Cleaning implement

Abstract

A cleaning implement equipped with: a shaft part having an insertion end section and a base end section; and a cleaning part comprising an elastomer and capable of cleaning a gap. The cleaning part has a cleaning-part body and a guide part for projecting farther outward in the axial direction than the insertion end section, and guiding the insertion of the cleaning-part body into a gap. The projection dimension of the guide part from the insertion end section is equal to or greater than the thickness of the cleaning-part body, and the guide part has a shape that can be elastically deformed so as to be displaced relative to the insertion end section in the axially perpendicular direction.

1 : A cleaning implement for cleaning a minute gap formed between mutually adjacent objects to be cleaned, the cleaning implement comprising:
 a shaft part which has a shape that extends in a specific direction and can be inserted in the gap, and has an insertion end section formed at one end in the specific direction and a base end section formed at the other end in the specific direction; and   a cleaning part which is composed of an elastomer having a hardness lower than a hardness of the shaft part, covers a portion of the shaft part, and can clean the gap, the portion including the insertion end section and having a dimension equal to or less than a dimension of the shaft part in an axial direction of the shaft part, wherein   the shaft part has a shape that can be flexurally deformed so as to allow displacement of the insertion end section relative to the base end section in an axially perpendicular direction, which is perpendicular to the axial direction;   the cleaning part has a cleaning-part body that covers an outer peripheral surface of the shaft part, and a guide part that projects farther outward in the axial direction than the insertion end section and guides the insertion of the cleaning-part body into the gap; and   a projection dimension of the guide part from the insertion end section is equal to or greater than a thickness of the cleaning-part body, and the guide part has a shape that can be elastically deformed so as to be displaced relative to the insertion end section in the axially perpendicular direction.   
     
     
         2 : The cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the projection dimension of the guide part is 3 times or more and 10 times or less the thickness of the cleaning-part body.   
     
     
         3 : The cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the projection dimension of the guide part is 0.6 times or more and 4 times or less the dimension of the insertion end section in the axially perpendicular dimension.   
     
     
         4 : The cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the projection dimension of the guide part is set to 0.1 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less;   the dimension of the shaft part in the axial direction is set to 10 mm or more; and   a Shore hardness of the elastomer is set such that a pressing force necessary for pressing the guide part from the insertion end section side toward the base end section side until the guide part is displaced by 5.0 mm in the axial direction, while the guide part is elastically deformed and the shaft part is flexurally deformed, is 1.0 N or more and 8.0 N or less in a state in which the portion of the cleaning implement which is 10 mm apart from a tip of the guide part toward the base end section side is fixed.   
     
     
         5 : The cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the cleaning part further has a fine protrusion that is provided at the tip of the guide part and that has an outer shape smaller than an outer shape of the guide part.   
     
     
         6 : The cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the cleaning part further has a group of brush bristles composed of a plurality of brush bristles, each brush bristle having a shape protruding outward in the axially perpendicular direction from the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning-part body; and   the group of brush bristles includes a first curved brush bristle having a shape that curves outwardly of the cleaning-part body in the axially perpendicular direction gradually from the base end section side to the insertion end section side, and a second curved brush bristles having a shape that curves outwardly of the cleaning-part body in the axially perpendicular direction gradually from the insertion end section side to the base end section side.   
     
     
         7 : The cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the insertion end section and the guide part are each formed in a semispherical shape which is curved so as to be convex outward in the axial direction; and   the radius of the guide part is set to 1.1 times or more and 8 times or less the radius of the insertion end portion.