Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a vacuum cleaner that can efficiently cool a battery.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure comprises: a main body 3 incorporating an electric air blower 21 for generating an air flow for sucking dust; a grip part 7 provided in the main body 3, and to be gripped by a user with a hand; and a battery 10 being a power supply for the electric air blower 21. The battery 10 is attached to the main body 3. The main body 3 has a suction port 9 for sucking the dust. When the side of the suction port 9 is defined as front and the opposite side is defined as rear in a front-rear direction of the main body 3, a rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 is exposed to outside air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vacuum cleaners. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vacuum cleaner that includes a housing, an electric blower that is disposed inside the housing and generates an airflow to suck in dust, and a battery that serves as a power source for the electric blower. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-068702 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional electric vacuum cleaners equipped with a battery such as that described in Patent Document 1, the battery heats up as it is driven, causing it to become too hot, shortening the product's lifespan and causing discomfort to users when they touch it.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner that can efficiently cool a battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure includes a main body incorporating an electric blower that generates an airflow for sucking in dust, a grip provided on the main body for a user to hold, and a battery that serves as a power source for the electric blower. The battery is attached to the main body, and the main body has an inlet for sucking in dust. When the front and rear directions of the main body are defined as the inlet side and the opposite side, respectively, the rear end face of the battery is exposed to the outside air. The vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure includes a main body having a built-in electric blower that generates an airflow for sucking in dust, a handle provided on the main body to be gripped by a user, and a battery that serves as a power source for the electric blower. The battery is attached to the main body, and the main body has an inlet for sucking in dust. When the front-to-rear direction of the main body is defined as the inlet side being the front and the opposite side being the rear, the handle is formed from the rear end surface of the main body, the battery is positioned to face the handle with the electric blower between them, and the rear end surface of the battery is not forward of the rear end of the handle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner that can efficiently cool a battery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a main body of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a structure for attaching and detaching a battery to the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be simplified or omitted. The configurations shown in the following embodiments are examples of the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and may be combined with other known technologies, or multiple technical ideas described in the present disclosure may be combined. Furthermore, it is also possible to omit or modify part of the configuration without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0010] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner 1 according to a first embodiment. The vacuum cleaner 1 is, for example, a cordless upright vacuum cleaner. As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner 1 mainly comprises a main body 3, a tube body 4, and a suction tool 5. The main body 3 comprises, for example, a dust collection unit 6 that collects dust. In this disclosure, dust and other debris may be collectively referred to simply as "dust."

[0011] The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a grip 7 provided on the main body 3. The grip 7 is a part that the user holds with their hand while using the vacuum cleaner 1. The user can hold the vacuum cleaner 1 by gripping the grip 7.

[0012] 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of main body 3 of vacuum cleaner 1 according to embodiment 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, vacuum cleaner 1 includes battery 10. Battery 10 is attached to main body 3. Battery 10 serves as a power source for electric blower 21 built into main body 3.

[0013] Electric blower 21 is used to generate suction air for vacuum cleaner 1. Electric blower 21 generates an airflow to suck in dust. A drive circuit 22 for driving electric blower 21 is provided inside main body 3. Electric power released from battery 10 is supplied to electric blower 21 via drive circuit 22.

[0014] The main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner 1 has a suction unit 8 for sucking in dust. The suction unit 8 is a hollow cylindrical member to which the tube body 4 is detachably connected. The suction unit 8 has a suction port 9, which is an opening for sucking in dust. An air passage is formed inside the suction unit 8 to guide the airflow that passes through the suction port 9 to the dust collection unit 6.

[0015] When electric blower 21 is driven, a suction force acts on the inside of dust collection unit 6 and suction unit 8, and air is sucked in together with dust from suction port 9. The dust and air sucked in from suction port 9 pass through suction unit 8 and are taken into dust collection unit 6. In dust collection unit 6, dust is separated from the air and the dust is collected. Clean air discharged from dust collection unit 6 passes through electric blower 21 and is then discharged to the outside of main body 3.

[0016] In this embodiment, the side facing suction port 9 is the front of vacuum cleaner 1, and the opposite side is the rear. In this embodiment, the front-to-rear direction of main body 3 is defined as the side facing suction port 9 being the front, and the opposite side being the rear. As an example, the axial direction of rotation shaft A of electric blower 21 is the front-to-rear direction.

[0017] 2, in this embodiment, the grip portion 7 is formed, for example, in the front-rear direction of the main body 3. Alternatively, the grip portion 7 may be formed from the rear end surface 3a of the main body 3, as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the grip portion 7 may be formed so that at least a portion thereof is located at the position of the rear end surface 3a of the main body 3.

[0018] The vacuum cleaner 1 is characterized by the configuration of the battery 10, specifically, the arrangement of the battery 10 relative to the main body 3. The following description will focus on the configuration of the battery 10.

[0019] The battery 10 has cells 11 and a battery case 12 that houses the cells 11. The battery case 12 houses a plurality of cells 11. For example, the battery case 12 houses six cells 11.

[0020] In this embodiment, the multiple cells 11 are housed in the battery case 12 in a lined-up state. In this embodiment, the battery 10 is arranged facing the grip portion 7 with the electric blower 21 in between. The multiple cells 11 are arranged so as not to overlap on the side where the electric blower 21 and the grip portion 7 are located. The battery case 12 and the battery 10 are formed in a long and narrow shape in the front-to-back direction. With this configuration, a larger portion of the surface of the cells 11 can be exposed to the outside air via the battery case 12. As an example, the battery 10 is configured so that more than half of the surface of the battery 10 is directly exposed to the outside air when attached to the main body 3. This allows the battery 10 to be cooled efficiently.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the battery 10 may be arranged coaxially with the suction part 8. The multiple cells 11 may be arranged coaxially with the suction part 8, aligned front to back. The outer diameter of the battery case 12 may be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the suction part 8. This allows the main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner 1 to be elongated and slender, making it easier to handle.

[0022] When using the vacuum cleaner 1, the user grips the grip portion 7 formed in the front-to-rear direction and moves the main body 3 back and forth. By locating the battery 10 as far rearward as possible in the main body 3, heat dissipation from the battery 10 to the outside air when the main body 3 moves back and forth can be promoted.

[0023] For example, it is preferable that the rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 is exposed to the outside air. In other words, it is preferable that there are no other components constituting the vacuum cleaner 1 behind the battery 10. This promotes heat dissipation through heat transfer from the battery 10 to the outside air when the main body 3 moves back and forth, making it possible to efficiently cool the battery 10.

[0024] The rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 does not necessarily have to be exposed to the outside air. For example, the rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 may be located in a position that is not forward of the rear end 7b of the grip portion 7, which is formed forward from the rear end surface 3a of the main body 3. That is, the rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 may be located rearward of the front end 7b of the rear end 7a of the grip portion 7. The rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 may be located rearward of the front end 7b of the rear end 7a of the grip portion 7 and forward of the rear end 7c of the rear end 7b of the grip portion 7. The rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 may also be located rearward of the rear end 7c of the rear end 7b of the grip portion 7.

[0025] The grip 7 formed from the rear end surface 3a of the main body 3 is substantially the rearmost component of the components constituting the vacuum cleaner 1. The battery 10, which faces the grip 7 across the electric blower 21 and is positioned so that its rear end surface 10a is not forward of the rear end 7a of the grip 7, is the rearmost component of the components constituting the vacuum cleaner 1. Behind the battery 10 positioned in this manner, there are no other components or only a few other components. By positioning the battery 10 as far rearward as possible, heat dissipation by heat transfer from the battery 10 to the outside air when the main body 3 moves back and forth is promoted, allowing the battery 10 to be cooled efficiently.

[0026] When the rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 is exposed to the outside air, the rear end surface 10a may be located forward of the rear end portion 7a of the grip portion 7 or the rear end surface 3a of the main body 3. Furthermore, whether the rear end surface 3a of the battery 10 is exposed to the outside air or not, the rear end surface 10a of the battery 10 may be located rearward of the rear end portion 7a of the grip portion 7 or the rear end surface 3a of the main body 3.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2 , the battery 10 has a metal electrode 13. The metal electrode 13 is electrically connected to the cell 11. The body 3 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is provided with a body-side electrode 14 that is in electrical contact with the metal electrode 13 of the battery 10. The metal electrode 13 and the body-side electrode 14 are electrodes for supplying power from the battery 10 to the electric blower 21. The metal electrode 13 and the body-side electrode 14 are also electrodes for charging the battery 10.

[0028] The main body electrode 14 is provided, for example, near the rear end of the grip portion 7. As an example, the main body electrode 14 is formed as a metal plate-like member, and the metal electrode 13 of the battery 10 is formed partially in a U-shape so as to sandwich the main body electrode 14.

[0029] At least a portion of the metal electrode 13 of the battery 10 is preferably located rearward of the front end 7b of the rear end 7a of the grip portion 7. Similarly, at least a portion of the body-side electrode 14 is preferably located rearward of the front end 7b of the rear end 7a of the grip portion 7. As shown in Fig. 2, for example, a portion of the metal electrode 13 and a portion of the body-side electrode 14 may be located rearward of the front end 7b and forward of the rear end 7c of the rear end 7a of the grip portion 7.

[0030] The battery 10 and the main body 3 are separate components. There is a gap between the battery 10 and the main body 3. By positioning the metal electrode 13 as far back as possible, outside air can easily enter the metal electrode 13 through the gap between the battery 10 and the main body 3 when the main body 3 moves back and forth. This promotes heat dissipation from the metal electrode 13, allowing the battery 10 to be cooled efficiently. It is recommended that the gap between the battery 10 and the main body 3 be formed as a gap with a width of about 1 mm, for example. This allows outside air to be taken in efficiently through the gap.

[0031] The battery 10 may be configured to be detachable from the main body 3. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the detachable configuration of the battery 10 of the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the first embodiment. The battery 10 is attached to and detached from the main body 3, for example, by operating an attachment / detachment mechanism 15 provided near the rear end of the grip portion 7. When the battery 10 is detachable from the main body 3, the gap between the battery 10 and the main body 3 is easily exposed to the outside air. This allows the battery 10 to be cooled efficiently.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, arrows indicate the flow of air when electric blower 21 is operating. In this modification, electric blower 21 is housed in electric blower case 23. Electric blower case 23 is formed with communication holes for directing air that has passed through electric blower 21 toward metal electrode 13. This promotes heat dissipation from metal electrode 13, enabling efficient cooling of battery 10. Note that, to avoid complicating the air path design and increasing pressure loss, metal electrode 13 and main body side electrode 14 are preferably located on the rear side of electric blower 21. In other words, metal electrode 13 and main body side electrode 14 are preferably located on the exhaust side of electric blower 21.

[0033] As another modification, for example, the battery case 12 may be formed with holes that connect the space housing the cells 11 to the outside air. This allows the cells 11 inside the battery 10 to be efficiently cooled by the outside air.

[0034] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0035] (Appendix 1) The main body has a built-in electric blower that generates airflow to suck in dust, a grip portion provided on the main body and gripped by a user's hand; a battery that is a power source for the electric blower; An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: The battery is attached to the main body, The main body has a suction port for sucking in dust, When the front-rear direction of the main body is defined as the suction port side being the front and the opposite side being the rear, the rear end face of the battery is exposed to the outside air. (Appendix 2) The main body has a built-in electric blower that generates airflow to suck in dust, a grip portion provided on the main body and gripped by a user's hand; a battery that is a power source for the electric blower; An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: The battery is attached to the main body, The main body has a suction port for sucking in dust, When the front-to-rear direction of the main body is defined as the suction port side being the front and the opposite side being the rear, the grip part is formed from the rear end surface of the main body, the battery is arranged so as to face the grip part across the electric blower, and the front-to-rear position of the rear end surface of the battery is not forward of the rear end of the grip part. (Appendix 3) The battery has metal electrodes electrically connected to cells housed in a battery case; The grip portion is formed from a rear end surface of the main body, 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the metal electrode is located rearward of a front end of the rear end of the grip portion. (Appendix 4) The battery has metal electrodes electrically connected to cells housed in a battery case; 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the metal electrode is located rearward of a front end of the rear end of the grip portion. (Appendix 5) The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the battery is configured to be detachable from the main body. (Appendix 6) the main body has an electric blower case that houses the electric blower, 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the electric blower case has a communication hole formed therein for directing air that has passed through the electric blower toward the metal electrode. (Appendix 7) the battery has a cell and a battery case that houses the cell; The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the battery case houses a plurality of the cells arranged in a front-to-rear direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 electric vacuum cleaner, 3 main body, 3a rear end surface, 4 tube body, 5 suction tool, 6 dust collection section, 7 gripping section, 7a rear end, 7b front end, 7c rear end, 8 suction section, 9 suction port, 10 battery, 10a rear end surface, 11 cell, 12 battery case, 13 metal electrode, 14 main body side electrode, 15 attachment / detachment mechanism, 21 electric blower, 22 drive circuit, 23 electric blower case, 24 communication hole

Claims

1. The main body has a built-in electric blower that generates airflow to suck in dust, a grip portion provided on the main body and gripped by a user's hand; a battery that is a power source for the electric blower; An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: The battery is attached to the main body, The main body has a suction port for sucking in dust, When the front-rear direction of the main body is defined as the suction port side being the front and the opposite side being the rear, the rear end face of the battery is exposed to the outside air.

2. The main body has a built-in electric blower that generates airflow to suck in dust, a grip portion provided on the main body and gripped by a user's hand; a battery that is a power source for the electric blower; An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: The battery is attached to the main body, The main body has a suction port for sucking in dust, When the front-to-rear direction of the main body is defined as the suction port side being the front and the opposite side being the rear, the grip portion is formed from the rear end face of the main body to the front, the battery is positioned so as to face the grip portion across the electric blower, and the front-to-rear position of the rear end face of the battery is not forward of the rear end of the grip portion.

3. The battery has metal electrodes electrically connected to cells housed in a battery case; The grip portion is formed from a rear end surface of the main body, 2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the metal electrode is located rearward of a front end of the rear end of the grip portion.

4. The battery has metal electrodes electrically connected to cells housed in a battery case; 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the metal electrode is located rearward of the front end of the rear end of the grip portion.

5. 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the battery is detachably attached to the main body.

6. the main body has an electric blower case that houses the electric blower, 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the electric blower case is formed with a communication hole for directing air that has passed through the electric blower toward the metal electrode.

7. the battery has a cell and a battery case that houses the cell; 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cells are housed in the battery case in a state where they are arranged in a front-to-rear direction.

Images