vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To provide a vacuum cleaner for improving convenience by suppressing adhesion of a suction port body onto a floor surface while keeping efficiency to scrape dust from the floor surface.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner includes: a front cleaning body 28F and rear cleaning body 28R rotatably supported by a suction port body 31; a front motor for driving the front cleaning body 28F and a rear motor for driving the rear cleaning body 28R; and a suction port body control section 42 for controlling the rotation of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R. The suction port body control section 42 rotates the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R in a direction Rf to assist a forward movement of a suction port body 16 when detection results indicate a pre-set first condition. The suction port body control section 42 rotates the front cleaning body 28F in the direction Rf to assist the forward movement when detection results of various kinds of detection sections indicate a pre-set second condition and also rotates the rear cleaning body 28R in a direction Rr to assist a backward movement of the suction port body 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Electric vacuum cleaners are known that have a vacuum cleaner main body, an extension tube connected to the vacuum cleaner main body, and a suction nozzle connected to the extension tube.

[0003] The suction head of the vacuum cleaner is provided with a plurality of rotating brushes that are arranged parallel to the floor surface and rotate in different directions and at different speeds. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-111449 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventional vacuum cleaners can efficiently sweep dust off the floor by rotating the two rotating brushes on the suction nozzle in different directions, but there is a risk that the suction nozzle will stick to the floor or a carpet placed on the floor.

[0006] Therefore, if the suction nozzle body sticks to the floor surface (including carpets placed on the floor surface), it becomes difficult for the suction nozzle body to move forward, reducing operability and increasing the burden on the user during cleaning work, resulting in a problem of reduced usability.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention proposes an electric vacuum cleaner that can maintain the efficiency of scraping dust off the floor surface while suppressing the suction mouth body from sticking to the floor surface, thereby improving usability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a suction chamber connected to the suction port; a main air passage connecting an suction opening opened on the bottom surface facing the surface to be cleaned to the suction chamber via the suction port; at least two rotary cleaning members arranged with the suction port and the main air passage in between, including a first rotary cleaning member arranged forward of the suction port and rotatably supported, and a second rotary cleaning member arranged rearward of the suction port and rotatably supported; and at least two electric motors including a first electric motor that drives the first rotary cleaning member and a second electric motor that drives the second rotary cleaning member. a suction port body that moves in a direction perpendicular to the cleaning direction of the suction port body; a type of surface to be cleaned that includes a first surface to be cleaned that has a large running resistance of the suction port body and a second surface to be cleaned that has a smaller running resistance than the first surface to be cleaned; a detection unit that detects a cleaning state that includes a forward movement in which the first rotary cleaning member precedes the second rotary cleaning member in the moving direction of the suction port body, a backward movement in which the second rotary cleaning member precedes the first rotary cleaning member in the moving direction of the suction port body, and a left-right movement in which the suction port body moves in a direction perpendicular to the forward movement and the backward movement; and a detection result of the detection unit. and a control unit that controls the motors to individually control the rotation of each of the rotary cleaning members based on the detection result of the detection unit, when the type of the surface to be cleaned is the first surface to be cleaned and the movement of the suction port body is the forward movement or the backward movement, the control unit drives the motors to rotate the first rotary cleaning member and the second rotary cleaning member in a direction that assists the forward movement or the backward movement of the suction port body, and when the movement of the suction port body is the left-right movement, the first motor is driven to rotate the first rotating cleaning member in a direction that assists the forward movement, and the second motor is driven to rotate the second rotating cleaning member in a direction that assists the backward movement; when the type of the surface to be cleaned is the second surface to be cleaned as a result of the detection by the detection unit and the movement of the suction port body is the forward movement, the backward movement, or the left-right movement, the first motor is driven to rotate the first rotating cleaning member in a direction that assists the forward movement; andThe electric vacuum cleaner drives the second motor to rotate the second rotatable cleaning member in a direction that assists the backward movement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention from the right front. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention, viewed from below. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A suction mouth unit and an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment is, for example, a stick type, and includes a vacuum cleaner body 12 having a handle 11 that can be held by hand, a secondary battery 13 (also called a storage battery, rechargeable battery, or rechargeable battery) that can be attached to and detached from the vacuum cleaner body 12, an extension tube 15 connected to the vacuum cleaner body 12, and a suction port body 16 connected to the extension tube 15.

[0013] The electric vacuum cleaner 1 may be a canister type, an upright type, or a handheld type. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 may be a cordless type that uses a secondary battery 13 as a power source, or may be a wired type that obtains power from a commercial AC power source via a power cord.

[0014] The vacuum cleaner main body 12 includes a main body case 17 having a handle 11, an electric blower 18 housed in the main body case 17 to generate negative suction pressure, a dust separation and collection unit 19 detachably mounted on the main body case 17, and a main body control unit 21 that mainly controls the electric blower 18.

[0015] Vacuum cleaner body 12 drives electric blower 18 using power stored in secondary battery 13, and the negative pressure generated by driving electric blower 18 acts on extension tube 15. Vacuum cleaner 1 sucks in air containing dust (hereinafter referred to as "dust-containing air") from the floor surface through suction port body 16 and extension tube 15, separates the dust from the dust-containing air, captures and accumulates the separated dust, and exhausts the separated air.

[0016] Main body case 17 has a cylindrical front half 17a that is arranged on the extension line of extension pipe 15 in a side view, and a rear half 17b that bends from front half 17a and gradually moves away from the extension line of extension pipe 15. A dust separation and collection unit 19 is provided above front half 17a of main body case 17. Rear half 17b of main body case 17 extends rearward in an in-use state (FIG. 2) where suction port body 16 is placed on the floor.

[0017] A main body connection port 23 is provided on the front portion of the main body case 17.

[0018] The main body connection port 23 is a joint to which the extension pipe 15 can be detachably attached. The main body connection port 23 protrudes toward the front from the cylindrical front half 17a of the main body case 17. The main body connection port 23 is a fluid inlet for the vacuum cleaner main body 12, and fluidly connects the extension pipe 15 and the dust separation and collection unit 19. By detaching the extension pipe 15 from the vacuum cleaner main body 12, the main body connection port 23 also functions as a suction port when the vacuum cleaner main body 12 is used alone.

[0019] The handle 11 is integrally formed with the main body case 17. The handle 11 is the part that the user holds with their hand when cleaning the floor with the vacuum cleaner 1. The handle 11 extends in an arch shape from near the rear end of the dust separating and collecting unit 19 to the rear end of the main body case 17. The handle 11 is also positioned so as to intersect with the extension line of the center line of the extension tube 15.

[0020] An input unit 26 is provided near the handle 11 and is placed within a range where a user holding the handle 11 can move their fingers.

[0021] The input unit 26 includes an operation start switch 26a that accepts an operation to start the electric blower 18, an operation stop switch 26b that accepts an operation to stop the electric blower 18, and a brush switch 26c that accepts an operation to start and stop the supply of power to the suction port body 16. The operation start switch 26a and the operation stop switch 26b are electrically connected to the main body control unit 21. A user of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 can operate the input unit 26 to select one of the operation modes of the electric blower 18. The operation start switch 26a also functions as an operation mode selector switch while the electric blower 18 is in operation. In this case, the main body control unit 21 switches the operation mode in the following order each time it receives an operation signal from the operation start switch 26a. Note that the input unit 26 may be individually equipped with a strong operation switch (not shown), a medium operation switch (not shown), and a weak operation switch (not shown) instead of the operation start switch 26a.

[0022] Dust separation and collection unit 19 is disposed on the upper surface side of vacuum cleaner body 12 and is detachable from vacuum cleaner body 12. Dust separation and collection unit 19 separates, captures, and accumulates dust from the dust-laden air that flows into vacuum cleaner body 12, while sending clean air from which the dust has been removed to electric blower 18. Dust separation and collection unit 19 may be of a centrifugal separation type that centrifuges dust and air by utilizing the difference in mass between the dust and air sucked into vacuum cleaner 1, or may be of a filtration separation type that has a filter that filters out dust from the dust-laden air.

[0023] The electric blower 18 sucks air from the dust separating and collecting section 19 to generate a negative pressure (negative suction pressure).

[0024] The main body control unit 21 includes a microprocessor and a storage device that stores various calculation programs executed by the microprocessor, parameters, and the like. The storage device stores various settings (arguments) related to a plurality of preset operation modes. The plurality of operation modes is associated with the output of the electric blower 18. Different input values ​​(input value of the electric blower 18, target value of the current flowing through the electric blower 18) are set for each operation mode. Each operation mode is associated with an operation input received by the input unit 26. The main body control unit 21 selects an arbitrary operation mode corresponding to the operation input to the input unit 26 from a plurality of preset operation modes. The main body control unit 21 also reads the setting of the selected operation mode from the storage device and operates the electric blower 18 in accordance with the read setting of the operation mode.

[0025] Secondary battery 13 stores the power consumed by electric blower 18 and main body control unit 21. Secondary battery 13 may be fixed to main body case 17 or may be detachable from main body case 17. In other words, vacuum cleaner 1 may or may not be capable of using multiple secondary batteries 13 that can be replaced as needed. If the charge rate of secondary battery 13 detachably attached to vacuum cleaner 1 decreases, vacuum cleaner 1 can continue to operate by replacing this secondary battery 13 with a charged secondary battery 13.

[0026] The extension pipe 15 and the suction port body 16 suck in dust on the floor surface together with air by the negative pressure applied by the electric blower 18 and guide it to the cleaner body 12 .

[0027] The extension pipe 15 is fluidly connected to the suction side of the electric blower 18 via the main body connection port 23 of the main body case 17 and the dust separation and collection unit 19. The extension pipe 15 has a length that allows the user to substantially reach the floor surface while holding the handle 11 of the vacuum cleaner main body 12. One end of the extension pipe 15 is provided with a coupling structure that can be detachably attached to the main body connection port 23 of the vacuum cleaner main body 12. The other end of the extension pipe 15 is provided with a coupling structure that can be detachably attached to the suction port body 16 of the vacuum cleaner main body 12. The extension pipe 15 may or may not be extendable.

[0028] Suction port body 16 is capable of running or gliding on floor surfaces such as wooden floors and carpets, and has suction port 27 on its bottom surface that faces the floor surface when running or gliding. Suction port body 16 also includes a rotatable cleaning member 28 and an electric motor 29 as a drive source for driving rotary cleaning member 28. One end of suction port body 16 is provided with a detachable coupling structure that is connected to the other end of extension tube 15. Suction port body 16 is fluidly connected to the suction side of electric blower 18 via extension tube 15. Suction port body 16, extension tube 15, and dust separation and collection unit 19 form an intake air passage that runs from electric blower 18 to suction port 27.

[0029] When the operation start switch 26a is operated, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 starts the electric blower 18. For example, when the operation start switch 26a is operated while the electric blower 18 is stopped, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 first starts the electric blower 18 in high operation mode. When the operation start switch 26a is operated again, the operation mode of the electric blower 18 is changed to medium operation mode. When the operation start switch 26a is operated a third time, the operation mode of the electric blower 18 is changed to low operation mode, and so on. The high operation mode, medium operation mode, and low operation mode are multiple operation modes that are set in advance. The input value of the electric blower 18 is greatest in the high operation mode, and the input value of the electric blower 18 is smallest in the low operation mode. When the electric blower 18 starts, it draws air from the dust separation and collection unit 19, creating a negative pressure inside the dust separation and collection unit 19.

[0030] The negative pressure in dust separating and collecting unit 19 acts on suction port 27 via main body connection port 23, extension tube 15, and suction port body 16 in that order. Vacuum cleaner 1 uses the negative pressure acting on suction port 27 to suck in dust on the surface to be cleaned together with air, thereby cleaning the surface. Dust separating and collecting unit 19 separates and accumulates dust from the dust-laden air sucked into vacuum cleaner 1, while sending the air separated from the dust-laden air to electric blower 18. Electric blower 18 exhausts the air sucked in from dust separating and collecting unit 19 to the outside of vacuum cleaner main body 12.

[0031] Next, the suction port body 16 will be described in detail.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention from the front right.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the suction port body 16 according to this embodiment includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped suction port main body 31 and a connecting pipe 32 provided at the rear of the suction port main body 31.

[0034] The front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions of the suction port body 16 will be described with reference to the user of the vacuum cleaner 1. The direction of the solid arrow X in FIG. 2 is the forward or forward direction of the suction port body 16 (forward in the traveling direction), and the opposite direction is the backward or backward direction (rear in the traveling direction). The direction of the solid arrow Y in FIG. 2 is the left side of the suction port body 16 (left in the traveling direction), and the opposite direction is the right side (right in the traveling direction). In other words, the front-rear direction of the suction port body 16 is the traveling direction of the suction port body 16. The left-right direction of the suction port body 16 is horizontally orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the traveling direction. Furthermore, the direction of the solid arrow Z in FIG. 2 is upward (upward in the traveling direction) of the suction port body 16, and the opposite direction is downward (downward in the traveling direction). In other words, the up-down direction of the suction port body 16 is the up-down direction of the traveling direction and is vertically orthogonal to the front-rear and left-right directions of the suction port body 16.

[0035] In plan view, the shape of suction port body 31 is a rectangle with short sides in the front-to-rear direction and long sides in the left-to-right direction. In other words, the left-to-right dimension of suction port body 31, i.e., the width dimension, is greater than the front-to-rear dimension of suction port body 31, i.e., the depth dimension. Suction port body 31 includes a lower case 35 and an upper case 36 that covers lower case 35.

[0036] Contact sensors 33 are provided at the front of the upper case 36, on both the left and right ends, as detectors that detect obstacles ahead in the direction of travel of the suction mouth body 16, as a measure of the cleaning status of the vacuum cleaner 1. Examples of obstacles include walls and household goods.

[0037] The connecting pipe 32 is provided at the rear of the suction port body 31 and approximately in the center in the width direction. The connecting pipe 32 includes a rotating connecting pipe 38 that is rotatable relative to the suction port body 31, and a swinging connecting pipe 39 that is swingable relative to the rotating connecting pipe 38.

[0038] The rotary connecting pipe 38 rotates around a center line (a line segment coinciding with the X axis or a line segment parallel to the X axis) extending in the front-rear direction of the suction port body 16. This center line divides the suction port body 31 into left and right halves.

[0039] The swingable connecting pipe 39 swings around a line segment perpendicular to the rotation center line of the rotating connecting pipe 38 or a line segment parallel to this line segment. The free end of the swingable connecting pipe 39 is a joint that can be detachably attached to the free end of the extension pipe 15.

[0040] 3 and 4 are plan views of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from below.

[0043] 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line VII-VII in FIG.

[0044] 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the suction port body according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

[0045] In FIG. 4, the upper case 36 is removed.

[0046] As shown in Figures 3 to 7, the suction port body 16 of this embodiment includes a suction port main body 31, a rotary cleaning member 28 rotatably supported by the suction port main body 31, an electric motor 29 housed in the suction port main body 31 as a driving source for generating a rotational driving force for the rotary cleaning member 28, a power transmission mechanism 41 that transmits the driving force from the electric motor 29 to the rotary cleaning member 28, and a suction port body control unit 42 that is a control unit that controls the operation of the electric motor 29.

[0047] The suction port body 31 also has a suction port 27 that opens toward the bottom surface 31a, a suction chamber 45 that is connected to the suction port 27, and a cleaning body chamber 46 that houses the rotary cleaning member 28.

[0048] Furthermore, the suction port body 31 is provided with a transparent wall 47 that defines a part of the cleaning chamber 46 and visually covers at least a part of the outer circumferential surface of the rotary cleaning member 28.

[0049] The cleaning chamber 46 is defined outside the suction chamber 45. The cleaning chamber 46 is open toward the bottom surface of the suction port body 31.

[0050] Intake chamber 45 is defined by lower case 35, air passage cover 48 that is housed inside upper case 36 and covers part of lower case 35, and air passage narrowing body 49 that narrows air intake 27, which is wide in the left-right direction of air intake main body 31, toward the center. In other words, lower case 35, air passage cover 48, and air passage narrowing body 49 cooperate to define suction chamber 45.

[0051] A plurality of rollers 50 are provided on the bottom surface 31a of the suction port body 31, which contact the surface to be cleaned f and support the suction port body 31. The rollers 50 include a roller 50 located at each of the left and right ends of the suction port body 31, and a roller 50 located in the rear center of the suction port body 31. At least one of these rollers 50 is provided with an encoder 54, which is a detector that detects the movement of the suction port body 16 as a cleaning status.

[0052] A space is defined between the lower case 35 and the upper case 36 of the suction port body 31. This space includes an electric motor chamber 51 that houses the electric motor 29, a machine chamber 52 that houses the power transmission mechanism 41, and a control chamber 53 that houses the suction port body control unit 42. The electric motor chamber 51, the machine chamber 52, and the control chamber 53 may be connected or separated.

[0053] The control room 53 is disposed in the center of the suction port body 31 in the front-rear and left-right directions in a plan view.

[0054] The suction port body 31 is provided with a pair of rotary cleaning members 28 that sandwich the suction port 27 from the front and rear of the suction port body 16 .

[0055] There are also pairs of electric motors 29 and power transmission mechanisms 41, each associated with a respective rotary cleaning member 28. The pair of electric motors 29 includes an electric motor 29 provided at one end of the suction port body 31 in the width direction, and an electric motor 29 provided at the other end of the suction port body 31 in the width direction. The pair of electric motors 29 is preferably located at positions substantially the same distance from a center line that divides the suction port body 31 into left and right halves. The pair of power transmission mechanisms 41 is included in one end of the suction port body 31 in the width direction, and a power transmission mechanism 41 is provided at the other end of the suction port body 31 in the width direction. The pair of power transmission mechanisms 41 is preferably located at positions substantially the same distance from a center line that divides the suction port body 31 into left and right halves.

[0056] The rotary cleaning member 28 located forward of the suction port 27 is referred to as the front cleaning body 28F (first rotary cleaning member). The cleaning body chamber 46 in which the front cleaning body 28F is housed is referred to as the front cleaning body chamber 46F (first rotary cleaning member chamber). The electric motor 29 corresponding to the front cleaning body 28F is referred to as the front electric motor 29F, and the power transmission mechanism 41 corresponding to the front cleaning body 28F is referred to as the front transmission mechanism 41F. The electric motor chamber 51 in which the front electric motor 29F is housed is referred to as the front electric motor chamber 51F, and the machine chamber 52 in which the front transmission mechanism 41F is housed is referred to as the front machine chamber 52F.

[0057] The rotary cleaning member 28 rearward of the suction port 27 is referred to as the rear cleaning body 28R (second rotary cleaning member). The cleaning body chamber 46 in which the rear cleaning body 28R is housed is referred to as the rear cleaning body chamber 46R (second rotary cleaning member chamber). The electric motor 29 corresponding to the rear cleaning body 28R is referred to as the rear electric motor 29R, and the power transmission mechanism 41 corresponding to the rear cleaning body 28R is referred to as the rear transmission mechanism 41R. The electric motor chamber 51 in which the rear electric motor 29R is housed is referred to as the rear electric motor chamber 51R, and the machine chamber 52 in which the rear transmission mechanism 41R is housed is referred to as the rear machine chamber 52R.

[0058] That is, suction port body 16 has at least two cleaning element chambers 46, including a front cleaning element chamber 46F (first rotating cleaning element chamber) at the front in the traveling direction and a rear cleaning element chamber 46R (second rotating cleaning element chamber) at the rear in the traveling direction, which are partitioned by suction flow path 34 that connects suction port 27 to suction chamber 45. In addition, suction flow path 34 is part of the suction air path that leads from electric blower 18 to suction port 27. Furthermore, suction flow path 34 has a main air path 34a that connects suction opening 16a, which opens on the bottom surface of suction port body 16 facing the surface to be cleaned, to suction chamber 45.

[0059] The suction port body 16 also includes a front cleaning body 28F (first rotating cleaning member) that is disposed in the front cleaning body chamber 46F and rotatably supported by the suction port body 16, and a rear cleaning body 28R (second rotating cleaning member) that is disposed in the rear cleaning body chamber 46R and rotatably supported by the suction port body 16, and is equipped with at least two rotating cleaning members 28 that are disposed in each cleaning body chamber 46. The front cleaning body 28F and rear cleaning body 28R are disposed with the main air passage 34a sandwiched between them.

[0060] Furthermore, suction port body 16 is equipped with dust sensors 37 on both the left and right sides of suction chamber 45 in the suction air passage leading from electric blower 18 to suction port 27. Dust sensors 37 detect the amount of dust contained in the dust-laden air sucked in through suction port 27 as an indication of the cleaning status. Dust sensors 37 may be located in suction port body 16, extension tube 15, or vacuum cleaner body 1.

[0061] The front cleaning body chamber 46F, the suction port 27, and the rear cleaning body chamber 46R are aligned in the direction of travel of the suction port body 16. In other words, the front cleaning body 28F, the suction port 27, and the rear cleaning body 28R are aligned in the direction of travel of the suction port body 16. The front cleaning body 28F, the suction port 27, and the rear cleaning body 28R are aligned from the front to the rear of the suction port body 16. Furthermore, the front cleaning body 28F, the air path narrowing body 49, and the rear cleaning body 28R are aligned in the direction of travel of the suction port body 16. The front cleaning body chamber 46F, the suction port 27, and the rear cleaning body chamber 46R have substantially the same width dimensions. Note that the "rotary cleaning member 28 located in front of the suction port 27 while the suction port body 16 is moving" refers to the front cleaning body 28F when the suction port body 16 is moving forward, and refers to the rear cleaning body 28R when the suction port body 16 is moving backward. Furthermore, the "rotating cleaning member 28 located behind the suction port 27 while the suction port body 16 is moving" is the rear cleaning body 28R while the suction port body 16 is moving forward, and is the front cleaning body 28F while the suction port body 16 is moving backward.

[0062] With the suction port body 31 placed on the surface f to be cleaned, the motor 29 rotates the rotary cleaning member 28 in a direction to sweep dust from the surface f to be cleaned toward the suction port 27. That is, the front motor 29F rotates the front cleaning body 28F in a direction Rf that assists the forward movement of the suction port body 16, and the rear motor 29R rotates the rear cleaning body 28R in either the direction Rf that assists the forward movement of the suction port body 16 or the direction Rr that assists the backward movement of the suction port body 16, depending on the cleaning status. Note that the rear motor 29R may be configured to follow the forward movement or backward movement of the suction port body 16 without rotating the rear cleaning body 28R, depending on the cleaning status. The rotation of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R by the motor 29 is controlled by the suction port body control unit 42, as will be described in detail below.

[0063] The permeable walls 47 partition a portion of each cleaning element chamber 46 and visually cover at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of each rotary cleaning member 28. Therefore, the suction port body 31 has at least one window 55 that is blocked by the permeable wall 47. This window 55 may be provided in each cleaning element chamber 46, or may be provided across adjacent cleaning element chambers 46. The window 55 according to this embodiment includes a front cleaning element window 55F provided in the upper case 36 so that the front cleaning element 28F can be visually observed, and a rear cleaning element window 55R provided in the lower case 35 so that the rear cleaning element 28R can be visually observed.

[0064] The front cleaning element window 55F is located above the front cleaning element 28F and is open over the entire length of the front cleaning element 28F.

[0065] The rear cleaning element window 55R is located above the rear cleaning element 28R to avoid the suction chamber 45 that passes above the rear cleaning element chamber 46R and leads to the connecting pipe 32, and is divided and opened in two places, on the left and right sides of the rear cleaning element 28R. In other words, the rear cleaning element window 55R includes a plurality of split windows 55RL, 55RR that are split in the direction along the rotation center line of the rear cleaning element 28R.

[0066] The permeable wall 47 includes a first permeable wall 47A that closes the front cleaning element window 55F and visually covers the front cleaning element window 55F, and a second permeable wall 47B that closes the rear cleaning element window 55R and visually covers the rear cleaning element window 55R. The second permeable wall 47B may be divided in a direction along the rotational center line of the rear cleaning element 28R. That is, the second permeable wall 47B may include a plurality of divided permeable walls 47BL, 47BR that are divided in a direction along the rotational center line of the rear cleaning element 28R. In other words, at least one permeable wall 47 includes a plurality of divided permeable walls 47BL, 47BR that are divided in a direction along the rotational center line of at least one rotatable cleaning member 28.

[0067] The first permeable wall 47A is fixed to the upper case 36. When the suction port body 31 is placed on the surface to be cleaned f, the first permeable wall 47A extends from the portion of the front cleaning body 28F farthest from the surface to be cleaned f, i.e., the top portion 28Fa, along the rotation direction Rf of the front cleaning body 28F. The second permeable wall 47B is fixed to the lower case 35. When the suction port body 31 is placed on the surface to be cleaned f, the second permeable wall 47B extends from the portion of the rear cleaning body 28R farthest from the surface to be cleaned f, i.e., the top portion 28Ra, along the rotation direction Rr of the rear cleaning body 28R. In other words, when the suction port body 31 is placed on the surface to be cleaned f, the permeable wall 47 extends from the portion 28Fa, 28Ra of the corresponding rotary cleaning member 28 farthest from the surface to be cleaned f of the corresponding rotary cleaning member 28 along the rotation direction of the rotary cleaning member 28.

[0068] The first permeable wall 47A covers the upper part of the front cleaning body 28F and defines the front opening edge of the front cleaning body chamber 46F (the opening edge farthest from the suction port 27). The first permeable wall 47A is a permeable member 56 that also serves as part of the outer shell of the suction port body 31. In other words, the lower case 35, the upper case 36, and the permeable member 56 cooperate to form the outer shell of the suction port body 31. The permeable member 56 may be formed by integrating the first permeable wall 47A and the second permeable wall 47B. In other words, the permeable member 56 may be all or part of the multiple permeable walls 47.

[0069] The transparent member 56 covers the upper case 36, straddling the upper part of the rear cleaning element chamber 46R, and is connected to the lower case 35 behind the rear cleaning element window 55R. In other words, the transparent member 56 cooperates with the second transparent wall 47B to double-cover the rear cleaning element window 55R. The transparent member 56 is a molded or formed product made of transparent or translucent resin.

[0070] The suction port 27 is disposed between the front cleaning body chamber 46F and the rear cleaning body chamber 46R. In other words, the suction port 27 is disposed between the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R. The suction port 27 faces the surface f to be cleaned without being obstructed by the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R, and looks directly at the surface f to be cleaned.

[0071] The suction chamber 45 curves toward the rear of the suction port main body 31 along the lower case 35 so as to cover the rear cleaning body chamber 46R, and is connected to the connecting pipe 32. A relay pipe 57 is provided between the suction chamber 45 and the connecting pipe 32. The relay pipe 57 serves as a base that supports the connecting pipe 32. The relay pipe 57 is integrally molded with the air passage cover 48.

[0072] The front cleaning element chamber 46F is defined by the upper case 36, the lower case 35, the first permeable wall 47A of the permeable wall 47, and the air-path narrowing body 49. In other words, the upper case 36, the lower case 35, the first permeable wall 47A of the permeable wall 47, and the air-path narrowing body 49 cooperate to define the front cleaning element chamber 46F. The front cleaning element chamber 46F can be seen from outside the suction port body 31 through the first permeable wall 47A.

[0073] The rear cleaning element chamber 46R is defined by the lower case 35, the second permeable wall 47B of the permeable wall 47, and the air passage narrowing body 49. In other words, the lower case 35, the second permeable wall 47B of the permeable wall 47, and the air passage narrowing body 49 cooperate to define the rear cleaning element chamber 46R. The rear cleaning element chamber 46R can be seen from outside the suction port body 31 through the second permeable wall 47B.

[0074] The machine chambers 52 are located at the left and right ends of the suction port body 31 and are partitioned into areas where the front cleaning body chamber 46F, suction port 27, and rear cleaning body chamber 46R are not present. The machine chambers 52 house the axial ends of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R. A roller 50 is provided at the bottom of the machine chamber 52.

[0075] The front machine chamber 52F is the left end of the suction port body 31 and is partitioned into an area where the front cleaning body chamber 46F, suction port 27, and rear cleaning body chamber 46R are not present. The front machine chamber 52F accommodates the axial ends of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R.

[0076] The rear machine chamber 52R is the right end of the suction port body 31, and is defined as an area where the front cleaning body chamber 46F, suction port 27, and rear cleaning body chamber 46R are not present. The rear machine chamber 52R accommodates the axial ends of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R.

[0077] The motor chamber 51 overlaps the front cleaning body chamber 46F, the suction port 27, and the rear cleaning body chamber 46R in a plan view, and is located between the control chamber 53 and the machine chamber 52. In a side view, the rotational center lines of the front cleaning body 28F, the rear cleaning body 28R, and the motor 29 are located at the vertices of a triangle. The motor chamber 51 houses the cylindrical motor 29 as close as possible to the front cleaning body chamber 46F and the rear cleaning body chamber 46R. In other words, the bottom of the motor 29 is located below the top 28Fa of the front cleaning body 28F and the top 28Ra of the rear cleaning body 28R. In other words, motor 29 has a portion closer to the surface to be cleaned f than the line connecting portion 28Fa of front cleaning body 28F that is farthest from the surface to be cleaned f, and portion 28Ra of rear cleaning body 28R that is farthest from the surface to be cleaned f, and is disposed between front cleaning body 28F and rear cleaning body 28R. Such an arrangement of motor 29 and the configuration of motor chamber 51 keep the height of suction port body 31 lower than the sum of the height (diameter) of rotary cleaning member 28 and the height (diameter) of motor 29, even when motor 29 is disposed above rotary cleaning member 28.

[0078] The front motor chamber 51F is disposed on the left side of the suction port body 31 and is provided adjacent to the front machine chamber 52F.

[0079] The rear motor chamber 51R is disposed on the right side of the suction port body 31, and is provided adjacent to the rear machine chamber 52R.

[0080] If the front electric motor chamber 51F and the front machine chamber 52F are provided side by side, the front electric motor chamber 51F and the front machine chamber 52F may be disposed on the right side of the suction port body 31. In this case, the front transmission mechanism 41F is also disposed on the right side of the suction port body 31. The rear electric motor chamber 51R, the rear machine chamber 52R, and the rear transmission mechanism 41R are disposed on the left side of the suction port body 31.

[0081] The rotation centerline of rotary cleaning member 28 is oriented in the width direction of suction port body 31. Rotary cleaning member 28 has radially extending brush bristles 59. Brush bristles 59 are multiple bristles that extend in the longitudinal direction of rotary cleaning member 28 and are arranged in the circumferential direction of rotary cleaning member 28.

[0082] The electric motor 29 has an output shaft 29a that protrudes into the machine chamber 52. The rotational centerline of the output shaft 29a is substantially parallel to the rotational centerline of the rotary cleaning member 28. Note that the suction port body 16 may be provided with a drive source for the rotary cleaning member 28 instead of the electric motor 29, such as a fan or turbine that rotates by air sucked in by negative suction pressure.

[0083] The power transmission mechanism 41 includes a driving gear 61 fixed to the output shaft 29a of the electric motor 29, a driven gear 62 provided on the rotary cleaning member 28, and an endless belt 63 wound around the driving gear 61 and the driven gear 62 to transmit the driving force from the electric motor 29 to the rotary cleaning member 28.

[0084] The suction port body control section 42 operates the electric motor 29 using power supplied from the vacuum cleaner body 12 via the extension pipe 15 .

[0085] The suction port body control unit 42 controls the rotation of the rotatable cleaning member 28 (i.e., the rotation of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R by the electric motor 29) based on the cleaning status detection results from the various detection units. Note that the suction port body control unit 42 controls the rotation of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R independently. Furthermore, the term "rotation" as used here includes the direction of rotation, the rotation speed, stopping, etc.

[0086] Here, detection of the cleaning state includes detection of obstacles around suction inlet body 16 by contact sensor 33, detection of the amount of dust by dust sensor 37, detection of movement of suction inlet body 16 by encoder 54, detection of floor contact by the distance between suction inlet body 16 and the floor surface using infrared reflection (not shown), or discrimination of the floor surface, such as hardwood or carpet, based on the rotation load state of rotary cleaning member 28 (i.e., overload state of electric motor 29) or the load state of electric blower 18. Furthermore, detection of obstacles around suction inlet body 16 is not limited to contact sensor 33, and non-contact sensors such as infrared or ultrasonic sensors may also be used.

[0087] Specifically, when the detection results of the various detection units satisfy a predetermined first condition, the suction port body control unit 42 rotates the front cleaning body 28F of each rotating cleaning member 28 in a forward direction that assists forward movement (direction Rf that assists forward movement of the suction port body 16) or in a reverse direction opposite to the direction Rf that assists forward movement (direction Rr that assists backward movement of the suction port body 16), and switches the rotation direction of each rotating cleaning member 28 so that the rear cleaning body 28R of each rotating cleaning member 28 follows the forward movement or backward movement of the suction port body 16 without rotating, or rotates in the direction Rf that assists forward movement or the direction Rr that assists backward movement.

[0088] In addition, when the detection results of the various detection units satisfy a second preset condition, the suction port unit control unit 42 switches the rotation direction of each rotary cleaning member 28 so that the front cleaning body 28F of each rotary cleaning member 28 rotates in a direction Rf that assists forward movement or a direction Rr that assists backward movement, and the rear cleaning body 28R of each rotary cleaning member rotates in a direction Rr that assists backward movement or a direction Rf that assists forward movement.

[0089] Of the various detection sections, dust sensor 37 detects the amount of dust contained in the dust-laden air sucked through suction port 27 as the cleaning status. In this case, the preset first condition includes a case where the detected amount of dust is equal to or less than a preset threshold, and the preset second condition includes a case where the detected amount of dust exceeds a preset threshold.

[0090] At this time, if the detection result of the dust sensor 37 satisfies the first condition, the suction port body control section 42 may set the rotation speeds of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R to be the same.

[0091] When the detection result of the dust sensor 37 satisfies the second condition, the suction port body control section 42 may increase the rotation speed of the front cleaning body 28F more than the rotation speed of the rear cleaning body 28R.

[0092] When the detection result of the dust sensor 37 satisfies the second condition, the suction port body control section 42 may increase the rotation speed of the rear cleaning body 28R in accordance with the amount of dust.

[0093] Of the various detection units, the encoder 54 detects the movement of the suction port body 16 as the cleaning state. In this case, the first condition includes a case where the movement of the suction port body 16 is detected, and the second condition includes a case where the stop of the suction port body 16 is detected.

[0094] Furthermore, when the encoder 54 detects the movement of the suction port body 16, the first condition includes detecting movement in the front-to-back direction (X direction) in the direction of travel of the suction port body 16, and the second condition includes detecting movement in the left-to-right direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the front-to-back direction in the direction of travel of the suction port body 16.

[0095] Of the various detection units, contact sensor 33 detects an obstacle (not shown) ahead in the direction of travel of suction mouth body 16 as the cleaning status. In this case, the first condition includes a case where no obstacle is detected, and the second condition includes a case where an obstacle is detected.

[0096] Among the various detection sections, switching element 83, which will be described later, detects the type of surface to be cleaned (i.e., flooring, carpet, etc.) as the cleaning state from the load state of rotation of rotary cleaning member 28 (i.e., overload state of motor 29) based on the current value of motor 29. The first condition includes the case where a surface to be cleaned with high rolling resistance for suction mouth body 16 (e.g., carpet) is detected, and the second condition includes the case where a surface to be cleaned with low rolling resistance for suction mouth body 16 (e.g., flooring) is detected.

[0097] Furthermore, when the switching element 83 detects an overload state of the motor 29, the first condition includes a case where the detected load exceeds a preset threshold, and the second condition includes a case where the detected load is equal to or less than the preset threshold.

[0098] In addition, the various detection units may be configured to detect the type of surface to be cleaned (i.e., flooring, carpet, etc.) as the cleaning status from the load state of electric blower 18 based on the current value of electric blower 18.

[0099] In addition, it is preferable that the suction port body control unit 42 prioritizes other detection results as the cleaning status detected by the various detection units mentioned above over the detection result of the amount of dust contained in the dust-laden air sucked in from the suction port 27.

[0100] The air path narrowing body 49 is provided with a partition wall 65 that separates the suction chamber 45 from the cleaning body chamber 46, separates the suction chamber 45 from the cleaning body chamber 46, and defines part of the edge of the suction port 27, and a dust removal protrusion 66 that protrudes from the edge of the partition wall 65 and contacts the rotating cleaning member 28.

[0101] The partition wall 65 that separates the suction chamber 45 and the front cleaning body chamber 46F is called the front partition wall 65F (first partition wall). The front partition wall 65F defines the front edge of the suction port 27. The dust removal protrusion 66 that protrudes from the edge of the front partition wall 65F and contacts the front cleaning body 28F is called the front protrusion 66F (first dust removal protrusion).

[0102] The partition wall 65 that separates the suction chamber 45 and the rear cleaning body chamber 46R is called the rear partition wall 65R (second partition wall). The rear partition wall 65R defines the rear edge of the suction port 27. The dust removal protrusion 66 that protrudes from the edge of the rear partition wall 65R and contacts the rear cleaning body 28R is called the rear protrusion 66R (second dust removal protrusion).

[0103] A portion of the inner surface of the suction chamber 45 (here, the rear inner surface of the suction chamber 45, the first remaining portion of the inner surface of the suction chamber 45) faces the front partition wall 65F and has a curved surface 68 in an arc shape that convex toward the front partition wall 65F. The curved surface 68 includes the inner surface of the rear partition wall 65R and a surface of the lower case 35 that is continuous with the inner surface of the rear partition wall 65R. The lower case 35 has an arc-shaped wall that defines a portion of the rear cleaning element chamber 46R. This wall has a substantially uniform thickness, concentrically surrounds the rear cleaning element 28R, and smoothly continues with the inner surface of the rear partition wall 65R.

[0104] Dust swept up from the surface to be cleaned f by the rotation of the front cleaning body 28F heads toward the curved surface 68 of the suction chamber 45. The curved surface 68 smoothly guides the flying dust toward the back side of the suction chamber 45 (downstream side).

[0105] Furthermore, a portion of the inner surface of the suction chamber 45 (here, the inner surface on each of the left and right sides of the suction chamber 45, a second remaining portion of the inner surface of the suction chamber 45) is connected to the partition wall 65 and has funnel-shaped inclined surfaces 71 that narrow the air passage width toward the rear (downstream) side of the suction chamber 45. The inclined surfaces 71 are connected to the front partition wall 65F and the rear partition wall 65R. In other words, the inclined surfaces 71 span between the front partition wall 65F and the rear partition wall 65R. A pair of inclined surfaces 71 is provided on the left and right sides of the air passage narrowing body 49. The left and right inclined surfaces 71 are inclined away from the corresponding ends of the air passage narrowing body 49 and incline toward the rear of the suction chamber 45 as they approach the center. The left and right inclined surfaces 71 are separated without merging. The gap between the left and right inclined surfaces 71 connects to the suction chamber 45 on the rear side of the inclined surfaces 71. The inclined surface 71 smoothly guides the air sucked through the suction port 27 that is elongated and widens in the width direction of the suction port body 16 to the back side of the suction chamber 45 that is connected to the connecting pipe 32.

[0106] In a vertical cross-sectional view of the suction port body 31, the inclined surface 71 has a stepped shape including a guide surface 72 facing the partition wall 65. The guide surface 72 faces the front partition wall 65F. This stepped portion may have a single step as shown in FIG. 7 or multiple steps. The stepped shape preferably extends across the entire width of the inclined surface 71. The bottom of each step may be flat or recessed. The guide surface 72 is preferably parallel to the front partition wall 65F. The guide surface 72 captures dust swept up by the front cleaning body 28F and guides it to the back of the suction chamber 45. The guide surface 72 also guides the ends of thread-like dust toward the back of the suction chamber 45 so that the middle portion of the thread-like dust is sandwiched between the front cleaning body 28F and the surface to be cleaned f, and one or both ends of the thread-like dust float toward the suction port 27 and do not climb over the rear partition wall 65R and approach the rear cleaning body 28R.

[0107] The dust removal protrusions 66 are positioned inside the rotational path of the rotary cleaning member 28. As the rotary cleaning member 28 rotates, the dust removal protrusions 66 repel the brush bristles 59 of the rotary cleaning member 28. At this time, the dust removal protrusions 66 repel thread-like dust that has adhered to the rotary cleaning member 28 and is attempting to enter the cleaning body chamber 46 from the brush bristles 59, causing the thread-like dust to detach from the rotary cleaning member 28. The thread-like dust that has detached from the rotary cleaning member 28 is easily sucked into the suction port 27. In other words, the dust removal protrusions 66 can prevent thread-like dust that has adhered to the rotary cleaning member 28 from entering the cleaning body chamber 46.

[0108] The dust removal protrusions 66 are preferably provided across the entire width of the partition wall 65. It is sufficient that the dust removal protrusions 66 bend the brush bristles 59 of the rotary cleaning member 28. Therefore, the shape of the dust removal protrusions 66 may be comb-shaped as shown in Figures 5 and 6, or may be plate-shaped with a uniform protruding length across the entire width. Because contact of the dust removal protrusions 66 increases the rotational resistance of the rotary cleaning member 28, the shape of the dust removal protrusions 66 is appropriately set depending on the output of the electric motor 29.

[0109] If the contact surface of the suction port body 16 is taken as the reference plane, the front protrusion 66F is substantially parallel to the reference plane. The rear protrusion 66R protrudes at an angle away from the reference plane. Note that if the main air passage 34a is disposed between the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R, dust will be guided into the main air passage 34a by the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R, and therefore the partitions 65 (front partitions 65F and rear partitions 65R) do not need to be provided.

[0110] Generally, a user moves suction port body 16 forward to make it enter an uncleaned surface f to be cleaned. At this time, thread-like dust on surface f to be cleaned moves from the front to the rear of suction port body 16. The inventor discovered that by making front protrusion 66F substantially parallel to the reference plane and tilting rear protrusion 66R away from the reference plane, thread-like dust becomes less likely to enter both front cleaning body chamber 46F and rear cleaning body chamber 46R.

[0111] The rear partition 65R also has a hole 73 that connects the suction chamber 45 and the rear cleaning element chamber 46R. The hole 73 is arranged in an area sandwiched between the left and right inclined surfaces 71. There may be multiple holes 73. The hole 73 discharges dust that has entered the rear cleaning element chamber 46R into the suction chamber 45 to prevent it from remaining in the rear cleaning element chamber 46R.

[0112] Dust that has entered the front cleaning body chamber 46F is discharged to the front of the suction port body 16 as the front cleaning body 28F rotates. In other words, dust that has entered the front cleaning body chamber 46F has a higher chance of being sucked into the suction port 27 while the suction port body 16 is moving forward than dust that has entered the rear cleaning body chamber 46R. Therefore, the front partition 65F does not need to have holes 73 like the rear partition 65R.

[0113] Furthermore, if dust gets into the cleaning element chamber 46, the user can visually check this through the permeable wall 47. That is, the user can visually check whether dust has gotten into the front cleaning element chamber 46F through the first permeable wall 47A, and can visually check whether dust has gotten into the rear cleaning element chamber 46R through the second permeable wall 47B.

[0114] A protrusion 75 having a vertical cross-sectional shape with an acute angle toward the rear cleaning body 28R is provided at a portion of the opening edge of the rear cleaning body chamber 46R facing the rear protrusion 66R. The protrusion 75 is provided at the rear portion of the opening edge of the rear cleaning body chamber 46R. When the suction port body 16 is used on a soft surface f to be cleaned, such as a carpet, the suction port main body 31 sinks into the surface f to be cleaned. In such a case, the protrusion 75 scrapes up the surface f to be cleaned like the blade of a bulldozer, scraping out dust that has become embedded in the carpet.

[0115] It is preferable that the protruding portion 75 spans the entire width of the rear cleaning body chamber 46R. Furthermore, when the suction port body 16 is used on a hard surface f to be cleaned, such as a wooden floor, the protruding portion 75 may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the suction port body 31 as long as it does not come into contact with the surface f to be cleaned.

[0116] The suction port body 16 may include three or more rotary cleaning members 28, including a front cleaning body 28F and a rear cleaning body 28R, sandwiching the suction port 27 therebetween. That is, the suction port body 16 may include three or more cleaning body chambers 46, including a front cleaning body chamber 46F and a rear cleaning body chamber 46R, partitioned outside the suction chamber 45 and sandwiching the suction port 27 therebetween, and three or more rotary cleaning members 28, including a front cleaning body 28F and a rear cleaning body 28R, disposed in each cleaning body chamber 46. In this case, it is preferable that the number of cleaning body chambers 46 and rotary cleaning members 28 be the same. The number of electric motors 29, electric motor chambers 51, power transmission mechanisms 41, and machine chambers 52 may be the same as the number of cleaning body chambers 46 and rotary cleaning members 28, or may be fewer than the number of cleaning body chambers 46 and rotary cleaning members 28, as long as the plurality of rotary cleaning members 28 can be driven simultaneously. For example, the driving force of one electric motor 29 may be distributed by a power transmission mechanism 41 to drive a plurality of rotary cleaning members 28 simultaneously.

[0117] The suction port body 16 may also be provided with three or more permeable walls 47, including a first permeable wall 47A that visibly covers the front cleaning body 28F and a second permeable wall 47B that visibly covers the rear cleaning body 28R. In this case, each permeable wall 47 is provided in each cleaning body chamber 46. The permeable member 56 may be all or part of the three or more permeable walls 47.

[0118] FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of the suction port unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 9, the suction mouth body 16 according to this embodiment drives the electric motor 29 with power supplied from the secondary battery 13 attached to the cleaner body 12.

[0120] The suction port body control unit 42 of the suction port body 16 includes a control power supply generation unit 81 that reduces the power supplied from the secondary battery 13 and outputs a power supply for control, a plurality of switching elements 83 that open and close an electric circuit 82 that supplies driving power from the secondary battery 13 to each electric motor 29, a reference voltage generation unit 85 that generates a reference voltage for pulse width modulation (PWM) control using the power supplied from the control power supply generation unit 81, and a plurality of PWM control units 86 that individually control the opening and closing of each switching element 83.

[0121] The switching element 83 is an element such as a bidirectional thyristor (Triode AC Switch, TRIAC), a reverse-blocking three-terminal thyristor (Silicon Controlled Rectifier, SCR), or a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor). The switching element 83 has a gate 83a connected to the PWM control unit 86. The switching element 83 changes the input (drive current) of the motor 29 in response to changes in the gate current or gate voltage.

[0122] When at least one of the multiple electric motors 29 is in an overload state, the suction port body control unit 42 stops the overloaded electric motor 29 and allows the other non-overloaded electric motors 29 to continue operating. That is, each PWM control unit 86 detects the value of the current flowing through the corresponding electric motor 29, for example, with a current sensor (not shown), and when this current value becomes excessive, stops the electric motor 29.

[0123] The suction port body control unit 42 may be configured to stop all of the electric motors 29 when at least one of the electric motors 29 is overloaded. In this case, only one PWM control unit 86 is required.

[0124] As described above, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to this embodiment includes various detectors that detect the cleaning state, and the suction port body control unit 42 that controls the rotation of each rotatable cleaning member 28 (front cleaning body 28F and rear cleaning body 28R) based on the detection results of the detectors. The suction port body control unit 42 controls the rotation of the front cleaning body 28F and rear cleaning body 28R based on the detection results of the detectors. Specifically, when the detection results of the various detection units satisfy a predetermined first condition, the suction port body control unit 42 rotates the front cleaning body 28F of each rotating cleaning member 28 in a forward direction that assists forward movement (direction Rf that assists forward movement of the suction port body 16) or in a reverse direction opposite to the direction Rf that assists forward movement (direction Rr that assists backward movement of the suction port body 16), and switches the rotation direction of each rotating cleaning member 28 so that the rear cleaning body 28R of each rotating cleaning member 28 follows the forward movement or backward movement of the suction port body 16 without rotating, or rotates in the direction Rf that assists forward movement or the direction Rr that assists backward movement. In addition, when the detection results of the various detection units satisfy a second preset condition, the suction port unit control unit 42 switches the rotation direction of each rotary cleaning member 28 so that the front cleaning body 28F of each rotary cleaning member 28 rotates in a direction Rf that assists forward movement or a direction Rr that assists backward movement, and the rear cleaning body 28R of each rotary cleaning member rotates in a direction Rr that assists backward movement or a direction Rf that assists forward movement.

[0125] Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 can clean with a light operating force by switching the rotation of the rotary cleaning member 28 in a direction that assists the user's operation depending on the cleaning condition. Furthermore, when there is a large amount of dust, dust collection can be improved by switching the rotation of the rotary cleaning member 28 in a direction that increases the force that sweeps up the dust. In other words, dust collection can be improved without increasing the suction force (input of the electric blower 18). This optimizes the conflicting goals of assisting the advancement of the suction inlet body 16 and collecting dust. In other words, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 maintains the efficiency of sweeping dust from the floor surface while preventing the suction inlet body 16 from sticking to the floor surface, thereby avoiding difficulties in the advancement of the suction inlet body 16 and improving operability. Thus, by improving the operability of the suction inlet body 16, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 can reduce the burden on the user, such as increased user fatigue, during cleaning tasks, and improve usability.

[0126] Furthermore, based on the cleaning status detection results from the various detectors, the suction port body control unit 42 independently controls the rotation of the rotary cleaning member 28, i.e., the rotation of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R driven by the electric motor 29. This makes it easy to optimize the conflicting objectives of assisting the advancement of the suction port body 16 and collecting dust.

[0127] Detection of the cleaning status includes detecting obstacles around the suction port body 16 using the contact sensor 33, detecting the amount of dust using the dust sensor 37, detecting the movement of the suction port body 16 using the encoder 54, detecting the floor contact surface based on the distance between the suction port body 16 and the floor surface using infrared reflection (not shown), or determining whether the floor surface is wood or carpet based on the rotation load state of the rotating cleaning member 28 (i.e., an overload state of the electric motor 29) or the load state of the electric blower 18.

[0128] Of the various detection units, dust sensor 37 detects the amount of dust contained in the dust-laden air sucked through suction port 27 to determine the cleaning status. In this case, the first preset condition includes a case where the detected amount of dust is equal to or less than a preset threshold, and the second preset condition includes a case where the detected amount of dust exceeds a preset threshold. In this way, when a large amount of dust is sucked in, the traveling assistance is reduced, the traveling speed is slowed, and the scraping force is increased, thereby optimizing the conflicting objectives of assisting the movement of suction port body 16 and collecting dust.

[0129] Furthermore, when the detection result of the dust sensor 37 satisfies the first condition, the suction port body control unit 42 may set the rotation speeds of the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R to be the same. This makes it possible to minimize the current output and thereby save energy.

[0130] Furthermore, when the detection result of the dust sensor 37 satisfies the second condition, the suction port body control unit 42 may increase the rotation speed of the front cleaning body 28F more than the rotation speed of the rear cleaning body 28R. This improves the assisting ability to assist the advancement of the suction port body 16 while maintaining the dust collection power.

[0131] Furthermore, when the detection result of the dust sensor 37 satisfies the second condition, the suction port body control unit 42 may increase the rotation speed of the rear cleaning body 28R in accordance with the amount of dust. This makes it possible to improve the dust collection power in accordance with the amount of dust. In particular, when combined with an increase in the rotation speed of the front cleaning body 28F, the increased rotation speed of the rear cleaning body 28R improves dust collection performance, while the increased rotation speed of the front cleaning body 28F ensures an auxiliary function of assisting forward movement.

[0132] Furthermore, it is preferable that the cleaning state is determined by detecting the movement of the suction port body 16 using the encoder 54, with a first condition including the detection of movement of the suction port body 16 and a second condition including the detection of a stop of the suction port body 16. This allows the movement of the suction port body 16 to be assisted when it is moved, and the assistance in the advancement of the suction port body 16 to be stopped when it is stopped, and allows instantaneous switching between the same direction as the advancement direction immediately before the stop and the opposite direction, improving dust collection power and optimizing the conflict between assisting the advancement of the suction port body 16 and collecting dust.

[0133] Furthermore, when the encoder 54 detects the movement of the suction port body 16, a first condition includes the detection of movement in the front-to-rear direction (X direction) in the traveling direction of the suction port body 16, and a second condition includes the detection of movement in the left-to-right direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction in the traveling direction of the suction port body 16. This assists the movement of the suction port body 16 in the front-to-rear direction (X direction) in the traveling direction, while preventing misalignment in the front-to-rear direction when the suction port body 16 moves in the left-to-right direction (Y direction), allowing the suction port body 16 to move easily in the left-to-right direction without sticking to the floor surface.

[0134] Furthermore, when contact sensor 33 detects an obstacle (not shown) ahead in the traveling direction of suction inlet body 16 as the cleaning state, the first condition includes a case where no obstacle is detected, and the second condition includes a case where an obstacle is detected. Thus, when there is no obstacle in the traveling direction of suction inlet body 16, the movement can be assisted, and when an obstacle is detected, for example, when a wall is detected as the obstacle, dust from the wall is scraped out to improve dust collection power, and the system can smoothly switch to assisting in the next operation, which is reversing.

[0135] Furthermore, when the switching element 83 detects the type of surface to be cleaned (e.g., hardwood floor, carpet, etc.) as the cleaning status based on the current value of the motor 29, the first condition includes when the detected load exceeds a preset threshold, i.e., when a surface to be cleaned (e.g., carpet) with high rolling resistance for the suction nozzle 16 is detected. Furthermore, the second condition includes when the detected load is equal to or less than a preset threshold, i.e., when a surface to be cleaned (e.g., hardwood floor) with low rolling resistance for the suction nozzle 16 is detected. This allows the trade-off between assisting the movement of the suction nozzle 16 and collecting dust to be optimized depending on the condition of the floor surface. When the surface to be cleaned is a sticky material such as a long-pile carpet or linoleum, the suction nozzle 16 moves more easily, and when the surface is hardwood, the polishing effect on the floor (surface to be cleaned) is improved.

[0136] In addition, the various detection units may be configured to detect the type of surface to be cleaned (i.e., flooring, carpet, etc.) as the cleaning status from the load state of electric blower 18 based on the current value of electric blower 18.

[0137] Furthermore, it is preferable that suction port body control unit 42 prioritizes the results of detection other than the result of detection of the amount of dust contained in the dust-laden air sucked through suction port 27 as the cleaning status detected by the various detectors described above. This allows the next movement of suction port body 16 to be prioritized regardless of the amount of dust.

[0138] Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a plurality of rotating cleaning members 28 that rotate in a direction to sweep and collect dust on the surface f to be cleaned toward the suction port 27 when the suction port body 31 is placed on the surface f to be cleaned. Therefore, the suction port body 16 and the vacuum cleaner 1 can more reliably capture dust on the surface f to be cleaned by the rotating cleaning members 28 located in front of the suction port 27 and the rotating cleaning members 28 located behind the suction port 27 as the suction port body 16 moves.

[0139] Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to this embodiment includes a motor 29 that has a portion closer to the surface to be cleaned f than a line connecting the portion 28Fa of the front cleaning body 28F that is farthest from the surface to be cleaned f and the portion Fb of the rear cleaning body 28R that is farthest from the surface to be cleaned f, and is disposed between the front cleaning body 28F and the rear cleaning body 28R. Therefore, the suction port body 16 and the vacuum cleaner 1 can minimize the height of the suction port main body 31. Furthermore, the suction port body 16 and the vacuum cleaner 1 lower the ridgeline of the suction port body 16, preventing the permeable wall 47 from being hidden from the line of sight of the user of the vacuum cleaner 1 and improving the visibility of the rotary cleaning member 28.

[0140] Furthermore, in the suction port body 16 and the electric vacuum cleaner 1 according to this embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of electric motors 29 is in an overload state, only the overloaded electric motor 29 may be stopped, or all of the plurality of electric motors 29 may be stopped. In either case, the suction port body 16 and the electric vacuum cleaner 1 allow the user to easily visually check, by the use of the permeable wall 47, whether the operating status of the plurality of rotary cleaning members 28 is normal or not.

[0141] Therefore, the suction port body 16 and electric vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment can prevent thread-like dust from getting wrapped around the rotating cleaning member 28, and if thread-like dust does get wrapped around the rotating cleaning member 28, it can be easily detected.

[0142] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1...electric vacuum cleaner, 11...handle, 12...vacuum cleaner body, 13...secondary battery, 15...extension tube, 16...suction port body, 16a...suction opening, 17...main body case, 17a...front half, 17b...rear half, 18...electric blower, 19...dust separation and collection section, 21...main body control section, 23...main body connection port, 26...input section, 26a...operation start switch, 26b...operation stop switch, 26c...brush switch, 27...suction port, 28...rotating cleaning member, 28F...front cleaning body, 28Fa...front cleaning body the top of the rear cleaning body, 28R... the rear cleaning body, 28Ra... the top of the rear cleaning body, 29... the motor, 29F... the front motor, 29R... the rear motor, 29a... the output shaft, 31... the suction port body, 31a... the bottom, 32... the connecting pipe, 33... the contact sensor, 34... the suction flow path, 34a... the main air path, 35... the lower case, 36... the upper case, 37... the dust sensor, 38... the rotating connecting pipe, 39... the swinging connecting pipe, 41... the power transmission mechanism, 41F... the front transmission mechanism, 41R... the rear transmission mechanism, 42... the suction port body control section, 45 ...Suction chamber, 46...Cleaning body chamber, 46F...Front cleaning body chamber, 46R...Rear cleaning body chamber, 47...Permeable wall, 47A...First permeable wall, 47B...Second permeable wall, 47BL, 47BR...Divided permeable wall, 48...Air duct cover, 49...Air duct narrowing body, 50...Rotor, 51...Motor chamber, 51F...Front motor chamber, 51R...Rear motor chamber, 52...Machine chamber, 52F...Front machine chamber, 52R...Rear machine chamber, 53...Control chamber, 54...Encoder, 55...Window, 55F...Front cleaning body window, 55R...Rear cleaning body window , 55RL, 55RR...dividing window, 56...transparent member, 57...relay pipe, 59...brush bristles, 61...main gear, 62...driven gear, 63...belt, 65...partition wall, 65F...front partition wall, 65R...rear partition wall, 66...dust removal protrusion, 66F...front protrusion, 66R...rear protrusion, 68...curved surface, 71...inclined surface, 72...guide surface, 73...hole, 75...protrusion, 81...control power supply generating unit, 82...electrical circuit, 83...switching element, 83a...gate, 85...reference voltage generating unit, 86...PWM control unit.

Claims

1. an intake body having an intake port, an intake chamber connected to the intake port, a main air passage connecting an intake opening opened on a bottom surface facing a surface to be cleaned to the intake chamber via the intake port, at least two rotary cleaning members arranged on either side of the intake port and the main air passage, including a first rotary cleaning member arranged forward of the intake port and rotatably supported, and a second rotary cleaning member arranged rearward of the intake port and rotatably supported, and at least two electric motors including a first electric motor that drives the first rotary cleaning member and a second electric motor that drives the second rotary cleaning member; a detection unit that detects the type of surface to be cleaned, including a first surface to be cleaned having a large running resistance of the suction mouth body and a second surface to be cleaned having a smaller running resistance than the first surface to be cleaned, and the movement of the suction mouth body, including a forward movement in which the first rotating cleaning member precedes the second rotating cleaning member in the direction of travel of the suction mouth body, a backward movement in which the second rotating cleaning member precedes the first rotating cleaning member in the direction of travel of the suction mouth body, and a left-right movement in which the suction mouth body moves in a direction perpendicular to the forward movement and the backward movement; a control unit that controls the electric motors based on the detection results of the detection units to individually control the rotation of each of the rotary cleaning members; Equipped with The control unit When the type of the surface to be cleaned is the first surface to be cleaned as a result of the detection by the detection unit, and the movement of the suction port body is the forward movement or the backward movement, driving the electric motors to rotate the first rotary cleaning member and the second rotary cleaning member in directions that assist the forward movement or the backward movement of the suction port body, respectively; When the type of the surface to be cleaned is the first surface to be cleaned and the movement of the suction port body is the left-right movement as a result of the detection by the detection unit, driving the first electric motor to rotate the first rotatable cleaning member in a direction to assist the forward movement, and driving the second electric motor to rotate the second rotatable cleaning member in a direction to assist the backward movement; When the type of the surface to be cleaned is the second surface to be cleaned as a result of the detection by the detection unit, and the movement of the suction port body is the forward movement, the backward movement, or the left-right movement, the first electric motor is driven to rotate the first rotatable cleaning member in a direction that assists the forward movement, and the second electric motor is driven to rotate the second rotatable cleaning member in a direction that assists the backward movement.

2. The cleaning state includes a state of the suction mouth body including a movement of the suction mouth body and a stop of the suction mouth body, The control unit When the type of the surface to be cleaned is the first surface to be cleaned or the second surface to be cleaned as a result of the detection by the detection unit, and the state of the suction port body is the stopped state, 2. The electric vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first electric motor is driven to rotate the first rotatable cleaning member in a direction that assists the forward movement, and the second electric motor is driven to rotate the second rotatable cleaning member in a direction that assists the backward movement.

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