Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,226,158 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Hiromitsu, Tanaka, Masatoshi, Morishita, Atsushi, Machida, Yukio, Murata, Hiromitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Scruggs, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/503,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20170231450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/04 with driven brushes or agitators
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0494 Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner capable of ensuring communication between a suction port and a dust collecting unit even in a state that a body portion of a cleaning unit has pivoted along an up/down direction relative to a main casing. The body portion is provided on the main casing to be pivotable along the up/down direction. A sliding-contact surface portion is provided in the body portion and curved along a pivoting direction of the body portion. A curved surface portion is provided in the communicating section body and curved along the pivoting direction of the body portion to be brought into sliding contact with the sliding-contact surface portion by pivoting motion of the body portion. A communicating opening is opened in the curved surface portion to communicate with the dust collecting unit.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main casing including an electric blower and a dust collecting unit communicating with a suction side of the electric blower;

a driving wheel for enabling the main casing to travel on a cleaning-object surface;

a cleaning unit which includes;

a body portion positioned in a lower part of the main casing and provided on the main casing so as to be pivotable along an up/down direction;

a suction port opened in the body portion so as to face the cleaning-object surface;

a sliding-contact surface portion provided in the body portion so as to face a dust collecting unit side and curved along a pivoting direction of the body portion; and

a communicating port opened in the sliding-contact surface portion to communicate with the suction port;

a communicating section which includes;

a curved surface portion curved along the pivoting direction of the body portion so as to be brought into sliding contact with the sliding-contact surface portion by pivoting motion of the body portion; and

a communicating opening opened in the curved surface portion to communicate with the dust collecting unit, the communicating section being interposed between the cleaning unit and the dust collecting unit and fixed to the main casing.