Rotary brush device and vacuum cleaner using the same

• US 6,323,570 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Hiroshi, Hayashi, Seizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Nestor
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, DANG D
• Application Number:
  US09/514,926
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 310/67.R, 310/47, 310/50, 310/83, 310/99, 310/154, 310/242, 310/90, 15/521, 153/77, 154/12, 154/13, 154/16, 153/92
• US Class Current: 310/67.00R
• 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 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/02 Nozzles suction nozzles for fluid transport B65G51/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0438 with gears having orbital motion, e.g. planetary gearing
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0455 Bearing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/281 the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2821 Pressure, vacuum level or airflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2831 Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• 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

Abstract

A motor is incorporated in a cylindrical body which is a rotary brush. Rotation of a rotor of the motor, directly or via a speed reduction mechanism, drives the rotary brush. Cooling air runs through the cylindrical body so that the motor is cooled and protected. The rotary brush and an electric apparatus using the rotary brush can be downsized and easily.

Claims

1. A rotary brush device comprising:

a cylindrical body having a first end, a second end, and having at least one of a brush agitator, a thin-plate agitator and a thin-plate scraper;

a motor disposed in said cylindrical body at said first end and for rotating said cylindrical body;

a motor bearing surrounding said motor, and said motor bearing attached to and between said motor and said cylindrical body; and

a speed reduction mechanism disposed on said second end of said cylindrical body;

wherein said first end of said cylindrical body is rotatably supported with said motor bearing.

2. The rotary brush device of claim 1 further comprising:

a commutator provided at one side of said motor; and

a carbon brush slideably contacting on said commutator provided outside of said cylindrical body.

3. The rotary brush device of claim 2, wherein the first end of the cylindrical body is journaled by a shaft of the rotor and said second end thereof is engaged via said speed reduction mechanism with the shaft of the rotor.

4. The rotary brush device of claim 1, further comprising:

a commutator provided at one side of said motor; and

a carbon brush slideably con t acting on said commutator provided inside of said cylindrical body.

5. The rotary brush device of claim 4 wherein the first end of the cylindrical body is journaled by a shaft of the rotor and a second end thereof is engaged via a speed reduction mechanism with the shaft of the rotor.

6. The rotary brush device of claim 1 wherein the first end of the cylindrical body is journaled by a shaft of the motor and said second end thereof is engaged via said speed reduction mechanism with the shaft of the motor.

7. The rotary brush device of claim 6 wherein the first end of the cylindrical body is supported by an outer ring of a first bearing, into which an inner ring of an outer wall of a motor bracket is press fitted, and wherein at the second end of said cylindrical body, the motor shaft is journaled by an inner ring of a second bearing, of which an outer ring is press fitted into a speed reduction gear bracket.

8. The rotary brush device of claim 7 wherein the speed reduction mechanism further comprising:

a first gear fixed to the rotor shaft;

a second gear rotatably engaged with the first gear;

a third gear disposed on an inner wall of said cylindrical body and the second gear is placed between the first and third gear; and

the speed reduction gear bracket supporting the second bearing and the second gear,

wherein said rotary brush further comprises a third bearing directly journaling said cylindrical body,

wherein the first gear is held and sandwiched by an inner ring of the third bearing bracket and the inner ring of the second bearing.

9. The rotary brush device of claim 1 wherein the stator is formed with a magnet, and an annular space between outer wall of the motor bracket holding said stator and inner wall of said cylindrical body is minimized to a limit allowing said cylindrical body to spin.

10. The rotary brush device of claim 9 wherein said cylindrical body is formed with magnetic permeable material.

11. The rotary brush device of claim 1 wherein a detector for detecting one of a pressure and a temperature is provided in a place connected through with inside of the motor, and a power supply to the motor is controlled in accordance with a result of detection made by the detector.

12. The rotary brush device of claim 1 wherein detector for detecting electric current flowing in the motor is provided, and a power supply to the motor is controlled in accordance with a result of detection made by the detector.

13. The rotary brush device of claim 1 wherein one of the agitator and the scraper is provided on the outer wall of cylindrical body in one of a helical and a V-shape form.

14. An electric apparatus comprising at least one rotary brush device recited in claim 1.

15. An electric apparatus comprising the rotary brush device of claim 1 wherein a manual reset thermo-protector is provided as a detector for detecting a temperature, and temperature detecting part of the detector is disposed on the motor side while a reset button is disposed on an outer face of the apparatus.

16. An electric apparatus comprising a floor nozzle having a sucking chamber connected through with an electric blower for sucking and is provided with a downward opening;

wherein the sucking chamber is provided with the rotary brush device recited in claim 1.

17. An electric apparatus comprising a pair of running rollers provided respectively at a front and a rear floor detector for detecting a floor, a switch which operates in engagement with said floor detector, and the rotary brush device recited in claim 1 wherein the cylindrical body is rotated in accordance with the kind of floor.

18. An electric apparatus comprising a floor nozzle which incorporates the rotary brush device recited in claim 1 and has a sucking chamber with a downward opening, an electric blower for sucking, a dust chamber for capturing dusts, and a handle tiltably attached to said floor nozzle;

wherein rotation of the cylindrical body of said rotary brush device is halted when said handle is stood substantially upright.

19. The electric apparatus of claim 18 wherein a controller is provided on a part of the handle for controlling rotation of the cylindrical body of rotary brush device.

20. An electric apparatus comprising a floor nozzle incorporating the rotary brush device recited in claim 1 and having a sucking chamber with a downward opening, an electric blower for sucking, a dust chamber for capturing dusts, and a dust detector provided at a part of sucking path connecting said sucking chamber and the electric blower through;

wherein rotation of the cylindrical body of the rotary brush device is controlled in accordance with an output of said dust detector.