Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Hiroshi Yoshimura

Takashi Yoshikawa

Hideo Nojima

Kazumasa Hayashi

Kazuo Nishikawa

Mikio Yagi

Shigenori Hato

Hisaharu Yagi

Yoshihiro Shimizu

Tetsuyuki Ohtani

Kohji Ninomiya

Masuo Kawabata

Noboru Nishinaka

Susumu Hamada

Itsuo Fujibayashi

Masaki Kaji

Yasuo Takenaka

When the electrically driven fan () of a vacuum cleaner is driven, air containing dust is drawn into the cleaner main body () through a hose () connected to a hose socket () and is exhausted into the outside of the cleaner main body () through an exhaust port () via first and second suction passageways (). Disposed outside the first suction passageway () is an ion generator (), it being arranged that plus and minus ions generated in the ion generator () are fed to the air stream flowing in the first suction passageway (). Since the plus and minus ions kill floating germs in the air stream, the exhaust can be purified.

Vacuum cleaner and device having ion generator

A suction cleaner that sucks in dust, from a suction mouth of a suction mouth body, with airflow generated through operation of an electric air blower and introduces the sucked airflow into a dust collection device to collect the dust. The suction mouth body is provided with a first suction mouth and a second suction mouth. An agitator is arranged at the first suction mouth. The first suction mouth is selected by a suction mouth-switching device, and the agitator is driven when the suction is carried out from the first suction mouth. A mechanism for transmitting power to the agitator includes a driving pulley that co-rotates with the agitator, an idler that can be rotated independently of the agitator, and a belt that is shifted between the driving pulley and the idler by a belt-switching device.

Suction cleaner

A cam mechanism has different portions thereof arranged on a main unit, which may be a refrigerator, and on a door. When the door is closed, a hinge pin is locked at one end of a hinge groove, keeping the cam mechanism in a first locked position. As the door is opened, the hinge pin is guided by the hinge groove and a guide pin is guided by a guide groove, permitting the door to rotate and slide. Thus, the hinge pin is locked at the other end of the hinge groove, bringing the cam mechanism to a second locked position. A boss slides on a rib and thereby maintains the second locked position, permitting the door to rotate about the hinge pin. This structure helps realize a door opening/closing mechanism with enhanced operability at reduced cost.

CAM mechanism for shifting a rotary member supported on a base member when the rotary member is opened and closed

A door opening/closing mechanism fitted on a door that closes and opens an opening formed in the body of an apparatus by being brought into and out of contact with the rim of the opening has cam mechanisms that permit the door to engage with and disengage from the body at either of the right and left sides of the door. The cam mechanisms can be brought into a first lock position in which they lie symmetrically at both sides of the door and into a second lock position in which they lie symmetrically at both sides of the door, and each have a hinge pin that serves as a rotation axis in the second lock position and a groove cam that engages with the hinge pin in such a way as to be movable relative to the hinge pin. The groove cam has a slide portion on which a part of the innermost portion of the hinge pin slides when the cam mechanism is moved from the first lock position to the second lock position and of which the length in the direction of the width of the door is greater than the maximum permissible variation in the outermost distance (L) between the two groove cams formed at both sides of the door. When the door is closed, the cam mechanisms at both sides are kept in the first lock position and, when the door is opened at one side, the door slides and thereby causes the cam mechanism at the other side to be brought into the second lock position so as to be rotatably locked in the second lock position.

Door opening and closing mechanism with dual pivot axes for a door

The cool air inside a refrigerator compartmentis introduced through a return openinginto an ion generation chamberprovided behind the refrigerator compartment. A voltage is applied to a needle-like electrodearranged in an upper portion of the ion generation chamberso that, by corona discharge, positive and negative ions are discharged substantially parallel to the cool air circulating in the direction indicated by arrow B. This helps alleviate the loss of ions resulting from collision with a wall surface, and permits the ions to reach a wide area. This prolongs the period for which the cool air is kept in contact with the ions, and thus helps enhance the sterilizing effect.

Storage unit and refrigerator

A door opening/closing mechanism fitted on a door that closes and opens an opening formed in the body of an apparatus by being brought into and out of contact with the rim of the opening has cam mechanisms that permit the door to engage with and disengage from the body at either of the right and left sides of the door ( ). The cam mechanisms can be brought into a first lock position in which they lie symmetrically at both sides of the door and into a second lock position in which they lie symmetrically at both sides of the door, and each have a hinge pin ( ) that serves as a rotation axis in the second lock position and a groove cam ( ) that engages with the hinge pin ( ) in such a way as to be movable relative to the hinge pin. The groove cam ( ) has a slide portion ( ) on which a part of the innermost portion of the hinge pin slides when the cam mechanism is moved from the first lock position to the second lock position. When the door ( ) is closed, the cam mechanisms at both sides are kept in the first lock position and, when the door is opened at one side, the door ( ) slides and thereby causes the cam mechanism at the other side to be brought into the second lock position so as to be rotatably locked in the second lock position.

Door opening and closing mechanism with dual pivot axis for a door

Growing community of inventors

Tondabayashi, Japan

Hiroshi Yoshimura