Suction port body and vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a suction port body that can restrain an exhaust port of an electric motor chamber from being clogged, and a vacuum cleaner comprising the same.SOLUTION: A suction port body 7 comprises a suction air passage 700 communicating with a suction source, a cleaning body 72, an electric motor 73, an electric motor chamber 704, and a protruding part 76. The electric motor 73 is designed to drive the cleaning body 72. The electric motor chamber 704 comprises an intake port 7043 for taking in air for cooling, and an exhaust port 7044 communicating with the suction air passage 700, and for discharging the air taken in, and the electric motor 73 is housed therein. The protruding part 76 is arranged on the discharge side of the exhaust port 7044, and restrains the exhaust port 7044 from being clogged with dust.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a suction port body having an intake port and an exhaust port and an accommodation chamber in which an electric component is accommodated, and a vacuum cleaner including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, some suction inlet bodies used in vacuum cleaners are provided with a rotating cleaning body. The rotating cleaning body is rotated and driven by an electric motor to improve dust removal performance from the part to be cleaned. The electric motor is accommodated in a motor chamber of the suction inlet body. An air intake and an exhaust port are provided in the motor chamber, the air intake opening facing the outside air, and the exhaust port opening facing a main suction air passage for sucking dust in the suction inlet body. Therefore, the air intake is configured to draw cooling air from the air intake into the motor chamber and to exhaust it from the exhaust port by utilizing the air flow passing through the suction air passage to the suction source. Therefore, dust sucked in during cleaning passes near the exhaust side of the exhaust port, and it is desired to prevent the exhaust port from being blocked by this dust and the cooling air from flowing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6132649 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6349547 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6643796 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a suction port body capable of preventing clogging of an exhaust port of an accommodation chamber, and a vacuum cleaner including the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The suction port body of the embodiment includes a suction air passage communicating with a suction source, Rotatable cleaning body an electrical component; and a housing; Cleaning room, and a clogging suppression unit. Cleaning body The housing chamber has an intake port for taking in cooling air and an exhaust port communicating with the suction air passage for discharging the taken in air, and houses electric components therein. The cleaning element chamber communicates with the suction air passage through an exhaust port and accommodates the cleaning element. The blockage suppression unit includes: Cleaning room surface This prevents the exhaust port from being clogged by dust. The clogging prevention portion is a protrusion that protrudes into the cleaning element chamber and comes into contact with the rotating cleaning element. . [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the suction port body of the first embodiment at the position of the storage chamber. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the suction port body from the rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a portion of the suction port body from above. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a central cross-sectional view of the suction port body. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with the same suction mouth body. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a suction port body of a second embodiment at the position of a storage chamber. [Figure 10] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0008] In Fig. 8, 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.

[0009] 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.

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] Various attachments 61 are selectively used according to the cleaning purpose. The attachment 61 in this embodiment is a suction port body 7. The suction port body 7 is also called a floor brush, a cleaning head, a suction head, etc., and is an attachment that sucks dust while moving along a 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 direction 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 7, 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.

[0017] 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. 8, 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 at the center in the left-right direction at the rear of the main body 70.

[0018] Further, a plurality of chambers are formed in the main body 70. As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, 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 is a main air passage that communicates with the suction source 2 (shown in Fig. 8) and sucks in dust. The suction air passage 700 has an intake port 7000 at its lower part that opens toward the part to be cleaned CL. The intake port 7000 is a part that directly applies the negative pressure generated by the suction source 2 (shown in Fig. 8) 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 in a longitudinal shape in the left-right direction.

[0019] 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 with the suction air passage 700 and the connecting pipe 71. The suction air passage 700 communicates with the suction source 2 (shown in FIG. 8 ) via the communication chamber 701 and the connecting pipe 71.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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 X in the left-right direction and can rotate in the front-rear direction. The cleaning body 72 is equipped with 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. In this embodiment, the cleaning member 721 is a bristle brush in which fine bristles are densely arranged. The cleaning members 721 are arranged at multiple locations spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the shaft body 720.

[0022] The cleaning member 721 is formed by integrally gathering the base end of the bristle brush and holding it on the shaft body 720, and the tip end side extends radially from the shaft body 720. The cleaning member 721 is connected in a wall shape between both ends of the shaft body 720. Preferably, the cleaning member 721 is held on the shaft body 720 in a spirally twisted state.

[0023] Further, the protruding length of at least one of the cleaning members 721 from the shaft 720 is set so that the cleaning members 721 extend 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 illustrated example, 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.

[0024] The cleaning body 72 is driven by an electric motor 73 shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The electric motor 73 operates by receiving power from, for example, a power supply unit 1 (shown in Fig. 8). 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. 8) set by a user. That is, the electric motor 73 and the drive control unit 74 are each electric components for driving the electric motor 73. The power of the electric motor 73 is transmitted to the cleaning body 72 via a transmission means 75 such as a gear, a pulley, or a timing belt, and the cleaning body 72 is driven to rotate. Preferably, the electric motor 73 rotates the cleaning body 72 in the counterclockwise direction shown by the arrow A in Fig. 1 etc., that is, in the forward direction when the suction port body 7 moves forward. The electric motor 73, the drive control unit 74, and the transmission means 75 are housed in an electric motor chamber 704, a control chamber 705, and a transmission chamber 706, which are housing chambers formed in the main body .

[0025] In the motor chamber 704, the motor 73 is arranged with an axis in the left-right direction. That is, the motor 73 is arranged longitudinally in the left-right direction in the motor chamber 704. In this embodiment, the motor chamber 704 is arranged on one side of the connection pipe 71 at the rear of the main body 70. In the illustrated example, the motor chamber 704 is arranged to the left of the connection pipe 71. The motor chamber 704 is adjacent to the rear of the cleaning body chamber 702 via a partition wall 703. In addition, both sides of the motor chamber 704 are partitioned by walls 7040 and 7041. That is, the motor chamber 704 is partitioned front-rear and left-right by the partition wall 703, the rear wall 707 of the main body 70, and the walls 7040 and 7041. The motor chamber 704 is formed to extend in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning body chamber 702. Moreover, the motor chamber 704 is located above the suction air passage 700 .

[0026] The wall 7040 separates the motor chamber 704 from the transmission chamber 706. The wall 7040 has a front end connected to the partition wall 703 and a rear end connected to the rear wall 707. A part of the rotating shaft of the motor 73 is inserted into the transmission chamber 706 through a hole 70400 formed in the wall 7040. The wall 7041 is located between the motor chamber 704 and the connection pipe 71. The wall 7041 has a front end connected to the partition wall 703 and a rear end connected to the rear wall 707. Wiring electrically connected to the motor 73 is introduced into the motor chamber 704 through a hole 70410 formed in the wall 7041. This wiring includes a power line electrically connected to the power supply unit 1 or the control unit 4 (shown in FIG. 8) through the suction air passage unit 6 (shown in FIG. 8) and a signal line electrically connected to the drive control unit 74.

[0027] The motor chamber 704 is formed with an intake port 7043 for cooling the motor 73. The intake port 7043 is opened in the outer shell of the main body 70 and communicates with the outside air. That is, the motor chamber 704 communicates with the outside of the main body 70 through the intake port 7043. The intake port 7043 takes in air for cooling the motor 73 into the motor chamber 704. In this embodiment, the intake port 7043 is disposed at the rear of the motor chamber 704. That is, the intake port 7043 is located on the opposite side to the cleaning body chamber 702 or the cleaning body 72 with respect to the axis of the motor 73. The intake port 7043 is located closer to one end in the axial direction of the motor 73. In this embodiment, the intake port 7043 is located closer to the left side of the motor 73. In the illustrated example, the air intake port 7043 is an elongated hole that is elongated in the up-down direction or the rotation direction of the electric motor 73. In this embodiment, a plurality of air intake ports 7043 are formed. In the illustrated example, the air intake ports 7043 are arranged apart from each other in the axial direction of the electric motor 73. Preferably, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the air intake ports 7043 are formed below and above the axis of the electric motor 73.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the motor chamber 704 is formed with an exhaust port 7044 for cooling the motor 73. The exhaust port 7044 communicates the motor chamber 704 with the suction air passage 700, and exhausts the cooling air taken in from the intake port 7043 from the motor chamber 704. The exhaust port 7044 is disposed in the front part of the motor chamber 704. That is, the exhaust port 7044 is located on the opposite side of the intake port 7043 and on the same side as the cleaning body chamber 702 or the cleaning body 72, with respect to the motor 73 or the axis of the motor 73. The exhaust port 7044 is located closer to the other end in the axial direction of the motor 73. That is, the exhaust port 7044 is located closer to the end on the opposite side of the intake port 7043, with respect to the motor 73, in the axial direction of the motor 73. In this embodiment, the exhaust port 7044 is located closer to the right side of the motor 73. In the illustrated example, the arrangement range of the exhaust port 7044 and the intake port 7043 is a range in which they do not overlap with each other in the axial direction of the electric motor 73 or in the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the electric motor chamber 704. Therefore, the intake port 7043 and the exhaust port 7044 are arranged so as to be located in the diagonal direction of the electric motor chamber 704.

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the exhaust port 7044 is formed in the partition wall 703. That is, the exhaust port 7044 in this embodiment directly communicates the motor chamber 704 and the cleaning element chamber 702, and indirectly communicates the motor chamber 704 and the suction air passage 700 via the cleaning element chamber 702. The exhaust port 7044 is configured so that air for cooling the motor 73 is discharged to the cleaning element chamber 702. That is, the discharge side, i.e., the downstream side, of the exhaust port 7044 is inside the cleaning element chamber 702.

[0030] In the illustrated example, the exhaust port 7044 is an elongated hole that is elongated in the up-down direction or the rotation direction of the cleaning body 72. In this embodiment, a plurality of exhaust ports 7044 are formed. In the illustrated example, the exhaust ports 7044 are disposed apart from each other in the axial direction of the electric motor 73.

[0031] Partitions 7046 and 7047 are formed in the motor chamber 704 at the suction side, i.e., the upstream side, of the exhaust port 7044. The partitions 7046 and 7047 are formed on the motor chamber 704 side, i.e., the rear part, of the partition wall 703. The partitions 7046 and 7047 are formed in a direction intersecting or perpendicular to the axis of the motor 73, i.e., in the front-rear direction in this embodiment, and are rib-shaped or wall-shaped with a thickness in the left-right direction. The exhaust port 7044 is disposed between the partitions 7046 and 7047. The partitions 7046 and 7047 are in close contact with the motor 73 and divide the motor chamber 704 into an upstream region and a downstream region. In this embodiment, the partition 7046 supports one end of the motor 73. The area between the partition 7046 and the wall 7040 is an upstream region that is directly connected to the intake port 7043. In the electric motor 73, a suction port for cooling air is formed in a portion located in the upstream region, for example, an end face. In addition, the partition portion 7047 supports the other end side of the electric motor 73. Preferably, the partition portion 7047 is pressed against a seal member 730 attached to the periphery of the electric motor 73. The area between the partition portion 7046 and the partition portion 7047 forms a downstream region that directly communicates with the exhaust port 7044. In the electric motor 73, a discharge port for cooling air is formed in a portion located in the downstream region, for example, an outer circumferential surface.

[0032] 5 and 6, a protrusion 76 is formed at the exhaust side, i.e., downstream side, of the exhaust port 7044. The protrusion 76 protrudes from the surface of the exhaust port 7044 on the exhaust side. In this embodiment, the protrusion 76 is formed on the surface of the cleaning body chamber 702 and has a dust-removing function of removing dust attached to at least one of the cleaning members 721 of the cleaning body 72 as the cleaning body 72 rotates. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 76 is formed on the surface 7031 of the partition wall 703 on the cleaning body chamber 702 side and is located inside the cleaning body chamber 702. As shown in FIG. 1, the protrusion 76 is located at a position where it can come into contact with at least one of the cleaning members 721 of the cleaning body 72. In other words, the minimum distance from the axis X of the cleaning body 72 to the protrusion 76 is set to be equal to or less than the distance from the axis X to the tip of at least one of the cleaning members 721. In this embodiment, the shortest distance of the protrusion 76 from the axis X of the cleaning body 72 is set to be smaller than the distance from the axis X to the tip of the second cleaning member 721b of the cleaning member 721. In this embodiment, the lower end 760 of the protrusion 76 is formed linearly in the front-rear direction. The lower end 760 of the protrusion 76 extends in a direction intersecting with the rotation direction of the cleaning body 72. The height of the lower end 760 of the protrusion 76 is equal to or approximately equal to the height of the axis X of the cleaning body 72.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the protrusion 76 has left and right surfaces and extends in the front-rear and up-down directions. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 76 is formed along the up-down direction or the rotation direction of the cleaning body 72.

[0034] Preferably, the protrusions 76 are arranged in a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, which is the axial direction of the cleaning body 72. In this embodiment, the protrusions 76 are arranged intermittently over at least the width of the cleaning body chamber 702 corresponding to the cleaning body 72. Preferably, the protrusions 76 are arranged intermittently over the width of the cleaning body chamber 702 corresponding to the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72. In the illustrated example, the protrusions 76 are arranged intermittently over substantially the entire width of the cleaning body chamber 702. Preferably, the protrusions 76 are arranged at equal or substantially equal intervals. These protrusions 76 are arranged parallel or substantially parallel to each other. The plurality of protrusions 76 form comb-shaped front and rear concaves and convexes alternately arranged in the left-right direction on the surface 7031 of the cleaning body chamber 702 facing the cleaning body 72. At least a portion of the exhaust port 7044 is arranged between some of the protrusions 76. In this embodiment, one exhaust port 7044 is arranged between each of the protrusions 76. That is, the protrusions 76, 76 are located on both sides of each exhaust port 7044. When viewed in the left-right direction, the protrusions 76 and the exhaust ports 7044 are arranged alternately.

[0035] At least one of the protrusions 76 is a clogging suppression part that also functions to suppress clogging of the exhaust port 7044 by dust sucked into the cleaning body chamber 702. That is, the front end 761, which is the tip of the protrusion 76, and especially the envelope surface of the front end 761 of the multiple protrusions 76 are formed forward and away from the surface 7031 of the partition wall 703 in the cleaning body chamber 702 where the exhaust port 7044 is opened, thereby suppressing dust that contacts the front end 761 of the protrusion 76 from sticking to the surface 7031. The protrusion 76 is an adhesion suppression part that suppresses the adhesion of dust to the surface 7031. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 76 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the exhaust port 7044. In this embodiment, the protrusion 76 is formed in a continuous manner over almost the entire longitudinal direction of the exhaust port 7044. Therefore, the protrusion 76 has a function of rectifying the air discharged from the motor chamber 704 to the cleaning body chamber 702 through the exhaust port 7044. Without being limited thereto, the protrusion 76 may be formed intermittently in the longitudinal direction of the exhaust port 7044.

[0036] Moreover, the protrusion 76 has a function of reinforcing the partition wall 703. In particular, the protrusion 76 has a function of reinforcing the portion of the partition wall 703 between the exhaust ports 7044, 7044.

[0037] The control chamber 705 is disposed on the other side of the connecting pipe 71 at the rear of the main body 70. In the illustrated example, the control chamber 705 is disposed to the right of the connecting pipe 71. That is, the control chamber 705 is located on the opposite side of the motor chamber 704 with respect to the connecting pipe 71. The control chamber 705 is adjacent to the rear of the cleaning body chamber 702 via a partition wall 703. In addition, the control chamber 705 is partitioned on both sides by the wall 7050 and the side wall of the main body 70. In other words, the control chamber 705 is partitioned on the front, rear, left and right sides by the partition wall 703, the rear wall 708 of the main body 70, the wall 7050, and the base on the side of the main body 70. The control chamber 705 is formed extending in the left and right direction along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning body chamber 702. In addition, the control chamber 705 is located above the suction air passage 700.

[0038] The wall 7050 separates the control chamber 705 from the connecting pipe 71 side. The front end of the wall 7050 is connected to the partition wall 703, and the rear end is connected to the rear wall 708. Through a hole 70500 formed in the wall 7050, wiring electrically connected to the drive control unit 74 is led out from the control chamber 705 to the connecting pipe 71 side and the motor chamber 704 side. This wiring includes a power line electrically connected to the power supply unit 1 or the control unit 4 (shown in FIG. 8) through the suction air passage unit 6 (shown in FIG. 8), a signal line connected to the motor 73, and a signal line electrically connected to the operation setting unit 52 or the control unit 4 (shown in FIG. 8).

[0039] In the control room 705, the drive control unit 74 is disposed longitudinally in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the drive control unit 74 is a control board having a board and elements mounted on the board. In the illustrated example, the drive control unit 74 has a function of a ground detection means for detecting whether the suction port body 7 is grounded to the part to be cleaned CL. The drive control unit 74 has a detection unit 740 protruding from the lower surface of the main body 70. As an example, the detection unit 740 is a wheel. The detection unit 740 is exposed to the lower part of the main body 70 from an opening 7051 formed in the lower part of the control room 705. The detection unit 740 moves up / down in response to contact / separation with the part to be cleaned CL, thereby being able to detect whether the suction port body 7 is grounded to the part to be cleaned CL, and the changeover switch is turned on / off in response to the changeover switch, thereby switching between an allowed state / unallowed state for driving the motor 73, i.e., the rotation of the cleaning body 72.

[0040] The transmission chamber 706 is located adjacent to the motor chamber 704 and the cleaning body chamber 702. In this embodiment, the transmission chamber 706 is arranged across the sides of the motor chamber 704 and the cleaning body chamber 702. In the illustrated example, the transmission chamber 706 is formed on the left side of the main body 70 and extends in the front-rear direction. The transmission chamber 706 communicates with the motor chamber 704 and the cleaning body chamber 702. The transmission means 75 located in the transmission chamber 706 transmits the power of the motor 73 located in the motor chamber 704 to the cleaning body 72 (shown in FIG. 1 ) located in the cleaning body chamber 702.

[0041] Preferably, the front part of the cleaning element chamber 702 is configured by attaching a cover body 77, which is a front cover, to a front opening 709 that communicates with the outside of the main body 70. The front opening 709 is located at the frontmost part of the outer shell of the main body 70. The front opening 709 communicates with the suction port 7000 via the cleaning element chamber 702. In this embodiment, the cover body 77 is arranged to be rotatable in the front-rear direction.

[0042] Preferably, as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 7, a plurality of protrusions 770 are formed on the lower end of the cover body 77. The protrusions 770 bulge downward, in a direction narrowing the opening area of ​​the front opening 709 between the lower end of the cover body 77 and the part to be cleaned CL, that is, toward the part to be cleaned CL. The protrusions 770 have the effect of increasing the degree of vacuum in the cleaning body chamber 702. Depending on the presence or absence of these protrusions 770, upper and lower unevenness are formed alternately arranged in the left and right direction on the lower end of the cover body 77.

[0043] The protrusion 770 is formed in a shape that extends in the left-right direction, which is the direction of both sides of the cover body 77. That is, the left-right dimension of the protrusion 770 is greater than the up-down dimension, which is the protruding dimension. In this embodiment, the protrusion 770 is formed so that the width gradually narrows from the base end to the tip end. When viewed from the front, the protrusion 770 is formed in a trapezoid shape with the lower side shorter than the upper side.

[0044] Also, preferably, the protrusions 770 are intermittently disposed between the left and right side portions at the lower end of the cover body 77. For example, the protrusions 770 are located at positions excluding the center between the left and right side portions and at positions excluding both sides at the lower end of the cover body 77. Therefore, non-disposition portions where the protrusions 770 are not disposed are set at both the left and right side portions at the lower end of the cover body 77.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protrusions 770 are disposed evenly on the left and right sides with the left-right center of the lower end of the cover body 77 as a reference.

[0046] Preferably, a convex shape 771 is formed on the front part of the cover body 77. The convex shape 771 improves the strength of the cover body 77 and adds a design feature to the cover body 77 to improve its appearance. The convex shapes 771 are formed in a line in the left-right direction, which is the direction on both sides of the cover body 77, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of the cover body 77. In this embodiment, the convex shapes 771 are formed in a line in the entire left-right direction on the front part of the cover body 77. Moreover, a plurality of the convex shapes 771 are arranged side by side in the up-down direction, which is the short side direction of the cover body 77.

[0047] 7, a rear protrusion 772 that protrudes rearward toward the cleaning body 72 is preferably formed at the lower end of the cover body 77. In this embodiment, the rear protrusion 772 is formed to extend between the protrusions 770. In the illustrated example, the rear protrusion 772 is continuous across the left-right direction of the cover body 77, but may be formed discontinuously in the left-right direction.

[0048] Furthermore, a grounding portion 78 that comes into contact with the part to be cleaned CL is preferably disposed on the lower surface of the main body 70. The grounding portion 78 may be a running member such as a running wheel, or may be a sliding member such as a nonwoven fabric.

[0049] Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] A user can drive the cleaning body 72 as necessary 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 cleanly. When using the cleaning body 72, the operation setting unit 52 is operated, and the drive control unit 74 operates the motor 73, and the power of the motor 73 is transmitted to the cleaning body 72 via the transmission means 75, 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. A part of the cleaning member 721, which is the second cleaning member 721b in this embodiment, comes into contact with the protruding portion 76 when the cleaning body 72 rotates, and the dust is knocked down and removed.

[0053] When cleaning a part to be cleaned CL near an object such as a wall, the front part of the suction port body 7 is pressed against the object, and the front part of the cover body 77 is pushed backward by the object and rotates as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 7, and the lower end side of the cover body 77 approaches the part to be cleaned CL. At this time, the front part of the cover body 77 is formed with a convex shape 771 that is continuous in the left and right directions, which are both sides, and when the cover body 77 comes into contact with the object, the convex shape 771 comes into contact with the object, so that the contact position between the cover body 77 and the object is sealed in the left and right directions of the cover body 77, making it difficult for air to flow around from above, and an air passage that communicates with the cleaning body chamber 702 is formed in the left and right directions between the cover body 77 and the object. In this embodiment, at the part where the protrusion 770 is formed at the lower end of the cover body 77, the protrusion 770 is located close to the part to be cleaned CL, thereby ensuring the vacuum degree of the cleaning body chamber 702 whose front part is covered by the cover body 77. On the other hand, at the lower end of the cover body 77, in the parts where the protrusions 770 are not formed, there is a slight vertical gap between the part to be cleaned CL and the part, and therefore, from these parts, granular debris, i.e., dust particles having a certain size, such as rice grains, can be sucked into the suction air duct 700 through the cleaning body chamber 702 and the suction port 7000 by the action of negative pressure.

[0054] The electric motor 73 generates heat due to the driving of the cleaning body 72. In the electric motor chamber 704 that houses the electric motor 73, a difference in air pressure occurs between the exhaust port 7044 communicating with the suction air passage 700 and the intake port 7043 communicating with the outside air due to the negative pressure acting from the suction air passage 700. Therefore, outside air is sucked into the electric motor chamber 704 from the intake port 7043 as cooling air and is discharged from the exhaust port 7044. The air at the atmospheric temperature flows in this manner, thereby cooling the electric motor 73. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown by the arrow W in Figs. 3 and 4, the air that flows from the intake port 7043 into the upstream region of the electric motor chamber 704 is introduced into the electric motor 73 from the intake port of the electric motor 73, passes through the electric motor 73, is discharged from the exhaust port of the electric motor 73 to the downstream region of the electric motor chamber 704, and is then discharged from the exhaust port 7044 to the outside of the electric motor chamber 704. In this way, by positioning the intake port 7043 and the exhaust port 7044 diagonally in the motor chamber 704, the cooling air passes through the entire interior of the motor 73 in the axial direction, thereby efficiently cooling the motor 73.

[0055] At this time, the air discharged from the exhaust port 7044 is sucked into the suction air passage 700 together with the dust-containing air. In this embodiment, the air discharged from the exhaust port 7044 flows into the cleaning body chamber 702, and then is sucked into the suction air passage 700 via the lower end of the partition wall 703. Therefore, if the exhaust port 7044 is blocked when dust such as sheet-like dust or large dust in the sucked dust-containing air remains in the suction air passage 700 or the cleaning body chamber 702, it is assumed that the air pressure difference between the intake port 7043 and the exhaust port 7044 will not easily occur, and the air for cooling the motor 73 will not be able to be taken into the motor chamber 704.

[0056] Therefore, in this embodiment, a protrusion 76 is formed on the exhaust side of the exhaust port 7044 to suppress clogging of the exhaust port 7044 by dust, so that even if dust such as sheet-like dust or large dust remains in the suction air passage 700 or the cleaning body chamber 702, the dust does not come into contact with the surface 7031 on which the protrusion 76 is formed, thereby suppressing clogging of the exhaust side of the exhaust port 7044 located on this surface 7031. Therefore, a pressure difference between the intake port 7043 and the exhaust port 7044 can be secured, and cooling air can be stably taken into the motor chamber 704, and the passage of the taken-in cooling air is not blocked by dust, so that the motor 73 can be stably cooled.

[0057] In this embodiment, the exhaust port 7044 is formed in communication with the cleaning element chamber 702, i.e., in the partition wall 703 between the cleaning element chamber 702 and the motor chamber 704, and the protrusion 76 is disposed on the surface 7031 of the cleaning element chamber 702, so that the protrusion 76 is not positioned in the suction air passage 700 which is separate from the cleaning element chamber 702. Therefore, no irregularities are created in the suction air passage 700 due to the protrusion 76, so that a smooth and high-speed airflow can be achieved when sucking in dust, improving dust removal performance.

[0058] Furthermore, since the protrusion 76 for preventing dust from sticking to the exhaust port 7044 can be the one originally located on the surface 7031 of the cleaning body chamber 702 and having the function of removing dust from the cleaning body 72, there is no need to form a new protrusion 76 specifically for preventing dust from sticking to the exhaust port 7044, and the weight of the suction port body 7 does not increase.

[0059] Furthermore, since the protrusion 76 has the function of contacting at least one of the cleaning members 721 of the cleaning body 72 with the rotation of the cleaning body 72 to remove dust adhering to the cleaning members 721, if dust such as sheet-like dust or large dust as described above adheres to the protrusion 76, the dust can be removed from the protrusion 76 by the cleaning members 721 in contact with the protrusion 76. That is, since the protrusion 76 and the cleaning members 721 of the cleaning body 72 are in positions where they come into contact with each other as the cleaning body 72 rotates, they are in a relationship in which they mutually remove adhering dust by contacting each other, so that the inside of the cleaning body chamber 702 can be kept clean and the clogging of the exhaust port 7044 by dust can be reliably suppressed.

[0060] In addition, due to the presence or absence of the protrusion 76, comb-tooth shaped irregularities are created on the surface 7031 of the partition 703 facing the cleaning body chamber 702, and as the cleaning body 72 rotates, these irregularities comb the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72 in a comb-tooth pattern, thereby enabling the loosening and cutting of entangled thread-like or linear debris such as hair.

[0061] Since the exhaust port 7044 is located between at least any of the protruding portions 76, dust can be more reliably prevented from sticking to the protruding portions 76.

[0062] Since the protrusions 76 are arranged intermittently across at least the width of the cleaning element chamber 702 corresponding to the cleaning element 72, contact of the protrusions 76 can remove dust from the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning element 72 across substantially the entire width.

[0063] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. 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.

[0064] The protrusion 76 in this embodiment is formed in a continuous manner in the axial direction of the cleaning body 72. The protrusion 76 in this embodiment is formed in a rib shape continuous in the left-right direction. That is, the protrusion 76 in this embodiment has a surface in the up-down direction and extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 76 is formed along a direction intersecting or perpendicular to the rotation direction of the cleaning body 72. Preferably, the protrusion 76 is formed in a continuous manner over substantially the entire width of the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning body 72. In this embodiment, the protrusion 76 is formed in a continuous manner between both side wall portions of the cleaning body chamber 702.

[0065] Preferably, a plurality of protrusions 76 are arranged in the up-down direction intersecting with the axial direction of the cleaning element 72. In this embodiment, the protrusions 76 are formed in pairs, one above the other, and arranged parallel or approximately parallel to each other. The height of the protrusions 76 is close to the height of the axis X of the cleaning element 72. Preferably, the protrusions 76 are located above the axis X of the cleaning element 72.

[0066] The protruding portion 76 is located at a position where it can come into contact with at least one of the cleaning members 721 of the cleaning element 72. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 76 extends to a position where the front end portion 761 can come into contact with the second cleaning member 721b of the cleaning member 721 of the cleaning element 72.

[0067] Furthermore, in the illustrated example, at least a portion of the exhaust port 7044 is between the upper and lower protrusions 76. In this embodiment, the upper end of the exhaust port 7044 extends upward beyond the upper protrusion 76, and the lower end of the exhaust port 7044 extends downward beyond the lower protrusion 76.

[0068] During cleaning, the negative pressure of the suction source 2 acting from the suction port 7000 draws dust together with air into the suction air passage 700. When using the cleaning body 72, the user operates the operation setting unit 52, and the drive control unit 74 operates the motor 73, and the power of the motor 73 is transmitted to the cleaning body 72 via the transmission means 75, so that the cleaning body 72 is driven to rotate, and dust is scraped out by the cleaning member 721 inserted into the part to be cleaned CL.

[0069] The electric motor 73, which generates heat due to the driving of the cleaning body 72, is cooled by the outside air drawn into the motor chamber 704 from the intake port 7043. The air that has cooled the electric motor 73 is discharged from the exhaust port 7044 and drawn into the suction air passage 700 together with dust-containing air. In this embodiment, by having the same configuration as the above-mentioned first embodiment, such as forming the protrusion 76 on the exhaust side of the exhaust port 7044, even if dust such as sheet-like dust or large dust remains in the suction air passage 700 or the cleaning body chamber 702, the dust does not come into contact with the protrusion 76 and adheres to the surface 7031 on which the protrusion 76 is formed, and the blockage of the exhaust side of the exhaust port 7044 located on this surface 7031 can be suppressed, and the air pressure difference between the intake port 7043 and the exhaust port 7044 can be secured, so that the cooling air can be stably taken into the motor chamber 704, and the dust does not block the passage of the taken-in cooling air, and the electric motor 73 can be stably cooled.

[0070] In addition, in the cleaning body chamber 702, the protruding parts 76 are formed in series in the axial direction of the cleaning body 72, so that when at least one of the cleaning members 721 of the cleaning body 72 comes into contact with the protruding parts 76 during rotation of the cleaning body 72, the air passage for the air flowing backward from above the cleaning body 72 to the suction air passage 700 is sealed. Therefore, the flow rate of the air flowing from below the cleaning body 72 to the suction air passage 700 relatively increases, and the air can be effectively sucked from the vicinity of the cleaned part CL into the suction air passage 700.

[0071] Furthermore, since at least a part of the exhaust port 7044 is located between the multiple protrusions 76 arranged in the vertical direction intersecting with the axial direction of the cleaning element 72, adhesion of dust to the protrusions 76 can be more reliably prevented.

[0072] In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the intake port 7043 and the exhaust port 7044 are formed in the motor chamber 704, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the case where the motor 73 is disposed inside the cleaning body 72, the intake port and the exhaust port for cooling the drive control unit 74 may be formed in the control chamber 705, or the intake port and the exhaust port for cooling may be disposed in both the motor chamber 704 and the control chamber 705. That is, the intake port and the exhaust port for cooling may be formed in a housing chamber that houses any electric component for driving the cleaning body 72. By forming the protrusion 76 on the discharge side of the exhaust port accordingly, the exhaust port can be prevented from being blocked by dust, and the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be achieved.

[0073] Furthermore, the driving part is not limited to the cleaning body 72, and may be any other part such as a light emitting part for irradiating light to the part to be cleaned CL, an ion generating device, etc. By forming an intake port and an exhaust port for cooling the electric parts in a housing chamber for the electric parts for driving the optional driving part, and forming a protrusion 76 on the discharge side of the exhaust port, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments, such as preventing the exhaust port from being blocked by dust.

[0074] 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]

[0075] VC Vacuum Cleaner 2 Suction source 7 Suction port body 72 Cleaning body which is the driving part 73 Electric motors, which are electrical components 74 Drive control unit, which is an electrical component 76 Protrusion as obstruction suppression part 700 Suction air path 702 Cleaning Room 704 Motor room, which is the housing room 7031 faces 7043 Air Intake 7044 Exhaust port

Claims

1. A suction air passage communicating with the suction source; A rotatable cleaning body; an electrical component for driving the cleaning element; an accommodation chamber having an intake port for taking in cooling air and an exhaust port communicating with the suction air passage for discharging the taken-in air, the accommodation chamber accommodating the electrical component; a cleaning element chamber communicating with the suction air passage through the exhaust port and housing the cleaning element; A clogging prevention part is provided on a surface of the cleaning body chamber to prevent clogging of the exhaust port by dust, The clogging suppression portion is a protrusion that protrudes into the cleaning element chamber and contacts the rotating cleaning element. A suction mouth body characterized by:

2. The electrical component is at least one of an electric motor that rotates the cleaning body and a drive control unit that controls the operation of the electric motor. The suction mouth body according to claim 1 .

3. The cleaning body chamber is formed separately from the suction air duct.

3. The suction mouth body according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The clogging suppression portion is intermittently arranged in the cleaning element chamber at least over a width corresponding to the cleaning element.

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

5. The clogging prevention portion is formed continuously in the axial direction of the cleaning element.

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

6. The clogging prevention portion is disposed in a plurality of positions in a vertical direction intersecting with the axial direction of the cleaning element. The suction mouth body according to claim 5 .

7. The exhaust port is located between at least any of the blockage suppression units.

7. The suction mouth body according to claim 4 or 6.

8. The suction mouth body according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is provided. A vacuum cleaner characterized by:

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