Vacuum cleaner

• US 6,442,792 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Jyoraku, Fumio, Hayashi, Shoji, Ikeda, Ryuji, Tanaka, Sadashi, Sato, Shigenori, Sugimura, Kazuyuki, Sudou, Takayuki, Sato, Susumu, Tajima, Taiji
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US09/492,082
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 153/47, 153/52, 153/51, 153/39, 154/10
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/22 with rotary fans
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/125 funnel-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/325 for wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 15/01 Rechargeable batter

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a vacuum cleaner body in which a rotating brush, a dust collecting unit and an electric blower unit are integrally attached to a suction opening casing in which a brush chamber is formed. A rodlike handle is connected to the vacuum cleaner body. The rodlike handle is formed by a hollow member, and a plurality of batteries are arranged in series in the hollow member and are covered with a heat contraction tube.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner body including a casing having therein a dust collecting unit, an electric blower unit and a brush chamber, with a brush rotatably mounted in the brush chamber;

a rodlike handle connected to the vacuum cleaner body and including a hollow member;

a plurality of batteries housed in series in the hollow member; and

a heat contraction tube covering the plurality of batteries, integrating the batteries into a rodlike member.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of backlash preventing packings interposed between the rodlike member and the hollow member.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the dust collecting box is cup-shaped.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the backlash preventing packings are formed of a foamed resin.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the backlash preventing packings are elastic.

6. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner body including a casing having therein a dust collecting unit, an electric blower unit and a brush chamber, with a brush rotatably mounted in the brush chamber;

a rodlike handle connected to the vacuum cleaner body and including a hollow member;

a plurality of batteries housed in series in the hollow member; and

a protection packing abutting the outer ends of the series plurality of batteries.

7. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner body including a casing having therein a dust collecting unit, an electric blower unit and a brush chamber, with a brush rotatably mounted in the brush chamber;

a rodlike handle connected to the vacuum cleaner body and including a hollow member; and

a plurality of batteries housed in series in the hollow member, wherein;

the dust collecting unit and the electric blower unit are arranged in a lateral direction behind the brush chamber in the casing and are connected to each other via a communication passage,

said vacuum cleaner further comprises a handle joint surrounding the communication passage, and

the rodlike handle is connected to the handle joint.

8. A vacuum cleaner comprising a casing having an opening adapted to face a surface to be cleaned, the casing having therein a dust collecting chamber, a blower, a rotary cleaning member, and an electric motor for driving the blower and the rotary cleaning member,

wherein the blower has a mixed flow impeller.

9. A vacuum cleaner comprising a casing having an opening adapted to face a surface to be cleaned, the casing having therein a dust collecting chamber, an electric motor, a rotary cleaning member, a blower with an impeller, and a diffuser downstream of the impeller,

wherein the blower and the rotary cleaning member are driven by the electric motor, and

wherein the impeller of the blower is a mixed flow impeller and the diffuser is an axial diffuser.

10. A vacuum cleaner comprising a casing having an opening adapted to face a surface to be cleaned, the casing having therein a dust collecting chamber, an electric motor, an impeller coupled to the electric motor, a blower, and a diffuser disposed downstream of the impeller,

wherein the impeller is a mixed flow impeller having a blade, a hub, and a hub side plate smaller than the diameter of the blade on the hub side of the impeller, and the diffuser is an axial diffuser.

11. A vacuum cleaner comprising a casing having an opening adapted to face a surface to be cleaned, the casing having therein a dust collecting chamber, an electric motor, an impeller coupled to the electric motor, a blower, a diffuser disposed downstream of the impeller, and a guide plate disposed upstream of the diffuser and around the impeller,

wherein the impeller is a mixed flow impeller, and the diffuser is an axial diffuser.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, further comprising a plate disposed in the circumferential direction around the impeller, and wherein the length of the plate in the rotary axis direction of the impeller is less than the length of the impeller in the rotary axis direction of the impeller.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the plate is a circular plate.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the plate is a linear plate.

15. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a casing having an interior and a pivotable handle joint;

a partition wall in the casing interior, the partition wall dividing the casing interior into a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion having therein a brush chamber with a casing suction opening, the rear portion having therein a dust collecting unit and a blower unit, with a communication passage defined through the handle joint in a direction substantially parallel with the partition wall, the communication passage coupling the dust collecting unit and the blower unit, the dust collecting unit having a dust collecting unit receiver provided at a rear end of the casing, the partition wall having a suction duct therethrough, and the casing including a cover covering the brush chamber and the casing suction opening;

a brush rotatably mounted in the brush chamber;

a blower in the blower unit;

a drive motor in the blower unit to drive the blower, the drive motor being coupled to the brush to rotate the brush;

a dust collecting box having a collecting box suction opening in a face thereof and having an opening end, the dust collecting box being detachably attached to the casing and supported within the dust collecting unit by the dust collecting unit receiver with the collecting box suction opening communicating through the suction duct with the brush chamber, the opening end communicating through the communication passage with the electric blower unit; and

a dust collecting filter in the dust collecting box.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, further comprising a retaining mechanism for retaining the dust collecting box and the suction opening cover together on the casing.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the casing has a step, and the dust collecting unit has a step which comes into contact with the casing step, the dust collecting unit step being formed on the peripheral face of the dust collecting box in order to stabilize the dust collecting box when the dust collecting box is attached to the casing.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15 or 17 wherein the dust collecting box face is inclined and has a circular bottom with a small diameter, and the collecting box suction opening is fonned in the inclined face.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 18, wherein the collecting box suction opening is formed in the lower half portion of the dust collecting box when the dust collecting box is attached to the casing.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the dust collecting box is attachable and detachable within the dust collecting unit in a vertical direction, and the dust collecting box includes a packing attached to the dust collecting box opening end, the packing having an inclined face with a thick upper side and a thin and receding lower side, and wherein the communication passage has an end face formed as a flange with an inclined face having a thick lower side and a thin and receding upper side.

21. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the dust collecting filter is housed eccentrically in the dust collecting box.

22. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 21, wherein the dust collecting filter is close to the collecting box suction opening side of the dust collecting box.

23. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 21, wherein the dust collecting filter is remote from the collecting box suction opening side of the dust collecting box.