Suction port body and vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a suction port body capable of sucking granular waste, while securing a degree of vacuum in a state where a lower end moves to a cleaning object part side, and vacuum cleaner including the suction port body.SOLUTION: A suction port body 7 comprises a body part 70 and a cover body 75. The body part 70 includes a cleaning body chamber in which a cleaning body 72 is disposed, and a suction port communicated with the cleaning body chamber, and that extends in a horizontal direction. The cover body 75 is disposed at a front part of the cleaning body chamber, and due to contact with an object in front, at least a lower end 750 can move so as to approach to a cleaning object part CL side. The cover body 75 includes, at the lower end 750, a plurality of protrusions 752 protruding to the cleaning object part CL side and extending in the horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a suction port body having a cover body arranged to cover a front part of a cleaning body chamber, and an electric vacuum cleaner including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a suction port body used in an electric vacuum cleaner that has a cover body at the very front. This cover body forms the front part of a cleaning body chamber that houses a rotating cleaning body rotatably arranged in the suction port body, and its upper part is rotatably supported by the main body of the suction port body. When the cover body comes into contact with an object such as a wall, the lower end part of the cover body rotates downward and rearward, thereby narrowing the height gap with the part to be cleaned and increasing the degree of vacuum in the cleaning body chamber.

[0003] The dust sucked in during cleaning may contain granular dirt, and it is desirable to be able to suck up such granular dirt from the front of the suction port body. In that case, if the bottom end of the cover body is set high in advance in accordance with the size of the granular dirt that can be sucked in, the gap in the height direction between the part to be cleaned and the bottom end of the cover body will become wider, and the degree of vacuum will decrease when the cover body is not rotating. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4672553 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a suction port body that can suck in granular debris while maintaining a degree of vacuum when the lower end is moved toward the part to be cleaned, and an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The suction port body of the embodiment includes a main body and a cover body. Has a cleaning member The cleaning device has a cleaning element chamber in which the cleaning element is disposed, and a suction port communicating with the cleaning element chamber, and extends in the left-right direction. The cleaning element is a rotating cleaning element that rotates in the front-rear direction. The cover body is disposed at the front of the cleaning body chamber and is movable such that at least a lower end portion approaches the part to be cleaned upon contact with an object in front of the cover body. The cover body has a plurality of protrusions at its lower end that protrude toward the part to be cleaned and extend in the left-right direction. When the cover body is moved to a position approaching the part to be cleaned, the lower end of the part of the cover body where the protrusion is not formed comes into contact with the same cleaning member of the cleaning body, but the lower end of the protrusion of the cover body does not come into contact with the same cleaning member of the cleaning body. . [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the suction port body of the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing a portion of the suction port body. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line corresponding to II in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line corresponding to II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line corresponding to III-III in FIG. [Diagram 5] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the suction port body from below. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with the same suction mouth body. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a part of the suction port body of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] In Fig. 7, VC denotes a vacuum cleaner. In the vacuum cleaner VC, a suction source 2 is operated by power supplied from a power supply unit 1, and dust is sucked together with air into a dust collection unit 3 by the action of negative pressure generated by the operation of the suction source 2, and the dust separated from the air is accumulated in the dust collection unit 3. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner VC will be described taking as an example a stick-type vacuum cleaner that is held and operated by a user. However, the vacuum cleaner VC is not limited to this, and may be any type such as a floor-traveling type, i.e. a canister type, an upright type, a handheld type, or the like.

[0010] The power supply unit 1 may be a cord reel device that obtains power from a commercial power source, or may be a battery. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 1 is a secondary battery. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner VC of this embodiment is a cordless type. The amount of electricity supplied from the power supply unit 1 to the suction source 2 is set by the control unit 4. A microcomputer is preferably used as the control unit 4.

[0011] For example, an electric blower is used as the suction source 2. The electric blower is configured to generate negative pressure by rotating a fan with an electric motor.

[0012] In this embodiment, the dust collecting unit 3 is of a cyclone type that separates dust from the air by centrifugation by swirling dust-containing air. However, the dust collecting unit 3 is not limited to this, and may be a filter, a dust collecting bag, or the like.

[0013] The power supply unit 1, the suction source 2, and the control unit 4 are disposed in the vacuum cleaner body 5. The dust collection unit 3 may be disposed in the vacuum cleaner body 5, or may be disposed in a position separate from the vacuum cleaner body 5. In this embodiment, the dust collection unit 3 is detachable from the vacuum cleaner body 5.

[0014] The vacuum cleaner body 5 is formed with a body suction port 50. The body suction port 50 communicates with the suction side of the suction source 2. In this embodiment, the body suction port 50 communicates with the suction side of the suction source 2 via the dust collecting unit 3 attached to the vacuum cleaner body 5. The vacuum cleaner body 5 is also formed with a gripping unit 51 that the user holds to perform cleaning operations. The gripping unit 51 is provided with an operation setting unit 52 such as a push button operated by the user. The operation setting unit 52 generates a signal for setting the operation of the suction source 2 in response to the user's operation and outputs it to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 receives the output signal and operates the suction source 2 in response to the signal. A microcomputer or the like is preferably used as the control unit 4. The vacuum cleaner body 5 is also formed with a body exhaust port 53. The body exhaust port 53 communicates with the exhaust side of the suction source 2.

[0015] A suction air duct section 6 is connected to the main body suction port 50 of the vacuum cleaner main body 5. The suction air duct section 6 is an air duct section that applies negative pressure generated by the operation of the suction source 2 to the part to be cleaned CL. The suction air duct section 6 is set appropriately according to the type of vacuum cleaner VC. In the case of a stick-type vacuum cleaner VC, the suction air duct section 6 is made up of an extension tube 60 and an attachment 61. However, the suction air duct section 6 may further include a flexible hose body or may be only the attachment 61 depending on the type of vacuum cleaner VC.

[0016] The extension pipe 60 is a long pipe. One end of the extension pipe 60 is connected to the main body suction port 50, and the other end is connected to the attachment 61. By providing a distance between the vacuum cleaner main body 5 and the attachment 61, the user can clean the surface to be cleaned CL, such as a floor, with the vacuum cleaner VC while standing.

[0017] As the attachment 61, various attachments may be selectively used according to the cleaning purpose, but as an example, the suction port body 7 is used. The suction port body 7 is also called a floor brush, a cleaning head, a suction head, etc., and is an attachment that sucks up dust while moving along the part to be cleaned CL such as a floor surface. In the following, the up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions of the suction port body 7 will be described based on the directions as seen by a user when the suction port body 7 is placed on a horizontal part to be cleaned CL. In Figs. 1 to 6, the upward direction is indicated by an arrow U, the downward direction by an arrow D, the forward direction by an arrow FR, the rearward direction by an arrow RR, the leftward direction by an arrow L, and the rightward direction by an arrow R.

[0018] The suction port body 7 includes a main body 70. The main body 70 is a case body formed of a material such as synthetic resin. The main body 70 is longer in the left-right direction than in the front-rear direction, that is, has a horizontally elongated shape. A connection pipe 71 is connected to the rear of the main body 70. As shown in FIG. 7, the connection pipe 71 is a pipe that connects the suction port body 7 and the suction source 2. In this embodiment, the connection pipe 71 can be connected via the extension pipe 60 or directly to the main body suction port 50. The connection pipe 71 is located in the center of the left-right direction at the rear of the main body 70.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 70 has a plurality of chambers. The main body 70 has a suction air passage 700 as a chamber. The suction air passage 700 is a suction chamber formed in an elongated shape in the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the main body 70. The suction air passage 700 has an intake port 7000 at its lower part, which opens toward the part to be cleaned CL. The intake port 7000 is a part that directly applies negative pressure generated by the suction source 2 (shown in FIG. 7) to the part to be cleaned CL. The intake port 7000 is formed over the entire or substantially entire lower part of the suction air passage 700. That is, the intake port 7000 is formed elongated in the left-right direction.

[0020] The suction air passage 700 communicates with a communication chamber 701 serving as a chamber. The communication chamber 701 is located adjacent to the rear of the suction air passage 700. The communication chamber 701 extends in the front-rear direction, communicates with the rear of the main body 70, and communicates with the connecting pipe 71. That is, the communication chamber 701 communicates between the suction air passage 700 and the connecting pipe 71.

[0021] Furthermore, the suction air passage 700 communicates with a cleaning body chamber 702 as a chamber. The cleaning body chamber 702 is adjacent to the front of the suction air passage 700 and is located at the front of the main body 70. The cleaning body chamber 702 is formed with the same width or approximately the same width as the suction air passage 700. That is, the cleaning body chamber 702 is formed in a longitudinal shape extending in the left-right direction, similar to the suction air passage 700. A partition wall 703 is formed between the cleaning body chamber 702 and the suction air passage 700. The partition wall 703 is formed to extend in the left-right direction, and its lower end is located above the lower surface of the main body 70. The cleaning body chamber 702 communicates with the suction air passage 700 or the suction port 7000 through a communication air passage 7030 formed at the lower end of the partition wall 703.

[0022] In the cleaning body chamber 702, the cleaning body 72, which is a drive unit, is operably arranged. In this embodiment, the cleaning body 72 is a rotating cleaning body that has an axis in the left-right direction and can rotate in the front-rear direction. The cleaning body 72 includes a shaft body 720. The shaft body 720 is formed in a columnar shape, and both ends are rotatably supported by the main body 70. A cleaning member 721 is arranged on the outside of the shaft body 720. The cleaning member 721 scrapes out dust from the cleaned part CL as the cleaning body 72 rotates. The cleaning member 721 is, for example, a hair brush. The cleaning member 721 is arranged at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the shaft body 720 at a distance. The cleaning member 721 extends radially from the shaft body 720. Preferably, the cleaning member 721 is held in a spiral twisted manner across both ends of the shaft body 720. At least one of the cleaning members 721 has a protruding length from the shaft 720 set so that it extends below the bottom surface of the main body 70 when positioned at the bottom of the cleaning body 72. In this embodiment, the cleaning members 721 are set to a first cleaning member 721a that protrudes a small amount from the shaft 720 and a second cleaning member 721b that protrudes a large amount from the shaft 720. In the example shown in the figure, the first cleaning member 721a and the second cleaning member 721b are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the shaft 720, i.e., in the rotational direction of the cleaning body 72.

[0023] The cleaning body 72 is driven by an electric motor 73 shown in FIG. 6. The electric motor 73 operates by receiving power from, for example, a power supply unit 1 (shown in FIG. 7). The operation of the electric motor 73 is controlled by a drive control unit 74. The drive control unit 74 sets the operation of the electric motor 73 in response to a signal from an operation setting unit 52 (shown in FIG. 7) set by a user. The power of the electric motor 73 is transmitted to the cleaning body 72 via a transmission means such as a gear, a pulley, or a timing belt, and the cleaning body 72 is rotated. Preferably, the electric motor 73 rotates the cleaning body 72 in a counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 3, etc., that is, in the forward direction when the suction port body 7 moves forward. The electric motor 73 and the drive control unit 74 are housed in an electric motor chamber 704 and a control chamber 705, which are chambers formed in the main body 70. The electric motor chamber 704 and the control chamber 705 are arranged, for example, on both sides of the connecting pipe 71 at the rear of the main body 70. The motor chamber 704 and the control chamber 705 are partitioned on the left and right sides of the communication chamber 701 in the main body 70, extending from the top to the rear of the suction air duct 700 shown in Figure 3, and are adjacent to the cleaning body chamber 702 in the front and rear, separated by a partition wall 703.

[0024] The front part of the cleaning element chamber 702 is configured by attaching a cover body 75, which is a front cover, to a front opening 706 that communicates with the outside of the main body 70. The front opening 706 is located at the frontmost part of the outer shell of the main body 70. The front opening 706 communicates with the suction port 7000 via the cleaning element chamber 702. The front opening 706 is formed over the entire or almost entire front part of the cleaning element chamber 702. In other words, the front opening 706 is formed elongated in the left-right direction. The upper edge of the front opening 706 is located above the axis of the cleaning element 72.

[0025] The cover body 75 is a rectangular shape formed in a longitudinal direction, and is disposed in the front opening 706 with the longitudinal direction being the left-right direction and the lateral direction being the up-down direction. The cover body 75 covers a part of the front opening 706, more than half of it in this embodiment, and is continuous in the left-right direction over at least the range in which the cleaning member 721 is disposed in the axial direction of the cleaning body 72. The cover body 75 constitutes the front wall of the cleaning body chamber 702.

[0026] The cover body 75 is attached to the main body 70. When the part to be cleaned CL, for example, the suction port body 7, is placed on a hard, flat floor surface such as flooring or a soft floor surface such as a carpet, the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 is located above the lower surface of the main body 70 and is positioned above and away from the part to be cleaned CL. Therefore, when viewed from the front, a part of the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72 is exposed from the front opening 706 at a position below the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. Also, the cover body 75 is positioned forward and away from the cleaning body 72.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b), the cover body 75 is formed so that the lower end 750 approaches the part to be cleaned CL by contacting the object OB in front. Hereinafter, the "object" refers to a static object such as a wall or furniture that is installed in an area such as a room to be cleaned. In this embodiment, the cover body 75 has an upper end 751 rotatably supported by the main body 70, and a lower end 750 that is a free end. The upper end 751 of the cover body 75 is supported by the upper edge of the front opening 706. Therefore, the rotation axis of the cover body 75 is above the axis of the cleaning body 72. Also, the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 is below the axis of the cleaning body 72.

[0028] The cover body 75 is pushed backward and rotated from the unloaded position or natural position, i.e., the initial position, shown by the two-dot chain line, by contact with the object OB, so that the lower end 750 approaches the part to be cleaned CL and the cleaning body 72, thereby narrowing the opening area of ​​the front opening 706. In this embodiment, the cover body 75 is biased toward the initial position by a biasing means such as a torsion spring or a coil spring. Therefore, when the cover body 75 is in contact with the object OB, the cover body 75 maintains contact with the object OB, and is configured to return to the initial position when the cover body 75 separates from the object OB.

[0029] 1 to 3, a plurality of protrusions 752 are formed on the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. The protrusions 752 bulge downward, that is, toward the part to be cleaned CL, in a direction that narrows the opening area of ​​the front opening 706 between the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 and the part to be cleaned CL. The protrusions 752 have the effect of increasing the degree of vacuum in the cleaning body chamber 702. Depending on the presence or absence of these protrusions 752, upper and lower unevenness are formed alternately in the left and right direction on the lower end 750 of the cover body 75.

[0030] The protrusion 752 is formed in a shape extending in the left-right direction, which is the direction of both sides of the cover body 75. That is, the left-right dimension of the protrusion 752 is larger than the up-down dimension, which is the protruding dimension. In addition, in this embodiment, the protrusion 752 is formed so as to gradually narrow from the base end to the tip end. When viewed from the front, the protrusion 752 is formed in a trapezoid shape with the lower side shorter than the upper side. In this embodiment, the up-down dimensions of the multiple protrusions 752 are set to be equal. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the heights H of the lower ends, which are the tips of the multiple protrusions 752, are set to be equal. Note that the height H is based on a state in which the cover body 75 is in the initial position. Also, the height H of the protrusion 752 is defined by the height from a predetermined reference plane. The predetermined reference plane is a horizontal plane having a predetermined positional relationship in the up-down direction with respect to the part to be cleaned CL. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the flat part to be cleaned CL on which the grounding part 76 arranged on the lower surface of the main body 70 is grounded is set as the reference plane. That is, in the case of the hard part to be cleaned CL such as horizontal flooring, the surface of the part or the surface to be cleaned itself becomes the predetermined reference plane. The ground contact part 76 may be a running member such as a running wheel, or may be a sliding member such as a nonwoven fabric.

[0031] 1, in this embodiment, the protrusions 752 are located at positions other than the center in the left-right direction at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. Therefore, a non-placement portion 753 where the protrusions 752 are not located is set at the center in the left-right direction at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. The non-placement portion 753 is formed to extend in the left-right direction.

[0032] Preferably, the protrusions 752 are located at positions excluding both left and right sides at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. Therefore, non-placement portions 754 where the protrusions 752 are not located are set at both left and right sides at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. The non-placement portions 754 are formed to extend in the left-right direction.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protrusions 752 are evenly arranged on the left and right with respect to the center of the left and right direction of the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. In the illustrated example, the protrusions 752 are arranged on the left and right, for example, two by two, with respect to the center of the left and right direction of the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. The multiple protrusions 752 on the left and right are located apart from each other in both sides, i.e., in the left and right direction. Therefore, non-arrangement portions 755 where no protrusions 752 are arranged are set between the multiple protrusions 752 on the left and right in the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. The non-arrangement portions 755 are formed to extend in the left and right direction.

[0034] Therefore, in the example shown, the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 is arranged, from one side in the left-right direction to the other, in the following order: non-placement portion 754, protrusion 752, non-placement portion 755, protrusion 752, non-placement portion 753, protrusion 752, non-placement portion 755, protrusion 752, non-placement portion 754.

[0035] Also, preferably, the length in the left-right direction, which is the direction on both sides of the non-positioned portion where the protrusion 752 is not formed, at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 is set to the maximum at the portion located on the innermost side in the left-right direction. Here, "the portion located on the innermost side in the left-right direction of the non-positioned portion where the protrusion 752 is not formed" refers to the portion of the non-positioned portion that is located closest to the center of the left-right direction of the cover body 75 or at a position including the center. That is, when the protrusion 752 is not arranged in the center of the left-right direction of the cover body 75 as in this embodiment, "the portion located on the innermost side in the left-right direction of the non-positioned portion where the protrusion 752 is not formed" is the non-positioned portion 753 in the center of the left-right direction of the cover body 75. Also, for example, in the case of a configuration in which the protrusion 752 is located in the center of the left-right direction of the cover body 75, the non-positioned portions adjacent to the protrusion 752 on the left and right are "the portions located on the innermost side in the left-right direction of the non-positioned portion where the protrusion 752 is not formed".

[0036] In the illustrated example, the non-placement portion 753 is formed such that the left-right length L1 of the non-placement portion 753 is longer than the left-right lengths L2 and L3 of the non-placement portion 754 and 755. That is, L1>L2 and L1>L3. The lengths L1, L2 and L3 of the non-placement portion 753, 754 and 755 refer to the minimum length or minimum effective length of the non-placement portion 753, 754 and 755. The minimum effective length refers to the minimum length at which the non-placement portion can function. That is, in the non-placement portion 753, 754 and 755 whose left-right length, i.e., width, gradually changes in the vertical direction as in this embodiment, the lengths L1, L2 and L3 are defined as the left-right length of the narrowest part of the non-placement portion 753, 754 and 755, i.e., the uppermost part. Preferably, the length L1 of the non-placement portion 753 is set to be equal to or greater than the left-right width of the communication chamber 701 (shown in FIG. 3).

[0037] More preferably, in the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, the length in the left-right direction of the part of the non-placement part where the protrusion 752 is not formed, which is located most inward in the left-right direction, is set to be larger than the length in the left-right direction of the protrusion 752 located on the outside in the left-right direction. In the case of this embodiment, the length L1 of the non-placement part 753, which is the part located most inward in the left-right direction of the non-placement part, is set to be larger than the left-right length L4 of the protrusion 752 located on the outside in the left-right direction, i.e., on both sides of the non-placement part 753. In other words, L1>L4. The length L4 of the protrusion 752 refers to the length of the lower end, which is the tip part of the protrusion 752, or the minimum effective length. The minimum effective length refers to the minimum length at which the protrusion 752 can function. In other words, in the protrusion 752 whose left-right length, i.e., width, gradually changes in the up-down direction as in this embodiment, the length L4 is defined as the left-right length of the lower end of the protrusion 752.

[0038] More preferably, the left-right length L4 of the protrusion 752 is set to be the same or approximately the same as the left-right length of a non-placement portion that is arranged on the left-right outer side of the protrusion 752. In this embodiment, the left-right length L4 of the protrusion 752 is set to be the same or approximately the same as the left-right length L2 or length L3 of the non-placement portion 754 or the non-placement portion 755.

[0039] It should be noted that either the length L2 or the length L3 of the non-placement portions 754 and 755 may be longer than the other, or the lengths may be the same.

[0040] Furthermore, it is preferable that the heights H1, H2, and H3 from the part to be cleaned CL of the non-arrangement parts 753, 754, and 755 are set equal to each other. These heights H1, H2, and H3 also refer to the height from a predetermined reference plane that is the same as the height H of the protrusion 752.

[0041] 3, the cover body 75 is formed in a plate shape. When the cover body 75 is attached to the main body 70, the thickness direction of the cover body 75 is the front-rear direction. The cover body 75 is curved in the plate thickness direction. In the illustrated example, the cover body 75 is convex toward the front side when attached to the main body 70.

[0042] Preferably, a convex shape 756 is formed at the front of the cover body 75. The convex shape 756 improves the strength of the cover body 75 and adds a design feature to the cover body 75 to improve its appearance. As shown in FIG. 1, the convex shapes 756 are formed in a line in the left-right direction, which is the direction of both sides of the cover body 75, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the cover body 75. In this embodiment, the convex shapes 756 are formed in a line in the entire left-right direction at the front of the cover body 75. Moreover, a plurality of the convex shapes 756 are arranged side by side in the up-down direction, which is the short side direction of the cover body 75.

[0043] 3 and 5, a rear protrusion 757 that protrudes rearward toward the cleaning body 72 is formed on the lower end 750 of the cover body 75. In this embodiment, the rear protrusion 757 is formed on the protrusion 752 and non-arrangement portions 753, 754, and 755. In the illustrated example, the rear protrusion 757 is continuous in the left-right direction, but may be formed discontinuously in the left-right direction.

[0044] Also, preferably, a reinforcing portion 758 is formed in the up-down direction, which is the short side direction of the cover body 75, at the rear of the cover body 75, i.e., on the side facing the cleaning body 72. The reinforcing portion 758 is formed in a rib shape. A plurality of reinforcing portions 758 are formed at intervals in the left-right direction, which is the direction of both sides of the cover body 75. In the illustrated example, the reinforcing portions 758 are arranged at positions corresponding to the left-right center portions of the protrusions 752 and the left-right center portions of the non-arrangement portions 753. Depending on the presence or absence of these reinforcing portions 758, left and right unevenness is formed in a comb-tooth shape at the rear of the cover body 75. Also, the reinforcing portion 758 is formed in connection with the rear protrusion 757. The reinforcing portion 758 is arranged over at least the range facing the cleaning body 72.

[0045] Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0046] When cleaning, when the user operates the operation setting unit 52, a signal to operate the suction source 2 is output to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 drives the suction source 2 with the set operation. The negative pressure generated by driving the suction source 2 acts from the main body suction port 50 to the suction air duct unit 6 via the dust collection unit 3. Then, the user grasps the grip part 51 and moves the vacuum cleaner VC back and forth to move the suction port body 7 back and forth over the part to be cleaned CL in the area to be cleaned, such as a room, and the negative pressure acting from the suction port 7000 sucks in dust together with air.

[0047] The negative pressure acting from the suction port 7000 draws dust together with air into the suction air passage 700. In this embodiment, the negative pressure also acts on the cleaning body chamber 702 communicating with the suction air passage 700, so that dust is drawn together with air into the suction air passage 700 directly, or from the cleaning body chamber 702 via the communicating air passage 7030. This dust-containing air passes through the communicating chamber 701 and the connecting pipe 71, and is sucked into the dust collection unit 3 via the extension pipe 60 and the main body suction port 50, where the dust is separated, collected, and accumulated. The air from which the dust has been separated is discharged to the outside of the vacuum cleaner main body 5 from the main body exhaust port 53.

[0048] 4(a) and 4(b), when cleaning a part to be cleaned CL near an object OB such as a wall, the front part of the suction port body 7 is pressed against the object OB, and the front part of the cover body 75 is pushed backward by the object OB and rotates, and the lower end part 750 side of the cover body 75 approaches the part to be cleaned CL. At this time, in this embodiment, since the lower end part 750 is formed with a protrusion 752 extending in the left-right direction, the protrusion 752 is positioned close to the part to be cleaned CL, and the degree of vacuum in the cleaning body chamber 702, the front part of which is covered by the cover body 75, is ensured. On the other hand, at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, in the parts where the protrusions 752 are not formed, i.e., the non-positioned parts 753, 754, 755, there is a slight vertical gap between the part to be cleaned CL and these non-positioned parts 753, 754, 755, so that granular dust of a certain size, such as rice grains, can be sucked into the suction air duct 700 from the positions of these non-positioned parts 753, 754, 755 by the action of negative pressure, via the cleaning body chamber 702 and the suction port 7000.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the left-right length of the part of the non-positioned portion that is located innermost in the left-right direction is set to be greater than the left-right length L4 of the protrusion 752 that is located on the outside in the left-right direction. In other words, in this embodiment, the left-right length L1 of the non-positioned portion 753 is greater than the left-right length L4 of the protrusions 752 located on both sides of it. Therefore, even if the protrusions 752 are located close to the cleaning portion CL that has long pile, such as a carpet, a gap can be secured at the position of the non-positioned portion near the left-right center of the cover body 75, and granular dust can be sucked in through this gap.

[0050] Furthermore, since the left-right length L4 of the protrusion 752 is set to be the same as the left-right lengths L2, L3 of the non-placement portion 754 or non-placement portion 755 arranged on the left-right outside of the protrusion 752, an area can be secured at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 to be close to the part to be cleaned CL, and the degree of vacuum in the cleaning body chamber 702 can be ensured.

[0051] In particular, when a user finds granular dust, they generally move the suction mouth body 7 so that the granular dust is located in the left-right center of the suction mouth body 7. Therefore, by having the protrusion 752 located at a position other than the left-right center at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, the granular dust can be efficiently sucked in from the non-positioned portion 753 in this central area.

[0052] At this time, at the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, the left-right length of the non-positioned portion where the protrusion 752 is not formed is set to be maximum at the part that is positioned innermost in the left-right direction of the cover body 75. In other words, in this embodiment, among the lengths L1, L2, L3 of the non-positioned portions 753, 754, 755, the length L1 is set to be maximum, so that the amount of granular dust to be sucked in from the central non-positioned portion 753 can be secured, and even a certain amount of granular dust can be satisfactorily sucked in.

[0053] Furthermore, when the suction port body 7 is moved to a corner of an area such as a room to be cleaned, dust on the part to be cleaned CL in the corner part is sucked in from the side part of the suction port body 7. Therefore, by forming the protrusions 752 of the cover body 75 at a position other than both the left and right sides at the lower end part 750, non-positioned parts 754 are formed on both the left and right sides, and dust in the corner parts can be sucked in from these non-positioned parts 754.

[0054] In addition, a convex shape 756 is formed in the front part of the cover body 75 in the left-right direction without interruption, and when the cover body 75 comes into contact with the object OB, the convex shape 756 comes into contact with the object OB, so that the contact position between the cover body 75 and the object OB is sealed in the left-right direction of the cover body 75, making it difficult for air to flow in from above, and an air passage W that communicates with the cleaning body chamber 702 is formed between the cover body 75 and the object OB. Therefore, through this air passage W, dust on the part to be cleaned CL near the object OB and dust on the part to be cleaned CL at the corners can be efficiently and reliably drawn into the cleaning body chamber 702.

[0055] In particular, a user can drive the cleaning body 72 to scrape out dust from the part to be cleaned CL such as a carpet, and then suck up the scraped out dust, thereby cleaning the part to be cleaned CL more thoroughly. When using the cleaning body 72, by operating the operation setting unit 52, the drive control unit 74 operates the electric motor 73, and the power of the electric motor 73 is transmitted to the cleaning body 72 via the transmission means, thereby driving the cleaning body 72. In this embodiment, the cleaning body 72 rotates as indicated by the arrow A, and the cleaning member 721 inserted into the part to be cleaned CL scrapes out dust.

[0056] 4(a), a part of the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, which in this embodiment is a part where the protrusion 752 is not formed, is configured to come into contact with the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72 at a position where the cover body 75 moves to approach the part to be cleaned CL, so that as the cleaning body 72 rotates, dust adhering to the cleaning member 721 is knocked down by the cover body 75, thereby removing dust from the cleaning body 72. The knocked down dust is sucked from the cleaning body chamber 702 to the suction port 7000.

[0057] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a portion of the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, which in this embodiment is the portion where the protrusion 752 is formed, is configured so as not to come into contact with the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72 when the cover body 75 moves to a position approaching the part to be cleaned CL, thereby suppressing the load caused by contact with the cover body 75 on the rotation of the cleaning body 72 and suppressing the load current of the motor 73 when the cleaning body 72 rotates.

[0058] In this way, the protrusions 752 are arranged intermittently in the left-right direction on the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, so that as the cleaning body 72 rotates, these protrusions 752 comb the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72, thereby untangling or cutting entangled thread-like or linear debris such as hair.

[0059] Furthermore, a rear protrusion 757 is formed at the rear of the lower end 750 of the cover body 75, so that at least a portion of the rear protrusion 757 abuts so as to intersect with the movement direction of the cleaning member 721 associated with the rotation of the cleaning body 72, thereby more effectively removing dust adhering to the cleaning member 721.

[0060] Similarly, at the rear part of the cover body 75 facing the cleaning body 72, multiple rib-shaped reinforcing parts 758 are formed spaced apart in the left and right directions, i.e., along the up and down direction, i.e., the rotation direction of the cleaning body 72, so that comb-tooth-shaped unevenness is created on the front and back depending on the presence or absence of the reinforcing parts 758, and as the cleaning body 72 rotates, the reinforcing parts 758 comb the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72 in a comb-tooth shape, thereby untangling and cutting tangled thread-like debris such as hair.

[0061] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Note that the same configurations and operations as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0062] In this embodiment, the height of the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 where there is no non-placement portion where the protrusion 752 is not formed is set to the maximum at the portion of the non-placement portion that is arranged on the innermost side in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the lower end 750 of the cover body 75 is set so that the height H1 of the non-placement portion 753 is higher than the heights H2 and H3 of the non-placement portions 754 and 755.

[0063] Therefore, when cleaning the part to be cleaned CL near the object OB, the amount of granular dust to be sucked from the non-placement portion 753 in the center can be ensured, and even a certain amount of granular dust can be sucked satisfactorily.

[0064] In particular, when a user finds granular dust, they generally move the suction mouth body 7 so that the granular dust is located in the left-right center of the suction mouth body 7. Therefore, by maximizing the height H1 of the non-positioned portion 753 that is located in the left-right center or closest to the center, the granular dust can be efficiently sucked in from this non-positioned portion 753.

[0065] In each of the above-described embodiments, the cover body 75 is not limited to a rotating one, but may be a type that moves so that the lower end portion 750 approaches the part to be cleaned CL by deformation due to contact with the object OB, for example.

[0066] Furthermore, at least one of the non-placement portions 753, 754, and 755 at the lower end portion 750 of the cover body 75 may have a protrusion that does not extend in the left-right direction.

[0067] Furthermore, the main body 70 is configured to form the cleaning body chamber 702 and the suction air passage 700 separately, but this is not limited to this, and the same effect can be achieved even if the cleaning body chamber 702 and the suction air passage 700 are integrally formed.

[0068] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples, and it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to these embodiments. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] CL Area to be cleaned OB object VC Vacuum Cleaner W wind path 7 Suction port body 70 Main body 72 Cleaning Body 75 Cover body 702 Cleaning Room 721 Cleaning materials 750 Lower end 752 Protrusion 753,754,755 Non-located part 756 Convex shape 7000 Intake port

Claims

1. A cleaning body having a cleaning member, a cleaning chamber in which a cleaning body is disposed, and a main body having a suction port communicating with the cleaning body chamber and extending in the left-right direction; a cover body that is disposed at the front of the cleaning body chamber and is movable so that at least a lower end portion thereof approaches the part to be cleaned by contact with an object in front of the cover body; The cleaning body is a rotating cleaning body that rotates in a front-rear direction, The cover body has a plurality of protrusions at a lower end portion, the protrusions protruding toward the part to be cleaned and extending in the left-right direction, When the cover body is moved to a position approaching the part to be cleaned, a lower end of a portion of the cover body where the projection is not formed comes into contact with the same cleaning member of the cleaning body, and a lower end of the projection of the cover body does not come into contact with the same cleaning member of the cleaning body. A suction mouth body characterized by:

2. At the bottom end of the cover body, the length in the left-right direction of the non-placement portion where the protrusion is not formed is set to be maximum at the portion that is placed most inward in the left-right direction. The suction mouth body according to claim 1 .

3. The length in the left-right direction of the part disposed most inward in the left-right direction is set to be greater than the length in the left-right direction of the protrusion disposed outward in the left-right direction. The suction mouth body according to claim 2 .

4. The length of the protrusion in the left-right direction is set to be the same as the length of the non-placement portion that is disposed on the left-right outer side of the protrusion in the left-right direction.

4. The suction mouth body according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The protrusion is located at a position other than the center in the left-right direction at the lower end of the cover body.

5. The suction mouth body according to claim 2, wherein the suction mouth body is a suction inlet.

6. At the lower end of the cover body, the height of the non-placement portion is set to be maximum at the portion placed most inward in the left-right direction.

6. The suction mouth body according to claim 2, wherein the suction mouth body is a suction inlet.

7. The protrusion is located at a position on the lower end of the cover body excluding both left and right sides.

7. The suction mouth body according to claim 1, wherein the suction mouth body is a suction inlet.

8. The cover body has a convex shape extending in the left-right direction at the front part.

8. The suction mouth body according to claim 1, wherein the suction mouth body is a suction mouth body.

9. When the cover body comes into contact with an object in front of the cover body, an air passage communicating with the cleaning body chamber is formed between the cover body and the object. The suction mouth body according to claim 8.

10. The suction mouth body according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is provided. A vacuum cleaner characterized by:

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