AU687049B2

AU687049B2 - Remote control device for an integrated suction cleaner installation

Info

Publication number: AU687049B2
Application number: AU65411/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Serge Bousset
Original assignee: Aldes Aeraulique SA
Current assignee: Aldes Aeraulique SA
Priority date: 1993-04-13
Filing date: 1994-04-08
Publication date: 1998-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 2014-04-08
Also published as: WO1994023633A1; EP0695137B1; FR2703897B1; FR2703897A1; EP0695137A1; AU6541194A; HK1011275A1; DK0695137T3; DE69415800D1; ES2129122T3; CA2160383A1; CA2160383C; ATE175330T1; DE69415800T2

Abstract

Remote control device for an integrated suction cleaner installation comprising a suction cleaning unit (1) pneumatically connected to a system of tubes (13) which open, at their ends (13A), onto couplings (11) into which the mating end (9) of a hose (8) is inserted, the latter having at its other end (8A) a handle (5) onto which are fitted the cleaning accessories. The remote control device is of the type using acoustic transmission via the tube system (13) between the suction cleaning unit (1) and the couplings (11), and means (19, 23 and 28) for detecting the specific acoustic pressure wave and operating said unit (1). The device is characterized in that said acoustic pressure wave generating means consist of the hose (8) which, when connected to one of the suction cleaning couplings (11), produces, after handling, a specific acoustic wave conveyed by the tube system (13) to the detecting means (19) and operating means (23 and 28) of unit (1).

Description

REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE FOR AN INTEGRATED SUCTION CLEANER INSTALLATION This invention relates to a remote control device for an integrated suction cleaner installation.

An integrated suction cleaner installation is made up of an ensemble comprising a dust container, an electric motor, a turbine, various electrical appliances for controlling the suction cleaning unit, and lastly suction cleaning couplings capable of receiving cleaning instruments.

The suction cleaning unit may be placed in a maintenance room, a technical area, garage, basement, etc.; the unit is linked by a tube system to suction cleaning couplings carefully positioned in the zones to be cleaned.

Each suction cleaning coupling is stopped by an articulated cover and may receive the extremity of a hose whose other extremity is fitted with a handle and a telescopic tube designed to receive various cleaning accessories such as brush, sucker, etc.

There are different devices for switching suction cleaning units on and off; the most commonly known system uses micro-contacts incorporated in suction cleaning couplings connected electrically by a low-voltage network to the control relay of the suction cleaning unit; the introduction of the extremity of the hose in one of the suction cleaning couplings activates the micro-contact which authorizes the supply of power to a relay which will switch on the electric motor of the suction cleaning unit, the reverse maneuver being used to switch off the unit.

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The disadvantage with this device is that it requires a relatively long amount of time, when installing, to connect the couplings electrically to the suction cleaning unit. The result is a costly installation process to which must be added the price of electrical fittings.

Another principle consists in using a radio-relay remote control in which the transmitter is placed on the handle of the hose and the receiver is placed close to the suction cleaning unit, the transmitter being controlled by activating a push button. Among the many disadvantages of this device are: its cost, the position of the receiver on the hose handle which leaves it vulnerable to shocks, the need to use electric batteries, the risk of switching on the suction cleaning unit accidentally by inadvertent pressure on the push button of the transmitter, without the hose being plugged into one of the suction cleaning couplings, serious problems of liaison between the transmitter and the receiver placed near the suction cleaning unit (usually separated from the cleaning surface by several walls), obliging installers to offset this disadvantage by providing a receiver transposer at extra cost.

Another principle functions by pneumatic pressure wave. To switch on, a manual action on the handle of the hose pushes air through the tube system towards the suction cleaning unit which, fitted with a sensitive pressure switch, starts to function. The suction cleaning unit is switched off after the handle is used to shut off the hose, this action then causing an increasing negative pressure in the system which a negative pressure switch, placed in the quction cleaning unit, will detect so as to cut off electrical supply to the unit after a certain lapse of time.

This principle requires a perfectly sealed pneumatic system, for the slightest air leak may upset the proper working of the suction cleaning unit. Too much escaping air may also attenuate the function of the pneumatic pressure wave in switching on the unit. The most serious situation is one in which said suction cleaning unit can no longer be switched off because the negative pressure switch, calibrated in the factory and then installed inside the unit, takes no notice of the leaks on the pneumatic system as a whole.

A last principle, described and represented in Patent PCT No 88.02232 under the name of ALLAWAY OY, consists in using a transmission by sound wave to switch on the suction cleaning unit, by means of a transmitter installed in the handle of the hose and of a microphone installed near the suction cleaning unit. This sound wave propagates, via the tube system, to the microphone which, after analyzing and recognizing said sound wave, will transmit a signal to control the electric motor relay of the suction cleaning unit and thus to switch it on. This transmitter comprises a r :sh button which activates a loud-speaker supplying in output a sound wave on a frequency of the order of 16 Hz.

Such embodiment has many disadvantages for it requires the use of an oversized loud-speaker and a considerable independent supply of energy, both incorporated in the handle, in order to provide a sound signal of such a frequency. Moreover, the loud-speaker membrane must be in direct pneumatic communication with the tube system, which system is subjected to substantial negative pressure variations (of the order of 3000 to 4000 mm of head of

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water which can cause damage to said membrane. Such an embodiment is thus inconceivable.

The device according to the invention makes it possible to remedy this disadvantage while remaining reliable, inexpensive and capable of being installed on an existing or future system in less than 15 minutes.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a control device for an integrated suction cleaner installation including: a suction cleaning unit pneumatically connected to a system of tubes which open at their ends onto couplings onto which a mating end of a hose is inserted, the hose having at its other end a handle suitable for receiving cleaning accessories; an acoustic transmission between the suction cleaning unit and the couplings; means for detecting a specific acoustic pressure wave within the system of tubes; means for operating said suction cleaning unit: means to detect the absence of flow by detecting an increase of S* negative pressure in the tube system; wherein means for operating said suction cleaning unit is activated 20 when said hose is connected to one of the suction cleaning couplings, producing a specific acoustic pressure wave conveyed by the tube system to said detecting means and operating means of the suction cleaning unit.

To this end, the device according to the invention of the type using an acoustic transmission via the tube system between the suction cleaning 25 unit and the couplings, and means for detecting the specific acoustic pressure wave and acting on the operation of said unit, is characterized in that said means of generating acoustic wave pressure consist of said hose S"which, when connected to one of the suction cleaning couplings, produces, after handling, a specific acoustic wave conveyed by the tube system to said detection and operation means of the suction cleaning unit, Thus, once the suction hose has been connected to one of the suction cleaning couplings, the mere fact of handling said hose is enough to produce a specific sound wave on a dominant frequency which will propagate in the pneumatic system up to the suction cleaning unit incorporating means of detecting this sound wave through a receiver fitted with a microphone-type sensor linked pneumatically to the suction system and electrically to the control logic which will control the switching on of the suction cleaning unit, To switch off the suction cleaning unit, the control device of the invention comprises, on the one hand, means of interrupting suction flow through a quarter-turn valve constituted by an attachment, positioned in a matter of a few seconds around the handle and the hose, and on the other hand, near the suction cleaning unit, means making it possible to detect the absence of flow with an increase in oeoQ*

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L d IL negative pressure and connected pneumatically to the tube system and electrically to a sensor, itself linked to the control logic which, after a certain time, will control the electric relay of the motor so as to cause the suction cleaning unit to stop. The same control logic will allow the suction cleaning unit controlled by handling of the hose to start up again only after the turbine has come to a complete halt.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, said aforementioned means making it possible to detect the absence of flow with an increase of negative pressure in the tube system consist of a tubular-shaped negative pressure switch with an orifice at its base and, inside, a core screwed onto a bolt, which bolt itself rests on a compression spring. It also comprises a sensor electrically connected to the control logic and capable of detecting, in the tube at the level of a second orifice, the absence or presence of said core. Said negative pressure switch may be adjusted to adapt to the maximum possible negative pressure in the pneumatic tube system so that any unrepairable leak resulting from faulty installation may be tolerated.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, said aforementioned means making it possible to detect the absence of flow with an increase of negative pressure in the tube system consist of the microphone allowing detection, in said system, of the sound wave produced by manipulation of the handle. To this end, when the suction cleaning unit is in op ration, the microphone is also capable of detecting the difference in sound level caused in the tube system by an increase of negative pressure, so as to provide in output a second signal to the control logic which will stop the unit, after a pre-determined time delay.

It is of course understood that these two means of detecting increased negative pressure in the pneumatic system may be used separately or together for greater security, by means of judicious adaptation of the control logic programming.

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the adjustable negative pressure switch with its sensor, the microphone for detecting the acoustic pressure wave and/or the increase of negative pressure in the system, and the control logic are all grouped together in a single container so that they may be connected very easily by means of a T-connection to said tube system. It should be noted that the control logic may also run a source of current, originating from the suction cleaning unit, usually designed to be connected to the suction cleaning couplings, said source, supplied by means of a connector outside the unit, facilitating the installation of the system since a single electric connection and two conductors are all that is required.

As a result, the control device of the invention has many advantages. In particular: it eliminates the need for any electric connection between the suction cleaning couplings and the unit, it may be installed on existing or future systems possessing leaks by default, thanks to the adjustable negative pressure switch or the microphone which takes no notices of leaks, it can be adapted to most integrated suction installations available on the market, and finally, it can be installed easily and quickly by a non-specialist, at a lower cost than for most processes currently in use.

Although the principal aspects of the invention considered as new have been explained above, further details concerning a preferred embodiment of a remote control device, conforming to the underlying concepts of the invention, may be obtained by referring to the ensuing description and the accompanying drawings illustrating this embodiment.

In these drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view with partial cross sections representing the arrangement of the device according to the invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 represent two arrangements of the valve with a side section view of the valve in operating position and an overhead view of the valve in the stop position.

As represented in the drawing of Fig. 1, the suction cleaning unit globally referenced 1 and of the type most commonly found, by virtue of its conception, on the market, is fitted with a motor 49 controlled by a relay 41 to turn a turbine 48 so as to create a negative pressure in a case 16 and, by means of an orifice 17 made in said case, in the whole of the pneumatic tube system 13.

An anti-vibration connection hose 15 is very often placed between the tube system 13 and the case 16. The tubes 13 are, at their extremities 13A, connected to suction cleaning couplings 11, distributed in the cleaning zone, each coupling being fitted with a shutter 10 ensuring that the system 13 is airtight when closed.

A light, flexible hose 8 fitted with an end-piece 9 connects to one of the couplings 11 when the shutter 10 is opened. At the other end of the hose 8 is a handle 5 which may, in its extremity 5A, receive cleaning accessories.

According to the invention, this instailation is advantageously equipped with a remote control device for switching on or off the suction cleaning unit 1 shown at 2 for its reception part and at 3 and 8 for its transmission part.

The compact receiver 2 fits into a tee 14 for its pneumatic liaison with the system 13 and is attached to the connector 36 by the conductors 34 and 35, for its liaison to the electric part 37 of the suction cleaning unit 1. The suction cleaning unit 1 is switched on when the hose 8 with its end-piece 9 is introduced in the suction cleaning coupling 11 after opening of the shutter 10. Simply handling the hose 8 is enough to produce a sound wave on a specific frequency which, traveling across the tube system 13, arrives at a microphone-type sensor 19 which transmits the signal, via its conductors 22, to all of the electronic components making up a control logic 23. After analyzing and recognizing the signal received by the microphone 19, the control logic 23 pilots a current source 28 so as to cause an inrush current in the circuit constituted by the ensemble of conductors 50, 51, 34, 35, 39, 40 and 42 connected up by means of connectors 33 and 36, so that the relay coil 41 of the suction cleaning unit 1 establishes, by means of its power contact, a current passage in the conductors 45, 43 and 47 representing the phase of a 220 V main supply, the neutral being connected directly to the motor 49 by the conductors 44 and 46. The electric motor 49 of the turbine 48 then switches on to create a negative pressure in the case 16 and then, passing through the orifice 17, throughout the tube system 13.

The current source 28 supplying the control logic 23 comes advantageously from the low-voltage transformer 38 LI, I~ supplying the rely 41. It should be noted that the control logic 23 uses a very low, even insignificant, current source for its operation, this source being capable of crossing the coil of the relay 41 without hindering its good working.

According to the invention, the suction cleaning unit 1 is switched off, on the one hand, with means permitting the flow of air in the tube system 13 to be interrupted, and on the other hand, with means permitting the detection of the absence of this air flow in the system.

The means of interrupting the flow of air in the system 13 are made up of a valve 3 formed in an attachment linked with its sleeve 3B to the extremity 8A of hose 8 and with its sleeve 3A to the extremity 5B of handle 5. This valve, which is represented in detail in Fig. 2, has a housing 7 into which is inserted and adjusted a lever 6 provided with an orifice 12 corresponding to the inner diameter of the hose 8. A screw 4, maintained in valve 3 and overlapping in housing 7 is inserted in a groove 6A provided in lever 6, on a quarter of the perimeter of said lever 6, thereby allowing, after a manual action of a quarter turn on lever 6, the flow of air to be authorized or interrupted throughout the pneumatic system 13.

Naturally, the flow of air in the pneumatic system may also be interrupted by disconnecting the end-piece 9 of the suction cleaning coupling 11, after closing the shutter In both cases (by the valve 3 or by shutting the couplings 11), these phenomena will cause an increase of negative pressure in the pneumatic system 13, which may be detected in two ways.

In the first case, means permitting the detection of the absence of air flow with an increase of negative pressure in the tube system 13 may be constituted by a

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negative pressure switch 21 which, associated with a sensor 32 connected to the control logic 23, consists of a tube 27 with an orifice 20 at its base and, inside, a core 30 screwed onto a bolt 26 resting on a compression spring 24. The increase of negative pressure in the tube system 13 is transmitted to the negative pressure switch 21, by orifice 20 in tube 27, by causing core 30 to move in the direction of the arrow 29 which compresses spring 24 by means of the negative pressure adjustment bolt 26. The core 30 is moved in order to free an orifice 31 provided on the top of tube 27, thereby allowing saic tfcing electronic sensor 32 to detect the absence of core 3u at this level and to transmit, via its conductors 25, a signal to control logic 23 which will instruct source 28, after a pre-set interval of time, to cancel the current passage in the circuit constituted by conductors 50, 51, 34, 35, 39, 40 and 42, which are linked up by connectors 33 and 36. The pre-set time interval in the control logic 23 for switching off the suction cleaning unit 1 is designed to avoid any untimely interruption of said unit, due to the temporary obstruction of the cleaning accessories in thk course of normal use.

As a result, the coil of the control relay 41 activates its power contact towards the opening, causing the interruption of the current passage in the circuit constituted by conductors 45, 43 and 47 of motor 49 of turbine 48 which, since it is no longer supplied by the phase but only by the neutral by means of conductors 46 and 44, stops operating.

Next, as a result of the action of the return force of compression spring 24 and as the negative pressure decreases in the pneumatic circuit, core 30 of the negative pressure switch 21 climbs in the direction opposite to that of

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arrow 29 closing orifice 31 of tube 27 at the level of sensor 32 which then transmits, via its conductors 25, a new signal to the control logic 23 in order to enable the sensor-microphone 19, after a certain time delay (corresponding to when turbine 48 has come to a complete halt), to listen out for a new signal for restarting the suction cleaning unit 1.

In the second case, which may be cumulated with the first case, the absence of flow with an increase of negative pressure in the tube system 13 may be detected by the sensor-microphone 19 which measures the difference of sound level produced inside tube system 13 by the variations of negative pressure. The microphone 19 will analyze this difference of level and will send in output a signal to the control logic which will prcgram the cut-off of the supply circuit of the motor 49.

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Claims

1. A control device for an integrated suction cleaner installation including: a suction cleaning unit pneumatically connected to a system of tubes which open at their ends onto couplings onto which a mating end of a hose is inserted, the hose having at its other end a handle suitable for receiving cleaning accessories; an acoustic transmission between the suction cleaning unit and couplings; means for detecting a specific acoustic pressure wave within the system of tubes; means for operating said suction cleaning unit; means to detect the absence of flow by detecting an increase of negative pressure in the tube system; wherein means for operating said suction cleaning unit is activated when said hose is connected to one of the suction cleaning couplings, producing a specific acoustic pressure wave conveyed by the tube system to said detecting means and operating means of the suction cleaning unit. S

2. A control device according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting the absence of flow by detecting an increase of negative pressure in the tube system includes a negative pressure switch in the form of a tube provided with an orifice at its base and inside which a core moves, which said core is screwed on a bolt resting on a compression spring within said S" tube.

3. A control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said means for detecting the acoustic pressure wave generated by said hose and said means for detecting the absence of flow by detecting an increase of negative pressure in the tube system includes a microphone, said microphone detecting the difference in sound level caused by the increase of negative pressure in said system.

4. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said means for detecting the absence of flow by detecting an increase of negative i -r IP-- hrWL 111~_ 13 pressure in the tube system further comprises a sensor capable of detecting the absence or presence of said core in the tube at the level of the orifice.

A control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein said core is threaded about its periphery to accommodate a bolt permitting adjustment of the height of said core in relation to said orifice to adjust the negative pressure switch.

6. A control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 further comprising a control logic for controlling: the information transmitted by the microphone and the negative pressure switch for controlling the operation .of the suction cleaning unit; time delays necessary for stopping and restarting the suction cleaning unit; and a current source associated with the suction cleaning unit.

7. A control device according to claim 6, wherein said microphone, said negative pressure switch, said control logic, said sensor, and said current source are grouped together in a single container linked pneumatically to the 20 tube system and electrically to the suction cleaning unit. o,

8. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a means for interrupting the flow of air in the system which comprises: 25 a valve incorporated in the handle of the hose for selectively interrupting the flow of air in the system, said wave formed by an attachment "linked by a sleeve to an end of the hose; and •the handle further comprising a housing into which is inserted and adjusted a quarter-turn fitting with an orifice corresponding to the inner diameter of the hose, a screw maintained in the valve overlapping into the housing fitting into a groove in the quarter-turn fitting. I ABSTRACT REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE FOR AN INTEGRATED SUCTION CLEANER INSTALLATION Serge BOUSSET Remote control device for an integrated suction cleaner installation comprising a suction cleaning unit pneumatically connected to a system of tubes (13) which open, at their ends (13A), onto couplings (11) into which the mating end of a hose is inserted, the latter having at its other end (8A) a handle onto which are fitted the cleaning accessories. The remote control device is of the type using acoustic transmission via the tube system (13) between the suction cleaning unit and the couplings and means (19, 23 and 28) for detecting the specific acoustic pressure wave and operating said unit The device is characterized in that said acoustic pressure wave generating means consist of the hose which, when connected to one of the suction cleaning couplings produces, after handling, a specific acoustic wave conveyed by the tube system (13) to the detecting means (19) and operating means (23 and 28) of unit I~ II