Electric vacuum cleaner

Abstract

Switch means switches air passages to provide communication between an auxiliary air passage and the suction side of an electric blower with fine dust removed from a pleated filter by a rotating body being received by a dust receiving section. Air is sucked from an outside-air intake opening into the electric blower through the dust receiving section and a fine dust filter in a dust collecting section unit, which allows the fine dust collected in the dust receiving section to be trapped in the fine dust filter, resulting in improved cleanliness.

1 . An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a vacuum cleaner main body housing an electric blower and including a main body suction port communicable with the suction side of the electric blower;   a dust collecting section for trapping dust that is sucked therein by driving the electric blower;   a filter for trapping fine dust;   drive means for rotating the filter under a predetermined condition;   dust removing means adapted to come into contact with the filter being rotated by the drive means to remove dust that is trapped in the filter;   a dust receiving section for receiving dust removed from the filter by the dust removing means;   an outside-air intake opening capable of providing communication between the dust receiving section and outside air;   a main air passage for providing communication between the main body suction port and the suction side of the electric blower through at least the filter;   an auxiliary air passage for providing communication between the outside-air intake opening and the suction side of the electric blower through the dust receiving section and the dust collecting section and not through the filter; and   switch means adapted to be driven by the drive means to provide communication selectively between the main air passage or the auxiliary air passage and the suction side of the electric blower in accordance with the rotational direction of the drive means.   
   
   
       2 . The electric vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the dust removing means and the switch means are adapted to be separated from the transmission of a driving force from the drive means when rotated by a predetermined angle of 360 degrees or less.   
   
   
       3 . The electric vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the dust removing means is adapted to operate as a part of the switch means in a rotation by a predetermined angle of 360 degrees or less and to stop rotating after the rotation by the predetermined angle to remove dust from the filter.