JP2021020011A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vacuum cleaner capable of improving a satisfaction level of a user by securing an operatable time.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner VC includes an actuator 6 and control means 7. The actuator 6 is driven by power feeding from a secondary battery B. The control means 7 controls an operation of the actuator 6. The control means 7 can perform operation time control to control input power of the actuator 6 so as to suppress shortening of an operatable time in accordance with deterioration of the secondary battery B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner including an actuator driven by power supply from a battery.

Conventionally, a vacuum cleaner that is driven by a battery as a power source is known. When the battery of a battery-powered vacuum cleaner deteriorates or its life is shortened, the capacity of the battery-powered vacuum cleaner decreases, and the operating time of the battery-powered vacuum cleaner becomes shorter than when the battery is normal. If the operable time is shortened, the vacuum cleaner may stop before the cleaning of the range that could be normally cleaned is completed, and the user's satisfaction is lowered.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-152887

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner capable of securing an operable time and improving user satisfaction.

The vacuum cleaner of the embodiment includes an actuator and a control means. The actuator is driven by power supplied from a battery. The control means controls the operation of the actuator. The control means can carry out operation time control that controls the input power of the actuator so as to suppress the shortening of the operation time according to the deterioration of the battery.

It is a circuit block diagram which shows the internal structure of the vacuum cleaner of one Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the electric vacuum cleaner as above. It is the flowchart which shows an example of the operation time control of the vacuum cleaner. It is the flowchart which shows the other example of the operation time control of the vacuum cleaner.

Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, VC is a vacuum cleaner. The electric vacuum cleaner VC is a cordless vacuum cleaner powered by a secondary battery B, which is a battery. In the present embodiment, as the vacuum cleaner VC, a stick-type cordless vacuum cleaner will be described as an example. The vacuum cleaner VC is not limited to the stick type, but may be a floor traveling type, an upright type, or an autonomous traveling type.

The electric vacuum cleaner VC includes a vacuum cleaner main body 2. A dust collecting unit 3 for collecting dust is arranged on the vacuum cleaner main body 2. The dust collecting unit 3 communicates with the main body suction port 20 formed in the vacuum cleaner main body 2. An extension pipe 4 for carrying dust to the dust collecting unit 3 and a suction port body 5 are connected to the main body suction port 20. The suction port body 5 and the extension pipe 4 communicate with the dust collecting portion 3. The suction port body 5 may be provided with a rotary cleaning body and a motor which is a cleaning actuator for rotating the rotary cleaning body. These extension pipes 4 and suction port 5 may not be necessary depending on the type of vacuum cleaner VC.

In the vacuum cleaner main body 2, a cleaning actuator 6 that carries dust to the dust collecting unit 3 is arranged. The actuator 6 is driven by power supplied from the secondary battery B. In the present embodiment, the actuator 6 is an electric blower for sucking dust into the dust collecting unit 3. In the present embodiment, the actuator 6 is an electric unit having the maximum power consumption in the vacuum cleaner VC. The actuator 6 is not limited to the electric blower. When the vacuum cleaner VC is an autonomous traveling type or the like, the actuator 6 may be a motor or the like for scraping dust to the dust collecting unit 3.

A control means 7 for controlling the operation or driving force of the actuator 6 is arranged in the vacuum cleaner main body 2. In the present embodiment, the control means 7 is a microcomputer in which a CPU as a central processing unit, a RAM as a temporary storage device, an EEPROM, a ROM as a storage device, an input / output interface, and the like are connected via a bus. .. In the present embodiment, the control means 7 PWM controls the actuator 6. As shown in FIG. 1, the control means 7 controls the electric power supplied from the secondary battery B to the actuator 6 by the power control element 8. The power control element 8 is a switch element such as an FET. The control means 7 controls the input power of the actuator 6 by controlling the on time or the off time of the power control element 8. In the present embodiment, the control means 7 controls the input current of the actuator 6.

At least one operation mode for setting the driving force of the actuator 6 is set in the control means 7. A predetermined input power is set in advance in the operation mode. The input power of the operation mode is stored in the storage device. The control means 7 reads the input power stored in the storage device according to the operation mode, and controls the on / off of the power control element 8 so as to be the input power, whereby the input power of the actuator 6 is obtained. In the form, the input current is controlled.

A plurality of operation modes are preferably set. The operation mode can be set by the user by the setting means 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the setting means 9 is provided in the grip portion 10. The grip portion 10 is a portion that the user grips and performs a cleaning operation. In the present embodiment, the grip portion 10 is formed on the vacuum cleaner main body 2.

Then, in the present embodiment, the control means 7 can perform the operation time control for at least one of the operation modes. The operation time control is to control the input power of the actuator 6 so as to suppress the shortening of the operable time according to the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B. The operable time is the cumulative operating time from the current voltage of the secondary battery B to the discharge end voltage or a predetermined stop voltage when the vacuum cleaner VC is operated.

In the operation mode, when the secondary battery B deteriorates, the capacity decreases and the operable time becomes short. Further, the operable time becomes shorter as the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B increases. Therefore, the control means 7 controls the input power of the actuator 6 so as to suppress such shortening of the operable time in the operation time control.

In the present embodiment, the operation time control is a control that reduces the input power of the actuator 6 when the secondary battery B is deteriorated from the initial stage. In the operation time control, the input power of the actuator 6 is reduced as the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B is greater. As a method of reducing the input power, the input voltage of the actuator 6 may be reduced, or the input current of the actuator 6 may be reduced. Further, the control means 7 may control the switching frequency of the power control element 8 and the on-time or off-time of the power control element 8 in order to reduce the input voltage and the input current of the actuator 6. In the present embodiment, the operation time control is a control that reduces the input current of the actuator 6 by shortening the on-time of the power control element 8 according to the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B.

The control means 7 may perform the operation time control in the operation mode in which the preset input power of the actuator 6 is maximum, or may execute the operation time control in each operation mode. For example, as the operation mode, the first operation mode, the strong mode, the second operation mode, the medium mode, and the third operation mode, the weak mode, are set in descending order of the preset input power. In the case of the vacuum cleaner VC, the control means 7 may control the operation time only in the strong mode, or may control the operation time in each of the strong mode, the medium mode, and the weak mode. ..

Further, if the input power of the actuator 6 is lowered too much in the operation time control, the cleaning performance is remarkably lowered. Therefore, a lower limit is set for the input power of the actuator 6 in the operation time control according to the operation mode. Is preferable. For example, the lower limit of the input power of the actuator 6 in the operation time control is set to the preset input power in another operation mode in which the preset input power is the closest to the operation mode and is set to be the smallest. Is preferable. For example, as the operation mode, the first operation mode, the strong mode, the second operation mode, the medium mode, and the third operation mode, the weak mode, are set in descending order of the preset input power. In the case of the electric vacuum cleaner VC, when the control means 7 performs the operation time control in the strong mode, the input power of the actuator 6 is set so as not to fall below the input power preset in the medium mode, and the medium mode is set. When the operation time control is performed, it is preferable to set the input power of the actuator 6 so as not to fall below the input power preset in the weak mode. Since the input power of the actuator 6 gradually decreases as the voltage of the secondary battery B decreases during the operation of the vacuum cleaner VC, at least the input power at the start of the operation time control is closest to the operation mode. If it is possible to prevent the input power from falling below the preset input power for other operation modes set to be small, the input power may fall below the preset input power over time.

Further, normally, in the operation mode, the operationable time when the secondary battery B is initially operated, that is, when the secondary battery B is not deteriorated and is operated with the input power preset in the operation mode, is a nominal value. Is predetermined as. In the operation time control, it is preferable to set the input power of the actuator 6 so that the operable time is 90% or more of the initial operable time of the secondary battery B in the operating mode. Information on the initial operable time of the secondary battery B in the operation mode may be stored in advance in a storage device or the like of the control means 7. When the control means 7 performs the operation time control, the control means 7 may read out the information on the operateable time stored in the storage device or the like, and set the input power to be 90% or more of the operateable time in the actuator 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, in order for the control means 7 to perform the operation time control, the detection means 11 is used to detect information on the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B. The detection means 11 may be built in the secondary battery B, or may be provided separately from the secondary battery B. The detecting means 11 may detect the output voltage of the secondary battery B, may detect the output current of the secondary battery B, or may detect the cumulative operating time of the vacuum cleaner VC. For example, when the secondary battery B is a lithium battery, the detection means 11 can easily detect the output voltage of the secondary battery B by detecting the voltage for each cell, preferably. When the secondary battery B is a nickel battery, the detecting means 11 preferably detects the cumulative operating time and the like. In the present embodiment, the control means 7 has a function of a deterioration determining means for determining the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B based on the information detected by the detecting means 11. The detecting means 11 itself may have a function of a deterioration determining means for determining the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B.

Since the voltage of the secondary battery B may be restored in a short period of time at the start of operation, the detection of information by the detection means 11 is preferably performed immediately after the operation of the vacuum cleaner VC is completed or at the end of the operation. carry out. The information detected by the detection means 11 is stored in the storage device of the control means 7 directly or as a related numerical value. The information stored in the storage device or the like can be read out by the control means 7 at the start of the next cleaning as the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B.

Further, the operation time control by the control means 7 may be released by using the release means 12. In the present embodiment, the release means 12 is a dedicated button or the like, but it may be realized by a special operation or the like having a configuration provided for other purposes such as the setting means 9. The release of the operation time control may be collectively performed for a plurality of operation modes, or may be selectively performed for each operation mode. Further, when the operation time control is released by the release means 12, the execution of the operation time control by the control means 7 may be set again by using the release means 12 or other means.

Next, the operation of one embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the user operates the setting means 9 to instruct the operation mode, the control means 7 sets the operation mode of the actuator 6 in response to the instruction. When the operation mode of the control means 7 is set to perform operation time control, the control means 7 of the power control element 8 so that the input power of the actuator 6 becomes the input power according to the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B. Control switching. On the other hand, when the operation mode of the control means 7 is not set to perform the operation time control, the control means 7 switches the power control element 8 so that the input power of the actuator 6 corresponds to the input power preset in the operation mode. To control. The user grips the grip portion 10 and performs a cleaning operation, and collects dust from the suction port body 5, the extension pipe 4, or the main body suction port 20 to the dust collecting portion 3 by driving the actuator 6. When the user operates the setting means 9 to instruct the operation to be stopped, the detection means 11 detects the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B, and the detection result is stored in a storage device or the like. At the same time, the control means 7 sets the input power of the actuator 6 to 0 and stops the operation.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of operation time control when the control means 7 performs operation time control in each operation mode.

In step S1, the control means 7 reads out the information stored in the storage device or the like and detects the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B. In step S2, the control means 7 determines whether or not the secondary battery B has deteriorated, based on the detected degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B. This determination can be performed by any method, but is performed, for example, by comparing the information stored in advance in the storage device or the like with the information read from the storage device or the like. The information stored in advance in the storage device or the like is the secondary battery when the initial secondary battery B operates with the input power of the actuator 6 preset in the operation mode for a predetermined operable time. The voltage value of B, or a value related to the voltage value, etc.

If it is determined in step S2 that the secondary battery B has not deteriorated, in step S3, the control means 7 is a power control element according to the input power preset in the operation mode instructed by the user. Set the switching on time or off time of 8. That is, the control means 7 maintains the input power of the actuator 6. In this embodiment, the control means 7 maintains the input current of the actuator 6. After that, control is returned.

If it is determined in step S2 that the secondary battery B has deteriorated, the control means 7 controls the power control element 8 so that the input power becomes smaller than the preset input power in step S4. Control the switching of. That is, the control means 7 reduces the input power of the actuator 6. In this embodiment, the control means 7 reduces the input current of the actuator 6. The input power at this time is preferably such that the preset input power is larger than the input power preset in another operation mode in which the preset input power is closest to the operation mode and is set to be smaller, and / or can be operated. The time should be 90% or more of the initial operable time of the secondary battery B in the operating mode. After that, control is returned.

Further, FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of operation time control when the control means 7 performs operation time control in the operation mode in which the preset input power is maximum.

If it is determined in step S2 that the secondary battery B has deteriorated, in step S5, the control means 7 determines whether or not the set operation mode is the operation mode in which the preset input power is the maximum. To judge. If it is determined in step S5 that the preset input power is not the maximum operation mode, the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined in step S5 that the preset input power is the maximum operation mode, the process proceeds to step S4.

Due to the large degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B, in step S4, the input power of the actuator 6 is set to 90% or more of the initial operable time of the secondary battery B in the operating mode. If it cannot be set so as to be, the input power of the actuator 6 is set to a predetermined small input power, and the deterioration of the secondary battery B is notified by the notification means such as the display means, the light emitting means, and the voice output means. It may be controlled to.

Further, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in step S2, it was determined whether or not the secondary battery B was deteriorated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B is determined in multiple stages. Alternatively, a table in which the input power according to the information on the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B is set in advance, or a function or a mathematical formula having the information on the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B as a variable is used. , The input power of the secondary battery B may be set in multiple stages or steplessly.

As described above, according to one embodiment, the control means 7 can carry out the operation time control in which the input power of the actuator 6 is controlled so as to suppress the shortening of the operateable time according to the deterioration of the secondary battery B. Therefore, even if the secondary battery B deteriorates, the operable time is brought closer to the initial state of the secondary battery B by implementing the operation time control, and the operable time is unlikely to change. Therefore, the user can operate the vacuum cleaner VC in the same operable time regardless of the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery B, so that the cleaning equivalent to that when the secondary battery B is not deteriorated can be performed. If the cleaning is done in time, even if the secondary battery B is deteriorated, it is unlikely that the operation becomes inoperable during the cleaning. Therefore, the satisfaction level of the user can be improved.

In general, for the user, the operating time of the vacuum cleaner VC is more important than the driving force or cleaning performance of the actuator 6, so the input power of the actuator 6 is slightly reduced to drive or clean the actuator 6. However, the user's satisfaction level is unlikely to decrease because the operable time can be secured.

Further, although there are individual differences in the capacity of the secondary battery B for each vacuum cleaner VC, in the present embodiment, even if there are individual differences in the secondary battery B, the operation time is controlled to perform the secondary battery B. Differences in operable time due to individual differences in battery B are unlikely to occur.

Since the operation time control in the control means 7 is a control for reducing the input power of the actuator 6 when the secondary battery B is deteriorated from the initial stage, the secondary battery B can be made to last longer.

Since the operation mode in which the preset input power of the actuator 6 is maximum is the operation mode in which the operable time is the shortest, the control means 7 operates in the operation mode in which the preset input power of the actuator 6 is maximum. By enabling time control, it is possible to secure the minimum operable time without further shortening the shortest operable time as a vacuum cleaner VC. Therefore, the satisfaction level of the user is unlikely to decrease.

Further, since the control means 7 enables the operation time control to be performed in each operation mode, the operation time in each operation mode is unlikely to be shortened due to the deterioration of the secondary battery B. Therefore, the satisfaction level of the user is unlikely to decrease.

In the operation time control in one operation mode, the lower limit of the input power of the actuator 6 is set to the input power preset in another operation mode in which the preset input power is closest to the operation mode and is set to be the smallest. Therefore, even if the control means 7 performs the operation time control, the user can clearly recognize the difference between the plurality of operation modes.

By setting the lower limit of the operable time in the operating time control to 90% or more of the initial operating time of the secondary battery B, the operating time is shortened more than necessary by the operating time control, and during cleaning. It is possible to suppress inoperability and suppress a decrease in user satisfaction.

Further, by making it possible to release the operation time control by the control means 7 by the release means 12, even if the secondary battery B is deteriorated, cleaning can be performed with a strong driving force even if the operation time is short. It is effective when the user wishes to do so. That is, it becomes possible to meet the needs of each user regarding the operable time and the cleaning performance, which are in a trade-off relationship with each other, which is convenient and can improve the user's satisfaction.

By using the actuator 6 as an electric blower having the greatest effect on the power consumption of the vacuum cleaner VC, the effect of suppressing the shortening of the operable time due to the deterioration of the secondary battery B can be obtained by controlling the operating time by the control means 7. You can get the biggest.

In one embodiment, the actuator 6 may be a motor or the like arranged in the suction port body 5. Further, when the vacuum cleaner VC is an autonomous traveling type, the actuator 6 is basically an electric blower, but may be a traveling motor or the like for driving the drive wheels. As described above, it is preferable that the actuator 6 is used for cleaning or traveling, but other than that, an actuator 6 that has a large influence on the power consumption of the entire vacuum cleaner VC may be targeted.

Further, the actuator 6 is not limited to a single number, and may be the total of the electric blower and the motor of the suction port body 5. In this case, the control means 7 can achieve the same effect by controlling the input power for each actuator 6.

Further, when the vacuum cleaner VC is provided with a dust sensor that detects the amount of dust carried to the dust collecting unit 3, there is an eco-mode that controls the input power of the actuator 6 according to the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor. It may be set as an operation mode. In the case of the eco mode, it is preferable to set the input power so that the vehicle can be operated for a longer time than the operable time that can be operated by the above-mentioned operation time control.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these embodiments. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Rechargeable battery, which is a B battery
VC vacuum cleaner 6 actuator 7 control means
12 Release means

Claims (8)

Actuators driven by power from batteries and
A control means for controlling the operation of the actuator is provided.
The control means is an electric vacuum cleaner capable of performing operation time control for controlling an input power of the actuator so as to suppress shortening of the operation time according to deterioration of the battery. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the operation time control is a control for reducing the input power of the actuator when the battery is deteriorated from the initial stage. The control means includes a plurality of operation modes in which the input power of the actuator is set differently in advance, and the operation time control can be performed in the operation mode in which the input power of the actuator is maximum. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2. The electricity according to claim 2, wherein the control means includes a plurality of operation modes in which the input power of the actuator is set differently in advance, and the operation time control can be performed in each of the operation modes. Vacuum cleaner. The control means includes a plurality of operation modes in which the input power of the actuator is set differently in advance.
The lower limit of the input power of the actuator in the operation time control in the operation mode is the preset in the other operation modes in which the preset input power is set to be the closest and the smallest to the operation mode. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the electric power is up to a set input power. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the lower limit of the operable time in the operating time control is 90% or more of the predetermined operable time at the initial stage of the battery. .. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a release means capable of setting the release of the operation time control by the control means. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the actuator is an electric blower.

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