Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To suppress deterioration of rotation performance of a rotating body.SOLUTION: The cleaner 40 includes the intake port 62 (inlet opening) serving as an inlet for dust, the rotary body 500 having the cleaner 510, the cleaner drive part 48 serving as a drive source for rotating the rotary body 500, and the cleaner drive mechanism for transmitting a drive force from the cleaner drive part 48 to the cleaner 510, the rotary body 300 has the rotary body main body side 500a on which the cleaner 510 is disposed, the holding part 508 holding the end part of the rotary body 300, and the shaft receiving part 505 rotatably supported by the holding part 508, and the holding part 508 has the recessed part side 508a at the end part. The shaft receiving portion 505 has a flange 508a that is fitted into the recess 507a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there has been provided a vacuum cleaner head that includes a rotor having multiple brushes and a motor that rotates the rotor, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. This head has a belt that is stretched between a roller provided on the shaft of the motor and a rotary support, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the rotor by the belt, causing the rotor to rotate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-51711 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, in the cleaning tool of an electric vacuum cleaner, there has been a problem in that hair and fibrous dust get into the end of the rotating body, which reduces the rotation performance of the rotating body.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool for an electric vacuum cleaner that can prevent a decrease in the rotation performance of a rotor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cleaning tool of the electric vacuum cleaner of the present invention, which is provided to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises an intake port which serves as an entrance for dust, a rotating body having a cleaning body, a drive unit which serves as a drive source for rotating the rotating body, and a drive mechanism which transmits driving force from the drive unit to the rotating body, wherein the rotating body has a rotating body main body on which the cleaning body is arranged, a holding unit which holds the end of the rotating body, and a bearing unit which is rotatably supported on the holding unit, wherein the holding unit has a recess at the end, and the bearing unit has a flange which is fitted into the recess. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a cleaning tool for an electric vacuum cleaner that can suppress a decrease in the rotation performance of a rotating body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a vacuum cleaner system including a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner system shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 4 is a plan view showing the state in which the upper case of the cleaning tool of FIG. 3 has been removed. FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a plan view showing the state in which the upper case of the cleaning tool of FIG. 3 has been removed. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 4(a) and 4(b) are exploded perspective views showing a rotary cleaning element and a cleaning element drive mechanism provided in the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 3, respectively. [Figure 8] 4(a) and 4(b) are exploded perspective views showing a cleaning element drive mechanism provided in the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 4(a) and 4(b) are plan views showing the rotary cleaning element and the cleaning element drive mechanism provided in the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 3, respectively. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the bottom side. [Figure 12] 4 is a side view of a rotary cleaning element provided in the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary cleaning body shown in FIG. [Figure 14] 10(a) is a plan view showing a state in which the upper case of a cleaning tool according to a first modified example has been removed, and FIG. 10(b) is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 15] 10(a) is a plan view showing a state in which the upper case of a cleaning tool according to a second modified example has been removed, and FIG. 10(b) is an enlarged view of part B of FIG. [Figure 16] 10(a) is a perspective view showing a rotary cleaning body provided in a cleaning tool according to a third modified example, and FIG. 10(b) is an exploded perspective view of the rotary cleaning body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a vacuum cleaner 1, a cleaning tool 40, and a rotary cleaning body 46 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a vacuum cleaner system S configured using these. In the following description, the overall configuration of the vacuum cleaner system S will be outlined first, followed by a more detailed description of the main components. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships in the up-down direction, width direction, front-rear direction, etc. will be described based on the vacuum cleaner 1 being upright as shown in FIG. 1 . In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the up-down direction (the longitudinal direction of the vacuum cleaner 1) in the state shown in FIG. 1 will be referred to as a first direction, and a direction intersecting the first direction (the horizontal direction in the illustrated example) will be referred to as a second direction. Furthermore, among the horizontal directions in the state shown in FIG. 1 , any direction that needs to be described as different from the second direction will be referred to as a third direction.

[0010] <<Overall configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner system S>> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner system S includes a vacuum cleaner 1 and a dust collection device 100. Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner system S of this embodiment includes a stand 150, but the stand 150 may be included as part of the dust collection device 100. Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner system S may not include the dust collection device 100. When the vacuum cleaner 1 is set on the stand 150, the vacuum cleaner system S is capable of collecting dust collected in the vacuum cleaner 1 in the dust collection device 100. The configuration of each part that makes up the vacuum cleaner system S will be described below.

[0011] <<Overall configuration of vacuum cleaner 1>> 1 and 2, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a stick-shaped (vertical) vacuum cleaner. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 may be, for example, a rechargeable type or a type that obtains power from an external power source via a power cord. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a main body 10, a first dust collecting unit 30, an extension tube 80, and a cleaning tool 40.

[0012] Main body 10 forms the main body of vacuum cleaner 1 and is the part that exerts suction power and performs the function of collecting dust. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, main body 10 includes, inside main body case 12 that forms the housing, a first electric blower 14 for sucking air and generating an airflow, a drive circuit for driving other electronic components, and other components.

[0013] The main body 10 also includes a battery housing 15, a handle 16, and a control unit 17. A battery 15a is housed in the battery housing 15. The battery 15a can be attached and detached from the outside of the main body 10 by sliding it in a first direction.

[0014] The handle portion 16 is a portion provided so that a user of the vacuum cleaner 1 can grip the main body portion 10. The vacuum cleaner 1 is configured so that the user can grip the main body portion 10, for example, by passing their fingers except for the thumb through an opening formed by the handle portion 16. The handle portion 16 is formed to extend toward the other side in the first direction (the upward side in FIG. 1). The handle portion 16 includes a first extension portion 16a, a second extension portion 16b, a curved portion 16c, an opening portion 16d, and an operating portion 16e. The control portion 17 controls the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1. An electronic board forming the control portion 17 is housed inside the main body portion 10.

[0015] The main body 10 is also provided with a pipe 38x having a suction port 38y for connecting an extension pipe 80 or a cleaning tool 40. The suction port 38y is formed to open at the lower end side (one side in the first direction) of the main body 10. The pipe 38x is also arranged to be aligned with the first dust collecting unit 30 in a second direction that intersects with the first direction.

[0016] The first dust collecting section 30 is a section that collects dust sucked by the vacuum cleaner 1. The first dust collecting section 30 is provided so as to be continuous with the main body section 10. Specifically, the first dust collecting section 30 is arranged so as to be aligned with the cylindrical section in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the main body section 10.

[0017] The extension pipe 80 is a cylindrical member that detachably connects the main body 10 and the cleaning tool 40. One end of the extension pipe 80 is shaped so that it can be inserted into the suction port 38y provided in the main body 10, and the other end is shaped so that it can be connected to the cleaning tool 40. By connecting the main body 10 and the cleaning tool 40 via the extension pipe 80, a continuous, communicating path (air passage) from the cleaning tool 40 to the main body 10 can be formed.

[0018] The cleaning tool 40 is connected directly to the suction port 38y of the main body 10 or indirectly via an extension pipe 80. The cleaning tool 40 has an inlet 62 (inlet opening) and a joint 44. The inlet 62 opens toward the bottom. The joint 44 can be connected to the suction port 38y or the extension pipe 80. Characteristic features of the cleaning tool 40 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The main body of the dust collection device 100 is disposed on the rear side of a support 152 that constitutes the stand 150. The dust collection device 100 communicates with the first dust collection unit 30 of the vacuum cleaner 1 to collect dust from the vacuum cleaner 1. The dust collection device 100 comprises a device main body including the second dust collection unit 110 and the second electric blower 120, and a receiving unit 130. The dust collection device 100 is connected so that the receiving unit 130 and the second dust collection unit 110 communicate with each other via a communication unit 136. The dust collection device 100 is configured so that, after placing the first dust collection section 30 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 on the receiving section 130, the bottom of the first dust collection section 30 is opened and the second electric blower 120 is operated, dust can be collected from the first dust collection section 30 to the second dust collection section 110 via the communication section 136 using the suction force generated by the second electric blower 120.

[0020] <About Cleaning Tool 40> The cleaning tool 40 is designed to take in dust from the outside, and can take in dust by rotating the rotary cleaning body 46 while the first electric blower 14 is stopped, or by using the suction force of the first electric blower 14 to suck in air and dust from the outside. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning tool 40 has a cleaning tool main body 42 (main body) and a joint 44. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 10, etc., the cleaning tool 40 has a rotary cleaning body 46, a cleaning body drive unit 48 (drive unit), and a third dust collection unit 50 (dust collection unit) inside the cleaning tool main body 42. In addition to these, the cleaning tool 40 also has an electric current unit 52, etc.

[0021] The cleaning tool main body 42 is the part that is placed on the floor during cleaning, and has a shape that is long in the left-right direction compared to the front-to-back direction, which is the direction in which the user moves during cleaning. The front side of the cleaning tool main body 42 is equipped with a light-emitting unit that emits light forward. The light-emitting unit emits black light (light with a wavelength shorter than 400 nm in the visible range), making it easy to visually check for dust even in dark spaces such as under a sofa or bed. As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, the cleaning tool main body 42 has a rotating cleaning element mounting section 60, an inlet 62, a third dust collection section forming section 64, and a storage section 66.

[0022] The rotary cleaning element mounting portion 60 is the portion where the rotary cleaning element 46 is mounted. The rotary cleaning element mounting portion 60 extends in the left-right direction of the cleaning tool main body 42 and has a hollow space capable of housing the rotary cleaning element 46.

[0023] The inlet 62 is an opening for taking in dust on the bottom side of the cleaning tool main body 42. In this embodiment, the rotating cleaning element arrangement part 60 is provided in the space where the inlet 62 is formed.

[0024] The third dust collecting section forming section 64 is a space that constitutes the third dust collecting section 50. The third dust collecting section forming section 64 is located closer to the inlet 62 than the first dust collecting section 24 in the dust passage connecting the first dust collecting section 24 and the inlet 62. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the third dust collecting section 50 is formed by the third dust collecting section forming section 64. However, a box-like object that can be inserted and removed into the third dust collecting section forming section 64 may also be provided as the third dust collecting section 50. Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 , an opening 64a and a cover 64b that can open and close the opening 64a are provided on the top surface of the cleaning tool main body 42 at a position corresponding to the third dust collecting section forming section 64. As a result, by opening the cover 64b of the third dust collecting section forming section 64, dust collected in the third dust collecting section 50 can be disposed of via the opening 64a.

[0025] 4, the accommodation section 66 is for accommodating the drive unit 210 constituting the cleaning body drive unit 48, which will be described in detail later, wiring for supplying power to the drive unit 210, and the like. The accommodation section 66 is designed to allow the drive unit 210 and wiring to be disposed at a position away from the dust passage path. In this embodiment, the accommodation section 66 is provided at a position on the opposite side of the rotary cleaning body 46 with respect to the third dust collecting section 50 (rearward of the third dust collecting section 50).

[0026] The joint part 44 is provided at a position on the above-mentioned cleaning tool main body 42 that is on the rear side of the vacuum cleaner 1 (a position on the opposite side of the rotary cleaning body 46 with respect to the third dust collecting part 50) so as to communicate with the third dust collecting part 50 via the communication part 45. The joint part 44 is attached to the cleaning tool main body 42 so as to be rotatable within a predetermined rotation range (at least one of the front-rear direction and the left-right direction). The joint part 44 is the part to which the extension tube 80 is connected. The joint part 44 is cylindrical, and communicates with the third dust collecting part 50 at its base end.

[0027] 4 and 5, the rotary cleaning body 46 is a cylindrical member that is housed in and rotatably supported in the rotary cleaning body mounting portion 60 of the cleaning tool main body 42. The rotary cleaning body 46 receives power from a cleaning body drive portion 48, which will be described in detail later, and is rotatable in the rotary cleaning body mounting portion 60. The rotary cleaning body 46 has a cleaning body main body 200 that extends in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the cleaning tool main body 42, and an attachment portion 202.

[0028] The mounting portion 202 is a portion used to mount the rotary cleaning body 46 to the cleaning tool main body 42. The rotary cleaning body 46 is rotatably supported relative to the cleaning tool main body 42 by mounting the mounting portions 202, 202 provided on both ends (hereinafter, these may be distinguished as "mounting portion 202a" and "mounting portion 202b" as necessary) to predetermined mounting positions provided within the cleaning tool main body 42.

[0029] 7, the mounting portion 202a has an end portion 205 that is prismatically shaped (having a substantially square cross section) at one axial end of the rotary cleaning body 46, and a flange portion 207a that is provided at a position adjacent to the end portion 205 in the axial direction. The end portion 205 is rotatably attached to the cleaning element main body 200 (flange portion 207a).

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the receiving portion 42c of the cleaning tool main body 42, to which the mounting portion 202a of the rotary cleaning body 46 is attached, is separable into a lower receiving portion 42x and an upper receiving portion 42y. The lower receiving portion 42x is detachable from the back surface of the cleaning tool main body 42. Specifically, the portion where the upper receiving portion 42y is formed is provided with an upper engaging portion 42p on the front side of the cleaning tool main body 42 and a concave upper engaged portion 42q on the back surface. The lower receiving portion 42x is provided with a lower engaged portion 42r that can engage with the upper engaging portion 42p at a position corresponding to the upper engaging portion 42p on the upper receiving portion 42y side, and a convex lower engaging portion 42s at a position corresponding to the upper engaged portion 42q. The lower receiving portion 42x is provided with a claw portion 42t that allows the lower engaging portion 42s to be pivoted. With this configuration, the lower receiving portion 42x can be attached to the upper receiving portion 42y by first engaging the lower engaged portion 42r with the upper engaging portion 42p and then inserting and engaging the lower engaging portion 42s with the upper engaged portion 42q. Conversely, to remove the lower receiving portion 42x from the upper receiving portion 42y, first, the claw portion 42t is operated to release the engagement between the lower engaging portion 42s and the upper engaged portion 42q. Then, the lower engaged portion 42r is removed from the upper engaging portion 42p, thereby removing the lower receiving portion 42x from the upper receiving portion 42y. The upper receiving portion 42y is provided inside the cleaning tool main body 42. The receiving portion 42c can be formed by attaching the lower receiving portion 42x to the back side of the cleaning tool main body 42.

[0031] 10, the upper receiving portion 42y has an upper end fitting portion 42h, an upper flange fitting portion 42i, and an upper shaft support portion 42j. The upper end fitting portion 42h is a portion that opens toward the bottom surface of the cleaning tool main body 42 so that the above-mentioned rectangular columnar end portion 205 can be fitted therein. The upper flange fitting portion 42i is a portion that opens toward the bottom surface of the cleaning tool main body 42 so that the flange portion 207a can be fitted therein. The upper shaft support portion 42j is a portion that curves in an arc shape along the axis that forms the mounting portion 202a.

[0032] 10, the lower receiving portion 42x has a lower end abutting portion 42k and a lower pivotal portion 42l at positions corresponding to the above-mentioned upper end fitting portion 42h and upper shaft support portion 42j. The lower end abutting portion 42k is block-shaped and formed to abut against the outer circumferential surface (one side) of the end portion 205 from the cleaning surface side, and the upper end fitting portion 42h abuts against the other outer circumferential surfaces (three sides) of the end portion 205, thereby fixing the end portion 205 to the cleaning tool main body 42. Similarly to the upper shaft support portion 42j, the lower pivotal portion 42l is curved to follow the axis that forms the mounting portion 202a. The rotating cleaning body 46 can be incorporated into the cleaning tool main body 42 at the end 205 side by fitting the end 205 and flange portion 207a into the upper end fitting portion 42h and upper flange fitting portion 42i, respectively, and then attaching the lower receiving portion 42x to the upper receiving portion 42y.

[0033] 7 and 8, the attachment portion 202b supports the other axial end of the rotary cleaning body 46 (opposite to the attachment portion 202a). The attachment portion 202b is provided with a first attachment body 202x that can be connected to a second attachment body 202y, which will be described later. The first attachment body 202x is fixed to the end of the cleaning body main body 200. The second attachment body 202y is connected to a driven-side pulley 216, which will be described later, and is disposed on the cleaning tool main body 42 (lower case 42a) side. The first attachment body 202x and the second attachment body 202y can be connected to and separated from each other in the axial direction.

[0034] The first mounting body 202x has a mounting recess 202e and a first flange portion 202i. The mounting recess 202e is formed in a concave shape on the end surface of the first mounting body 202x. The shape of the mounting recess 202e may be any shape as long as it is configured to lock in the rotational direction, but in this embodiment it is cross-shaped. The mounting recess 202e is a portion into which a mounting protrusion 202j of the second mounting body 202y, which will be described later, can be fitted and engaged. The first flange portion 202i is provided at the end of the first mounting body 202x (the end on the second mounting body 202y side) so as to bulge radially outward.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the second attachment body 202y has an attachment protrusion 202j and a shaft 202k. The attachment protrusion 202j protrudes axially from the end of the second attachment body 202y and is engageable with the attachment recess 202e. The attachment protrusion 202j may have any shape, but in this embodiment, it has a cross shape similar to the attachment recess 202e. The shaft 202k is a shaft provided at the axial center of the second attachment body 202y. The shaft 202k is inserted from one side to the other of a plate-shaped support member 220 provided on the cleaning tool main body 42. The shaft 202k is a shaft to which the driven pulley 216 is fixed. The shaft 202k is configured as a part of the second attachment body 202y, but the portion constituting the shaft 202k may be configured as a separate member from the second attachment body 202y including the attachment protrusion 202j and the like. The shaft portion 202k extends in the direction of the rotation axis from the portion where the mounting protrusion 202j is provided as the base end, and the driven pulley 216 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the shaft portion 202k in the axial direction. Therefore, when the driven pulley 216 is used as a reference, the mounting protrusion 202j constituting the second mounting body 202y is located on one side in the axial direction (the base end side). The shaft portion 202k is inserted through the axial center of the driven pulley 216 of the cleaning body drive unit 48 (described later) and is rotatable integrally with the driven pulley 216. Therefore, the rotating cleaning body 46 is rotatable in conjunction with the driven pulley 216 when the first mounting body 202x provided on one end side is connected to the second mounting body 202y.

[0036] The shaft portion 202k is rotatably supported at its tip by a bearing member 202z (first ball bearing). The bearing member 202z is configured by a ball bearing. The shaft portion 202k is rotatable with respect to the outer ring of the bearing member 202z together with the inner ring of the bearing member 202z. The bearing member 202z is rectangular (square in this embodiment) when viewed from the front and is fitted into a hole provided in a plate-shaped holding member 202p (first support portion), and the outer ring is held non-rotatably relative to the holding member 202p. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the holding member 202p is inserted into a slit-shaped insertion portion 202m provided in the lower case 42a, thereby being held relative to the lower case 42a. This allows stable support of the rotating cleaning body 46.

[0037] The cleaning tool 40 is provided with a cleaning element drive unit 48, and the rotary cleaning element 46 is driven by power output from the cleaning element drive unit 48. As shown in Figs. 4 to 9, the cleaning element drive unit 48 includes a drive unit 210, a belt 212, an output side structure including an output side pulley 214, a driven side structure including a driven side pulley 216, and the like.

[0038] The drive unit 210 is composed of a motor and the like provided inside the cleaning tool main body 42. The drive unit 210 is disposed in a storage unit 66 provided further back than the rotary cleaning body 46 and the third dust collecting unit forming unit 64 (third dust collecting unit 50). The belt 212 is composed of an endless belt with teeth. The belt 212 is wound around an output pulley 214 and a driven pulley 216.

[0039] The output pulley 214 is a pulley connected to the output shaft of the drive unit 210. The output pulley 214 is configured as a toothed pulley having axially extending teeth on its periphery around which the belt 212 is wound. The output pulley 214 is rotatably supported at its tip by a bearing member 214z (third ball bearing). The bearing member 214z has a configuration similar to that of the above-described bearing member 202z. The bearing member 214z is configured by a ball bearing. The output shaft of the drive unit 210 is rotatable together with the inner ring of the bearing member 214z relative to the outer ring of the bearing member 214z. The bearing member 214z is fitted into a hole provided in a plate-shaped holding member 214p (second support portion) that is rectangular (square in this embodiment) when viewed from the front, and the outer ring is held non-rotatably relative to the holding member 214p. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the holding member 214p is inserted into a slit-shaped insertion portion 202n provided in the lower case 42a, and is thereby held relative to the lower case 42a.

[0040] The driven pulley 216 is a toothed pulley that constitutes the mounting portion 202b. The driven pulley 216 is a pulley that is rotatable integrally with the shaft portion 202k of the second mounting body 202y. The driven pulley 216 is configured as a toothed pulley that has teeth extending in the axial direction on its circumferential portion around which the belt 212 is wound.

[0041] The cleaning body drive unit 48 is configured such that an endless belt 212 is wound between an output side structure and a driven side structure. Therefore, by operating the drive unit 210, rotational power is transmitted to the mounting portion 202b side, and the rotary cleaning body 46 can be rotated within the space of the cleaning tool main body 42.

[0042] 4 to 8, the components of the cleaning element drive unit 48 are supported by a support member 220. The support member 220 is erected in an area of ​​the cleaning tool main body 42 on the side where the second attachment body 202y is attached. In other words, the support member 220 is arranged alongside the rotary cleaning element 46 in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning element 46. The support member 220 is a plate-like member that extends along the direction in which the rotary cleaning element 46 and the drive unit 210 are aligned. An output pulley 214, a driven pulley 216, and a belt 212 are arranged on the opposite side of the support member 220 from the rotary cleaning element 46.

[0043] The cleaning element drive unit 48 also includes a guide portion 250. The output-side structure has guide portions 250 formed on both sides in the direction of the rotation axis so as to protrude radially from the periphery, and the driven-side structure has guide portions 250 formed on both sides in the direction of the rotation axis so as to protrude radially from the periphery. Hereinafter, of the guide portions 250, those included in the output-side structure will also be referred to as output-side guide portions 260, 262, and those included in the driven-side structure will also be referred to as driven-side guide portions 270, 272.

[0044] The output-side guide portions 260 and 262 are respectively disposed on one side and the other side of the output-side pulley 214 in the rotational axis direction. At least one of the output-side guide portions 260 and 262 is configured as a separate member from the output-side pulley 214. In this embodiment, the output-side guide portion 260, which is disposed on the side of the output-side pulley 214 on the base end side (driver body 210a side) of the output shaft of the drive unit 210, is formed integrally with the output-side pulley 214. On the other hand, the output-side guide portion 262, which is disposed on the side of the output-side pulley 214 on the tip side (bearing member 214z side) of the output shaft of the drive unit 210, is configured as a separate member (a separate body) from the output-side pulley 214. The output-side guide portion 262 is a disc-shaped member having a diameter larger than the circumferential portion of the output-side pulley 214.

[0045] The output-side guide portion 262 has, in its approximate center, an insertion hole 264 through which the output shaft of the drive unit 210 can be inserted. Therefore, by inserting the output shaft of the drive unit 210 through both the insertion hole 264 formed between the output-side guide portion 260 and the output-side pulley 214 at the axial center position of the output-side pulley 214 and the insertion hole 266 formed in the center of the output-side guide portion 262, the output-side guide portions 260, 262 are journaled to the output shaft of the drive unit 210 together with the output-side pulley 214.

[0046] The driven-side guide portions 270, 272 are respectively disposed on one side and the other side of the driven-side pulley 216 in the rotational axis direction. At least one of the driven-side guide portions 270, 272 is configured as a separate member from the driven-side pulley 216. In this embodiment, the driven-side guide portion 270, which is disposed on the side of the driven-side pulley 216 on the base end side (rotary cleaning body 46 side) of the shaft portion 202k of the second attachment body 202y, is formed integrally with the driven-side pulley 216. On the other hand, the driven-side guide portion 272, which is disposed on the side of the driven-side pulley 216 on the tip end side (bearing member 202z side) of the shaft portion 202k, is configured as a separate member (a separate body) from the driven-side pulley 216. The driven-side guide portion 272 is a disc-shaped member having a diameter larger than the circumferential portion of the driven-side pulley 216.

[0047] The driven-side guide portion 272 has an insertion hole 274 at approximately the center thereof, through which the shaft portion 202k can be inserted. Therefore, by inserting the shaft portion 202k through both the insertion hole 274 formed in the driven-side pulley 216 at the axial center position of the driven-side pulley 216 and the insertion hole 276 formed in the center portion of the driven-side guide portion 272, the driven-side guide portions 270, 272, together with the driven-side pulley 216, are journaled on the shaft portion 202k. In this way, the driven-side guide portion 272 supports the driven-side pulley 216 from the side, thereby improving the rotational stability of the driven-side pulley 216. Furthermore, the driven-side guide portion 272 supports the belt 212 from the side, thereby preventing the belt 212 from slipping off.

[0048] Here, the overall configuration of the cleaning element driving unit 48 formed by combining the above-mentioned components will be described in more detail. A generally oval insertion hole 274 is provided at the axial center of the driven-side pulley 216. Furthermore, a generally oval insertion hole 276, similar to the insertion hole 274, is provided at the center of the driven-side guide portion 272. The shaft portion 202k of the second attachment body 202y is a shaft body having a generally oval external shape similar to the insertion holes 274 and 276. Furthermore, the support member 220 is provided with a shaft support portion 220c that rotatably supports (bears) the second attachment body 202y. The shaft support portion 220c is provided with a bearing member 225 (second ball bearing) that rotatably supports the shaft portion 202k by inserting it therethrough. Furthermore, the shaft portion 202k is rotatably supported at its tip by a bearing member 202z. Therefore, the second attachment body 202y is fixed to the driven-side pulley 216 with the shaft portion 202k inserted through the bearing member 225 provided on the shaft support portion 220c of the support member 220, through holes 274 and 276 provided in the driven-side pulley 216 and the driven-side guide portion 272, and the bearing member 202z. A disc-shaped anti-pullout member 282 with a diameter larger than the inner ring of the bearing member 202z is fixed to the end of the shaft portion 202k inserted through the bearing member 202z with a screw 280, thereby preventing the shaft portion 202k from coming off the bearing member 202z. With this configuration, by connecting the first attachment body 202x provided on the rotary cleaning body 46 side to the second attachment body 202y, the rotary cleaning body 46 can rotate in conjunction with the driven-side pulley 216. Therefore, the second attachment body 202y can also be expressed as being included as a part of the driven pulley 216.

[0049] A shaft support portion 220c is provided on the support member 220 at a position on the front side of the cleaning tool main body 42, which rotatably supports (supports) the second attachment body 202y provided at the end of the rotary cleaning body 46. Furthermore, a receiving portion 220d having a cutout shape so as to be able to support the drive unit 210 is provided on the support member 220 at a position on the rear side of the cleaning tool main body 42. Specifically, the drive unit 210 has an output shaft provided in a drive unit main body 210a forming a motor, and includes a drive unit main body 210a1 forming the majority of the motor, and a bulging portion 210a2 having a smaller diameter than the drive unit main body 210a1 and bulging in the axial direction. The output shaft is provided in the bulging portion 210a2.

[0050] The receiving portion 220d is formed to extend downward from the upper end of the support member 220. Therefore, when assembling the drive unit 210, whose output shaft is inserted through the output pulley 214, the output guide portion 262, and the bearing member 214z, the bulging portion 210a2 is slid along the receiving portion 220d. As a result, the output pulley 214, the output guide portion 262, and the bearing member 214z are axially supported in this order on the output shaft of the drive unit 210. In addition, a disc-shaped retaining member 290 with a diameter larger than the inner ring of the bearing member 214z is fixed by a screw 292 to the end of the output shaft of the drive unit 210 inserted through the bearing member 214z, thereby preventing the output shaft of the drive unit 210 from being removed from the bearing member 214z.

[0051] The above-described assembly work can be performed more easily if the belt 212 is stretched between the output pulley 214 and the driven pulley 216, avoiding the tension of the belt 212 and making the assembly easier. Furthermore, the support member 220, the drive unit 210, the belt 212, the output pulley 214, the second attachment body 202y, the bearing member 225, the driven pulley 216, the bearing member 202z, the holding member 202p, the bearing member 214z, the holding member 214p, the output guide portion 262, and the driven guide portion 272 are integrated into a single unit, making it easy to assemble the cleaning element drive unit 48 into the lower case 42a. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8(a), a screw hole 222e is provided on the receiving portion 220d side of the support member 220 for screwing the end of the drive machine main body 210a1. Preferably, the second attachment body 202y has a flat abutment surface facing the support member 220. This can improve the rotation stability of the driven pulley 216. Note that the output guide portion 260 may be a separate member (a separate body) from the output pulley 214, and the driven guide portion 270 may be a separate member (a separate body) from the driven pulley 216.

[0052] <About the Rotating Cleaning Body 46> 9, 12, 13, etc., the rotary cleaning body 46 has a cleaning body 310 attached to the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical rotor 300. The rotor 300 is a cylindrical member that is rotatable about a rotation axis. The rotor 300 can be attached by fitting the above-mentioned attachment portions 202a, 202b into both ends.

[0053] The rotating body 300 has brush attachment portions 302 (recessed portions) on its outer peripheral surface, and the regions between the brush attachment portions 302, 302 in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface are formed as attachment portions 304. The brush attachment portions 302 and the attachment portions 304 can each be, for example, provided substantially linearly in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. In this embodiment, however, they are provided spirally around the outer periphery of the rotating body 300, centered on the axial center position of the rotating body 300. The brush attachment portions 302 are rail-shaped (recessed) and are capable of clamping and holding a brush constituting a high-rigidity portion 314 of the cleaning element 310 (described later) in a state where the brush protrudes outward from the rotating body 300. A plurality of brush attachment portions 302 are provided in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 300. The attachment portions 304 are capable of being attached by wrapping around the low-rigidity portion 312 of the cleaning element 310 (described later). A plurality of attachment portions 304 are provided in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 300. In the rotating body 300, in a state in which the low-rigidity portion 312 is wound around the attachment portion 304, the brush attachment portion 302 is provided on the exposed portion 306 where the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 300 is exposed.

[0054] The cleaning element 310 has a low-rigidity portion 312 and a high-rigidity portion 314. The low-rigidity portion 312 is formed by providing a first thread, the first thread having lower rigidity than the thread (second thread) constituting the high-rigidity portion 314, on a substrate. The low-rigidity portion 312 is attached in a state of being wound around the circumferential direction of the rotating body 300 in a plurality of regions constituting the above-mentioned attachment portions 304 on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 300. The high-rigidity portion 314 is brush-shaped and includes a second thread having higher rigidity than the first thread constituting the low-rigidity portion 312. The high-rigidity portion 314 is attached to an exposed portion 306 (brush attachment portion 302) provided in a gap between the low-rigidity portions 312 attached to the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 300 so as to be aligned in the circumferential direction. The bristle length of the second thread constituting the high-rigidity portion 314 is equal to or shorter than the bristle length of the first thread constituting the low-rigidity portion 312. Therefore, when viewed from one side in the axial direction, the upper end of the high-rigidity portion 314 of the rotary cleaning body 46 is flush with the upper end of the low-rigidity portion 312, or the upper end of the high-rigidity portion 314 is located lower in the radial direction of the rotary cleaning body 46 than the upper end of the low-rigidity portion 312. In other words, the low-rigidity portion 312 and the high-rigidity portion 314 of the rotary cleaning body 46 are flush with each other around the periphery, or are located lower in the radial direction than the low-rigidity portion 312 and the high-rigidity portion 314.

[0055] The rotary cleaning body 46 may be configured such that the high rigidity portions 314 are arranged in the center of the regions on one side and the other side in the rotation direction of the rotor 300 in the exposed portion 306, but may also be configured such that the high rigidity portions 314 are arranged so as to be biased to one side. In the exposed portion 306 of the rotary cleaning body 46, it is preferable to arrange the high rigidity portions 314 so as to be biased to the region of the attachment portion 304 on one side in the rotation direction of the rotor 300 and the region of the attachment portion 304 on the other side, that is, the region of the attachment portion 304 on the downstream side in the rotation direction. In this way, the second yarns forming the high rigidity portions 314 can be arranged so as to contact the first yarns forming the low rigidity portions 312 along the axial direction of the rotor 300.

[0056] <First Modification of Cleaning Tool 40> Next, we will explain a cleaning tool 340 according to a first modified example that can be used in place of the above-mentioned cleaning tool 40. In the cleaning tool 340 according to the modified example, components common to the above-mentioned cleaning tool 40 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 14 , the cleaning tool 340, like the cleaning tool 40 described above, has an inlet 62 (inlet opening) that serves as a dust inlet. Like the cleaning tool 40 described above, the cleaning tool 340 has a rotary cleaning body 46 arranged in a rotary cleaning body arrangement section 60 provided in the space where the inlet 62 is formed. Also, like the cleaning tool 40, the rotary cleaning body 46 has a rotating body 300 to which a cleaning body 310 is attached. The cleaning tool 340 is capable of rotating the rotating body 300 by transmitting a driving force generated by a drive source 210 to the rotating body 300 using a drive mechanism (cleaning body drive mechanism) constituting the cleaning body drive section 48. The cleaning tool 340 has a first flange portion 202i (outer flange) on the axial end side of the rotating body 300. The cleaning tool 340 has the same configuration as the cleaning tool 40, and also has a second flange portion 350 (inner flange portion) and a groove portion 360.

[0058] Similar to the first flange portion 202i, the second flange portion 350 is a flange provided on the axial end side of the rotating body 300 so as to expand in the radial direction of the rotating body 300 (in a direction intersecting the axial direction). The second flange portion 350 is disposed apart from the first flange portion 202i in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. The second flange portion 350 is disposed on the outer side (end side) of the first flange portion 202i in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. The second flange portion 350 is disposed on the side where the cleaning element 310 is attached (inner side in the axial direction of the rotating body 300) with respect to the driven pulley 216 on which the belt 212 is suspended.

[0059] The groove 360 ​​is a groove-shaped portion provided between the first flange 202i and the second flange 350. A linear object such as a hair or a thread can be wound around the groove 360 ​​at the end of the rotating body 300. The groove 360 ​​is provided around the entire circumference of the rotating body 300. The groove 360 ​​has a shape such that the diameter increases from the second flange 350 to the first flange 202i (the diameter decreases from the first flange 202i to the second flange 350). The groove 360 ​​has a tapered circumferential surface that tapers from the outside to the inside in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. It is preferable that the groove 360 ​​be located closer to the inlet 62 than the holding member 220.

[0060] The groove portion 360 has a first groove portion 362 and a second groove portion 364. The first groove portion 362 is located on the first flange portion 202i side of the groove portion 360 (the axial end side of the rotating body 300). The second groove portion 464 is located on the second flange portion 350 side of the groove portion 460 (the axial inner side of the rotating body 300). The first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364 are formed adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. The first groove portion 362 is formed so that its circumferential surface has a diameter that increases toward the axial end side of the rotating body 300 and decreases toward the second groove portion 364. The second groove portion 364 has a circumferential surface that is formed with a smaller diameter than the first groove portion 362. The diameter of the second groove portion 364 at the boundary between the first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364 is smaller than the diameter of the first groove portion 362 at the boundary between the first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364. Therefore, the groove portion 360 has a step between the first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364 .

[0061] In addition to the first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364 described above, the groove portion 360 may have a different diameter provided adjacent to either the first groove portion 362 or the second groove portion 364, or may have a different diameter provided between the first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364. Furthermore, instead of having a plurality of grooves with different diameters like the first groove portion 362 and the second groove portion 364, the groove portion 360 may have a uniform diameter throughout the entire axial direction, or may be tapered without forming a step midway in the axial direction.

[0062] <Second Modification of Cleaning Tool 40> Next, we will explain a cleaning tool 440 according to a second modified example that can be used in place of the above-mentioned cleaning tool 40. Since the cleaning tool 440 has roughly the same configuration as the cleaning tool 40 according to the above-mentioned embodiment and the cleaning tool 340 according to the first modified example, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations that are common to these, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0063] 15, similar to the above-described cleaning tool 340, the cleaning tool 440 has a first flange portion 202i (outer flange) on the axial end side of the rotating body 300, and also has a second flange portion 450 (inner flange portion) and a groove portion 460. The configurations of the second flange portion 450 and groove portion 460 of the cleaning tool 440 are partially different from those of the second flange portion 350 and groove portion 360 of the above-described cleaning tool 340.

[0064] Specifically, the size of the second flange portion 450 of the cleaning tool 440 is set so that the first flange portion 202i has a smaller diameter than the second flange portion 450. The second flange portion 450 has other configurations similar to the second flange portion 350 of the cleaning tool 340 described above. That is, the second flange portion 450 is provided so as to expand in the radial direction of the rotating body 300, and is disposed apart from the first flange portion 202i on the outer side (end side) in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. Furthermore, the second flange portion 450 is disposed on the side where the cleaning body 310 is attached (the inner side in the axial direction of the rotating body 300) with respect to the driven pulley 216 on which the belt 212 is suspended.

[0065] Similar to the groove 360 ​​described above, the groove 460 is a groove-shaped portion provided between the first flange 202i and the second flange 350, around which a linear object such as a hair or a thread can be wound. The groove 460 is characterized by having a first groove 462 and a second groove 464. The first groove 462 is located on the first flange 202i side (the axial end side of the rotating body 300) of the groove 460. The second groove 464 is located on the second flange 450 side (the axial inner side of the rotating body 300) of the groove 460. The first groove 462 and the second groove 464 are formed adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rotating body 300. The first groove 462 is formed so that its circumferential surface has a diameter that increases toward the axial end side of the rotating body 300 and a diameter that decreases toward the second groove 464. The second groove portion 464 has a peripheral surface formed with a smaller diameter than the first groove portion 462. The diameter of the boundary portion of the second groove portion 464 with the first groove portion 462 is smaller than the diameter of the boundary portion of the first groove portion 462 with the second groove portion 464. Therefore, the groove portion 460 has a step between the first groove portion 462 and the second groove portion 464.

[0066] As shown in the above embodiment, the rotary cleaning body 46 can be the rotor 300 to which the cleaning element 310 is attached. However, in the illustrated embodiment of this modification, a brush-like cleaning element 410 is provided instead of the cleaning element 310. Specifically, the rotary cleaning body 46 shown in FIG. 15 has a brush attachment portion 300c provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical rotor 300, and a groove portion 300d provided between circumferentially adjacent brush attachment portions 300c. The brush attachment portion 300c and the groove portion 300d can each be, for example, provided substantially linearly in the axial direction of the cleaning element main body 300a. However, in this modification, they are provided spirally around the axial center of the cleaning element main body 300a on the outer periphery of the cleaning element main body 300a. The brush attachment portion 300c is rail-shaped and can clamp and hold the brush-like cleaning element 410 in a state where it protrudes outward from the cleaning element main body 300a.

[0067] As with the groove portion 360 described above, in addition to the first groove portion 462 and the second groove portion 464 described above, groove portion 460 may also have grooves of different diameters provided adjacent to either the first groove portion 462 or the second groove portion 464, or provided between the first groove portion 462 and the second groove portion 464. Furthermore, instead of having a plurality of grooves of different diameters like the first groove portion 462 and the second groove portion 464, groove portion 460 may have a uniform diameter throughout the entire axial direction, or may be formed in a tapered shape without forming a step midway in the axial direction.

[0068] <Third Modification of Cleaning Tool 40> The above-described cleaning tool 40 can employ a rotary cleaning body 546 shown in Fig. 16 instead of the rotary cleaning body 46. Rotary cleaning body 546 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that in rotary cleaning body 546, parts having the same configuration as the above-described rotary cleaning body 46 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] Similar to the rotary cleaning body 46 of the above embodiment, the rotary cleaning body 546 is a cylindrical member housed in and rotatably supported in the rotary cleaning body mounting portion 60 of the cleaning tool main body 42. The rotary cleaning body 546 receives power from the cleaning body drive unit 48 and is rotatable in the rotary cleaning body mounting portion 60. The rotary cleaning body 546 has a rotor 500 to which a cleaning body 510 is attached. The rotary cleaning body 546 can be rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (cleaning body drive mechanism) constituting the cleaning body drive unit 48, which transmits drive force generated by the drive source 210 to the rotor 500.

[0070] The rotary cleaning body 546 can be the rotor 300 with the cleaning element 310 attached, as shown in the above embodiment, but it is also equipped with the cleaning element 310 similar to that employed in the second modified example of the cleaning tool 40 described above. Specifically, the rotary cleaning body 546 has a brush attachment portion 500c provided on the outer surface of a cylindrical rotor main body 500a, and a groove 500d provided between adjacent brush attachment portions 500c in the circumferential direction. The brush attachment portion 500c and the groove 500d are arranged in a spiral shape around the axial center of the rotor main body 500a on the outer periphery of the rotor main body 500a. The brush attachment portion 500c is rail-shaped and can clamp and hold the brush-shaped cleaning element 410 while it protrudes outward from the cleaning element main body 300a. The rotational noise of the rotary cleaning body 546 may be increased by increasing the twist to form the spiral.

[0071] Similarly to the rotary cleaning body 46 of the above embodiment having the attachment portion 202a at one longitudinal end, the rotary cleaning body 546 has an attachment portion 502a at one longitudinal end. The attachment portion 502a is a portion used to attach the rotary cleaning body 546 to the cleaning tool main body 42. The rotary cleaning body 546 has a bearing portion 503 and a holder portion 508 at one axial end of the rotary cleaning body 546.

[0072] The bearing portion 503 has an end portion 505 (supported portion) and a flange 507a. The end portion 505 corresponds to the end portion 205 in the above embodiment and has a rectangular columnar shape (with a substantially square cross section). The flange 507a is a flange-like portion provided so as to extend radially from the end portion 505. The bearing portion 503 integrates the end portion 505 and the flange 507a and has a shaft insertion hole 503a at its center. The shaft insertion hole 503a is a through-hole that passes through the end portion 505 and the flange 507a. A support shaft 550 (see FIG. 16(b)) provided at the axial center of the rotating body 500 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 503a.

[0073] The holding portion 508 holds the end portion of the rotating body 500. The holding portion 508 has an enclosing portion 508b at the end portion of the rotating body 500, which forms a recess 508a that is large enough to fit the flange 507a. The enclosing portion 508b surrounds the outer periphery of the end portion of the rotating body 500, and has the recess 508a on its inner side. The support shaft 550 of the rotating body 500 is disposed inside the enclosing portion 508b (recess 508a) at the axial center position of the rotating body 500, extending in the axial direction of the rotating body 500. It is preferable that the flange 507a be fitted so that the end face of the bearing portion 503 in the axial direction abuts against the recess 508a.

[0074] <<Effects Obtained by the Vacuum Cleaner 1, Cleaning Tool 40, and Rotating Cleaning Body 46>> The effects and the like obtained by the above-described electric vacuum cleaner 1, cleaning tool 40, and rotary cleaning body 46 will be described below for each aspect of the present invention.

[0075] [Regarding the cleaning tool 40 according to the first aspect of the present invention] As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-51711, a vacuum cleaner head has been provided that includes a rotor having multiple brushes and a motor that rotates the rotor. This head has a belt that is wound around a roller provided on the shaft of the motor and a rotary support, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the rotor by the belt, causing the rotor to rotate.

[0076] However, conventional vacuum cleaner heads have a problem in that the belt tends to come off the roller or rotating support.

[0077] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool for a vacuum cleaner in which the belt is less likely to come off the pulley.

[0078] (1-1) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment comprises an inlet 62 which serves as an entrance for dust, a rotating body 300 to which a cleaning body 310 is attached on its outer peripheral surface, a drive unit 210 which serves as a drive source for rotating the rotating body 300, a driven side structure arranged on one axial side of the rotating body 300, an output side structure which rotates on one side in the rotational axis direction of the drive unit 210, and a belt 212 which is stretched around the periphery of the output side structure and the periphery of the driven side structure, and at least one of the driven side structure and the output side structure is characterized in that a guide part 250 which protrudes radially from the periphery is provided on one side in the rotational axis direction.

[0079] In cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, guide portions 250 (driven-side guide portion 272, output-side guide portion 262) that protrude radially beyond the periphery are provided on one side in the rotation axis direction for at least one of the driven-side structure and the output-side structure. As a result, in cleaning tool 40 of this embodiment, the aforementioned guide portions 250 of the driven-side structure and the output-side structure make it difficult for belt 212 to come off from the periphery.

[0080] (1-2) In the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the driven-side structure preferably includes a driven-side pulley 216 having a peripheral portion, and a driven-side guide portion 272 arranged on one side of the rotation axis direction as the guide portion 250, and the driven-side guide portion 272 is preferably characterized in that it is formed of a separate member from the driven-side pulley 216.

[0081] With this configuration, cleaning tool 40 of electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily position driven-side guide portion 272, which is a separate member, after belt 212 has been looped around driven-side pulley 216. Furthermore, when removing belt 212 from driven-side pulley 216, cleaning tool 40 of electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can remove belt 212 after removing driven-side guide portion 272, which is a separate member, in the opposite manner to when belt 212 is looped around it. Therefore, cleaning tool 40 of electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily loop belt 212 around and remove belt 212 from driven-side pulley 216, while being configured to include guide portion 250 that protrudes radially from the periphery on one side of the rotation axis direction.

[0082] Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily be configured as a driven-side structure having guide portion 250 that protrudes radially from the peripheral portion on one side of the rotation axis direction relative to the peripheral portion, and driven-side pulley 216. Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing costs of driven-side pulley 216 and cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment.

[0083] (1-3) The cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (1-2) above, the driven-side guide portion 272 is supported by the shaft portion 202k to which the driven-side pulley 216 is fixed. Note that if the driven-side guide portion 270 is a separate member from the driven-side pulley 216, the driven-side guide portion 270 may be fixed to the shaft portion 202k.

[0084] By adopting such a configuration, cleaning tool 40 of electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can be configured so that driven-side guide portion 272 is arranged relative to driven-side pulley 216 in the axial direction of shaft portion 202k to which driven-side pulley 216 is fixed. This allows cleaning tool 40 of electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment to position driven-side guide portion 272 with high positional accuracy relative to driven-side pulley 216. Therefore, cleaning tool 40 of electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can reliably arrange driven-side guide portion 272 in an appropriate position to prevent belt 212 from coming off the pulley.

[0085] (1-4) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is preferably characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (1-2) to (1-3) above, the output side structure includes an output side pulley 214 having a peripheral portion and an output side guide portion 262 arranged on one side of the rotation axis direction as the guide portion 250, and the output side guide portion 262 is formed of a separate member from the output side pulley 214.

[0086] With this configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can be configured such that belt 212 is looped around output pulley 214, and then output guide portion 262, which is a separate member, can be positioned. Furthermore, when removing belt 212 from output pulley 214, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can remove belt 212 in a state where output guide portion 262, which is a separate member, has been removed, which is the opposite of the procedure for looping belt 212. Therefore, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily loop belt 212 around and remove belt 212 from output pulley 214, while being configured to include guide portion 250 that protrudes radially from the periphery on one side of the rotation axis direction.

[0087] Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily be configured as an output-side structure having guide portion 250 that protrudes radially from the circumferential portion on one side in the rotation axis direction relative to the circumferential portion, and output-side pulley 214. Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing costs of output-side pulley 214 and cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment.

[0088] (1-5) In the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the output side guide part 262 is preferably supported by the rotation shaft of the drive part 210 that supports the output side pulley 214. Note that if the output side guide part 260 is a separate member from the output side pulley 214, the output side guide part 260 may be supported by the rotation shaft.

[0089] With this configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can be configured so that output-side guide portion 262 is disposed relative to output-side pulley 214 in the axial direction of the rotation shaft to which output-side pulley 214 is fixed. This allows cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment to position output-side guide portion 262 with high positional accuracy relative to output-side pulley 214. Therefore, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can reliably dispose output-side guide portion 262 in an appropriate position to prevent belt 212 from coming off the pulley.

[0090] (1-6) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (1-1) to (1-5) above, it is provided with a first attachment body 202x arranged on the end of the rotating body 300, a second attachment body 202y that detachably engages with the first attachment body 202x, and a support member 220 that supports the second attachment body 202y and the driven-side structure.

[0091] In the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the rotating body 300 can be attached to the driven pulley 216 by engaging the first attachment body 202x with the second attachment body 202y, which is supported together with the driven pulley 216 on the support member 220. Conversely, the rotating body 300 can be removed from the driven pulley 216 by separating the first attachment body 202x from the second attachment body 202y. Therefore, by being configured as described above, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment allows the rotating body 300 to be easily attached to and detached from the driven pulley 216.

[0092] (1-7) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is preferably characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (1-1) to (1-6) above, it is provided with a third dust collection section 50 (dust collection section) that collects dust that enters through the inlet 62, and the third dust collection section 50 (dust collection section) is located between the rotation axis of the rotating body 300 and the rotation axis of the cleaning body drive section 48.

[0093] With the above-described configuration, the distance between the rotation axes of the rotating body 300 and the cleaning body drive unit 48 is increased by the presence of the third dust collection unit 50 (dust collection unit). As a result, the distance between the driven pulley 216 and the output pulley 214 is also increased, and the belt 212 is correspondingly longer. Therefore, when the third dust collection unit 50 (dust collection unit) as described above is provided, the belt 212 is more likely to come off from at least one of the driven side structure and the output side structure. However, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is provided with the guide unit 250 that protrudes radially from the periphery on one side of the rotation axis direction of the rotating body 300 for at least one of the driven side structure and the output side structure as described above, making it difficult for the belt 212 to come off. Therefore, in the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the third dust collecting section 50 (dust collecting section) is provided between the rotation axis of the rotating body 300 and the cleaning body driving section 48, but the belt 212 is unlikely to come off.

[0094] (1-8) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is preferably characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (1-1) above, it comprises a first attachment body 202x arranged on the end of the rotating body 300, a second attachment body 202y that detachably engages with the first attachment body 202x, and a support member 220 that supports the second attachment body 202y and the driven-side structure, and the driven-side structure is supported by a shaft portion 202k to which the second attachment body is fixed, and with the support member 220 arranged between the second attachment body 202y and the driven-side structure, the guide portion 250 (driven-side guide portion 272) is prevented from coming off the shaft portion 202k.

[0095] In the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the rotating body 300 can be attached to the second attachment body 202y and detached from the second attachment body 202y by engaging and separating the first attachment body 202x with and from the second attachment body 202y. Therefore, by being configured as described above, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily attach and detach the rotating body 300 to and from the second attachment body 202y.

[0096] Furthermore, in the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the driven-side structure is supported by the shaft 202k to which the second attachment body 202y is fixed. Therefore, the second attachment body 202y and the guide portion 250 are positioned so as not to move in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the shaft 202k, with the shaft 202k as a reference. Furthermore, in the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the second attachment body 202y is disposed on the other axial side with the support member 220 as a reference, the driven-side structure is disposed on one axial side, and the guide portion 250 is prevented from coming off the shaft 202k. As a result, the driven-side structure (guide portion 250) is positioned so as not to move in the axial direction of the shaft 202k. Therefore, in cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, driven-side structure (guide portion 250) is less likely to shift in position in both the axial direction of shaft portion 202k and the direction intersecting the axial direction, and the pulley is less likely to tilt. Therefore, in cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, belt 212 is less likely to come off the pulley.

[0097] [Regarding the cleaning tool 40 according to the second embodiment of the present invention] In order to solve the same problem as the problem in the above [Regarding the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first aspect of the present invention], the present invention aims to realize a cleaning tool for an electric vacuum cleaner in which the belt is less likely to come off the pulley.

[0098] (2-1) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment includes an inlet 62 serving as an inlet for dust, a rotating body 300 to which a cleaning body 310 is attached on its outer peripheral surface, a drive unit 210 serving as a drive source for rotating the rotating body 300, a driven pulley 216 disposed on one side of the rotating body 300 in the rotational axis direction, an output pulley 214 that rotates on one side of the drive unit 210 in the rotational axis direction, a belt 212 stretched between the output pulley 214 and the driven pulley 216, and a first attachment belt 212 disposed on an end of the rotating body 300. The second mounting body 202y includes a first mounting body 202x and a second mounting body 202y that is separably engaged with the first mounting body 202x, a guide portion 250 that is arranged on one side of the rotational axis direction of the driven pulley 216, and a support member 220 that is arranged between the driven pulley 216, the guide portion 250, and the second mounting body 202y, and the second mounting body 202y and the guide portion 250 are supported by a shaft portion 202k to which the driven pulley 216 is fixed, and the driven pulley 216 and the guide portion 250 are prevented from coming off the shaft portion 202k.

[0099] In the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the second attachment body 202y and the guide portion 250 are supported by the shaft portion 202k to which the driven pulley 216 is fixed. Therefore, the second attachment body 202y and the guide portion 250 are positioned relative to the shaft portion 202k so as not to move in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the shaft portion 202k. Furthermore, in the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the second attachment body 202y is disposed on the other axial side relative to the support member 220, and the driven pulley 216 and the guide portion 250 are disposed on one axial side, and the driven pulley 216 and the guide portion 250 are prevented from coming off the shaft portion 202k. As a result, the driven pulley 216 and the guide portion 250 are positioned so as not to move in the axial direction of the shaft portion 202k. Therefore, in cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, driven pulley 216 and guide portion 250 are less likely to shift position in both the axial direction of shaft portion 202k and the direction intersecting the axial direction, and the pulley is less likely to tilt. Therefore, in cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, belt 212 is less likely to come off the pulley.

[0100] In cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, rotating body 300 can be attached to and detached from second mounting body 202y by engaging and separating first mounting body 202x with and from second mounting body 202y supported on shaft 202k together with driven pulley 216. Therefore, by being configured as described above, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily attach and detach rotating body 300 to and from second mounting body 202y.

[0101] (2-2) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (2-1) above, the second mounting body 202y is located on the other side of the driven pulley 216 in the direction of the rotation axis, the guide portion 250 is located on one side, and the shaft portion 202k and the anti-pullout member 282 are fixed in a state in which the anti-pullout member 282 is arranged on one side of the guide portion 250.

[0102] By adopting such a configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment can arrange driven pulley 216 between support member 220 and guide part 250 so as not to tilt relative to shaft part 202k. Therefore, in cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, belt 212 is less likely to come off driven pulley 216.

[0103] (2-3) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (2-2) above, it is provided with a bearing member 202z (axial support portion) that supports the shaft portion 202k on one side of the driven pulley 216, and a pull-out prevention member 282 is arranged on one side of the bearing member 202z (axial support portion).

[0104] By configuring the support tool of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment as described above, the bearing member 202z (axial support part) can also be utilized to prevent the guide part 250 from tilting and the guide part 250 from tilting. Therefore, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can further prevent the driven pulley 216 from tilting and the belt 212 from coming off.

[0105] [Regarding the cleaning tool 40 according to the third aspect of the present invention]

[0106] As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-51711, a vacuum cleaner head has been provided that includes a rotor having multiple brushes and a motor that rotates the rotor. This head has a belt that is wound around a roller provided on the motor shaft and a rotary support, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the rotor by belt 212, causing the rotor to rotate.

[0107] Here, in the heads of the conventional technology described above, the brush bearing that rotatably supports the rotary support rotates relative to the rotary shaft, so dust is likely to adhere to the gap between the brush bearing and the rotary shaft, which could affect the rotational performance of the rotating body.

[0108] Therefore, the object of this embodiment is to realize a cleaning tool for an electric vacuum cleaner that can reduce the deterioration of the rotation performance of the rotor.

[0109] (3-1) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment has an inlet 62 which is an entrance for dust, a rotating body 300 to which a cleaning body 310 is attached on its outer peripheral surface, a drive unit 201 which is a drive source for rotating the rotating body 300, a driven pulley 216 arranged on one side of the rotational axis direction of the rotating body 300, an output pulley 214 which rotates on one side of the rotational axis direction of the drive unit 201, a belt 212 which is stretched over the output pulley 214 and the driven pulley 216, and a support structure which rotatably supports the driven pulley 216, and the support structure is characterized by having a bearing member 202z (first ball bearing) which receives the shaft portion 202k to which the driven pulley 216 is fixed, and a retaining member 202p (first support portion) in which the bearing member 202z (first ball bearing) is fitted into a hole portion.

[0110] The cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment uses a support structure for rotatably supporting the driven pulley 216, in which a bearing member 202z (first ball bearing) for receiving the shaft portion 202k to which the driven pulley 216 is fixed is fitted into a hole provided in the holding member 202p (first support portion). As a result, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the outer ring is fixed between the bearing member 202z (first ball bearing) and the hole provided in the holding member 202p (first support portion), and the inner ring rotates together with the shaft portion 202k. Therefore, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can reduce the possibility of a decrease in the rotational performance of the rotating body 300 due to dust adhering to the support structure that rotatably supports the rotating body 300, as compared to the prior art.

[0111] (3-2) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment preferably includes a first attachment body 202x arranged at the end of the rotating body 300, a second attachment body 202y that detachably engages with the first attachment body 202x, a support member 220 that rotatably supports the shaft portion 202k, on which the second attachment body 202y and the driven-side pulley 216 are supported, and a bearing member 225 (second ball bearing) that receives the shaft portion 202k to which the second attachment body 202y is fixed, and the support member 220 is preferably characterized in that the bearing member 225 (second ball bearing) is fitted into a hole portion.

[0112] Because cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment has this configuration, the outer ring is fixed between bearing member 225 (second ball bearing) and a hole provided in support member 220, and the inner ring rotates together with shaft 202k. Therefore, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can reduce the possibility of a decrease in the rotation performance of rotating body 300 due to dust adhering to the support structure that rotatably supports rotating body 300, as compared to the prior art.

[0113] (3-3) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (3-1) to (3-2) above, it is provided with a bearing member 214z (third ball bearing) into which a rotating shaft that supports the output side pulley 214 is inserted, and a retaining member 214p (second support portion) into which the bearing member 214z (third ball bearing) is fitted.

[0114] The cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment uses a support structure for rotatably supporting the output pulley 214, in which a bearing member 214z (third ball bearing) for receiving the output shaft of the drive unit 210 to which the output pulley 214 is fixed is fitted into a hole provided in the holding member 214p (second support portion). As a result, even when the output pulley 214 rotates due to the power output from the drive unit 201, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the outer ring is fixed between the bearing member 214z (third ball bearing) and the hole provided in the holding member 214p (second support portion), and the inner ring rotates together with the rotation shaft. Therefore, the cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can reduce the possibility of a decrease in the rotation performance of the output pulley 214 compared to the prior art.

[0115] (3-4) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is preferably characterized in that, in the cleaning tool 40 of (3-1) to (3-3) above, the guide portion 250 includes an output side guide portion 262 arranged on one side of the output side pulley 214 in the rotational axis direction, and the output side guide portion 262 is formed of a separate member from the output side pulley 214.

[0116] With this configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can be configured such that belt 212 is looped around output pulley 214, and then output guide portion 262, which is a separate member, can be positioned. Furthermore, when removing belt 212 from output pulley 214, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can remove belt 212 in a state where output guide portion 262, which is a separate member, has been removed, which is the opposite of the procedure for looping belt 212. Therefore, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily loop belt 212 around and remove belt 212 from output pulley 214, while being configured to include guide portion 250 that protrudes radially from the periphery on one side of the rotation axis direction.

[0117] Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can easily be configured as an output-side structure having guide portion 250 that protrudes radially from the circumferential portion on one side in the rotation axis direction relative to the circumferential portion, and output-side pulley 214. Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing costs of output-side pulley 214 and cleaning tool 40 of vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment.

[0118] [Regarding the Rotating Cleaning Body 46 of the Present Invention]

[0119] Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-295674, there has been provided an electric vacuum cleaner 1 having a rotating brush in the head to improve dust collection capacity on floor surfaces such as carpets where dust is difficult to collect by air suction alone.

[0120] In the above-mentioned conventional vacuum cleaners, the rotating brush employs a cleaning element made up of a base material and multiple cut pile fibers. Each cut pile fiber used in the cleaning element is made of a single type of fiber bundle (multiple fibers) implanted in a base fabric. The cleaning element is spirally wound around the outer periphery of a rotating element and attached to the rotating element. The rotating cleaning element employed in the above-mentioned conventional vacuum cleaners is designed to remove dust and dirt from the surface to be cleaned by bringing the fibers (cut pile fibers) of the cleaning element into contact with the surface to be cleaned (floor, carpet, etc.) and rotating the rotating element.

[0121] The rotating brushes used in the above-mentioned conventional technologies have cleaning members made of a single type of fiber bundle. However, the structure of the cleaning surface differs significantly depending on whether the object to be cleaned is a floor such as hardwood flooring or a carpet. Therefore, when the cleaning member is made of a single type of fiber bundle, while it is possible to optimize dust removal performance for either a floor such as hardwood flooring or a carpet, it is difficult to optimize dust removal performance for the other surface.

[0122] Therefore, the object of this embodiment is to realize a rotating cleaning body that can exhibit sufficient dust scraping performance regardless of the structure of the cleaning surface.

[0123] (4-1) The rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment has a rotary body 300 that is rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis, low-rigidity sections 312 having a first thread attached to a base material, and high-rigidity sections 314 having a second thread that is more rigid than the first thread, and is characterized in that the low-rigidity sections 312 are wound around the rotary body 300 so as to extend in the axial direction of the rotation axis in multiple circumferential directions on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary body 300, and the high-rigidity sections 314 are arranged in exposed sections 306 where the outer peripheral surface of the rotary body 300 is exposed in the gaps between circumferentially adjacent low-rigidity sections 312 on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary body 300.

[0124] The rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment has a plurality of low-rigidity sections 312, each having a base material with a first thread, wound around the rotor 300 in the circumferential direction so as to extend in the axial direction, and high-rigidity sections 314, each having a second thread, formed in exposed sections 306 where the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 300 is exposed, between the circumferentially arranged low-rigidity sections 312. As a result, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment has a plurality of high-rigidity sections 314 and low-rigidity sections 312 formed in the circumferential direction of the rotor 300. Therefore, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment can perform cleaning using both the high-rigidity sections 314 and the low-rigidity sections 312 as the rotor 300 rotates. Therefore, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment can exhibit sufficient dust scraping performance regardless of the structure of the cleaning surface.

[0125] (4-2) The rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment may be characterized in that the second thread is arranged biased toward either one side of the region on one side of the rotation direction of the rotating body 300 or the other side of the region on the other side of the rotation direction of the rotating body 300, based on the exposed portion 306.

[0126] With this configuration, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment has such a structure that, when the rotary body 300 is rotated to clean the cleaning surface, the first threads forming the low-rigidity portions 312 are supported by the second threads in the exposed portions 306. This prevents the first threads from deforming over time in the rotary body 300 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment, which would otherwise reduce the cleaning ability of the low-rigidity portions 312.

[0127] (4-3) The rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment may be the rotary cleaning body 46 of (4-1) to (4-2) above, characterized in that the bristle length of the second thread is equal to or shorter than the bristle length of the first thread.

[0128] By adopting such a configuration, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment can prevent the first thread from being deformed over time so as to be crushed, and the cleaning ability of the low-rigidity portion 312 from being reduced.

[0129] (4-4) The rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment is preferably characterized in that, in the rotating cleaning body 46 of (4-1) to (4-3) above, the second threads are arranged along the axial direction of the rotating body 300 so as to come into contact with the first threads.

[0130] By configuring the rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment in this way, when cleaning the cleaning surface to be cleaned, the first thread pressed against the cleaning surface is supported by the second thread, thereby preventing the first thread from deforming and deteriorating over time.

[0131] (4-5) The rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the rotating cleaning body 46 of (4-1) to (4-4) above, the rotating body 300 has a base material wrapped around it so that the outer circumferential surface is exposed, thereby forming an exposed portion 306.

[0132] With this configuration, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment can easily attach the high rigidity portion 314 to the exposed portion 306 .

[0133] (4-6) The rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment may be characterized in that, in the rotating cleaning body 46 of (4-1) to (4-5) above, the second thread is arranged biased toward the downstream region in the rotation direction of the rotating body 300, between the region on one side of the rotation direction of the rotating body 300 and the region on the other side of the rotation direction, based on the exposed portion 306.

[0134] By configuring the rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment in this manner, when cleaning the cleaning surface to be cleaned, the first thread pressed against the cleaning surface is supported by the second thread, and the dust scraping performance of the second thread can be improved.

[0135] (4-7) The rotating cleaning body 46 of this embodiment is preferably characterized in that, in the rotating cleaning body 46 of (4-1) to (4-6) above, the exposed portion 306 has a brush attachment portion 302 (recessed portion) to which a base material provided with a second thread is attached.

[0136] With this configuration, the rotary cleaning body 46 of this embodiment can provide the second thread to the rotary body 300 by mounting a base material on which the second thread is provided in the recessed portion.

[0137] (4-8) The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment may be characterized by including the rotary cleaning body 46 described in any one of (4-1) to (4-7) above.

[0138] The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is equipped with the above-mentioned rotary cleaning body 46, and therefore can perform cleaning by sufficiently scraping off dust with the rotary cleaning body 46, regardless of the structure of the cleaning surface. Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment has higher cleaning performance than those equipped with conventionally known rotary cleaning bodies.

[0139] [Regarding the cleaning tool 40 according to the fourth aspect of the present invention] As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-51711, a vacuum cleaner head has been provided that includes a rotor having multiple brushes, a motor that rotates the rotor, and a belt that transmits the rotation of the motor to the rotor. The head has a belt that is hung between a roller attached to the motor shaft and a rotary support.

[0140] In the conventional technology described above, there is a problem in that hairs and fibrous dust get into the end of the rotating body, resulting in a decrease in rotation performance.

[0141] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool for an electric vacuum cleaner that can prevent a decrease in the rotation performance of a rotor.

[0142] (5-1) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first and second variants described above is characterized by having an inlet 62 (entrance opening) which serves as an entrance for dust, a rotating body 300 to which a cleaning body 310 is attached, a cleaning body drive unit 48 which serves as a drive source for rotating the rotating body 300, a cleaning body drive mechanism which transmits drive force from the cleaning body drive unit 48 to the cleaning body 310, and grooves 360, 460 at the axial end side of the rotating body 300 into which a linear body can be wound.

[0143] The above-described cleaning tool 40 has such a configuration, whereby grooves 360, 460 into which a linear object can be wound are provided at the axial end side of the rotating body 300. Therefore, with the above-described configuration, the cleaning tool 40 makes it easier for linear objects such as hair and fibrous dust to wind around the grooves 360, 460 of the cleaning body 310, and therefore can prevent the linear objects from becoming entangled at the end side of the grooves 360, 460. Therefore, deterioration in the rotation performance of the rotating body 300 can be prevented.

[0144] (5-2) In the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to (5-1) described above, the groove portions 360, 460 include first groove portions 362, 462 and second groove portions 364, 464 having a smaller diameter than the first groove portions 362, 462, and it is preferable that the first groove portions 362, 462 are located closer to the axial end of the rotating body 300 than the second groove portions 364, 464.

[0145] With this configuration, the above-described cleaning tool 40 is more likely to wind linear objects such as hairs and fibrous dust around the second groove portions 364, 464 than around the first groove portions 362, 462. This makes it possible for the cleaning tool 40 to prevent linear objects from moving toward members constituting the cleaning element drive mechanism (for example, the belt 212 and the driven pulley 216 in the above-described example).

[0146] (5-3) In the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to (5-2) described above, the first groove portion 462 may be characterized by having a circumferential surface whose diameter increases toward the axial end of the rotating body 300.

[0147] With this configuration, the above-described cleaning tool 40 can prevent linear objects such as hairs and fibrous dust from moving toward the axial end of the rotating body 300 in the first groove portion 462. This allows the cleaning tool 40 to prevent linear objects from moving toward members constituting the cleaning body drive mechanism (for example, the belt 212, the driven pulley 216, etc.).

[0148] (5-4) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of (5-1) to (5-3) above may be characterized in that the groove portion 460 is formed between the first flange portion 202i and the second flange portion 350, 450, which are arranged axially spaced apart at the axial end side of the rotating body 300, and the diameter increases from the second flange portion 350, 450 toward the first flange portion 202i.

[0149] By configuring the above-mentioned cleaning tool 40 in this manner, linear bodies such as hairs and fibrous dust particles can easily wrap around the second flange portion 350, 450 between the first flange portion 202i and the second flange portion 350, 450, thereby preventing them from moving toward the axial end portion of the rotating body 300.

[0150] (5-5) In the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to (5-4) above, the first flange portion 202i may be smaller in diameter than the second flange portion 450.

[0151] By adopting such a configuration, the above-described cleaning tool 40 can easily allow linear bodies such as hairs and fibrous dust to wrap around the second flange portion 450 side of the groove portion 460 .

[0152] (5-6) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of (5-1) to (5-5) above may be characterized in that the first groove portions 362, 462 have a peripheral surface whose diameter decreases toward the second groove portions 364, 464.

[0153] With this configuration, the above-described cleaning tool 40 can guide the linear object in a direction from the first groove portions 362, 462 toward the second groove portions 364, 464, and can prevent the linear object from moving toward the axial end portion of the rotating body 300. This allows the cleaning tool 40 to prevent the linear object from moving toward the members constituting the cleaning body drive mechanism (for example, the belt 212, the driven pulley 216, etc.).

[0154] (5-7) The cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the third modified example described above comprises an inlet 62 (inlet opening) which is an entrance for dust, a rotating body 500 having a cleaning body 510, a cleaning body drive unit 48 which is a drive source for rotating the rotating body 300, and a cleaning body drive mechanism which transmits drive force from the cleaning body drive unit 48 to the cleaning body 510, and the rotating body 300 has a rotating body main body 500a on which the cleaning body 510 is arranged, a holding part 508 which holds the end of the rotating body 500, and a bearing part 505 which is rotatably supported by the holding part 508, the holding part 508 having a recess 508a at its end, and the bearing part 505 having a flange 507a which is fitted into the recess 508a.

[0155] Compared to a configuration without flange 507a, cleaning tool 40 described above has such a configuration, which can prevent linear objects such as hair and fibrous dust from becoming entangled between recess 508a and bearing part 503. This can prevent a decrease in the rotation performance of rotating body 500.

[0156] (5-8) In the cleaning tool 40 of the electric vacuum cleaner according to (5-7) above, the holding portion 508 preferably has a surrounding portion 508b that surrounds the outer periphery of the recessed portion 508a.

[0157] By adopting such a configuration, the above-described cleaning tool 40 can more reliably prevent linear objects such as hairs and fibrous dust from becoming entangled between the recess 508a and the bearing portion 505.

[0158] (5-9) In cleaning tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner according to (5-7) or (5-8) above, it is preferable that the end face of flange 507a and recess 508a abut in the axial direction. More preferably, the end face of flange 507a and the flat surface of recess 508a may abut in the axial direction.

[0159] By adopting such a configuration, the above-described cleaning tool 40 can more reliably prevent linear objects such as hairs and fibrous dust from becoming entangled between the recess 508a and the bearing portion 505.

[0160] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and appropriate design modifications and the like are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. The components of the above-described embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Furthermore, any component of each embodiment or variation may be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the Summary of the Invention, the Detailed Description, etc., or any component embodying any component described in the Summary of the Invention, the Detailed Description, etc. The present invention also intends to obtain rights to these in this application or in divisional applications based on this application. [Industrial Applicability]

[0161] The present invention can be suitably used in electric blowers and electric vacuum cleaners equipped with electric blowers in general. [Explanation of symbols]

[0162] 1: Vacuum cleaner 40: Cleaning tools 46: Rotating cleaning body 48: Cleaning body drive unit (drive unit) 50:Third dust collection section (dust collection section) 62: Intake (inlet opening) 202i: First flange 202k:Shaft 202p: Holding member (first support part) 202x: First mounting body 202y: Second mounting body 202z: Bearing member (first ball bearing, bearing support) 210: Drive unit 212: Belt 214: Output pulley 214p: Holding member (second support part) 214z: Bearing material (third ball bearing) 216: Driven pulley 220: Support member 225: Bearing member (second ball bearing) 250: Guide section 260: Output side guide part 262: Output side guide part 270: Follower side guide part 272: Follower side guide part 280: Anti-slip member 300: Rotating body 300d:Groove 302: Brush mounting part 306 :Exposed part 310: Cleaning body 312: Low rigidity part 314: High rigidity part 350: Second flange 450: Second flange 460: Groove 462:First groove 464:Second groove part 500: Rotating body 500a: Rotating body 505: Bearing part 507a: Flange 508: Holding part 508a: recess 510: Cleaning body

Claims

1. An intake port that serves as the entrance for dust and dirt, a rotating cleaning body having a rotating body to which a cleaning body is attached; a drive source that rotates the rotating body; a first flange portion provided on an axial end side of the rotor so as to expand in a radial direction of the rotor; a second flange portion provided on an axial end side of the rotor so as to expand in a radial direction of the rotor and spaced apart from the first flange portion in the axial direction of the rotor; a groove portion provided around the entire circumference of the rotating body between the first flange portion and the second flange portion, The cleaning tool is characterized in that the groove portion has a shape in which the diameter increases from the second flange portion toward the first flange portion.

2. The groove has a tapered circumferential surface, 2. The cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member is tapered from the outer side toward the inner side in the axial direction of the rotary member.

3. The groove portion is a first groove portion located at a position on the first flange portion side; a second groove portion located at a position on the second flange portion side; The cleaning tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first groove portion and the second groove portion are formed adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rotating body.

4. 4. The cleaning tool according to claim 3, wherein the first groove portion is formed so that the diameter of the circumferential surface thereof increases toward the axial end of the rotating body and decreases toward the second groove portion.

5. The cleaning tool according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second groove portion has a peripheral surface formed with a smaller diameter than the first groove portion.

6. The cleaning tool according to claim 3 , wherein a diameter of the second groove portion at a boundary with the first groove portion is smaller than a diameter of the first groove portion at a boundary with the second groove portion.

Images