Cleaning device and method for operating a cleaning device

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning device with - a drive unit (2) which is designed to drive a blower (3) and / or drive assembly, - an accumulator (1) which is designed to supply the drive unit (2) with energy, and - a control and / or regulating device in which a plurality of power levels (P(high), P(medium), P(low)) are stored, with which the drive unit (2) is operated with an individual load assigned to the respective power level (P(high), P(medium), P(low)), wherein each power level (P(high), P(medium), P(low)) is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold (Umina, Uminb, 41, 43, 45) which depends on the load of the respective power level (P(high), P(medium), P(low)). Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding method for operating such a cleaning device.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cleaning device and a method for operating a cleaning device. In particular, the invention relates to a cleaning device with a drive unit for driving a fan and / or a cleaning actuator and a battery that supplies the drive unit with energy during operation, wherein the drive unit can be operated at multiple power levels stored in a control and / or regulating device of the cleaning device. Furthermore, the invention relates in particular to a method for operating such a cleaning device.

[0002] For cleaning devices powered by a rechargeable battery, it is currently common practice to switch them off at a predefined undervoltage threshold, ensuring that there is enough energy in the battery to indicate a low battery level. However, the battery is not discharged too deeply, so as to prevent damage. Furthermore, it is not sensible for the cleaning device to switch itself off completely, including any indicator it may have, and thus no longer provide the user with feedback, for example, on the battery's charge level.

[0003] The discharge time from a fully charged battery to the undervoltage threshold determines the running time of the cleaning device and depends, among other things, on the selected power level. As a result, the available energy in the battery is not fully utilized. To allow the user of the cleaning device to run longer, more expensive battery cells with higher capacities may be used.

[0004] US 2015 / 145444 A1 discloses a cleaning device with a drive unit designed to drive a fan and a cleaning actuator, an accumulator designed to supply the drive unit with energy, and a control and regulating device in which several power levels for the operation of the drive unit are stored.

[0005] The invention therefore addresses the problem of providing a cleaning device with a drive unit and a battery, and a method for operating a cleaning device, that more optimally utilizes the available battery cell capacity. The use of more expensive battery cells with higher capacities is to be avoided.

[0006] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a cleaning device having the features of patent claim 1 and a method having the features of patent claim 5. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the following subclaims.

[0007] The invention is based on the fundamental idea that, due to the physical behavior of the accumulator, a current flow increases while the voltage level decreases at constant power consumption. Due to the accumulator's internal resistance, the voltage level at the accumulator terminals drops at higher power consumption levels to such an extent that a final discharge voltage is reached, and the accumulator is defined as "empty." This means that at higher power consumption levels, only a lower capacity of the accumulator can effectively be used. At lower loads, the final discharge voltage is reached later in comparison, which in turn enables more optimal use of the accumulator capacity. Therefore, each power level is assigned an individual, predetermined cutoff threshold, so that the cutoff thresholds for the various power levels are individually different.

[0008] The advantages achievable with the invention, in addition to enabling a longer running time of the cleaning device at lower power levels of the cleaning device, are that the user can clean a larger area without the use of more expensive battery cells with higher cell capacity.

[0009] The invention relates to a cleaning device with a drive unit designed to drive a fan and / or a cleaning actuator, an accumulator designed to supply the drive unit with energy, and a control and / or regulating device in which a plurality of power levels are stored, with which the drive unit is operated with an individual load assigned to the respective power level, wherein each power level is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold which depends on the load of the respective power level.

[0010] If the cleaning device is operating at a current power level and the battery's pack voltage or cell voltage is equal to the individual, predetermined shutdown threshold assigned to the current power level, the current power level is shut down. The individual, predetermined shutdown threshold is a threshold at which the power level to which it is assigned is shut down. The higher the power level, the higher the assigned individual, predetermined shutdown threshold.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the control and / or regulating device is configured and designed to execute a change from a current power level to a lower power level during operation by switching off the cleaning device upon reaching the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold associated with the current power level and subsequently restarting the cleaning device, so that after restarting the cleaning device, a user of the cleaning device can only select a lower power level than the current power level prior to the restart. This allows the cleaning device to continue to be used at the lower power level if the user so desires.

[0012] Preferably, each power level is further assigned an individual, predetermined switch-on threshold, which is stored in the control and / or regulating device. The higher the power level, the higher the assigned individual, predetermined switch-on threshold.

[0013] Alternatively, the control and / or regulating device is preferably configured and designed to automatically switch from a current power level to a lower power level during operation upon reaching the individual, predetermined shutdown threshold associated with the current power level. This allows the cleaning device to continue to be used at the lower power level.

[0014] The accumulator can comprise a stack of multiple accumulator cells. It is preferably designed as a battery pack. The individual, predetermined cutoff threshold assigned to the current power level is preferably reached when a pack and / or cell voltage of the accumulator is equal to this predetermined cutoff threshold.

[0015] The invention further relates to a method for operating a cleaning device with an accumulator which is designed to supply the cleaning device with energy to carry out a cleaning process, and a control and / or regulating device in which several power levels are stored, wherein each power level is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold which depends on the load of the respective power level, wherein the method comprises the following steps Operating the cleaning device in one of the power levels, which then represents a current power level, and when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold of the current power level is reached, switching off the current power level and providing a lower power level.

[0016] Preferably, the step of switching off the current power level and providing a lower power level comprises: switching off the cleaning device when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold of the current power level is reached and then restarting the cleaning device, so that after restarting the cleaning device, a user of the cleaning device can only select a power level lower than the power level current before the restart.

[0017] Alternatively, the step of switching off the current power level and providing a lower power level preferably comprises an automatic change from a current power level to a lower power level.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the accumulator supplies a drive unit of the cleaning device with energy, which drives a fan of the cleaning device.

[0019] The cleaning device is preferably a dry and / or wet vacuum cleaner. The cleaning device is to be understood as a mains-independent cleaning system that is powered by the battery. The battery is preferably a lithium-ion battery. The cleaning device is preferably designed as a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner can be any type of vacuum cleaner. It is preferably designed as a stick or bar vacuum cleaner.

[0020] The respective individual, predetermined shutdown threshold is preferably an undervoltage threshold of the respective power level.

[0021] An embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows schematically and not to scale. Fig. 1 shows a sketched representation of a cleaning device according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a time profile of a battery voltage during a discharge process of a cleaning device according to the prior art; Fig. 3 shows a time profile of the voltage during a discharge process of the Fig. 1 shown accumulator; Fig. 4 a sketched representation of the Fig. 1 shown accumulator; Fig. 5 a pack or cell voltage of the accumulator depending on power levels of the Fig. 1 shown cleaning device; and Fig. 6 a flow diagram of a method according to the invention.

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a sketched representation of a cleaning device according to the invention. The cleaning device has a rechargeable battery 1 and a drive unit 2, which is supplied with energy by the rechargeable battery 1. The rechargeable battery is, for example, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Furthermore, the cleaning device has a fan 3, which is driven by the drive unit 2. The cleaning device also has accessories 4 and a handle 5, which has a switch or a button for switching the cleaning device on and off. The accessory 4 can be, for example, a suction tube and / or a floor nozzle / wiping attachment (with or without electric drive) if the cleaning device is a vacuum cleaner. The cleaning device also has a control and / or regulating device (not shown) in which various power levels are stored, which can be selected by a user in order to carry out a cleaning process with different loads or power levels.

[0023] During operation, the user moves the cleaning device over the surface to be cleaned by guiding the accessory 4 along the surface using the handle 5. When the cleaning device is in operation, the accumulator 1 supplies energy to the drive unit 2, which drives the fan 3. The cleaning performance achieved by the user depends on the current power level of the various power levels selected by the user during the cleaning process.

[0024] Fig. 2 shows a time profile of a voltage during a discharge process of a battery of a cleaning device according to the prior art. The voltage U is shown as a function of time t. The cleaning device according to the prior art corresponds to the Fig. 1 cleaning device shown with the difference that its control and / or regulating device is designed and constructed differently. As shown in Fig.2 As shown, the accumulator, when fully charged, has its maximum voltage U max, which upon discharge first drops to a nominal voltage U nominal. The accumulator can keep its nominal voltage U nominal relatively constant over a longer discharge period. If the accumulator is almost discharged, the voltage drops suddenly, whereby a minimum voltage U limit must not be undercut in order to avoid permanent damage to the accumulator. In the control and / or regulating device according to the state of the art, a fixed predetermined switch-off threshold U min is stored for all power levels P (high) and P (low), upon reaching which threshold the drive unit is switched off regardless of the current power level at which it is operated. The discharge time from a fully charged accumulator to the predetermined switch-off threshold U min determines the running time of the cleaning device.According to the state of the art, the fixed predetermined switch-off threshold U min is based on the high power level P (high), while for a low power level P (low) there is still a usable residual capacity which is not used according to the state of the art.

[0025] Fig. 3 shows a time course of the voltage during a discharge process of the Fig. 1 The accumulator shown in Fig. 3 shown time course of the voltage during a discharge process of the Fig. 1 The accumulator shown corresponds to the one in Fig. 2 shown course. However, in contrast to the cleaning device according to the prior art, the cleaning device according to the invention has the control and regulating device in which each power level P (high), P (low) is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold U mina, U minb, which depends on the load of the respective power level P (high) or P (low). The high power level P (high) is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold U mina, while the low power level P (low) is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold U minb, which is lower than the predetermined switch-off threshold U mina and has a voltage difference ΔU min thereto.As a result, when the cleaning device is operated at the low power level P (low), the cleaning device is not switched off at a time ta but at a time tb, between which there is a time difference Δt, whereby an additional running time Δt is gained when operating at the low power level P (low).

[0026] Fig. 4 shows a sketched representation of the Fig. 1 shown accumulator. The accumulator 1 has an internal resistance R i. Due to the physical behavior of the accumulator 1, a current flow I increases at constant power consumption, while a level of the voltage U decreases. Due to the internal resistance Ri, the voltage level at the battery terminals (not shown) of the accumulator 1 decreases at power consumption in such a way that at the various Fig. 3 The individual, predetermined switch-off thresholds assigned to them are reached at different times at the power levels shown.

[0027] Fig. 5 shows a pack or cell voltage of the accumulator depending on the power levels of the Fig. 1 cleaning device shown. In this case, the cleaning device has three power levels, namely, in comparison to one another, a high power level P (high) with a switch-on threshold 40 with a pack voltage or UDC of 21.5 V and a cell voltage of 3.15 V and with an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold 41 UDC of 20 V and a cell voltage of 2.85 V, a medium power level P (medium) with a switch-on threshold 42 with a pack voltage or UDC of 20.75 V and a cell voltage of 2.96 V and with an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold 43 UDC of 19.25 V and a cell voltage of 2.75 V and a low power level P (low) with a switch-on threshold 44 with a pack voltage or UDC of 20.0 V and a cell voltage of 2.85 V and with an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold 45 UDC of 18.5 V and a cell voltage of 2.64 V.In the control and regulation device, each power level P (high), P (medium), and P (low) is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-on threshold 40, 42, 44. The voltage specifications (UDC) given here are exemplary for a Li-Ion battery with 7 cells connected in series.

[0028] Fig. 6 shows a flow diagram of a method according to the invention. The method is for operating the Fig. 1 shown cleaning device, which has a display that is in Fig. 6 is symbolically represented. The control and regulation device has three power levels, a high power level, a medium power level and a low power level, which correspond to the Fig. 5 correspond to the performance levels shown.

[0029] The method comprises operating the cleaning device in one of the power levels, which then represents a current power level, wherein, when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold of the current power level is reached, the current power level is switched off and a lower power level is provided.

[0030] To perform a cleaning process with the cleaning device, a step 16 is executed, which involves a user pressing an I / O or input / output button. During operation, in a step 11, at any power level, it can be detected that the battery is empty if the control and / or regulating device detects that an SoC (state of charge) of the battery is almost 0%. This leads to a step 18, in which the display indicates that the battery is empty. Also, in a step 15, the cleaning device can be switched off at any power level by pressing a symbolically represented I / O or input / output button, which leads to a step 17, in which the display is switched off or remains switched off.

[0031] The method includes a start step 14, which comprises restarting or switching on the cleaning device, wherein no button is pressed and a display is off and / or maintained in a step 17. If the control and / or regulating device of the cleaning device detects in a step 10 that the accumulator is empty, the display indicates in a step 18 that the accumulator is empty. If step 18 times out within a predetermined period of time, a step 12 is executed, in which the display is turned off.

[0032] In a first method variant, the following steps are carried out: Switching off the cleaning device when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold of the current power level is reached and then restarting the cleaning device, so that after restarting the cleaning device, a user of the cleaning device can only select a lower power level than the current power level before the restart. If, after step 16, an SoC (state of charge) of the accumulator is greater than 0% and a pack voltage orUDC of the accumulator is greater than 20.75 V and a cleaning mode is detected in a step 29, a step 26 is carried out in which a medium power level is shown on the display, wherein, if UDC is greater than 21.5 V, a symbolically represented button can be pressed to confirm the power selection to the high power level, which in a step 25 leads to the actuation to step 27, in which the high power level is shown by means of the display and is carried out, and otherwise, ie if not pressed, the medium power level is continued and displayed.If step 16 is carried out when the SoC of the accumulator is greater than 0% and UDC is less than 20.75 V, and a cleaning mode is detected in a step 29, a step 28 is carried out in which the low power level is shown on the display, wherein, if UDC is greater than 20.75 V, a step 25 for confirming the power selection to the medium power level leads to step 26 in which the medium power level is shown on the display and is carried out, and otherwise, ie if not actuated, the low power level is continued and displayed.

[0033] An alternative method variant is as follows: If the UDC is less than 20.0 V during operation at the high power level, starting from step 27, the medium power level is automatically set in step 30, as indicated by a dashed arrow, and the medium power level is displayed in step 26. If the UDC is less than 19.25 V during operation at the medium power level, starting from step 26, the low power level is automatically set in step 31, and the low power level is displayed in step 28. List of reference symbols

[0034] ΔU voltage difference Δt time difference I current flow R i internal resistance t, ta , tb respectively time U voltage U limit limit voltage U max maximum voltage U min, U mina, U minb respectively minimum voltage U Nomin nominal voltage 1 accumulator 2 drive unit 3 fan 4 accessories 5 handle 40, 42, 44 respectively switch-on threshold 41, 43, 45 respectively switch-off threshold

Claims

1. Cleaning device with - a drive unit (2) which is designed to drive a fan (3) and / or a cleaning actuator, - an accumulator (1) which is designed to supply the drive unit (2) with energy, and - a control and / or regulating device in which several power levels (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) are stored, with which the drive unit (2) is each provided with an individual, corresponding to the respective power level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) assigned load, characterized in that each performance level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) each have an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold (U mina , U minb , 41, 43, 45), which depends on the load of the respective performance level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) depends.

2. Cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe control and / or regulating device is set up and designed to carry out a change from a current power level to a lower power level during operation by switching off the cleaning device when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold assigned to the current power level is reached and then restarting the cleaning device, so that after restarting the cleaning device a user of the cleaning device can only select a power level lower than the power level current before the restart.

3. Cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each performance level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) is assigned an individual, predetermined switch-on threshold (40, 42, 44).

4. Cleaning device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in thatthe control and / or regulating device is arranged and designed to carry out a change (30, 31) from a current power level to a lower power level automatically during operation when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold assigned to the current power level is reached.

5. Method for operating a cleaning device with an accumulator (1) which is designed to supply the cleaning device with energy to carry out a cleaning process, and a control and / or regulating device in which several power levels (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ), with each performance level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) each have an individual, predetermined switch-off threshold (U mina , U minb , 41, 43, 44), which depends on the load of the respective performance level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig)), the method comprising operating the cleaning device in one of the power levels (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ), which then represents a current power level and, when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold of the current power level is reached, switches off the current power level and provides a lower power level.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the step of switching off the current power level (P (hoch) ) and providing a lower power level (P (niedrig) ): switching off the cleaning device when the individual, predetermined switch-off threshold of the current power level is reached and then restarting the cleaning device, so that after restarting the cleaning device a user of the cleaning device can only select a power level lower than the power level current before the restart.

7. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the step of switching off the current power level and providing a lower power level involves an automatic change from the current power level to a lower power level.

8. Method according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the accumulator (1) supplies a drive unit (2) of the cleaning device with energy, which drives a fan (3) of the cleaning device.

9. Cleaning device according to one of claims 1 to 4 or method according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the respective individual, predetermined switch-off threshold (U mina , U minb , 41, 43, 45) an undervoltage threshold of the respective power level (P (hoch) , P (mittel) , P (niedrig) ) is.

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