Electric cleaning system

Abstract

This system provides an electric vacuum cleaner that allows the user to know whether or not dust has been removed from the suction nozzle of the electric vacuum cleaner mounted on the stand. [Solution] The vacuum cleaner 2 has a suction attachment 26. The stand 3 has a cleaning means 37 for cleaning dust adhering to the suction attachment 26. The second electric blower 33 generates an airflow that sucks dust from the suction attachment 26 when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3. The second dust collection unit 34 collects dust that is sucked in by the airflow generated by the second electric blower 33 and cleaned from the suction attachment 26 by the cleaning means 37. The dust detection unit 4 detects the dust being sucked into the second dust collection unit 34. When the second electric blower 33 is operating, the status of the suction attachment 26 is notified by the notification unit 5 according to the detection result by the dust detection unit 4.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a vacuum cleaning system in which an electric vacuum cleaner is mounted on and stored in a stand. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, in a vacuum cleaning system in which an electric vacuum cleaner is mounted on and stored in a stand after cleaning is completed, dust entangled in the rotary cleaning body of a suction tool provided in the electric vacuum cleaner is removed in a stored state where the electric vacuum cleaner is mounted on the stand. In this configuration, in the electric vacuum cleaner mounted on the stand, the rotary cleaning body is rotated by an electric motor, whereby dust is scraped off from the rotary cleaning body by a cleaning means on the stand side, and the scraped-off dust is sucked into a dust collecting portion of the electric vacuum cleaner and collected by the suction operation of an electric blower provided in the electric vacuum cleaner. In such a vacuum cleaning system, there is a need for a user to check whether dust adhering to the rotary cleaning body of the suction tool is reliably removed during the suction operation of the electric blower. [[Prior Art Literature]] [[Patent Literature]]

[0003] [[Patent Literature 1]] Japanese Patent No. 7472833 [[Summary of Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaning system that allows a user to know whether dust has been removed from the suction tool of an electric vacuum cleaner mounted on a stand. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0005] The electric cleaning system of this embodiment comprises an electric vacuum cleaner, a stand on which the electric vacuum cleaner is mounted, an electric blower, a dust collection unit, and a dust detection unit. The electric vacuum cleaner has a suction nozzle. The stand has a cleaning means for cleaning dust adhering to the suction nozzle. The electric blower generates an airflow that sucks the vacuum cleaner from the suction nozzle when the vacuum cleaner is mounted on the stand. The dust collection unit collects dust that is sucked in by the airflow generated by the electric blower and cleaned from the suction nozzle by the cleaning means. The dust detection unit detects the dust being sucked into the dust collection unit. When the electric blower is operating, the status of the suction nozzle is notified by a notification unit according to the detection result by the dust detection unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Block diagram of an electric cleaning system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view showing the same electric cleaning system. [Figure 3] A perspective view showing an example of the usage state of the vacuum cleaner in the same electric cleaning system. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the stand for the same electric cleaning system. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the same electric cleaning system. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a dust detection unit in the same electric cleaning system. [Figure 7] The above shows an example of the notification unit of the electric cleaning system, where (a) is a plan view of the light-emitting element and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the notification unit. [Figure 8] This is a front view showing an example of a design panel from the same news department. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the illumination of the light-emitting element in the operating mode of the first electric blower in the notification unit of the same electric cleaning system, where (a) shows the low operating mode and (b) shows the high operating mode. [Figure 10] This is a schematic front view showing an example of notification for the operating mode of the first electric blower in the notification unit of the same electric cleaning system, where (a) shows the low operating mode and (b) shows the high operating mode. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of light emission from a light-emitting element during the transfer operation of the notification unit of the same electric cleaning system. [Figure 12] (a) to (e) are schematic front views illustrating examples of notification during the transport operation of the notification unit of the same electric cleaning system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] One embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0008] In Figures 1, 2, and 5, 1 represents an electric cleaning system. The electric cleaning system 1 comprises an electric vacuum cleaner 2 and a stand 3. The electric cleaning system 1 is configured such that when cleaning, the electric vacuum cleaner 2 is removed from the stand 3 and operated, and when cleaning is finished, the stopped electric vacuum cleaner 2 can be attached to the stand 3 for storage.

[0009] The vacuum cleaner 2 is equipped with a first power supply unit 20 as the vacuum cleaner's power supply unit, and is driven by power supplied from the first power supply unit 20. The vacuum cleaner 2 is equipped with a first electric blower 21 as the vacuum cleaner's electric blower, and the suction operation of the first electric blower 21 collects dust in the first dust collection unit 22 as the vacuum cleaner's dust collection unit. The operation of the first electric blower 21 is controlled by a first control unit 23 as the vacuum cleaner's control unit. The vacuum cleaner 2 is also equipped with an operation switch 24 for setting the operating operation of the vacuum cleaner 2, and the operating operation of the vacuum cleaner 2 is controlled according to the operation of the operation switch 24 by the user.

[0010] The vacuum cleaner 2 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is, for example, a handheld or stick-type vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner 2 comprises a vacuum cleaner body 25, to which an attachment, a suction tool 26, is connected either directly or via a pipe 27. In the figures, an example is shown where the suction tool 26 is connected to the vacuum cleaner body 25 via the pipe 27. The vacuum cleaner 2 is detachable from the stand 3; it is removed from the stand 3 during use and attached to the stand 3 when cleaning is finished or when storing.

[0011] In this embodiment, a cordless electric vacuum cleaner in which the first power supply unit 20 is a direct-current power supply unit such as a secondary battery or a storage battery is taken as an example, but a cord reel device that draws power from a commercial power supply may also be used.

[0012] The first electric blower 21 is operable by power supplied from the first power supply unit 20. The operation of the first electric blower 21 is controlled by the first control unit 23 controlling the power supply from the first power supply unit 20.

[0013] The first control unit 23 is operable by power generated by a power generation unit such as a regulator through power supply from the first power supply unit 20. For the first control unit 23, for example, a microcomputer is preferably used. A signal corresponding to an operation from an operation switch 24 operated by a user is input to the first control unit 23.

[0014] The first electric blower 21, the first dust collection unit 22, and the first control unit 23 are each disposed in a cleaner main body 25. In this embodiment, the cleaner main body 25 is formed in an elongated shape, and is a narrow elongated shape in the illustrated example. One end of the cleaner main body 25 is formed with a grip portion 250 that is gripped by a user during a cleaning operation. In the illustrated example, the operation switch 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the grip portion 250. Further, a suction tool 26 or a pipe body 27 is airtightly connected to the other end of the cleaner main body 25.

[0015] The suction tool 26 is also called a suction inlet body, a floor brush, a suction head or the like. The suction tool 26 is formed to be elongated in the left-right direction as viewed from a user, that is, horizontally elongated. The suction tool 26 has a suction port 260. The suction port 260 is for sucking dust into the first dust collection unit 22 by the airflow generated by the first electric blower 21. That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 2 is formed with a cleaning air path 28 from the suction port 260 to the first dust collection unit 22 for sucking dust during cleaning. The suction port 260 is located at least at a lower portion of the suction tool 26.

[0016] Further, a cleaning body 261 is disposed in the suction tool 26. The cleaning body 261 removes dust from a portion to be cleaned such as a floor surface during cleaning. The cleaning body 261 is located at least at a lower portion of the suction tool 26. The cleaning body 261 may be disposed, for example, within the suction port 260 or at a position adjacent to the suction port 260, as long as it is at a position where dust removed from the portion to be cleaned can be sucked through the suction port 260.

[0017] The cleaning body 261 may be either static or dynamic, but a rotary cleaning body is preferably used. That is, the cleaning body 261 is preferably configured to remove dust by a rotating operation. In this case, the cleaning body 261 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a cleaning member is disposed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Further, the cleaning body 261 is of an electric type that is rotationally driven by a cleaning body electric motor 262. The cleaning body electric motor 262 is disposed inside the suction tool 26. The cleaning body electric motor 262 is operable by power supply from the first power supply unit 20. The operation of the cleaning body electric motor 262 is controlled by the first control unit 23 controlling the power supply from the first power supply unit 20. A cleaning body electric motor 262 having lower power consumption or power than the first electric blower 21 is used. The cleaning body electric motor 262 rotates the cleaning body 261 at a high speed.

[0018] The operation switch 24 can switch on and off the operation of the first electric blower 21. In the present embodiment, the operation switch 24 can switch on and off the operation of the cleaning body electric motor 262 for rotating the cleaning body 261, and / or switch the operation speed of the cleaning body electric motor 262, that is, the rotation speed of the cleaning body 261. During cleaning, the cleaning body electric motor 262 is preferably turned on and off in conjunction with the on / off switching of the first electric blower 21 according to the operation of the operation switch 24. However, when the first electric blower 21 is in operation, on / off switching may be performed by the operation switch 24 independently of the first electric blower 21.

[0019] The pipe 27 in this embodiment is an extension pipe formed in a straight tubular shape. Preferably, the pipe 27 is detachable from the vacuum cleaner body 25 and the suction attachment 26, allowing the electric vacuum cleaner 2 to be used selectively in one of the following states: without the pipe 27 and suction attachment 26, in a handheld state where the suction attachment 26 is directly connected to the vacuum cleaner body 25, or in a stick state where the suction attachment 26 is connected to the pipe 27 and the pipe 27 is connected to the vacuum cleaner body 25. Furthermore, the pipe 27 is not limited to a straight tubular shape; depending on the form of the electric vacuum cleaner 2, the pipe 27 may have a flexible part such as a hose.

[0020] Furthermore, the stand 3 shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4 comprises a base portion 30 and a support column portion 31. The base portion 30 is placed on the mounting position and supports the support column portion 31 relative to the mounting position. The support column portion 31 supports the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3. The support column portion 31 is formed in a longitudinal shape in the vertical direction.

[0021] In this embodiment, the stand 3 has the function of a dust collection device that transfers and collects dust from the vacuum cleaner 2. Therefore, the stand 3 is equipped with a second power supply unit 32, which is a voltage conversion unit that serves as the stand-side power supply unit; a second electric blower 33, which is a stand-side electric blower that generates an airflow for sucking up dust; and a second dust collection unit 34, which is a stand-side dust collection unit that serves as the dust collection unit. In this embodiment, with the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3 and the first electric blower 21 stopped, the operation in which dust is sucked up and transferred from the vacuum cleaner 2 to the second dust collection unit 34 by the airflow generated by the operation of the second electric blower 33 will be referred to as the "transfer operation" below. In this embodiment, the stand 3 is described in a configuration in which the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted in a stick configuration, but the vacuum cleaner 2 may also be mounted in a handheld configuration, with the tube 27 mounted separately.

[0022] In this embodiment, the second power supply unit 32 has a power plug 320 and a power cord 321 for drawing power from an external power source such as a commercial power supply, and the power plug 320 converts the voltage supplied from the external power source and supplies it to each unit.

[0023] The second electric blower 33 is operated by power supplied from the second power supply unit 32. The operation of the second electric blower 33 is controlled by the second control unit 35, which controls the power supply from the second power supply unit 32. Preferably, the second electric blower 33 has a higher power consumption or power than the first electric blower 21. The operation of the second electric blower 33 is controlled by the second control unit 35.

[0024] The dust separation method for the second dust collection unit 34 may be arbitrary, but in the illustrated example, a filter or dust collection bag capable of filtering and collecting dust from dust-containing air for disposal is used. Preferably, the second dust collection unit 34 has a larger dust accumulation capacity than the first dust collection unit 22.

[0025] The second control unit 35 can be operated by power supplied from the second power supply unit 32. A microcontroller is preferably used as the second control unit 35.

[0026] The second electric blower 33, the second dust collection unit 34, and the second control unit 35 are arranged, for example, on the base unit 30. A power cord 321 is led out from the base unit 30, and a power plug 320 is connected to the end of the power cord 321.

[0027] Furthermore, the stand 3 has a communication air passage 36 formed therein for sucking dust from the vacuum cleaner 2 side to the second dust collection section 34 via a second electric blower 33. The communication air passage 36 is formed, for example, inside the support column 31. The communication air passage 36 communicates with the second dust collection section 34 and is also airtightly connected to the first dust collection section 22 of the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3. The first dust collection section 22 has a dust discharge port 220 formed therein for discharging dust to the stand 3 side via the communication air passage 36. The dust discharge port 220 can be opened and closed by an opening and closing means 221 such as an opening and closing valve. The opening and closing means 221 is configured to close the dust discharge port 220 when dust is being collected in the first dust collection section 22 using the vacuum cleaner 2, and to open the dust discharge port 22 when transferring the dust collected in the first dust collection section 22 from the first dust collection section 22 to the stand 3 side. The opening and closing of the opening / closing mechanism 221 may be controlled electrically, or it may be done mechanically in accordance with the attachment of the vacuum cleaner 2 to the vacuuming device 1. The dust discharge port 220 and the opening / closing mechanism 221 may be formed in the vacuum cleaner body 25.

[0028] Here, the first dust collection unit 22 is airtightly connected to the suction port 260 of the suction tool 26 via a cleaning air passage 28. As the first dust collection unit 22 and the communication air passage 36 are airtightly connected, the suction port 260 and the second dust collection unit 34 are also airtightly connected via the communication air passage 36 and the cleaning air passage 28. Therefore, in this embodiment, the transfer operation makes it possible to suck up and transfer not only the dust collected in the first dust collection unit 22, but also dust from the suction tool 26 to the second dust collection unit 34 of the stand 3.

[0029] In this embodiment, the stand 3 is equipped with a cleaning means 37 for cleaning dust adhering to the suction nozzle 26 of the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3. The cleaning means 37 cleans and removes dust adhering to the suction nozzle 26 of the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3, and in this embodiment, dust adhering to the cleaning body 261. The operation of cleaning dust adhering to the suction nozzle 26 using this cleaning means 37 will be hereinafter referred to as the "cleaning operation". The cleaning means 37 is located opposite the lower part of the suction nozzle 26 of the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3. In the illustrated example, the cleaning means 37 is positioned on the upper part of the opposing part 300 which protrudes from the lower part of the base part 30. Here, the opposing part 300 may be a mounting part that contacts the lower part of the suction nozzle 26, or it may not contact the lower part of the suction nozzle 26. The cleaning means 37 is also arranged longitudinally in the left-right direction so as to coincide with or substantially coincide with the longitudinal direction of the cleaning body 261.

[0030] The cleaning means 37 is capable of making close or slight contact with the cleaning member of the cleaning body 261. The cleaning means 37 can have any configuration as long as it can clean and remove dust and debris that has become entangled with the cleaning member of the cleaning body 261. For example, if the cleaning body 261 is dynamic, the cleaning means 37 may be static, such as a comb, but the cleaning means 37 is preferably dynamic. In this embodiment, an example of an electrically powered cleaning means 37 is given, which includes a cutter 370, which is a blade for cutting dust and a cutter motor 371 that drives the cutter 370. The cutter motor 371 is powered by a second power supply unit 32. The cutter 370 cuts dust by being moved back and forth in small increments from side to side by the cutter motor 371, for example. The cutter motor 371 is used which has less power consumption or power than the second electric blower 33. The operation of the cutter motor 371 is controlled by, for example, the second control unit 35. In this embodiment, the cleaning operation involves rotating the cleaning body 261 with the electric motor 262 for the cleaning body while operating the cutter 370 of the cleaning means 37 with the electric motor 371 for the cutter to cut and remove the dust adhering to the cleaning body 261.

[0031] Furthermore, in order to perform cleaning and transport operations with at least one condition being that the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3, it is preferable that the vacuum cleaner system 1 includes a mounting detection unit that detects when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3. The mounting detection unit may be provided on at least one of the vacuum cleaner 2 or the stand 3, but in this embodiment, it is provided on both the vacuum cleaner 2 and the stand 3. That is, the vacuum cleaner 2 is provided with a first mounting detection unit 29 as a vacuum cleaner-side mounting detection unit that detects when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3, and the stand 3 is provided with a second mounting detection unit 38 as a stand-side mounting detection unit that detects when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3. The mounting detection units 29 and 38 may be contact-type or non-contact-type sensors, or mechanical switches, etc. The detection result from the first mounting detection unit 29 is input to the first control unit 23, and the detection result from the second mounting detection unit 38 is input to the second control unit 35.

[0032] The cleaning operation should begin before the transport operation begins. These timings may be simultaneous, or the transport operation may begin after the cleaning operation has started. The cleaning operation should end before the transport operation has ended. These timings may be simultaneous, or the transport operation may begin or end after the cleaning operation has ended.

[0033] In this configuration, when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3, the lower part of the suction attachment 26 is close to or resting on the opposing part 300, making it difficult for the user to directly see the cleaning body 261 located below the suction attachment 26, and thus difficult to confirm whether dust has been reliably removed from the cleaning body 261 during the cleaning and transport operations. For this reason, it is preferable to inform the user of the status of dust on the suction attachment 26 being cleaned by the cleaning operation and transported to the second dust collection unit 34 by the transport operation. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a dust detection unit 4 that detects dust being sucked into the second dust collection unit 34, and the status of the suction attachment 26 is notified by the notification unit 5 according to the detection result by the dust detection unit 4 when the second electric blower 33 is operating, i.e., during the transport operation.

[0034] The dust detection unit 4 is located at one of the positions in the airflow path from the suction device 26 to the second dust collection unit 34. In this embodiment, the dust detection unit 4 is configured to directly detect dust passing through the airflow path using infrared light. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the dust detection unit 4 has a light-emitting unit 40 such as an infrared light-emitting element that emits infrared light IR, and a light-receiving unit 41 such as an infrared light-receiving element that receives infrared light IR and outputs a signal voltage, i.e., a light-receiving voltage, according to the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit 41. The presence or absence of dust D is detected based on the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit 41 relative to the amount of infrared light IR emitted from the light-emitting unit 40. In other words, when dust D passes between the light-emitting unit 40 and the light-receiving unit 41 in the airflow path, the dust D blocks or diffuses the infrared light IR emitted from the light-emitting unit 40, so the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit 41 decreases relative to the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting unit 40. Based on this principle, the dust detection unit 4 detects the presence or absence of dust.

[0035] The light-emitting unit 40 emits infrared (IR) light in a direction that crosses the airflow path. The light-receiving unit 41 is located opposite the light-emitting unit 40 across the airflow path. For example, the light-receiving unit 41 is located on the optical axis of the light-emitting unit 40.

[0036] The notification unit 5 shown in Figure 1 is a display unit that visually displays to the user the amount of dust according to the magnitude of the light-receiving voltage of the light-receiving unit 41 of the dust detection unit 4. The "status of the suction tool 26" displayed by the notification unit 5 means whether or not the dust attached to the suction tool 26 has been removed by the cleaning operation, in this embodiment, whether or not the dust attached to the cleaning body 261 of the suction tool 26 has been removed by the cleaning operation, or whether or not the suction tool 26 has been cleaned by the cleaning operation.

[0037] In the illustrated example, the notification unit 5 has a plurality of light-emitting elements 50. The light-emitting elements 50 may be arranged arbitrarily, but in this embodiment, they are arranged in a linear or matrix pattern, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), for example. Therefore, the notification unit 5 is configured in a longitudinal shape. The light-emitting elements 50 are preferably LED elements. The light-emitting elements 50 may be monochromatic, but in this embodiment, for example, a full-color light-emitting element is used, which comprises LED elements of the three primary colors, green, red, and blue, and their control circuits, allowing the display color to be changed. In addition, the light-emitting elements 50 may be liquid crystal panels or the like.

[0038] The number of light-emitting elements 50 can be set arbitrarily, but in this embodiment, for example, 14 elements are arranged in a straight line or approximately in a straight line at equal or approximately equal intervals. In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which other light-emitting elements 51 are further arranged in the notification unit 5 to provide any notification or display other than the status of the suction device 26. In the illustrated example, two other light-emitting elements 51 are set and are arranged in the same or approximately in the same straight line as the 14 light-emitting elements 51 at equal or approximately equal intervals. The other light-emitting elements 51 are not an essential component.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the notification unit 5 includes a design panel 52 that transmits at least a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements 50 and 51. For example, the design panel 52 is positioned to cover the light-emitting side of the entire light-emitting elements 50 and 51. In addition to functioning as a protective cover to protect the light-emitting elements 50 and 51, the design panel 52 may be configured to enhance the design of the notification unit 5 by having partially different transmittances of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements 50 and 51, or by having patterns or pictograms that form a specific design by transmitting or reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting elements 50 and 51. In this embodiment, for example, as shown in Figure 8, a matrix-like pattern 520 is formed on the design panel 52 at a position opposite to the light-emitting element 50 (shown in Figure 7(a), etc.). In addition, an appropriate pattern may be formed on the design panel 52 at a position opposite to the light-emitting element 51 (shown in Figure 7(a), etc.). Figure 8 shows an example of a state in which all light-emitting elements 50 (as shown in Figure 7(a), etc.) are emitting light, in order to clearly explain each design of the design panel 52.

[0040] The emission of light-emitting elements 50 and 51 shown in Figure 7(a) in the notification unit 5 is controlled by the notification control unit. The notification control unit is electrically connected to each of the light-emitting elements 50 and 51 and controls the emission / de-emission and display color of each light-emitting element 50 and 51 according to a preset control program. In this embodiment, the notification control unit can control the emission / de-emission and display color of each light-emitting element 50 and 51 by generating signals that indicate the gradation of the green, red, and blue LED elements provided in each light-emitting element 50 and 51. Preferably, a microcontroller or the like is used as the notification control unit.

[0041] The dust detection unit 4 and notification unit 5 shown in Figure 1 are provided in either the vacuum cleaner 2 or the stand 3, for example. In this embodiment, both the dust detection unit 4 and the notification unit 5 are provided in the vacuum cleaner 2. In this case, the dust detection unit 4 and the notification unit 5 may operate by power supplied from the first power supply unit 20, or they may operate by power supplied from the second power supply unit 32 of the stand 3, i.e., by power supplied from an external power source. The dust detection unit 4 is located in any position in the cleaning air passage 28, for example, from the suction port 260 to the first dust collection unit 22. The notification unit 5 is located in the vacuum cleaner body 25 of the vacuum cleaner 2, for example, as shown in Figure 3. Since the vacuum cleaner body 25 in this embodiment is elongated, the notification unit 5 is arranged elongated using the length of the vacuum cleaner body 25. The notification unit 5 is located in a position where the user can see it directly or indirectly when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3, and in this embodiment, it is located in a position where the user can see it while the vacuum cleaner 2 is being used for cleaning. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the notification unit 5 is provided in the vacuum cleaner 2, the notification control unit is also provided in the vacuum cleaner 2 as shown in this example. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and if the notification unit 5 is provided in the stand 3, the notification control unit may be provided in the stand 3. Also, in this embodiment, the notification control unit is shown as being integrated into the first control unit 23 to form a single microcontroller, for example. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the notification control unit and the first control unit 23 may be provided separately, or some of the functions of the notification control unit may be incorporated into the first control unit 23. If the notification unit 5 is provided in the stand 3, the notification control unit may be integrated into the second control unit 35, for example, or the notification control unit and the second control unit 35 may be provided separately, or some of the functions of the notification control unit may be incorporated into the second control unit 35.

[0042] Furthermore, the dust detection unit 4 may be installed on either the vacuum cleaner 2 or the stand 3, and the notification unit 5 may be installed on the other, and these may be configured to be connected by wired or wireless communication. In addition, the notification unit 5 is not limited to being installed on either the vacuum cleaner 2 or the stand 3, but may also be configured to receive the detection results from the dust detection unit 4 wirelessly or by wired connection using a monitor of a dedicated external device, a monitor of an external device such as a general-purpose PC or smartphone with a notification application installed, or a panel or monitor provided on other home appliances. Moreover, the notification by the notification unit 5 is not limited to notification by display, but may also be notification by sound, or notification that combines display and sound.

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, if the dust detection unit 4 is located in the cleaning air passage 28, the dust detection unit 4 can also detect the amount of dust sucked into the first dust collection unit 22 during cleaning by the vacuum cleaner 2. Therefore, the notification unit 5 may provide notification according to the detection result of the dust detection unit 4 regarding the amount of dust sucked into the first dust collection unit 22 when cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 2 removed from the stand 3. In other words, the dust detection unit 4 and the notification unit 5 may be used for both detecting and notifying dust during transport operation and detecting and notifying dust when cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 2 removed from the stand 3. In the case of notification of the dust detection result when cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 2, the dust detection unit 4, the notification unit 5, and the notification control unit each operate by receiving power from the first power supply unit 20. Therefore, the dust detection unit 4, the notification unit 5, and the notification control unit may be configured to switch between operating using either the first power supply unit 20 or the second power supply unit 32 as the power source depending on whether the vacuum cleaner 2 is attached to or detached from the stand 3.

[0044] In addition, the notification unit 5 may be configured to notify the user of, for example, the operating mode, suction power, operating power, or input of the first electric blower 21, and / or the on / off status of the operation of the cleaning body 261 by the electric motor for the cleaning body 262, when the vacuum cleaner 2 is cleaning.

[0045] When the dust detection unit 4 and the notification unit 5 are to be used for multiple purposes in this manner, it is preferable that the notification control unit controls the notification mode of the notification unit 5 to be different for each notification in order to prevent the user from misinterpreting the notifications. These notification modes will be described later.

[0046] Next, the operation of one embodiment will be described.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, the stand 3 should be installed in a location that does not obstruct the room, and the power plug 320 should be connected to an outlet C on the wall or elsewhere, so that it is powered from an external power source.

[0048] During cleaning, when the user grasps the gripping part 250 and removes the vacuum cleaner 2 from the stand 3, the opening / closing means 221 shown in Figure 2 closes the dust discharge port 220. Then, when the user operates the operation switch 24 to set the operation of the first electric blower 21 to a desired operating mode, the first control unit 23 controls the power supplied from the first power supply unit 20 to the first electric blower 21 according to the setting, and operates the first electric blower 21. Furthermore, when using the suction attachment 26 as shown in Figure 3, the first control unit 23 controls the power supplied from the first power supply unit 20 to the electric motor for the cleaning body 262, and rotates the cleaning body 261.

[0049] In this case, the notification unit 5 may have the notification control unit notify the user of the operating mode of the first electric blower 21. The manner of this notification is arbitrary, but as an example, the notification control unit notifies the user of the operating mode by changing the number and position of the light-emitting elements 50 of the notification unit 5 according to the operating mode. The number and position of the light-emitting elements 50 can be set arbitrarily. Figure 9(a) shows an example of the light-emitting elements 50 when the operating mode of the first electric blower 21 is set to low-power mode. In this example, two of the light-emitting elements 50 located at the ends are illuminated in the same color. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10(a), the user can see that a part of the notification unit 5 is emitting light through the design panel 52. Figure 9(b) shows an example of the light-emitting elements 50 when the operating mode of the first electric blower 21 is set to high-power mode. In this example, all 14 light-emitting elements 50 are illuminated in the same color as in low-power mode. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10(b), the user can see through the design panel 52 that the entire notification unit 5 is illuminated. In this way, the number of light-emitting elements 50 is associated with the magnitude of the suction force or operating power of the first electric blower 21, and the number of light-emitting elements 50 increases as the operating mode of the first electric blower 21 increases in the mode with greater suction force or operating power. This makes it possible for a user to intuitively recognize the operating mode of the first electric blower 21 by visually inspecting the notification unit 5.

[0050] The user then places the suction attachment 26 on the area to be cleaned and moves the entire vacuum cleaner 2 back and forth using the gripping part 250, while the rotation of the cleaning body 261 scrapes dust from the area to be cleaned. At the same time, the airflow generated by the operation of the first electric blower 21 sucks the dust along with the air through the suction port 260 of the suction attachment 26 into the cleaning air passage 28. The sucked-in dust-laden air is introduced into the first dust collection unit 22, where the dust is separated from the air and collected. The air from which the dust has been separated is discharged to the outside of the vacuum cleaner body 25 while cooling the first electric blower 21.

[0051] In this case, the notification unit 5 may, by having the notification control unit provide notification according to the detection result of the dust detection unit 4, notify the user of dust that is sucked in from the suction port 260 and collected in the first dust collection unit 22 when the vacuum cleaner 2 is cleaning. The manner of this notification is arbitrary, but as an example, the notification control unit changes the light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 of the notification unit 5 according to whether or not the dust detection unit 4 has detected dust, thereby notifying the user in virtually real time whether or not dust is being sucked in. The light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 can be set arbitrarily. For example, if the dust detection unit 4 detects dust, the light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 is set to red, and if no dust is detected, the light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 is set to green. For example, when the first electric blower 21 is in low-power mode, the luminescence color of the display shown in Figures 9(a) and 10(a) changes according to the detection result of the dust detection unit 4. When the first electric blower 21 is in high-power mode, the luminescence color of the display shown in Figures 9(b) and 10(b) changes according to the detection result of the dust detection unit 4. Therefore, in each operating mode of the first electric blower 21, the user can intuitively recognize whether or not dust is being sucked in by visually observing the change in luminescence color through the design panel 52. However, the luminance, luminescence color, and luminescence color density of the light-emitting element 50 in the notification unit 5, which notifies the detection result of the dust detection unit 4, may be changed according to the operating mode of the first electric blower 21, or notification may be provided according to the detection result of the dust detection unit 4 separately from the operating mode of the first electric blower 21.

[0052] When cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 2 is complete, the user stops the first electric blower 21 and the electric motor for the cleaning body 262 by operating the operation switch 24, and mounts the vacuum cleaner 2 to the stand 3 as shown in Figures 1 and 5. For example, in this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted to the stand 3 by placing the vacuum cleaner body 25 of the vacuum cleaner 2 on the support column 31 of the stand 3. In this mounted state, the lower part of the suction attachment 26 of the vacuum cleaner 2 is positioned on the opposing part 300 of the stand 3, and the cleaning means 37 such as the cutter 370 approaches or contacts the cleaning body 261.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, with this installation, the opening / closing mechanism 221 of the vacuum cleaner 2 opens the dust discharge port 220, which is then airtightly connected to the communication air passage 36 of the stand 3, and the first dust collection unit 22 communicates with the second dust collection unit 34 via the communication air passage 36. Therefore, the suction port 260 of the suction tool 26 also communicates with the second dust collection unit 34 via the cleaning air passage 28, the first dust collection unit 22, and the communication air passage 36.

[0054] Preferably, in the vacuum cleaner 2, based on the detection result of the first mounting detection unit 29 shown in Figure 2, the first control unit 23 operates the electric motor 262 for the cleaning body to rotate the cleaning body 261 at a predetermined speed, for example.

[0055] In stand 3, the second control unit 35 operates the second electric blower 33 based on the detection result of the second mounting detection unit 38. In this embodiment, the second control unit 35 also operates the electric motor 371 for the cutter to drive the cutter 370 based on the detection result of the second mounting detection unit 38.

[0056] Here, "based on the detection result of the attachment detection unit" means that the attachment detection unit has detected attachment as at least one of the conditions. In other words, one or more conditions may be added in addition to the attachment detection unit detecting attachment, or there may be no such additional conditions. For example, possible additional conditions may be arbitrarily set, such as a predetermined time having elapsed since the attachment detection unit detected attachment, the opening / closing means 221 opening and the first dust collection unit 22 and the second dust collection unit 34 communicating, the user performing a predetermined operation such as operating a predetermined switch, or the operation start time set by the user, etc., and furthermore, conditions may be a combination of any or more of these conditions.

[0057] The first control unit 23 may, for example, operate the electric motor 262 for the cleaning unit for a preset time, or, if the first power supply unit 20 is a secondary battery, operate it until a predetermined voltage is reached according to the remaining charge or voltage, or operate it until a timing that has a predetermined relationship with the stopping timing of the electric motor 371 for the cutter and the second electric blower 33. The second control unit 35 may, for example, operate the electric motor 371 for the cutter for a preset time, or operate it until a timing that has a predetermined relationship with the stopping timing of the electric motor 262 for the cleaning unit and the second electric blower 33.

[0058] The dust cut by the cleaning means 37 is carried by the airflow generated by the operation of the second electric blower 33 through the intake port 260 from the cleaning air passage 28 to the first dust collection unit 22, and together with the dust in the first dust collection unit 22, is transferred from the connecting air passage 36 to the second dust collection unit 34 and collected in the second dust collection unit 34.

[0059] The second control unit 35 may, for example, operate the second electric blower 33 for a predetermined time, or it may operate the second electric blower 33 until predetermined conditions related to dust transfer are met, such as detecting that a predetermined amount of dust has been transferred from inside the first dust collection unit 22. The operating time of the second electric blower 33 may be a fixed time, such as about 15 seconds, or it may be a time set arbitrarily by the user. For example, it is also possible to forcibly stop the operation of the second electric blower 33 when the user performs a predetermined operation, such as operating a switch.

[0060] During this transport operation, the notification unit 5 may, by the notification control unit, notify the user that a transport operation is in progress. The manner of this notification is arbitrary, but preferably it is different from the manner of notification by the notification unit 5 during cleaning. For example, the notification control unit notifies the user that a transport operation is in progress by sequentially changing the display position of the light-emitting element 50 of the notification unit 5. In this embodiment, "sequentially" means sequentially as time progresses, and it is preferable that this time progression is short intervals, for example, a few seconds or less.

[0061] As an example, in this embodiment, the notification control unit repeatedly controls the light emission position of the light-emitting element 50 of the notification unit 5 to sequentially shift from one end to the other. The change in the light emission position is set to, for example, 0.2s or less, and in this embodiment, 0.1s. Figure 11 shows an example of the light emission of the light-emitting element 50. In the figure, t represents each time, and in this embodiment, it represents the display state after t × 0.1s from the start of control. Also, the shaded light-emitting element 50 is lit, and the unshaded light-emitting element 50 is off. As a result, to the user, as shown in Figures 12(a) to 12(e), it appears through the design panel 52 that the light is gradually moving from one end to the other. Furthermore, by aligning the direction in which the light emission position of the light-emitting element 50 is shifted with the direction of dust transport in the airflow path, it is possible to create a display that simulates the actual appearance of dust being sucked in from the user's perspective.

[0062] Furthermore, while the notification control unit performs the above notification, the notification unit 5 also notifies the detection result of the dust detection unit 4. The manner of this notification may be arbitrary, but preferably it is different from the manner of notification of the detection result of the dust detection unit 4 during cleaning. For example, the notification control unit changes at least one of the light emission position, number of lights emitted, and light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 of the notification unit 5, in this embodiment the light emission color. As an example, in this embodiment, for example, if the dust detection unit 4 detects dust, the notification control unit sets the light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 to red, and if no dust is detected, the light emission color of the light-emitting element 50 to white. In addition, the notification control unit may switch the on / off, lighting / flashing, flashing cycle, etc. of the light-emitting element 50 depending on the detection result of the dust detection unit 4.

[0063] Thus, according to one embodiment, when the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3 and the dust cleaned from the suction tool 26 by the cleaning means 37 is sucked into the second dust collection unit 34 by the airflow generated by the second electric blower 33, the dust being sucked into the second dust collection unit 34 is detected by the dust detection unit 4, and the notification unit 5 notifies the status of the suction tool 26 according to the detection result. By visually checking the notification, the user can know whether or not dust has been removed from the suction tool 26 by the cleaning and transport operations, and can confirm whether the cleaning and transport operations are working effectively through the notification from the notification unit 5. Therefore, a sense of confidence in the vacuum cleaner system 1 can be given to the user.

[0064] In this embodiment, with the first electric blower 21 of the vacuum cleaner 2 mounted on the stand 3 stopped, the airflow generated by operating the second electric blower 33 sucks the dust collected in the first dust collection unit 22 and the dust cleaned from the suction tool 26 by the cleaning means 37 into the second dust collection unit 34. This transfer operation makes it possible to transfer all the dust from the vacuum cleaner 2 to the second dust collection unit 34.

[0065] As a cleaning means 37, the cutter 370 is operated by a cutter motor 371 to cut the dust adhering to the cleaning body 261, thereby enabling effective removal of dust from the cleaning tool 26 with a simple configuration.

[0066] Furthermore, since the dust detection unit 4 is located upstream of the first dust collection unit 22, in this embodiment, in the cleaning air passage 28 between the suction tool 26 and the first dust collection unit 22, the dust detection unit 4 can detect only the dust that is being cleaned and transported from the suction tool 26 during the transport operation. Therefore, the user can be accurately informed of whether or not dust has been removed from the suction tool 26.

[0067] Furthermore, by providing the dust detection unit 4 and notification unit 5 in the vacuum cleaner 2, and detecting the dust sucked into the first dust collection unit 22 during cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 2, and notifying the detection result, the dust detection unit 4 and notification unit 5 can be shared for multiple notifications, resulting in a simpler configuration compared to a configuration with a dedicated notification unit for each notification.

[0068] At this time, by making the notification method of the notification unit 5 regarding the status of the suction tool 26 during transport operation according to the detection result of the dust detection unit 4 different from the notification method of the notification unit 5 regarding the detection result of the dust detection unit 4 during cleaning by the vacuum cleaner 2, it becomes less likely for a user who sees the notification during transport operation to mistakenly believe that cleaning by the vacuum cleaner 2 has started unintentionally, and the user's confidence in the vacuum cleaning system 1 can be increased.

[0069] In particular, the notification unit 5 of this embodiment uses multiple full-color light-emitting elements 50 arranged in a row, and by controlling their light-emitting positions, number of lights, and light-emitting colors, it is possible to easily realize a wide variety of notification modes while saving power.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the dust detection unit 4 is shown as being located in the cleaning air passage 28, but it may also be located in the communication air passage 36. When the dust detection unit 4 is located in the communication air passage 36, it is preferable to ensure that the dust detection unit 4 does not detect a mixture of dust collected in the first dust collection unit 22 and dust cleaned from the suction device 26. For example, by transferring the dust collected in the first dust collection unit 22 by a transfer operation, and then continuing the transfer operation while performing a cleaning operation, or performing a cleaning operation and then performing a transfer operation, the timing of when the dust collected in the first dust collection unit 22 passes through the communication air passage 36 and the timing of when the dust cleaned from the suction device 26 passes through the communication air passage 36 are staggered, and the dust detection unit 4 is activated after the start of the cleaning operation, so that only the dust cleaned from the suction device 26 can be detected by the dust detection unit 4. This configuration allows the user to be accurately informed whether or not dust has been removed from the suction device 26.

[0071] Furthermore, while an example was shown in which the dust cleaned from the suction device 26 by the cleaning operation is transferred to the second dust collection unit 34 by the operation of the second electric blower 33, the system is not limited to this, and the dust cleaned from the suction device 26 by the cleaning operation may also be transferred to the first dust collection unit 22 by the operation of the first electric blower 21.

[0072] Furthermore, the stand 3 may be equipped with a function for charging the first power supply unit 20 of the vacuum cleaner 2. For example, the stand 3 may be configured to supply charging power from the second power supply unit 32 to charge the first power supply unit 20. The charging circuit for the first power supply unit 20 may be located in the vacuum cleaner 2 or in the stand 3. The charging circuit is configured to charge the first power supply unit 20 on the condition that the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3, that is, that the mounting detection unit detects that the vacuum cleaner 2 is mounted on the stand 3.

[0073] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these embodiments. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0074] 1. Electric Cleaning System 2. Electric vacuum cleaner 3 Stands 4. Dust detection unit 5 Hochi Department 21 First electric blower 22 First dust collection section 26 Suction device 33. Second electric blower, which is an electric blower. 34. Second dust collection unit, which is the dust collection section. 37 Cleaning means 261 Cleaning Unit 370 Cutter 371 Electric motor for cutters

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner equipped with a suction attachment, The stand on which the vacuum cleaner is mounted has a cleaning means for cleaning dust and debris adhering to the suction device, With the vacuum cleaner mounted on the stand, an electric blower generates an airflow to be drawn in from the suction attachment, This includes a dust collection unit that collects dust sucked in by the airflow generated by the electric blower and dust that has been cleaned from the suction device by the cleaning means, This includes a dust detection unit that detects dust being drawn into the dust collection unit, When the electric blower is in operation, the status of the suction device is notified by the notification unit according to the detection result by the dust detection unit. An electric cleaning system characterized by the following features.

2. The aforementioned vacuum cleaner, A first electric blower that generates an airflow to be drawn in from the aforementioned suction device, It has a first dust collection unit that collects dust sucked in by the airflow generated by the first electric blower, The aforementioned stand, A second electric blower, which is an electric blower that generates an airflow to be drawn in from the suction device through the first dust collection unit of the electric vacuum cleaner, This device has a second dust collection unit which is a dust collection unit that collects dust sucked in by the airflow generated by the second electric blower, With the first electric blower of the vacuum cleaner mounted on the stand stopped, the airflow generated by operating the second electric blower draws the dust collected in the first dust collection unit and the dust cleaned from the suction tool by the cleaning means into the second dust collection unit. The electric cleaning system according to feature 1.

3. The aforementioned suction device includes a cleaning body, The cleaning means is A cutter for cutting dust adhering to the cleaning body, The cutter is powered by an electric motor for operating the cutter. The electric cleaning system according to feature 1.

4. The aforementioned vacuum cleaner, A first electric blower that generates an airflow to be drawn in from the aforementioned suction device, It has a first dust collection unit that collects dust sucked in by the airflow generated by the first electric blower, The dust detection unit is provided in the vacuum cleaner and detects dust sucked into the first dust collection unit when the vacuum cleaner is cleaning. The notification unit is provided in the vacuum cleaner and notifies the detection result of the dust detection unit when the vacuum cleaner is cleaning. The electric cleaning system according to feature 1.

5. The notification unit has different notification methods for the state of the suction device according to the detection result by the dust detection unit and for the notification of the detection result by the dust detection unit when cleaning with the electric vacuum cleaner. The electric cleaning system according to feature 4.

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