vacuum cleaner

Abstract

To achieve both drive control of an electric blower based on an operation of an operation button and drive control of the electric blower based on a detection result of an acceleration sensor without impairing user-friendliness of a user.SOLUTION: A vacuum cleaner includes a body, an electric blower, a grip part, an acceleration sensor, and a control part which halts the electric blower in detecting a standing posture including an upright posture of the body by the acceleration sensor and operates the electric blower in detecting an inclined posture of the body by the acceleration sensor. On the grip part, an operation button a user operates to drive and halt the electric blower is provided. The control part nullifies a standing detection which is a detection of the standing posture by the acceleration sensor when the electric blower is driven by the operation of the operation button in the standing posture of the body and a halt state of the electric blower. The control part cancels the nullification of the standing detection when the inclined posture is detected by the acceleration sensor after nullifying the standing detection.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vacuum cleaners. [Background technology]

[0002] The vacuum cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 below includes a main body, an electric blower built into the main body, a suction tool connected to the main body, a grip for a user to hold, and an acceleration sensor for detecting the posture of the main body. A control button for a user to operate is provided on a portion of the main body away from the grip. Operation of the control button allows switching between normal mode and standby mode. In normal mode, the electric blower is activated or stopped based on operation of the control button, regardless of the detection result of the acceleration sensor. In standby mode, the electric blower is activated or stopped based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor. That is, when the main body is detected to be upright while the electric blower is stopped, the electric blower is activated. On the other hand, when the main body is detected to be tilted while the electric blower is activated, the electric blower is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5603951 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, an operation button may be provided on a grip portion so that the user can operate the operation button at hand. Applying Patent Document 1 to such a case would result in the following problem. Specifically, in standby mode, the operation button at hand is disabled, and the electric blower cannot be started or stopped without changing the position of the main body. If the operation button at hand were enabled in standby mode, even if the electric blower was started using the operation button while the main body was upright, the electric blower would immediately stop based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor. Similarly, even if the electric blower was stopped using the operation button while the main body was tilted, the electric blower would immediately start based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor. This would impair usability for the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve these problems, and its purpose is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner that can achieve both drive control of an electric blower based on operation of an operation button and drive control of an electric blower based on detection results of an acceleration sensor without impairing ease of use for the user.

[0006] The vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure includes a main body, an electric blower built into the main body, a grip portion to be gripped by a user, an acceleration sensor for detecting the posture of the main body, and a control unit that stops the electric blower when the acceleration sensor detects an upright posture, including an upright posture, of the main body, and operates the electric blower when the acceleration sensor detects an inclined posture of the main body. The vacuum cleaner further includes an operation button provided on the grip portion that the user operates to start and stop the electric blower. The control unit disables the upright detection, which is the detection of the upright posture by the acceleration sensor, when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button while the main body is in the upright posture and the electric blower is stopped. The control unit cancels the disablement of the upright detection when the acceleration sensor detects an inclined posture after disabling the upright detection. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button while the main body is in an upright position and the electric blower is stopped, the upright detection by the acceleration sensor is disabled. Therefore, the electric blower does not immediately stop, and usability for the user is not impaired. If the acceleration sensor detects an inclined position of the main body after disabling the upright detection, the disabling of the upright detection is canceled. This enables control of the electric blower based on the detection result by the acceleration sensor. Therefore, the electric blower can be stopped by placing the main body in an upright position. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both drive control of the electric blower based on operation of the operation button and drive control of the electric blower based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the electric vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1 with the main body in an inclined position. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the electric vacuum cleaner with the main body in an upright position. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the electric vacuum cleaner. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the modified example. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiments of a vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be appropriately simplified or omitted. For convenience, the following description may express the positional relationship of each structure based on the illustrated state. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and any combination of the embodiments, any modification of any component of each embodiment, or any omission of any component of each embodiment are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0010] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1 in an inclined position, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the vacuum cleaner in an upright position, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the vacuum cleaner.

[0011] In the following description, dust and other debris may be collectively referred to simply as "dust." Air containing dust may be referred to as "dust-laden air." Air from which dust has been removed may be referred to as "clean air."

[0012] The electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a cordless, upright electric vacuum cleaner and includes a main body 2, an electric blower 3, a battery 4, a cylindrical portion 5, a dust collection portion 6, a handle portion 7, an extension tube 8 that is long in one direction, and a suction tool 9.

[0013] In the following, the side where the battery 4 is located may be referred to as the upper side in the longitudinal direction, and the side where the suction tool 9 is located may be referred to as the lower side. Also, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the side where the dust collecting part 6 is located may be referred to as the front side, and the side where the tubular part 5 is located may be referred to as the rear side.

[0014] The main body 2 is a housing that houses the electric blower 3. The electric blower 3 generates an airflow for sucking in dust. The battery 4 is a power source for driving the electric blower 3 and the rotating brush 93 (described later), and is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery. The battery 4 is attached to the rear side of the main body 2. The cylindrical portion 5 has a connection port 51 at its lower longitudinal end for sucking in dust. An air passage is formed inside the cylindrical portion 5 to guide the dust-laden airflow that passes through the connection port 51 to the dust collection portion 6. A gasket (not shown) is provided at the open edge of the connection port 51, and an extension tube 8 is airtightly connected to the cylindrical portion 5.

[0015] The dust collection unit 6 separates dust from the dust-laden air sucked in through the connection port 51 and collects the separated dust. The dust collection unit 6 has, for example, a cyclone separator (not shown). Instead of a cyclone separator, the dust collection unit 6 may have, for example, a dust collection bag that can collect dust by filtering the airflow. The airflow from which dust has been removed by the dust collection unit 6 is discharged to the outside through an exhaust port 2a opened in the main body 2. The grip 7 is a handle that a user holds with their hand. The grip 7 has an operation button 71 that the user presses to turn the electric blower 3 on or off. The operation button 71 is used to drive and stop the electric blower 3. The operation button 71 is located in a position where it can be operated by the user's thumb when the user grips the grip 7. The operation button 71 may include an operation switch. The grip portion 7 is provided with a cleaner-side electrode 72 that is electrically connected to a stand-side electrode 28, which will be described later.

[0016] The extension pipe 8 is a straight, hollow tubular member. The upper end of the extension pipe 8 is connected to the connection port 51 of the cylindrical part 5. The lower end of the extension pipe 8 is connected to the suction tool 9.

[0017] The suction tool 9 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the left-right direction, which is the width direction. A connecting part 91 is attached to the upper part of the suction tool 9 at the center in the width direction via a joint part 92.

[0018] The connection part 91 of the suction tool 9 is connected to the lower end of the extension tube 8. The joint part 92 can change the orientation of the extension tube 8 and therefore the main body 2 relative to the suction tool 9 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions within a preset angular range. This allows the user of the vacuum cleaner 1 to perform cleaning with the main body 2 tilted relative to the suction tool 9 in any direction, front-to-back or left-to-right, within a preset angular range.

[0019] A suction chamber (not shown) elongated in the left-right direction is provided inside the suction tool 9, and a rotating brush 93 for sweeping up dust from the floor surface is rotatably housed inside the suction chamber. A brush motor 94 for rotating the rotating brush 93 is built into the suction tool 9. Power is supplied to the brush motor 94 from the battery 4. A suction port (not shown) that communicates with the suction chamber is opened on the bottom surface of the suction tool 9. Wheels 95 supported by support members (not shown) are provided on the bottom of the suction tool 9, outside the suction port in the left-right direction.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the vacuum cleaner 1 can be placed on the stand 20 with the main body 2 in an upright position. In this state, the battery 4 can be charged, and by detaching the extension tube 8 from the cylindrical portion 5, the extension tube 8 and the suction tool 9 can be removed from the vacuum cleaner 1. This allows the vacuum cleaner 1 to be used as a handheld vacuum cleaner.

[0021] Here, the upright posture of the main body 2 includes not only the upright posture shown in FIG. 2 but also a posture in which the angle θ when tilted from the upright posture in at least one direction (the front-to-rear direction in this embodiment) is smaller than a reference angle θth (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The angle θ corresponds to an angle detection value detected by the acceleration sensor 12, which will be described later. The reference angle θth can be set in advance taking into account ease of use by the user, and is, for example, 40 degrees. The inclined posture of the main body 2 refers to a posture in which the angle θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth. The upright posture refers to a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 coincides with the vertical direction. These upright postures and inclined postures of the main body 2 can be detected by the angle detection value θ of the acceleration sensor 12, which will be described later.

[0022] The stand 20 has a base 21. A support column 22 extending vertically is attached to the upper surface of the base 21. A first support column 23a is provided at the upper end of the support column 22 to support the gripping portion 7 from below. A second support column 23b is provided at the rear surface of the first support column 23a to support the dust collecting portion 6 from below. A third support column 23c is provided at the rear surface of the second support column 23b to support the lower end of the cylindrical portion 5 and the upper end of the extension tube 8. The base 21 is provided with a mounting portion 24 on which the suction tool 9 is placed. A rotary brush cleaning portion 25 for cleaning the rotary brush 93 is provided on the upper surface of the mounting portion 24.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the stand 20 further includes a power plug 26, a voltage converter 27, and a stand-side electrode 28. The power plug 26 is connected to, for example, a commercial power outlet. The voltage converter 27 converts the AC voltage (for example, AC 100 V) of the commercial power supplied via the power plug 26 into an arbitrary DC voltage (for example, DC 30 V). The DC voltage converted by the voltage converter 27 is output from the stand-side electrode 28. The stand-side electrode 28 is provided, for example, on the first support part 23 a for supporting the grip part 7.

[0024] The electric vacuum cleaner 1 has a built-in control board 10. The control board 10 is provided with a microcomputer 11 as a control unit and an acceleration sensor 12 for detecting the attitude of the main body 2. The microcomputer 11, like the electric blower 3 and the brush motor 94, receives power from the battery 4. The microcomputer 11 is a microcomputer. The microcomputer 11 includes a processor 11a and a memory 11b. The processor 11a executes a program stored in the memory 11b, thereby executing preset processes and controlling the overall operation of the electric vacuum cleaner 1, including the driving of the electric blower 3 (described later), the driving of the brush motor 94, and the charging and discharging of the battery 4. As will be described in detail later, the memory 11b stores an upright detection disable flag and a tilt detection disable flag. These flags can be set ON or OFF by the processor 11a. A known acceleration sensor 12 can be used, and therefore a detailed description thereof, including the attitude detection method, will be omitted.

[0025] Microcomputer 11 can execute control to drive or stop electric blower 3 based on the user's operation of operation button 71. That is, when operation button 71 is turned ON, microcomputer 11 drives electric blower 3, and when operation button 71 is turned OFF, microcomputer 11 stops electric blower 3.

[0026] Furthermore, microcomputer 11 can execute control to drive or stop electric blower 3 based on the detection signal of acceleration sensor 12. That is, when acceleration sensor 12 detects an upright posture, microcomputer 11 stops electric blower 3, whereas when acceleration sensor 12 detects a tilted posture, microcomputer 11 drives electric blower 3.

[0027] When the microcomputer 11 drives the electric blower 3, a suction force acts on the inside of the dust collecting unit 6, the cylindrical unit 5, and the extension tube 8, and dust-laden air is sucked in through the suction tool 9. That is, the electric blower 3 generates an airflow that is sucked in through the suction port of the suction tool 9. At this time, the rotating brush 93 may be rotated to suck in the picked-up dust and other particles. The dust-laden air sucked in through the suction tool 9 passes through the extension tube 8 and the cylindrical unit 5 and is taken into the dust collecting unit 6. In the dust collecting unit 6, dust is separated from the dust-laden air. The clean air discharged from the dust collecting unit 6 passes through the electric blower 3 and is then discharged to the outside of the main body 2 through the exhaust port 2a.

[0028] Next, we will explain an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1. Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 in embodiment 1. The upright region in the figure is a region where the main body 2 takes an upright posture, and the tilted region is a region where the main body 2 takes an tilted posture.

[0029] At time T1 (initial state) shown in FIG. 4, main body 2 is in an upright position and electric blower 3 is stopped. Then, at time T2, with main body 2 in an upright position, the user presses operation button 71 (ON operation). Upon receiving an input signal corresponding to the ON operation, microcomputer 11 drives electric blower 3 (starts operation) even though main body 2 is in an upright position. At the same time, microcomputer 11 disables detection of the upright position of main body 2 by acceleration sensor 12 (hereinafter referred to as "upright detection disabled"). As a result, even though main body 2 is in an upright position at time T3, electric blower 3 continues to operate, thereby preventing a loss of usability for the user. In contrast, in the conventional example, detection of the upright position of main body 2 is enabled, so electric blower 3 is immediately stopped based on the detection of the upright position by acceleration sensor 12, resulting in a loss of usability.

[0030] At the following time T4, even when main body 2 transitions to an inclined position, operation of electric blower 3 continues. At this time, microcomputer 11 cancels the disabling of standing detection that was set at time T2. As a result, when main body 2 transitions to an upright position at time T5, microcomputer 11 stops operation of electric blower 3 based on the detection result of acceleration sensor 12. This is easy to use because the user does not need to press operation button 71 (OFF operation) to stop electric blower 3.

[0031] Also, at time T11 shown in FIG. 5, the electric blower 3 is operating with the main body 2 in an inclined position. Then, at time T12, the user presses the operation button 71 (OFF operation) with the main body 2 in an inclined position. Upon receiving an input signal corresponding to the OFF operation, the microcomputer 11 stops the operation of the electric blower 3, regardless of the inclined position of the main body 2. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables the detection of the inclined position of the main body 2 by the acceleration sensor 12 (hereinafter referred to as "tilt detection disabled"). As a result, at time T13, even though the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the electric blower 3 remains stopped, and usability is not impaired. In contrast, in the conventional example, the detection of the inclined position of the main body 2 is valid, and therefore the electric blower 3 immediately starts operating based on the detection of the inclined position by the acceleration sensor 12, thereby impairing usability.

[0032] At the following time T14, even when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position, the electric blower 3 continues to be stopped. At this time, the microcomputer 11 cancels the tilt detection disablement that was set at time T12. As a result, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position at time T15, the microcomputer 11 starts operating the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12. The user does not need to press the operation button 71 (ON operation) to operate the electric blower 3, which is easy to use.

[0033] 6 and 7 are flow charts showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 in the first embodiment. The routine shown in FIG. 6 is started by the microcomputer 11 while the electric blower 3 is stopped, as shown at time T1 in FIG. 4. In this routine, first, it is determined whether the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S1). When the operation button 71 has been pressed (turned ON), as shown at time T2 in FIG. 4, the standing-up detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled (step S2). The standing-up detection can be disabled, for example, by setting the standing-up detection disable flag stored in the memory 11b to ON. Note that the standing-up detection can also be disabled by other methods. In the following step S3, the operation of the electric blower 3 is started.

[0034] While the electric blower 3 is operating, the routine shown in FIG. 7 is started by the microcomputer 11. In this routine, first, it is determined whether the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S11). If the operation button 71 has not been pressed (turned OFF), it is determined whether standing-up detection is disabled (step S12). If standing-up detection is disabled, i.e., if the standing-up detection disable flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, it is determined whether the angle detection value θ of the acceleration sensor 12 is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position. If the angle detection value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the angle detection value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the standing-up detection disable is canceled (step S14). In step S14, the standing-up detection disable flag is set to OFF. Then, the process returns to step S11.

[0035] If it is determined in step S12 above that the standing detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position. If the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped (step S16).

[0036] Furthermore, if the operation button 71 is pressed (OFF operation) as shown at time T12 in FIG. 5 while the electric blower 3 is operating, tilt detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled (step S17). The tilt detection can be disabled, for example, by setting the tilt detection disable flag stored in memory 11b to ON. However, tilt detection can also be disabled by other methods. In the following step S16, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped. After that, the routine shown in FIG. 6 is started again.

[0037] If it is determined in step S1 that the operation button 71 has not been pressed (ON operation), the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, it is determined whether tilt detection is disabled. If tilt detection is disabled, i.e., if the tilt detection disable flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position. If the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an upright position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the tilt detection disable is canceled (step S6). In step S6, the tilt detection disable flag is set to OFF. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1.

[0038] If it is determined in step S4 above that tilt detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position. If the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an upright position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is started (step S3).

[0039] As described above, in this embodiment, when the operation button 71 is turned ON (or OFF), the electric blower 3 is driven (or stopped) and the standing (or tilt) detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled. This prevents the electric blower 3 from being immediately stopped (or driven) against the user's will, and does not impair usability for the user. Furthermore, after the standing (or tilt) detection is disabled, the disabling is canceled when the acceleration sensor 12 detects a tilted posture (or standing posture). This makes it possible to enable the drive control of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the drive control of the electric blower 3 based on the operation of the operation button 71 and the drive control of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12 without impairing usability.

[0040] Embodiment 2 The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a difference (hysteresis) is provided between the reference angle θth1 for determining the standing posture and the reference angle θth2 for determining the leaning posture. The following mainly describes the difference. Note that the reference angle θth1 can be set smaller than the reference angle θth in the first embodiment, and the reference angle θth2 can be set larger than the reference angle θth.

[0041] 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams showing an example of operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 in the second embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a continuation region exists between the upright region and the inclined region. The continuation region in the figure is a region where the main body 2 takes an intermediate position. The intermediate position is a position between the upright position and the inclined position. In the continuation region, the operating state in the region before transitioning to the continuation region continues.

[0042] At time T21 (initial state) shown in FIG. 8, main body 2 is in an upright position and electric blower 3 is stopped. Thereafter, at time T22, with main body 2 in an upright position, the user presses operation button 71 (ON operation). Microcomputer 11, having received an input signal corresponding to the ON operation, drives electric blower 3 (starts operation) even though main body 2 is in an upright position. At the same time, microcomputer 11 disables standing-up detection. As a result, at time T23, even though main body 2 is in an upright position, operation of electric blower 3 continues, and usability for the user is not impaired. In contrast, in the conventional example, standing-up detection is enabled, and electric blower 3 is immediately stopped when acceleration sensor 12 detects the upright position, thereby impairing usability.

[0043] At the following time T24, even when the main body 2 transitions to the intermediate position, the operating state of time T23 (operation of electric blower 3) continues. Furthermore, when the main body 2 transitions to the inclined position at time T25, microcomputer 11 cancels the standing detection disable state set at time T22 while continuing operation of electric blower 3. At time T26, even when the main body 2 transitions to the intermediate position (continuation region), the operating state of time T25 (operation of electric blower 3) continues, but when the main body 2 transitions to the standing position at the following time T27, microcomputer 11 stops operation of electric blower 3 based on the detection result of acceleration sensor 12. The user does not need to press operation button 71 (OFF operation) to stop electric blower 3, which is easy to use.

[0044] Also, at time T31 shown in Figure 9, electric blower 3 is operating with main body 2 in an inclined position. Thereafter, at time T32, with main body 2 in an inclined position, the user presses operation button 71 (OFF operation). Upon receiving an input signal corresponding to the OFF operation, microcomputer 11 stops operation of electric blower 3, regardless of the inclined position of main body 2. At the same time, microcomputer 11 disables tilt detection. As a result, at time T33, electric blower 3 continues to be stopped even though main body 2 is in an inclined position, so usability is not impaired. In contrast, in the conventional example, tilt detection is enabled, so electric blower 3 immediately starts operating based on the detection of the inclined position by acceleration sensor 12, thereby impairing usability.

[0045] At the following time T34, even when main body 2 transitions to the intermediate position, the operating state of time T33 (electric blower 3 stopped) continues. Furthermore, when main body 2 transitions to the upright position at time T35, microcomputer 11 cancels the tilt detection disable state set at time T32 while continuing to stop electric blower 3. As a result, after main body 2 transitions to the intermediate position (continuation region) at time T36, when main body 2 further transitions to the inclined position at time T37, microcomputer 11 starts operating electric blower 3 based on the detection result of acceleration sensor 12. The user does not need to press (ON operation) operation button 71 to operate electric blower 3, which is easy to use.

[0046] 10 and 11 are flow charts showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 in the second embodiment. The routines shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can also be applied to the modified examples described later. The routine shown in FIG. 10 is started by the microcomputer 11 while the electric blower 3 is stopped, as shown at time T21 in FIG. 8. In this routine, first, it is determined whether or not the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S1). When the operation button 71 has been pressed (turned ON), as shown at time T22 in FIG. 8, for example, the standing-up detection disable flag stored in the memory 11b is set to ON, thereby disabling standing-up detection by the acceleration sensor 12 (step S2). In the following step S3, when the operation of the electric blower 3 is started, the routine shown in FIG. 11 is started by the microcomputer 11. In this routine, it is first determined whether or not the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S11). When the operation button 71 has not been pressed (turned OFF), it is determined whether or not standing-up detection is disabled (step S12). If standing detection is disabled, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined posture (step S13A). If the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an standing posture or an intermediate posture, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined posture, for example, the standing detection disable flag is set to OFF, thereby canceling the standing detection disable (step S14).

[0047] If it is determined in step S12 above that the standing detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S15A. In step S15A, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position. If the detected angle value θ is greater than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an intermediate position or an inclined position, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped (step S16).

[0048] 9, when the operation button 71 is pressed (OFF operation), for example, the tilt detection invalid flag is set to ON, thereby invalidating tilt detection by the acceleration sensor 12 (step S17). In the following step S16, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped. After that, the routine shown in FIG. 10 is started again.

[0049] If it is determined in step S1 that the operation button 71 has not been pressed (ON operation), it is determined whether tilt detection is disabled (step S4). If tilt detection is disabled, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position (step S5A). If the detected angle value θ is greater than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an inclined position or an intermediate position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the tilt detection disable state is canceled, for example, by setting the tilt detection disable flag to OFF (step S6). Then, the process returns to step S1.

[0050] If it is determined in step S4 above that tilt detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S7A. In step S7A, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position. If the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an upright position or an intermediate position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is started (step S3).

[0051] As described above, the present disclosure can be applied even when a difference (hysteresis) is provided between the reference angle θth1 for determining the standing posture and the reference angle θth2 for determining the leaning posture. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be practiced in various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above embodiments have been described using the vacuum cleaner 1 equipped with the suction tool 9 as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a handheld vacuum cleaner that does not have a suction tool.

[0053] 12 and 13 are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of a vacuum cleaner according to a modified example. This modified example differs from the second embodiment in that, at time T43 in FIG. 12, the user presses (ON) the operation button 71 while the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. In this case, the microcomputer 11, upon receiving the ON operation, drives (starts operation of) the electric blower 3, even though the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables the standing detection. As a result, at time T44, the operation of the electric blower 3 continues even though the main body 2 is in the intermediate position, thereby preventing a loss of usability. At the following time T45, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position, the microcomputer 11 cancels the disabling of the standing detection set at time T43, while continuing to operate the electric blower 3. At time T46, even when the main body 2 transitions to the intermediate position (continuation region), the operating state of time T45 (operation of the electric blower 3) continues. At the next time T46, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position, the microcomputer 11 stops the operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12. The user does not need to press the operation button 71 (to turn it OFF) to stop the electric blower 3, which is convenient.

[0054] At time T53 shown in FIG. 13 , the user presses (OFF) the operation button 71 while the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. Upon receiving the OFF operation, the microcomputer 11 stops the operation of the electric blower 3, even though the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables tilt detection. Then, at time T55, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position, the microcomputer 11 cancels the tilt detection disablement set at time T53 while continuing to stop the electric blower 3. As a result, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position at time T57, the microcomputer 11 starts the operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12. This eliminates the need for the user to press (ON) the operation button 71 to operate the electric blower 3, providing improved usability. In this way, the present disclosure can also be applied to cases where the operation button 71 is pressed while the main body 2 is in the intermediate position (continuation region). Therefore, this modification can achieve the same effects as those of the second embodiment.

[0055] Incidentally, while using the vacuum cleaner 1, for some reason, the angle detection value θ of the acceleration sensor 12 may become unknown, and the posture of the main body 2 may become unknown. In this case, usability can be further improved by configuring the main body 2 to be forced to assume an upright posture so that the angle detection value θ is reset. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1... electric vacuum cleaner, 2... main body, 3... electric blower, 4... battery, 5... cylindrical part, 6... dust collection part, 7... grip part, 71... operation button, 8... extension tube, 9... suction tool, 11... microcomputer (control part), 12... acceleration sensor, θ... angle detection value, θth, θth1, θth2... reference angle

Claims

1. The main body and an electric blower built into the main body; a grip portion to be gripped by a user; an acceleration sensor for detecting the attitude of the main body; a control unit that stops the electric fan when the acceleration sensor detects that the main body is in an upright position, and that operates the electric fan when the acceleration sensor detects that the main body is in an inclined position; Equipped with an operation button provided on the grip portion and operated by a user to start and stop the electric blower; when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button while the main body is in an upright position and the electric blower is stopped, the control unit disables the upright detection, which is the detection of the upright position by the acceleration sensor; The control unit cancels the disabling of the standing-up detection when the tilted posture is detected by the acceleration sensor after the standing-up detection has been disabled.

2. when the electric blower is stopped by operating the operation button while the main body is in an inclined position and the electric blower is in a driving state, the control unit disables tilt detection, which is detection of the inclined position by the acceleration sensor; The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit cancels the disabling of the tilt detection when the upright posture is detected by the acceleration sensor after the tilt detection has been disabled.

3. 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor further detects an intermediate posture between the upright posture and the inclined posture, The control unit disables the standing detection when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button in the standing posture or the intermediate posture and in the stopped state.

4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the acceleration sensor further detects an intermediate posture between the upright posture and the inclined posture, The control unit disables the tilt detection when the electric blower is stopped by operating the operation button while the electric vacuum cleaner is in the inclined posture or the intermediate posture and the electric blower is in a driving state.

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