Electric cleaning system

Abstract

To provide an electric cleaning system capable of efficiently removing dust from a cleaning body of a suction tool of an electric vacuum cleaner and making the electric vacuum cleaner small and easy to maintain. [Solution] Based on the detection result by the attachment detection means, when the voltage of the secondary battery (10) is higher than the limit reference voltage, the electric cleaning system (S) performs a dust transfer operation in which the first control means (13) operates the cleaning body motor and the second control means operates the second electric blower (21) without charging the secondary battery (10) using the charging circuit, and when the voltage of the secondary battery (10) is equal to or lower than the limit reference voltage, the first control means (13) stops operation of at least the cleaning body motor during the dust transfer operation, and the charging circuit charges the secondary battery (10) with power supplied from the power supply means.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaning system comprising a vacuum cleaner and a stand on which the vacuum cleaner is mounted. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional cleaning system in which a secondary battery-powered vacuum cleaner is attached to a stand that serves as a charging base after cleaning is completed, dust entangled in the rotating cleaning element of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner is removed while the vacuum cleaner is attached to the stand and stored. In this configuration, when the secondary battery is not being charged, the vacuum cleaner is attached to the stand, and the rotating cleaning element is rotated by an electric motor, so that dust is scraped off from the rotating cleaning element by a cleaning means on the stand, and the scraped dust is sucked into the dust collection unit of the vacuum cleaner by the suction action of an electric blower attached to the vacuum cleaner. In other words, operating the electric blower and the electric motor on the vacuum cleaner side consumes a lot of power from the secondary battery, which tends to make the time required to remove dust from the rotating cleaning element insufficient, and the dust collected in the dust collection unit needs to be disposed of more frequently. Furthermore, reducing this frequency requires a larger dust collection unit, which makes the vacuum cleaner heavier. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7472833 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electric cleaning system that can efficiently remove dust from the cleaning body of the suction tool of an electric vacuum cleaner, and that can make the electric vacuum cleaner small and easy to maintain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An embodiment of a cleaning system includes a vacuum cleaner, a stand to which the vacuum cleaner is attached, a charging circuit provided in at least one of the vacuum cleaner and the stand, and attachment detection means provided in at least one of the vacuum cleaner and the stand for detecting attachment of the vacuum cleaner to the stand. The vacuum cleaner includes a cleaning element, a cleaning element motor for rotating the cleaning element, a suction tool having a suction port, a first electric blower for generating an airflow to be sucked through the suction port, a first dust collecting unit for capturing dust sucked by the airflow generated by the first electric blower, a secondary battery for supplying power to the first electric blower and the cleaning element motor, and first control means for controlling operation of the cleaning element motor by controlling power supply from the secondary battery. The stand includes a support part for supporting the vacuum cleaner, a base part for supporting the support part at an installation position, an opposing part facing the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner attached to the stand, a cleaning means disposed at the opposing part for removing dust adhering to the cleaning body of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner attached to the stand, and a cleaning means for removing dust collected in the first dust collecting part of the vacuum cleaner attached to the stand. and dust removed from the cleaning body by the cleaning means. a second electric blower that generates an airflow that sucks in dust; a second dust collecting unit that collects the dust sucked in by the airflow generated by the second electric blower; and second control means that controls the operation of the second electric blower. Converting the power supplied from the commercial power source to generate power for operating the second electric blower and and power supply means for supplying charging power for charging the secondary battery of the vacuum cleaner attached to the stand. Based on the detection result by the attachment detection means, when the voltage of the secondary battery is higher than the limit reference voltage, the secondary battery is not charged by the charging circuit, and a dust transfer operation is performed by operating the cleaning element motor by the first control means and operating the second electric blower by the second control means. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an electric cleaning system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the electric cleaning system. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a state in which the vacuum cleaner of the electric cleaning system is in use. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a stand of the electric cleaning system. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the electric cleaning system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0008] 1, 2, and 5, S denotes a cleaning system. The cleaning system S includes a vacuum cleaner 1 and a stand 2. The cleaning system S is configured so that when cleaning, the vacuum cleaner 1 is removed from the stand 2 and operated for use, and when cleaning is finished, the stopped vacuum cleaner 1 can be attached to the stand 2 for storage.

[0009] The electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a cordless type equipped with a secondary battery 10 as a first power supply unit, which is a vacuum cleaner-side power supply unit, and is driven by power supplied from the secondary battery 10. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 is equipped with a first electric blower 11, which is a vacuum cleaner-side electric blower, and the suction action of first electric blower 11 collects dust in a first dust collecting unit 12, which is a vacuum cleaner-side dust collecting unit. The operation of first electric blower 11 is controlled by first control means 13, which is a vacuum cleaner-side control means. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 also has a grip 14 that is gripped by the user when performing cleaning operations. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 also has an operation switch 15 that sets the operating operations of the electric vacuum cleaner 1, and the operating operations of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 are controlled in response to the user's operation of operation switch 15.

[0010] 1 to 3 is, for example, a handheld or stick-type vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaner 1 includes vacuum cleaner main body 16, to which an attachment, suction tool 17, is connected directly or via a tube 18. The figures show an example in which suction tool 17 is connected to vacuum cleaner main body 16 via tube 18. Vacuum cleaner 1 is detachable from stand 2; it is removed from stand 2 when in use, and is attached and supported by stand 2 when cleaning is finished or when stored.

[0011] The secondary battery 10 is disposed, for example, inside the grip portion 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the secondary battery 10 may be disposed inside the cleaner main body 16 or the like.

[0012] The first electric blower 11 can be operated by power supplied from the secondary battery 10. The operation of the first electric blower 11 is controlled by first control means 13 controlling the power supply from the secondary battery 10. The first control means 13 does not start or stops the operation of the first electric blower 11 when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is equal to or lower than a first reference voltage, which is a limit reference voltage. The limit reference voltage indicates a low remaining charge state of the secondary battery 10, and is, for example, the discharge cut-off voltage or a voltage slightly higher than the discharge cut-off voltage. That is, in this embodiment, the limit reference voltage is a voltage at which the vacuum cleaner 1 does not start operating. This limit reference voltage may be a predetermined voltage value set in advance depending on, for example, the type of secondary battery 10, or may be a voltage set arbitrarily by a user, for example.

[0013] The dust separation method of the first dust collecting section 12 may be any method, but in the example shown, a cyclone separation type or centrifugal separation type dust collecting section is used, which separates dust from air by swirling the dust-containing air.

[0014] A microcomputer is preferably used as the first control means 13. The first control means 13 is operable by power supplied from the secondary battery 10. A signal corresponding to a user's operation of the operation switch 15 is input to the first control means 13. In this embodiment, the first control means 13 also functions as a charging circuit that charges the secondary battery 10. The first control means 13 charges the secondary battery 10 using the charging circuit function, and terminates charging when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 reaches a charging termination reference voltage, which is a second reference voltage that is higher than the limit reference voltage. The charging termination reference voltage is, for example, a full charge voltage or a voltage slightly lower than the full charge voltage. The first control means 13 and the charging circuit may be configured as separate circuits.

[0015] The grip portion 14 is formed integrally with the vacuum cleaner main body 16. However, the grip portion 14 may be formed integrally with the tube body 18 depending on the configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner 1.

[0016] The cleaner main body 16 is formed in an elongated shape. The cleaner main body 16 houses the first control means 13, the first electric blower 11, and the first dust collecting unit 12. For example, the first electric blower 11 and the first dust collecting unit 12 are arranged coaxially or approximately coaxially in the longitudinal direction of the cleaner main body 16. The cleaner main body 16 is formed with a main body suction port 160 that communicates with the suction side of the first electric blower 11 via the first dust collecting unit 12, and a main body exhaust port 161 for exhaust that communicates with the exhaust side of the first electric blower 11. In this embodiment, the cleaner main body 16 is also formed with a dust discharge port 162 that communicates with the first dust collecting unit 12. The dust discharge port 162 is a portion that discharges dust collected in the first dust collecting unit 12 so that it can be transferred to the stand 2 side. Dust discharge port 162 can be opened and closed by opening / closing means 163 such as an opening / closing valve, and is closed when vacuum cleaner 1 is being used to collect dust in first dust collecting section 12, and is opened when the dust collected in first dust collecting section 12 is transferred from first dust collecting section 12 to stand 2. Opening and closing of opening / closing means 163 may be controlled electrically, or may be controlled mechanically depending on, for example, the attachment of vacuum cleaner 1 to electric cleaning device 1. Dust discharge port 162 and opening / closing means 163 may be formed in first dust collecting section 12.

[0017] Suction tool 17 is also called a suction port body, floor brush, suction head, etc. Suction tool 17 is formed long in the left-right direction as seen from the user, that is, horizontally long. Suction tool 17 has suction port 170. Suction port 170 is used to suck dust into first dust collecting unit 12 by the airflow generated by first electric blower 11. In other words, a cleaning air passage is formed from suction port 170 to first dust collecting unit 12 to suck dust during cleaning. Suction port 170 is located at least in the lower part of suction tool 17.

[0018] Furthermore, cleaning body 171 is disposed in suction tool 17. Cleaning body 171 removes dust from the part to be cleaned, such as the floor, during cleaning. Cleaning body 171 is located at least below suction tool 17. Cleaning body 171 may be disposed, for example, inside suction port 170 or in a position close to suction port 170, as long as it is located in a position where dust removed from the part to be cleaned can be sucked in through suction port 170.

[0019] The cleaning element 171 is a rotating cleaning element. That is, the cleaning element 171 is configured to remove dust by rotating. The cleaning element 171 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a cleaning member is arranged on the outer circumferential surface. The cleaning element 171 is rotated by a cleaning element motor 172. The cleaning element motor 172 is arranged inside the suction tool 17. The cleaning element motor 172 can be operated by power supplied from the secondary battery 10. The operation of the cleaning element motor 172 is controlled by the first control means 13 controlling the power supply from the secondary battery 10. The cleaning element motor 172 has lower power consumption or less power than the first electric blower 11. The cleaning element motor 172 rotates the cleaning element 171 at high speed.

[0020] The operation switch 15 is disposed on the vacuum cleaner main body 16 or the tube body 18. The operation switch 15 can switch on and off the operation of the first electric blower 11. In this embodiment, the operation switch 15 can switch on and off the operation of the cleaning element motor 172 for rotating the cleaning element 171 and / or the operating speed of the cleaning element motor 172, i.e., the rotation speed of the cleaning element 171. During cleaning, the cleaning element motor 172 is preferably turned on and off in conjunction with the on and off of the first electric blower 11 in response to operation of the operation switch 15, but may also be turned on and off by the operation switch 15 independently of the first electric blower 11 while the first electric blower 11 is in operation.

[0021] In this embodiment, tube body 18 is an extension tube formed in a straight tube shape. Preferably, tube body 18 is detachable from vacuum cleaner body 16 and suction tool 17, allowing the vacuum cleaner 1 to be used selectively in one of the following states: a state in which tube body 18 and suction tool 17 are not used, a handheld state in which suction tool 17 is directly connected to vacuum cleaner body suction port 160, and a stick state in which suction tool 17 is connected to tube body 18 and tube body 18 is connected to vacuum cleaner body suction port 160. Furthermore, tube body 18 is not limited to a straight tube shape, and depending on the configuration of vacuum cleaner 1, tube body 18 may have a flexible portion such as a hose body.

[0022] The vacuum cleaner 1 also includes first attachment detection means 19, which serves as a cleaner-side attachment detection means for detecting attachment of the vacuum cleaner 1 to the stand 2. In other words, the first attachment detection means 19 is a stand detection means for detecting the stand 2 to which the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached. The first attachment detection means 19 may be a contact or non-contact sensor, a mechanical switch, or the like. In this embodiment, however, the first attachment detection means 19 includes a first electrode 190, which is an input electrode, and a voltage detection unit 191. The first attachment detection means 19 is comprised of the first electrode 190, the voltage detection unit 191, and the first control means 13. The first attachment detection means 19 monitors the voltage of the first electrode 190 via the voltage detection unit 191 using the first control means 13, and determines whether the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2 based on whether the voltage is within a predetermined value or a predetermined range. The first electrode 190 is disposed in the vacuum cleaner main body 16. Furthermore, the voltage detection unit 191 is electrically connected to the first control means 13 or incorporated in the first control means 13 so that the detection result is input to the first control means 13 .

[0023] The stand 2 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 is an example of a stationary type that is installed and used as a dust collection device that transfers dust collected in the first dust collecting section 12 of the vacuum cleaner 1, i.e., installed on an installation location such as a floor. In this embodiment, the stand 2 is described as being attached to the vacuum cleaner 1 in a stick-like state. However, the stand 2 may also be attached in a handheld state with the tube body 18 attached separately. Hereinafter, the up-down direction will be described based on the stand 2 being installed in a horizontal installation position. Regarding the front-to-back direction, the side facing the user is defined as the front direction, and the opposite side is defined as the rear direction. Furthermore, the left-to-right direction is based on the direction viewed from the front of the stand 2. In the figures, the direction of arrow U is defined as the up direction, the direction of arrow D is defined as the down direction, the direction of arrow FR is defined as the forward direction, the direction of arrow RR is defined as the rearward direction, the direction of arrow L is defined as the leftward direction, and the direction of arrow R is defined as the rightward direction.

[0024] The stand 2 is equipped with power supply means 20 as a second power supply unit, which is a stand-side power supply unit, and is driven by power supplied from the power supply means 20. In this embodiment, the power supply means 20 has a power plug 200 and a power cord 201 for taking power from an external power source such as a commercial power source, and converts the power supplied from the external power source via the power plug 200 and supplies it to each unit. In addition, the power supply means 20 can supply charging power for the secondary battery 10 of the vacuum cleaner 1 attached to the stand 2 to the vacuum cleaner 1.

[0025] The stand 2 is provided with a second electric blower 21 which is a stand-side electric blower, and the suction action of the second electric blower 21 transfers dust in the first dust collecting section 12 or dust in the first dust collecting section 12 and dust removed from the cleaning body 171 to a second dust collecting section 22 which is a stand-side dust collecting section. The operation of the second electric blower 21 is controlled by a second control means 23.

[0026] Second electric blower 21 is operated by power supplied from power supply means 20. The operation of second electric blower 21 is controlled by second control means 23 controlling the power supply from power supply means 20. Second electric blower 21 preferably has greater power consumption or greater power than first electric blower 11.

[0027] The second dust collecting section 22 may use any dust separation method, but in the illustrated example, a filter or dust collecting bag is used to filter and collect dust from dust-laden air. Preferably, the second dust collecting section 22 has a larger dust accumulation capacity than the first dust collecting section 12.

[0028] A microcomputer is preferably used as the second control means 23. The second control means 23 can be operated by power supplied from the power supply means 20.

[0029] The power supply means 20, the second electric blower 21, the second dust collecting section 22 and the second control means 23 are disposed in the stand main body 24.

[0030] The stand main body 24 has a support column 240. The support column 240 supports the vacuum cleaner 1 attached to the stand 2. The support column 240 is formed elongated in the vertical direction. A support section 2400 that supports the vacuum cleaner main body 16 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is formed at the front of the support column 240. The vacuum cleaner main body 16 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the support section 2400 from above. A communication air passage 2401 that communicates with the second dust collecting section 22 is formed inside the support column 240. Furthermore, a connection port 2402 that serves as an entrance to the communication air passage 2401 is opened at the front of the support column 240. The connection port 2402 is connected to and communicates with the dust discharge port 162 of the vacuum cleaner 1 attached to the stand 2. The connection port 2402 is located above the support column 2400.

[0031] The stand main body 24 has a base 241. The base 241 is placed at the placement position and supports the support column 240 relative to the placement position. The support column 240 is positioned to protrude from the upper part of the base 241. The second electric blower 21, the second dust collecting unit 22, and the second control means 23 are disposed inside the base 241. The second dust collecting unit 22 is detachable from the base 241. In the illustrated example, the base 241 is formed to be large in the front-rear and left-right directions relative to the support column 240. The base 241 is formed with a stand exhaust port 2410 for discharging the exhaust air from the second electric blower 21. The stand exhaust port 2410 is located, for example, on the side of the base 241. A power cord 201 is led out from the base 241, and a power plug 200 is connected to the tip of the power cord 201.

[0032] The stand main body 24 also has a facing portion 242. The facing portion 242 protrudes forward from the lower portion of the base portion 241. The facing portion 242 is positioned so as to face up and down to the suction tool 17 of the vacuum cleaner 1 attached to the stand 2. The facing portion 242 may be a mounting portion that comes into contact with the lower portion of the suction tool 17, or it may not come into contact with the lower portion of the suction tool 17. In this embodiment, the upper portion of the facing portion 242 is a facing surface 2420 that faces the cleaning element 171. The facing surface 2420 is an inclined portion that slopes downward toward the front.

[0033] Furthermore, the stand 2 is equipped with a cleaning means 25. The cleaning means 25 removes dust adhering to the cleaning body 171 of the suction tool 17 of the vacuum cleaner 1 attached to the stand 2. The cleaning means 25 is disposed in the facing part 240 of the stand main body 24, and is located opposite the lower part of the suction tool 17 of the vacuum cleaner 1 attached to the stand 2. In the example shown, the cleaning means 25 is disposed at the upper part of the facing part 242, and is located on the facing surface 2420. The cleaning means 25 is also disposed longitudinally in the left-right direction so as to coincide or approximately coincide with the longitudinal direction of the cleaning body 171.

[0034] The cleaning means 25 can be close to or slightly in contact with the cleaning member of the cleaning body 171. The cleaning means 25 may be static or dynamic as long as it can remove dust entangled in the cleaning member of the cleaning body 171. For example, the cleaning means 25 may be configured to cut off dust by operating an electric motor with power supplied from the power supply means 20. In this case, the operation of the cleaning means 25 is controlled by the second control means 13 or other control means.

[0035] The stand 2 also includes a second attachment detection means 26, which is a stand-side attachment detection means for detecting attachment of the vacuum cleaner 1 to the stand 2. In other words, the second attachment detection means 26 is a vacuum cleaner detection means for detecting whether the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2. The second attachment detection means 26 may be a contact or non-contact sensor, a mechanical switch, or the like. In this embodiment, the second attachment detection means 26 includes a second electrode 260, which is an output electrode, and the second electrode 260 and the second control means 23. The second attachment detection means 26 determines whether the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2 based on the presence or absence of contact or conduction by detecting contact or conduction between the second electrode 260 and the first electrode 190 using the second control means 23. The second electrode 260 is disposed in the stand main body 24. In this embodiment, the second electrode 260 is disposed in the support column 240. In the illustrated example, the second electrode 260 is disposed in the support portion 2400. The second electrode 260 is electrically connected to the power supply means 20 and the second control means 23, and is in contact with and electrically connected to the first electrode 190 of the vacuum cleaner 1 when the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2, and is configured to output the charging power of the secondary battery 10 of the vacuum cleaner 1 to the electric blower 1 side via the first electrode 190, and the detection result by the second attachment detection means 26 is input to the second control means 23.

[0036] Next, the operation of one embodiment will be described.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the stand 2 is installed in an installation position such that it does not get in the way in the room, and the power plug 200 is connected to a wall socket (outlet) C so that it is ready to receive power from an external power source.

[0038] When cleaning, the user removes the vacuum cleaner 1 from the stand 2. For example, when the user grasps the grip portion 14 of the vacuum cleaner 1 and removes it from the stand 2, the opening / closing means 163 shown in FIG. 1 closes the dust discharge port 162. Then, when the user operates the operation switch 15 to set the operation of the first electric blower 11, the first control means 13 controls the power supplied from the secondary battery 10 to the first electric blower 11 in accordance with the setting, thereby operating the first electric blower 11. Furthermore, in the embodiment in which a suction tool 17 is used as shown in FIG. 3, the first control means 13 controls the power supplied from the secondary battery 10 to the cleaning element motor 172, thereby rotating the cleaning element 171. The user places the suction tool 17 on the part to be cleaned and moves the entire electric vacuum cleaner 1 back and forth using the grip part 14, while the rotation of the cleaning body 171 scrapes out dust from the part to be cleaned, and the airflow generated by the operation of the first electric blower 11 sucks the dust together with air into the cleaning air duct through the suction port 170 of the suction tool 17.

[0039] The sucked dust-laden air is introduced into first dust collecting section 12 through main body suction port 160, where dust is separated from the air and collected. The air from which dust has been separated is discharged to the outside of vacuum cleaner main body 16 through main body exhaust port 161 while cooling first electric blower 11.

[0040] When cleaning with the vacuum cleaner 1 is finished, the user operates the operation switch 15 to stop the first electric blower 11 and the cleaning element motor 172, and then attaches the vacuum cleaner 1 to the stand 2 as shown in Figures 1 and 5. For example, in this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2 by placing the cleaner body 16 of the vacuum cleaner 1 from above the front side on the support part 2400 of the support column 240 of the stand 2. In this attached state, the lower part of the suction tool 17 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is positioned above or on the surface of the opposing surface 2420 of the opposing part 242 of the stand 2, and the cleaning means 25 is close to or in contact with the cleaning element 171.

[0041] Furthermore, with this attachment, opening / closing means 163 of vacuum cleaner 1 opens dust discharge port 162, which airtightly connects dust discharge port 162 to connection port 2402 of stand 2, and first dust collecting section 12 communicates with second dust collecting section 22 via communication air passage 2401. Therefore, suction port 170 of suction tool 17 also communicates with second dust collecting section 22 via the cleaning air passage, first dust collecting section 12, and communication air passage 2401.

[0042] In the vacuum cleaner 1, the first electrode 190 of the first attachment detection means 19 shown in FIG. 2 comes into contact with the second electrode 260 of the second attachment detection means 26 of the stand 2, and the voltage of the charging power supplied from the power supply means 20 of the stand 2 to the voltage detection unit 191 from the second electrode 260 via the first electrode 190 is detected by the first control means 13. Based on the detection result by the first attachment detection means 19, when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is higher than the limited reference voltage, the first control means 13 operates the cleaning element motor 172 to rotate the cleaning element 171 at a high speed, for example, at a predetermined speed, without charging the secondary battery 10, i.e., with charging of the secondary battery 10 stopped. Note that when charging of the secondary battery 10 is stopped, the supply of charging power from the power supply means 20 to the vacuum cleaner 1 may be cut off on the vacuum cleaner 1 side or the stand 2 side. In addition, when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is below the limit reference voltage, the operation of the cleaning body motor 172 is stopped by the first control means 13, and the secondary battery 10 is charged by the function of the charging circuit of the first control means 13.

[0043] In the stand 2, the second control means 23 detects that the second electrode 260 of the second attachment detection means 26 has come into contact with the first electrode 190 of the first attachment detection means 19 of the vacuum cleaner 1. Based on the detection result of the second attachment detection means 26, the second control means 23 operates the second electric blower 21. If the cleaning means 25 is dynamic, the second control means 23 operates the cleaning means 25 as needed. When operating the cleaning means 25, it is preferable to operate the cleaning means 25 simultaneously with the cleaning element motor 172 for at least a period of time. In this case, the second control means 23 preferably operates the second electric blower 21 and / or the cleaning means 25 when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is greater than the limit reference voltage, i.e., when the secondary battery 10 is not being charged by the function of the charging circuit of the first control means 13. However, even when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is equal to or less than the limit reference voltage, the second electric blower 21 may be operated to transport dust collected in the first dust collecting section 12 during normal cleaning to the second dust collecting section 22.

[0044] Here, "based on the detection result of the attachment detection means" means that the detection of attachment by the attachment detection means is at least one of the conditions. That is, one or more conditions may be added in addition to the detection of attachment by the attachment detection means, or there may be no additional conditions. For example, additional conditions may be any of the following: a predetermined time has elapsed since the attachment detection means detected attachment; the opening / closing means 163 has opened to connect the first dust collecting unit 12 and the second dust collecting unit 22; the user has performed a predetermined operation such as operating a predetermined switch; or the arrival of an operation start time set by the user. Furthermore, a condition may be a combination of any of these conditions.

[0045] The first control means 13 may operate the cleaning element motor 172 for a preset time, or may set the operation time in accordance with the voltage of the secondary battery 10, for example.

[0046] The dust removed by cleaning means 25 is carried from the cleaning air duct to first dust collecting section 12 via suction port 170 by the airflow generated by the operation of second electric blower 21, and then transferred together with the dust in first dust collecting section 12 through communication air duct 2401 to second dust collecting section 22, where it is collected. Note that the timing at which second electric blower 21 starts operating is preferably after cleaning element motor 172 or cleaning element 171 starts operating. Note that hereinafter, "after" means "simultaneously with or after." The operating period of second electric blower 21 may or may not overlap with the operating period of cleaning element motor 172 or cleaning element 171. In other words, the timing at which the second electric blower 21 starts operating may be before the timing at which the cleaning body motor 172 or the cleaning body 171 stops operating, creating a period during which the cleaning body motor 172 or the cleaning body 171 and the second electric blower 21 are operating simultaneously, or it may be at the same time as or after the timing at which the cleaning body motor 172 or the cleaning body 171 stops operating.

[0047] For example, second control means 23 may operate second electric blower 21 for a preset time, or may operate second electric blower 21 until a predetermined condition related to dust transfer is met, such as detecting that a predetermined amount of dust or more has been transferred from inside first dust collecting section 12. The operation time of second electric blower 21 may be a fixed time, or may be a time arbitrarily set by the user. For example, it is also possible to perform processing such as forcibly stopping the operation of second electric blower 21 when the user performs a predetermined operation such as operating a switch.

[0048] In this way, the first control means 13 operates the cleaning element motor 172 to remove dust from the cleaning element 171 using the cleaning means 25, and the second control means 23 operates the second electric blower 21 to generate an airflow, thereby sucking the removed dust together with the dust collected in the first dust collecting section 12 into the second dust collecting section 22 via the transfer airflow duct 2401. This operation is called the "dust transfer operation." During the dust transfer operation, the first control means 13 monitors the voltage of the secondary battery 10, and if the voltage of the secondary battery 10 falls below the limit reference voltage, it forcibly stops the cleaning element motor 172 even before the dust transfer operation is completed. Furthermore, during the dust transfer operation, it is preferable that the second control means 23 operates the second electric blower 21 to suck the dust in the first dust collecting section 12 into the second dust collecting section 22 regardless of whether the cleaning body motor 172 has been stopped by the first control means 13, but the second electric blower 21 may also be stopped with the stopping of the cleaning body motor 172 as at least one of the conditions.

[0049] When the first control means 13 starts charging the secondary battery 10, the cleaning element motor 172 is in a stopped state. That is, charging of the secondary battery 10 is performed when the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2 and the cleaning element motor 172 is not operating during the dust transfer operation. During this charging, the operation of the stand 2 may be optional; for example, the second electric blower 22 may or may not be operating. Furthermore, after the dust transfer operation has ended, the first control means 13 may charge the secondary battery 10 regardless of the voltage of the secondary battery 10. That is, when the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2, charging of the secondary battery 10 may be performed optionally, provided that the cleaning element motor 172 is not operating during the dust transfer operation.

[0050] The first control means 13 may operate the cleaning element motor 172 in the dust transfer operation when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 reaches or exceeds the permission reference voltage, which is a third reference voltage greater than the limit reference voltage, due to charging. Therefore, if the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is equal to or less than the limit reference voltage based on the attachment detection means' detection of the attachment of the vacuum cleaner 1 to the stand 2, the first control means 13 starts operation of the cleaning element motor 172 in the dust transfer operation when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 reaches or exceeds the permission reference voltage due to charging. Alternatively, if the attachment detection means' detection of the attachment of the vacuum cleaner 1 to the stand 2 detects that the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is greater than the limit reference voltage, the first control means 13 may temporarily stop operation of the cleaning element motor 172 in the dust transfer operation if the voltage of the secondary battery 10 falls below the limit reference voltage before the dust transfer operation is completed. The permission reference voltage is greater than the limit reference voltage and less than the charge termination reference voltage. For example, the allowable reference voltage is set to a voltage that is greater than the limiting reference voltage by at least the amount of voltage that can cover the power consumption of the secondary battery 10 during the dust transfer operation, i.e., a voltage that can complete the operation of the cleaning element motor 172 before the limiting reference voltage is reached. This allowable reference voltage may be a predetermined voltage value that is set in advance depending on, for example, the type of secondary battery 10, or may be a voltage that is arbitrarily set by the user, etc.

[0051] The second dust collecting section 22 to which the dust has been transferred can be removed from the stand 2 as needed, and the dust collected inside or the dust collecting bag used as the second dust collecting section 22 can be disposed of.

[0052] As described above, according to one embodiment, when the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2, if the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is higher than the limited reference voltage based on the detection result by the first attachment detection means 19 that detects the attachment, the first control means 13 operates the cleaning element motor 172 to rotate the cleaning element 171 without charging the secondary battery 10. This causes dust entangled in the cleaning element 171 to float and be evenly removed from the cleaning element 171 by the cleaning means 25 of the stand 2, and the second control means 23 operates the second electric blower 21 based on the detection result by the second attachment detection means 26 that detects the attachment, so that the dust removed from the cleaning element 171 of the suction tool 17 of the vacuum cleaner 1 passes through the first dust collection part 12 of the vacuum cleaner 1 and is collected in the second dust collection part 22 of the stand 2 together with the dust collected in the first dust collection part 12. Therefore, when the user attaches the vacuum cleaner 1 to the stand 2, the dust collected in the first dust collection section 12 and the dust removed from the cleaning body 171 of the suction tool 17 can be basically automatically transferred to the second dust collection section 22 without requiring much effort.

[0053] Therefore, on the electric vacuum cleaner 1 side, during the dust transfer operation, first electric blower 11 is not operated, but cleaning element motor 172, which has lower power consumption or power than first electric blower 11, is operated, so that it can be driven even if secondary battery 10 does not have much remaining charge, and it is possible to start the dust transfer operation immediately when electric vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to stand 2, and since the capacity of secondary battery 10 is not consumed much, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the remaining charge of secondary battery 10, it is possible to drive for a relatively long time, and it is possible to efficiently remove dust from cleaning element 171. It is also possible to prevent over-discharge of secondary battery 10 caused by performing the dust transfer operation when the voltage is low. Furthermore, the user does not have to dispose of dust or clean the cleaning body 171 as frequently as before on the vacuum cleaner 1 side, making maintenance of the vacuum cleaner 1 easier; there is no need to store the dust removed from the suction tool 17 in the first dust collection section 12; and since the dust is transferred from the first dust collection section 12 each time cleaning is completed and the vacuum cleaner 1 is attached to the stand 2, there is no need to store a large amount of dust in the first dust collection section 12, and the first dust collection section 12 can be made smaller and lighter, allowing the vacuum cleaner 1 to be made smaller and lighter.

[0054] In particular, by making the dust collection capacity of second dust collection section 22 larger than that of first dust collection section 12, the number of times the user has to dispose of collected dust can be reduced. Also, since there is no need to increase the dust collection capacity of first dust collection section 12, it is possible to prevent the vacuum cleaner 1 from becoming larger and heavier due to an increase in the size of first dust collection section 12.

[0055] Moreover, when the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is removed from the stand 2 and used, it can be used in a state where there is basically no dust accumulated in the first dust collecting section 12, so cleaning can be performed while ensuring good suction power by the first electric blower 11.

[0056] Furthermore, when the dust removed from the cleaning body 171 of the suction tool 17 is transferred to the second dust collecting section 22, it passes through the normal cleaning air duct that runs from the suction port 170 to the first dust collecting section 12 and is used for cleaning with the electric vacuum cleaner 1, so there is no need to form a separate dedicated air duct for transfer, and the configuration is simple.

[0057] Furthermore, since the power supply means 20 draws power from an external power source such as a commercial power source, it is possible to operate the second electric blower 21 with greater power regardless of the remaining charge in the secondary battery 10 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1, and compared to when using limited power such as a battery, and dust can be efficiently sucked into the second dust collection section 22.

[0058] That is, for the dust transfer operation, the secondary battery 10 with limited capacity is used to power the cleaning body motor 172 with relatively low power consumption, and the power supply means 20 that draws power from an external source is used to power the second electric blower 21 with relatively high power consumption, thereby enabling efficient operation optimized for each power.

[0059] Furthermore, when the voltage of the secondary battery 10 is equal to or lower than the limited reference voltage based on the detection result by the first attachment detection means 19, the function of the charging circuit of the first control means 13 charges the secondary battery 10 with power supplied from the power supply means 20 while stopping the cleaning element motor 172. Therefore, when the secondary battery 10 is being charged, the cleaning motor 172 is stopped, and the secondary battery 10 can be efficiently charged.

[0060] Furthermore, since the cleaning body motor 172 consumes little power, the capacity of the secondary battery 10 required for the dust transfer operation is not large. Therefore, when the charging voltage of the secondary battery 10 reaches or exceeds the permitted reference voltage which is greater than the restricted reference voltage and less than the charge termination reference voltage, the cleaning body motor 172 operates in the dust transfer operation, so that the dust transfer operation can be performed without having to wait a long time for the secondary battery 10 to be charged.

[0061] During the dust transfer operation, there is a period during which the operation of the cleaning body motor 172 by the first control means 13 and the operation of the second electric blower 21 by the second control means 23 are carried out at least simultaneously, so that the dust removed from the cleaning body 171 by the cleaning means 25 can be immediately sucked into the second dust collection section 22 without the dust remaining on the upper part of the opposing section 242, etc.

[0062] Furthermore, during the dust transfer operation, by starting the operation of the second electric blower 21 by the second control means 23 after the first control means 13 starts the operation of the cleaning body electric motor 172, the dust removed from the cleaning body 171 by the cleaning means 25 can be reliably sucked into the second dust collection section 22.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the first control means 13 is configured to control the operations of the first electric blower 11 and the cleaning body motor 172, but the control means for controlling these may be set separately.

[0064] Although an example has been shown in which the charging circuit is provided in the vacuum cleaner 1, this is not limited to this and it may also be provided in the stand 2, or the functions may be divided between the vacuum cleaner 1 and the stand 2.

[0065] Furthermore, although an example has been shown in which the attachment detection means is provided in each of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 and the stand 2, it is sufficient that the attachment detection means is provided in at least one of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 and the stand 2.

[0066] 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 to these embodiments. 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]

[0067] S Electric Cleaning System 1. Vacuum cleaner 2 Stand 10 Secondary battery 11 First electric blower 12 First dust collection section 13 First control means having the function of a charging circuit 17 Suction tool 19 First attachment detection means which is attachment detection means 20 Power supply means 21 Second electric blower 22 Second dust collection section 23 Second control means 25 Cleaning means 26 Second attachment detection means which is attachment detection means 170 Intake port 171 Cleaning Body 172 Electric motor for cleaning body 240 Support section 241 Pedestal 242 Opposite part

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner and A stand on which this vacuum cleaner is attached, a charging circuit provided in at least one of the vacuum cleaner and the stand; an attachment detection means provided on at least one of the vacuum cleaner and the stand, for detecting attachment of the vacuum cleaner to the stand; The vacuum cleaner comprises: a cleaning body, a cleaning body motor for rotating the cleaning body, and a suction tool having a suction port; a first electric blower that generates an airflow to be sucked through the suction port; a first dust collecting unit that collects dust sucked by the airflow generated by the first electric blower; a secondary battery that supplies power to the first electric blower and the cleaning element motor; a first control means for controlling the operation of the cleaning element motor by controlling the power supply from the secondary battery; The stand is a support column for supporting the vacuum cleaner; a base portion that supports the support portion at an installation position; a facing portion facing the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner attached to the stand; a cleaning means disposed at the opposing portion and configured to remove dust adhering to the cleaning body of the suction tool of the vacuum cleaner attached to the stand; a second electric blower that generates an air current that sucks in dust collected in the first dust collecting unit of the electric vacuum cleaner attached to the stand and dust removed from the cleaning body by the cleaning means; a second dust collecting unit that collects dust sucked by the airflow generated by the second electric blower; second control means for controlling the operation of the second electric blower; power supply means for converting power supplied from a commercial power source to supply power for operating the second electric blower and charging power for charging the secondary battery of the electric vacuum cleaner attached to the stand, When the voltage of the secondary battery is higher than a limit reference voltage based on the detection result by the attachment detection means, the secondary battery is not charged by the charging circuit, and a dust transfer operation is performed in which the cleaning element motor is operated by the first control means and the second control means is operated by the second electric blower. An electric cleaning system.

2. In the dust transferring operation, there is a period during which the operation of the cleaning element motor by the first control means and the operation of the second electric blower by the second control means are carried out at least simultaneously.

2. The electric vacuum system of claim 1.

3. In the dust transferring operation, the second control means starts operating the second electric blower after the first control means starts operating the cleaning element electric motor.

2. The electric vacuum system of claim 1.

4. When the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than the limit reference voltage, the first control means stops the operation of the cleaning element motor and the second control means operates the second electric blower during the dust transfer operation.

2. The electric vacuum system of claim 1.

5. When the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than the limit reference voltage, the charging circuit charges the secondary battery with power supplied from the power supply means while the first control means stops operation of at least the cleaning element motor in the dust transfer operation.

2. The cleaning system of claim 1.

6. The first control means operates the cleaning element motor in the dust transfer operation when the charging voltage of the secondary battery becomes equal to or higher than an allowable reference voltage that is higher than the limit reference voltage.

6. The electric vacuum cleaning system of claim 5.

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