been advanced is brought into contact with an object such as a wall, first, the protruding part 1083 of the front wall part 108 that protrudes to the foremost part in the initial position comes into contact with the object. As the suction port body 1 is pushed into the object from this state, the lower end part 1080 of the front wall part 108 rotates backward. At the lower end part 1080 of the front wall part 108, by alternately forming convex parts 10801 and concave parts 10800 in the left - right direction, at the position of the convex part 10801, while maintaining an appropriate degree of vacuum in the suction port 100 close to the part to be cleaned F, at the position of the concave part 10800, even relatively large coarse dust such as cat litter and rice grains near the object W can be sucked in.

[0051] (Third Embodiment) Next, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Regarding the same configurations and operations as those in each embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and their descriptions are omitted.

[0052] In this embodiment, the rotation axis 1081 of the front wall part 108 is located behind the front end part of the seat support part 102. In the illustrated example, the position of the front end part of the seat support part 102 is the position of the front end part of the front seat holding part 10200 of the seat holding part 1020. The front wall part 108 is arranged in an inclined state forward from the upper end part on the rotation axis 1081 side to the lower end part 1080 in the initial position. In this embodiment, the lower end part 1080 extends further forward than the protruding part 1083, but it is not limited to this, and the protruding part 1083 may protrude forward of the lower end part 1080.

[0053] Also, side wall parts 1084 are integrally formed on both the left and right sides of the front wall part 108. The side wall parts 1084 constitute the side surfaces of the suction port 100. The side wall parts 1084 are continuous with the part on the lower end part 1080 side rather than the deformation allowance part 1082.

[0054] Preferably, the rotation axis 1081 is entirely located behind the front end part of the seat support part 102, but it is not limited to this, and at least a part of it may be located behind the front end part of the seat support part 102.

[0055] When the front part of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1 that has been advanced is brought into contact with an object W such as a wall, first, when the lower end 1080 or the protruding part 1083 of the front wall part 108 that protrudes to the foremost part in the initial position contacts the object W, as the suction port body 1 is pushed into the object W from that state, the lower end 1080 of the front wall part 108 rotates backward. In the illustrated example, the front wall part 108 rotates until the protruding part 1083 overlaps with a virtual plane extending vertically downward from the front part of the rotation axis 1081 (shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure). Thus, the front part of the suction port 100 opens wide and dust can be sucked in. At the same time, the position of the sheet support part 102, that is, the front end part of the cleaning sheet 2 that is pressed against the part to be cleaned F by the sheet support part 102 is located in front of the rotation axis 1081 and reaches the part to be cleaned F near the object W. Therefore, the part to be cleaned F can be wiped and cleaned up to the vicinity of the object W.

[0056] Regarding each embodiment, without departing from the gist of the invention, they may be arbitrarily combined within a range that does not conflict with each other.

[0057] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these embodiments. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0058] CL Vacuum cleaner F Part to be cleaned W Object 1 Suction port body 2 Cleaning sheet 4 Suction source 10 Main body part 11 Connecting pipe 100 Suction port 101 Air passage part 102 Sheet support part 108 Front wall part 1080 Lower end part 1081 Rotation axis 1083 Protrusion

Claims

1. A main body having a suction port located at the front, a front wall portion covering at least a part of the front of the suction port, and a sheet support portion for bringing a cleaning sheet into contact with a portion to be cleaned. A connecting pipe connected to the main body and communicating the suction port with a suction source. The front wall portion is rotatably supported at a position above the lower end portion and is rotatable in the front-rear direction. The lower end portion is in front of the front end portion of the sheet support portion and rotates backward due to contact with an object in front. The suction port body is characterized by the above.

2. The front wall portion is set to be rotatable to a position where the lower end portion is behind the front end portion of the sheet support portion. The suction port body according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The rotation axis of the front wall portion is located behind the front end portion of the sheet support portion. The suction port body according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The front wall portion has a plurality of protrusions along the vertical direction formed at the front in the left-right direction. The suction port body according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. A duct portion communicating the suction port with the upstream end portion of the connecting pipe is provided. The lower end portion of the front wall portion is at a position that does not block the duct portion. The suction port body according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

6. A duct portion communicating the suction port with the upstream end portion of the connecting pipe is provided. At least the lower end portion of the front wall portion is deformable backward by the negative pressure of the duct portion. The suction port body according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

7. The lower end portion of the front wall portion has irregularities arranged in the left-right direction. The suction port body according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

8. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising the suction port body according to any one of Claims 1 to 7. The electric vacuum cleaner is characterized by the above.

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