JP2020039510A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vacuum cleaner capable of turning pedestal parts of turning wheels smoothly.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body 2, turning wheels 14, and rotation bodies 27. The turning wheel 14 includes a pedestal part 16 and a wheel 25. The pedestal part 16 is turnably provided on a lower part opposed to a travelling surface of the cleaner body 2. The wheel 25 is held rotatably on the pedestal part 16. A plurality of the rotation bodies 27 are provided to at least one of the cleaner body 2 and the pedestal part 16 rotatably along a turning direction of the pedestal part 16. The rotation bodies 27 come in contact with the other of the cleaner body 2 and the pedestal part 16 and rotate when the pedestal part 16 turns.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a vacuum cleaner having a turning wheel.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a canister-type or self-propelled vacuum cleaner in which a cleaner main body performs cleaning while traveling on a floor or the like includes a swivel wheel that can turn to set a traveling direction of the cleaner main body. The revolving wheel has a revolving axis along the vertical direction, and a pedestal portion is supported at a lower portion of the cleaner body, and the wheel is rotatably held on the pedestal portion. When the turning wheel is downsized due to the miniaturization of the vacuum cleaner and the distance between the turning axis of the pedestal portion and the ground contact position of the wheel on the running surface is shortened, the pedestal portion generated by the contact between the wheel and the running surface is removed. There is a concern that the turning property of the pedestal portion may be reduced due to a small torque for turning. Therefore, it is required to maintain the turning property of the pedestal portion even with a small turning wheel.

JP-A-7-322976

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner capable of smoothly turning a pedestal portion of a turning wheel.

  The vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment includes a cleaner body, a turning wheel, and a rotating body. The turning wheel has a pedestal portion and wheels. The pedestal portion is provided rotatably at a lower portion facing the traveling surface of the cleaner body. The wheels are rotatably held by the pedestal. A plurality of rotating bodies are provided on at least one of the cleaner body and the pedestal portion so as to be rotatable along the turning direction of the pedestal portion. When the pedestal rotates, the rotating body contacts the other of the cleaner body and the pedestal and rotates.

(a) is a top view which shows the turning wheel of the vacuum cleaner of 1st Embodiment from an axial direction, (b) is sectional drawing in the position of the same turning wheel. It is a side view of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a bottom view of the same vacuum cleaner. It is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a top view which shows the turning wheel of the vacuum cleaner of 2nd Embodiment from an axial direction.

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

  2 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a vacuum cleaner. In the present embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 1 is moved by the user traveling on the floor, and cleans the floor for cleaning dust on the floor. In the present embodiment, a canister-type vacuum cleaner will be described as an example of the vacuum cleaner 1, but an autonomous traveling-type robot cleaner may be used. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction will be described based on a state in which the canister-type vacuum cleaner 1 is placed on a flat surface such as a floor surface.

  The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a cleaner body 2. The cleaner body 2 accommodates an electric blower 3 serving as a suction source, a control unit for controlling the electric blower 3, a power supply unit for supplying power to the electric blower 3 and the control unit, and the like. As the power supply unit, for example, a cord reel device for taking external power, a secondary battery, or the like is used. In addition, the cleaner body 2 includes a suction port 4 that communicates with the suction side of the electric blower 3. In the present embodiment, the air passage body 5 is detachably connected to the suction port 4. The air path body 5 forms a suction air path. The air path body 5 includes, for example, a hose body, an extension pipe, and a suction port body. In addition, the air path body 5 includes an operation unit that the user performs a grip operation. The operating unit is provided with setting means for setting start and stop of the vacuum cleaner 1. The air path body 5 is unnecessary when the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a robot cleaner.

  Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a dust collecting unit 10 interposed between the suction side of the electric blower 3 and the suction port 4. In the present embodiment, the dust collecting unit 10 is a dust collecting cup detachable from the cleaner main body 2, but is not limited thereto, and may be a dust collecting device built in the cleaner main body 2 or a collecting unit of the cleaner main body 2. It may be a filter such as a paper pack detachable from the dust chamber.

  Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a traveling means 12 for causing the cleaner main body 2 to travel on a floor surface, which is a traveling surface. In the present embodiment, the traveling unit 12 includes the traveling wheel 13 as the rear wheel and the turning wheel 14 as the front wheel, but is not limited thereto, and may include any other wheels and the like. .

  The traveling wheel 13 is a fixed wheel rotatably attached to both sides on the rear side in the traveling direction at a lower portion facing the floor of the cleaner body 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b) and 3, the swirl wheel 14 is a free wheel disposed at a lower portion of the cleaner main body 2 facing the floor surface and on the front side in the traveling direction. The turning wheel 14 is located ahead of the traveling wheel 13. In the present embodiment, one swirl wheel 14 is arranged at the central portion in the width direction of the cleaner main body 2, but is not limited to this, and may be arranged, for example, as a pair on the left and right. Further, the turning wheel 14 is arranged below the dust collecting unit 10.

  Further, the turning wheel 14 includes a pedestal portion 16 supported by the cleaner body 2 so as to be able to turn. The pedestal portion 16 has a turning shaft 17 along a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a running surface such as a floor surface. The pedestal portion 16 has an upper side accommodated in a swivel wheel mounting portion 18 provided in the cleaner body 2 and a lower side protruding downward from the swivel wheel mounting portion 18. Further, the pedestal portion 16 has a cylindrical supported portion 20 which is pivotally supported by the cleaner body 2 and serves as a turning center. Further, the pedestal portion 16 has a pedestal main body portion 21 extending in the radial direction from the pivoted support portion 20. The pedestal main body 21 is formed in a circular shape having a predetermined diameter when viewed from the axial direction of the turning wheel 14. Further, an upper portion 22 of the pedestal main body portion 21 which is an opposing portion facing the cleaner body 2 is opposed to a top surface portion 23 which is an upper surface portion of the turning wheel mounting portion 18 with a gap therebetween.

  The turning wheel 14 is for setting the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2. The turning wheel 14 includes a wheel 25 rotatably supported by the base 16. The diameter of the wheel 25 is set smaller than that of the traveling wheel 13. The wheel 25 has a rotating shaft 26 along the left-right width direction. The wheels 25 are supported by the pedestal main body 21 of the pedestal 16.

  Here, the pedestal 16 pivots relatively to the cleaner body 2 about the pivot axis 17, but at the position of the pedestal 16 shown in FIGS. Is located at the center in the width direction. Further, the wheels 25 are located at the rear of the pedestal 16. The rotation shaft 26 of the wheel 25 is located at a predetermined distance behind the turning shaft 17 of the pedestal 16 in the traveling direction. That is, the turning wheel 14 is positioned such that the wheel 25 is eccentric with respect to the pedestal portion 16. Since the turning wheel 14 of the present embodiment is small, the eccentric distance of the wheel 25 from the turning shaft 17 is a small predetermined value. Further, the wheel 25 may be located within the outer shape of the pedestal portion 16 when viewed in the direction of the pivot axis of the pedestal portion 16, or a part of the wheel 25 may protrude from the outer shape of the pedestal portion 16. Further, the outer periphery of the wheel 25 that contacts the floor surface is formed of a soft member such as an elastomer.

  In addition, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a plurality of rotating bodies 27 that assist the turning of the pedestal portion 16 of the turning wheel 14 with respect to the cleaner body 2. In the present embodiment, the rotating body 27 is rotatably disposed on the pedestal portion 16, and assists the turning of the pedestal portion 16 with respect to the cleaner body 2 by rotating in contact with the cleaner body 2. The rotating body 27 is formed in a roller shape smaller in diameter than the wheels 25. The rotating bodies 27 are arranged around the turning shaft 17 of the pedestal portion 16 so as to be separated from each other. The rotating bodies 27 are equally arranged around the turning shaft 17 of the pedestal portion 16. In the present embodiment, three rotating bodies 27 are provided and arranged at every 120 ° around the rotating shaft 17, but the number of rotating bodies 27 is not limited to this, and even if more than this, It may be less. The plurality of rotating bodies 27 are arranged apart from the pivotally supported portions 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, the center of the plurality of rotating bodies 27 is located on the virtual circle C when viewed in the direction of the pivot axis of the pedestal 16. The virtual circle C is a circle having a predetermined diameter dimension centered on the turning shaft 17, and the diameter dimension is smaller than the outer shape of the pedestal main body 21. Further, the rotating body 27 rotates along the tangential direction of the virtual circle C, that is, the turning direction of the pedestal portion 16 to assist the turning of the pedestal portion 16. That is, the virtual circle C indicates the rotation locus of the rotating body 27. In the present embodiment, one of the rotating bodies 27 is located rearward in the traveling direction with respect to the turning shaft 17 of the pedestal portion 16, and the other two are located forward in the traveling direction. Further, the rotating body 27 located rearward in the traveling direction with respect to the turning shaft 17 is arranged at a position overlapping with the wheels 25 when viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion 16. One rotating body 27 located rearward in the traveling direction with respect to the turning shaft 17 has its center on the center line in the width direction of the wheel 25 when viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion 16. Further, each rotating body 27 is rotatably supported by a shaft support 28 projecting from the upper portion 22 of the pedestal main body 21, and comes into contact with the cleaner main body 2 with the top surface 23 of the turning wheel mounting portion 18. The rotating body 27 has a rotating shaft 29 along a horizontal direction or a substantially horizontal direction. The rotation shaft 29 is arranged along the radial direction of the virtual circle C. Further, an outer peripheral portion serving as a contact portion of the rotating body 27 is formed of a soft member such as an elastomer. Further, when viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion 16, the virtual circle C is located outside the ground position P of the wheel 25. Further, when viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion 16, the distance from the turning shaft 17 to the contact position of the rotating body 27 with the cleaner body 2, that is, the radius of the virtual circle C is determined by the rotation of the wheel 25 from the turning shaft 17. Greater than the distance to axis 26. As shown in FIG. 1A, the ground contact position P of the wheel 25 is located in a region surrounded by the virtual circle C.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  At the time of cleaning, the rotatable traveling wheel 13 and the wheel 25 of the turning wheel 14 come into contact with the floor or the like, and the cleaner main body 2 can travel on the floor or the like. For example, when the vacuum cleaner 1 is of a canister type, the user pulls the air passage body 5 to cause the cleaner main body 2 to follow. When the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a robot cleaner, the cleaner main body 2 travels while changing the traveling direction by controlling the number of revolutions and the rotating direction of the traveling wheel 13.

  When the direction of the cleaner body 2 is changed, the pedestal portion 16 relatively rotates around the rotation shaft 17 with respect to the cleaner body 2 due to the torque generated by the contact resistance between the wheels 25 and the floor surface. Thus, the turning wheel 14 determines the direction of the cleaner body 2 and the traveling wheel 13 stabilizes the traveling direction of the cleaner body 2.

  When the pedestal portion 16 of the slewing wheel 14 is turned, the eccentric distance of the wheel 25 is reduced in the small slewing wheel 14, so that the torque generated in proportion to the eccentric distance is reduced, and the turning property of the pedestal portion 16 is reduced. descend. On the other hand, in the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the present embodiment, the rotatable rotating body 27 provided on the pedestal portion 16 of the swivel wheel 14 comes into contact with the cleaner body 2 and rotates, so that the cleaner body is rotated. Since the turning of the pedestal portion 16 with respect to 2 is assisted, the pedestal portion 16 can be easily and smoothly turned while the size of the turning wheel 14 is reduced.

  In addition, since components such as bearings are not used in order to make the pedestal portion 16 easy to turn, the size and weight can be reduced.

  Further, since the virtual circle C is located outside the ground contact position P of the wheel 25 when viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion 16, the torque generated at the contact position of the rotating body 27 without increasing the size of the pedestal portion 16 is reduced. The base 16 can be easily turned.

  Further, by disposing the plurality of rotating bodies 27 equally in the turning direction of the pedestal section 16, the reaction force generated from the floor or the like due to the grounding of the wheels 25 due to the weight of the cleaner body 2 is uniformly held by the rotating bodies 27. And, the turning of the pedestal portion 16 can be assisted.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same components and operations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  When viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal section 16, at least two of the rotating bodies 27 of the present embodiment are arranged at positions sandwiching the wheels 25. In the example shown in FIG. 5, rotating bodies 27 are arranged at both ends of the rotating shaft 26 of the wheels 25, respectively. Two of the rotating bodies 27 of the present embodiment are located rearward in the traveling direction with respect to the turning shaft 17 of the pedestal portion 16, and the other one is located forward in the traveling direction.

  In the present embodiment, when the reaction force generated from the floor or the like due to the grounding of the wheels 25 due to the weight of the cleaner main body 2 is viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion 16, the rotating body 27 positioned across the wheels 25 is the rotating body 27. It is possible to receive in a dispersed manner by contact with the object.

  In each of the above embodiments, the rotating body 27 has been described as being attached to the pedestal portion 16 of the turning wheel 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the rotating body 27 may be attached to at least one of the cleaner body 2 and the pedestal portion 16. What is necessary is just to be able to be arranged and to be rotatable in contact with the other. When the rotating body 27 is provided on the cleaner body 2, the rotating body 27 is, for example, provided on the top surface portion 23 of the swivel ring mounting portion 18 and rotates in contact with the upper portion 22 of the pedestal body 21. Good.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

1 Vacuum cleaner 2 Vacuum cleaner body
14 turning wheel
16 pedestal
25 wheels
27 Rotating body C Virtual circle P Grounding position

Claims (5)

A vacuum cleaner body,
A pedestal portion rotatably provided at a lower portion facing the running surface of the cleaner body, and a turning wheel having wheels rotatably held on the pedestal portion;
At least one of the cleaner body and the pedestal portion is provided so as to be rotatable along the turning direction of the pedestal portion, and when the pedestal portion turns, the cleaner body and the pedestal portion A rotating body that rotates in contact with the other of the
An electric vacuum cleaner comprising: 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a virtual circle indicating a rotation trajectory of the plurality of rotating bodies is located outside a ground contact position of the wheel when viewed in an axial direction of the pedestal portion. 3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of rotating bodies is arranged at a position overlapping with the wheel when viewed in an axial direction of the pedestal portion. 4. 3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of rotating bodies are arranged at positions sandwiching at least the wheels when viewed in the axial direction of the pedestal portion. 4. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of rotating bodies are equally arranged in a turning direction of the pedestal portion.

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