Suction tool and electric vacuum cleaner

Abstract

The present invention provides a suction tool and electric vacuum cleaner capable of easily collecting dust on end sides thereof in the axial direction.　This suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner is provided with: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit serving as a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool body having a rotary cleaning body chamber (6b) in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably disposed. The suction tool body is provided with: a suction port (6a) disposed on the bottom side; a communication port (6c) positioned on the center side of the rotary cleaning body in the axial direction and positioned behind an axis line (L5) of the rotary cleaning body with respect to a direction orthogonal to the axial direction; and a protruding body (6d) that protrudes from the inner wall (6j) of the rotary cleaning body chamber (6b) and comes into contact with the cleaning body. The protruding body (6d) extends in such a manner as to have an extension direction intersecting with the axial direction, and a front-side end (6d1) of the protruding body (6d) in the front-rear direction is positioned ahead of a rear-side end (6d2) of the protruding body (6d) in the front-rear direction with respect to the axial direction from one end side to the center side of the protruding body (6d).

Description

Suction tools and vacuum cleaners

[0001] The present invention relates to a suction tool and a vacuum cleaner that include a rotary cleaning body.

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner, which has a protruding portion that protrudes from a partition wall that separates a front space where a rotating brush is arranged from a rear space where a communication port is located, toward the rotating brush (rotating cleaning body) and comes into contact with the rotating brush.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-25289

[0004] The above-mentioned suction tool has a problem in that the further away from the center of the rotating brush is from the center to the edge in the axial direction, the more difficult it is for dust to be drawn into the communication port. In other words, dust at the edge of the rotating brush in the axial direction has difficulty reaching the communication port and tends to remain at the edge. The present invention aims to provide a suction tool and vacuum cleaner that easily collects dust at the edge of the axial direction.

[0005] The suction tool of the present invention is a suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner comprising a rotating cleaning body having a cleaning body, a drive unit which is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body, and a suction tool body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged, wherein the suction tool body has a suction port arranged on the bottom side, a communication port which is located towards the centre in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and is located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a protrusion which protrudes from the inner wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and comes into contact with the cleaning body, the protrusion extending so that its extension direction intersects with the axial direction, and as one end moves from the one end towards the centre in the axial direction, the front end is located further forward than the rear end in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0006] According to the above configuration, dust on the end side in the axial direction is easily collected.

[0007] 1 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the suction tool perpendicular to the left-right direction; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the suction tool in a disassembled state, viewed from above the front; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the suction tool in a disassembled state, viewed from below the rear; FIG. 5 is a view of the case of the suction tool main body, viewed from the cleaning surface side; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the case of the suction tool main body, viewed from the cleaning surface side; FIG. 7 is a view of the rotary cleaning body, viewed from above; FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the other-end support unit, showing the rotary cleaning body separated from the support unit; FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining the other-end support unit, showing the rotary cleaning body supported by the support unit; FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the one-end support unit and the drive unit, viewed from above from the inside in the left-right direction; FIG. 11 is a perspective view for explaining the one-end support unit and the drive unit, viewed from above from the outside in the left-right direction; FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the movement of dust, showing a state in which dust is present at the end side (left side) in the left-right direction; FIG. 13 is a view for explaining the movement of dust, showing a state in which dust is present at the center of the end side in the left-right direction while moving toward the center side in the left-right direction. Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the movement of dust, showing a state in which dust that has moved in the left-right direction is present at the center in the left-right direction. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a protrusion of a suction tool of a second embodiment, showing a state in which the front cover part has been removed leaving the protrusion. Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a protrusion of a modified example. Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining a protrusion of a modified example.

[0008] <<Embodiments>> <First Embodiment> 1. Overview As shown in FIG. 1 , the electric vacuum cleaner X includes a vacuum cleaner main body 1, an extension tube 2, and a suction tool 3. When cleaning a floor, the vacuum cleaner main body 1 is positioned on the upper side and the suction tool 3 is positioned on the lower side. The vacuum cleaner main body 1 includes a housing 11 that houses an electric blower, a battery, etc., and a dust collection unit 12 that is detachably attached to the housing 11. A handle 13, an operation unit 14, and an extension tube connector 15 are provided on the housing 11. The extension tube connector 15 is provided on the lower end side of the vacuum cleaner main body 1. In this embodiment, the dust collection unit 12 is a cyclone type, but it may also be a paper bag type. In the case of a paper bag type, the dust collection unit 12 is provided as part of the housing 11, thereby forming an integrated structure. The extension tube 2 has a tubular portion 21. The extension tube 2 has a main body connector 22 at one end for detachably connecting to the extension tube connector 15 of the vacuum cleaner main body 1, and a suction tool connector 23 at the other end for detachably connecting to the suction tool 3. The extension tube 2 may be made up of two tubes and be telescopic, or may be made up of a single tube and be non-telescopic. The extension tube 2 may also be fixed to at least one of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 and the suction tool 3. As shown in FIG. 2 , the suction tool 3 includes a rotary cleaning body 4 attached to a suction tool main body 6. The suction tool main body 6 is a so-called power brush type that has a drive source for driving the rotary cleaning body 4. The suction tool 3 will be described below based on the state in which the suction tool 3 is cleaning a floor surface. The imaginary line along which the rotation axis of the rotating cleaning body 4 extends is referred to as the axis, the direction in which the axis extends (including the direction parallel to the axis) is referred to as the axial direction or left-right direction, the right side facing the suction tool 3 is referred to as the right side of the axial direction, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the up-down direction is referred to as the front-to-back direction, and the side along which the suction tool 3 moves due to the rotation of the rotating cleaning body 4 is referred to as the front side.

[0009] 2 or 3, the suction tool 3 comprises a rotary cleaning body 4 having a cleaning body 42, a drive unit 50 having a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body, and a suction tool main body 6 having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body 4 is rotatably disposed. Note that in this case, support units 55 and 56 are also provided for rotatably supporting the rotary cleaning body.

[0010] (2-1) Rotary Cleaning Body As shown in FIG. 5C , the rotary cleaning body 4 includes at least a cylindrical rotor 41 and a cleaning body 42 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 41. Here, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D , the rotary cleaning body 4 further includes a driven member 43 attached to one axial end (right end) of the rotor 41 and a support member 44 attached to the other axial end (left end) of the rotor 41 for rotatably supporting the other end. The rotary cleaning body 4 is retractable into and retractable from the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b. The support member 44 is supported by a support unit 56, enabling the rotor 41 to rotate, and the driven member 43 is rotationally driven by a drive unit 5. The drive unit functions as a drive unit. The cleaning body 42 is disposed so as to protrude radially outward and extend along the axis of the rotor 41. As a result, the rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4 allows dust to be scraped off from the floor surface. The cleaning elements 42 may be arranged in one or more rows. In this embodiment, there are multiple rows (e.g., four rows) spaced circumferentially (e.g., equally spaced). The cleaning elements 42 are arranged so as to move from one axial side to the other circumferential side of the circumferential surface of the rotating element 41. In this embodiment, the cleaning elements 42 are arranged spirally on the rotating element 41. When viewed from the axial direction, the angle between both ends of the cleaning element 42 is in the range of 150 to 190°, e.g., 170°. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5C , when viewed from above, the angle B between the extension direction L6 of the cleaning element 42 and the axis (rotation axis) L5 of the rotating cleaning element 4 is in the range of 10 to 25°, and is 15° in this example. The cleaning element 42 is made of an elastically deformable material such as fiber or rubber, or a combination thereof. The radially extending tip of the cleaning element 42 collides with a protrusion 6d of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b, which will be described later, causing dust adhering to the cleaning element 42 to separate from (drop off from) the cleaning element 42.

[0011] (2-2) Drive Unit As shown in FIG. 3, the drive unit 50 is housed within the suction tool main body 6. As shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the drive unit 50 includes a drive output section 51 that outputs a drive force, a drive input section 52 that inputs the rotational drive to the rotary cleaning body 4, and a drive transmission means 53 that transmits the drive force of the drive output section 51 to the drive input section 52. The drive output section 51 includes a motor 511 and a gear (output pulley) 512 attached to the rotation shaft (driving shaft) of the motor. The drive input section 52 includes a fitting body 521 having a protrusion 521a that detachably fits into a recess 43a of the driven tool 43 of the rotary cleaning body 4, a drive (driven) shaft (not shown) provided on the fitting body 521, and a toothed pulley (driven pulley) 522 provided on the drive shaft. The drive transmission means 53 is a toothed belt wound around a gear 512 and a toothed pulley 522. The output side (motor 511 side) rotation shaft and the input side drive shaft are supported by bearings 513 and 523, and the fitting body 521 is rotatably supported by a support body 54 to which the motor 511 is fixed.

[0012] (2-3) Support Unit The support unit has a one-end support unit 55 that supports one axial end of the rotary cleaning body 4, and an other-end support unit 56 that supports the other axial end. Here, an example of one end is the right side, and an example of the other end is the left side. The one-end support unit 55 is composed of, for example, a fitting body 521 of the drive unit 50 and a support body 54 that rotatably supports the fitting body 521. The one-end support unit 55 constitutes a part of the drive unit 50. The other-end support unit 56 is detachably provided on the lower case 61 of the suction tool main body 6, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6A, and 6B. The other end support unit 56 has a lower cover portion 561 that covers the opening 6p adjacent to the suction port 6a from below, engagement portions 562, 563 that engage with engagement portions 6q, 6r (see Figure 5B) of the lower case 61, and an abutment portion 564 that abuts against the convex portion 441 of the support device 44 of the rotating cleaning body 4 from below.

[0013] (2-4) Suction Tool Main Body The suction tool main body 6 sucks dust from the cleaning surface and sends the sucked dust through the extension tube 2 to the vacuum cleaner main body 1. Note that the suction force for dust is generated by the electric blower of the vacuum cleaner main body 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the suction tool main body 6 has a suction port 6a located on the bottom side, a rotary cleaning body chamber 6b that houses the rotary cleaning body 4, a communication port 6c that connects the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b to the vacuum cleaner main body 1, and a protrusion 6d that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b and comes into contact with the rotary cleaning body 4 (cleaning body 42). Note that the lead-out line of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b is indicated by an arrow to distinguish it from the lead-out line of the wall that forms the space. Here, the suction tool main body 6 further has a drive chamber 6e in which the drive unit 50 is disposed and a support chamber 6f in which the support unit (56) is disposed. The suction tool body 6 has a communication passage 6g that connects the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b with the extension pipe 2. The opening of the communication passage 6g on the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b side is a communication port 6c.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, suction port 6a is provided corresponding to rotary cleaning body 4 and has a rectangular shape elongated in the axial direction of rotary cleaning body 4. As shown in Figure 2, suction port 6a is provided so as to extend rearward from the front wall that forms the front end of suction tool main body 6. The rear end of suction port 6a is rearward of the rotation axis of rotary cleaning body 4. The lower end of the front wall of suction tool main body 6 (here, the lower end of bumper 621) is located, for example, in a range from a position 5% above the radius of rotary cleaning body 4 to a position 60% below the radius of rotary cleaning body 4, relative to an imaginary line L1 that passes through the axis of rotary cleaning body 4 and is parallel to the cleaning surface. This allows large dust particles to be sucked in without reducing suction power.

[0015] The rotary cleaning body chamber 6b accommodates the rotary cleaning body 4 with a portion (lower end) of the rotary cleaning body 4 extending toward the cleaning surface. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5B, the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b has a rear wall 6h and an upper wall 6j. Here, the rear wall 6h is substantially perpendicular to the cleaning surface. The connecting port 6c of the joint 65 is provided between the left and right rear walls 6h. The upper wall 6j is spaced apart from the rotary cleaning body 4. The space is, for example, within a range of 25 to 50% of the radius of the rotary cleaning body 4. Here, the upper wall 6j is arc-shaped. The rear end of the upper wall 6j is connected to the upper end of the rear wall 6h.

[0016] The communication port 6c is located at the center in the left-right direction of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b and is located rearward of the axis L5 of the rotary cleaning body 4. Here, the communication port 6c is arranged at the center in the left-right direction of the rear wall 6h.

[0017] The suction tool body 6 has protrusions 6d that protrude from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b and contact the rotary cleaning body 4 (cleaning body 42). While FIGS. 5A and 5B show a case in which the protrusions 6d are present on both sides of the axial center of the rotary cleaning body 4, they may be present on at least one side. Because one protrusion 6d and the other protrusion 6d have many structural similarities, the following description will focus on the common features between the one (left) protrusion 6d and the other (right) protrusion 6d. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B , the protrusions 6d protrude in a rib-like manner from the upper wall 6j (the inner wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b) downward or toward the rotary cleaning body 4. Specifically, the protrusions 6d extend from one end toward the center of the rotary cleaning body 4 in the axial direction so that the front end 6d1 is located further forward than the rear end 6d2 in the front-to-rear direction, and the extension direction intersects with the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 4. The rear end is referred to as the rear end, and the front end is referred to as the front end. In other words, the protrusion 6d extends at an angle from one end toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body 4, moving away from the front with respect to an imaginary plane P (see FIGS. 2 and 3 ) that includes the opening edge of the communication port 6c. This allows dust present around the rotary cleaning body 4 to be captured on the rear side of the protrusion 6d (on the side opposite the rotational direction of the rotary cleaning body 4 relative to the protrusion 6d) (see dust 9 in FIG. 7A ). Here, dust present around the rotary cleaning body 4 includes dust stirred up by the rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4 and dust adhering to the cleaning body 42.

[0018] In this embodiment, the upper wall 6j of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b is arc-shaped to accommodate the rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4, and as shown in FIG. 2, the lower end (protruding end) of the protrusion 6d is also arc-shaped. The center end (front end 6d1) of the protrusion 6d, i.e., the lower end of the front end on the bumper 621 side, extends in the front-to-rear direction when viewed from the left-to-right direction. The protrusion 6d has a curved portion 6d5 that curves in the direction of rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4 and a straight portion 6d6 that extends in the front-to-rear direction. The curved portion 6d5 protrudes from the upper wall 6j, and the straight portion 6d6 protrudes from the upper wall 6j and the rear wall 6h. When viewed from the left-to-right direction, the angle A of the curved portion 6d5 in the direction of rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4 (the angle A between the imaginary lines L2 and L3 in FIG. 2) is within a range of 40 to 110°, and is approximately 75° in this example. Imaginary line L2 is an imaginary line connecting the front end of curved portion 6d5 to axis L5, and imaginary line L3 is an imaginary line connecting the rear end of curved portion 6d5 to axis L5. The position of the front end of curved portion 6d5 is a position where angle D between imaginary line L1 and imaginary line L2 is in the range of 10 to 35 degrees, and here it is 30 degrees. The position of the rear end is a position where angle E between imaginary line L1 and imaginary line L3 is in the range of 20 to 60 degrees, and here it is 40 degrees.

[0019] As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the protrusion 6d extends in the left-right direction, moving away from the communication port 6c in the front-rear direction as it moves from its end toward the center. That is, as shown in Figure 5A, when viewed from below (the suction port 6a side), it is inclined with respect to the axis L5 of the rotary cleaning body 4, and the left-right end (rear end 6d2) of the protrusion 6d is located further rearward than the left-right center end (front end 6d1). This reduces the problem of dust continuing to rotate at the axial end of the rotary cleaning body 4 due to the rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4 and not moving toward the communication port 6c (accumulating there). When viewed from below, the protrusion 6d extends linearly. Here, "linear" means that it does not have both one or more convexities and one or more concaveities in plan view. In other words, the slope of the tangent to the protrusion 6d does not have an extreme value, i.e., it does not have a maximum value where the slope of the tangent to the protrusion 6d reverses from positive to negative, or a minimum value where the slope of the tangent to the protrusion 6d reverses from negative to positive. This allows dust to be moved smoothly forward. As shown in FIG. 5A, when viewed from the vertical direction (from below in this case), the protrusion 6d intersects with an imaginary plane H (see FIG. 2). The imaginary plane H is an imaginary plane that passes through the rotation axis (axis L5) of the rotary cleaning body 4 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A and is parallel to the direction of gravity. As shown in FIG. 5A, when viewed from the cleaning surface side, the intersection angle C between the axis L5 of the rotary cleaning body 4 and the protrusion 6d is in the range of 15 to 45°, and is 30° in this case.

[0020] Each protrusion 6d extends continuously from the left-right end toward the center. This allows for smooth dust movement. In other words, if there is a gap (discontinuous portion) along the extension direction of the protrusion 6d (the direction intersecting the axis L5 in FIG. 5A ), dust will become trapped there, preventing smooth dust movement. Note that gaps that do not impede dust movement are conceptually considered continuous. When viewed from the top-bottom direction (here, from below), each protrusion 6d has a first portion 6d3 located closer to the center of the communication opening 6c (a virtual line L4 that passes through the left-right end of the communication opening 6c and extends in the front-to-back direction) and a second portion 6d4 located closer to the end of the communication opening 6c. Here, the second portion 6d4 is longer than the first portion 6d3.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5A , the front end 6d1 of the protrusion 6d in the extension direction is located closer to the center of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b than the imaginary line L4 in the left-right direction and closer to the imaginary line L4 than the center line C1 in the front-rear direction passing through the center of the communication opening 6c. The front end 6d1 of the protrusion 6d may be located closer to the end of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b than the imaginary line L4 in the left-right direction and closer to the imaginary line L4 than the end of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b. This makes it easier for dust guided toward the center in the left-right direction along the protrusion 6d to be sucked into the communication opening 6c. In other words, the front end 6d1 of the protrusion 6d is located near the imaginary line L4 that passes through the edge of the communication opening 6c and extends in the front-rear direction. Here, "near" refers to a distance from the imaginary line L4 that is within 30% of the left-right dimension of the communication opening 6c. In Fig. 5A, the protrusion 6d is spaced about 20% inward (toward the center line C1) of the communication opening 6c from the imaginary line L4. As shown in Fig. 5B, the protrusion 6d at the end (front end 6d1) on the left-right center side protrudes less toward the end (tapers toward the end). This allows dust moving along the protrusion 6d to easily separate from the protrusion 6d.

[0022] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A , the rear end 6d2 of the protrusion 6d in the extension direction is located closer to the end of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b in the left-right direction than the center line C1. The left-right end of the protrusion 6d (rear end 6d2) may be located inside, outside, or aligned with the axial end of the cleaning element 42 of the rotary cleaning element 4 (the end on the side where the protrusion 6d is located). Note that having the end located outside the cleaning element 42 makes it easier to capture dust present at the end of the cleaning element 42. Here, we will explain the case where the protrusions 6d are located on both sides of the center of the rotary cleaning element 4 in the left-right direction. The individual structures of the left and right protrusions 6d are as described above, but as shown in FIG. 5A , when viewed from the cleaning surface, the protrusions 6d are located outward from the communication opening 6c in the left-right direction. Simply put, they are inclined in a V-shape. In this configuration, the cleaning element 42 comes into contact with the protrusions 6d as the rotary cleaning element 4 rotates. As a result, dust present around the rotary cleaning body 4 is captured by the protrusions 6d. The dust captured by the protrusions 6d is pushed by the rotational movement of the cleaning body 42 and moved toward the front ends 6d1 of the protrusions 6d. Because the cleaning body 42 repeatedly comes into contact with the protrusions 6d as the rotary cleaning body 4 rotates, the dust captured by the protrusions 6d is more likely to move toward the front ends 6d1 of the protrusions 6d. This occurs for the pair of protrusions 6d, preventing dust from accumulating at both axial ends of the rotary cleaning body 4. Furthermore, the pair of left and right protrusions 6d is arranged so that there is a gap between them at the center in the left-right direction. This causes the space between the pair of protrusions 6d to face the communication opening 6c, preventing a decrease in suction force and allowing dust moving along the protrusions 6d to be sucked in. When there are protrusions 6d on both sides of the center of the rotating cleaning body 4, the angle C between the protrusions 6d and the axis L5 when viewed from the cleaning surface side (see Figure 5A) is smaller than the spiral angle of the cleaning body 42 (angle B shown in Figure 5C).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , the suction tool main body 6 includes a main body 60, a joint 65, and a connecting pipe 67. When viewed from the cleaning surface, the main body 60 has a "T" shape with a horizontal extension 60a extending left and right and a vertical extension 60b extending front and rear, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B . The horizontal extension 60a is provided with the suction port 6a and the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b, and the vertical extension 60b is attached with a joint 65. As shown in FIG. 3 , the drive chamber 6e is provided on the other side (right side) of the vertical extension 60b of the horizontal extension 60a, at the rear portion of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b, and on the other left-right end (right end) of the horizontal extension 60a, at the outer portion of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b. A drive output unit 51 is arranged at the rear of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b, and a drive input unit 52 is arranged on the right side of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b. The support chambers 6f are located on both the left and right sides of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b in the horizontal extension portion 60a. The one-end support unit 55 (see FIG. 3) is located on the right side of the horizontal extension portion 60a and shares the space in the drive chamber 6e where the drive output unit 51 is located. The other-end support unit 56 (see FIG. 4) is located on the left side of the horizontal extension portion 60a. The communication passage 6g is located between the joint 65 and the connecting pipe 67.

[0024] 3 and 4, the suction tool body 6 includes a lower case 61, an upper case 63, a joint 65, and a connecting pipe 67. The lower case 61 and the upper case 63 form a main body 60.

[0025] The lower case 61 has a front base portion 611 that extends in the left-right direction and has the suction port 6a, a rear base portion 612 that extends rearward from the left-right central portion of the front base portion 611, a front cover portion 613 that covers the suction port 6a of the front base portion 611, and a lower overhang portion 614 that is provided on the rear side of the front base portion 611 and on one side (the right side) of the rear base portion 612. In the front base portion 611, a bumper 621 is attached to the front wall that forms the front end of the suction tool main body 6, and an airtight member 623 is attached to the bottom wall that forms the rear end and left and right ends of the suction port 6a. The airtight member 623 is a brush fixed to the bottom wall. 5A and 5B , the front base portion 611 has an opening 6p continuous with the suction port 6a on the other left-right side of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b, and has engaging portions 6q, 6r for detachably mounting the other-end support unit 56 to the opening 6p. This allows the rotary cleaning body 4 to be moved in and out of the rotary cleaning body chamber 6b by attaching and detaching the other-end support unit 56. The airtight member 623 on the other end (left side) is attached to the other-end support unit 56 (see FIG. 4).

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the rear base portion 612 supports the joint 65 rotatably around a rotation axis in the front-rear direction. Wheels 624 are attached to the rear base portion 612 to assist the movement of the suction tool 3 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3 , the rear base portion 612 is provided with a lower fixing portion 626 for fixing the fixing portion 651 of the joint 65. As shown in FIG. 5B , the front cover portion 613 has a rear wall 6h extending from the rear end of the suction port 6a and an upper wall 6j that connects the upper end of the rear wall 6h to the front end of the suction port 6a in an arc shape. The rear wall 6h and the upper wall 6j form the rear wall (6h) and upper wall (6j) of the rotary cleaning chamber 6b, and the rear wall 6h has an opening 6k for the communication port 6c (see FIG. 5B ). The lower overhang 614 extends rearward from the front base portion 611 and is connected to one side (right side) of the rear base portion 612.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the upper case 63 includes a middle cover portion 631 that covers the rear side of the front cover portion 613 of the lower case 61, an end cover portion 632 that covers both left and right sides of the front cover portion 613 of the lower case 61, a rear cover portion 633 that extends rearward from the middle of the middle cover portion 631 and covers the front portion of the joint 65, and an upper protrusion portion 634 that is provided on one left and right side (right side) of the middle cover portion 631. The middle cover portion 631 bulges upward in the left and right central portion, and a support portion 635 that supports the LED 625 is provided inside the bulging portion. The cover body 64 is attached to the front side of the bulging portion. The end cover portion 632 extends forward in an arc shape from the front end of the middle cover portion 631. The upper protrusion portion 634 extends rearward from the middle cover portion 631, and one side (right side) is connected to the middle cover portion 631 and the rear cover portion 633. The rear cover portion 633 bulges upward in an arc shape, and an upper fixing portion 636 is provided on the inside thereof for fixing the fixing portion 651 of the joint 65. The left and right ends and the lower protrusion 614 of the front base portion 611 of the lower case 61, and the end cover portion 632 and the upper protrusion 634 of the upper case 63 form the drive chamber 6e and the support chamber 6f.

[0028] The joint 65 has a fixed portion 651 fixed to the lower fixed portion 626 of the lower case 61 and the upper fixed portion 636 of the upper case 63, and a front communicating passage portion 653 rotatably attached to the fixed portion 651 around a rotation axis in the front-to-rear direction and forming the front portion of the communicating passage 6g. The joint 65 has a communicating hole 654 that communicates the inside of the driving chamber 6e with the inside of the communicating passage 6g. Here, as shown in FIG. 4 , the connecting hole 654 is provided in the fixed portion 651. As a result, when the electric blower of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is driven, negative pressure is created inside the communicating passage 6g, and outside air is drawn in through the air intake 637 of the upper protrusion 634 of the upper case 63. The drawn air cools the motor 511 of the drive unit 50 and flows into the communicating passage 6g through the communicating hole 654. Note that dust drawn in through the suction port 6a does not flow into the driving chamber 6e because the communicating passage 6g is under negative pressure.

[0029] The connecting pipe 67 is attached to the joint 65 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis perpendicular to a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of the joint 65, and forms the rear portion of the communication passage 6g.

[0030] 3. Dust Movement Dust movement will be described using Figures 7A to 7C. Figures 7A to 7C are top views of the front cover 613 with the upper wall 6j removed, leaving only the protrusion 6d. Figure 7A illustrates an example in which dust 9 is present at the left-right end of the rotary cleaning element chamber 6b. Without the protrusion 6d, dust 9 tends to rotate in this vicinity in the direction of arrow L10 along the rotational direction of the rotary cleaning element 4 and accumulate without moving toward the left-right center. This is thought to be because the suction force at the left and right ends is weaker than the suction force toward the left-right center (the suction force that moves dust toward the center). The suction tool 3 of this embodiment has at least one of the left and right protrusions 6d, and the left protrusion 6d will be used as an example. As the rotary cleaning element 4 rotates, the cleaning element 42 comes into contact with the protrusion 6d. In this case, the protrusions 6d are inclined so as to move forward in the front-to-rear direction from the left-to-right ends toward the center when viewed from above. In other words, the row of cleaning elements 42 is configured to contact the rear sides of the protrusions 6d at the left-to-right ends. As a result, dust 9 present around the rotary cleaning element 4 at the left-to-right ends is captured on the rear sides of the protrusions 6d (see FIG. 7A ). As the rotary cleaning element 4 rotates, the row of cleaning elements 42 changes the contact position with the protrusions 6d toward the front ends 6d1 of the protrusions 6d. As a result, the dust 9 captured by the protrusions 6d is pushed toward the front ends 6d1 along the protrusions 6d by the pressure of the cleaning elements 42, and as shown in FIG. 7B , the dust 9 moves toward the center in the left-to-right direction along the protrusions 6d. Furthermore, as the rotary cleaning element 4 rotates, the dust 9 further moves toward the center in the left-to-right direction along the protrusions 6d as shown in FIG. 7C . The suction force at the center in the left-right direction is stronger than at the ends because the center faces the communication opening 6c, and the dust 9 is sucked into the communication opening 6c. Note that, although the movement of one row of cleaning elements 42 and the dust 9 has been described here, if the rotating cleaning element 4 has multiple rows of cleaning elements 42, the frequency with which the cleaning elements 42 come into contact with the protrusions 6d increases, thereby improving the effect of moving the dust 9 along the protrusions 6d toward the center in the left-right direction.

[0031] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the protrusion 6d was provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the center line C1. However, there may be multiple protrusions extending from the left and right (axial) ends to the center, and the case where there are multiple protrusions will be described as the second embodiment. Note that, when the reference numerals for components in the second embodiment differ from those in the first embodiment, they will be described using numerals obtained by adding "2000" to the reference numerals for those components, such as protrusion 2006d. Below, the protrusion 2006d will be mainly described using FIG. 8. Note that FIG. 8 is a top view of the device with the front cover removed, leaving the protrusion 2006d.

[0032] The suction tool 2003 of the second embodiment includes a rotary cleaning body 4 mounted on a suction tool main body 2006, and a protrusion 2006d in a rotary cleaning body chamber 2006b of the suction tool main body 2006. The protrusion 2006d protrudes from the inner wall (e.g., the upper wall 6j) of the rotary cleaning body chamber 2006b so as to contact the cleaning body 42 of the rotary cleaning body 4. The protrusions 2006d are located, for example, on both sides of the center in the left-right direction of the rotary cleaning body chamber 2006b, with multiple protrusions 2006d (e.g., three) arranged on one side of the center. Each protrusion 2006d extends at an angle from the axial end of the rotary cleaning body 4 toward the center, moving away from the communication opening 2006c in the front-to-rear direction (moving forward in the front-to-rear direction). The multiple protrusions 2006d on one side are arranged so as to gradually approach the communication opening 2006c. More specifically, the protrusions 2006d on the central side are arranged closer to the communication opening 2006c than the protrusions 2006d on the end sides.

[0033] The multiple protrusions 2006d on one side are arranged so as to approach an imaginary plane P including the opening edge of the communication port 6c as they move from the left-right end toward the center. In other words, the multiple protrusions 2006d are arranged so as to move rearward in the front-rear direction (closer to the communication port 6c) as they move from the left-right end toward the center. Furthermore, an imaginary line L7 passing through the center of the extension direction of each of the multiple protrusions 2006d on one side (or the two protrusions 200d located at both ends in the left-right direction) is inclined (rearwardly downward) so as to approach the communication port 6c in the front-rear direction as it moves from the left-right end toward the center. This results in a larger distance between two adjacent, spaced apart protrusions 2006d in the left-right direction than when the multiple protrusions 2006d are arranged parallel to the left-right direction (when the imaginary line L7 is parallel to the axis L5), allowing large dust particles 2009A to pass between the protrusions 2006d (see arrow L9 in FIG. 8 ). In other words, large dust particles 2009A can be prevented from getting stuck between the protrusions 2006d. When viewed from above, the imaginary line L7 intersects with the axis L5. The intersection angle is 45 degrees or less, e.g., 30 degrees. That is, the imaginary line L7 intersects with an imaginary plane H that passes through the rotation axis (axis L5) of the rotary cleaning body 4 and is parallel to the direction of gravity. Furthermore, as indicated by the arrow L8 on the right side (left side in FIG. 8 ) of the suction tool 2003 in the left-right direction in FIG. 8 , the central protrusions 2006d are set back relative to the end protrusions 2006d. Therefore, dust particles 2009B that move from the left-right end sides along the protrusions 2006d to the center side in the left-right direction can easily move directly toward the communication opening 6c without getting caught on the central protrusions 2006d, even if they leave the end protrusions 2006d. Furthermore, since the central protrusion 2006d is set back relative to the protrusions 2006d at the left and right ends, a decrease in the suction force from the communication opening 6c can be prevented, and a large amount of dust can be sucked in.

[0034] The multiple protrusions 2006d on one side are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 8 , for two adjacent protrusions 2006d in the left-right direction of the suction tool 2003, it is preferable that the inner left-right end of the outer protrusion 2006d and the outer left-right end of the inner protrusion 2006d are located on a virtual line in the front-to-rear direction. Specifically, the inner left-right end of the outer protrusion 2006d1 and the outer left-right end of the inner protrusion 2006d2 are located on a virtual line T1 in the front-to-rear direction, and the inner left-right end of the outer protrusion 2006d2 and the outer left-right end of the inner protrusion 2006d3 are located on a virtual line T2 in the front-to-rear direction. Note that, although the ends of two adjacent protrusions 2006d are aligned exactly on the virtual line, they may also overlap in the left-to-right direction.

[0035] The multiple protrusions 2006d on one side are provided continuously in the front-to-rear direction. "Continuous" here means that, as shown in FIG. 8 , for two protrusions 2006d adjacent to each other in the front-to-rear direction of the suction tool 2003, the rear end of the front protrusion 2006d and the front end of the rear protrusion 2006d are positioned on an imaginary line in the left-to-right direction, with no gap between them in the front-to-rear direction. Specifically, the rear end of the front protrusion 2006d1 and the front end of the rear protrusion 2006d2 are positioned on an imaginary line Y1 in the left-to-right direction, and the rear end of the front protrusion 2006d2 and the front end of the rear protrusion 2006d3 are positioned on an imaginary line Y2 in the left-to-right direction. Note that, although the ends of two adjacent protrusions 2006d are aligned exactly on the imaginary line, they may also overlap in the front-to-rear direction.

[0036] Of the multiple protrusions 2006d on one side, the protrusion 2006d3 located at the most central side in the left-right direction is located on the end side of the communication opening 6c in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG.

[0037] <<Modifications>> Although the first and second embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The following modifications may also be included in the present invention. 1. Vacuum Cleaner The vacuum cleaner X in the embodiment is a stick type, but it may also be a handheld vacuum cleaner equipped with a vacuum cleaner main body and a suction tool 3, or a canister type vacuum cleaner equipped with a vacuum cleaner main body with wheels, a hose, an extension tube, and the suction tool 3. The vacuum cleaner may also be a wet type that can suck up air and liquid.

[0038] 2. Suction Tool (1) The cleaning elements 42 of the rotary cleaning body 4 are inclined so as to move to one side or the other in the circumferential direction as they move from one end to the other in the axial direction. However, they may be parallel to the axis L5, or may be inclined in a "V" shape, with the central axial end being convex and moving to one side or the other in the circumferential direction as they move from both ends in the axial direction toward the center. While multiple (four) cleaning elements 42 were provided in the embodiment, only one may be provided. (2) The rotary cleaning body 4 was rotated by the drive unit 50, but the suction tool 3, 2003 may be moved back and forth to rotate due to friction with the cleaning surface. In other words, the protrusions 6d, 2006d need only come into contact with the cleaning elements 42 of the rotating rotary cleaning body 4, and the method of driving the rotary cleaning body 4 is not particularly limited. (3) The suction port 6a was provided on the bottom side so as to straddle the front portion of the bottom surface and the lower portion of the front surface, but it may also be provided on the bottom surface (front, middle, rear, front side, intermediate side, rear side). (4) The protrusions 6d, 2006d protrude in a rib-like shape, but may also be stepped, projecting downward or toward the rotary cleaning body in the direction of rotation of the rotary cleaning body 4. In other words, the upper wall 6j (inner wall) may protrude downward, and its protruding lower end may have an arc shape that follows the direction of rotation. The edge of the protrusion 6d on the center side in the left-right direction was inclined in a tapered shape, but it may be stepped (right-angled), or may have a shape that protrudes backward in an arc. (5) When viewed from the top and bottom, the protrusions 6d, 2006d are inclined so as to linearly move away from the communication opening 6c from the left and right ends toward the center. However, they may be inclined so as to curve away from the communication opening 6c, or may have one or more sets of linear and curved portions. (6) As shown in Figures 5A and 8, the protrusions 6d, 2006d extend linearly when viewed from the side perpendicular to the cleaning surface. However, they may have multiple straight lines with different slopes or a continuous curve without extreme values, or a continuous combination of straight lines with different slopes and a curve without extreme values. (7) As shown in Figure 8, the multiple protrusions 2006d have the same shape. However, the slope angles of the protrusions 2006d may be different. One protrusion 2006d may be linear and the other protrusions 2006d may be curved, or vice versa.(8) The lower case 61 has an integral front cover portion 613, but a portion corresponding to the front cover portion 613 may be provided in the opening between the end cover portions 632 of the upper case 63. (9) The protrusion 6d has a curved portion 6d5 and a straight portion 6d6, but it does not have to have either the curved portion 6d5 or the straight portion 6d6. (10) When multiple protrusions are arranged from one end of the left-right direction (axial direction) to the center, the ends of two adjacent protrusions 2006d in the left-right direction are aligned so that they coincide or partially overlap. However, they may overlap in the front-to-back direction, as in the case of the protrusion 3006d in FIG. 9A. When multiple protrusions 2006d, 3006d are arranged, the protrusion amount of the protrusions may or may not change as they move outward in the left-to-right direction. If the protrusion amount changes, it may increase or decrease as it moves outward, or it may alternate between increasing and decreasing. (11) The multiple protrusions 2006d on one side are provided continuously in the axial direction and the front-rear direction, but may be discontinuous in at least one of the axial direction and the front-rear direction. (12) The protrusion 6d extends so as to pass through the rotation axis (axis L5) of the rotary cleaning body 4 and intersect with an imaginary plane H parallel to the direction of gravity. However, the protrusion 4006d may be located behind or in front of the imaginary plane H (see FIG. 9B ) so as not to intersect with the imaginary plane H. (13) While one protrusion 6d, 4006d is provided in the rotational direction of the rotary cleaning body 4, multiple protrusions may be provided. They are preferably spaced apart from each other within a range of 20 to 50 degrees in the rotational direction. Furthermore, when multiple protrusions are provided in the rotational direction, the amount of protrusion may or may not change as the rotation proceeds. If the amount of protrusion changes, the amount of protrusion may increase or decrease as the rotation proceeds, or may alternate between increasing and decreasing. (14) The protrusion amounts of the protrusions 6d, 2006d, 3006d, and 4006d were constant, but for example, the protrusion amounts may be increased or decreased as one moves from the end toward the center in the axial direction. Furthermore, if the protrusion amount of the cleaning element 42 of the rotary cleaning element 4 changes, the protrusion amounts of the protrusions may be changed in response to this change.(15) Although the communication port 6c is disposed in the fixed portion 651 of the joint 65, for example, the opening 6k in the rear wall 6h of the main body 60 of the suction tool main body 6 may be the communication port 6c. (16) The protrusion may be provided by moving it around the axis (axial line) in the rotational direction or counter-rotational direction of the rotary cleaning body 4 more than the protrusion 6d in the first embodiment.

[0039] 3. Direction One end in the axial direction is the right end when the suction tool is viewed from the front, but it may also be the left end.

[0040] <<Inventions>> The above-described embodiments and modifications include at least the following inventions. Each of the following inventions is not bound by the specific features of other inventions or the configurations of the embodiments.

[0041] <Inventions 1 and 2> 1. Prior Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-25289 discloses, as a suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner, a suction tool having a protruding portion that protrudes from a partition wall that separates a front space in which a rotating brush is disposed and a rear space in which a communication port is present toward the rotating brush (rotating cleaning body) and comes into contact with the rotating brush.

[0042] 2. Problems to be Solved by Inventions 1 and 2 The above-mentioned suction tools have a problem in that the further away from the center of the rotating brush is from the center to the edge in the axial direction of the rotating brush, the more difficult it becomes to capture dust into the communication opening. In other words, dust on both ends of the rotating brush in the axial direction has difficulty reaching the communication opening and tends to remain at the ends. Invention 1 aims to realize a suction tool and vacuum cleaner that easily collects dust on the edge sides in the axial direction.

[0043] 3. Invention 1 (1A) Suction Tool of Invention 1A The suction tool of Invention 1A comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center of the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends at an angle from one end toward the center in the axial direction, moving away from the front side with respect to an imaginary plane including the opening edge of the communication port. This makes it possible to realize a suction tool that easily collects dust and dirt at the end side in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0044] (1B) Suction Tool of 1B The suction tool of 1B comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends in the axial direction from one end to the center, inclining so that the center is closer to the communication port in the perpendicular direction than the one end. This makes it possible to realize a suction tool that easily collects dust at the end side in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0045] (1C) 1C Suction Tool The 1C suction tool comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends in the axial direction from one end toward the center, at an angle so that it is located forward of an imaginary line that passes through the one end in the perpendicular direction and is parallel to the axis. This makes it possible to realize a suction tool that easily collects dust at the end side in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0046] (1D) Suction Tool of 1D The suction tool of 1D is a suction tool for a vacuum cleaner comprising: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool body has a suction port arranged on the bottom side, a communication port located toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a protrusion that protrudes from the inner wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends so that its extension direction intersects with the axial direction, and as it moves from one end toward the center in the axial direction, its front end is located further forward than its rear end in the front-to-rear direction. This makes it possible to realize a suction tool that easily collects dust at the ends in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0047] (2) Second Suction Tool The second suction tool is a suction tool according to any one of 1A to 1D (hereinafter referred to as "first"), in which a plurality of the protrusions are arranged between both ends in the axial direction. The plurality of protrusions here includes at least the following cases: two protrusions arranged on the left and right sides of the first embodiment; a plurality of protrusions arranged on one side of the second embodiment; a plurality of protrusions arranged on both sides of the second embodiment; and a case in which one axial side has the protrusion of the first embodiment and the other axial side has the protrusion of the second embodiment.

[0048] (3) Third Suction Tool The third suction tool is the first or second suction tool, in which a plurality of the protrusions are arranged from the one end side to the center side in the axial direction, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged so that they approach the imaginary plane in the orthogonal direction as they move from the one end side to the center side, or approach the communication port in the front-rear direction as they move from the one end side to the center side. This increases the spacing between adjacent protrusions, allowing large debris to pass through.

[0049] (4) Fourth Suction Tool The fourth suction tool is a suction tool according to the first to third suction tools, wherein the protrusion is located at an end side of the communication port in the axial direction, thereby making it easier to suck in dust that has moved along the protrusion toward the center in the axial direction.

[0050] (5) Fifth Suction Tool The fifth suction tool is a suction tool according to any one of the second to fourth suction tools, wherein the protrusion that is located most centrally in the axial direction among the plurality of protrusions is located closer to the end of the communication opening in the axial direction. This makes it easier to suck up dust that has moved along the protrusion toward the center in the axial direction. It also prevents a decrease in suction force from the communication opening. Note that "located closer to the end of the communication opening" here includes cases where a portion of the protrusion is closer to the center than the communication opening, and it is sufficient that the central position of the protrusion in the axial direction is closer to the end of the communication opening in the axial direction.

[0051] (6) Sixth Suction Tool The sixth suction tool is any one of the first to fifth suction tools, wherein the protrusion has a curved portion that curves along the rotation direction of the rotary cleaning body. This allows the protrusion to come into contact with the rotary cleaning body over a wide area. The curved portion may be present in the entire area of ​​the protrusion from one end to the other in the axial direction, or in one or more areas from one end to the other in the axial direction.

[0052] (7) Seventh Suction Tool The seventh suction tool is a suction tool according to any one of the first to sixth suction tools, in which the protrusion extends so as to intersect with an imaginary plane that passes through the rotation axis of the rotary cleaning body and is parallel to the direction of gravity, thereby enabling the protrusion to come into contact with the rotary cleaning body over a wide area.

[0053] (8) Eighth Suction Tool The eighth suction tool is any one of the first to seventh suction tools, wherein the protrusion has a first portion located closer to the center than the communication port in the axial direction and a second portion located closer to the end than the communication port, and the second portion is longer than the first portion, which makes it easier to collect dust on the end side in the axial direction.

[0054] (9) First Vacuum Cleaner The first vacuum cleaner includes any one of the first to eighth suction tools. This realizes a vacuum cleaner including a suction tool that can easily collect dust on the end side in the axial direction.

[0055] 4. Invention 2 (1A) Suction Tool of Invention 1A The suction tool of Invention 1A comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center of the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a front-to-rear direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends so that its extension direction intersects with the axial direction, and as it moves from one end toward the center in the axial direction, its front end is located further forward than its rear end in the front-to-rear direction. This achieves a suction tool that easily collects dust at the ends in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0056] (1B) Suction Tool of 1B The suction tool of 1B comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends at an angle from one end toward the center in the axial direction, moving away from the front side with respect to an imaginary plane including the opening edge of the communication port. This achieves a suction tool that easily collects dust at the end side in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0057] (1C) Suction Tool of 1C The suction tool of 1C comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. The protrusion extends in the axial direction from one end to the center, inclining so that the center is located closer to the communication port in the perpendicular direction than the one end. This achieves a suction tool that easily collects dust at the end side in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0058] (1D) Suction Tool of 1D The suction tool of 1D comprises: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit that is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged. The suction tool main body has: a suction port arranged on the bottom side; a communication port located toward the center in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and a protrusion that protrudes from the wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and contacts the cleaning body. As the protrusion extends in the axial direction from one end toward the center, it is inclined so that in the perpendicular direction it passes through the one end and is located forward of an imaginary line parallel to the axis. This achieves a suction tool that easily collects dust at the end side in the axial direction. Note that there may be one or more protrusions.

[0059] (2) Second suction tool The second suction tool is a suction tool of any of the first to first suction tools (hereinafter referred to as "first") that is continuous from the rear end to the front end. This allows dust to move smoothly along the protrusion. In other words, if there is a discontinuous portion, the dust will get caught in the discontinuous portion and will not move smoothly.

[0060] (3) Third suction tool The third suction tool is the first or second suction tool, wherein the slope of the tangent to the protrusion does not reverse between positive and negative when viewed from the cleaning surface side. This allows dust to move smoothly along the protrusion. (4) First vacuum cleaner The first vacuum cleaner is equipped with any of the first to third suction tools. This achieves a vacuum cleaner equipped with a suction tool that easily collects dust on the end side in the axial direction.

[0061] <Invention 3> 1. Prior Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-25289 discloses a suction tool for a vacuum cleaner, the suction tool having a main body that includes a rotating brush and a motor that drives the rotating brush. 2. Problem to be solved by Invention 2 In the above suction tool, the temperature of the motor tends to rise. Invention 2 provides a suction tool and a vacuum cleaner that can suppress the temperature rise of the motor. 3. Invention 3 (1) First Suction Tool The first suction tool is a suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner, comprising: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit including a motor for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool main body having a suction port, wherein the suction tool main body has a rotary cleaning body chamber for the rotary cleaning body, a drive chamber for the drive unit, and a communication passage for connecting the rotary cleaning chamber to the main body of the electric vacuum cleaner, wherein the drive chamber has an air intake port for communication with the outside, and the suction tool main body has a communication hole for connecting the communication passage to the drive chamber. As a result, when the communication passage becomes negative pressure, air sucked from the air intake port is sucked into the communication passage through the drive chamber, thereby suppressing a temperature rise in the motor. In the embodiment, the communication hole is formed in a joint having a part of the communication passage, but a part of the communication passage may be disposed in a case forming the drive chamber, and the communication hole may be formed in the case. In the embodiment, the air intake is arranged in the upper case, but it may be arranged in the lower case, or in both the upper case and the lower case.

[0062] (2) Second Suction Tool The second suction tool is a suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner, comprising: a rotary cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit including a motor for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool body having a suction port, wherein the suction tool body has a rotary cleaning body chamber for the rotary cleaning body and a drive chamber for the drive unit, wherein the drive chamber has an air intake port for communication with the outside, and the suction tool body has a communication hole for communication between the rotary cleaning body chamber and the drive chamber. As a result, when the rotary cleaning body chamber becomes negative pressure, air sucked in from the air intake port is sucked into the rotary cleaning body chamber through the drive chamber, thereby suppressing a temperature rise in the motor.

[0063] <Others> Each invention focuses on the above-mentioned invention-specifying matters, and may or may not include the invention-specifying matters of other inventions. The same applies to inventions described in the specification other than inventions 1 to 3.

[0064] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Cleaner body 3 Suction tool 4 Rotating cleaning body 6 Suction tool body 6a Suction port 6b Rotating cleaning body chamber 6c Communication port 6d Projection

Claims

1. A suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner comprising: a rotating cleaning body having a cleaning body; a drive unit which is a drive source for rotating the rotary cleaning body; and a suction tool body having a rotary cleaning body chamber in which the rotary cleaning body is rotatably arranged, wherein the suction tool body has a suction port arranged on the bottom side, a communication port which is located towards the centre in the axial direction of the rotary cleaning body and is located rearward of the axis of the rotary cleaning body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a protrusion which protrudes from an inner wall of the rotary cleaning body chamber and comes into contact with the cleaning body, the protrusion extending such that its extension direction intersects with the axial direction, and the front end is located further forward in the fore-aft direction than the rear end as it moves from one end towards the centre in the axial direction.

2. The suction tool according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said protrusions are arranged between both ends in the axial direction.

3. The suction tool according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are arranged from the one end side to the center side in the axial direction, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged so as to approach the communication port in the front-to-rear direction as they move from the one end side to the center side.

4. The suction tool according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is located on an end side of the communication port in the axial direction.

5. A suction tool as set forth in claim 2 or 3, wherein, among said plurality of protrusions, the protrusion located at the most central side in the axial direction is located on the end side of said communication port in the axial direction.

6. The suction tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusion has a curved portion that is curved along the rotation direction of the rotary cleaning body.

7. The suction tool according to claim 1, wherein said protrusion extends so as to intersect with an imaginary plane that passes through the rotation axis of said rotary cleaning body and is parallel to the direction of gravity.

8. The suction tool according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a first portion located toward the center of the communication port in the axial direction and a second portion located toward the end of the communication port, the second portion being longer than the first portion.

9. A vacuum cleaner comprising a suction tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 7 and 8.

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