Vacuum cleaning device

Abstract

To electrically store the automatic suction setting of a dust collector and to take over the automatic suction setting even before and after the plug insertion / extraction operation of the dust collector in a vacuum cleaner having a function of sucking dust collected by a vacuum cleaner to the dust collecting part of the dust collector.SOLUTION: The electric vacuum cleaner includes a connection detection unit configured to detect a connection state between the electric vacuum cleaner and the dust collection device, an operation unit configured to switch an automatic suction setting of the dust collection device between automatic suction ON and automatic suction OFF, and a plug insertion / removal determination unit configured to determine whether a plug insertion / removal operation of the dust collection device is performed. And an automatic suction determination part for determining that the automatic suction is permitted when the plug extraction / insertion operation is performed, and determining that the automatic suction is prohibited even if the connection state of the vacuum cleaner and the dust collector is detected and the plug extraction / insertion operation is performed when the automatic suction is turned off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a variety of technologies have been developed in line with the spread of cordless vacuum cleaners. For example, there are vacuum cleaners that are specialized for being small and lightweight, vacuum cleaners that use paper bags to eliminate the hassle of dust disposal, and vacuum cleaners that come bundled with a dust station (DS) that sucks up dust that has accumulated in the cordless vacuum cleaner. There are also cyclone-type dust stations that do not use filters or dust collection units such as paper bags.

[0003] Conventional vacuum cleaners include those that combine a portable cleaner and a stationary cleaner. In these vacuum cleaners, dust accumulated in the dust collection chamber of the portable cleaner is sucked into the dust collection chamber of the stationary cleaner by driving an intake fan. When the portable cleaner is connected to the stationary cleaner and the stationary cleaner is plugged into an AC power outlet, or when the power supply voltage is restored after a power outage, the stationary cleaner's intake fan does not operate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-267032 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A vacuum cleaner with an automatic suction setting has been developed that detects whether the vacuum cleaner is connected to a dust collector and indicates whether to automatically suck up dust into a dust station. The dust station also serves as a charging station, and the vacuum cleaner can be charged by placing it on the charging station. Various models of such vacuum cleaners are manufactured and sold on the market.

[0006] For example, in the first model, the dust station can be temporarily disabled from suction by pressing and holding the power button on the vacuum cleaner for three seconds. In the first model, the user operates the power button on the vacuum cleaner, but the "plugging and unplugging of the AC plug" required to connect the dust station to a power outlet is not taken into consideration. "plugging and unplugging of the AC plug" refers to the user unplugging the AC plug from the power outlet and then plugging it back in to the power outlet in order to take a desired action, such as changing the location of the dust station.

[0007] In the second model, pressing and holding the power button on the charging base for more than three seconds temporarily disables suction in the dust station. When suction is disabled, unplugging the charging base's AC plug from the power outlet and then plugging it back in will enable suction in the dust station.

[0008] The third model has a mechanical slide switch on the dust station to enable or disable suction. When the dust station is in the suction disabled state, the suction disabled state remains even if the AC plug is unplugged from the power outlet and then plugged back in.

[0009] The fourth model is equipped with a suction disable button on the dust collector, which the user can use to enable or disable suction. However, if the AC plug is unplugged from the power outlet while suction is disabled, and then plugged back in, the dust station will return to suction enabled mode.

[0010] The above conventional models do not remember the suction disabled state when the dust station's AC plug is plugged in or unplugged. The third model mechanically sets the suction disabled state using a slide switch, but does not electrically store the suction disabled state.

[0011] When a user moves a dust station from one location to another within a building, they may unplug the AC plug from the power outlet and then plug it back into another power outlet. Also, when performing maintenance on the dust station, they may unplug the AC plug from the power outlet and plug it back in. Thus, unplugging and plugging in the AC plug occurs in a variety of situations. Meanwhile, if a user sets the dust station's automatic suction to off, the user expects the dust station not to start automatic suction when connecting a vacuum cleaner to the dust station. However, with some conventional models, the dust station's automatic suction setting may switch to automatic suction on after the AC plug is unplugged and plugged back in. With such conventional models, connecting a vacuum cleaner to the dust station automatically starts suctioning dust, contrary to the user's expectations.

[0012] The third model, which uses a mechanical slide switch to turn the automatic suction on and off, maintains the automatic suction setting even after the AC plug is plugged in and unplugged. However, there are concerns that users may forget to operate the slide switch or may operate it by mistake. In other words, using a mechanical slide switch to turn the automatic suction on and off lacks foolproofness. Since the users of electric vacuum cleaners are ordinary household appliance users, it is preferable for the machine to handle user operational errors rather than expecting perfection from the user. From this perspective, there is a need for the development of an electric vacuum cleaner that can electronically store the automatic suction setting of the dust station and handle interruption events such as plugging in and unplugging the AC plug by temporarily cutting off and then resuming the voltage supply to the dust station.

[0013] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an embodiment of the present invention aims to provide an electric cleaning device that has the function of sucking dust collected by an electric vacuum cleaner into the dust collection section of a dust collector, in which the automatic suction setting of the dust collector is electrically stored and the automatic suction setting can be retained even before and after an event in which the voltage supply is interrupted by plugging or unplugging the dust collector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention is a vacuum cleaner that has the function of sucking dust collected by a vacuum cleaner into a dust collecting unit of a dust collector. The vacuum cleaner includes: a connection detection unit that detects the connection state between the vacuum cleaner and the dust collector; an operator that switches an automatic suction setting of the dust collector between automatic suction on and automatic suction off; an insertion / removal determination unit that determines whether a plug-in / removal operation has been performed to insert or remove the plug of the dust collector from a power terminal; and an automatic suction determination unit that determines whether automatic suction is permitted when the connection state between the vacuum cleaner and the dust collector is detected and the plug-in / removal operation has been performed when the automatic suction setting set by the operator is automatic suction on; and that determines whether automatic suction is prohibited when the connection state between the vacuum cleaner and the dust collector is detected and the plug-in / removal operation has been performed when the automatic suction setting set by the operator is automatic suction off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in an electric cleaning device that has the function of sucking dust collected by an electric vacuum cleaner into the dust collection section of the dust collector, the automatic suction setting of the dust collector is electrically stored, and the automatic suction setting can be retained even before and after an event in which the voltage supply is interrupted by plugging or unplugging the dust collector. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of an electric cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing functions installed in the electric cleaning device. [Figure 2](A) A timing chart showing the automatic suction setting procedure of the dust collector of the electric cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention; (B) a first timing chart showing the first automatic suction setting procedure after an event of interruption of the voltage supply to the dust collector of the electric cleaning device occurs; (C) a second timing chart showing the second automatic suction setting procedure after an event of interruption of the voltage supply to the dust collector of the electric cleaning device occurs. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a mode transition diagram relating to automatic suction settings of the electric cleaning device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4A is a control flow showing a first method of takeover selection shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a control flow showing a second method of takeover selection shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] An electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A suction motor, such as an AC motor having a rotor, a stator, and a brush commutator, a DC brush motor, or a DC brushless motor, is used as the power source for the electric blower installed in the vacuum cleaner. The dust collecting device is called a dust station (DS) and is connected to an AC power source in a household outlet as a separate unit from the vacuum cleaner. The electric blower in the vacuum cleaner may use a battery-powered DC motor, while the suction motor in the dust collecting device may use an AC motor with a brush commutator. The electric blower installed in the vacuum cleaner is switched on and off by user operation. Meanwhile, the suction motor installed in the dust collecting device operates intermittently under specified conditions, not only by user operation but also through a preset automatic suction process.

[0018] FIG. 1(A) shows the hardware configuration of a vacuum cleaner 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collecting device 20 are separated will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The vacuum cleaner 10 is provided with a battery-powered electric blower and a dust box that accumulates dust sucked from the floor of a building or the like. The vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collecting device 20 can be connected to each other to suck up dust accumulated in the dust box of the vacuum cleaner 10. The dust collecting device 20 can be separated into an upper part 20A that connects to the vacuum cleaner 10 and a lower part 20B that sucks up dust from the vacuum cleaner 10.

[0019] Specifically, upper portion 20A of dust collecting device 20 functions as suction air duct 201 that sucks dust from vacuum cleaner 10, and has a suction port at the top end of suction air duct 201 that sucks dust from the dust box of vacuum cleaner 10. In addition, a sensor or switch SW1 that detects connection with vacuum cleaner 10 is provided on the side of suction air duct 201. When switch SW1 is turned on, it is detected that dust collecting device 20 is connected to vacuum cleaner 10, and dust collecting device 20 is able to suck in dust accumulated in the dust box of vacuum cleaner 10. Switch SW2 provided on lower portion 20B of the housing of dust collecting device 20 is turned on or off by the user to start or stop the operation of dust collecting device 20.

[0020] The lower part of suction airflow path 201 is connected to dust collection unit 202, and dust sucked from the dust box of vacuum cleaner 10 is sucked into dust collection unit 202 via suction airflow path 201, transported, and accumulated. For example, a dust collection unit with a filter, such as a paper bag, is used as dust collection unit 202. Alternatively, dust collection unit 202 may be installed in an openable and closable drawer-type storage unit. A user pulls out the storage unit and installs a paper bag or filter as dust collection unit 202, and then places the storage unit inside the housing of lower part 20B of dust collector 20. A separation unit S, such as a seal with multiple holes, is provided to separate lower part 20B of dust collector 20 into upper and lower parts. Separation unit S allows suction airflow to pass through the internal space of lower part 20B of dust collector 20, but does not allow foreign matter such as dust and particles to flow from upstream to downstream.

[0021] In the lower portion 20B of the dust collecting device 20, an electric blower (or electric suction machine) MDS, which integrally includes a centrifugal fan 203 and a suction motor 204, is provided below the dust collecting unit 202 via a separation unit S. The suction motor 204 is, for example, an AC motor with a commutating brush. When the suction motor 204 is driven, the centrifugal fan 203 rotates, generating a suction airflow that flows from the upper portion 20A to the lower portion 20B of the dust collecting device 20. The suction airflow 201, the dust collecting unit 202, and the centrifugal fan 203 are fluidly linked. That is, the suction airflow generated by the centrifugal fan 203 acts through multiple holes in a paper bag used as the dust collecting unit 202, sucking dust from the dust box of the vacuum cleaner 10, transporting it, and accumulating it in the dust collecting unit 202. In this case, the paper bag that constitutes the dust collecting unit 202 accumulates dust, but has numerous holes formed at a density that allows air to pass through. Furthermore, dust collection section 202 and separation section S create airflow resistance to the suction airflow, causing pressure loss, so when dust accumulates in dust collection section 202, the load on suction motor 204 increases and the suction current decreases.

[0022] The suction airflow when dust collection section 202 is in a "full" state with dust accumulated therein is smaller than the suction airflow when dust collection section 202 is in an "empty" state with no dust accumulated therein. In other words, airflow resistance increases in accordance with the amount of dust accumulated in dust collection section 202. Accordingly, the rotation speed of suction motor 204, which drives centrifugal fan 203 fluidly coupled to dust collection section 202, changes, causing a fluctuation in the load. In other words, as the amount of dust accumulated in dust collection section 202 increases, the suction airflow decreases and the suction current of suction motor 204 decreases.

[0023] The positive and negative terminals of suction motor 204 are connected to control board 205 via electric wires. A current detection unit (A) 206 is also connected to the electric wires to detect the suction current of suction motor 204. Control board 205 is connected to AC plug 207, which can be connected to, for example, a household power outlet, and suction motor 204 is driven under the control of control board 205. An exhaust port 208 is provided at the bottom of dust collector 20, and centrifugal fan 203 generates a suction airflow by exhausting air sucked in through dust collection unit 202 to the outside of the housing of dust collector 20. Because the temperature of suction motor 204 increases over time, exhaust port 208 serves to release heat generated by suction motor 204 to the outside.

[0024] 1(B) shows the automatic suction function of the dust collecting device 20 according to this embodiment. The automatic suction function of the dust collecting device 20 according to this embodiment is mounted on the control board 205, but is not limited to this. The dust collecting device 20 includes a connection detection unit 301 that operates in conjunction with switch SW1, a takeover selection unit 302 that operates in conjunction with switch SW2, an insertion / removal determination unit 303 that operates in conjunction with the AC plug 207, an automatic suction determination unit 304, a drive control unit 305, and a storage unit 306.

[0025] Switch SW1 provided on upper portion 20A of dust collecting device 20 detects the connection between vacuum cleaner 10 and dust collecting device 20. When vacuum cleaner 10 is connected to upper portion 20A of dust collecting device 20, switch SW1 is turned on. Switch SW1 is preferably a momentary switch that is always maintained in an on state when vacuum cleaner 10 is connected to upper portion 20A of dust collecting device 20 and is always maintained in an off state when vacuum cleaner 10 is not connected to upper portion 20A of dust collecting device 20. Connection detection unit 301 detects that switch SW1 is turned on and detects the connection state between vacuum cleaner 10 and dust collecting device 20. Connection detection unit 301 outputs a connection signal that indicates the connection state between vacuum cleaner 10 and dust collecting device 20. Alternatively, the connection state may be detected simply by inserting or removing a terminal that shorts open electrodes.

[0026] A user operates switch SW2 of dust collector 20 to switch the automatic suction function on or off to set the automatic suction function. Handover selection unit 302 determines whether the user has set the automatic suction function based on whether switch SW2 is on or off. Handover selection unit 302 selects whether to continue the automatic suction function based on a special operation. For example, if switch SW2 is a push-button switch, the special operation involves a user pressing and holding switch SW2 for a predetermined period of time, which maintains the automatic suction function regardless of whether AC plug 207 is plugged in or unplugged. In other words, switch SW2 is preferably a momentary switch that maintains a short circuit (ON state) when pressed and maintains an open state (OFF state) when not pressed. Alternatively, handover selection unit 302 may select whether to continue the automatic suction function based on the operation of other switches provided on dust collector 20 or the like. Note that "taking over the automatic suction setting" means taking over the automatic suction setting without resetting it before and after an event that interrupts the voltage supply, such as when the AC plug of the dust collector 20 is unplugged from the power outlet. The takeover selection unit 302 outputs a takeover signal indicating that the automatic suction setting has been taken over.

[0027] The plug / unplug determination unit 303 determines whether the AC plug 207 is plugged back into the power outlet within a predetermined time after the user unplugs the AC plug 207 from the power outlet. The predetermined time is approximately several minutes or several hours. For example, the plug / unplug determination unit 303 outputs a plug / unplug signal that is turned on when the AC plug 207 is plugged into the power outlet and turned off when the AC plug 207 is unplugged from the power outlet. Alternatively, the plug / unplug determination unit 303 may output a plug / unplug signal that is a pulse signal indicating the timing at which the AC plug 207 is plugged back into the power outlet within a predetermined time after the AC plug 207 is unplugged from the power outlet. The plug / unplug determination unit 303 may also detect the state (on or off) of voltage application to the dust collecting device 20.

[0028] The automatic suction determination unit 304 determines whether to enable automatic suction ("Automatic Suction Permission") or disable automatic suction ("Automatic Suction Prohibition") based on the connection signal from the connection detection unit 301, the transfer signal from the transfer selection unit 302, and the insertion / removal signal from the insertion / removal determination unit 303. In this embodiment, the automatic suction determination unit 304 determines whether to enable automatic suction based on three parameters. The three parameters, for example, switch SW1 being on, switch SW2 being on, and the AC plug 207 insertion / removal signal being on, determine whether to enable automatic suction. If one of the three parameters is off, the automatic suction determination unit 304 determines whether to disable automatic suction. If the automatic suction setting has been inherited by the transfer selection unit 302 despite the interruption event and is stored in the storage unit 306, the automatic suction determination unit 304 follows the automatic suction setting stored in the storage unit 306. The automatic suction determination unit 304 outputs a determination signal indicating whether to enable automatic suction or disable automatic suction.

[0029] The drive control unit 305 controls whether to drive the suction motor 204 in accordance with a determination signal from the automatic suction determination unit 304. For example, if the determination signal from the automatic suction determination unit 304 indicates that automatic suction is permitted, the drive control unit 305 drives the suction motor 204 to cause the centrifugal fan 203 to generate a suction airflow, thereby sucking dust into the dust collection unit 202. If the determination signal from the automatic suction determination unit 304 indicates that automatic suction is prohibited, the drive control unit 305 does not drive the suction motor 204.

[0030] This embodiment is characterized by selectively carrying over the automatic suction setting made by the user before and after an event in which the voltage supply to the dust collector 20 is interrupted. Therefore, when the handover signal of the handover selection unit 302 is on, the automatic suction setting according to the on / off operation of the switch SW2 by the user is electrically stored in the storage unit 306. The storage unit 306 is configured with a nonvolatile storage element such as a NAND flash memory, so the automatic suction setting made by the user is stored regardless of whether or not voltage is being supplied. Note that if the automatic suction setting is performed multiple times, the storage unit 306 may store the most recent automatic suction setting.

[0031] In this embodiment, for example, the dust collector 20 is initially set to "automatic suction on," and the automatic suction on state is maintained until the user operates switch SW2 to turn the automatic suction off. Furthermore, the dust collector 20 may be provided with an informing unit such as an LED lamp, which turns off when the automatic suction is on and turns on when the automatic suction is off. This allows the user to visually check whether the automatic suction is on or off.

[0032] Next, the automatic suction setting procedure for the dust collecting device 20 of the vacuum cleaner 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. The automatic suction setting procedure is not limited to the timing charts shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show the relationship between the switch SW1, the switch SW2, the insertion / removal signal PLG, and the memory contents MEM. The insertion / removal signal PLG turns on when a voltage is applied from a commercial power source and turns off when the voltage application is stopped. The memory contents MEM represent the automatic suction setting stored in the memory unit 306, and are turned on when automatic suction is on and off when automatic suction is off. The memory unit 306 is linked to the switch SW2, and the memory contents MEM reflect the automatic suction setting inherited by the inheritance selection unit 302.

[0033] The switches SW1 and SW2 mounted on the dust collector 20 are momentary switches. When the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collector 20 are connected, the switch SW1 remains on continuously. On the other hand, if the switch SW2 is a momentary switch, a pulse indicating a trigger for switching the automatic suction setting is output in response to the user's operation of the switch SW2. The automatic suction setting selected by the user's operation of the switch SW2 is stored in the memory unit 306. The memory contents MEM of the memory unit 306 are switched between on and off depending on the user's operation of the switch SW2, but the memory contents MEM are maintained before and after an interruption event depending on the handover signal from the handover selection unit 302. In addition, the insertion / removal signal PLG of the AC plug 207 is switched on and off depending on whether or not voltage is supplied to the dust collector 20. When an interruption event of the voltage supply occurs due to the AC plug 207 of the dust collector 20 being unplugged from the power terminal, the insertion / removal signal PLG changes from on to off. After a certain time has passed, when the AC plug 207 is inserted into the power terminal, the insertion / removal signal PLG changes from OFF to ON. The OFF period of the insertion / removal signal PLG corresponds to the period during which the voltage supply to the dust collector 20 is stopped.

[0034] The procedure for turning on automatic suction as the automatic suction setting will be described with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG. 2(A). At time t1, AC plug 207 of dust collector 20 is connected to the power terminal, turning on plug / unplug signal PLG, and thereafter dust collector 20 is ready for automatic suction. At time t2, switch SW2 is turned on by a user's operation, generating a pulse. Accordingly, memory contents MEM of memory unit 306 are turned on, and thereafter automatic suction is on. Thereafter, at time t3, switch SW1 is turned on as the vacuum cleaner 10 and dust collector 20 are connected. That is, at time t3, switch SW1, memory contents MEM, and plug / unplug signal PLG are all turned on, and dust collector 20 starts automatic suction.

[0035] Next, the procedure for setting automatic suction after an event of interruption of voltage supply to the dust collector 20 due to insertion or removal of the AC plug 207 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2(B) and 2(C).11 At time t 12 At time t 11 and time t 12 2B, an interruption event of the voltage supply to the dust collector 20 occurs. In FIG. 2B, the memory content MEM of the memory unit 306 is ON, so that the automatic suction ON is stored. In addition, the automatic suction ON is maintained before and after the interruption event in accordance with the takeover signal from the takeover selection unit 302. After that, at time t 13 At time t 13 At time t 14 In this state, the switch SW2 may be operated to turn off the automatic suction. Accordingly, the memory contents MEM of the memory unit 306 are turned off, and the automatic suction is turned off.

[0036] In Figure 2(C), at time t 21 At time t 22 At time t 21 and time t 22 2C, an event of interrupting the voltage supply to the dust collector 20 occurs. In FIG. 2C, the memory content MEM of the memory unit 306 is OFF, so that the automatic suction OFF state is stored. In addition, the automatic suction OFF state is maintained before and after the interruption event in accordance with the takeover signal from the takeover selection unit 302. After that, at time t 23 At time t, the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collecting device 20 are connected to each other and the switch SW1 is turned on. However, since the memory contents MEM of the memory unit 306 indicate that the automatic suction is off, the dust collecting device 20 does not start the automatic suction. 24 At time t, the user operates the switch SW2 to switch the automatic suction setting to automatic suction on, and the memory contents MEM are also turned on. 24At this time, the switch SW1, the memory contents MEM, and the insertion / removal signal PLG are all turned on, and the dust collector 20 starts automatic suction.

[0037] Next, the function of the automatic suction determination unit 304 shown in Fig. 1(B) will be described with reference to the mode transition diagram in Fig. 3. The takeover selection TRS determines whether or not to take over the automatic suction setting even after the AC plug 207 is plugged in or unplugged, depending on the user's special operation. In other words, the user selectively takes over the automatic suction setting. After the takeover selection TRS, the control flow shifts to automatic suction on AOn or automatic suction off ASoff.

[0038] The takeover selection TRS takes over the automatic suction setting before and after an interruption event of the voltage supply to the dust collector 20, and leaves it up to the user to decide whether to take over the automatic suction on (ASon) or the automatic suction off (ASoff) before and after the interruption event. Note that the period for taking over the automatic suction setting is before and after the interruption event, but is not limited to this. In this embodiment, in addition to switching the automatic suction setting on and off with switch SW2, the user can selectively take over the automatic suction setting in association with the interruption event through a special operation.

[0039] A case will be described in which the automatic suction setting is set to automatic suction on AOn in the initial state or factory default setting of the dust collector 20. In this case, if the user selects not to carry over the automatic suction setting, the automatic suction setting will return to automatic suction on AOn after an interruption event, regardless of the operation of switch SW2 before the interruption event of the voltage supply to the dust collector 20. Note that if the initial value of the automatic suction setting is automatic suction off ASoff, the automatic suction setting will return to automatic suction off ASoff after an interruption event.

[0040] On the other hand, if the user selects to take over the automatic suction setting in the takeover selection TRS, and if the user operates switch SW2 to set the automatic suction setting to automatic suction off ASoff before an interruption event of the voltage supply to the dust collector 20, the automatic suction setting will be taken over after the interruption event, and automatic suction off ASoff will be maintained.If the user operates switch SW2 to set the automatic suction setting to automatic suction on AOn before an interruption event of the voltage supply to the dust collector 20, the automatic suction setting will be taken over after the interruption event, and automatic suction on AOn will be maintained.

[0041] That is, if the user selects to continue using the automatic suction setting "Automatic suction on" (ASon), the automatic suction setting "Automatic suction on" (ASon) is maintained regardless of whether switch SW2 is turned on or off. In this case, since the automatic suction setting is stored in the nonvolatile memory element of the memory unit 306, the automatic suction determination unit 304 repeatedly reads out the automatic suction setting stored in the memory unit 306, and the automatic suction setting "Automatic suction on" (ASon) is maintained. If the user selects to continue using the automatic suction setting "Automatic suction off" (ASoff), the automatic suction setting "Automatic suction off" (ASoff) is maintained before and after the interruption event.

[0042] On the other hand, if the user does not select to continue the automatic suction setting, the automatic suction setting will change depending on the operation of switch SW2. That is, when the user operates switch SW2 with the automatic suction off, the automatic suction will be turned on AOn, and when the user subsequently operates switch SW2, the automatic suction will be turned off AOff.

[0043] A specific control flow of the takeover selection TRS shown in Fig. 3 will be described with reference to Figs. 4(A) and (B). In Fig. 4(A), it is determined whether the memory contents MEM of the memory unit 306 are set to automatic suction on (step S10). If the determination result of step S10 is YES, the process proceeds to automatic suction on AOn, and if the determination result of step S10 is NO, the process proceeds to automatic suction off AOff.

[0044] In FIG. 4B, the AC plug 207 of the dust collector 20 is plugged into a power outlet, and while voltage is being applied to the dust collector 20, it is determined whether the stored contents MEM in the memory unit 306 are to be carried over from before to after the interruption event (steps S20 and S30). In the determination in step S30, it is determined whether a special operation has been performed by the user, thereby determining whether the immediately preceding stored contents MEM in the memory unit 306 are to be carried over. For example, assume that the automatic suction setting of the dust collector 20 is set to automatic suction on by default. In this case, if the determination result in step S30 is NO, the automatic suction setting is returned to the default, and the process shifts from the takeover selection TRS to the automatic suction on AOn. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S30 is YES, the process shifts from the takeover selection TRS to the automatic suction on AOn. If the initial value of the automatic suction setting is automatic suction off, the process shifts from the takeover selection TRS to the automatic suction off AOff.

[0045] If a long period of time has passed since the user unplugged AC plug 207 from the power outlet, it is possible that the user has stopped using vacuum cleaner 1 and left it there, or that the user has stored vacuum cleaner 1 in a storage location. A long period of time may be, for example, 12 hours or more, the day after AC plug 207 was unplugged from the power outlet, or a week or more. In this case, dust collecting device 20 will not be used for a long period of time, and there is little need to determine whether AC plug 207 has been plugged in or unplugged, so the automatic suction setting is initialized (RST). Furthermore, the previous automatic suction setting may also be discarded in the takeover selection TRS, or the automatic suction setting stored in memory unit 306 may be reset.

[0046] When the user selects takeover TRS, the memory contents MEM in the memory unit 306 are maintained regardless of an interruption in the voltage supply to the dust collector 20, and if the memory contents MEM indicate automatic suction on, the state transitions from takeover selection TRS to automatic suction on AOn. On the other hand, if the user does not select takeover TRS, automatic suction on / off is switched in response to operation of switch SW2. After transitioning to automatic suction off ASoff, the automatic suction determination unit 304 determines that automatic suction is disabled IHB. In this case, the LED lamp in the notification unit is turned on to notify the user that automatic suction is disabled IHB.

[0047] After the control flow shifts to automatic suction on AOn, the control flow shifts to condition determination CDT. In condition determination CDT, it is determined whether switch SW1 is turned on and the pull-out signal PLG is turned on. If it is determined in condition determination CDT that switch SW1 is turned on and the pull-out signal PLG is turned on, the automatic suction determination unit 304 determines that automatic suction is permitted PMT.

[0048] For example, when the automatic suction setting is set to automatic suction on AOn, if the user plugs or unplugs AC plug 207, turning on plug / unplug signal PLG, and then vacuum cleaner 10 is connected to dust collector 20 and switch SW1 is turned on, automatic suction determination unit 304 determines that automatic suction is enabled PMT. Then, drive control unit 305 drives suction motor 204, which causes centrifugal fan 203 to generate a suction airflow, and dust is sucked into dust collector 202.

[0049] When the automatic suction setting is in automatic suction off (ASoff), even if the user inserts or removes AC plug 207, causing the insertion / removal signal PLG to change from off to on, and the vacuum cleaner 10 and dust collector 20 are connected, turning on switch SW1, automatic suction determination unit 304 determines that automatic suction is prohibited (IHB). Therefore, drive control unit 305 does not drive suction motor 204.

[0050] On the other hand, when the automatic suction setting is in the automatic suction off state ASoff and the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collecting device 20 are repeatedly connected and disconnected a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time, the automatic suction determination unit 304 may switch from the automatic suction off state ASoff to the automatic suction on state AOn. In this case, when the condition determination CDT detects that the insertion / removal signal PLG has turned on, the automatic suction determination unit 304 may determine that the automatic suction is permitted PMT, and may start suctioning dust into the dust collecting unit 202 of the dust collecting device 20.

[0051] Next, modifications and effects of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment relates to a vacuum cleaner 1 that has the function of sucking dust collected by the vacuum cleaner 10 into the dust collecting unit 202 of the dust collector 20. The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a connection detection unit 301 that detects the connection state between the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collector 20, an operator SW2 that switches the automatic suction setting of the dust collector 20 between automatic suction on and automatic suction off, an insertion / removal determination unit 303 that determines whether a plug insertion / removal operation has been performed to insert / remove the plug 207 of the dust collector 20 into / from the power terminal, and an automatic suction determination unit 304 that determines that automatic suction is permitted when the connection state between the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collector 20 is detected and a plug insertion / removal operation has been performed when the automatic suction setting set by the operator is automatic suction on, and determines that automatic suction is prohibited when the connection state between the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collector 20 is detected and a plug insertion / removal operation has been performed when the automatic suction setting set by the operator is automatic suction off.

[0052] For example, when a user removes plug 207 from the power terminal to move dust collecting device 20 to another location, or when the user removes plug 207 from the power terminal to perform maintenance or care on dust collecting device 20, the user performs a plug-in / out operation. However, regardless of the plug-in / out operation, the automatic suction of dust collecting device 20 can be started or stopped based on the automatic suction on / off setting set by the user. Therefore, the automatic suction function of dust collecting device 20 can behave as expected by the user.

[0053] The electric cleaning device 1 may be provided with a takeover selection unit 302 that allows the user to select whether to take over the automatic suction setting before and after the plugging / unplugging operation of the dust collecting device 20.

[0054] For example, if the operator SW2 is a suction stop button, the user can press and hold the suction stop button for about five seconds to select whether to continue the automatic suction setting TRS, and an LED lamp may be turned on to notify the user. In this case, if the user further presses the suction stop button, the LED lamp may be flashed. If the suction stop button is pressed and held for about five seconds while the LED lamp is on, the LED lamp may be turned off, and the automatic suction setting may be continued. Furthermore, if the user presses the suction stop button and held for about five seconds while the LED lamp is flashing, the LED lamp may be turned off, and the automatic suction setting continue may be stopped. In this way, whether to continue the automatic suction setting can be left to the user's discretion in various ways, and the automatic suction setting of the dust collector 20 can be tailored to the user's preferences.

[0055] The electric cleaning device 1 may include a nonvolatile memory unit 306 that stores the automatic suction setting. Furthermore, the automatic suction determination unit 304 may initialize the automatic suction setting stored in the nonvolatile memory unit 306 when a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the plug 207 of the dust collecting device 20 was unplugged from the power terminal. The nonvolatile memory unit 306 does not have to be mounted on the control board 205 of the dust collecting device 20, and may be mounted as a memory of the vacuum cleaner 10.

[0056] For example, the automatic suction setting stored in nonvolatile memory unit 306 may be initialized 12 hours after the user unplugs plug 207 of dust collecting device 20 from the power terminal. A user may put vacuum cleaner 1 away and then take it out to use after a long time. At this time, the user may forget that the automatic suction setting of vacuum cleaner 20 was on, which may result in the automatic suction of vacuum cleaner 20 starting contrary to the user's intention. Conversely, if the user forgets that the automatic suction setting was off, the automatic suction of vacuum cleaner 20 may not start contrary to the user's expectations. In this way, it is possible to prevent a situation in which vacuum cleaner 20 behaves contrary to the user's expectations or intentions when the user starts using vacuum cleaner 1 after leaving vacuum cleaner 1 for a long period of time.

[0057] In the electric cleaning device 1, when the automatic suction setting is in the automatic suction off state and the connection between the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collecting device 20 is repeated a predetermined number of times, the automatic suction determination unit 304 may determine that the automatic suction setting has switched from automatic suction off to automatic suction on, and may determine that automatic suction is permitted.

[0058] That is, when the user repeatedly connects the vacuum cleaner 10 and the dust collecting device 20 in a short period of time, the automatic suction setting is switched to automatic suction on. This is a measure that takes into consideration the possibility that the user may forget that they had set the automatic suction off by operating the control, or that another person, such as a roommate of the user, may have set the automatic suction off without the user's permission. In this way, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the dust collecting device 20 does not start automatic suction against the user's wishes or expectations.

[0059] In electric cleaning device 1, during a predetermined time period including nighttime or a time period set by the user, automatic suction determination unit 304 may determine that automatic suction is prohibited regardless of the automatic suction setting.

[0060] In an environment where neighboring houses are nearby, such as an apartment building, a user may make a loud noise when using the vacuum cleaner 1 to clean at night. In this case, to prevent the dust collecting device 20 from starting automatic suction at a time the user does not want, the user must operate the control SW2 to turn off automatic suction before connecting the vacuum cleaner 10 to the dust collecting device 20. Furthermore, when the user uses the vacuum cleaner 10 the next morning, the user must operate the control SW2 to turn on automatic suction. Thus, if the user forgets to turn off automatic suction and connects the vacuum cleaner 10 to the dust collecting device 20 at night, the dust collecting device 20 may start automatic suction unintentionally, generating a loud suction noise. To address this situation, the automatic suction is turned off for all dust collecting devices 20 of the vacuum cleaner 1 at night.

[0061] Although several 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. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 Electric vacuum cleaner 10. Vacuum cleaner 20 Dust collector 202 Dust collection section 203 Centrifugal Fan 204 Suction motor 205 Control board 206 Current detection section 207 AC plug 208 Exhaust port 301 Connection detection unit 302 Handover Selection Department 303 Insertion / extraction judgment section 304 Automatic suction determination section 305 Drive control unit 306 Storage section

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner having a function of sucking dust collected by an electric vacuum cleaner into a dust collecting unit of a dust collecting device, a connection detection unit that detects a connection state between the vacuum cleaner and the dust collecting device; an operator for switching the automatic suction setting of the dust collector to either automatic suction on or automatic suction off; a plug-in / out determining unit that determines whether a plug-in / out operation of inserting / removing a plug of the dust collecting device from a power terminal has been performed; an automatic suction determination unit that determines that automatic suction is permitted when the connection state between the vacuum cleaner and the dust collecting device is detected and the plug-in / out operation is performed when the automatic suction setting by the operator is automatic suction on, and that determines that automatic suction is prohibited when the connection state between the vacuum cleaner and the dust collecting device is detected and the plug-in / out operation is performed when the automatic suction setting by the operator is automatic suction off; An electric cleaning device comprising:

2. 2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a takeover selection unit that allows a user to select whether to take over the automatic suction setting before and after the plugging / unplugging operation of the dust collecting device.

3. 2. The electric cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile memory unit that stores the automatic suction setting, and wherein the automatic suction determination unit initializes the automatic suction setting stored in the non-volatile memory unit when a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the plug of the dust collecting device was removed from the power terminal.

4. 2. The electric cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein when the automatic suction setting is in the automatic suction off state and the electric vacuum cleaner and the dust collecting device are repeatedly connected a predetermined number of times, the automatic suction determination unit determines that the automatic suction has switched from the automatic suction off state to the automatic suction on state and determines that the automatic suction is permitted.

5. 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the automatic suction determination unit determines that the automatic suction is prohibited during a predetermined time period including nighttime or during a time period set by a user, regardless of the automatic suction setting.

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