Vacuum cleaner unit

Abstract

To provide a vacuum cleaner unit capable of solving the problem that the size of a support device is enlarged when the support device is configured to support a main body of a cleaner.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner unit includes: a cleaner main body having an electric blower; a suction tool 40 having a suction port to suck dust; a tube part for connecting the cleaner main body to the suction tool 40; and a cleaner support device. The cleaner support device includes: a placement part to place the suction tool 40; a support part for supporting the tube part and to be engaged with the tube part; and an arrangement part 720 for arranging attachments.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 39

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is provided as a conventionally known cleaner system such as the cleaner system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-162232. This cleaner system is provided with a cleaner and a support device for supporting the cleaner. Further, the cleaner included in this cleaner system includes a main body having a handle, a suction tool for sucking dust, and a pipe body connecting the main body and the suction tool, and the support device is provided with a support. This cleaner system is configured such that, in a state where the cleaner is supported by the support device, the front side of the suction tool is disposed closer to the support than the rear side.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of a configuration in which the support device supports the main body of the cleaner as in the above-described conventional cleaner system, there is a problem that the support device becomes large-sized.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The vacuum cleaner unit in the embodiment of the present invention provided to solve the above problems includes a cleaner main body having an electric blower, a suction tool having a suction port for sucking dust, a pipe portion connecting the cleaner main body and the suction tool, and a cleaner support device. The cleaner support device is characterized by having a placement portion for placing the suction tool, a support portion for supporting the pipe portion and engaging with the pipe portion, and an arrangement portion for arranging accessories.

[0006] According to such a configuration, a vacuum cleaner unit that solves the above problems can be provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the increase in size as a cleaner support device and provide a vacuum cleaner unit with a compact configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

Figure 32

Figure 33

Figure 34

Figure 35

Figure 36

Figure 37

Figure 38

Figure 39

Figure 40

Figure 41

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, after briefly explaining the overall configuration of the vacuum cleaner 1, the main parts will be described in more detail. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships such as the vertical direction and the width direction will be described based on the state in which the vacuum cleaner 1 is standing as shown in FIG. 1.

[0010] <<Overall Configuration of Vacuum Cleaner 1>> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the vacuum cleaner 1 is a cleaner having a stick-shaped (vertical) appearance. The vacuum cleaner 1 can be, for example, a rechargeable type or one that obtains power from an external power source via a power cord. As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes a cleaner main body 10, a dust collection unit 20 (dust collection device), a tube unit 30 (tube unit), and a suction tool 40.

[0011] The cleaner main body 10 forms the main body of the vacuum cleaner 1 and is a part that exhibits the function of generating a suction force for dust collection. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the cleaner main body 10 includes an electric blower 14 for sucking air to generate an air flow, a drive circuit for driving other electronic components, and other components inside a main body case 12 forming a housing.

[0012] Further, the cleaner main body 10 is provided with a gripping portion 16. The gripping portion 16 is a portion provided for the user of the electric cleaner 1 to grip the cleaner main body 10. That is, the electric cleaner 1 is configured such that the user can grip the cleaner main body 10, for example, by passing the fingers other than the thumb through an opening portion formed by the gripping portion 16. More specifically, a battery portion 17 where a battery 17a is arranged is provided on one end side of the cleaner main body 10. One end of the gripping portion 16 is connected to the battery portion 17, extends away from the battery portion 17, and the other end of the gripping portion 16 is connected to the front side of the electric blower 14. The cleaner main body 10 has an exhaust port 15 on the gripping portion 16 side for discharging the air discharged from the electric blower 14. The exhaust port 15 is provided so as to face an opening portion formed by the gripping portion 16, and guides the exhaust air laterally from the gripping portion 16 so that the exhaust air does not directly hit the hand of the user gripping the gripping portion 16.

[0013] The dust collection portion 20 is a portion where the dust sucked by the electric cleaner 1 is collected. The dust collection portion 20 is provided so as to be continuous with the cleaner main body 10. A pipe connection portion 22 for connecting the pipe portion 30 or the suction tool 40 is provided on the lower end side along the dust collection portion 20. The pipe connection portion 22 has a connection opening connectable to the pipe portion 30, the suction tool 40 or various attachments, and a dust collection portion side opening connectable to the first inlet 68 of the dust collection portion 20. Since the dust collection portion 20 is a characteristic portion of the electric cleaner 1, the specific structure will be described in detail later.

[0014] The pipe portion 30 is a cylindrical member that detachably connects the cleaner main body 10 and the suction tool 40. One end side of the pipe portion 30 is shaped so as to be insertable into the pipe connection portion 22, and the other end is shaped so as to be connectable to the suction tool 40. By connecting the cleaner main body 10 and the suction tool 40 via the pipe portion 30, a series of continuous paths (air passages) from the suction tool 40 to the cleaner main body 10 can be formed.

[0015] The suction tool 40 includes a case body 42 and a joint portion 44. Also, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 16 and the like, the suction tool 40 has a suction port 43 at the bottom of the case body 42, and includes members such as a rotary cleaning body 46 and a cleaning body drive mechanism 48 inside the case body 42. The case body 42 is a portion that is placed on the floor during cleaning, and has a shape that is long in the left - right direction with respect to the front - rear direction, which is the direction of operation by the user during cleaning. Inside the case body 42, a suction space is formed with the floor surface side as an open end for sucking air and dust from the outside. Also, the joint portion 44 is rotatably attached to the case body 42 within a predetermined rotation range (front - rear direction and left - right direction). The joint portion 44 is a portion to which the end of the above - mentioned pipe portion 30 is connected. The joint portion 44 is cylindrical, and its internal space communicates with the suction space. The joint portion 44 is supposed to be in a state of fitting with the case body 42 side when in an upright posture. Regarding the suction tool 40 as well, the characteristic parts will be described in detail later.

[0016] The vacuum cleaner 1 generally has the configuration as described above. The vacuum cleaner 1 is provided with characteristic structures in each part such as the dust collection part 20 and the suction tool 40. Hereinafter, the structure of each part of the vacuum cleaner 1 will be described in more detail.

[0017] <<Regarding the configuration of the dust collection part 20>> Hereinafter, the dust collecting unit 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. The dust collecting unit 20 is detachably provided with respect to the cleaner main body 10. The dust collecting unit 20 includes a dust collecting container 50, a centrifugal separation unit 100, a filter 70 (omitted in FIG. 5), a filter support unit 80, and a cover unit 90. The dust collecting unit 20 is a so-called cyclone type dust collecting device. That is, the dust collecting unit 20 is configured to introduce air from an inlet (first inlet 68) provided in the dust collecting container 50, form a swirling airflow in the dust collecting container 50, and then collect dust in the process of discharging the air. Further, the dust collecting unit 20 can adopt a so-called single-stage separation method or a multi-stage separation method of three or more stages, but in this embodiment, a so-called two-stage centrifugal separation method is adopted. Therefore, the dust collecting unit 20 can perform centrifugal separation of small dust and large dust by performing two-stage centrifugal separation to collect dust.

[0018] The dust collecting container 50 is a container including an outer container 52, an inner container 54, a bottom portion 58, and a lid portion 106. The dust collecting container 50 has the inner container 54 disposed inside the outer container 52, the bottom portion 58 attached to and closing one axial side (bottom side) of the outer container 52, and the lid portion 106 attached to the other axial side (upper end side) of the outer container 52.

[0019] The outer container 52 is a cylindrical container. The outer container 52 is divided into a dust collecting chamber 62 on one axial side (bottom side) and a centrifugal separation chamber 64 on the other side (upper end side) via a partition wall 60 (umbrella-shaped portion) in the middle of its axial direction. The partition wall 60 can suppress the dust in the dust collecting chamber 62 from rising by the swirling airflow formed in the centrifugal separation chamber 64.

[0020] The partition wall 60 is formed in an umbrella shape. The partition wall 60 is formed to have a downward gradient from the radially inner side (axial center side) to the outer side of the outer container 52. The partition wall 60 has an inner opening 66a at the radially central part (axial center side) and an outer opening 66b (see FIG. 4) in the circumferential direction. The outer container 52 is formed to communicate with the dust collection chamber 62 and the centrifugal separation chamber 64 via the inner opening 66a and the outer opening 66b. That is, the inner opening 66a is a substantially circular opening formed to communicate with the bottom side of the centrifugal separation unit 100. The outer opening 66b is located radially outside the inner opening 66a and is an opening formed by notching a part of the partition wall 60.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer container 52 has a first inlet 68 at its outer peripheral portion. The first inlet 68 opens at an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the outer container 52 (on the centrifugal separation chamber 64 side with respect to the partition wall 60). Therefore, the first inlet 68 communicates with the centrifugal separation chamber 64. The first inlet 68 opens in a rectangular shape at an inflow portion 68a that extends cylindrically from the outer surface of the outer container 52. This inflow portion 68a extends so as to be inclined from the circumferential end portion toward the central side. Further, the first inlet 68 is provided at a position corresponding to an outer peripheral guide rib 116 provided on the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 of the centrifugal separation unit 100 described later, and the outer peripheral guide rib 116 extends so as to abut against the inner peripheral surface of the outer container 52 so as to constitute a part of the air passage together with the inflow portion 68a. Thereby, the outer container 52 is configured such that air can flow into the inside of the centrifugal separation chamber 64 along the inner peripheral surface of the outer container 52 through the first inlet 68, and the direction is defined by the outer peripheral guide rib 116 so that the air easily flows in one direction.

[0022] The inner container 54 is a container disposed inside the outer container 52. The inner container 54 is disposed in the dust collection chamber 62 below the partition wall 60. The inner container 54 is arranged so that its axial center position substantially coincides with that of the outer container 52. The inner container 54 divides the internal space of the dust collection chamber 62 into an outer dust collection chamber 72 and an inner dust collection chamber 74. The inner container 54 is open at one end side (bottom side) in the axial direction. Further, the inner container 54 communicates with an inner opening 66a provided in the partition wall 60 at the other end side (upper end side) in the axial direction.

[0023] The inner container 54 has an inner container diameter-reduced portion 76 that is tapered and has its diameter reduced from the upper end side to the middle portion in the axial direction. Further, the inner container 54 has a cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform opening diameter on the lower side than the inner container diameter-reduced portion 76. The inner container 54 is hermetically connected to the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 of the centrifugal separation unit 100 via a first seal portion S1, which will be described in detail later.

[0024] The bottom portion 58 closes the bottom of the dust collection container 50 (on the dust collection chamber 62 side). The bottom portion 58 is configured to be able to open and close the bottom of the dust collection container 50. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom portion 58 is connected to the dust collection container 50 via a hinge 82. Further, the bottom portion 58 can be fixed to the dust collection container 50 in a state where the bottom of the dust collection container 50 is closed by a lock portion 84 on the opposite side of the dust collection container 50 in the radial direction with respect to the hinge 82.

[0025] On the bottom 58, a turning suppression rib 86 is provided. The turning suppression rib 86 is provided so as to be disposed inside the outer dust collection chamber 72 formed between the inner container 54 and the outer container 52 in a state where the bottom of the dust collection container 50 is closed by the bottom 58. Further, the turning suppression rib 86 is a rib for suppressing the turning of the dust collected in the outer dust collection chamber 72 by the turning airflow formed in the vicinity of the bottom 58. The turning suppression rib 86 is provided so as to protrude in the axial direction of the dust collection container 50 from the inner surface of the bottom 58 (the surface facing the inside of the dust collection container 50 when the bottom 58 is closed). Further, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of turning suppression ribs 86 are provided in the circumferential direction around the axis of the dust collection container 50. Also, a second seal member 88 is provided on the inner surface of the bottom 58. The second seal member 88 constitutes a second seal portion S2 which will be described in detail later. When the bottom 58 is closed, the second seal member 88 comes into close contact with the lower end portion of the inner container 54, and can airtightly close the inner container 54.

[0026] The centrifugal separation section 100 is a section for centrifugally separating dust. The centrifugal separation section 100 includes a centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102, a centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104, a lid portion 106, and a support portion 108.

[0027] The centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 is a cylinder capable of accommodating the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104. The centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 has small holes 114, an outer peripheral guide rib 116 (see FIG. 3), and a positioning protrusion 118 on its circumferential surface. The centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 is a member that forms a first centrifugal separation chamber 110 between the outer container 52 of the dust collection container 50 and forms a second centrifugal separation chamber 112 inside.

[0028] The first centrifugal separation chamber 110 is configured to allow air flow to be introduced from the outside through a first inlet 68 provided in the outer container 52 of the dust collection container 50 described above. The first centrifugal separation chamber 110 is an annular space formed between the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 and the outer container 52 of the dust collection container 50. The first centrifugal separation chamber 110 can generate a swirling air flow by introducing air in a tangential direction of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 from the first inlet 68. Thereby, relatively large dust contained in the introduced air can be centrifugally separated (first centrifugal separation). The relatively large dust separated from the air by the first centrifugal separation falls toward a partition wall 60 forming the bottom of the first centrifugal separation chamber 110. The dust that has fallen onto the partition wall 60 falls through an outer opening 66b provided in the partition wall 60 and is collected in an outer dust collection chamber 72 provided below the partition wall 60.

[0029] A number of small holes 114 are provided on the circumferential surface of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102. The small holes 114 communicate across the first centrifugal separation chamber 110 formed outside the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 and the second centrifugal separation chamber 112 formed inside. Therefore, the centrifugal separation unit 100 can introduce the air from which large dust has been collected in the first centrifugal separation chamber 110 into the second centrifugal separation chamber 112 through the small holes 114.

[0030] The outer peripheral guide rib 116 is provided on the circumferential surface of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 at a position corresponding to the first inlet 68 provided in the outer container 52 of the dust collection container 50 described above. The outer peripheral guide rib 116 guides the air flowing into the inside of the first centrifugal separation chamber 110 from the first inlet 68 to flow in a predetermined direction around the axis along the outer peripheral surface of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer container 52.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the positioning projection 118 is a projection provided to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102. When the centrifugal separation unit 100 is attached to the dust collection container 50, the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 can be restricted from rotating in the circumferential direction with respect to the dust collection container 50 by fitting into a projection receiving portion 52a provided in the outer container 52 of the dust collection container 50.

[0032] The centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 is disposed in a second centrifugal separation chamber 112 formed inside the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102. A plurality (five in this example) of centrifugal separation inner cylinders 104 are provided. The centrifugal separation inner cylinders 104 are arranged substantially evenly in the circumferential direction around the axis in the second centrifugal separation chamber 112. Further, a plurality (five in this embodiment) of centrifugal separation inner cylinders 104 are integrated at the upper end side by an annular upper wall portion 120. The centrifugal separation inner cylinders 104 are arranged such that their upper ends are externally tangent to the inner circumferential surface of the upper wall portion 120, respectively.

[0033] The centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 has a substantially uniform outer diameter (opening diameter) from the upper end side to the middle portion, and has a centrifugal separation reduced diameter portion 122 that is tapered and reduced in diameter from the middle portion to the lower end side. The centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 is arranged in the second centrifugal separation chamber 112 with its axial direction oriented in the vertical direction. The centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 has a second inlet 124 at the upper end side. The second inlet 124 opens near the inner circumferential surface of the annular upper wall portion 120. Thereby, the second inlet 124 can introduce an air flow into the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 along the curvature of the inner circumferential surface of the upper wall portion 120. When an air flow enters the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 through the second inlet 124, a swirling air flow that advances downward (toward the centrifugal separation reduced diameter portion 122) is formed. As a result, relatively small dust contained in the air introduced into the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 is centrifugally separated (second centrifugal separation). The dust separated by the second centrifugal separation is discharged from the lower end side of each centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 toward the dust collection container 50. The second centrifugal separation chamber 112 communicates with an inner dust collection chamber 74 formed in the dust collection container 50. Therefore, the dust discharged from each centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 falls and accumulates toward the inner dust collection chamber 74. Further, the air introduced into the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 becomes an upward air flow that goes from the lower side to the upper side of the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 after the dust is removed due to the second centrifugal separation, and is discharged upward (downstream side).

[0034] The lid portion 106 is attached so as to cover the upper end side of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102. The lid portion 106 has a lid plate portion 130 and an insertion portion 132. The lid plate portion 130 is a plate-like portion formed in a substantially circular shape in plan view. The lid plate portion 130 has a closing portion 134 formed in a substantially disk shape and a standing portion 136 standing upright with respect to the closing portion 134 at the outer edge portion of the closing portion 134. The closing portion 134 is provided with centrifugal separation exhaust ports 138 at positions corresponding to each of the plurality of centrifugal separation inner cylinders 104 provided. The standing portion 136 protrudes toward both the front surface side and the back surface side of the closing portion 134. Further, the insertion portion 132 is a cylindrical portion provided corresponding to each centrifugal separation exhaust port 138 provided in the closing portion 134. The insertion portion 132 protrudes toward the back side (upstream side) of the closing portion 134. The insertion portion 132 is inserted into each centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104. Also, the insertion portion 132 protrudes also toward the front side (downstream side) of the closing portion 134 and may protrude to a height higher than the closing portion 134, but in the present embodiment, it protrudes at a height lower than the closing portion 134. Between the closing portion 134 and the insertion portion 132, a concave portion 132a lower than the height of the insertion portion 132 is provided around the insertion portion 132. Thereby, even if the dust adhering to the filter 70 naturally falls off onto the closing portion 134 and moves by the air flow, it can be accumulated in this concave portion 132a.

[0035] The support portion 108 supports the filter support portion 80 from the upstream side (lower side in the illustrated state). The support portion 108 is a rib that reinforces the filter support portion 80 while supporting the filter support portion 80. The support portion 108 has a central support rib 140 and an outer support rib 142.

[0036] The central support rib 140 is a rib that protrudes from the substantially central portion in the radial direction toward the front side (downstream side) at the closing portion 134 of the cover plate portion 130. The central support rib 140 is also supposed to be utilized as a knob when removing the centrifugal separation portion 100 from the dust collection container 50. Further, the outer support rib 142 is a rib provided on the radially outer side of the closing portion 134 than the central support rib 140. The outer support rib 142 protrudes toward the front side (downstream side) of the closing portion 134, similarly to the central support rib 140.

[0037] The filter 70 is for capturing dust contained in the air discharged from the centrifugal separation exhaust port 138 of the centrifugal separation portion 100. The filter 70 is composed of, for example, a nonwoven fabric or the like. The filter 70 is provided on the downstream side in the air blowing direction than the centrifugal separation portion 100. Specifically, the filter 70 is disposed on the lid portion 106 provided on the upper end side of the centrifugal separation portion 100 via the filter support portion 80.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, the filter support portion 80 is a member for supporting the filter 70 on the downstream side in the air flow direction (the upper side in the illustrated example) than the centrifugal separation exhaust port 138 of the centrifugal separation portion 100. The filter support portion 80 has a support frame 150, an exhaust port facing portion 152, and a support opening portion 154.

[0039] The support frame 150 supports the filter 70 from the upstream side in the air (exhaust) flow direction with the filter 70 being separated from the centrifugal separation exhaust port 138. The support frame 150 has an annular outer edge portion 156, a radial connecting portion 158 connecting the outer edge portion 156 and each exhaust port facing portion 152, and a circumferential connecting portion 160 connecting between the circumferentially adjacent exhaust port facing portions 152, 152.

[0040] The outer edge portion 156 is the portion forming the outer edge of the support frame 150. The outer diameter of the outer edge portion 156 is made equal to the inner diameter of the standing portion 136 forming the outer edge of the cover plate portion 130 in the cover portion 106. Therefore, when the support frame 150 is fitted into the region surrounded by the standing portion 136 in the cover portion 106, the outer edge portion 156 stands in a position adjacent to the radially inner side with respect to the standing portion 136. Further, a groove 156a formed over substantially the entire circumference is provided in the outer edge portion 156. The groove 156a is open upward.

[0041] The radial connecting portions 158 are provided according to the number (five in this embodiment) of the exhaust port facing portions 152. The radial connecting portions 158 are provided radially in a plan view of the support frame 150 and connect the exhaust port facing portions 152 and the outer edge portion 156. Further, the circumferential connecting portion 160 linearly connects between the exhaust port facing portions 152, 152. In this embodiment, since there are five exhaust port facing portions 152, the circumferential connecting portion 160 is provided in a substantially pentagonal shape.

[0042] The exhaust port facing portion 152 is provided at a position facing the centrifugal separation exhaust port 138 while being separated downstream in the air discharge direction with respect to the centrifugal separation exhaust port 138. The exhaust port facing portion 152 is formed to have substantially the same size and substantially the same shape as the opening region of the centrifugal separation exhaust port 138.

[0043] The support opening 154 is one or more openings provided to discharge the air discharged from each of the centrifugal exhaust ports 138 to the downstream side. In the present embodiment, the support frame 150 reduces the outflow resistance and pressure loss of the air discharged from the plurality of centrifugal exhaust ports 138, enables the entire filter 70 to be utilized, and improves the collection effect. In the support frame 150, a portion excluding the portion where the outer edge portion 156, the radial connecting portion 158, the circumferential connecting portion 160, and the exhaust port facing portion 152 are provided is open. In the present embodiment, this open portion is the support opening 154. In other words, the support opening 154 is composed of a plurality of openings surrounded by the outer edge portion 156, the radial connecting portion 158, the circumferential connecting portion 160, and the exhaust port facing portion 152.

[0044] The cover portion 90 is a cover mounted on the downstream side (the upper side in the illustrated example) in the air flow direction further than the above-described filter support portion 80. The cover portion 90 is a member formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and has a dust collection unit discharge port 170 on its downstream side (the upper side in the illustrated example). The cover portion 90 has an L-shaped groove (an axial groove and a circumferential groove) on its inner peripheral surface, and the outer surface of the dust collection container 50 has a protrusion extending in the radial direction. When the cover portion 90 is attached to the dust collection container 50, the protrusion is inserted into the inlet of the axial groove, and the cover portion 90 is moved in a direction covering the dust collection container 50 so that the protrusion slides to the end of the axial groove. Then, the cover portion 90 is rotated in the circumferential direction so that the protrusion slides from the end of the axial groove to the end of the circumferential groove continuous with the axial groove. By such an operation, the cover portion 90 is fixed to the dust collection container 50. Here, a seal member may be disposed between the cover portion 90 and the dust collection container 50. This seal member can be configured to be annularly disposed at the upper end of the dust collection container 50. Thereby, the airtightness between the dust collection container 50 and the cover portion 90 can be ensured.

[0045] In addition, the cover portion 90 has a double structure in which the peripheral wall 172 is composed of an outer peripheral wall 174 and an inner peripheral wall 176. The outer peripheral wall 174 extends in the axial direction more than the inner peripheral wall 176. The inner diameter of the outer peripheral wall 174 is made equal to the outer diameter of the outer container 52 that constitutes the dust collection container 50. Further, the inner peripheral wall 176 is configured to be fitted into a groove 156a provided at the outer edge portion 156 of the support frame 150. Therefore, the peripheral wall 172 can be fixed by fitting the inner peripheral wall 176 into the groove 156a of the support frame 150 while inserting the outer container 52 that constitutes the dust collection container 50, the standing portion 136 that forms the outer edge of the cover plate portion 130, and the outer edge portion 156 of the filter support portion 80 in a state where they overlap between the outer peripheral wall 174 and the inner peripheral wall 176. Thereby, the edge portion of the outer periphery of the filter 70 disposed in the filter support portion 80 can be sandwiched and fixed between the inner peripheral wall 176 and the groove 156a of the support frame 150.

[0046] As described above, the dust collection unit 20 introduces the air sucked together with dust in the suction tool 40 to generate a swirling flow, thereby separating and collecting the dust. Therefore, a configuration that can seal so that leakage of air or the like does not occur in each part of the dust collection unit 20 can be an important element in ensuring the dust collection function of the dust collection unit 20. Therefore, five seal portions including a first seal portion S1 to a fifth seal portion S5 are provided in the dust collection unit 20.

[0047] Specifically, the first seal portion S1 is provided as a seal structure for airtightly connecting the inner container 54 and the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102. The first seal portion S1 is formed by inserting the lower end of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 into a seal groove 55 provided on the upper end side of the inner container 54 and connecting them airtightly.

[0048] Further, the second seal portion S2 is configured by using a second seal member 88 provided on the inner surface of the bottom portion 58 that closes the bottom of the dust collection container 50. The second seal portion S2 is configured by the second seal member 88 being in close contact with the lower end portion of the inner container 54 forming the dust collection container 50 when the bottom portion 58 is closed. By providing the second seal portion S2, the inner container 54 can be hermetically closed, and the outer dust collection chamber 72 and the inner dust collection chamber 74 formed inside and outside the inner container 54 can be hermetically separated.

[0049] The third seal portion S3 is formed by interposing a third seal member 57 between the bottom portion 58 and the end portion of the outer container 52 at the bottom side of the dust collection container 50. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the inflow and outflow of air into and out of the dust collection container 50 from between the bottom portion 58 and the end portion of the outer container 52.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 5, 7, etc., the fourth seal portion S4 is a portion sealed by a fourth seal member 125 between the inner wall of the dust collection container 50 (outer container 52) and the upper wall portion 120 of the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 constituting the centrifugal separation portion 100. One end of the fourth seal member 125 is inserted into a groove 120b formed over the entire circumference while being open laterally at a flange portion 120a that protrudes radially outward from the peripheral surface of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 in the upper wall portion 120. Further, in the fourth seal portion S4, a standing portion 136 erected on the outer peripheral side of the cover plate portion 130 constituting the cover portion 106 protrudes below the flange portion 120a of the upper wall portion 120 and abuts against the fourth seal member 125. Also, protruding radially outward from the standing portion 136, the other end of the fourth seal member 125 is supported at a stepped portion formed in the outer container 52 constituting the dust collection container 50. By having such a structure, the fourth seal portion S4 ensures airtightness in the vicinity of the cover portion 106. That is, the fourth seal portion S4 ensures airtightness between the flange portion 120a and the standing portion 136, airtightness between the outer container 52 and the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102, and airtightness between the outer container 52 and the standing portion 136. Note that in the fourth seal portion S4, the fourth seal member 125 may be supported at the upper end of the outer container 52.

[0051] The fifth seal part S5, similar to the fourth seal part S4, ensures airtightness in the vicinity of the lid part 106. The fifth seal part S5 is for ensuring airtightness at the joint between the back surface (the upstream side surface) of the lid plate part 130 forming the lid part 106 and the upper end of the upper wall part 120 of the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104. In the fifth seal part S5, it is hermetically sealed by interposing a sheet-like fifth seal member 131 between the back surface side of the lid plate part 130 and the upper end of the upper wall part 120. Also, by screwing the lid plate part 130 to the upper wall part 120 together with the fifth seal member 131, the airtightness in the fifth seal part S5 is improved. Thereby, it is possible to effectively suppress air from leaking between the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 and the lid part 106, and air flowing in from the small holes 114 of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 from leaking between the lid part 106 and the upper wall part 120.

[0052] Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a recess 20b is provided at the bottom 58 of the dust collection part 20 on the bottom side of the lock part 84. As shown in FIG. 2, the recess 20b is configured to be able to engage with a convex part 10a provided at the lower end side of the portion where the back surface of the dust collection part 20 contacts in the pipe connection part 22. Further, a lock part 20c is provided on the dust collection part 20 on the side opposite to the recess 20b in the radial direction and on the side opposite to the bottom 58. The lock part 20c protrudes upward. The lock part 20c can be fixed to the cleaner main body 10 side by being fitted into a recess 10b provided on the front side of the cleaner main body 10 so as to open downward. The dust collection part 20 has an inclined surface 20a on the top surface side of the cover part 90. The inclined surface 20a substantially coincides with the inclination of the bottom surface of the portion where the electric blower 14 is accommodated in the cleaner main body 10. When mounting the dust collection part 20 to the cleaner main body 10, by rotating it so as to approach until the first inlet 68 is connected to the dust collection part side opening of the pipe connection part 22 with the convex part 10a locked in the recess 20b as a fulcrum, the lock part 20c is fitted into the recess 10b. Therefore, due to such an inclined structure, the vacuum cleaner 1 facilitates the operation of mounting the dust collection part 20 below the electric blower 14.

[0053] <<Configuration of Suction Tool 40>> Next, the suction tool 40 will be described in detail focusing on the characteristic parts with reference to FIGS. 8 to 16. As described above, the suction tool 40 includes a case body 42, a joint part 44, a rotary cleaning body 46, and a cleaning body drive mechanism 48 (see FIG. 8). The suction tool 40 communicates with the cleaner main body 10 via the dust collection part 20 by connecting the pipe part 30 or the cleaner main body 10 to the joint part 44. Further, the suction tool 40 has a suction space in which the case body 42 is open toward the floor surface side, and a structure in which the rotary cleaning body 46 is rotatably supported inside this space.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 9 and the like, the rotary cleaning body 46 has a cleaning body main body 200 extending in the longitudinal direction (left - right direction) of the case body 42 and a mounting part 202. The cleaning body main body 200 has a brush mounting part 206 provided on the outside of the cylindrically formed cleaning body main body 200. The brush is provided so as to draw a helix on the outer periphery of the brush mounting part 206 around the axial center position of the cleaning body main body 200.

[0055] The mounting part 202 is a part used to attach the rotary cleaning body 46 to the case body 42. The mounting part 202 is attached to the cleaning body main body 200 as a separate member on one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning body main body 200, but it may be integrated with the cleaning body main body 200. The rotary cleaning body 46 is rotatably supported with respect to the case body 42 by attaching the mounting parts 202, 202 provided at both ends (hereinafter, the two may be distinguished as "mounting part 202a" and "mounting part 202b" as necessary) to a predetermined mounting position provided in the case body 42.

[0056] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the mounting part 202a has an end part 205 having a prismatic shape (the cross - sectional shape is substantially square) on one end side in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 46, and a flange part 207a provided at a position adjacent to the end part 205 in the axial direction. The end part 205 is rotatably attached to the cleaning body main body 200 (flange part 207a).

[0057] Here, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in the case body 42, the receiving part 42c to which the mounting part 202a of the rotary cleaning body 46 is to be mounted is separable into a lower receiving part 42x and an upper receiving part 42y. The lower receiving part 42x is detachable on the back side of the case body 42. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, in the upper case 42b where the upper receiving part 42y is formed, a convex upper engaging part 42p is provided on the front side (upper side in the illustrated state) of the case body 42, and a concave upper engaged part 42q is provided on the back side (lower side in the illustrated state). Further, the lower receiving part 42x is provided with a concave lower engaged part 42r that can engage with the upper engaging part 42p at a position corresponding to the upper engaging part 42p on the side of the upper receiving part 42y, and a convex lower engaging part 42s is provided at a position corresponding to the upper engaged part 42q. The lower receiving part 42x is provided with a claw part 42t, and the lower engaging part 42s can be swung. Due to such a configuration, after engaging the lower engaged part 42r with the upper engaging part 42p, the lower engaging part 42s is inserted into and engaged with the upper engaged part 42q, so that the lower receiving part 42x can be mounted on the upper receiving part 42y. Conversely, when removing the lower receiving part 42x from the upper receiving part 42y, by operating the claw part 42t, first, the engagement between the lower engaging part 42s and the upper engaged part 42q is released. Then, by removing the lower engaged part 42r from the upper engaging part 42p, the lower receiving part 42x can be removed from the upper receiving part 42y. Further, the upper receiving part 42y is provided inside the case body 42. By attaching the lower receiving part 42x to the back side of the case body 42, the receiving part 42c can be formed.

[0058] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the upper receiving part 42y has an upper end fitting part 42h, an upper flange fitting part 42i, and an upper shaft support part 42j. The upper end fitting part 42h is a part opened toward the bottom surface side of the case body 42 so that the above-described prismatic end part 205 can be fitted. Further, the upper flange fitting part 42i is a part opened toward the bottom surface side of the case body 42 so that the flange part 207a can be fitted. The upper shaft support part 42j is a part curved in an arc shape along the shaft forming the mounting part 202a.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the lower receiving portion 42x has a lower end contact portion 42k and a lower shaft support portion 42l at positions corresponding to the above-described upper end fitting portion 42h and upper shaft support portion 42j, respectively. The lower end contact portion 42k is a block-shaped member formed to contact the outer peripheral surface (one side) of the end portion 205 from the cleaning surface side. By the upper end fitting portion 42h contacting the other outer peripheral surfaces (three sides) of the end portion 205, the end portion 205 is fixed to the case body 42. Further, the lower shaft support portion 42l is curved along the shaft forming the mounting portion 202a, similar to the upper shaft support portion 42j. The rotary cleaning body 46 can incorporate the end portion 205 side into the case body 42 by fitting the end portion 205 and the flange portion 207a into the upper end fitting portion 42h and the upper flange fitting portion 42i, respectively, and then mounting the lower receiving portion 42x on the upper receiving portion 42y.

[0060] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, the mounting portion 202b supports the end portion on the other end side in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 46 (the side opposite to the mounting portion 202a). The mounting portion 202b includes a first mounting body 202x that can be connected to a second mounting body 202y described later. The first mounting body 202x is fixed to the end portion of the cleaning body main body 82a. The second mounting body 202y is provided on the driven pulley 216 described later and is disposed on the case body 42 (lower case 42a) side. The first mounting body 202x and the second mounting body 202y are connectable and separable in the axial direction.

[0061] The first mounting body 202x includes a mounting recess 202e and a first flange portion 202i. The mounting recess 202e is formed in a concave shape on the end surface of the mounting portion 202b. The shape of the mounting recess 202e can be any shape, but in the present embodiment, it is cross-shaped. The mounting recess 202e is a portion into which the mounting convex portion 202j of the second mounting body 202y described later can be fitted and engaged. The first flange portion 202i is provided so as to bulge outward in the radial direction at the end portion of the first mounting body 202x (the end portion on the second mounting body 202y side).

[0062] The second attachment body 202y has an attachment convex portion 202j and a shaft portion 202k. The attachment convex portion 202j protrudes in the axial direction at the end of the second attachment body 202y and is engageable with the above-described attachment concave portion 202e. The shape of the attachment convex portion 202j may be any shape, but in the present embodiment, it has a cross-shaped shape similar to that of the attachment concave portion 202e. The shaft portion 202k is a shaft body provided at the axial center position of the second attachment body 202y. The shaft portion 202k is inserted from one side to the other side of a plate-like holding member 220 provided in the case body 42. The shaft portion 202k is connected to a driven-side pulley 216 of a cleaning body drive mechanism 48 described later. Thereby, the rotary cleaning body 46 can be rotated in conjunction with the driven-side pulley 216.

[0063] In the present embodiment, the suction tool 40 is provided with a cleaning body drive mechanism 48, and the rotary cleaning body 46 is driven by receiving power output from the cleaning body drive mechanism 48. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 13 and the like, the cleaning body drive mechanism 48 includes a drive machine 210, a power transmission body 212, an output-side pulley 214, a driven-side pulley 216, and the like.

[0064] The drive machine 210 is constituted by a motor or the like provided in the case body 42. The drive machine 210 is arranged in a region on the back side with respect to the rotary cleaning body 46. The power transmission body 212 is constituted by a toothed endless belt. The output-side pulley 214 is a toothed pulley attached to the output shaft of the drive machine 210. The driven-side pulley 216 is a toothed pulley integrally provided on the attachment portion 202b. The cleaning body drive mechanism 48 is configured such that a power transmission body 212 made of an endless belt is wound between the output-side pulley 214 and the driven-side pulley 216. Therefore, by operating the drive machine 210, the rotational power can be transmitted to the attachment portion 202b side, and the rotary cleaning body 46 can be rotationally driven in the suction space of the case body 42.

[0065] Also, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, etc., each member forming the cleaning body drive mechanism 48 is held by the holding member 220. The holding member 220 is erected in a region of the case body 42 on the side where the second attachment body 202y is attached. In other words, the holding member 220 is arranged side by side with the rotary cleaning body 46 in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 46. Further, the holding member 220 is a plate-like member extending along the arrangement direction of the rotary cleaning body 46 and the drive unit 210. On the side of the holding member 220 opposite to the rotary cleaning body 46, the output-side pulley 214, the driven-side pulley 216, and the power transmission body 212 are arranged. The holding member 220 may be configured to extend a soundproof rib in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 46 so as to at least partially cover the power transmission body 212 from above. Soundproofing is achieved by the soundproof rib partially covering the power transmission body 212. Also, the holding member 220 may be provided with reinforcing ribs extending along the arrangement direction of the rotary cleaning body 46 and the drive unit 210 so as to protrude on the same side or the opposite side as the rotary cleaning body 46. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the holding member 220 from bending, and by extension, it is possible to improve the positioning accuracy in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 46 and the drive unit 210. Specifically, the holding member 220 has a lower holding member 222 and an upper holding member 224 (see FIG. 14).

[0066] As shown in FIG. 9 etc., the lower holding member 222 has a lower wall portion 222a and a fixing portion 222b that fixes the lower wall portion 222a to the lower case 42a side at the lower end side. The holding member 220 is screwed to the lower case 42a at the plurality of provided fixing portions 222b, whereby the lower wall portion 222a is erected so as to extend in the front-rear direction (the direction from the front side to the back side) of the case body 42. Note that the fixing portion 222b is not an essential configuration, and any configuration that can structurally position the lower holding member 222 with respect to the lower case 42a may be used. Even with such a configuration, the effect of the reinforcing rib of the holding member 220 described above is sufficiently exhibited.

[0067] Here, the cleaning body drive mechanism 48 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 15. At the axial center position of the driven pulley 216, a shaft insertion hole 216a that opens in a substantially oval shape is provided. The shaft portion 202k of the second attachment body 202y is a shaft body having a substantially oval external shape similar to the shaft insertion hole 216a. Further, on the lower wall portion 222a of the holding member 220, which will be described in detail later, a shaft support portion 220c for rotatably supporting (supporting) the second attachment body 202y is provided. A bearing 225 for rotatably supporting the shaft portion 202k by inserting the shaft portion 202k therethrough is provided in the shaft support portion 220c. The second attachment body 202y inserts the shaft portion 202k into the bearing 225 provided in the shaft support portion 220c of the lower wall portion 222a and the shaft insertion hole 216a provided in the driven pulley 216, and a screw (fastening tool) 227 is attached to the axial center position of the shaft portion 202k from the opposite side of the second attachment body 202y via the driven pulley 216, whereby the second attachment body 202y is fixed to the driven pulley 216. Since it is configured in this way, by connecting the first attachment body 202x provided on the rotating cleaning body 46 side to the second attachment body 202y, the rotating cleaning body 46 can rotate in conjunction with the driven pulley 216. For this reason, it can also be expressed that the second attachment body 202y is a part of the driven pulley 216.

[0068] At the position on the front side of the case body 42 in the lower wall portion 222a, a shaft support portion 220c for rotatably supporting (supporting) the second attachment body 202y provided at the end of the rotating cleaning body 46 is provided. Further, at the position on the rear side of the case body 42 in the lower wall portion 222a, a receiving portion 222d that is cut out so as to be able to support the drive unit 210 is provided. Specifically, the drive unit 210 has an output shaft provided on a drive unit main body 210a that forms a motor, and includes a drive unit main body 210a1 that forms most of the motor and a bulging portion 210a2 that has a smaller diameter than the drive unit main body 210a1 and bulges in the axial direction. The output shaft is provided on the bulging portion 210a2. The receiving portion 222d supports this bulging portion 210a2, but this is an example. The receiving portion 222d may be configured to extend in the axial direction of the drive unit main body 210a and support the cleaning surface side in the radial direction of the drive unit main body 210a. The receiving portion 222d is formed to extend downward from the upper end of the lower wall portion 222a. Therefore, when incorporating the drive unit 210, it can be easily assembled by sliding the bulging portion 210a2 along the receiving portion 222d. Such incorporation can be more easily performed if it is carried out with the power transmission body 212 spanned between the output-side pulley 214 and the driven-side pulley 216, as there is no problem of it being difficult to hang due to the tension of the power transmission body 212. Further, screw holes 222e are provided at positions adjacent to the receiving portion 222d. The screw holes 222e are used for screwing the end portion of the drive unit main body 210a1 of the drive unit 210 to the lower wall portion 222a. In the present embodiment, screw holes 222e are provided at two locations on the front side and the back side via the receiving portion 222d.

[0069] Also, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper holding member 224 is a plate-like portion erected with respect to the upper-case 42b which constitutes the upper side of the case body 42. The upper holding member 224 is provided corresponding to the portion where the receiving portion 222d is provided in the above-described lower holding member 222. Therefore, when the upper case 42b and the lower case 42a together constitute the case body 42, the open portion above the receiving portion 222d is closed by the upper holding member 224. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the drive unit 210 from unexpectedly falling off from the receiving portion 222d.

[0070] In the present embodiment, an example in which the upper holding member 224 is provided on the upper-case 42b side has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of providing the upper holding member 224 on the upper-case 42b side, another member such as a case for housing the drive unit 210 may be provided, and a configuration similar to that of the upper holding member 224 may be provided thereto. Even in such a configuration, the same operational effects as those in the case where the upper holding member 224 is provided on the upper-case 42b side as described above can be expected.

[0071] As shown by the arrow in FIG. 16(b), the joint part 44 is attached to the case body 42 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction within a predetermined rotation range. On the front side (left side in the figure) of the joint part 44, as shown in FIGS. 14(b) and 16(a), a bulging part 44a bulging along the axial direction of the cylinder of the joint part 44 is provided. The length of the bulging part 44a in the longitudinal direction of the case body 42 may be longer than the diameter of the joint part 44, but in this embodiment, it is designed to be shorter than the diameter of the joint part 44. Further, this bulging part 44a protrudes toward the upper case 42b in a state where the joint part 44 (pipe part 30) is in an upright posture (the angle formed by the case body 42 and the joint part 44 is, for example, 80 degrees to 90 degrees). Further, ribs 42v protruding upward are provided at the top surface side and the rear side positions of the upper case 42b. The rib 42v has a substantially "C" shape, and a fitting part 42w opened toward the rear side and the upper side is formed. On the other hand, the bulging part 44a provided on the joint part 44 described above is formed so as to fit into the fitting part 42w in a state where the joint part 44 is in an upright posture. Specifically, the rib 42v abuts on the front side of the bulging part 44a, and the lower end of the bulging part 44a (the end part in the axial direction of the cylinder of the joint part 44) is supported by the top surface surrounded by the rib 42v of the upper case 42b. Therefore, when the joint part 44 (pipe part 30) is in an upright posture during storage of the vacuum cleaner 1 or the like, the bulging part 44a of the joint part 44 fits into the fitting part 42w and becomes stable in an upright state. Further, a vacuum cleaner support device for supporting the vacuum cleaner 1 and the vacuum cleaner 1 may be a vacuum cleaner unit. The vacuum cleaner support device includes a suction tool mounting table for mounting the suction tool 40 of the vacuum cleaner 1 and a support column for supporting the pipe part 30 of the vacuum cleaner 1. Specifically, the pipe part 30 includes an aluminum pipe main body part, a resin first connection part provided at one end of the pipe main body part so as to be connectable to the pipe connection part 22 of the cleaner main body 10, and a resin second connection part provided at the other end of the pipe main body part so as to be connectable to the joint part 44 of the suction tool 40. When the second connection part is locked to the support column, the vacuum cleaner 1 is supported in a self-standing state.

[0072] The support column has a cylindrical portion with a front opening on its circumferential surface that can receive the second connection portion from the rear side. The front opening of the cylindrical portion reaches the upper end along the cylinder axis direction, and supports the second connection portion from the outside on the inner circumferential surface. Also, at the open upper end of the cylindrical portion, a support surface formed by its thick portion is formed, which supports the second connection portion from below. The support surface at the upper end of the cylindrical portion includes two first support surfaces away from the front opening side and two second support surfaces closer to the front opening side than the first support surfaces. The second support surface is designed to be higher in height than the first support surface. And a stepped surface is formed between the second support surface and the first support surface. Therefore, one of the second support surfaces, one of the first support surfaces, and the first stepped surface therebetween are configured to be continuous, and the other second support surface, the other first support surface, and the second stepped surface therebetween are configured to be continuous. On the other hand, the second connection portion has a large-diameter portion located on the side of the pipe portion main body and a small-diameter portion having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion and located on the side opposite to the pipe portion main body, and a stepped surface is formed between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion. The small-diameter portion is supported from the outside by the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion, the stepped surface of the second connection portion is supported from below by the two first support surfaces of the support column, and further, the front side of the large-diameter portion abuts against the first and second stepped surfaces at the upper end of the cylindrical portion, whereby the second connection portion is locked to the cylindrical portion. Thereby, the vacuum cleaner 1 is supported by the cleaner support device in a self-standing state.

[0073] (1-1) The vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment includes a cleaner main body 10 having an electric blower 14 and a dust collecting portion 20 detachably provided on the cleaner main body 10 and collecting dust sucked by the drive of the electric blower 14. The dust collecting portion 20 includes a centrifugal separation portion 100 that separates dust, a filter 70 provided on the downstream side of the centrifugal separation portion 100 and collecting dust, and a filter support portion 80 that supports the filter 70 from the upstream side in a state separated from the exhaust port of the centrifugal separation portion 100.

[0074] The vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment includes a filter support portion 80 on the downstream side of the centrifugal separation portion 100 of the dust collection portion 20. Further, the filter support portion 80 is configured to support the filter 70 in a state of being separated from the exhaust port of the centrifugal separation portion 100, and can suppress the blockage of the exhaust port and the accompanying decrease in suction ability. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner 1 including a dust collection portion 20 that can effectively suppress a decrease in suction ability due to the blockage of the exhaust port of the centrifugal separation portion 100 by the filter 70.

[0075] (1-2) In the vacuum cleaner 1 described above, it is preferable that the filter support portion 80 has one or more support openings 154 for discharging air to the downstream side.

[0076] According to such a configuration, the air discharged from the centrifugal separation portion 100 can be smoothly discharged through the support opening 154. Thereby, an increase in the exhaust resistance of the centrifugal separation portion 100 and a decrease in suction ability can be effectively suppressed.

[0077] (1-3) In the vacuum cleaner 1 described above, it is preferable that the centrifugal separation portion 100 has a lid portion 106 provided with an exhaust port, and the lid portion 106 has a support portion 108 that supports the filter support portion 80 from the upstream side.

[0078] According to such a configuration, the filter support portion 80 can be reliably supported by the support portion 108 provided on the lid portion 106.

[0079] (1-4) In the vacuum cleaner 1 described above, it is preferable that the dust collection portion 20 has a cover portion 90 that holds the filter 70 in combination with the filter support portion 80.

[0080] According to such a configuration, the filter 70 can be held by the combination of the filter support portion 80 and the cover portion 90. Thereby, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for holding the filter 70, and the device configuration can be simplified accordingly.

[0081] Here, when considering the suction tool used in a conventionally well-known vacuum cleaner, in the prior art, there is, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-175821. This patent document discloses a floor nozzle for a vacuum cleaner having an air turbine that rotates by an intake air flow, a rotary floor brush connected to the air turbine via a belt reducer, and bearings on the belt pulley side of the air turbine and bearings on the belt pulley side of the rotary floor brush integrally connected by a housing portion, and the housing portion is vibration-damped and supported by a floor nozzle body.

[0082] However, in the invention according to the above prior art, since the axial length between the air turbine and the bearing is long, deflection of the shaft occurs due to the rotation of the air turbine, and there is a problem that the stability of the distance between the shaft of the air turbine and the shaft of the rotary floor brush is low.

[0083] Therefore, in the present embodiment, an object is to provide a suction port body capable of improving the stability of the distance between the drive machine and the rotary cleaning body. Further, as an example of such a thing, the suction tool 40 was illustrated.

[0084] (2-1) The suction tool 40 of the present embodiment provided to solve the above-described problems includes a case body 42 having a suction port 43 capable of sucking dust, a rotary cleaning body 46 rotatably provided on the case body 42, a rotary shaft, and a drive machine body 210a provided with the rotary shaft, a drive machine 210 that generates a driving force for the rotary cleaning body 46, an output side pulley 214 provided on the rotary shaft, a driven side pulley 216 connected to the rotary cleaning body 46, and a power transmission body 212 spanned between the output side pulley 214 and the driven side pulley 216, a cleaning body drive mechanism 48 that transmits the driving force from the drive machine 210 to the rotary cleaning body 46, and a holding member 220 that supports the drive machine body 210a and rotatably supports the driven side pulley 216.

[0085] The above-described suction tool 40 includes a holding member 220, supports the drive unit main body 210a of the drive unit 210, and can rotatably support the driven pulley 216. Due to such a configuration, the suction tool 40 can improve the stability of the distance between the drive unit 210 and the rotary cleaning body 46.

[0086] (2-2) It is preferable that the above-described suction tool 40 has a receiving portion 222d formed by notching the edge of the holding member 220, and supports the drive unit main body 210a in the receiving portion 222d.

[0087] According to such a configuration, the drive unit 210 can be attached to the holding member 220 in a state where the power transmission body 212 is wound around the driven pulley 216 and the output pulley 214. It is conceivable to arrange the drive unit in the case body and then wind the power transmission body around the driven pulley and the output pulley. However, in such a configuration, it may be difficult to wind the power transmission body around the output pulley and the driven pulley due to the tension of the power transmission body. However, according to the above configuration in the present embodiment, such troublesome difficulty in winding can be reduced.

[0088] (2-3) In the above-described suction tool 40, the case body 42 includes a lower case 42a (first case body) located on the cleaning surface side and an upper case 42b (second case body) attached to the lower case 42a. The drive unit main body 210a is supported between the first receiving portion 222d as the receiving portion 222d of the holding member 220 and the second receiving portion (upper holding member 224) of the upper case 42b.

[0089] By adopting such a configuration, the drive unit main body 210a of the drive unit 210 can be firmly supported by the first receiving portion 222d and the upper holding member 224 (second receiving portion). Thereby, the suction tool 40 can improve the stability of the distance between the drive unit 210 and the rotary cleaning body 46.

[0090] In the above-described suction tool 40, the second receiving portion 222d is preferably an extending portion extending from the upper case 42b toward the lower case 42a side, or an upper holding member 224 forming the inner wall of the upper case 42b.

[0091] According to such a configuration, by performing the operation of attaching the upper case 42b to the lower case 42a, the main body 210a of the drive unit 210 can be firmly supported by the first receiving portion 222d and the upper holding member 224 (second receiving portion). Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, while further simplifying the attachment operation of the main body 210a of the drive unit 210, the stability of the distance between the drive unit 210 and the rotary cleaning body 46 can be improved.

[0092] The present invention is not limited to those shown in the above-described embodiments and the like, and it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that there may be other embodiments within the scope not departing from the teachings and spirit of the claims. Hereinafter, modified examples of the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0093] ≪First Modified Example≫ Here, a cleaning machine system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-162232 is provided as a conventionally known one. This cleaning machine system includes a cleaning machine and a support device for supporting the cleaning machine. Further, the cleaning machine included in this cleaning machine system includes a main body having a handle, a suction tool for sucking dust, and a pipe body connecting the main body and the suction tool, and the support device is provided with a support body. This cleaning machine system is configured such that, in a state where the cleaning machine is supported by the support device, the front side of the suction tool is disposed at a position closer to the support body than the rear side.

[0094] However, in a configuration where the support device supports the main body of the cleaning machine as in the above-described conventional cleaning machine system, there is a problem that the support device becomes large-sized.

[0095] To solve such problems, the vacuum cleaner unit 300 of the first modification example provided is as follows. As a specific example, for instance, it is preferably configured as shown in FIGS. 17 to 20.

[0096] (3-1) The vacuum cleaner unit 300 of the first modification example includes a cleaner main body 10 having an electric blower 14, a suction tool 40 having a suction port 43 for sucking dust, a pipe portion 30 connecting between the cleaner main body 10 and the suction tool 40, and a cleaner support device 330. The cleaner support device 330 has a placement portion 340 for placing the suction tool 40, and a support column portion 350 that supports the pipe portion 30 and engages with the pipe portion 30, and is characterized in this regard.

[0097] According to such a configuration, the suction tool 40 is arranged on the placement portion 340, and by engaging the pipe portion 30 and the support column portion 350, the vacuum cleaner 1 can be supported. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is not necessary to use a large-sized cleaner support device 330, and a vacuum cleaner unit 300 with a compact configuration can be provided.

[0098] (3-2) In the above-described vacuum cleaner unit 300, the pipe portion 30 has an engaged portion 310 with which the support column portion 350 engages. The support column portion 350 has an engaging portion 352 that engages with the engaged portion 310. The engaged portion 310 has a hollow receiving portion 312 provided with a first opening 314 that opens toward the suction tool 40 side. The engaging portion 352 preferably has a first protrusion 354 that is inserted into the receiving portion 312 through the first opening 314.

[0099] According to such a configuration, by inserting and engaging the first protrusion 354 forming the engaging portion 352 in the support column portion 350 into the receiving portion 312 through the first opening 314 of the receiving portion 312 forming the engaged portion 310 in the pipe portion 30, the pipe portion 30 can be supported with respect to the cleaner support device 330.

[0100] (3-3) In the above-described vacuum cleaner unit 300, the engaging portion 352 has a second protrusion 356 provided at a position facing the first protrusion 354, and the receiving portion 312 is inserted between the first protrusion 354 and the second protrusion 356 in the engaged state of the engaging portion 352 and the engaged portion 310.

[0101] According to such a configuration, in the engaged state of the engaging portion 352 and the engaged portion 310, the tube portion 30 can be supported with respect to the cleaner support device 330 in a state where the engaging portion 352 is inserted between the first protrusion 354 and the second protrusion 356. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner unit 300 can support the tube portion 30 with high positioning accuracy between the first protrusion 354 and the second protrusion 356 with respect to the cleaner support device 330.

[0102] (3-4) In the above-described vacuum cleaner unit 300, the receiving portion 312 has a second opening 316 on the side facing the support column portion 350, the engaging portion 352 has a third protrusion 358 arranged to intersect the first protrusion 354, and the third protrusion 358 is inserted into the second opening 316 from the side of the suction tool 40 in the engaged state of the engaging portion 352 and the engaged portion 310 and supports the edge of the second opening 316.

[0103] According to such a configuration, the engaging portion 352 and the engaged portion 310 can be brought into an engaged state with the edge of the second opening 316 supported by the third protrusion 358. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner unit 300 can support the tube portion 30 with high positioning accuracy within the range of the opening width of the second opening 316 with respect to the cleaner support device 330.

[0104] [Specific Example of the First Modification Example] Hereinafter, the vacuum cleaner unit 300 of the first modification example will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Since the vacuum cleaner unit 300 generally has the same configuration as the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0105] In addition to the vacuum cleaner main body 10, the pipe portion 30, and the suction tool 40, the vacuum cleaner unit 300 includes a vacuum cleaner support device 330. The vacuum cleaner main body 10 includes an electric blower 14, similar to the above-described vacuum cleaner 1. Further, the suction tool 40 includes a suction port 43 for sucking dust, similar to the above-described vacuum cleaner 1.

[0106] The pipe portion 30 is mainly composed of a pipe that connects between the vacuum cleaner main body 10 and the suction tool 40, similar to the above-described vacuum cleaner 1. The pipe portion 30 is different in configuration from the above-described vacuum cleaner 1 in that it has an engaged portion 310 with which a support column portion 350 provided on the vacuum cleaner support device 330 to be described in detail later engages.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 20, the engaged portion 310 is a portion that engages with an engaging portion 352 provided on the vacuum cleaner support device 330 to be described in detail later. The engaged portion 310 may be provided integrally with the pipe forming the pipe portion 30, but in this modified example, it is configured such that a receiving portion 312 is provided on a pipe cover 320 (the pipe cover on the suction tool 40 side of the pipe portion 30) attached to the pipe forming the pipe portion 30. The receiving portion 312 is a hollow portion formed to bulge radially outward on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe portion 30.

[0108] The receiving portion 312 includes a first opening 314 that opens toward the suction tool 40 side. Further, the receiving portion 312 has a second opening 316 formed to open on the back side. Specifically, the second opening 316 is formed to open on the surface (contact surface 318) on the side facing the support column portion 350 provided in the vacuum cleaner support device 330 when the vacuum cleaner support device 330 is installed.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 17, the vacuum cleaner support device 330 supports the state in which the pipe portion 30 and the suction tool 40 are attached to the vacuum cleaner main body 10. As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the vacuum cleaner support device 330 has a mounting portion 340 and a support column portion 350.

[0110] The placement part 340 is a part that serves as a pedestal for placing the suction tool 40. The placement part 340 has a stopper 342 on the front side. The stopper 342 is formed to protrude upward from the top surface side of the placement part 340. Also, the stopper 342 is formed to extend in the width direction of the placement part 340. Therefore, the stopper 342 can position the suction tool 40 arranged on the top surface of the placement part 340 so that it does not move beyond the stopper 342 to the front side.

[0111] The support column part 350 is a columnar part that stands vertically in the vertical direction on the back side of the placement part 340 (the side opposite to the stopper 342). The support column part 350 is a part that engages with and supports the pipe part 30 connected to the suction tool 40 arranged on the placement part 340. Specifically, the support column part 350 can support the pipe part 30 by engaging the engaged part 310 of the pipe part 30 with the engaging part 352 provided on the upper end side.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 19, the engaging portion 352 has four protruding portions including a first protruding portion 354, a second protruding portion 356, a third protruding portion 358, and a fourth protruding portion 359. The first protruding portion 354 is a protruding portion provided on the front side of the support portion 350 so as to protrude from the lower side toward the upper side. The first protruding portion 354 is a portion that is inserted into the receiving portion 312 through the first opening 314 provided in the pipe portion 30 described above. The second protruding portion 356 is inside a space 360 that is open toward the front side and the top surface side on the upper end side of the support portion 350, and is provided so as to face the first protruding portion 354 with a predetermined interval therebetween. The third protruding portion 358 is a protruding portion arranged so as to intersect the first protruding portion 354. The third protruding portion 358 is arranged inside the space 360 in the same manner as the second protruding portion 356. Further, although the first protruding portion 354 and the third protruding portion 358 may be separated from each other, in the present embodiment, the third protruding portion 358 is connected to the first protruding portion 354 at the middle portion in the width direction of the first protruding portion 354. Therefore, the first protruding portion 354 and the third protruding portion 358 are formed in a substantially "T" shape in plan view. Further, the fourth protruding portion 359 is provided so as to protrude toward the space 360 on the surface of the first protruding portion 354 facing the space 360 side. The fourth protruding portion 359 is provided at a position facing the second protruding portion 356.

[0113] The space 360 is the portion where the second protrusion 356 and the third protrusion 358 are arranged. At the edge on the upper end side of the space 360, a chamfered portion 360a having a shape such as a tapered shape is provided to easily guide the receiving portion 312 provided in the pipe portion 30. Further, the space 360 has an opening width on the front side equal to or greater than the width of the receiving portion 312 provided in the pipe portion 30. Further, the above-described first protrusion 354 is formed so as to rise upward from below at a position slightly protruding forward from the opening portion on the front side of the space 360. Further, the width of the above-described third protrusion 358 is equal to or less than the width of the second opening 316 formed in the contact surface 318 of the receiving portion 312 in the pipe portion 30. Further, the second protrusion 356 is provided on both sides in the width direction with respect to the third protrusion 358. Therefore, by inserting the receiving portion 312 into the pipe portion 30 with the space 360 in mind, the contact surface 318 of the receiving portion 312 enters between the first protrusion 354 and the second protrusion 356, and the third protrusion 358 enters the second opening 316 provided in the contact surface 318. Thereby, the engaged portion 310 provided on the pipe portion 30 side and the engaging portion 352 provided on the support column portion 350 side are in an engaged state.

[0114] In addition, in the above modification, as the engaging portion 352, an example in which four protrusions including the first protrusion 354, the second protrusion 356, the third protrusion 358, and the fourth protrusion 359 are provided is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, those having only the first protrusion 354, or those not having any one or more of the other protrusions (the second protrusion 356, the third protrusion 358, and the fourth protrusion 359) excluding the first protrusion 354 may be used.

[0115] <<Second Modification Example>> Here, it is preferable that the vacuum cleaner 1 of the above-described embodiment is configured to be able to notify the dust collection state by a notification method such as light emission. Thereby, since cleaning can be performed using the notification information as a reference, the convenience for the user can be improved. Therefore, it is preferable that the vacuum cleaner 1 is provided with a notification means for notifying the dust collection state. Further, in the above-described vacuum cleaner 1, as an example of a configuration that enables notification of the dust collection state, the dust collection unit 20 is configured by a transparent, translucent, or smoked case, and a light emitting device for causing the dust collection unit 20 to emit light is provided. A method of changing the emission color and emission state of the dust collection unit 20 according to the dust collection state can be considered. In such a configuration, it is desirable to configure the dust collection unit 20 to emit light with good visibility.

[0116] The vacuum cleaner 1 of the second modification provided to solve such a problem is as follows. As a specific example, the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification is preferably, for example, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23.

[0117] (4-1) The vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention includes a cleaner main body 10 having an electric blower 14, a dust collection unit 20 detachably attached to the cleaner main body 10, an air passage configuration unit 400 having an air passage communicating with the dust collection unit 20, a dust detection unit 410 for detecting dust passing through the air passage 402, a light emitting unit 420 that is controlled to emit light when detected by the dust detection unit 410, and a light guide unit 430 for guiding the light emitted from the light emitting unit 420. It is preferable that the light guided by the light guide unit 430 passes through the dust collection unit 20.

[0118] According to such a configuration, the light emitted by the light emitting unit 420 in response to the detection by the dust detection unit 410 can be guided through the light guide unit 430 and transmitted through the dust collection unit 20. Thereby, the dust collection unit 20 can be made to emit light with good visibility, and the dust collection state can be appropriately notified.

[0119] (4-2) In the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting unit 420 is provided in the air passage configuration unit 400, and the light guide unit 430 extends from the dust collection unit 20 toward the air passage configuration unit 400.

[0120] According to such a configuration, the dust collection part 20 can be made to emit light with better visibility more reliably.

[0121] (4-3) In the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention, the light emitting part 420 is arranged in a recess 404 provided in the air passage component part 400, and at least an end part of the light guide part 430 is preferably inserted into the recess 404.

[0122] According to such a configuration, the dust collection part 20 can be made to emit light with better visibility more reliably. Further, preferably, if at least an end part of the light guide part 430 is configured to lock at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction within the recess 404, the dust collection part 20 can be arranged with good positioning accuracy.

[0123] (4-4) In the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention, the dust collection part 20 has an outer container 52 having an inlet through which air flows in, and an inner container 54 (centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102) that generates a swirling air flow between the outer container 52, and the light emitting part 420 is preferably arranged at a position not facing the inner container 54 (centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102).

[0124] According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the progress of the light emitted by the light emitting part 420 from being blocked by the inner container 54, and the dust collection part 20 can be made to emit light with good visibility.

[0125] [Regarding the specific example of the second modification example] Hereinafter, the vacuum cleaner 1 of the second modification example will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that since the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification example generally has the same configuration as that shown in the above embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0126] The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a light emitting unit 420 and a light guiding unit 430 in addition to the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting unit 20 (dust collecting device). Further, although not described in the above embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 1 includes an air passage configuration unit 400. The cleaner main body 10 includes an electric blower 14, similar to the above-described vacuum cleaner 1. An exhaust port 10x for discharging the exhaust of the electric blower 14 is provided on the side surface side of the cleaner main body 10 (see Fig. 22(b)). Specifically, it is arranged on the side closer to the battery housing portion 10d in the front-rear direction of the cleaner main body 10. The dust collecting unit 20 is detachable from the cleaner main body 10 and has an outer container 52 and an inner container 54 (see Fig. 4 etc.). The outer container 52 is a container having an inlet through which air flows in. The inner container 54 (centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102) is arranged inside the outer container 52 and is a container that generates a swirling airflow between it and the outer container 52. Since these configurations are the same as those described in the above embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0127] The vacuum cleaner 1 includes an air passage configuration unit 400. The air passage configuration unit 400 has an air passage configuration cylinder 406 that constitutes an air passage 402 communicating with the dust collecting unit 20. The air passage configuration cylinder 406 is formed as a hollow air passage 402 that connects a portion from a pipe connection portion 22 to which the pipe portion 30 is connected to a dust collecting unit side opening 403 connected to the first inlet 68 of the dust collecting unit 20 so that air can pass through. The air passage configuration cylinder 406 can have an appropriate configuration as long as it constitutes the air passage 402. In this modification, as shown in Fig. 23, inside the air passage configuration cylinder 406 formed by combining a semi-cylindrical front cover portion 406a and a semi-cylindrical rear cover portion 406b, a cylindrical middle cylinder 408 is accommodated, and the air passage 402 is formed inside the middle cylinder 408. The air passage configuration cylinder 406 includes a dust detection unit 410 (see Fig. 21) and a light emitting unit 420.

[0128] The dust detection unit 410 is composed of a sensor that detects dust contained in the air passing through the air passage 402. In the present embodiment, the dust detection unit 410 is provided in the air passage forming cylinder 406, but is not limited thereto. As long as it is arranged in the air passage forming portion 400 that may include at least one of the pipe portion 30 and the suction tool 40 in addition to the air passage forming cylinder 4. Further, the light emitting unit 420 may be configured such that the light emission amount changes according to the amount of dust detected by the dust detection unit 410, or the light emission color may change according to the amount of dust detected by the dust detection unit 410. In the present embodiment, they are red and green light emitting diodes (LEDs). By mounting light emitting diodes that emit a plurality of colors and adjusting the brightness of each light emitting diode, a plurality of colors can be created. The light emitting unit 420 is controlled to emit light based on the detection result by the dust detection unit 410. The light emitting unit 420 is arranged in the recess 404 provided in the air passage forming cylinder 406.

[0129] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, two recesses 404, 404 formed to extend in the vertical direction are provided in the air passage forming cylinder 406 that constitutes a part of the air passage forming portion 400 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the air passage forming cylinder 406. Further, in the middle cylinder 408 accommodated in the air passage forming cylinder 406, rib-shaped light emitter arrangement portions 408a, 408a extending in the vertical direction are provided at positions corresponding to the recesses 404, 404. A plurality of LED light emitting elements 422 forming the light emitting unit 420 are arranged at predetermined intervals on the light emitter arrangement portions 408a, 408a. Further, in the assembled state of the air passage forming cylinder 406, the LED light emitting elements 422 (light emitting unit 420) arranged on the light emitter arrangement portions 408a, 408a of the middle cylinder 408 are arranged inside the recesses 404, 404 provided in the air passage forming cylinder 406. Further, the recesses 404, 404 and the light emitter arrangement portions 408a, 408a are provided at positions that do not face the inner container 54 (centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102).

[0130] As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22(a), the light guide part 430 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer container 52 forming the dust collection part 20. The light guide part 430 is provided at a position corresponding to the above-described recesses 404, 404 in the attached state of the dust collection part 20. In the present embodiment, since two recesses 404, 404 are provided, two light guide parts 430 are also provided at positions corresponding to the recesses 404, 404. The light guide part 430 is for guiding the light emitted from the light emitting part 420 to the dust collection part 20. The light guide part 430 is formed so as to extend from the dust collection part 20 toward the air passage forming cylinder 406 in the attached state of the dust collection part 20. Further, in the attached state of the dust collection part 20, at least the tip of the light guide part 430 is inserted into the recess 404. As shown in FIG. 22(a), by providing a diffusion part 440 composed of protrusions and grooves on the peripheral part of the dust collection part 20, the light emitted from the light emitting part 420 can be diffused in the diffusion part 440. Here, a diffusion part 440 extending along the axial direction of the dust collection part 20 is shown as an example.

[0131] <<Third Modified Example>> Here, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-8302, an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust collection device detachable from the vacuum cleaner body is known. For example, the electric vacuum cleaner disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-8302 is detachable from the vacuum cleaner body, and includes a dust storage part having a protruding part that protrudes toward the vacuum cleaner body and is inserted into an engagement hole formed in the vacuum cleaner body. In this electric vacuum cleaner, the direction in which the protruding part protrudes when the dust storage part is attached to the vacuum cleaner body is defined as the attachment direction. Further, the dust storage part is configured such that the dust storage part can be removed from the vacuum cleaner body when the removal direction from the vacuum cleaner body is greater than 90 degrees with respect to the attachment direction, and the positional relationship between the dust storage part and the vacuum cleaner body at the time of attachment is set. Thus, various techniques have been provided for a method of fixing the dust collection device to the vacuum cleaner body and a method of releasing the fixing of the dust collection device to the vacuum cleaner body in a canister-type vacuum cleaner having a detachable dust collection device, and the dust collection device is fixed to the vacuum cleaner body so as to maintain airtightness between the vacuum cleaner body and the dust collection device.

[0132] However, in many electric vacuum cleaners such as the canister-type vacuum cleaner disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-8302, the entire bottom of the dust collection device is configured to be supported by the vacuum cleaner body. In a conventional canister-type vacuum cleaner or the like, by adopting such a configuration, it is intended to make it difficult for a positional deviation to occur between the vacuum cleaner body and the dust collection device and to suppress a decrease in airtightness between the vacuum cleaner body and the dust collection device. On the other hand, in a vertical electric vacuum cleaner or the like having a detachable dust collection device, the shape of the vacuum cleaner body is significantly different from that of a canister-type vacuum cleaner. Therefore, depending on the type and shape of the electric vacuum cleaner, there is a problem that even if the same fixing method as that of the canister-type vacuum cleaner disclosed in the above patent document or the like is adopted, it may not be possible to sufficiently ensure the airtightness between the vacuum cleaner body and the dust collection device.

[0133] The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the third modification example provided to solve such problems is as follows. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification example is preferably, for example, as shown in FIGS. 24 to 28.

[0134] (5-1) The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification example includes a vacuum cleaner body 10 having a suction port 18 for sucking dust by the operation of an electric blower 14, an inlet (first inlet 68) through which air from the suction port 18 flows in, and a dust collection unit discharge port 170 communicating with the intake port of the electric blower 14, a dust collection unit 20 detachably attached to the vacuum cleaner body 10, and a locking structure 500 detachably attachable / detachable between the vacuum cleaner body 10 and the dust collection unit 20. The dust collection unit 20 includes a dust collection container 50 having a bottom portion 58 and a side wall portion 59 erected with respect to the bottom portion 58, and a cover portion 90 provided in the dust collection container 50 and having the dust collection unit discharge port 170. The locking structure 500 preferably includes a first locking structure 510 detachably attachable / detachable between the cover portion 90 and the vacuum cleaner body 10, a second locking structure 520 detachably attachable / detachable between the dust collection container 50 and the vacuum cleaner body 10, and a third locking structure 530 detachably attachable / detachable between the edge of the dust collection unit discharge port 170 in the cover portion 90 and the vacuum cleaner body 10.

[0135] The vacuum cleaner 1 of this modified example adopts a locking structure 500, which is a structural part that can be detachably engaged between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection part 20, and includes the above-described first locking structure 510, second locking structure 520, and third locking structure 530. In addition to being able to be detachably engaged between the cover part 90 and the cleaner main body 10 by the first locking structure 510, the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modified example can be detachably engaged between the dust collection container 50 and the cleaner main body 10 by the second locking structure 520, and can further be detachably engaged between the edge of the dust collection part discharge port 170 of the cover part 90 and the cleaner main body 10 by the third locking structure 530. Thus, since the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modified example makes the dust collection part 20 and the cleaner main body 10 detachably engaged by comprehensively using the first locking structure 510, second locking structure 520, and third locking structure 530, the airtightness between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection part 20 can be sufficiently ensured.

[0136] (5-2) The vacuum cleaner 1 of this modified example is provided with an airtight member 540 for making the space between the cleaner main body 10 and the cover part 90 airtight. The airtight member 540 has a contact part 542 that contacts at the contacted part 178 outside the dust collection part discharge port 170 of the cover part 90. The third locking structure 530 is preferably arranged avoiding the contact part 542 and the contacted part 178.

[0137] According to such a configuration, the contact part 542 of the airtight member 540 can contact the contacted part 178 of the cover part 90 without the third locking structure 530 getting in the way. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modified example can sufficiently ensure the airtightness between the cleaner main body 10 and the cover part 90 by the airtight member 540.

[0138] (5-3) In the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention, among the third locking structures 530, the first member 532 on the side of the cleaner main body 10 has a hollow accommodating portion 534 provided with an opening 534a that is open outward in a direction intersecting the facing direction between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection part discharge port 170 of the cover part 90. Among the third locking structures 530, the second member 536 on the side of the dust collection part 20 has a protrusion 536a extending inward from the edge of the dust collection part discharge port 170 in the cover part 90. When the protrusion 536a is accommodated in the accommodating portion 534 through the opening 534a, it is preferable that the second member 536 is locked to the first member 532.

[0139] According to such a configuration, by the third locking structure 530, the dust collection part 20 can be accurately positioned and attached to the cleaner main body 10 in both the circumferential direction and the axial direction. Thereby, the airtightness between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection part 20 can be further improved.

[0140] (5-4) In the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention, among the third locking structures 530, the first member 532 on the side of the cleaner main body 10 has an extending portion 534b extending from inside the airtight member 540 toward the dust collection part 20, and a locking portion 534c bent with respect to the extending portion 534b so as to protrude outward in a direction intersecting the facing direction between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection part discharge port 170 of the cover part 90. It is preferable that the locking portion 534c is locked to the edge of the dust collection part discharge port 170 in the cover part 90.

[0141] According to such a configuration, by the locking structure formed by the locking portion 534c constituting the third locking structure 530 and the edge of the dust collection part discharge port 170, the dust collection part 20 can be accurately positioned and attached to the cleaner main body 10. Thereby, the airtightness between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection part 20 can be further improved.

[0142] (5-5) The vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention includes a blower cover body 630 that houses the electric blower 14, and it is preferable that the first member 532 is provided integrally with the blower cover body 630.

[0143] According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and to surely provide the first member 532 to the cleaner main body 10 in which the electric blower 14 is incorporated.

[0144] (5-6) The vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention includes a cover fixing member 640 for positioning the blower cover body 630 within the cleaner main body 10, and it is preferable that the airtight member 540 is fixed between the cover fixing member 640 and the blower cover body 630.

[0145] According to such a configuration, the airtight member 540 can be attached to the cleaner main body 10 side with high positioning accuracy. Thereby, the space between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting part 20 can be surely airtightly connected by the airtight member 540.

[0146] [Regarding the specific example of the third modification example] Hereinafter, the vacuum cleaner 1 of the third modification example will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that since the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification example generally has the same configuration as that shown in the above embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0147] The vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification example includes a locking structure 500 in addition to the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting part 20 (dust collecting device). The cleaner main body 10 includes an electric blower 14 in the same manner as the vacuum cleaner 1 described above. The cleaner main body 10 has a suction port 18 for sucking dust by the operation of the electric blower 14. Further, the cleaner main body 10 includes a blower cover body 630 that houses the electric blower 14.

[0148] The dust collection unit 20 is detachable from the cleaner main body 10. As shown in FIG. 26 and the like, the dust collection unit 20 has a dust collection container 50, a first inlet 68, and a dust collection unit discharge port 170. Further, the dust collection container 50 has a bottom portion 58, a side wall portion 59, and a cover portion 90. The bottom portion 58 is a portion forming the bottom of the dust collection container 50. The side wall portion 59 is a portion forming the peripheral surface of the dust collection container 50. The side wall portion 59 is erected with respect to the bottom portion 58. The cover portion 90 is provided on the top surface side of the dust collection container 50. The cover portion 90 has a dust collection unit discharge port 170 at a substantially central portion. Further, the cover portion 90 has a portion to be abutted 178 against which the abutting portion 542 of the airtight member 540 abuts. The portion to be abutted 178 is formed at least partially in a planar, flat, or concave shape on the outer peripheral side with respect to the dust collection unit discharge port 170. Further, the dust collection unit discharge port 170 is formed so as to communicate with the intake port of the electric blower 14 when the dust collection unit 20 is connected to the cleaner main body 10. Further, the dust collection unit 20 is provided with a first inlet 68, and air from the suction port 18 can flow in.

[0149] An airtight member 540 is arranged at the connection part between the above-mentioned cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting part 20 to ensure airtightness. The airtight member 540 can be arranged on either one or both of the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting part 20. However, in this modified example, as shown in FIG. 25, the airtight member 540 is provided on the cleaner main body 10. The airtight member 540 is fixed between a cover fixing member 640 for positioning the blower cover body 630 in the cleaner main body 10 and the blower cover body 630. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 25(b), the cross-sectional shape of the airtight member 540 is bent in a substantially "S" shape. Thereby, an inverted "U" - shaped engaged portion 541 and a "U" - shaped abutting portion 542 are formed to be continuous vertically. Further, on the bottom side (the intake cover 630c side) of the blower cover body 630, a flange - shaped locking portion 630x protruding radially outward is provided. The airtight member 540 is attached to the blower cover body 630 by engaging the engaged portion 541 with the locking portion 630x. Also, when the airtight member 540 is attached to the blower cover body 630, the abutting portion 542 protrudes from the cleaner main body 10 side toward the dust collecting part 20 side. The abutting portion 542 is provided at a position where it can abut against the abutted portion 178 of the cover portion 90 in the attached state of the dust collecting part 20.

[0150] The locking structure 500 is a structural part that can be locked and unlocked between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting part 20. As shown in FIG. 24, the locking structure 500 is supposed to include a first locking structure 510, a second locking structure 520, and a third locking structure 530.

[0151] The first locking structure 510 is detachable between the cover part 90 and the cleaner main body 10. The first locking structure 510 is constituted by the combination of the lock part 20c and the concave part 10b described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 in the above embodiment. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a lock part 20c is provided on the top surface side of the dust collection part 20 at a position that becomes the front side in the assembled state of the vacuum cleaner 1. The lock part 20c protrudes upward. Further, a concave part 10b is provided on the front side of the cleaner main body 10 so as to open downward. The first locking structure 510 is formed by fitting the lock part 20c into the concave part 10b, and fixes the dust collection part 20 to the cleaner main body 10 side on the front side of the vacuum cleaner 1.

[0152] The second locking structure 520 is detachable between the dust collection container 50 and the cleaner main body 10. The second locking structure 520 is the same as the first locking structure 510 and is described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 in the above embodiment, and is constituted by the concave part 20b and the convex part 10a. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a concave part 20b is provided at the bottom part 58 of the dust collection part 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a convex part 10a is provided at a part of the cleaner main body 10 where the back surface of the dust collection part 20 contacts. The second locking structure 520 can lock the dust collection container 50 to the cleaner main body 10 by engaging the concave part 20b provided on the dust collection container 50 side and the convex part 10a provided on the cleaner main body 10 side.

[0153] In this modification, as the locking structure 500, in addition to the first locking structure 510 and the second locking structure 520 described above, a third locking structure 530 is provided. The third locking structure 530 is detachable between the edge of the dust collection part discharge port 170 provided on the cover part 90 on the top surface side of the dust collection part 20 and the cleaner main body 10. The third locking structure 530 is arranged avoiding the contact part 542 and the part to be contacted 178 so as not to inhibit the formation of the airtight structure by the airtight member 540 described above. The third locking structure 530 is constituted by the combination of the first member 532 and the second member 536.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 25, the first member 532 is a member provided on the side of the cleaner main body 10. The first member 532 is integrally provided with the blower cover body 630 on the center side of the airtight member 540. Further, the first member 532 has a housing portion 534. The housing portion 534 is hollow and has an opening 534a. Also, the housing portion 534 has an opening 534a. By having the opening 534a, the housing portion 534 is open in a direction outward in a direction (in the radial direction of the dust collecting portion 20 in the present embodiment) that intersects the direction of opposition (the vertical direction in the illustrated example) between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collecting portion discharge port 170 of the cover portion 90.

[0155] As shown in FIG. 26, the second member 536 is a member provided on the side of the dust collecting portion 20. The second member 536 has a protrusion 536a. The protrusion 536a is formed to extend inward from the edge of the dust collecting portion discharge port 170 in the cover portion 90. Specifically, the protrusion 536a extends to the center side of the airtight member 540.

[0156] In the vacuum cleaner 1 of this modification, when attaching the dust collecting portion 20 to the cleaner main body 10, first, the convex portion 10a provided on the cleaner main body 10 side is inserted into the concave portion 20b provided on the dust collecting portion 20 side to form the second locking structure 520. Then, with the convex portion 10a as a fulcrum, the dust collecting portion 20 is rotated so that the first inlet 68 approaches the pipe connection portion 22. As a result, the lock portion 20c provided on the dust collecting portion 20 side is fitted into the concave portion 10b provided on the cleaner main body 10 side to form the first locking structure 510. Further, by rotating the dust collecting portion 20 with the convex portion 10a as a fulcrum, the protrusion 536a of the second member 536 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 534 through the opening 534a of the first member 532, and the second member 536 is locked to the first member 532 to form the third locking structure 530. Regarding the locking between the first member 532 and the second member 536, specifically, both ends in the circumferential direction of the protrusion 536a are regulated within the accommodation portion 534, so that the dust collecting portion 20 is positioned in the circumferential direction with respect to the cleaner main body 10, and the upper surface and the lower surface of the protrusion 536a are regulated within the accommodation portion 534, so that the dust collecting portion 20 is positioned in the axial direction with respect to the cleaner main body 10. Here, as shown in FIG. 25(b), the third locking structure 530 is arranged so as not to inhibit the formation of the airtight structure by the airtight member 540, avoiding the contact portion 542 and the contacted portion 178. Specifically, the airtight member 540 forms an airtight structure by bringing the contact portion 542 into contact with the contacted portion 178. On the other hand, the third locking structure 530 is formed by the engagement of a second member 536 (projection 536a) provided on the dust collection unit 20 side with a first member 532 (accommodation portion 534) provided so as to protrude downward from the blower cover body 630 on the side of the cleaner main body 10. The first member 532 (accommodation portion 534) and the second member 536 (projection 536a) engage at positions offset radially inward (center side) from the contact portion 542 and the contacted portion 178, respectively. Therefore, the third locking structure 530 is formed so as not to inhibit the formation of the airtight structure by the airtight member 540. In this way, the vacuum cleaner 1 is in a state where the dust collection unit 20 is airtightly attached to the cleaner main body 10 by the locking structure 500 including the first locking structure 510, the second locking structure 520, and the third locking structure 530.

[0157] Also, as shown in FIG. 27, in this modification, a convex portion 570 is provided at a portion (rear surface side) of the dust collection unit 20 that contacts the cleaner main body 10. Further, in the cleaner main body 10, a concave portion 572 is provided at a position corresponding to the convex portion 570 provided on the dust collection unit 20. When the vacuum cleaner 1 attaches the dust collection unit 20 to the cleaner main body 10, the convex portion 570 is supposed to fit into the concave portion 572. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 1 can also attach the dust collection unit 20 to the cleaner main body 10 with high positioning accuracy by the fitting structure constituted by the convex portion 570 and the concave portion 572.

[0158] The above-described third modification example merely shows an example of the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present invention, and it is possible to make some or all of the configurations different without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, instead of configuring the third locking structure 530 as described above, as shown in FIG. 28, the first member 532a on the cleaner main body 10 side includes an extension portion 534b extending from the inside of the airtight member 540 and the contacted portion 178 toward the dust collection portion 20, and a locking portion 534c bent with respect to the extension portion 534b so as to protrude outward in a direction intersecting the direction of confrontation between the cleaner main body 10 and the dust collection portion discharge port 170 of the cover portion 90. It may be configured such that the third locking structure 530 can be configured by the locking portion 534c locking to the edge of the dust collection portion discharge port 170 in the cover portion 90. As the configuration of the edge of the dust collection portion discharge port 170 in the cover portion 90 where the locking portion 534c locks, it is also possible to be an accommodation portion with an opening on the inner side. Further, the locking portion 534c may be locked to a recess provided on the lower surface of the edge of the dust collection portion discharge port 170 in the cover portion 90.

[0159] ≪Other Modification Examples≫ The present invention is not limited to those shown as the above-described embodiments and modification examples, etc., and other modification examples can be adopted from its teachings and spirit without departing from the scope of the claims. This will be specifically described below.

[0160] ≪Modification Example of the Filter Support Portion 80≫ In the above-described embodiment, an example of a configuration is illustrated in which a lid portion 106 that closes the centrifugal separation portion 100 at the upper end side is provided on the top surface side of the dust collection portion 20, and the filter support portion 80 is supported by a central support rib 140 provided at a substantially central portion thereof. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 29, it may be configured not to provide a counterpart corresponding to the central support rib 140. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 29, it is preferable to provide a support rib 600 for supporting the filter support portion 80. The location where the support rib 600 is provided, the quantity, shape, etc. of the support rib 600 can be appropriately changed. The support rib 600 is preferably integrally formed with the lid portion 106 or the filter support portion 80, or formed as a separate member from the lid portion 106 and the filter support portion 80. In the illustrated example, the support rib 600 is integrally formed with the filter support portion 80. Further, in the illustrated example, the support rib 600 includes a rib leg portion 600a formed so as to reach the lid portion 106 from the circumferential connection portion 160, and a rib fixing portion 600b bent with respect to the rib leg portion 600a. Also, the support rib 600 is fixed by attaching the rib fixing portion 600b to the lid portion 106 using a fixture 602 such as a screw, but it may be integrated with the lid portion 106 by welding. Thereby, the filter support portion 80 can be reliably supported.

[0161] <<Modification Example of Configuration of Electric Blower 14>> Although not particularly mentioned in the above embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, it is preferable that the electric blower 14 has a fan motor 632 built inside the blower cover body 630. Further, as in the illustrated example, when the fan motor 632 has fan legs 634 protruding radially outward, a receiving portion 636 for receiving the fan legs 634 is provided in the blower cover body 630, and an elastic member 638 is interposed between the receiving portion 636 and the fan legs 634. It is also preferable that the blower cover body 630 is composed of a first cover 630a and a second cover 630b, and the receiving portion 636 is formed by combining the first cover 630a and the second cover 630b by an engaging structure. With such a configuration, the fan motor 632 can be assembled to the blower cover body 630 by sandwiching the fan legs 634 and the elastic member 638 between the first cover 630a and the second cover 630b, improving the workability during assembly.

[0162] Further, the electric blower 14 can be assembled to the cleaner main body 10 by an appropriate configuration. For example, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, it can be assembled using the cover fixing member 640. Specifically, in the examples of FIGS. 30 and 31, the blower cover body 630 of the electric blower 14 is provided with a cover protruding portion 642 protruding radially outward at the lower end side. On the other hand, the cover fixing member 640 is an annular member having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the blower cover body 630. Further, the cover fixing member 640 has a fitting portion 644 into which the cover protruding portion 642 of the blower cover body 630 fits. The electric blower 14 is configured such that the blower cover body 630 and the cover fixing member 640 are integrated by fitting the cover protruding portion 642 into the fitting portion 644. In the illustrated example, the electric blower 14 is fixed to the cleaner main body 10 using a fixture such as a screw for the cover fixing member 640. According to such a configuration, the electric blower 14 can be assembled to the cleaner main body 10. In the illustrated example, a hole for forming the recess 10b constituting the first locking structure 510 described above is provided in the cover fixing member 640. According to such a configuration, the cover fixing member 640 can be utilized for assembling the electric blower 14 to the cleaner main body 10 and forming the recess 10b, and the number of parts can be suppressed.

[0163] <<Modification Example including a Mop Case and a Mop>> The above-described vacuum cleaner 1 is preferably provided with a case 650 capable of accommodating other cleaning tools such as a mop 660 and a holding structure for the mop 660, as shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, for example. When providing such a case 650, it is preferable to configure the case 650 to be detachable as appropriate or optimize the arrangement of the case 650 so as not to hinder the use of the vacuum cleaner 1. Hereinafter, a modification of the vacuum cleaner 1 provided with the case 650 will be described.

[0164] In the example shown in FIG. 32, on the back side of the vacuum cleaner 1, a case 650 is attached from the lower end of the cleaner main body 10 to the pipe portion 30. The case 650 is cylindrical with a storage space 650a that is open on the top surface side and closed on the bottom surface side. The case 650 can accommodate a long cleaning tool such as a mop 660 by inserting it through the opening on the top surface side.

[0165] The case 650 can be attached to the pipe portion 30 by a clip 652 provided on the lower end side. The clip 652 can have an appropriate shape. In the illustrated example, since the pipe portion 30 is substantially cylindrical, the clip 652 is substantially "C" shaped and can be externally fitted to the pipe portion 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 34, on the surface of the case 650 that contacts the pipe portion 30, a rib 654 protruding outward is provided. In the illustrated example, at a position corresponding to the rib 654 on the pipe portion 30, a first engaging portion 30a with which the rib 654 can engage is provided. The case 650 is held in a state where movement in the axial direction of the pipe portion 30 is restricted by an engaging structure formed by the rib 654 and the first engaging portion 30a.

[0166] The case 650 has a second engaging portion 656 on the upper end side. The second engaging portion 656 is a portion formed in a stepped shape on the upper end side of the case 650. On the other hand, on the back side of the cleaner main body 10, at a position corresponding to the second engaging portion 656, a third engaging portion 10c having a hook-shaped cross section and capable of inserting the second engaging portion 656 from below is provided.

[0167] In the vacuum cleaner 1 shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, when attaching the case 650, after inserting the second engaging portion 656 formed on the upper end side into the third engaging portion 10c from below and engaging them, the clip 652 provided on the lower end side is engaged with the pipe portion 30. Thereby, the case 650 is fixed at the upper end side and the lower end side. Further, when the case 650 is attached in this way, the rib 654 provided on the case 650 is engaged with the first engaging portion 30a provided on the pipe portion 30. Thereby, the case 650 is in a state where movement in the axial direction of the pipe portion 30 is restricted. Further, the case 650 can be removed by a procedure reverse to the attachment procedure.

[0168] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 32, in a state where the mop 660 is housed in the case 650, a handle holding portion 10f for holding the handle 662 of the mop 660 is provided on the cleaner main body 10. In the illustrated example, a recess 10e into which the upper end portion of the handle 662 of the mop 660 can be fitted is provided on the upper end side of the cleaner main body 10, which is on the rear side of the gripping portion 16. Further, a handle holding portion 10f for holding the handle 662 is provided in the recess 10e. In the illustrated example, a substantially "C" - shaped clip is used as the handle holding portion 10f. The battery housing portion 10d may be detachable from the cleaner main body 10, but in this embodiment, it is integrally formed with the cleaner main body 10 in a non - detachable manner.

[0169] As shown in FIG. 32, in the vacuum cleaner 1, the electric blower 14 and the dust collecting portion 20 are arranged so as to be vertically aligned, and since the battery housing portion 10d is provided above the pipe portion 30, the width of the cleaner main body 10 in the front - rear direction becomes compact. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 32, even if the case 650 and the mop 660 are provided on the back surface of the cleaner main body 10, the vacuum cleaner 1 does not need to be enlarged.

[0170] Also, as shown in FIG. 32 and the like, the vacuum cleaner 1 has a protruding portion 10g that protrudes toward the back side at a position above the handle holding portion 10f in the battery housing portion 10d. The protruding portion 10g is a portion that functions as an anti-slip when the vacuum cleaner 1 is mounted on a wall. The protruding portion 10g is formed so as to protrude further toward the back side than the mop 660 held by the handle holding portion 10f. Therefore, even if the mop 660 is provided on the back side of the cleaner main body 10, the mop 660 does not get in the way when the vacuum cleaner 1 is mounted on a wall or the like and arranged.

[0171] The mop 660 used in the example shown in FIG. 32 may have any shape and structure as long as it is a handy type. For example, it is preferably as shown in FIG. 35. Specifically, the mop 660 has a handle 662 and a cleaning portion 666 that rotates with respect to the handle 662 with the rotation portion 664 as a reference. In the illustrated example, a dust collecting member formed of fibers, non-woven fabric, or the like attached to the cleaning portion 666 is not shown and is omitted.

[0172] As shown in FIG. 36, the handle 662 is an extensible one constituted by a combination of a plurality (three in the illustrated example) of handle parts 670, 672, and 674. Specifically, the handle part 670 (hereinafter also referred to as the “first handle part 670”) is a hollow cylindrical body with the tip side closed and an opening on the base end side. The first handle part 670 has a first hole part 670a on the tip side (closed side) and a second hole part 670b on the base end side (opening side). Further, the handle part 672 (hereinafter also referred to as the “second handle part 672”) is constituted by a hollow cylindrical body. The second handle part 672 has a third hole part 672a and a first button 672c on the tip side and a fourth hole part 672b on the base end side. The handle part 674 (hereinafter also referred to as the “third handle part 674”) is constituted by a hollow cylindrical body. The third handle part 674 has a fifth hole part 674a and a second button 674c on the tip side. The handle 662 is connected such that the second handle part 672 can expand and contract with respect to the first handle part 670 by inserting the tip side of the second handle part 672 into the base end side of the first handle part 670. Further, the handle 662 is connected such that the third handle part 674 can expand and contract with respect to the second handle part 672 by inserting the tip side of the third handle part 674 into the base end side of the second handle part 672. Also, the first button 672c and the second button 674c are each biased so as to always protrude from the outer peripheral surfaces of the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674, but can be retracted by pressing.

[0173] The handle 662 is formed by connecting each handle part 670, 672, 674 as described above. Therefore, when the first handle part 670 and the second handle part 672 are moved in a direction away from each other in the axial direction, the first button 672c of the second handle part 672 engages with the second hole part 670b of the first handle part 670, and the first handle part 670 and the second handle part 672 are locked in an extended state. Also, when the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674 are moved in a direction away from each other in the axial direction, the second button 674c of the third handle part 674 engages with the fourth hole part 672b of the second handle part 672, and the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674 are locked in an extended state. Conversely, when the first handle part 670 and the second handle part 672 are in an extended state and the first button 672c exposed at the second hole part 670b is pressed while moving the first handle part 670 and the second handle part 672 in a direction approaching each other in the axial direction, the first handle part 670 and the second handle part 672 can be contracted. In a state where the first handle part 670 and the second handle part 672 are contracted, the first button 672c engages with the first hole part 670a. Similarly, when the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674 are in an extended state and the second button 674c exposed at the fourth hole part 672b is pressed while moving the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674 in a direction approaching each other in the axial direction, the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674 can be contracted. In a state where the second handle part 672 and the third handle part 674 are contracted, the second button 674c engages with the third hole part 672a.

[0174] Also, as shown in FIG. 37, the rotating part 664 connects the first outer connecting part 680 and the second outer connecting part 682 provided at the end of the handle 662 and the inner connecting part 684 provided at the end of the cleaning part 666 so as to be rotatable using the first locking part 686 and the second locking part 688. The first outer connecting part 680, the second outer connecting part 682, and the inner connecting part 684 are each formed so as to have a substantially circular outer shape when viewed from the front. The first outer connecting part 680 is an annular shape having a through hole 680a in a substantially central part. The first outer connecting part 680 is provided with a spring accommodating part 680b for accommodating the spring 687 on the side opposite to the side facing the second outer connecting part 682. Also, the second outer connecting part 682 is provided at a position facing the first outer connecting part 680 with a predetermined interval therebetween. The second outer connecting part 682 has a through hole 682a in the central part, and a plurality of grooves 682b are provided on the outer peripheral side thereof at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The inner connecting part 684 has a through hole 684a in the central part, and a plurality of grooves 684b are provided on the outer peripheral side thereof at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0175] The first locking part 686 is provided with a first flange part 686a and a claw part 686b protruding from one side of the first flange part 686a. Also, the second locking part 688 is provided with a second flange part 688a, a cylindrical part 688b, a protrusion 688c, and a hole part 688d. The cylindrical part 688b is a cylindrical part protruding from one side of the second flange part 688a. Also, a plurality of protrusions 688c are provided on the circumferential part of the cylindrical part 688b, and are formed so as to protrude toward the outside of the cylindrical part 688b. The hole part 688d is a hole formed in the circumferential part of the cylindrical part 688b so as to communicate the inside and outside of the cylindrical part 688b.

[0176] The rotating part 664 is assembled by aligning the through holes 680a, 684a, and 682a while inserting the inner connecting part 684 between the first outer connecting part 680 and the second outer connecting part 682, inserting the claw part 686b of the first locking part 686 from the first outer connecting part 680 side, inserting the cylindrical part 688b from the second outer connecting part 682 side, and engaging the tip part of the claw part 686b with the hole part 688d provided in the cylindrical part 688b. When assembling the rotating part 664, the spring 668 is accommodated in a compressed state in the spring accommodation part 680b of the first outer connecting part 680. When the first flange part 686a is not being pressed down, the protrusion 688c of the second locking part 688 engages with the groove 684b of the inner connecting part 684 and the groove 682b of the second outer connecting part 682. As a result, the rotating part 664 is in a locked state, and the handle 662 and the cleaning part 666 cannot rotate. On the other hand, when the first flange part 686a is pressed down against the biasing force of the spring 668, the protrusion 688c of the second locking part 688 disengages from the groove 684b of the inner connecting part 684 while remaining engaged with the groove 682b of the second outer connecting part 682. As a result, the rotating part 664 is unlocked, and the handle 662 and the cleaning part 666 can rotate. Also, when the pressing of the first flange part 686a is released, the rotating part 664 returns to the locked state.

[0177] <<Modification Example of the Pipe Part 30>> In the above-described vacuum cleaner 1, the pipe portion 30 may be a cylindrical body through which dust can pass, and for example, it may have a structure as shown in FIG. 38. Specifically, in the pipe portion 30 of FIG. 38, the internal space is partitioned by a partition wall 700 into a wiring accommodation portion 702 and a dust flow path 704. The partition wall 700, the wiring accommodation portion 702, and the dust flow path 704 are made of metal or resin. In the wiring accommodation portion 702, a wiring 710 is accommodated that connects a first terminal pin 706 exposed to the outside in a resin pipe cover on one end side of the pipe portion 30 and a second terminal pin 708 exposed to the outside in a resin pipe cover on the other end side of the pipe portion 30. The wiring accommodation portion 702 and the dust flow path 704 in both pipe covers are made of resin. The first terminal pin 706 and the second terminal pin 708 are electrically connected to the cleaner main body 10 and the suction tool 40, respectively. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the wiring 710 connecting the first terminal pin 706 and the second terminal pin 708 from being exposed to the air containing dust passing through the pipe portion 30 or to the outside.

[0178] <<Modification Example of Cleaner Support Device 330>> In a case where, like the vacuum cleaner unit 300 of the first modification described above, for example, a vacuum cleaner support device 330 for supporting the vacuum cleaner 1 is provided, it is advisable to provide an arrangement portion 720 for arranging various accessories as shown in FIG. 39. In the example of FIG. 39, in addition to the placement portion 340 for placing the vacuum cleaner 1, it is provided with an arrangement portion 720 for arranging attachments and the like. The arrangement portion 720 is provided on the rear side of the placement portion 340 (support column portion 350). For example, it is advisable to provide a protrusion 724 that can be inserted into the opening portion of the joint forming the nozzle-based attachment 722, or a insertion portion 726 into which one side portion in the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the suction tool 40 can be inserted and stored. Further, the arrangement portion 720 is advisable to be provided with a storage portion 728 for storing, for example, disposable consumables. Also, this storage portion 728 also has a structure for positioning in the arrangement portion 720. For example, it has a recess on the bottom surface into which the protrusion 724 fits. Also, the storage portion 728 of the present embodiment is used for storing the filter 70 and can be taken in and out from a lid portion on the top surface that can be opened and closed. However, it is not limited to this. When a paper bag type vacuum cleaner is supported by the vacuum cleaner support device 300, it can be used for storing the paper bag.

[0179] <<Modification Examples of the Main Body Case and the Battery Accommodation Portion>> As described above, the electric blower 14 used in the vacuum cleaner 1 is accommodated in the main body case 12 of the vacuum cleaner main body 10. This main body case 12 is advisable to be made lightweight by providing an opening 630d on the peripheral surface (side surface) as shown in FIG. 40, for example. Also, the opening 630d is advisable to be provided in a honeycomb shape as in the illustrated example, or to be formed with a large number of holes having a shape such as a circle, a rectangle, or a polygon. Further, in the main body case 12, a discharge opening for discharging the exhaust from the electric blower 14 is formed between the battery accommodation portion 10d and the honeycomb-shaped opening portion 630d, and a main body cover is provided on the main body case 12 so as to cover the discharge opening and the opening portion 630d. And, on the main body cover, an exhaust port 10x is arranged so as to face the discharge opening of the main body case 12, and the exhaust port 10x is designed to be smaller than the discharge opening.

[0180] Further, the vacuum cleaner 1 may be provided with a communication hole 10y between the main body case 12 where the electric blower 14 is disposed and the battery housing portion 10d, and an exhaust hole 10z may be provided in the battery housing portion 10d. Thereby, the exhaust of the electric blower 14 can be discharged from the exhaust hole 10z through the communication hole 10y, so that the battery 17a in the battery housing portion 10d can be cooled. Further, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 40, the vacuum cleaner 1 may dispose a circuit board 750 (control unit) for controlling the operation of the cleaner on either the main body case 12 or the battery housing portion 10d. Thereby, the space in the main body case 12 or the battery housing portion 10d can be effectively utilized for disposing the circuit board 750, and the circuit board 750 can be cooled. In addition, when the communication hole 10y and the exhaust hole 10z are provided, the discharge opening of the main body case 12 and the exhaust port 10x of the main body cover may not be provided. Thereby, air can easily flow into the battery housing portion 10d.

[0181] <<Modification example of dust collection part>> As shown in FIG. 41, similar to the fourth seal member 125, the fourth seal portion 125A in the modification example seals the space between the inner wall of the dust collection container 50 (outer container 52) and the upper wall portion 120 of the centrifugal separation inner cylinder 104 constituting the centrifugal separation unit 100 with an annular seal member. And the fourth seal member 125A is disposed between the L-shaped upper wall portion 120A whose end extends downward, the outer container 52, and the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102A. Along with the change of the shape of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102 to the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102A having flange portions 102a and 102b protruding in the radial direction, the fourth seal member 125 is changed to the fourth seal member 125A. Specifically, the S-shaped fourth seal member 125 is changed to the L-shaped fourth seal member 125A. Note that the flange portion 102b is supported at the lower step portion of the outer container 52.

[0182] In the fourth seal part 125A, a standing part 136 erected on the outer peripheral side of the cover plate part 130 constituting the cover part 106 protrudes downward from the upper wall part 120 and abuts against the fourth seal member 125A. Further, the fourth seal member 125A is supported at the upper stepped part formed in the outer container 52 and at the flange part 102a of the centrifugal separation outer cylinder 102A. By having such a structure, the fourth seal part 125A ensures the airtightness between the outer container 52 and the standing part 136 and the airtightness between the outer container 52 and the flange part 102a.

[0183] The present invention is not limited to those shown as the above-described embodiments, modifications, etc., and there may be other embodiments within the scope not departing from the teachings and spirit thereof. The constituent elements of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Also, any constituent element of the embodiment and any constituent element described in the means for solving the invention or a constituent element embodying any constituent element described in the means for solving the invention may be arbitrarily combined. Regarding these, there is also an intention to obtain rights in the amendment or divisional application of the present application.

Industrial Applicability

[0184] The present invention can be suitably used in general vacuum cleaners.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0185] 1: Vacuum cleaner 10: Cleaner main body 14: Electric blower 20: Dust collection part 40: Suction tool 42: Case body 42a: Lower case 42b: Upper case 43: Suction port 46: Rotating cleaning body 48: Cleaning body drive mechanism 70: Filter 80: Filter support part 90: Cover part 100: Centrifugal separation part 106: Cover part 108: Support part 154: Support opening 210: Driving machine 210a: Main body part 212: Power transmission body 214: Output side pulley 216: Driven side pulley 220: Holding member 224: Upper holding member

Claims

1. A cleaner main body having an electric blower, A suction tool having a suction port for sucking dust, A pipe section connecting the cleaner main body and the suction tool, And a cleaner support device, The cleaner support device, A placement section for placing the suction tool of the stick-shaped electric cleaner in which one end of the pipe section is connected to the cleaner main body and the other end of the pipe section is connected to the suction tool, A support section for supporting the pipe section of the stick-shaped electric cleaner and engaging with the pipe section, with the suction tool of the stick-shaped electric cleaner placed on the placement section, And a placement section for placing accessories, The support section is erected at the rear side of the placement section, The placement section has the placement section at the rear side, The placement section is provided with a insertion section into which a part on one side in the width direction of the suction tool is inserted. An electric cleaner unit characterized by this.

2. A cleaner main body having an electric blower, A suction tool having a suction port for sucking dust, A pipe section connecting the cleaner main body and the suction tool, And a cleaner support device, The cleaner support device, A placement section for placing the suction tool of the stick-shaped electric cleaner in which one end of the pipe section is connected to the cleaner main body and the other end of the pipe section is connected to the suction tool, A support section for supporting the pipe section of the stick-shaped electric cleaner and engaging with the pipe section, with the suction tool of the stick-shaped electric cleaner placed on the placement section, And a placement section for placing accessories, The support section is erected at the rear side of the placement section, The placement section has the placement section at the rear side, The placement section is provided with a storage section that can be opened and closed on the top surface and is provided as the accessory for storing consumables. An electric cleaner unit characterized by this.

3. The electric cleaner unit according to claim 2, wherein the storage section has a structure for positioning in the placement section.

4. A dust collection section that is detachably provided on the cleaner main body and collects dust sucked by driving of the electric blower, The dust collection section has a filter that collects dust in the air discharged from a centrifugal separation section that separates dust, The electric cleaner unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the consumable is a filter used for replacing the filter.

5. The sweeper support device supports a paper pack type cleaner including the cleaner main body, the tube portion, and the suction tool. The electric sweeper unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a paper pack is stored in the storage portion.

6. The electric sweeper unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an attachment as the accessory is arranged in the arrangement portion.

7. The electric sweeper unit according to claim 6, wherein a protrusion into which an opening portion of a joint of the attachment can be inserted is provided in the arrangement portion.

8. The electric sweeper unit according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement portion is provided on the rear side of the placement portion and the support column portion.

Images