Suction nozzle and vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A suction nozzle according to the present disclosure comprises: a nozzle case that forms a suction space that opens downward so that dust on a floor surface flows in by a suction force of a suction source; a drive unit that generates a rotational force; a rotary brush that extends in the right-left direction in the suction space, rotates by the rotational force of the drive unit, and scrapes off the dust on the floor surface; and a winding restriction part that restricts the dust from winding around the rotary brush. The winding restriction part has a restriction rib part that extends in the axial direction of the rotary brush and bites into an outer peripheral part of the rotary brush so as to press the dust to the upstream side of the winding restriction part in the rotation direction of the rotary brush.

Description

Suction nozzle and vacuum cleaner

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a suction nozzle attached to a vacuum cleaner having a suction source that generates suction force for sucking in dust, and to a vacuum cleaner equipped with this suction nozzle.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum cleaner 300 shown in Fig. 19. The vacuum cleaner 300 has a vacuum cleaner body 310 incorporating a suction source that generates suction force to suck in dust, and a suction tube 320 extending from the vacuum cleaner body 310. A suction nozzle 330 is attached to the tip of the suction tube 320 so that dust can be removed from an area wider than the suction tube 320.

[0003] As shown in Fig. 20, the suction nozzle 330 has a nozzle case 332 that forms a suction space 331 that opens downward. As shown in Fig. 19, a connecting pipe 333 extends rearward from the central portion in the width direction of the nozzle case 332. This connecting pipe 333 is connected to the tip of the suction pipe 320. The connecting pipe 333 forms an outflow path that communicates with the suction space 331 and the flow path of the suction pipe 320.

[0004] 20 , the nozzle case 332 has a front partition wall 334 that defines the front end of the suction space 331, an upper partition wall 335 that defines the upper end of the suction space 331, and a rear partition wall 336 that defines the rear end of the suction space 331. The tip of the outflow path of the connecting pipe portion 333 opens at the rear partition wall 336.

[0005] A rotating brush 340 is disposed in the suction space 331. This rotating brush 340 is driven to rotate so as to sweep up dust on the floor surface backward.

[0006] When there is long dust such as hair on the floor surface, the problem arises of the dust wrapping around the rotating brush 340. That is, when a portion of the long dust wraps around the rotating brush 340 so that it overlaps with other portions of the dust, it becomes difficult to remove the dust from the rotating brush 340. To prevent dust from wrapping around the rotating brush 340 in this state, a plurality of ribs 338 are provided on the upper side of the rotating brush 340, as shown in FIG.

[0007] These ribs 338 are provided so as to be in contact with the outer periphery of the rotating brush 340 in an attitude inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating brush 340. Long dust particles can change direction according to the inclination of the ribs 338 and wind around the rotating brush 340 in a spiral shape.

[0008] When long dust particles are spirally wrapped around the rotating brush 340, it is easier to remove them than when portions of the long dust particles overlap with other portions of the dust particles. However, even in this case, the user must still pick up the long dust particles that are attached to the rotating brush and pull them away from the rotating brush. This type of dust removal work is still cumbersome for the user.

[0009] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-382

[0010] The present disclosure aims to provide a technique that can reduce the effort required to remove dust from a rotating brush.

[0011] The suction nozzle of the present disclosure is configured to be attachable to a vacuum cleaner having a suction source that generates suction force to suck in dust. The suction nozzle includes a nozzle case that forms a suction space that opens downward so that dust on a floor surface can flow in by the suction force of the suction source, a drive unit that generates rotational force, a rotating brush that extends left and right within the suction space and rotates by the rotational force of the drive unit to scrape dust off the floor surface, and a winding restriction unit that restricts dust from wrapping around the rotating brush. The winding restriction unit has a restriction rib that extends axially of the rotating brush and is embedded in the outer periphery of the rotating brush so as to hold dust upstream of the winding restriction unit in the rotation direction of the rotating brush.

[0012] The vacuum cleaner of the present disclosure includes a suction source that generates a suction force for sucking in dust and the above-described suction nozzle.

[0013] The above-described techniques can reduce the effort involved in removing dust from the rotating brush.

[0014] The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0015] 1. Side view of a vacuum cleaner (first embodiment) 2. Perspective view of a suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner 3. Cross-sectional view of a suction nozzle 4. Bottom view of a suction nozzle 5. Perspective view of a portion of a rotating brush of a vacuum cleaner 6. Cross-sectional view of a portion of a rotating brush 7. Cross-sectional view of a portion of a rotating brush 8. Perspective view of a suction nozzle 9. Cross-sectional view of a suction nozzle 10. Perspective view of a suction nozzle 11. Perspective view of a suction nozzle (second embodiment) 12. Schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the brush band of the rotating brush and the surface contact part of the suction nozzle 13. Schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the brush band of the rotating brush and the surface contact part of the suction nozzle 14. Perspective view of a suction nozzle (third embodiment) 15. Perspective view of a suction nozzle (fourth embodiment) 16. Perspective view of another suction nozzle 17. Perspective view of another suction nozzle 18. Perspective view of a conventional vacuum cleaner 19. Cross-sectional view of a suction nozzle of a conventional vacuum cleaner 19. Perspective view of a rotating brush of a conventional vacuum cleaner

[0016] Hereinafter, first to fourth embodiments of the vacuum cleaner will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, for example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or redundant descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

[0017] <First embodiment> Fig. 1 is a side view of a stick-type vacuum cleaner 100. The vacuum cleaner 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 .

[0018] (Overall Structure of Vacuum Cleaner) Vacuum cleaner 100 includes vacuum cleaner body 110 incorporating suction source 111 that generates suction force to suck in dust, and dust collection container 114 attached to the underside of vacuum cleaner body 110. Suction source 111 is configured to suck air from inside dust collection container 114, and may include, for example, a motor that generates rotational force and rotating blades configured to generate an upward airflow when rotated by the motor.

[0019] A filter 112 that allows air to pass through while capturing dust contained in the air is disposed between the vacuum cleaner body 110 and the dust collection container 114. Also, a grip portion 113 formed so that the user can hold it, and a suction tube 120 that forms a flow path 123 through which dust flows are disposed on the front sides of the vacuum cleaner body 110 and the dust collection container 114.

[0020] The suction tube 120 extends in the vertical direction below the grip part 113. More specifically, the suction tube 120 has a base end tube part 121 formed integrally with the vacuum cleaner body 110 and the grip part 113, and an extension tube part 122 extending downward from the base end tube part 121. Within the base end tube part 121, a flow path 123 is bent toward the dust collection container 114. The extension tube part 122 is detachable from the base end tube part 121. A suction nozzle 130 is attached to the lower end of the extension tube part 122, and the suction force of the suction source 111 is used to suck in dust on the floor surface.

[0021] The suction nozzle 130 has a connecting pipe 131 connected to the lower end of the extension pipe 122, and a nozzle case 132 connected to the lower end of the connecting pipe 131. The connecting portion between the connecting pipe 131 and the nozzle case 132 is configured to allow the connecting pipe 131 to tilt in the front-to-rear direction around the lower end of the connecting pipe 131 as an axis.

[0022] Nozzle case 132 is configured so that dust on a wide floor area in the left-right direction can flow in by the suction force of suction source 111. As shown in Figure 2, a suction space 133 that opens downward is formed in the front part of nozzle case 132. Suction space 133 is approximately rectangular in bottom view. When suction source 111 is activated, dust on the floor surface is sucked up into suction space 133.

[0023] To allow this dust to flow out of the suction space 133, the rear portion of the nozzle case 132 and the connecting pipe portion 131 form an outflow path 134 that extends rearward from the center position of the suction space 133 in the width direction. This outflow path 134 communicates with the flow path 123 of the suction pipe 120, as shown in FIG.

[0024] The nozzle case 132 has a rear partition wall 135 that defines the rear end of the suction space 133. The tip of the outflow path 134 opens in the center of the rear partition wall 135 in the left-right direction. In addition to the rear partition wall 135, the nozzle case 132 further includes a front partition wall 136, an upper partition wall 137, a right partition wall 138, and a left partition wall 139.

[0025] 3, the front partition wall 136 is provided in an upright position so as to partition the front end of the suction space 133, and a gap 140 is formed between the lower end of the front partition wall 136 and the floor surface. Dust particles smaller than this gap 140 can flow into the suction space 133 from the front side of the nozzle case 132.

[0026] The upper partition wall 137 is a part that defines the upper end of the suction space 133, and as shown in Figure 3, a rotating brush 141 is disposed below the upper partition wall 137. The rotating brush 141 is used to scrape off dust on the floor surface.

[0027] The rotating brush 141 has a substantially cylindrical rotating rod 143 extending in the left-right direction within the suction space 133, and a plurality of brush bristles 161 that protrude radially from the peripheral surface of the rotating rod 143 and form the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141. These brush bristles 161 may be made of, for example, an elastically deformable resin fiber material.

[0028] These brush bristles 161 are bundled together to form a plurality of brush bands 144 spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the rotating brush 141. The tips of the brush bands 144 that protrude downward from the rotating rod 143 come into contact with the floor surface.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 4, these brush bands 144 extend on the circumferential surface of the rotating rod 143 over substantially the entire length of the rotating rod 143. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, each brush band 144 extends in the left-right direction so as to form a V-shape that points forward when viewed from the bottom. In other words, each brush band 144 is formed so that the rotational phase of the central portion of the brush band 144 lags behind the rotational phases of the left and right end portions of the brush band 144.

[0030] 5 and 6 is attached to the right end of the rotation rod 143 to rotatably support the right end of the rotation rod 143. Also, a bearing member 160 shown in Fig. 7 is attached to the left end of the rotation rod 143 to rotatably support the left end of the rotation rod 143. The bearing member 160 attached to the left end of the rotation rod 143 is bilaterally symmetrical to the bearing member 162 attached to the right end of the rotation rod 143, so the structure of the bearing member 162 will be described below and a description of the bearing member 160 will be omitted.

[0031] The bearing member 162 has a ring-shaped outer ring portion 163 and a rotating shaft portion 164 protruding to the left from the outer ring portion 163. The left end of the rotating shaft portion 164 is rotatably connected to the outer ring portion 163, and the right end of the rotating shaft portion 164 is fitted into the left end of the rotating rod 143.

[0032] A disk-shaped abutment portion 165 protrudes radially from the middle of the rotation shaft portion 164. The diameter of this abutment portion 165 is larger than the diameter of the right end face of the rotation rod 143. The left face of the abutment portion 165 abuts against the right end face of the rotation rod 143.

[0033] A ring portion 166 protrudes leftward from the outer periphery of the left surface of the butting portion 165, and the right end portion of the rotating rod 143 is fitted into the ring portion 166. At this time, the joint between the butting portion 165 and the right end surface of the rotating rod 143 is at least partially blocked by the ring portion 166.

[0034] 5, a plurality of notches 169 are formed in the ring portion 166, and the right end portion of the brush band 144 is inserted into these notches 169. This allows the brush band 144 to be positioned near the right end of the rotating rod 143.

[0035] 2, in order to attach the bearing member 162 to the nozzle case 132, a mounting hole 167 is formed in the right partition wall 138 that defines the right end of the suction space 133. The abutting portion 165 of the bearing member 162 is fitted into this mounting hole 167. The nozzle case 132 has a right housing portion 171 that houses the right part of the abutting portion 165 of the bearing member 162, and the outer ring portion 163 of the bearing member 162 is fixed within the right housing portion 171.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 8, a mounting hole 172 is formed in the left partition wall 139 that defines the left end of the suction space 133 in order to mount the bearing member 160, which is attached to the left end of the rotating rod 143, to the nozzle case 132. As shown in Fig. 7, the abutting portion 165 of the bearing member 160 is fitted into this mounting hole 172. As shown in Fig. 2, the nozzle case 132 has a left housing portion 173 on the left side of the left partition wall 139, and as shown in Fig. 7, the left portion of the abutting portion 165 of the bearing member 160 is housed in this left housing portion 173. At this time, the outer ring portion 163 of the bearing member 160 is fixed within the left housing portion 173.

[0037] 7, a pulley 174 is fixed to the rotary shaft 164 between the abutting portion 165 and the outer ring portion 163 of the bearing member 160. A drive belt 175 is wound around this pulley 174.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, the nozzle case 132 is formed to accommodate the drive unit 142, which generates a rotational force for rotationally driving the rotating rod 143, at the rear of the suction space 133 and to the left of the outlet passage 134. The drive unit 142 is connected to a drive belt 175 shown in Fig. 7. The rotational force of the drive unit 142 is transmitted to the rotating rod 143 of the rotating brush 141 through the drive belt 175, pulley 174, and bearing member 160. As a result, the rotating brush 141 rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3.

[0039] As the rotating brush 141 rotates, it is expected that long pieces of dust such as hair will become entangled around the rotating brush 141. To prevent the dust from becoming entangled around the rotating brush 141, as shown in Fig. 3, a winding restriction portion 180 protrudes downward from the upper partition wall 137. In this embodiment, the winding restriction portion 180 is formed by a restriction rib portion 182 that extends in the left-right direction, and the amount of protrusion of the restriction rib portion 182 from the upper partition wall 137 is substantially constant along the entire length of the restriction rib portion 182.

[0040] The restricting rib portion 182 is inserted into the brush band 144 that forms the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141 over the entire length of the rotating brush 141. The amount of protrusion of the restricting rib portion 182 from the upper partition wall 137 is set so that the restricting rib portion 182 is inserted deeply into the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141 to an extent that long dust particles wrapped around the rotating brush 141 are kept upstream of the restricting rib portion 182 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141.

[0041] (Operation of the Vacuum Cleaner) When suction source 111 is activated, the suction force of suction source 111 acts on suction space 133 of suction nozzle 130 through dust collection container 114, flow path 123 of suction pipe 120, and outlet path 134 of connecting pipe portion 131. At this time, a fairly large gap 140 is formed between front partition wall 136 of suction nozzle 130 and the floor surface, and air flows into suction space 133 through this gap 140. This air becomes a backward airflow within suction space 133 and flows out of suction space 133 through outlet path 134. Dust on the floor surface is sucked up into suction space 133 by the suction force of suction source 111 and is carried by the backward airflow within suction space 133 and discharged from suction space 133 through outlet path 134.

[0042] To increase the amount of dust flowing into the dust container 114, the rotating brush 141 is driven to rotate by the drive unit 142, and sweeps up the dust on the floor surface backward. As a result, dust adhering to the floor surface is pulled off from the floor surface with such strength that it cannot be removed by the suction force of the suction source 111 alone, and then flows into the dust container 114 through the suction pipe 120.

[0043] When the rotating brush 141 is being rotated as described above while performing cleaning work, it is expected that long dust particles such as hair will tend to wrap around the rotating brush 141. In this case, the rotation of the rotating brush 141 carries the long dust particles adhering to the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141 to the contact position between the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141 and the restricting rib portion 182. However, the restricting rib portion 182 may prevent the long dust particles from being carried downstream of this contact position in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. As a result, the long dust particles are retained upstream of the restricting rib portion 182 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141, and the wrapping of the long dust particles around the rotating brush 141 is suppressed.

[0044] Long dust particles tend to wrap around small-diameter rotating bodies rather than large-diameter rotating bodies. In this embodiment, to prevent dust from wrapping around the bearing members 160, 162, the diameters of the abutment portions 165 and ring portions 166 of these bearing members 160, 162 are larger than the diameter of the rotating rod 143 of the rotating brush 141. In this case, dust that penetrates deep into the brush band 144 of the rotating brush 141 near the tip of the ring portion 166 may wrap around the rotating rod 143 rather than the ring portion 166. In this case, a step is formed between the rotating rod 143 and the ring portion 166, which can prevent dust from moving toward the end of the rotating rod 143. In other words, this dust is prevented from entering the left storage portion 173 and the right storage portion 171 shown in FIG. 2 through the mounting holes 172, 167 in the left partition wall 139 and the right partition wall 138. This prevents the bearing members 160 and 162 from malfunctioning in rotation due to dust entering the left housing portion 173 and the right housing portion 171 .

[0045] Joints are formed by butting the butt portions 165 of the bearing members 160, 162 against the left and right end faces of the rotation rod 143. However, these joints are at least partially closed by the ring portions 166 of the bearing members 160, 162, and these ring portions 166 prevent long pieces of dust from entering the joints and becoming entangled therein.

[0046] 5 is formed with a notch 169, which allows the brush band 144 to extend from near the right end to near the left end of the rotating rod 143. However, if the right and left ends of the brush band 144 do not need to be located near the right and left ends of the rotating rod 143, the notch 169 does not need to be formed.

[0047] The brush bristles 161 shown in Fig. 3 are bundled together to form the brush band 144. However, the brush bristles 161 may be implanted at a substantially uniform density on the circumferential surface of the rotating rod 143, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0048] 2 opens in the center portion of the rear partition wall 135 in the left-right direction. In this case, the suction force of the suction source 111 acting on the left and right end regions of the suction space 133 is weaker than the suction force of the suction source 111 acting on the central region of the suction space 133.

[0049] In areas where the suction force of the suction source 111 is strong, dust captured by the restricting rib portion 182 is likely to flow out through the outlet path 134. On the other hand, in areas where the suction force of the suction source 111 is weak, the dust may move beyond the restricting rib portion 182 to the downstream side of the restricting rib portion 182 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141 before flowing out through the outlet path 134. Then, the dust may become entangled around the rotating brush 141 in areas where the suction force of the suction source 111 is weak.

[0050] In order to prevent dust from becoming entangled in areas where the suction force of the suction source 111 is weak, the restricting rib portion 182 may be configured as shown in Fig. 10. The restricting rib portion 182 shown in Fig. 10 is formed so that the right and left ends of the restricting rib portion 182 protrude more from the upper partition wall 137 than the central portion between them. In this case, the right and left ends of the restricting rib portion 182 can dig deeper into the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141 than the central portion of the restricting rib portion 182.

[0051] 10 , dust captured by the left and right end portions of the regulating rib portion 182 is unlikely to move beyond the regulating rib portion 182 to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. Therefore, while the dust is trapped on the upstream side of the regulating rib portion 182 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141, the dust is likely to be subjected to the suction force of the suction source 111 and flow out through the outlet path 134.

[0052] 2 is provided on the upper partition wall 137. Alternatively, the winding restricting portion 180 may be provided on the rear partition wall 135 or the front partition wall 136.

[0053] Second Embodiment The winding restricting portion 180 of the first embodiment is configured with a narrow restricting rib portion 182 extending in the left-right direction. Therefore, the period from when the brush band 144 (bristles 161) comes into contact with the winding restricting portion 180 until the brush band 144 (bristles 161) returns to its original shape is short. In this case, dust trapped on the upstream side of the winding restricting portion 180 may be recaptured by the brush band 144 (bristles 161) attempting to return to its original shape, and may move downstream of the winding restricting portion 180 in the rotational direction of the rotating brush 141. This dust may then wrap around the rotating brush 141. To avoid this situation, the winding restricting portion 180 may be configured as shown in FIG. 11 .

[0054] The winding restricting portion 180 shown in FIG. 11 may have not only the restricting rib portion 182 but also a surface contact portion 181 formed to make surface contact with the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141. The surface contact portion 181 is preferably provided in the suction space 133 in a region where the suction force is weak (i.e., a region in the suction space 133 far from the opening of the outlet passage 134). In the suction nozzle 130 shown in FIG. 11, the outlet passage 134 opens in the center of the rear partition wall 135 in the left-right direction, so the suction force is likely to be weak in the left and right end regions of the suction space 133. For this reason, the surface contact portion 181 is composed of a left surface contact portion 183 provided in the left end region of the suction space 133 and a right surface contact portion 184 provided in the right end region of the suction space 133. The left surface contact portion 183 is formed to make surface contact with the left end portion of the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141. Further, the right surface contact portion 184 is formed so as to come into contact with the right end portion of the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141. The left surface contact portion 183 is bilaterally symmetrical to the right surface contact portion 184, so the following description will focus on the right surface contact portion 184, and a description of the left surface contact portion 183 will be omitted.

[0055] The right surface contact portion 184 has an upstream end 185 provided corresponding to the corner between the rear partition wall 135 and the upper partition wall 137, and a downstream end 186 provided corresponding to the corner between the upper partition wall 137 and the front partition wall 136. The upstream end 185 and the downstream end 186 form an edge of the right surface contact portion 184 extending in the left-right direction. The upstream end 185 is the end upstream of the downstream end 186 in the rotational direction of the rotating brush 141, and the right surface contact portion 184 forms an arc-shaped curved surface 187 over the section from the upstream end 185 to the downstream end 186. This curved surface 187 is pressed against the right end portion of the outer periphery of the rotating brush 141.

[0056] If the winding restricting portion 180 were composed only of the surface contact portion 181, it is expected that the load on the drive portion 142 would be excessive. In order to prevent the load on the drive portion 142 from increasing excessively, as shown in FIG. 11 , a restricting rib portion 182 is provided extending in the left-right direction between the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184. The left end of this restricting rib portion 182 is connected to the left surface contact portion 183. The right end of the restricting rib portion 182 is connected to the right surface contact portion 184.

[0057] The left-right length of the restricting rib portion 182 is greater than the sum of the left-right length of the right surface contact portion 184 and the left-right length of the left surface contact portion 183. On the other hand, the size of the restricting rib portion 182 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141 is smaller than the size of the curved surfaces 187 of the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141.

[0058] When the brush band 144 of the rotating brush 141 contacts the upstream ends 185 of the left and right surface contact portions 183 and 184, dust adhering to the brush band is retained at these upstream ends 185. As the rotating brush 141 rotates, the brush band 144 moves toward the downstream end 186. During this movement, the brush band 144 lies flat along the curved surface 187, and after passing the downstream end 186, it returns to its original state (i.e., a state in which it protrudes radially from the rotating rod 143). The position at which the brush band 144 returns to its original position is away from the upstream ends 185 of the left and right surface contact portions 183 and 184 in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush 141. Therefore, when the brush band attempts to return to its original position, the tip of the brush band may be away from the upstream ends 185 of the left and right surface contact portions 183 and 184 toward the downstream ends 186. As a result, dust retained at these upstream ends 185 is prevented from being captured by the brush bands that are trying to return to their original state. Therefore, less dust moves beyond the left and right surface contact portions 183 and 184 to the downstream side of the left and right surface contact portions 183 and 184 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141, and dust is prevented from becoming entangled around the left and right end portions of the rotating brush 141.

[0059] 12, the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 extends in the left-right direction, whereas the brush band 144 is inclined so that its rotational phase lags as it moves away from the right end of the rotating brush 141. Therefore, when the brush band 144 moves in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating brush 141, the contact portion CP between the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 and the brush band 144 is displaced leftward. As a result of this displacement, dust trapped at the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 can be swept out toward the restriction rib portion 182 provided on the left side of the right surface contact portion 184.

[0060] The left end portion of the brush band 144 is bilaterally symmetrical to the right end portion of the brush band 144, and the left surface contact portion 183 is bilaterally symmetrical to the right surface contact portion 184. Therefore, dust trapped at the upstream end 185 of the left surface contact portion 183 can also be swept out to the restriction rib portion 182 as the rotating brush 141 rotates.

[0061] The region where the restricting rib portion 182 extends is closer to the opening of the outlet passage 134 than the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184, and the suction force of the suction source 111 acts relatively strongly on the restricting rib portion 182. Therefore, dust swept from the upstream ends 185 of the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184 to the restricting rib portion 182 is sucked out through the outlet passage 134 by the suction force of the suction source 111. In addition, dust that has been pushed back upstream of the restricting rib portion 182 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141 by the restricting rib portion 182 is also sucked out through the outlet passage 134 by the strong suction force of the suction source 111.

[0062] 11 , the upstream ends 185 of the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184 extend in the left-right direction. Alternatively, the upstream ends 185 of the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184 may be inclined with respect to the left-right direction, as shown in FIG.

[0063] 13 is inclined in the left-right direction (axial direction of the rotating brush 141) so as to displace dust accumulated at this upstream end 185 to the right. Also, the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 is inclined in the left-right direction (axial direction of the rotating brush 141) so as to displace dust accumulated at this upstream end 185 to the left.

[0064] In this case, the brush band 144 may not be inclined but may extend in the left-right direction. When the brush band 144 moves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 13, the contact point CP between the upstream end 185 of the left surface contact portion 183 and the brush band 144 moves to the right. As a result, dust that has accumulated at the upstream end 185 of the left surface contact portion 183 is swept out to the restricting rib portion 182 on the right side of the left surface contact portion 183. In addition, the contact point CP between the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 and the brush band 144 moves to the left, and dust that has accumulated at the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 is swept out to the restricting rib portion 182 on the left side of the right surface contact portion 184.

[0065] In the suction nozzle 130 shown in Figure 11, surface contact portions 181 are provided corresponding to the left and right end regions of the suction space 133. However, the formation position of the surface contact portions 181 is not limited to that shown in Figure 11. That is, the surface contact portions 181 may be provided at positions in the structure of the suction nozzle 130 where the suction force of the suction source 111 is expected to be weak. For example, if the outlet path 134 communicates with the left end region of the suction space 133, the surface contact portions 181 may be provided in the right end region of the suction space 133. Conversely, if the outlet path 134 communicates with the right end region of the suction space 133, the surface contact portions 181 may be provided in the left end region of the suction space 133.

[0066] <Third embodiment> When the winding restriction portion 180 has a left surface contact portion 183 and a right surface contact portion 184, as in the suction nozzle 130 of Figure 11, these may be used to provide a structure that suppresses the intrusion of dust into the left storage portion 173 and the right storage portion 171, as shown in Figure 14.

[0067] In the suction nozzle 130 shown in Figure 14, a guide rib 188 is provided so as to protrude downward from the curved surface 187 of the left surface contact portion 183. Also, a guide rib 189 is provided so as to protrude downward from the curved surface 187 of the right surface contact portion 184. Since these guide ribs 188, 189 are bilaterally symmetrical, only the guide rib 189 on the curved surface 187 of the right surface contact portion 184 will be described below, and a description of the guide rib 188 on the curved surface 187 of the left surface contact portion 183 will be omitted.

[0068] The guide rib 189 protrudes downward from the curved surface 187 of the right surface contact portion 184 to the left of the mounting hole 167 in the right partition wall 138. The guide rib 189 is tilted leftward from the right end of the right surface contact portion 184 (i.e., the right end of the suction space 133) toward downstream in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141.

[0069] As the rotary brush 141 rotates, some of the dust that has accumulated at the upstream end 185 of the right surface contact portion 184 may get in between the curved surface 187 of the right surface contact portion 184 and the outer periphery of the rotary brush 141. This dust may then reach the guide rib 189 as the rotary brush 141 rotates. The curved surface 187 of the right surface contact portion 184 is pressed against the outer periphery of the rotary brush 141 with a fairly strong force, but the guide rib 189 is pressed against the outer periphery of the rotary brush 141 with an even stronger force. For this reason, very little dust gets over the guide rib 189 and heads toward the right partition wall 138.

[0070] Most of the dust that reaches the guide rib 189 moves leftward in accordance with the inclination of the guide rib 189 as the rotating brush 141 rotates. That is, the dust is guided by the guide rib 189 in a direction away from the right partition wall 138. This reduces the amount of dust that enters the right storage section 171 through the mounting hole 167 in the right partition wall 138.

[0071] The right housing portion 171 houses a bearing member 162. The more dust that adheres to the bearing member 162, the more likely it is that the bearing member 162 will have poor rotation. The guide rib 189 reduces the amount of dust that can adhere to the bearing member 162 inside the right housing portion 171, thereby preventing poor rotation of the bearing member 162.

[0072] Fourth Embodiment In the suction nozzle 130 of the first to third embodiments, the winding restricting portion 180 extends continuously from the left end to the right end of the suction space 133. In this case, the winding restricting portion 180 can provide a large resistance to the flow of air flowing backward within the suction space 133. In order to reduce this resistance, the winding restricting portion 180 may be formed as shown in FIG.

[0073] The restricting rib portion 182 of the winding restricting portion 180 shown in Figure 15 has a left restricting rib 191 and a right restricting rib 192. The left restricting rib 191 extends to the right from the left surface contact portion 183. The right end of the left restricting rib 191 is located at a position spaced to the left from the right surface contact portion 184. The right restricting rib 192 extends to the left from the right surface contact portion 184. The left end of the right restricting rib 192 is located at a position spaced to the right from the left surface contact portion 183.

[0074] The left restriction rib 191 extends downstream of the right restriction rib 192 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. The sum of the lengths of the left restriction rib 191 and the right restriction rib 192 is greater than the length of the rotating brush 141. For this reason, the left restriction rib 191 and the right restriction rib 192 are formed so that a predetermined length portion from the right end of the left restriction rib 191 and a predetermined length portion from the left end of the right restriction rib 192 overlap when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. A space is formed in the overlapping portion where the left restriction rib 191 and the right restriction rib 192 overlap when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141 to allow air to pass through this overlapping portion.

[0075] When the suction source 111 is activated, the suction force of the suction source 111 sucks air from the suction space 133 backward through the outlet path 134. This creates a backward airflow in the suction space 133. Part of this airflow can pass between the rotating brush 141 and the upper partition wall 137. That is, this airflow passes through the space between the right end of the left restriction rib 191 and the right surface contact portion 184. The airflow then passes through the space formed where the left restriction rib 191 and the right restriction rib 192 overlap, as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush 141. The airflow then passes through the space between the left end of the right restriction rib 192 and the left surface contact portion 183, and flows out into the outlet path 134.

[0076] 15 allows a certain amount of air to pass through, thereby reducing resistance to the rearward airflow in the suction space 133. As a result, the amount of air flowing into the outlet path 134, and therefore the amount of dust flowing with this air, may increase.

[0077] 15 , the left and right restriction ribs 191 and 192 of the winding restriction portion 180 are not separated in the left-right direction, and some of their extending sections overlap when viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush 141. As a result, less dust passes through both the left restriction rib 191 and the right restriction rib 192 while remaining attached to the rotating brush 141. In other words, some of the dust attached to the rotating brush 141 passes between the left end of the right restriction rib 192 and the left surface contact portion 183, but this dust can be captured by the left restriction rib 191.

[0078] 15 , the left restricting rib 191 extends downstream of the right restricting rib 192 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. Conversely, the left restricting rib 191 may extend upstream of the right restricting rib 192 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141.

[0079] In the winding restricting portion 180 shown in Fig. 15, the left restricting rib 191 and the right restricting rib 192 extend from the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 16, the left surface contact portion 183 and the right surface contact portion 184 may be omitted. In this case, the left restricting rib 191 extends rightward from the left partition wall 139 that defines the left end of the suction space 133. The right restricting rib 192 extends leftward from the right partition wall 138 that defines the right end of the suction space 133.

[0080] 15, the left and right restriction ribs 191 and 192 are not spaced apart in the left-right direction. Alternatively, the left and right restriction ribs 191 and 192 may extend at positions spaced apart in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG.

[0081] 17 are formed at equal positions in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. Specifically, the left restriction rib 191 extends rightward from the left surface contact portion 183, and the right end of the left restriction rib 191 is spaced leftward from the right restriction rib 192. The right restriction rib 192 extends leftward from the right surface contact portion 184, and the left end of the right restriction rib 192 is spaced rightward from the right end of the left restriction rib 191.

[0082] The outflow path 134 opens at the rear of the space between the right end of the left restriction rib 191 and the left end of the right restriction rib 192. Furthermore, a central restriction rib 193 extends in the left-right direction at the front of the space between the right end of the left restriction rib 191 and the left end of the right restriction rib 192 (i.e., downstream in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141). The left end of the central restriction rib 193 is spaced to the right from the left surface contact portion 183. The right end of the central restriction rib 193 is spaced to the left from the right surface contact portion 184.

[0083] In a predetermined length section from the right end of the central restriction rib 193, the central restriction rib 193 overlaps with the right restriction rib 192 when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. In addition, in a predetermined length section from the left end of the central restriction rib 193, the central restriction rib 193 overlaps with the left restriction rib 191 when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. A gap is formed in these overlapping portions to allow air to pass through.

[0084] When the suction source 111 is activated, some of the air in the suction space 133 passes between the left end of the central restriction rib 193 and the left surface contact portion 183, and between the right end of the central restriction rib 193 and the right surface contact portion 184. This air then passes through the space formed by the overlapping portions of the central restriction rib 193, the left restriction rib 191, and the right restriction rib 192 in the rotational direction of the rotating brush 141. Thereafter, this air passes through the space between the right end of the left restriction rib 191 and the left end of the right restriction rib 192 and flows into the outlet passage 134.

[0085] Some of the dust adhering to the rotating brush 141 can pass through the space between the right end of the left regulating rib 191 and the left end of the right regulating rib 192 as the rotating brush 141 rotates, but this dust can be captured by the central regulating rib 193.

[0086] The left and right restriction ribs 191, 192 shown in Fig. 17 extend from the left and right surface contact portions 183, 184. Alternatively, the left and right restriction ribs 191, 192 may extend from the left and right partition walls 139, 138, as shown in Fig. 18 .

[0087] 16 and 17 is provided downstream of the left and right restriction ribs 191, 192 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141. Conversely, the central restriction rib 193 may be provided upstream of the left and right restriction ribs 191, 192 in the rotation direction of the rotating brush 141.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 is a stick type. Alternatively, the vacuum cleaner 100 may be a canister type vacuum cleaner or a handheld type vacuum cleaner.

[0089] (Effects, etc.) The suction nozzle 130 and the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the above-described embodiment have the following features and provide the following effects.

[0090] A suction nozzle according to one aspect of the above-described embodiment is configured to be attachable to a vacuum cleaner having a suction source that generates suction force for sucking in dust. The suction nozzle includes a nozzle case that defines a suction space that opens downward so that dust on a floor surface can flow in by the suction force of the suction source, a drive unit that generates rotational force, a rotating brush that extends left and right within the suction space and rotates by the rotational force of the drive unit to scrape dust off the floor, and a winding prevention unit that prevents dust from wrapping around the rotating brush. The winding prevention unit has a restriction rib that extends axially of the rotating brush and is embedded in the outer periphery of the rotating brush so as to hold dust upstream of the winding prevention unit in the rotational direction of the rotating brush.

[0091] In the above-described configuration, the nozzle case forms a suction space that opens downward to remove dust from the floor. A rotating brush extending in the left-right direction within the suction space is rotated by a drive unit to scrape off dust from the floor. The dust that the rotating brush can scrape off includes long pieces of dust such as hair, and it is anticipated that such long pieces of dust will become entangled around the rotating brush.

[0092] To prevent long dust particles from wrapping around the rotating brush, the suction nozzle is equipped with a winding restriction portion. This winding restriction portion has a restriction rib portion that extends in the axial direction of the rotating brush and is embedded in the outer periphery of the rotating brush. As a result, dust particles adhering to the rotating brush are less likely to move beyond the restriction rib portion downstream in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and are more likely to be held back upstream of the restriction rib portion in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush. Therefore, even if long dust particles attempt to wrap around the rotating brush, the dust particles remain at the contact point between the restriction rib portion and the rotating brush, making them less likely to wrap around the rotating brush. As a result, less dust particles wrap around the rotating brush, reducing the effort required to remove dust from the rotating brush.

[0093] In the above-described configuration, the nozzle case may have an outlet passage that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space. The rotating brush may have a rotating rod that extends in the left-right direction and is rotationally driven by a drive unit, and a plurality of brush bristles that protrude from the peripheral surface of the rotating rod to form the outer periphery of the rotating brush and that elastically deform upon contact with the winding restricting portion. The winding restricting portion may have a surface contact portion that is provided to make surface contact with the outer periphery of the rotating brush. The length of the surface contact portion in the rotation direction of the rotating brush may be longer than the length of the restricting rib portion in the rotation direction of the rotating brush. The surface contact portion may be formed at a position farther from the outlet passage than the restricting rib portion.

[0094] In the above configuration, the brush bristles come into contact with the winding restriction portion and lie flat, but when they pass through the winding restriction portion, they return to a protruding state from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod. If there is a large amount of dust held back upstream of the winding restriction portion when this restoration occurs, it is expected that some of this dust will be captured again by the brush bristles that are trying to return to a protruding state from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod and will become wrapped around the rotating brush.

[0095] To prevent this, a surface contact portion is provided at a position relatively far from the outlet. In other words, the suction force of the suction source tends to be weaker at positions far from the outlet. Therefore, dust captured by the winding prevention portion at a position far from the outlet tends to remain upstream of the winding prevention portion for a longer period of time than dust captured by the winding prevention portion at a position closer to the outlet. Even if dust is held upstream of the winding prevention portion at a position far from the outlet, the surface contact portion provided at this position is relatively long in the rotation direction of the rotating brush so that the brush bristles in contact with the surface contact portion remain flat for a relatively long period of time. As a result, the timing of the brush bristles returning to their protruding state from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod is delayed, allowing more dust to flow out through the outlet path before this restoration occurs. This prevents the brush from recapturing dust as it attempts to return to its protruding state from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod, and ultimately prevents dust from wrapping around the rotating brush.

[0096] At a position close to the outlet passage, the suction force of the suction source is relatively strong, so dust is likely to flow into the outlet passage before the brush bristles return to their original position. At such a position, the amount of dust drawn downstream of the winding restriction portion due to the return of the brush bristles is small, so there is little need to keep the brush bristles in a reclined position for a long period of time. In fact, if the size of the winding restriction portion in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush is unnecessarily increased, it is expected that the resistance provided by the winding restriction portion to the rotation of the rotating brush will become too great. For this reason, a restriction rib portion whose size in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush is smaller than the surface contact portion is provided at a position relatively close to the outlet passage.

[0097] In the above-described configuration, the length of the surface contact portion in the axial direction of the rotating brush may be shorter than the length of the regulating rib portion in the axial direction of the rotating brush.

[0098] In the above-described configuration, the length of the surface contact portion in the axial direction of the rotating brush is shorter than the length of the regulating rib in the axial direction of the rotating brush, so the surface contact portion does not provide excessively large resistance to the rotation of the rotating brush.

[0099] In the above-described configuration, the nozzle case may have a rear partition wall that defines the rear end of the suction space. An outlet passage that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space may be opened in the rear partition wall at a central position in the left-right direction. The rotating brush may include a rotating rod extending in the left-right direction and driven to rotate by a drive unit, and a plurality of brush bristles that protrude from the peripheral surface of the rotating rod to form the outer periphery of the rotating brush and elastically deform upon contact with the winding restricting portion. The winding restricting portion may have a surface contact portion that is provided in surface contact with the outer periphery of the rotating brush. The length of the surface contact portion in the rotation direction of the rotating brush may be longer than the length of the restricting rib portion in the rotation direction of the rotating brush. The surface contact portion may include a left surface contact portion that is provided in surface contact with the left end of the outer periphery of the rotating brush, and a right surface contact portion that is provided in surface contact with the right end of the outer periphery of the rotating brush.

[0100] In the above-described configuration, dust flowing into the suction space due to the suction force of the suction source exits the suction space through an outlet passage opening in the rear partition wall that defines the rear end of the suction space. Because this outlet passage opens at the center of the rear partition wall in the left-right direction, the suction force acting at the center of the rotating brush in the left-right direction is high. Meanwhile, the suction force acting at the left and right ends of the rotating brush is weak. At the left and right ends of the rotating brush where the suction force is weak, dust is less likely to flow into the outlet passage and is more likely to become entangled around the rotating brush. Therefore, to prevent dust from becoming entangled at the left and right ends of the rotating brush, the above-described configuration includes a left surface contact portion that is provided in surface contact with the left end of the outer periphery of the rotating brush and a right surface contact portion that is provided in surface contact with the right end of the outer periphery of the rotating brush.

[0101] In the above-described configuration, the regulating rib portion may include a left regulating rib extending rightward from the left surface contact portion, and a right regulating rib extending leftward from the right surface contact portion at a position upstream or downstream of the left regulating rib in the rotation direction of the rotating brush. The right end of the left regulating rib may be located at a position spaced to the left of the right surface contact portion. The left end of the right regulating rib may be located at a position spaced to the right of the left surface contact portion. A portion of the left regulating rib and a portion of the right regulating rib may overlap each other when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, and a gap that allows air to pass through may be formed in this overlapping portion.

[0102] In the above-described configuration, air and dust flowing into the suction space due to the suction force of the suction source exits the suction space through the outlet passage, generating an airflow within the suction space. To allow some of this airflow to pass through, spaces are formed between the right end of the left regulating rib and the right surface contact portion, between the left end of the right regulating rib and the left surface contact portion, and in the overlapping portions of the left and right regulating ribs as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush. This reduces the resistance provided by the regulating rib portions to the airflow generated within the suction space. Furthermore, a portion of the left regulating rib extending from the left surface contact portion and a portion of the right regulating rib extending from the right surface contact portion overlap as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and these ribs are not separated laterally. This allows dust adhering to the rotating brush to come into contact with one of these ribs and be separated from the rotating brush. In other words, less dust passes through both the left and right regulating ribs while remaining attached to the rotating brush.

[0103] In the above-described configuration, the regulating rib portion may have a left regulating rib extending rightward from the left surface contact portion and having its right end spaced to the left of the right surface contact portion, a right regulating rib extending leftward from the right surface contact portion and having its left end spaced to the right from the right end of the left regulating rib, and a central regulating rib extending in the left-right direction at a position spaced from both the left surface contact portion and the right surface contact portion. The central regulating rib may overlap a portion of the left regulating rib and a portion of the right regulating rib when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, and gaps may be formed in these overlapping portions to allow air to pass through.

[0104] In the above-described configuration, spaces are formed between the left and right restriction ribs, between the left end of the central restriction rib and the left surface contact portion, and between the right end of the central restriction rib and the right surface contact portion, where these ribs overlap as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush. Because the airflow generated in the suction space can pass through these spaces, the resistance provided by the restriction rib portions to the airflow generated in the suction space is reduced. Furthermore, the central restriction rib overlaps with portions of the left and right restriction ribs as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and these ribs are not separated laterally. Therefore, less dust passes through all of the left, right, and central restriction ribs while remaining attached to the rotating brush.

[0105] In the above-described configuration, the suction nozzle may further include a pair of bearing members that rotatably support the left and right ends of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case. The plurality of brushes may form a brush band extending on the circumferential surface of the rotating rod so as to contact the left and right surface contact portions at later times as they move away from the left and right ends of the outer periphery of the rotating brush.

[0106] In the above-described configuration, the left and right ends of the rotating rod are rotatably supported by a pair of bearing members attached to the nozzle case. If dust adheres to these bearing members, the bearing members may not rotate properly. The brush band is configured to suppress the adhesion of dust to the bearing members.

[0107] That is, dust adhering to the brush band near the left end of the rotating brush comes into contact with the left surface contact portion relatively quickly and tends to accumulate at the upstream end of the left surface contact portion, which is the upstream end of the left surface contact portion in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush. Because the brush band and the left surface contact portion are not yet in contact on the right side of their contact points, dust accumulated at the upstream end of the left surface contact portion tends to be pushed to the right. That is, this dust can be pushed away from the bearing member connected to the left end of the rotating rod. Similarly, dust accumulated at the upstream end of the right surface contact portion can be pushed away from the bearing member connected to the right end of the rotating rod.

[0108] In the above-described configuration, the suction nozzle may further include a pair of bearing members that rotatably support the left and right ends of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case. The upstream end of the left surface contact portion, which is the upstream end in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, may be inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating brush so as to urge dust accumulated at the upstream end to the right as the rotating brush rotates. The upstream end of the right surface contact portion, which is the upstream end in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, may be inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating brush so as to urge dust accumulated at the upstream end to the left.

[0109] In the above-described configuration, the upstream ends of the left and right surface contact portions are inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating brush to prevent dust from adhering to the pair of bearing members supporting the left and right ends of the rotating rod. That is, dust scraped off from the rotating brush adheres to these upstream ends, but the upstream end of the left surface contact portion is inclined so as to urge the dust adhering to this upstream end to the right as the rotating brush rotates. Furthermore, the upstream end of the right surface contact portion is inclined so as to urge the dust adhering to this upstream end to the left as the rotating brush rotates. Due to the inclination of these upstream ends, dust adhering to these upstream ends moves away from the left and right bearing members as the rotating brush rotates, thereby preventing dust from adhering to these bearing members and, ultimately, preventing the bearing members from rotating poorly due to dust adhesion.

[0110] In the above-described configuration, the suction nozzle may further include a bearing member that rotatably supports the left end of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case, and a guide rib that protrudes from the left surface contact portion so as to guide dust that has entered between the outer periphery of the rotating brush and the left surface contact portion toward the opposite side of the bearing member as the rotating brush rotates.

[0111] In the above-described configuration, the suction nozzle may further include a bearing member that rotatably supports the right end of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case, and a guide rib that protrudes from the right surface contact portion so as to guide dust that has entered between the outer periphery of the rotating brush and the right surface contact portion toward the opposite side of the bearing member as the rotating brush rotates.

[0112] In the above-described configuration, even if fine dust gets in between the left surface contact portion and the outer periphery of the rotating brush, or between the right surface contact portion and the outer periphery of the rotating brush, the guide ribs protruding from the left and right surface contact portions guide the dust away from the bearing members, thereby preventing dust from adhering to the bearing members and, ultimately, preventing malfunction of the bearing members due to this adhesion.

[0113] In the above-described configuration, the suction nozzle may further include a pair of bearing members that rotatably support the left and right ends of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case. Each bearing member may have a butting portion that abuts against the end face of the rotating rod and has a diameter larger than that of the end face of the rotating rod, and a ring portion that protrudes from the butting portion to close the joint between the butting portion and the end face of the rotating rod and into which the left and right ends of the rotating rod are fitted.

[0114] In the above-described configuration, the abutting portion of the bearing member that abuts against the end face of the rotating rod of the rotating brush has a larger diameter than the end face of the rotating rod, so that dust is less likely to become entangled around the bearing member.

[0115] When a butt structure between the butt portion of the bearing member and the end face of the rotating rod is used to connect the bearing member and the rotating brush, it is expected that long pieces of dust will get into the joint between the butt portion and the end face of the rotating rod. To prevent dust from getting into this joint, a ring portion protruding from the butt portion closes this joint. Furthermore, the end of the rotating rod is fitted into the ring portion, thereby connecting the rotating brush to the bearing member.

[0116] In the above-described configuration, the ring portion may have a notch formed therein, and some of the brushes may protrude from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod through the notch.

[0117] In the above-described configuration, the ring portion has cutouts formed therein so that some of the brushes can protrude from the left and right ends of the rotating rod.

[0118] In the above-described configuration, the nozzle case may have a rear partition wall that partitions the rear end of the suction space. The rear partition wall may have an outlet passage that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space at a central position in the left-right direction. The depth of penetration of the restricting rib portion into the left and right end portions of the rotating brush may be greater than the depth of penetration of the restricting rib portion into the central portion between the left and right end portions of the rotating brush.

[0119] In the above-described configuration, dust flowing into the suction space due to the suction force of the suction source flows out of the suction space through an outlet passage opening in the rear partition wall that defines the rear end of the suction space. Because this outlet passage opens at the center of the rear partition wall in the left-right direction, the suction force acting on the center of the rotating brush in the left-right direction is high. Meanwhile, the suction force acting on the left and right ends of the rotating brush is weak. At the left and right ends of the rotating brush where the suction force is weak, dust is less likely to flow into the outlet passage and is more likely to become entangled around the rotating brush. To prevent dust from becoming entangled at the left and right ends of the rotating brush, the above-described configuration configures the penetration depth of the winding restriction portion at the left and right ends of the rotating brush to be greater than the penetration depth of the winding restriction portion at the center portion between the left and right ends of the rotating brush.

[0120] In the above-described configuration, the nozzle case may be formed with an outlet path that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space due to the suction force of the suction source. The restricting rib portion may include a left restricting rib extending rightward from the left end of the suction space, and a right restricting rib extending leftward from the right end of the suction space at a position upstream or downstream of the left restricting rib in the rotation direction of the rotary brush. The right end of the left restricting rib may be located at a position spaced leftward from the right end of the suction space. The left end of the right restricting rib may be located at a position spaced rightward from the left end of the suction space. A portion of the left restricting rib and a portion of the right restricting rib may overlap each other when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotary brush, and a gap that allows air to pass through may be formed in this overlapping portion.

[0121] In the above-described configuration, air and dust flowing into the suction space due to the suction force of the suction source are discharged out of the suction space through the outlet passage, generating an airflow within the suction space. To allow some of this airflow to pass through, spaces are formed to the right of the right end of the left regulating rib, to the left of the left end of the right regulating rib, and in the areas where the left and right regulating ribs overlap as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush. This reduces the resistance provided by the regulating rib portions to the airflow generated within the suction space. Furthermore, portions of the left and right regulating ribs overlap as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and these ribs are not separated laterally. Therefore, less dust passes through both the left and right regulating ribs while remaining attached to the rotating brush.

[0122] In the above-described configuration, the nozzle case may be formed with an outflow path that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space by the suction force of the suction source. The restricting rib portion may include a left restricting rib extending rightward from the left end of the suction space and having its right end spaced leftward from the right end of the suction space, a right restricting rib extending leftward from the right end of the suction space and having its left end spaced rightward from the right end of the left restricting rib, and a central restricting rib extending left and right at a position spaced apart from both the left and right ends of the suction space. The central restricting rib may overlap a portion of the left restricting rib and a portion of the right restricting rib when viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and gaps that allow air to pass through these overlapping portions may be formed.

[0123] In the above-described configuration, spaces are formed between the left and right restriction ribs, to the left of the left end of the central restriction rib, to the right of the central restriction rib, and where these ribs overlap as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush. Because the airflow generated in the suction space can pass through these spaces, the resistance provided by the restriction rib portions to the airflow generated in the suction space is reduced. Furthermore, the central restriction rib overlaps with portions of the left restriction rib and the right restriction rib as viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and these ribs are not separated laterally. Therefore, less dust passes through all of the left restriction rib, right restriction rib, and central restriction rib while remaining attached to the rotating brush.

[0124] A vacuum cleaner according to one aspect of the above-described embodiment includes a suction source that generates a suction force for sucking dust, and the above-described suction nozzle.

[0125] The suction nozzle and the vacuum cleaner of the above-described embodiment are suitably used in devices used for cleaning work.

Claims

1. A suction nozzle attached to a vacuum cleaner having a suction source that generates suction force to suck in dust, comprising: a nozzle case that forms a suction space that opens downward so that dust on the floor surface can flow in by the suction force of the suction source; a drive unit that generates rotational force; a rotating brush that extends left and right within the suction space and rotates by the rotational force of the drive unit to scrape off dust on the floor surface; and a winding control unit that controls dust from wrapping around the rotating brush, wherein the winding control unit has a control rib portion that extends in the axial direction of the rotating brush and is embedded in the outer periphery of the rotating brush so as to hold back dust upstream of the winding control unit in the rotation direction of the rotating brush.

2. A suction nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein the nozzle case has an outlet passage that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space, the rotating brush having a rotating rod that extends in the left-right direction and is rotationally driven by the drive unit, and a plurality of brush bristles that protrude from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod to form the outer periphery of the rotating brush and that elastically deform upon contact with the winding control portion, the winding control portion having a surface contact portion that is arranged to make surface contact with the outer periphery of the rotating brush, the length of the surface contact portion in the rotational direction of the rotating brush being longer than the length of the control rib portion in the rotational direction of the rotating brush, and the surface contact portion is formed at a position farther from the outlet passage than the control rib portion.

3. A suction nozzle according to claim 2, wherein the length of the surface contact portion in the axial direction of the rotating brush is shorter than the length of the regulating rib portion in the axial direction of the rotating brush.

4. A suction nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein the nozzle case has a rear partition wall that defines the rear end of the suction space, and the rear partition wall has an outlet passage that opens at a central position in the left-right direction to allow air and dust to flow out of the suction space, and the rotating brush has a rotating rod that extends in the left-right direction and is rotated by the drive unit, and a plurality of brush bristles that protrude from the circumferential surface of the rotating rod to form the outer periphery of the rotating brush and that elastically deform upon contact with the winding control portion, and the winding control portion has a surface contact portion that is provided so as to be in surface contact with the outer periphery of the rotating brush, and the length of the surface contact portion in the rotational direction of the rotating brush is longer than the length of the control rib portion in the rotational direction of the rotating brush, and the surface contact portion has a left surface contact portion that is provided so as to be in surface contact with the left end of the outer periphery of the rotating brush, and a right surface contact portion that is provided so as to be in surface contact with the right end of the outer periphery of the rotating brush.

5. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, wherein the regulating rib portion includes a left regulating rib extending to the right from the left surface contact portion, and a right regulating rib extending to the left from the right surface contact portion at a position upstream or downstream of the left regulating rib in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, the right end of the left regulating rib is located at a position spaced to the left from the right surface contact portion, and the left end of the right regulating rib is located at a position spaced to the right from the left surface contact portion, and a portion of the left regulating rib and a portion of the right regulating rib overlap each other when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, and a gap is formed in this overlapping portion to allow air to pass through.

6. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, wherein the regulating rib portion comprises: a left regulating rib extending to the right from the left surface contact portion and having its right end spaced to the left from the right surface contact portion; a right regulating rib extending to the left from the right surface contact portion and having its left end spaced to the right from the right end of the left regulating rib; and a central regulating rib extending in the left-right direction at a position spaced from both the left surface contact portion and the right surface contact portion, wherein the central regulating rib overlaps with a portion of the left regulating rib and a portion of the right regulating rib when viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and gaps are formed in these overlapping portions to allow air to pass through.

7. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, further comprising a pair of bearing members that rotatably support the left and right ends of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case, and wherein the plurality of brushes form a brush band extending on the circumferential surface of the rotating rod so as to contact the left and right surface contact portions at later times as they move away from the left and right ends of the outer periphery of the rotating brush.

8. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, further comprising a pair of bearing members that rotatably support the left and right ends of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case, wherein the upstream end of the left surface contact portion, which is the upstream end in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating brush so as to urge dust accumulated at the upstream end to the right as the rotating brush rotates, and the upstream end of the right surface contact portion, which is the upstream end in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating brush so as to urge dust accumulated at the upstream end to the left as the rotating brush rotates.

9. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, further comprising: a bearing member that rotatably supports the left end of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case; and a guide rib that protrudes from the left surface contact portion so as to guide dust that has entered between the outer periphery of the rotating brush and the left surface contact portion toward the opposite side of the bearing member as the rotating brush rotates.

10. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, further comprising: a bearing member that rotatably supports the right end of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case; and a guide rib that protrudes from the right surface contact portion so as to guide dust that has entered between the outer periphery of the rotating brush and the right surface contact portion toward the opposite side of the bearing member as the rotating brush rotates.

11. A suction nozzle as described in claim 4, further comprising a pair of bearing members which rotatably support the left and right ends of the rotating rod when attached to the nozzle case, each bearing member having a butting portion which abuts against the end face of the rotating rod and has a diameter larger than that of the end face of the rotating rod, and a ring portion which protrudes from the butting portion so as to close the joint between the butting portion and the end face of the rotating rod and into which the left and right ends of the rotating rod are fitted.

12. A suction nozzle according to claim 11, wherein said ring portion has a notch formed therein, and a portion of said plurality of brushes protrudes from said peripheral surface of said rotating rod through said notch.

13. A suction nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein the nozzle case has a rear partition wall that partitions the rear end of the suction space, and the rear partition wall has an outlet passage that opens at a central position in the left-right direction to allow air and dust to flow out of the suction space, and the depth of penetration of the regulating rib portion into the left and right ends of the rotating brush is greater than the depth of penetration of the regulating rib portion into the central part between the left and right ends of the rotating brush.

14. A suction nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein the nozzle case is formed with an outlet path that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space by the suction force of the suction source, and the regulating rib portion includes a left regulating rib extending rightward from the left end of the suction space, and a right regulating rib extending leftward from the right end of the suction space at a position upstream or downstream of the left regulating rib in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, the right end of the left regulating rib being located at a position spaced leftward from the right end of the suction space, and the left end of the right regulating rib being located at a position spaced rightward from the left end of the suction space, and a portion of the left regulating rib and a portion of the right regulating rib overlapping each other when viewed in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, and a gap that allows air to pass through is formed in this overlapping portion.

15. A suction nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein the nozzle case is formed with an outlet passage that allows air and dust to flow out of the suction space by the suction force of the suction source, and the regulating rib portion has: a left regulating rib extending to the right from the left end of the suction space and having its right end spaced to the left of the right end of the suction space; a right regulating rib extending to the left from the right end of the suction space and having its left end spaced to the right from the right end of the left regulating rib; and a central regulating rib extending in the left-right direction at a position spaced from both the left and right ends of the suction space, and the central regulating rib overlaps with a portion of the left regulating rib and a portion of the right regulating rib when viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotating brush, and gaps are formed in these overlapping portions to allow air to pass through.

16. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a suction source that generates suction force to suck up dust; and a suction nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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