JP5012682B2 - Rechargeable vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that uses a chargeable / dischargeable power storage unit as a power source, and particularly to a technique for charging the power storage unit in a short time.

  Conventional rechargeable vacuum cleaners of this type do not require the trouble of connecting a power cord when used, and are often characterized by the convenience of being easily carried around where you want to use them. The type is a small and lightweight vacuum cleaner equipped with a power storage unit with an appropriate capacity to clean a nearby place for a short time. However, there are various ways of cleaning and places of use depending on the user, and there are cases where it is desired to continue cleaning even if the electric energy of the power storage unit is exhausted.

In such a case, with a conventional rechargeable vacuum cleaner,
(1) The cleaning is continued again after charging the power storage unit with electric energy by setting the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body on a charging stand or the like.

  (2) Increase the capacity of the power storage unit.

(3) A configuration in which another battery can be connected in parallel to the battery inside the vacuum cleaner main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-89895 A

  However, the correspondence of the conventional rechargeable vacuum cleaner has the following problems (the following (1) to (3) correspond to those in the “background art” column).

  (1) Charging the power storage unit takes time, and cleaning must be interrupted, which is inconvenient.

  (2) The power storage unit is increased in weight and volume, and the convenience of being easily carried and used, which is a feature of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner, is sacrificed.

  (3) The shape of the main body of the vacuum cleaner becomes large and the convenience is sacrificed.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and improves the reduction in size and weight of the power storage unit (that is, reduction in size and weight of the main body of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner) by making the charging time extremely short. The purpose is to provide a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that can be used easily.

In order to solve the conventional problem, a rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes a charging device including a chargeable / dischargeable first power storage unit and first charging means for charging the first power storage unit, and the first power storage. includes a rechargeable vacuum cleaner body having a motor means operating at a power of the second said power storage unit second power storage unit is charged with part of the power, and the first power storage unit and the second power storage unit, respectively A first capacitor block and a second capacitor block configured to connect a plurality of capacitors to input / output power from a pair of electrode terminals, and each have a rated voltage V1 of each of the first capacitor block and the second capacitor block. And V2 are set to V1≈V2, and the respective capacitance ratings C1 and C2 are set to C1 >> C2. The charging of the first power storage unit is equivalent to the current general storage battery charger. It may take several hours to complete. Thereafter, when the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body is connected to the charging device, the second power storage unit in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body is charged by the first power storage unit in the charging device. Each of the first and second power storage units may be a storage battery (Ni-MH or Ni-Cd) that can generally be rapidly charged / discharged, but is preferably an electric double layer capacitor that can charge / discharge more quickly If constituted, the second power storage unit can be charged in an extremely short time of, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds by the synergistic effect of the high power discharge capability of the first power storage unit and the quick charge capability of the second power storage unit. Thus, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 can be reduced in weight and size, and a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that can be used easily without spending much time for charging even during cleaning can be provided.
Further, by setting the rated voltages V1 and V2 of the first and second capacitor blocks to V1≈V2, respectively, when the second capacitor block is directly charged by the first capacitor block, the second capacitor block is supplied to the second capacitor block. It is possible to rationalize a circuit or the like for preventing characteristic deterioration due to overvoltage application. Further, by setting C1 >> C2, if the first capacitor block fully charged removed from the charging device is held, the main body of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner is extended for a long time while repeatedly charging the second capacitor block in a very short time. It can be used.

  According to the rechargeable vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body is made compact and lightweight by setting the second power storage unit in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body to a capacity that matches, for example, the assumed actual use minimum conditions. In addition, since the second power storage unit can be charged in an extremely short time, it is possible to provide a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that can be cleaned without worrying about the charging waiting time even in a wide range.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device including a chargeable / dischargeable first power storage unit and a first charging unit that charges the first power storage unit, and a second power storage unit charged with electric power of the first power storage unit. A rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body having electric motor means operating with the electric power of the second power storage unit, wherein the first power storage unit and the second power storage unit are each connected to a plurality of capacitors from a pair of electrode terminals. It comprises a first and a second capacitor block configured to input and output power, a rated voltage V1 and V2 of the first and the second capacitor block, respectively and V1 ≒ V2, each electrostatic Capacitance ratings C1 and C2 are set to C1 >> C2, and when V1 and V2 are substantially the same, when the second capacitor block is directly charged by the first capacitor block, the second capacitor block is connected to the second capacitor block. Overpower The application by characteristic deterioration can streamline circuit for preventing. Further, by setting C1 >> C2, if the first capacitor block fully charged removed from the charging device is held, the main body of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner is extended for a long time while repeatedly charging the second capacitor block in a very short time. Can be used.
Further, the charging of the first power storage unit may take several hours as much as the current general storage battery charger. Thereafter, when the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body is connected to the charging device, the second power storage unit in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body is charged by the first power storage unit in the charging device. Each of the first and second power storage units may be a storage battery (Ni-MH or Ni-Cd) that can generally be rapidly charged / discharged. Preferably, the second power storage unit is an electric double layer capacitor that can charge / discharge more quickly. If constituted, the second power storage unit can be charged in an extremely short time of, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds by the synergistic effect of the high power discharge capability of the first power storage unit and the quick charge capability of the second power storage unit. Thus, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 can be reduced in weight and size, and a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that can be used easily without spending much time for charging even during cleaning can be provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device including a chargeable / dischargeable first power storage unit and a first charging unit that charges the first power storage unit, and a second power storage unit charged with electric power of the first power storage unit. , in which the the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body having a motor means operating at a power of second power storage unit includes a, with a display means for displaying the state of charge of the second power storage unit according to the first power storage unit Since the user can easily identify whether the second power storage unit is being charged or has been charged, the cleaning operation can be resumed without losing time.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an external view of a rechargeable cleaner according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a circuit configuration of the rechargeable cleaner.

  The rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 is rotationally driven by a suction motor 8 that is an electric motor means for generating suction air and a rotary brush motor 7 that is also an electric motor means, and sweeps up dust on the floor (not shown). ) And a handle 3 or the like for the user to operate the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1. When the user turns on the switch 6, a second power storage unit built in is provided. The electric power stored in the capacitor block 5 is supplied to the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7, and the operation is started so that the floor surface can be cleaned. Incidentally, the second capacitor block 5 is an electric double layer capacitor that includes a capacitor block configured to connect a plurality of capacitors and input / output power from a pair of electrode terminals, and has a very large capacitance. It is composed.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a charging device for charging the second capacitor block 5 in the main body 1 of the charging cleaner, and the first power storage unit 20 on which the main body 1 of the charging cleaner is placed and the first power storage when charging. The first power storage unit 20 is configured to input and output power from a pair of electrode terminals by connecting a plurality of storage batteries, and from the power source unit 10. A storage battery block 24 charged with charging power and a control means 25 for charging the second capacitor block 5 built in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 with the power stored in the storage battery block 24 are incorporated. Yes. The control means 25 observes the voltage Vd across the current detection means 26, controls the charging current to the second capacitor block 5, and displays on the display means 22 that charging is in progress.

  The power supply means 10 incorporates the first charging means 13 and outputs the charging power of the storage battery block 24 from the commercial power supply supplied from the power cord 11.

  As is apparent from FIG. 1, the power supply means 10 and the first power storage unit 20 are electrically (chargeable) and mechanically connected by a DC plug 12 on the power supply means 10 side and a DC jack 23 on the first power storage unit 20 side. The first power storage unit 20 and the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 are electrically (chargeable) by the charging device side charging terminal 21 and the main body side charging terminal 4 provided in the first power storage unit 20. And mechanically removable. Incidentally, the rated voltage of the storage battery block 24 is designed to be approximately equal to the rated voltage of the second capacitor block 5.

  The operation and operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 will be described. When the switch 6 is turned on while the second capacitor block 5 (hereinafter referred to as “C2”) is charged to the rated voltage (voltage shown in FIG. 6 (i): Vm), the suction motor 8 and the rotation are rotated. The brush motor 7 is operated with electric power that is electrically closed with C2 and stored in C2. Since the power consumption of the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7 has the same characteristics as a resistance load (Rm: combined equivalent resistance value of the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7), the voltage of C2 is as shown in FIG. 6V2. Decreases with operating time. When the voltage V2 is lowered, the performance of the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7 is also lowered, so that the cleaning performance is also lowered. Therefore, the performance securing limit voltage is naturally determined (voltage (Ve) in FIG. 6 (ii)). When the operation time td of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 (the time between (iii) and (iv) in FIG. 6) is the capacitance Cb of C2,
td≈-Cb * Rm * (Ve / Vm)
It becomes.

  Needless to say, the operation time of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 can be lengthened by increasing Cb. Needless to say, the internal resistance of the second capacitor block 5 also affects the operation time td, but can be neglected because it can be made extremely small.

Next, the charging operation after the operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 will be described. When the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 is connected to the charging device 50 (the main body side charging terminal 4 and the charging device side charging terminal 21 are connected), a charging current flows from the storage battery block 24 to C2 as shown in FIG. The time tc for charging C2 up to the voltage V1B of the storage battery block 24 is Rc as the resistance value of the current detection means 26 (hereinafter referred to as R).
tc≈Cb * Rc * In (V1B / Ve)
It becomes.

  Here, it goes without saying that the voltage of the storage battery block 24 changes (decreases) as shown by V1B-1 in FIG. 4 as C2 is charged, but the capacity of the storage battery block 24 is changed to the capacitance of C2. Therefore, it can be easily understood that the voltage drop can be extremely reduced and the influence on the operation time of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 can be reduced even if it is repeatedly charged. Further, by reducing Rc, the charging time is shortened, leading to the improvement of the charging performance in the extremely short time targeted by the present invention, but the internal resistances of the storage battery block 24 and the second capacitor block 5 are not negligible. Needless to say, it is necessary to design in consideration of the Vd detection performance and accuracy of the control means 25.

  If the operation and charging of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 are repeated, the voltage of the storage battery block 24 decreases to more or less from 1) to 2) in FIG. 4 (the voltage of the storage battery block 24 decreases because of repeated charging). Accordingly, the Vm of C2 also decreases from 3) to 4) in FIG.

  The state of change of the charging current I during charging is as indicated by I-1 or I-2 in FIG. When the voltage of the second capacitor block 5 is close to Ve, the voltage Vd generated at both ends of R is large because the voltage difference between V1B and V2 is large, and when the voltage difference between V1B and V2 becomes small as charging proceeds. , The voltage Vd generated at both ends of R is also reduced (this is indicated by I-1 (or I-2) in FIG. 4). The control means 25 controls the display means 22 to be turned on when Vd is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage (that is, the predetermined charging current Ie), and to be turned off when Vd is equal to or lower than the predetermined voltage. The user can easily identify the state of charge of the second capacitor block 5.

  By the way, since the operating characteristics of the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7 which are greatly related to the suction performance and dust collection performance are directly related to the supplied voltage (that is, power consumption), the rechargeable vacuum cleaner in the present embodiment. There is room for improvement in the power supply method from the second capacitor block 5 of the main body 1.

  An example of the improvement is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the output voltage of the second capacitor block 5 may be converted to a constant voltage by the voltage conversion means 9 and output to the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7. In this case, it is needless to say that the winding specifications of the suction motor 8 and the rotary brush motor 7 that are optimum for the specified constant voltage output from the voltage conversion means 9 may be set.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  1) By making the charging device 50 separable into the power supply means 10 and the first power storage unit 20, the first power storage unit 20 can be easily carried with the power supply means 10 having a relatively large weight and size removed. Can do.

2) By configuring the power supply source in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 with the second capacitor block 5, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 can be reduced in weight, reducing fatigue and improving usability when carried. I can plan.

  3) Since the second capacitor block 5 can be charged from the first charging means 13 which is easy to carry, if the power source in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 is reduced, it can be easily recharged and used anywhere. Furthermore, the second capacitor block 5 can be charged very quickly, and the storage battery block 24 can be recharged in a very short time by using a secondary battery capable of discharging a large current. The troublesomeness related to the length of the charging time can be eliminated.

  4) If the charging rating at the time of full charge of the storage battery block 24 and the rated voltage of the second capacitor block 5 are substantially the same, a protection circuit relating to overvoltage at the time of charging the second capacitor block 5 becomes unnecessary. Needless to say, there are excellent effects such as rationalization of the configuration of the peripheral circuit of the one power storage unit 20 or the second capacitor block 5.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the circuit configuration of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an operational characteristic diagram of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner when charging the second capacitor block. In addition, the same code | symbol is provided about the same element as the rechargeable vacuum cleaner in the said 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the rechargeable vacuum cleaner in the present embodiment, the storage battery block 24 of the first embodiment is changed to the first capacitor block 27 and the rated voltage of the first capacitor block 27 is substantially the same as that of the second capacitor block 5. In addition, the capacitance of the first capacitor block 27 is made sufficiently larger than that of the second capacitor block 5, and the other configuration is the rechargeable cleaning in the first embodiment. It is the same as the machine.

  Regarding the operation and operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment configured as described above, the difference from the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, since the operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. Next, the charging operation after the operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 will be described. When the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 is connected to the charging device 50 (the main body side charging terminal 4 and the charging device side charging terminal 21 are connected), as shown in FIG. 7, the charging current flows from the first capacitor block 27 to C2. I flows. The time tc for charging C2 to the voltage V1C of the first capacitor block 27 is Rc as the resistance value of the current detection means 26 (hereinafter referred to as R).
tc≈Cb * Rc * In (V1B / Ve)
It becomes.

  Here, it goes without saying that the voltage of the first capacitor block 27 changes (decreases) as shown by V1C-1 in FIG. By making the capacitance larger than the capacitance of C2, the voltage drop can be extremely reduced, and even if it is repeatedly charged, the effect on the operation time due to the reduced charge capacity of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 is affected. You can easily understand what you can do less.

  Further, by reducing Rc, the charging time is shortened and the charging performance is improved in a very short time, which is the target of the present invention. However, the internal resistance of the first capacitor 27 and the second capacitor block 5 cannot be ignored. Needless to say, it is necessary to design the control means 25 in consideration of the Vd detection performance and accuracy.

If the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 is repeatedly operated and charged, the voltage of the first capacitor block 27 is more or less 5) to 6) in FIG. 7) (because of repeated charging, the voltage of the first capacitor block 27 decreases. Accordingly, the Vm of C2 also decreases from 7) to 8) in FIG.

  The state of change of the charging current I during charging is as indicated by I-3 or I-4 in FIG. When the voltage of the second capacitor block 5 is close to Ve, the voltage difference between V1C and V2 is large, so the voltage Vd generated at both ends of R is large, and the voltage difference between V1C and V2 decreases as charging progresses. , The voltage Vd generated at both ends of R is also reduced (this is indicated by I-3 (or I-4) in FIG. 7). The control means 25 controls the display means 22 to be turned on when Vd is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage (that is, the predetermined charging current Ie), and to be turned off when Vd is equal to or lower than the predetermined voltage. The charging state of the second capacitor block 5 is known.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  1) Since the charging device 50 is configured to be separable into the power supply means 10 and the first power storage unit 20, the first power storage unit 20 is carried with the power supply means 10 having a relatively large weight and size removed. I can do it.

  2) By configuring the power supply source in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body 1 with the second capacitor block 5, the vacuum cleaner main body can be reduced in weight, and the feeling of fatigue during carrying can be reduced and the usability can be improved. .

  3) Since the second capacitor block 5 can be charged from the first charging means 13 that is easy to carry, if the power source in the rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 1 is reduced, it can be easily recharged and used anywhere. . Furthermore, the second capacitor block 5 can be charged very quickly, and the first capacitor block 27 can also be recharged in an extremely short time by being composed of an electric double phase capacitor capable of discharging a large current. Thus, the troublesomeness related to the length of charging time of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner can be eliminated.

  4) By making the charging rating of the first capacitor block 27 fully charged and the rated voltage of the second capacitor block 5 substantially the same, a protection circuit relating to overvoltage at the time of charging the second capacitor block 5 is provided. Needless to say, there is no need to provide such an advantage that the peripheral circuit configuration of the first capacitor block 27 or the second capacitor block 5 can be rationalized.

  As described above, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the present invention is improved in size and weight reduction of the power storage unit and can be used easily, and is further reduced in the size of household small rechargeable vacuum cleaners and rechargeable portable electric devices. This is a useful technology.

External view of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner in the first embodiment of the present invention Circuit configuration block diagram of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner Operation characteristic diagram when charging the second capacitor block of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner Operating characteristic diagram of the second capacitor block during operation of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner Circuit configuration block diagram showing another example of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner Circuit configuration block diagram of a rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention Operation characteristic diagram when charging the second capacitor block of the rechargeable vacuum cleaner

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rechargeable vacuum cleaner body 2 Suction port 3 Handle 4 Body side charging terminal 5 Second capacitor block (second power storage unit)
6 Switch 7 Rotating brush motor (electric motor means)
8 Suction motor (electric motor means)
9 Voltage conversion means 10 Power supply means 11 Power cord (commercial power supply)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 DC plug 13 1st charging means 20 1st electrical storage part 21 Charging apparatus side charging terminal 22 Display means 23 DC jack 24 Storage battery block 25 Control means 26 Current detection means 27 1st capacitor block 50 Charging apparatus

Claims (2)

A charging device comprising a chargeable / dischargeable first power storage unit and first charging means for charging the first power storage unit;
A second power storage unit that is charged with the power of the first power storage unit, and a rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body having electric motor means that operates with the power of the second power storage unit,
Each of the first power storage unit and the second power storage unit includes first and second capacitor blocks configured to connect a plurality of capacitors and input / output power from a pair of electrode terminals, respectively.
Rechargeable vacuum cleaner, characterized in that said first and said second capacitor blocks each rated voltage V1 and V2 and V1 ≒ V2, each of the electrostatic capacitance rating C1 and C2, and the C1»C2. A charging device comprising a chargeable / dischargeable first power storage unit and first charging means for charging the first power storage unit;
A second power storage unit that is charged with the power of the first power storage unit, and a rechargeable vacuum cleaner main body having electric motor means that operates with the power of the second power storage unit,
Rechargeable vacuum cleaner, characterized in that it comprises a display means for displaying the state of charge of the second power storage unit according to the first power storage unit.

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