Suction port body and vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a suction mouth body capable of effectively pressing an attached cleaning sheet against a part to be cleaned and having good operability, and a vacuum cleaner equipped with the same. [Solution] The suction port body 1 has a suction port 100 and includes a main body 10 elongated in the left-right direction, a connecting pipe 11 communicating with the suction port 100, and a sheet support part 102 for abutting the cleaning sheet 2 against the part to be cleaned F. The connecting pipe 11 has a first pipe part 110 including a first rotation part 1100 that can rotate relative to the main body part 10 about a first axis A1 whose main direction component is the front-rear direction, and a second pipe part 111 including a second rotation part 1110 that can rotate relative to the first pipe part 110 about a second axis A2 that is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the first axis A1. The first rotation part 1100 and the second rotation part 1110 are located within an upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a suction mouth body to which a cleaning sheet can be attached and used, and a vacuum cleaner including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a vacuum cleaner suction port body that holds a cleaning sheet such as a nonwoven fabric and simultaneously performs suction cleaning and wiping cleaning of a part to be cleaned such as a floor. The suction port body has a main body having a suction port and a sheet support part to which the cleaning sheet is attached, and a connection tube that is rotatably connected to the main body. The connection tube is made of two tube parts having shaft parts whose axes are perpendicular to each other, and is configured to transmit the cleaning action of a user who holds a grip part connected to the extension tube or the vacuum cleaner body to the suction port body by connecting the connection tube to an extension tube or the vacuum cleaner body. For example, if at least one of the shaft parts of the connection tube is located behind the sheet support part, it is difficult for the user to apply a pressing force to the cleaning sheet, and it is difficult to operate the cleaning sheet by pressing it against the part to be cleaned. Furthermore, when the upstream pipe portion of the connecting pipe is connected to the longitudinal main body portion with an axis in the left-right direction, the main body portion tilts left and right in response to the left and right twisting motion of the hand, making it easier for the side of the cleaning sheet to lift up from the part to be cleaned. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-554 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-115506 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a suction mouth body that can effectively press an attached cleaning sheet against an area to be cleaned and has good operability, and a vacuum cleaner equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The suction port body of the embodiment includes a main body portion having a suction port and elongated in the left-right direction, a connection pipe communicating with the suction port, a sheet support portion elongated in the left-right direction for bringing the cleaning sheet into contact with the part to be cleaned, and a sheet holding portion to which the cleaning sheet can be attached and detached. The suction port is formed in the front part of the main body portion in correspondence with the longitudinal direction of the sheet support portion. The sheet holding portion is It is possible to attach and hold cleaning sheets. The connecting pipe is disposed on the underside of the main body at the rear or side of the suction port. The connecting pipe has a first pipe portion including a first pivot portion that is pivotable relative to the main body portion about a first axis having a main direction component in the front-rear direction, and a second pipe portion including a second pivot portion that is pivotable relative to the first pipe portion about a second axis along a direction perpendicular to the first axis. The first pivot portion and the second pivot portion are located within an upward projection range of the seat support portion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the suction port body of the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suction port body from above. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are vertical sectional side views showing an example of a method for attaching a cleaning sheet to the suction mouth body of the same. [Figure 7] FIG. 2A is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the cleaning sheet when folded and used, and FIG. 2B is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the cleaning sheet when lifted up from the part to be cleaned. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with the same suction mouth body. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a suction port body of the second embodiment from below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0008] In Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, 1 indicates a suction port body. The suction port body 1 cleans a part to be cleaned F, which is a surface to be cleaned such as a floor. In this embodiment, a separate cleaning sheet 2 can be attached to the suction port body 1, and when the cleaning sheet 2 is attached, the user moves the suction port body 1 over the part to be cleaned F, so that suction cleaning and wiping can be performed simultaneously. In other words, the suction port body 1 is a cleaning attachment that can perform suction cleaning and wiping. In the following, the vertical up-down direction is defined as the up-down direction, the direction away from the user is defined as the front direction, the direction approaching the user is defined as the rear direction, and the left-right direction as viewed from the front, based on the state in which the suction port body 1 is placed on the horizontal part to be cleaned F and used as a reference. In the drawings, the direction of the arrow FR is the forward direction, the direction of the arrow RR is the rear direction, the direction of the arrow U is the upward direction, the direction of the arrow D is the downward direction, the direction of the arrow L is the leftward direction, and the direction of the arrow R is the rightward direction.

[0009] The suction port body 1 has a main body 10 and a connection pipe 11. The main body 10 is elongated in the left-right direction, which is the direction on both sides. In other words, the main body 10 has a horizontally elongated shape.

[0010] The main body 10 has a suction port 100 for suction cleaning. The suction port 100 is located at the front of the main body 10. In the illustrated example, the suction port 100 is located at least at the front end or the frontmost part of the main body 10. That is, the suction port 100 is located at least on the front surface of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the suction port 100 is opened from the front end of the main body 10 to the lower part. In the illustrated example, the suction port 100 is opened from the front surface of the main body 10 to the lower surface. The suction port 100 is elongated along the longitudinal direction of the main body 10. That is, the suction port 100 is elongated in the left-right direction. In addition, the left-right dimension of the suction port 100 is set considerably larger than the front-rear dimension. That is, the suction port 100 has a long and narrow horizontal shape. The suction port 100 is connected between the left and right side parts of the main body 10. The left side of suction port 100 is located on the left side of the lower part of main body 10, and the right side of suction port 100 is located on the right side of the lower part of main body 10. In this embodiment, suction port 100 is located to correspond to substantially the full width of main body 10. In other words, the left-right dimension of suction port 100 is set to be substantially equal to the left-right dimension of main body 10. In the following, "substantially" includes the meanings of "completely" and "approximately".

[0011] The suction port 100 communicates with an air passage 101. The air passage 101 is formed inside the main body 10 above the suction port 100. The air passage 101 communicates between the suction port 100 and the front end, which is the upstream end of the connecting pipe 11 located behind the suction port 100. The air passage 101 is formed in a non-bent shape that slopes from the front end of the suction port 100 toward the downstream side and toward the upper rear side. The term "non-bent shape" includes a straight line or a gentle curved shape formed without any bends at an angle of less than a right angle, and in this embodiment, the air passage 101 is linear from the front end of the suction port 100 toward the front end of the connecting pipe 11.

[0012] The main body 10 also has a sheet support 102 for wiping. The sheet support 102 is a part for bringing the cleaning sheet 2 into contact with the part to be cleaned F by the weight of the suction port body 1 or the main body 10 or by the user applying pressure from above, and is preferably a part for pressing the cleaning sheet 2 against the part to be cleaned F to bring it into close contact. That is, the sheet support 102 is a part for sandwiching the cleaning sheet 2 between the part to be cleaned F and the sheet support 102. The sheet support 102 is located behind the suction port 100, and in this embodiment, it is located close to the rear end of the suction port 100 at the lower part of the main body 10. In the illustrated example, the sheet support 102 is close to the rear end of the suction port 100 along the longitudinal direction of the suction port 100 at the lower part of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the sheet support 102 is adjacent to the rear end of the suction port 100. In the following description, "adjacent" refers not only to a state where the two are adjacent to each other with no gap therebetween, but also to a state where the two are adjacent to each other with only a small gap therebetween.

[0013] At least a portion of the seat support part 102 forms the entire portion extending to the rear end part of the body part 10 behind the suction port 100 at the lower part of the body part 10. For example, the suction port 100 is positioned opposite to the seat support part 102 over substantially the entire width of the front end part. The seat support part 102 and the suction port 100 have substantially equal left-right dimensions, and their centers in the left-right direction substantially coincide with each other.

[0014] In this embodiment, the sheet support part 102 has a sheet holding part 1020 to which the cleaning sheet 2 can be attached and detached. The sheet holding part 1020 is preferably a member capable of lightly holding the cleaning sheet 2 so that the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily removed. For example, the sheet holding part 1020 is a member capable of adhering and holding the cleaning sheet 2, and a hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener that holds the cleaning sheet 2 by hooking fibers that make up the cleaning sheet 2 is preferably used. However, the sheet holding part 1020 may be a hook member made of synthetic resin or the like that is formed integrally with the main body part 10, or a reusable adhesive member, such as an adhesive pad, may be used.

[0015] At least a part of the sheet holding part 1020 is disposed behind or to the side of the suction port 100 at the lower and / or upper part of the main body part 10. In this embodiment, the sheet holding part 1020 is disposed behind the suction port 100. In the illustrated example, a plurality of sheet holding parts 1020 are provided in the front and rear directions. For example, the sheet holding part 1020 has a front sheet holding part 10200 located along the rear part of the suction port 100 and a rear sheet holding part 10201 located along the rear end part of the lower part of the main body part 10. The rear sheet holding part 10201 is not limited to being disposed at the lower part of the main body part 10, but may be disposed at the upper part of the main body part 10, or may be disposed at both the lower part and the upper part. In addition, the sheet holding part 1020 may extend, for example, in the front-rear direction, or may be scattered at a plurality of locations.

[0016] In this embodiment, the sheet holding portion 1020 is disposed in a holding portion attachment portion 103 recessed in the lower portion of the main body portion 10 , and is substantially flush with the lower surface of the main body portion 10 .

[0017] The sheet support portion 102 also has a pressing portion 1021 for allowing the sheet support portion 102 to abut against the part to be cleaned F without holding the cleaning sheet 2. The pressing portion 1021 constitutes a portion of the sheet support portion 102 other than the sheet holding portion 1020. For example, the pressing portion 1021 constitutes a larger area of ​​the sheet support portion 102 than the sheet holding portion 1020. In this embodiment, the pressing portion 1021 occupies substantially the entire area between the front sheet holding portion 10200 and the rear sheet holding portion 10201 at the lower portion of the main body portion 10. That is, the pressing portion 1021 is located adjacent to the rear end of the front sheet holding portion 10200 and the front end of the rear sheet holding portion 10201. The pressing portion 1021 is a strip-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction and has a substantially constant width, and is located substantially parallel to the suction port 100 and the sheet holding portion 1020. The pressing portion 1021 is located between both the left and right sides of the main body 10. That is, the left side of the pressing portion 1021 is located on the left side of the lower part of the main body 10, and the right side of the pressing portion 1021 is located on the right side of the lower part of the main body 10.

[0018] For example, the pressing portion 1021 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape using a soft material such as elastomer or urethane. The pressing portion 1021 may be divided into a plurality of parts in the front and rear and / or left and right directions. The pressing portion 1021 does not have to be soft.

[0019] In this embodiment, the pressing portion 1021 is attached to a pressing portion attachment portion 104 recessed in the lower portion of the main body portion 10 , and is substantially flush with the lower portion of the main body portion 10 .

[0020] Preferably, suction holes 105 for suctioning and holding the cleaning sheet 2 are opened in the lower part of the main body 10. The number and positions of the suction holes 105 may be set arbitrarily, but for example, the suction holes 105 are located behind the suction port 100 and between the front sheet holding parts 10200. The suction holes 105 communicate with a suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 8) described later. In this embodiment, the suction holes 105 communicate with the air passage part 101, and communicate with the suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 8) via the air passage part 101.

[0021] Preferably, the holding force for holding the cleaning sheet 2 to the suction port body 1 when the suction port body 1 is in use is set to be stronger on the front side than on the rear side. In this embodiment, the holding force on the front side is the sum of the adhesive holding force by the front sheet holding portion 10200 and the suction holding force by the suction holes 105, whereas the holding force on the rear side is only the adhesive holding force by the rear sheet holding portion 10201, so that the holding force on the front side is set to be stronger than the holding force on the rear side.

[0022] The main body 10 is divided into a plurality of case members. In this embodiment, the main body 10 has a lower case 106 which is one case member, and an upper case 107 which is another case member that covers an upper part of a part of the lower case 106. The lower case 106 and the upper case 107 may each be further divided into a plurality of members.

[0023] The lower case 106 constitutes a part of the air inlet 100 and a part of the air passage 101. The lower case 106 is formed of, for example, a hard synthetic resin. The lower case 106 also constitutes the majority of the lower part of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the sheet support part 102 is formed at the lower part of the lower case 106. In the illustrated example, the lower case 106 is formed elongated in the left-right direction.

[0024] A protruding portion 1060 is formed at the front of the lower case 106. The front surface of the protruding portion 1060 forms a guide surface 1012 at the rear of the air passage portion 101. Due to the inclined shape of the guide surface 1012, the protruding portion 1060 has a triangular shape with a height that gradually decreases toward the front side. In addition, a lower case main body portion 1061 is formed at the rear of the lower case 106. The lower case main body portion 1061 is a flat plate extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The side portion of the lower case main body portion 1061 forms the side portion of the rear of the main body portion 10. The sheet holding portion 1020 and the pressing portion 1021 are located at the bottom of the lower case 106. Furthermore, a connection pipe support portion 1062 that supports the connection pipe 11 is formed in the lower case 106. The connecting pipe support part 1062 is located behind the raised part 1060 or the guide surface 1012 and is formed on the upper part of the lower case main body part 1061. The connecting pipe support part 1062 is located in the center in the left-right direction. The connecting pipe support part 1062 protrudes upward in a stepped manner relative to the lower case main body part 1061. The height of the lower case 106 increases in a stepped manner in the order of the lower case main body part 1061, the connecting pipe support part 1062, and the raised part 1060.

[0025] Upper case 107 constitutes the remaining portion of air inlet 100 and the remaining portion of air passage 101. Upper case 107 is formed of, for example, hard synthetic resin. Upper case 107 covers the upper part of the front part of lower case 106, which in this embodiment covers the upper parts of raised part 1060 and connecting pipe support part 1062, and is fixed to the upper part of lower case 106. In this embodiment, upper case 107 is formed long in the left-right direction.

[0026] The upper case 107 has a front surface portion 1070 , a top surface portion 1071 , a side surface portion 1072 , and a rear surface portion 1073 .

[0027] The rear surface, i.e., the back face, of front surface portion 1070 forms the front surface of air passage portion 101. Front surface portion 1070 is formed elongated in the left-right direction, with the center portion in the left-right direction extending upward. Front surface portion 1070 is convex when viewed from the front. The lower portion of front surface portion 1070 is located above the lower portion of lower case 106.

[0028] The back surface, i.e., the lower surface, of the upper surface portion 1071 forms the ceiling surface of the air passage portion 101. The upper surface portion 1071 is connected to the upper part of the front surface portion 1070 and is formed longitudinally in the left-right direction. The central part of the upper surface portion 1071 in the left-right direction is curved so as to protrude upward in accordance with the shape of the front surface portion 1070, extends rearward beyond the rear surface portion 1073, and forms a connecting pipe support portion 10710 that faces the upper part of the connecting pipe support portion 1062 of the lower case 106. The connecting pipe support portion 10710 is curved in an arc shape.

[0029] The side surface portion 1072 forms the side of the front of the main body portion 10, and its back surface, i.e., the inner surface, forms the side of the air passage portion 101. The side surface portion 1072 is connected to both sides of the front surface portion 1070 and the upper surface portion 1071, and extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the lower portion of the side surface portion 1072 extends downward further than the lower portion of the front surface portion 1070, and is substantially flush with the lower portion of the lower case 106. The side surface portions 1072, 1072 and the lower portion of the front surface portion 1070 define both sides and the front end portion of the suction port 100. Each side surface portion 1072 is formed in a thin plate shape, and the left-right dimension or width of the suction port 100 and the left-right dimension or width of the main body portion 10 are approximately the same.

[0030] The rear surface portion 1073 is connected to the rear of the upper surface portion 1071 except for the central portion in the left-right direction. The rear surface portion 1073 is formed elongated in the left-right direction and extends in the up-down and left-right directions. The rear surface portion 1073 is overlapped in the front-rear direction on the rear portion of the raised portion 1060 of the lower case 106.

[0031] The upper case 107 is fixed to the lower case 106 via a case mounting portion 1074 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 5). The case mounting portion 1074 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical or boss shape having an axis in the vertical direction, and is connected to both sides of the connection pipe support portion 10710. A fixing member such as a screw is inserted from above into the case mounting portion 1074 and fixed to the upper part of the lower case main body portion 1061 of the lower case 106, whereby the upper case 107 and the lower case 106 are fixed to each other, and the front end portion of the connection pipe 11 is rotatably sandwiched between the connection pipe support portions 10710 and 1062.

[0032] The connecting pipe 11 is a connecting part that communicates the suction port 100 and the suction hole 105 with a suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 8) described later via the air passage part 101. The connecting pipe 11 is rotatably connected to the main body part 10. In this embodiment, the connecting pipe 11 has a plurality of rotating parts whose rotation axis directions intersect with each other, and the angle with respect to the main body part 10 can be changed in any direction.

[0033] For example, the connecting pipe 11 has a first pipe section 110 and a second pipe section 111. The first pipe section 110 constitutes the upstream side of the connecting pipe 11, and the second pipe section 111 constitutes the downstream side of the connecting pipe 11. The first pipe section 110 and the second pipe section 111 are connected to each other in communication.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the first pipe portion 110 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is supported via a first rotating portion 1100 that is rotatable with respect to the main body portion 10 around a first axis A1. The first axis A1 has a main directional component in the front-rear direction. That is, the axis A1 mainly has a vector component in the front-rear direction and is along the front-rear direction. That is, the first pipe portion 110 is rotatable in its circumferential direction or in a direction around the axis. Therefore, the relative position of the first rotating portion 1100 in the front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction with respect to the main body portion 10 is unchanged regardless of the rotation angle of the connection pipe 11 or the first pipe portion 110. Note that the axis A1 may be horizontal or may be inclined upward toward the rear, for example. In other words, the main directional component being the front-rear direction means that the front-rear direction is the largest component, and does not exclude the inclusion of other components in the up-down direction and the left-right direction in amounts less than the front-rear direction.

[0035] The front end 1101, which is the upstream end of the first pipe section 110, forms the upstream end of the connection pipe 11, and is formed in a short cylindrical shape in the axial direction, which is the front-rear direction, and is inserted between the connection pipe support parts 10710 and 1062 of the main body section 10, that is, inside the main body section 10. In this embodiment, the first rotating part 1100 is located at the front end 1101. The outer peripheral surface of the front end 1101 slides against the inner peripheral surfaces of the connection pipe support parts 10710 and 1062 of the main body section 10 when the first pipe section 110 rotates relative to the main body section 10. In addition, the rear end and upper end of the guide surface 1012 of the air passage section 101 of the main body section 10 extend upward relative to the lower part of the front end 1101 of the first pipe section 110.

[0036] The rear end 1102, which is the downstream end of the first pipe portion 110, is formed in a cylindrical shape enlarged relative to the front end 1101, and is exposed to the outside of the main body portion 10. In this embodiment, the rear end 1102 of the first pipe portion 110 is located above and spaced apart from the lower case main body portion 1061 of the lower case 106.

[0037] The first rotating part 1100 is formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the front end part 1101 of the first pipe part 110. The first rotating part 1100 is rotatably supported by a first rotation receiving part 108 formed along the circumferential direction inside the connection pipe support parts 10710, 1062 of the main body part 10. At least a part of the first rotating part 1100 and the first rotation receiving part 108 is a protrusion part, and at least a part of the other is a groove part, and in this embodiment, the first rotating part 1100 is fitted to each other as the groove part and the first rotation receiving part 108 is fitted to each other as the protrusion part. In the illustrated example, the first rotating part 1100 is located forward of the center part of the main body part 10 in the front-rear direction.

[0038] The second pipe section 111 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is supported via a second rotating section 1110 that is rotatable with respect to the first pipe section 110 about a second axis A2 that is aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first axis A1. Therefore, the relative position of the second rotating section 1110 in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body section 10 is substantially unchanged regardless of the rotation angle of the connecting pipe 11 or the first pipe section 110 and the second pipe section 111. Note that the axial directions being substantially "perpendicular" means that vectors in the axial directions are substantially perpendicular, and does not necessarily require that the axes A1 and A2 intersect on the same plane.

[0039] The front end 1111, which is the upstream end of the second pipe section 111, has an outer periphery formed into a cylindrical surface and is inserted into the rear part of the first pipe section 110. In this embodiment, the second rotating section 1110 is located at the front end 1111. The outer periphery of the front end 1111 comes into sliding contact with the inner periphery of the first pipe section 110 when the second pipe section 111 rotates relative to the first pipe section 110.

[0040] The second rotating part 1110 is formed in a cylindrical shape protruding along the axial direction of the front end 1111 on both the left and right side surfaces of the front end 1111 of the second pipe part 111. The second rotating part 1110 is rotatably supported by a second rotating receiver formed inside the first pipe part 110. That is, the second rotating part 1110 is located rearward and away from the first rotating part 1100. The second axis A2 is located at a position overlapping the first axis A1 in the vertical direction, and in this embodiment, it is located at a position where the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 intersect. At least a part of the second rotating part 1110 and the second rotating receiver is an axis part or a protrusion, and at least a part of the other is a hole part or a recess, and in this embodiment, the second rotating part 1110 is fitted to each other as a cylindrical axis part and the second rotating receiver is a cylindrical recess. In the illustrated example, the second rotation portion 1110 is located rearward of the center of the main body portion 10 in the front-rear direction.

[0041] Further, a rear end 1112 which is the downstream end of the second pipe portion 111 is formed in a tubular shape extending in a direction intersecting or perpendicular to the axial direction of the front end portion 1111 .

[0042] The first rotating part 1100 and the second rotating part 1110 are located within the upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102 of the main body part 10. The upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102 is a range surrounded by a virtual surface extending the outer periphery of the sheet support part 102 vertically upward in a state where the suction port body 1 is installed on a horizontal installation position of the part to be cleaned F, etc., and in this embodiment, it is a range extending between both the left and right sides of the main body part 10 from the rear end of the suction port 100 to the rear end of the main body part 10. In addition, the upper projection range Z includes the boundary of the upper projection range Z. In the illustrated example, the first rotating part 1100 and the second rotating part 1110 are located within the upward projection range Z of the pressing part 1021 in the upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102, and are located between the front sheet holding part 10200 and the rear sheet holding part 10201 of the sheet holding part 1020 in the front-rear direction.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first rotation portion 1100 and the second rotation portion 1110, and the connecting pipe 11 or the first pipe portion 110 and the second pipe portion 111 are located within the upward projection range Z of the seat support portion 102 of the main body portion 10 over the entire rotation range. In other words, regardless of the rotation angle of the connecting pipe 11 or the first pipe portion 110 and the second pipe portion 111, the first rotation portion 1100 and the second rotation portion 1110 are always located within the upward projection range Z of the seat support portion 102 of the main body portion 10.

[0044] In the illustrated example, at least the entire first pipe portion 110 of the connecting pipe 11 is located within the upward projection range Z of the seat support portion 102. In addition, with respect to the second pipe portion 111, at least the front end portion 1111 where the first pivot portion 1110 is formed is located within the upward projection range Z of the seat support portion 102, and in this embodiment, at least the portion of the rear end portion 1112 on the front end portion 1111 side is located within the upward projection range Z of the seat support portion 102. The rear end side portion of the rear end portion 1112 may always be located entirely within the upward projection range Z of the seat support portion 102, or may be configured to be located outside the upward projection range Z depending on the pivot angle of the second pipe portion 111 relative to the first pipe portion 110.

[0045] Furthermore, at least the second axis A2 is located rearward of the position of the center of gravity G of the main body 10. In the illustrated example, the entire second rotating part 1110 is located rearward of the position of the center of gravity G of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the position of the center of gravity G of the main body 10 is, for example, near the connecting pipe support parts 10710 and 1062 in the front-rear direction. In the illustrated example, the center of gravity G of the main body 10 is located inside the first pipe part 110 of the connecting pipe 11. Note that in the drawings, the center of gravity G of the main body 10 is located on the first axis A1 or at a height substantially equal to the first axis A1, but this is not limited thereto, and the position in the up-down and left-right directions does not matter as long as it is at least in front of the second rotating part 1110.

[0046] The cleaning sheet 2 is a soft sheet, such as a rectangular sheet, made of, for example, nonwoven fabric or cloth, and may be a dedicated one or a general-purpose commercially available one. The cleaning sheet 2 preferably has a width or area sufficient to cover at least the sheet support part 102 of the suction port body 1. For example, the cleaning sheet 2 is formed in a rectangular shape having a left-right dimension equal to or larger than the left-right dimension of the sheet support part 102 and a front-rear dimension equal to or larger than the front-rear dimension of the sheet support part 102. The cleaning sheet 2 may be used in a folded state or a multi-folded state according to the size of the sheet support part 102, or may be used as a single sheet without being folded. The cleaning sheet 2 may be a dry type or a wet type soaked with a liquid for cleaning the part to be cleaned F, such as water or a chemical solution.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 8, the suction port body 1 is used in a vacuum cleaner CL. In this embodiment, the suction port body 1 is applied to a suction-type vacuum cleaner CL that sucks dust together with air into a separation section 5 by negative pressure generated by driving a suction source 4 such as an electric blower arranged in a vacuum cleaner body 3 of the vacuum cleaner CL. The vacuum cleaner CL may be any type such as a floor-traveling type or a canister type, a stick type, an upright type, or a handy type. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner CL will be described by taking a stick-type vacuum cleaner as an example. In the illustrated example, the suction port body 1 is mechanically and fluidically connected to the extension tube 6, which is a tube section, or the vacuum cleaner body 3 via a connection tube 11. By connecting the connection tube 11, the air passage section 101 and the suction port 100 of the suction port body 1, and further the suction hole 105 in this embodiment (each shown in FIG. 1), are fluidically connected to the suction source 4 via the separation section 5. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation of the suction source 4 or the on / off or switching of the suction power is set by the user by operating a switch 8 on a hand-held operation unit 7. A main body control unit 9 is disposed in the vacuum cleaner main body 3, which operates the suction source 4 in accordance with the operation set by the switch 8. A power supply unit B of the electric vacuum cleaner CL is disposed, for example, in the vacuum cleaner main body 3. In this embodiment, the power supply unit B is a battery or a secondary battery, but is not limited thereto, and may be a cord reel device that draws power from an external power source such as a commercial power source, or the like.

[0048] Next, the cleaning operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0049] First, the suction port body 1 is placed in a state where a user can perform cleaning operations via the hand-held operation unit 7 by connecting the connection pipe 11 to the extension pipe 6 or the vacuum cleaner body 3. Then, the cleaning sheet 2 is attached and used.

[0050] The cleaning sheet 2 may be used without folding or may be folded depending on its size.

[0051] Basically, the cleaning sheet 2 is attached to the sheet holder 1020 with its front end aligned with the suction port 100 of the suction port body 1 .

[0052] For example, an example of the attachment method when the cleaning sheet 2 is small and is used without folding is shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6(a), the cleaning sheet 2 is placed on a flat installation position such as the part to be cleaned F, and the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 is aligned within the front-rear width of the suction port 100 of the suction port body 1. At this time, since the second axis A2 of the connection pipe 11 is located behind the center of gravity G of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1, the front part of the main body 10 rotates downward about the second axis A1 due to its own weight, and the front part of the main body 10 tilts so as to approach the cleaning sheet 2, so that it is easy to align the suction port 100 at the front of the main body 10 with the front end of the cleaning sheet 2.

[0053] 6(b), the suction port body 1 is pressed against the cleaning sheet 2 from above, that is, the cleaning sheet 2 is sandwiched between the suction port body 1 and the installation position, so that the cleaning sheet 2 is attached and held by the sheet holding part 1020. In this embodiment, at least a part of the sheet holding part 1020 capable of attaching and holding the cleaning sheet 2 is disposed behind the suction port 100 at the bottom of the suction port body 1, so that the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily attached to the suction port body 1. Also, in this embodiment, the front and rear parts of the cleaning sheet 2 are attached and held by the front sheet holding part 10200 and the rear sheet holding part 10201. The attachment method is not limited to placing the cleaning sheet 2 on the installation position and pressing the suction port body 1 from above, but may be, for example, placing the suction port body 1 on the installation position with its lower part facing upward, and pressing the cleaning sheet 2, with its front end aligned within the front-rear width of the suction port 100, against the sheet holding part 1020 to attach the cleaning sheet 2. That is, the sheet holding part 1020 and the cleaning sheet 2 may be attached by aligning the front-rear and left-right with each other and pressing one against the other. Also, if a large excess portion is generated at the rear end of the cleaning sheet 2, this excess portion may be folded back toward the top of the main body part 10 and, for example, inserted and held between the main body part 10 and the connecting pipe 11.

[0054] In this state, by operating the suction source 4 (shown in FIG. 8) by operating the switch 8, the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 is sucked and held at the suction port 100 by the negative pressure acting from the suction port 100, as shown in FIG. 6(c). The front end of the cleaning sheet 2 sucked at the suction port 100 covers, for example, the lower end of the guide surface 1012 of the air passage section 101. In addition, the middle part of the cleaning sheet 2 in the front-rear direction is sucked and held by the negative pressure acting from the suction holes 105.

[0055] On the other hand, when the cleaning sheet 2 is large and is used in a folded state, the cleaning sheet 2 is attached to the suction mouth body 1 in a state where it is folded at a desired position in the same manner as when it is used without folding. In the example shown in FIG. 7(a), the cleaning sheet 2 is folded in two at the folding portion 20, and one of the first piece 21 and the second piece 22, for example the first piece 21, is held by the sheet holding portion 1020 as a holding portion, with the folding portion 20 as, for example, a rear end portion, and the other of the first piece 21 and the second piece 22, for example the second piece 22, is sandwiched between the first piece 21 and the part to be cleaned F for cleaning use. In the figure, a gap is shown between the first piece 21 and the second piece 22 for clarity of description, but in an actual use state, the first piece 21 and the second piece 22 are stacked vertically with substantially no gap. Also, although an example is shown in which the cleaning sheet 2 is folded in two from the folding portion 20, folding in two is not limited to this depending on the size of the cleaning sheet 2.

[0056] 1 using the hand-operated unit 7 shown in Fig. 8 to move the suction port body 1 back and forth over the part to be cleaned F shown in Fig. 1, sucking in dust from the suction port 100 and wiping the part to be cleaned F with the held cleaning sheet 2. Since the first rotation part 1100 and the second rotation part 111 of the suction port body 1, which are the starting points for rotation of the connecting tube 11, are located within the upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102, the operating force applied by the user to the hand-operated unit 7 acts as a force pressing the sheet support part 102 against the part to be cleaned F, making it possible to effectively press the cleaning sheet 2 against the part to be cleaned F by the sheet holding part 1020 and the pressing part 1021 of the sheet support part 102 to wipe it.

[0057] For example, when a user operates the hand-operated part 7 back and forth to move the suction port body 1 back and forth, the angle that the hand-operated part 7 or the extension tube 6 makes with respect to the part to be cleaned F changes. When inserting the suction port body 1 into the part to be cleaned F that has a low upper height, such as the part to be cleaned F under a bed, the hand-operated part 7 may be twisted left and right while moving the hand-operated part 7 downward to approach the part to be cleaned F. At this time, with respect to the back and forth or up and down movement of the hand-operated part 7, the second tube part 111 of the connection tube 11 of the suction port body 1 rotates up and down with respect to the first tube part 110 about the second axis A2, following the change in angle. With respect to the left and right twisting of the hand-operated part 7, the first tube part 110 of the connection tube 11 of the suction port body 1 rotates left and right with respect to the main body part 10 about the first axis A1, following the twisting. In this embodiment, the first and second rotating parts 1100 and 1110, which are the starting points of rotation of the connecting pipe 11, are located within the upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102, so that the operating force applied by the user to the handheld operation part 7 acts as a force pressing the sheet support part 102 against the part to be cleaned F and is transmitted to the first and second rotating parts 1100 and 1110, and the first and second pipe parts 110 and 111 of the connecting pipe 11 smoothly rotate around the first and second axes A1 and A2. Therefore, even if the user moves the handheld operation part 7 in any direction, the connecting pipe 11 follows due to the rotation of the first and second pipe parts 110 and 111, and it is possible to maintain a state in which the lower part of the suction port body 1, i.e., the cleaning sheet 2, is entirely pressed against the part to be cleaned F by the sheet support part 102. In addition, the operability is good, as the user can smoothly perform twisting movements, and it is possible, for example, to slide the front part of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1 from side to side while pressing it against a wall surface.

[0058] The cleaning sheet 2 is brought into contact with the area to be cleaned F by the weight of the suction port body 1 or main body 10 and / or the pressing force applied by the user from the operation unit 7 via the sheet holding part 1020 and the pressing part 1021 of the sheet support part 102, making it difficult for dust to get between the cleaning sheet 2 and the lower part of the suction port body 1 and enabling a wide area of ​​the area to be cleaned to be stably wiped clean. Also, since the front and rear parts of the cleaning sheet 2 are held by the sheet holding part 1020 and the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 is adsorbed and held to the suction port 100 and also adsorbed and held by the suction holes 105, the cleaning sheet 2 is firmly held to the suction port body 1 while the suction source 4 is operating. In particular, a user applies greater force when moving suction port body 1 forward than when moving it backward, so that when suction port body 1 is in use, the holding force that holds cleaning sheet 2 at the front side of suction port body 1 is stronger than the holding force that holds cleaning sheet 2 at the rear side, making it difficult for cleaning sheet 2 to roll up, especially when suction port body 1 moves forward. Furthermore, because the front end of cleaning sheet 2 is adsorbed and held inside suction port 100, the front end of cleaning sheet 2 is less likely to receive direct resistance from part to be cleaned F when suction port body 1 is moved back and forth over part to be cleaned F, and therefore cleaning sheet 2 can be prevented from rolling up from the front end.

[0059] Furthermore, because the suction port 100 is open from the front to the underside of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1, when the suction port body 1 is moved forward over the part to be cleaned F, even coarse dust such as cat litter or rice grains on the part to be cleaned F can be sucked in without being pushed forward, and even if the front part of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1 is abutted against a wall surface, a suction air passage can be secured and dust along the wall can be sucked in without getting pinched between the suction port body 1 and the wall surface. Furthermore, since the suction port body 1 is moved back and forth over the part to be cleaned F while cleaning, hair, coarse dust, and other dust tend to accumulate on the front end of the cleaning sheet 2. However, since the suction port 100 is elongated in the left-right direction and the sheet support part 102, in this embodiment, the sheet holding part 1020, is located close to the rear part of the suction port 100 along the longitudinal direction of the suction port 100, the dust adhering to the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 close to the rear part of the suction port 100 can also be sucked in, suppressing the progress of dirt on the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 over time and keeping the front end clean. Furthermore, since the suction port 100 is formed substantially corresponding to the full width of the sheet support part 102 for bringing the cleaning sheet 2 into contact with the part to be cleaned F, the adhesion of dust can be suppressed over almost the full width of the cleaning sheet 2. Therefore, the front end of the cleaning sheet 2, which is kept clean, can be used to constantly wipe and clean the part to be cleaned, even at the edge of the wall. In addition, the cleaning sheet 2 does not have to be replaced due to dirt on the front end before the rear part of the cleaning sheet 2 has been fully used, making it possible to effectively use the entire cleaning sheet 2 and reducing the frequency of replacing the cleaning sheet 2, thereby reducing the number of replacement operations and preventing waste of resources. Furthermore, even if dust attached to the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 peels off from the cleaning sheet 2 when the suction port body 1 is moved backward, it is immediately sucked in through the suction port 100, making it difficult for the dust to be left behind on the part F to be cleaned.

[0060] Dust sucked in from the suction port 100 is sucked into the connecting pipe 11 by the negative pressure of the suction source 4 acting on the air passage section 101. The sucked dust is sucked from the connecting pipe 11 into the separation section 5 and separated and collected from the air.

[0061] When removing the soiled cleaning sheet 2 from the suction port body 1, the user operates the switch 8 to stop the operation of the suction source 4, and the negative pressure acting from the suction port 100 and the suction holes 105 disappears, so that the cleaning sheet 2 is only lightly attached and held by the sheet holding parts 1020. Thus, the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily removed from the sheet holding parts 1020, and since there is no need to apply a large force to the cleaning sheet 2 during this removal, dust attached to the cleaning sheet 2 is not easily peeled off. In addition, when the suction holes 105 are disposed between the sheet holding parts 1020, when the negative pressure acting on the suction holes 105 disappears, a portion of the cleaning sheet 2 that is not held by the suction port body 1 is generated between the sheet holding parts 1020 where the suction holes 105 are located, and the cleaning sheet 2 can be easily removed from the suction port body 1 starting from this portion.

[0062] In addition, by folding the large-sized cleaning sheet 2, one of the first piece 21 and the second piece 22 can be used for holding and the other for cleaning. The holding part does not basically come into contact with the part to be cleaned F and does not get dirty, so when the part to be cleaned gets dirty, the cleaning sheet 2 can be temporarily removed from the suction mouth body 1, turned upside down, and reattached to the suction mouth body 1, so that the clean part used for holding can be used for cleaning, and by turning it over and using it, the large area of ​​the cleaning sheet 2 can be used without waste. In this case, for example, when the suction mouth body 1 is lifted and moved from the part to be cleaned F with the first piece 21 used for holding and the second piece 22 used for cleaning, the second piece 22 that is not directly held by the sheet holding part 1020 of the suction mouth body 1 hangs down from the folded part 20 at the rear end, as shown in FIG. 7(b). At this time, since the second axis A2 of the connection pipe 11 is located behind the center of gravity G of the main body 10 of the suction port body 1, the front part of the main body 10 rotates downward about the second axis A1 due to its own weight, and the front part of the main body 10 tilts so as to approach the cleaning sheet 2. Therefore, by moving the suction port body 1 as it is toward the rear and downward so as to press it against the part to be cleaned F, the hanging second piece 22 is folded from the desired folding part 20 position and is sandwiched between the first piece 21 and the part to be cleaned F, resulting in an appropriate usage state. In addition, the second piece 22 of the cleaning sheet 2 can be separated from the part to be cleaned F without lifting the suction port body 1 significantly upward from the part to be cleaned F.

[0063] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Note that the same configurations and operations as those of the respective embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0064] In this embodiment, the sheet holding portion 1020 is located on the side of the suction port 100. In the illustrated example, the side of the suction port 100 is offset toward the center in the left-right direction relative to the side of the main body portion 10, and each sheet holding portion 1020 is arranged in that space. In other words, the sheet holding portions 1020 are respectively arranged on the left and right outer sides of the suction port 100. At least a portion of the sheet holding portion 1020 extends from the side of the suction port 100 in the front-rear direction.

[0065] The front end of each sheet holding portion 1020 is located in a position facing the side of the suction port 100 in the left-right direction. That is, the front end of each sheet holding portion 1020 is located in a position overlapping the suction port 100 in the front-rear direction. Also, the rear end of each sheet holding portion 1020 extends to the vicinity of the rear end of the main body portion 10. In this embodiment, each sheet holding portion 1020 is located along the side of the lower part of the main body portion 10. That is, each sheet holding portion 1020 is located in the lower part of the main body portion 10 of the suction port body 1, covering the portion between the side of the suction port 100 and the side of the main body portion 10.

[0066] Then, the cleaning sheet 2 is attached and held on the suction mouth body 1 in the same manner as in each embodiment, for example by aligning the front end of the cleaning sheet 2 within the front-to-rear width of the suction mouth 100 of the suction mouth body 1 and attaching the cleaning sheet 2 to the sheet holding portion 1020.

[0067] As for the front end portion of the cleaning sheet 2, even if it were to cover the suction port 100 while being attached and held by the sheet holding portion 1020, the suction port 100 would not be blocked by the cleaning sheet 2 because the cleaning sheet 2 is adsorbed and held inside the suction port 100 by the negative pressure acting from the suction port 100.

[0068] In this way, even if the sheet holding portion 1020 is configured to extend in the front-to-rear direction from both the left and right sides of the suction port 100, the attached cleaning sheet 2 can be effectively pressed against the area to be cleaned F, and operability is improved, thereby achieving the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0069] In the second embodiment, the sheet holding parts 1020 are not limited to those arranged consecutively in the front-rear direction, but may be arranged in a plurality of discontinuous positions in the front-rear direction.

[0070] In each embodiment, the connecting pipe 11 may have a joint part with a spherical outer circumferential surface at the upstream end, and may be connected to the main body part 10 via this joint part so as to be rotatable in any direction. In this case, by positioning the rotation center of the joint part within the upward projection range Z of the sheet support part 102, the attached cleaning sheet 2 can be effectively pressed against the part to be cleaned F, and operability can be improved, thereby achieving the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0071] Furthermore, the embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention and to the extent that they are not inconsistent with one another.

[0072] 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]

[0073] A1 First axis A2 Second axis CL Vacuum Cleaner F Area to be cleaned G center of gravity Z Upward Projection Range 1 Suction port body 2 cleaning wipes 10 Main body 11 Connecting pipe 100 Intake port 102 Seat support part 110 First pipe section 111 Second pipe section 1020 Sheet holding part 1100 First rotating part 1110 Second rotating part

Claims

1. A main body portion having a suction port and elongated in the left-right direction; A connection pipe communicating with the suction port; a sheet support portion that is elongated in the left-right direction and that brings the cleaning sheet into contact with a part to be cleaned; a sheet holding portion to which the cleaning sheet can be attached and detached, The suction port is formed in a front portion of the main body portion in correspondence with a longitudinal direction of the seat support portion, the sheet holding portion is capable of attaching and holding the cleaning sheet, and is disposed on the lower surface of the main body at a rear or side of the suction port, The connecting pipe has a first pipe portion including a first rotation portion that is rotatable with respect to the main body portion about a first axis line having a main direction component in a front-rear direction, and a second pipe portion including a second rotation portion that is rotatable with respect to the first pipe portion about a second axis line along a direction perpendicular to the first axis line, The first pivot portion and the second pivot portion are positioned within an upward projection range of the seat support portion. A suction mouth body characterized by:

2. The suction port is formed on the front surface of the main body. The suction mouth body according to claim 1 .

3. The suction port is open from the front surface to the bottom surface of the main body. The suction mouth body according to claim 1 .

4. The second axis is rearward of the center of gravity of the main body. The suction mouth body according to claim 1 .

5. The suction mouth body according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided. A vacuum cleaner characterized by:

Images