Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SUCTTON BRUSH FOR A' VACUUM CT;FANER
BACKGROUND OF TI3E INVF,NTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an upright type vacuum cleaner, and
more
particularly to a suction brash for an upright type vacuum cleaner that draws
imair including
dust and contaminants, while moving along a surface to be cleaned.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG.1, an upright type vacuum cleaner generally comprises a
suction
I0 brush 20 that is connected to a cleaner body 10 and moves along a surface
to be cleaned.
The cleaner body 10 is divided into a dust collecting chamber 11 where a dust
filter (not
shown) is removably disposed and a motor driving chamber 12 where a motor for
generating a
suction force is disposed. The dust collecting chamber l l is opened and
closed by a cover I3.
Additionally, provided in the suction brush 20 is a brush bar 21 for brushing
contaminants off the surface to be cleaned, while being exposed at a lower
portion of the
suction brush 20: The brush bar 21 is rotated by a rotation force that is
transmitted from the
motor disposed in the motor driving chamber 12 via a driving force
transmission belt 23
(shown in phantom).
In the above construction, when the motor is driven, a strong suction force is
generated at a lower part of the suction brush 20. Due to the suction force,
the ate, including
dust and contaminants entrained therein, is drawn into the dust collecting
chamber, l I of the
cleaner body 10 from the cleaning surface.
The rotation force is also transmitted from the motor to the brush bar 21 via
the
driving force transmission belt 23. The brush bar 2Z rotates and brushes the
contaminants off
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of the surface to be cleaned; thereby removing the contaminants from the
surface to be cleaned,
whereby the removed contaminants are also drawn into the dust collecting-
chamber 11.
Meanwhile; the drawn air flows'into a dust filter (not shown) disposed in the
dust
collecting chamber l 1. At thin point, various contaminants entrained in the
air are filtered
through the dust filter and the air is discharged out through the motor
driving chamber 12.
However, the upright type vacuum cleaner as constructed above has a problem of
contamination of the driving force transmission belt 23 where the dust and
contaminants are
inadvertently transferred from the brush bar 21. Especially, when foreign
matted such as
hair or string; is caught in the driving force tran~nission belt 23, the
driving force is not
efficiently transmitted to the brush bar 21 and thus can not rotate flee brush
bar 21. Also,
there may be an occasion that the driving force transmission belt 23 is
cutduring operation.
Since it is necessary to check for contamination and the condition of the
driving force
transmission belt 23, the suction brush 20 has to be separated from the vacuum
cleaner.
Therefore, an inconvenience arises since .the condition of the driving force
transmission belt
I S 23 and the motor has to be checked.
SI1MMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is developed iri order to solve the above problems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a suction
brush for an upright
type vacuum cleaner having an improved construction enabling easy checking of
the
condition of the driving force transmission belt of the suction brush.
The above object is accomplished by providing a suction brush for an upright
type
vacuum cleaner according to the present invention: According to the present
invention; the
suction brush is rotatably disposed and attached to a cleaner body to move
along a surface to
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be cleaned, for drawing in contaminants from the surface to be cleaned by a
uction force
generated from a motor driving chamber disposed at a lover portion of the
cleaner body
comprising a suction brush body, a brush bar rotatably disposed inside the
suction brush body
for brushing the contaminants from the surface to be cleaned, a driving force
transmission
S belt disposed inside the suction brush body for transmitting a rotation
force to the brush bar
from a motor of the motor driving chamber; and a belt checking cover pivotably
disposed at a
lower portion of the suction brush body to check for contamination and the
condition of the
driving force transmission belt.
It is preferable that the belt checking cover is hinged on the brush bar cover
disposed
at a Iower portion of the suction brush body, for covering the brush bar and
having an
opening port formed therein thmugh which the brush barmay be exposed.
HRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAVVIrIGS
FIG. l is an exploded schematic perspective view showing a general upright
type
vacuum cleaner; and
FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing a suction brush for an upright
type
vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTI'ON~OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
, Hereinafter, a suction brush for an upright type vacuum cleaner according .
to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention will be descn'bed in greater
detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings:
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a suction brush for an upright type vacuum cleaner
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a
suction brush body
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30, a brush bar 40 disposed in the suction brush body 30, a driving force
transmission belt 50
(shown in phantom in FIG: 3); capable of traveling inside the suction brush
body 30, and a
belt checking cover 60'disposed at-a Iower portion~of the suction brush body
30.
As shown in FIG. 1, the suction brush body 30 is rotatably connected to a
lower side
of a cleaner body. The lower side of the: cleaner body is provided with a
motor driving
chamber for providing the suction brush body 30 with a suction force, as in a
conventional
upright type vacuum cleaner, such as that shown in FIG. 1.
The brush bar 40 is rotatably disposed in a first mounting section 3I provided
in the
suction brushbody 30. The brush bar :40 brushes contaminants aff from a
cleaning surface
during the rotation. At a lower side of the suction brash body 30 a brush bar
cover 35 for
covering the brush bar 40 is removably connected. The brushbar cover 35 is
provided with
an opening port 35a through which the brush bar 40 is outwardly or downwardly
exposed, for
drawing in contaminants and air therethrough.
The driving force transmission belt 50 travels inside the suction brush body
30 to
transmit the driving force to the brush bar 40. The driving force transmission
belt 50 travels
in a perpendicular direction with respect to the brush bar 40. For this, the
suction brush
body 30 is provided with a second mounting section 3~ perpendicular to the
first mounting
section 31, for housing the driving force transmission belt 50 therein. The
second mounting
section 32 communicates with the first mounting section 32 and the motor
driving chamber.
Accordingly, a shaft 71 of the motor 70 (shown in phantom in FIG. 3) is
mounted in the
motor driving chamber and extends into the first mounting section 31. The
driving force
transmission belt 50 is connected to the shafr '7i extended into the second
mounting section
32 and the brush bar 40, and travels between the shaft 7I and the second
mounting section 32.
The second mounting section 32 is opened and closed by the belt checking cover
60
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to expose the driving force transmission belt 50. The belt checking cover 60
easily opens
the second mounting section 32 to checks on the condition of the driving force
transmission
belt 50 or the contamination of the second mounting section 32 during the
operation of the
vacuum cleaner. One end of the belt checking cover 60 is pivotably connected
to the brush
bar cover 35, as shown. The other end s of the belt checking cover 60 is
removably
connected to and removed from the suction brush body 30 by a so-called "one
touch"
latching mechanism. For this "one touch" latching mechanism, the belt checking
cover 6U
has a defornaable resilient member 61 formed at the other end thereof and
defining a locking
hole or a locking protrusion. Inside of the second mounting section 3~ there
is provided a
locking section corresponding to the locking hole or the locking protrusion of
the resilient
member 61.
According to the construction as'described above, usually, the vacuum cleaner
is
operated with the second mounting section 32 being closed by the belt checking
cover 60 as
shown in FIG. 2. Then if the brush bar 40 does not completely or smoothly
rotate, the
second mounting section 32 can be opened simply by opening the belt checking
cover 60 for
the purpose of checking the driving force transmission belt SO Accordingly, it
is possible to
check for the contamination or the condition of the driving force transmission
belt 50.
Unlike the conventional vacuum cleaner in which a lower portion is required to
be separated
for a check on the condition of the driving force transmission belt 50, the
suction brush
according to the present invention has an advantage since the lower portion of
the suction
brush is not separated for the checking operation.
Meanwhile, although this embodiment described the belt checking cover 60
pivotably connected to he brush bar cover 35, it is just by way of exart~le,
and accordingly
any proper variations are possible. ' For example; it is possible that the
belt checking cover
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60 be directly connected to the uction brush.body 30.
According to the suction brush for the upright type vacuum cleaner as
constructed
above, by providing the suction brush body 30 with the belt checking cover 60
capable of
opening and closing the driving force transmission belt SO for rotating a
brush bar 40, the
S condition or the contamination of the driving force transmission belt S0 is
easily checked.
Accordingly, there is an advantage that the user can easily check the
condition of the
suction brush for proper operation.
