CN106983448B

CN106983448B - Suction cleaning device and method for operating a suction cleaning device

Info

Publication number: CN106983448B
Application number: CN201611272928.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·塞尔奈奇; M·梅吉勒
Original assignee: Vorwerk and Co Interholding GmbH
Current assignee: Vorwerk and Co Interholding GmbH
Priority date: 2015-12-16
Filing date: 2016-12-16
Publication date: 2021-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-16
Also published as: DE102016123353A1; JP2017109091A; CN106983448A; TW201729745A; ES2745212T3

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a suction cleaning device (1), in particular a vacuum cleaner robot, wherein, during a suction operation, suction is removed from a surface to be cleaned by means of a blower (2) of the suction cleaning device (1), and wherein the blower (2) is operated by means of a battery (3). In order to prolong the service life of the accumulator (3) and/or to shorten the charging time, it is proposed that the accumulator (3) is cooled by an air flow generated by the blower (2) during the charging process of the accumulator (3). The invention further relates to a suction cleaning device (1), in particular a vacuum cleaner robot.

Description

Suction cleaning device and method for operating a suction cleaning device

Technical Field

The invention relates firstly to a method for operating a suction cleaning device, in particular a vacuum cleaner robot, wherein during a suction operation, suction is removed from a surface to be cleaned by means of a blower of the suction cleaning device, and wherein the blower is operated by means of an accumulator.

The invention further relates to a vacuum cleaning appliance, in particular a vacuum cleaner robot, having a blower for conveying suction from a surface to be cleaned to a suction chamber of the vacuum cleaning appliance and having a battery for operating the blower, wherein thermal energy generated by the battery is dissipated by an air flow generated by the blower.

Background

Suction cleaning devices and methods for operating suction cleaning devices are known from the prior art. The suction cleaning device can be, in particular, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner robot or a combined suction wiping robot, or also a hand-held vacuum cleaner, in particular a hand-held battery-powered vacuum cleaner.

It is known to use an air flow generated by a blower of a suction cleaning device in order to protect the accumulator against overheating during the suction operation of the suction cleaning device. In this case, the heat generated by the battery during the suction operation is dissipated by the air flow generated by the blower.

Document WO 2005/099547a1, for example, discloses a vacuum cleaner with an energy supply module which is cooled by means of a suction air flow of a blower during a suction operation of the vacuum cleaner. For this purpose, the air supply of the air flow is designed in such a way that the air flow flows from the suction chamber of the vacuum cleaner to the blower via the receiving space in which the energy supply module is arranged.

This measure enables the accumulator to be cooled during the suction operation of the vacuum cleaner, whereby the service life of the accumulator can be extended.

Disclosure of Invention

Starting from the prior art, the invention aims to further prolong the service life of the storage battery. In addition, a second object of the present invention is to shorten the charging time of a battery.

In order to solve this problem, the invention proposes, firstly, a method for operating a suction cleaning device, in which a battery is cooled by an air flow generated by a blower during a charging process of the battery.

As an alternative or in addition to the cooling during the suction operation, it is also possible according to the invention to cool the accumulator outside the suction operation of the vacuum cleaner, i.e. during a charging process of the accumulator, in which the suction is not generally removed from the surface to be cleaned. During the charging process, the suction cleaning device is located, for example, in a base station having a charging device for charging the battery. Alternatively, the suction cleaning device can also be coupled to the charging device directly, i.e. without an intermediate arrangement of a base station. During the charging process, cooling of the accumulator is achieved by means of a blower that sucks the cleaning device itself. The blower is therefore also operated during the charging process of the battery, so that the air flow generated by the blower flows through the battery or a plurality of battery blocks of the battery, and thus cooling of the battery is achieved. Therefore, the temperature of the battery, which is generally increased during charging, can be reduced. This enables a better charging process and extends the service life of the battery. In addition, the charging time required for the charging process can be reduced if necessary.

According to the proposal, the blower is operated with a power of approximately 10 to 100 watts during the charging process. In contrast to the suction operation for conveying the suction into the suction chamber of the suction cleaning appliance, the blower is preferably operated with as low a power as possible during the charging process, which is advantageously less than the power which is usually provided for the suction operation on a carpeted floor. Here, a blower power of approximately 10 to 100 watts is proposed, but the blower can also be operated at lower power if necessary during the charging process. This reduces, on the one hand, the noise generation due to the blower and the energy consumed by the blower during the charging process, and, on the other hand, is sufficient to cool the battery sufficiently during the charging process, so that the desired effects of a shortened charging time and/or an extended service life of the battery can be achieved.

According to one proposal, the air flow delivered by the blower is filtered by means of a filter element before reaching the battery. This achieves that the battery is cooled only with filtered air, so that dust and/or dirt is prevented from depositing on the battery, which could otherwise affect the function and/or cooling of the battery. The filter element can be, for example, a coarse particle filter, in particular a filter screen with a screen pore size of 0.4mm to 1.0mm, or alternatively or additionally a fine filter for filtering out finer particles. Furthermore, the filter element can be designed as a planar, in particular also pleated filter, or as a three-dimensional filter element, for example as a candle filter. Preferably, two filter elements arranged one after the other, for example first a coarse particle filter and then a fine filter, can also be provided upstream of the accumulator in the flow direction.

Furthermore, it is proposed that during the charging of the battery, an auxiliary air opening arranged upstream of the battery (based on the flow direction of the air flow conveyed by the blower) is opened, so that the battery is cooled by the auxiliary air entering the suction cleaning device through the auxiliary air opening. According to this embodiment, the air required for cooling the battery is drawn in through the auxiliary air opening of the suction cleaning device, so that cold, preferably clean ambient air flows to the battery and to the blower. The secondary air opening is arranged in front of the battery based on the flow direction of the air flow. The secondary air (ambient air) drawn in by the blower therefore flows first through the secondary air opening, if necessary also through the filter element and past the accumulator to the blower and finally is again discharged to the environment at the outlet opening of the essential oil suction cleaning device on the pressure side of the blower. It is proposed here to block the flow path between the suction chamber and the blower, which is used during the suction operation, so that air can ultimately be sucked in through the auxiliary air opening. Preferably, the flow path is blocked while the auxiliary air opening is opened, for example triggered by the start of a charging process detected by the control means of the suction cleaning device.

Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible that the air provided for cooling the battery flows into the suction cleaning device not through the auxiliary air opening, but rather, as in normal suction operation, via the suction opening of the suction cleaning device, wherein the air first flows into the suction chamber of the suction cleaning device, is separated there from the suction present in the air flow by means of the filter element, and then flows to the battery and subsequently to the blower. In this embodiment, even during a pure charging process, an air flow is present which has the same flow path as the air flow for conveying the suction material from the surface to be cleaned into the suction material chamber of the suction cleaning device during the suction operation of the suction cleaning device.

Advantageously, the blower is switched on automatically at the beginning of the charging process, in particular when an electrical contact is established between the battery and a charging device for the battery. The user of the suction cleaning device therefore does not have to carry out a further, in particular manual, step for switching on the blower for the charging process of the battery. Particularly advantageously, the control device of the suction cleaning appliance recognizes the beginning of the charging process and switches on the blower. The beginning of the charging process can be recognized in particular by the contact of the charging device with the battery. The control device can advantageously be connected to a conventional contact sensor, which sends a signal by establishing an electrical contact. It is therefore advantageous to start the blower in particular simultaneously with the start of the charging process, but a delayed switching on of the blower can also be provided, in particular depending on the current temperature of the battery. Furthermore, the blower can also be operated in a temperature-controlled manner, wherein during the charging process the blower is switched on or off as a function of the current temperature of the battery, or is operated at a different power, in particular rotational speed, as a function of the current temperature. Advantageously, the charging process is also initiated automatically when the battery is coupled to the charging device, so that the blower is also operated when the electrical contact is established.

In addition to the previously described method for operating a vacuum cleaning appliance, in particular a vacuum cleaner robot, is also proposed, which has a blower for conveying suction from a surface to be cleaned into a suction chamber of the vacuum cleaning appliance and has a battery for operating the blower, wherein heat generated by the battery can be dissipated by an air flow generated by the blower, and wherein the vacuum cleaning appliance has a control device which is configured to operate the blower during a charging process of the battery in order to cool the battery by means of the air flow generated by the blower.

The suction cleaning device is basically designed in such a way that, during the charging process, the heat generated by the battery can also be dissipated by the air flow generated by the blower. This is achieved in particular in that the air flow generated by the blower sweeps past the battery in order to reach the blower. The battery can therefore be cooled by the air flow both during the suction operation and during the charging process.

It is recommended that a filter element for filtering the air flow and/or an auxiliary air opening (based on the flow direction of the air flow conveyed by the blower) be arranged in front of the battery. Thus, within the suction cleaning device (depending on the flow direction of the air flow) first a filter element and/or an auxiliary air opening is arranged, followed by the accumulator and finally the blower. If the suction cleaning device has a filter element and an auxiliary air opening, it is recommended that the filter element is arranged in the flow direction behind the auxiliary air opening, i.e. between the auxiliary air opening and the battery, so that the auxiliary air flowing through the auxiliary air opening into the suction cleaning device is cleaned and finally clean air reaches the battery and the blower. Advantageously, when the control device of the suction cleaning device recognizes: the secondary air opening is automatically opened when the battery is charged, for example, by mechanical or electrical contact between the charging device and the battery.

Furthermore, it is proposed that the control device be configured to switch on the blower at the beginning of a charging process of the battery, in particular when an electrical contact between the battery and a charging device for the battery is established. The control device can be connected to a contact sensor which detects mechanical contact of the suction cleaning device with the base station. Alternatively or additionally, a mechanical contact between the battery and the charging device can also be detected. It is also possible for the control device to recognize a current flow (charging current) between the charging device and the battery and then switch on the blower. The charging device can be integrated into the base station or can be designed particularly simply as a separate charging device with electrical connection elements for the battery of the suction cleaning device.

Furthermore, it is proposed that the battery and the battery housing form a modular unit which is arranged in the suction cleaning device, wherein the modular unit simultaneously forms a section of a flow channel for the air flow, so that the air flow can be conveyed through the modular unit. According to this embodiment, the air flow generated by the blower no longer flows exclusively from the outside via the battery, but rather also through the module unit and thus the battery or the battery housing of the battery, so that the battery, in particular one or more battery blocks of the battery, is cooled directly. In this way, at least one partial region of the battery or of the battery housing is used at least as a flow path for the air flow, as a result of which the geometry of the suction cleaning device can also be reduced if necessary, since no additional flow path for the air flow needs to be provided in the receiving space of the suction cleaning device for the battery. The module units are integrated into the flow duct as sections of the flow duct, so that the air flow passes directly through the module units when flowing through the flow duct and cools the battery. For this purpose, the modular unit is coupled to adjacent sections of the flow channel, wherein a fluid-tight connection for the loss-free transfer of the suction gas flow from the adjacent channel section to the modular unit and/or from the modular unit to the channel section in the adjacent channel section is preferably provided. Advantageously, the interfaces between the modular units and the adjacent channel sections of the flow channel have seals and/or are bonded, welded or the like to one another.

Finally, it is proposed that the battery have one or more battery blocks, which are arranged annularly (based on the cross section of the flow channel) in the flow channel. The battery bricks can thus annularly occupy the channel section of the flow channel formed by the module unit, so that the air flow guided through the flow channel flows past the wake-up arrangement of the battery bricks. Advantageously, the circular arrangement in cross section is a circular arrangement, so that substantially all battery blocks are cooled equally. As long as the flow channel is not circular, but, for example, oval, rectangular or the like, the arrangement of the battery blocks can obviously assume such a shape.

Drawings

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to examples. Wherein:

figure 1 shows in a perspective view from outside a suction cleaning device according to the invention at a base station;

fig. 2 shows the suction cleaning device and the base station in longitudinal section.

Detailed Description

The suction cleaning device 1 shown in the figures is constructed as a self-propelled vacuum cleaner robot. The suction cleaning device 1 has wheels 12 for moving the suction cleaning device 1 over the surface to be cleaned. Furthermore, the suction cleaning device 1 is supported on the surface to be cleaned by means of a brush 11. The brush 11 is arranged in the region of a suction nozzle 16, via which suction can be conveyed from the surface to be cleaned into the suction chamber 5 of the suction cleaning device 1. The picked-up aspirant is collected in the aspirant chamber 5.

The suction cleaning device 1 also has a blower 2 which generates an air flow which conveys the suction from the surface to be cleaned into a suction chamber 5. Two filter elements 6 are arranged downstream of the suction chamber 5 in the flow direction of the air flow, which filter the air flow flowing from the surface to be cleaned into the suction chamber 5, so that the finally cleaned air can reach the blower 2. The filter element 6 arranged first in the flow direction is advantageously a coarse particle filter, for example a filter screen with a screen pore size of 0.7 mm. The second filter element 6 arranged downstream is advantageously a fine filter in order to filter out particularly fine particles having a size of less than 0.7 mm.

The aspirate chamber 5 is connected to the blower 2 via a flow channel 8. In the flow channel 8, the battery 3 is arranged, wherein a battery housing 7 of the battery 3 forms a section of the flow channel 8. Thus, the air flow flowing from the suction chamber 5 to the blower 2 passes through the battery case 7. An outlet opening 10 is located behind the blower 2 in the direction of the air flow, which outlet opening serves to blow an air flow into the environment of the suction cleaning device 1. The flow channel 8 also has an auxiliary air opening 9 between the aspirate chamber 5 and the battery 3 for the inflow of auxiliary air into the flow channel 8. The auxiliary air opening 9 is here advantageously arranged in the section of the flow channel 8 between the two filter elements 6, i.e. between the coarse particle filter and the fine filter.

Furthermore, the suction cleaning device 1 has an electrical line for connecting the battery 3 to the charging device 4 of the base station 14. The base station 14 also has a power connector 15 for connecting the charging device 4 to a room power supply. In addition to the function of a charging station, the base station 14 can also have further functions or service devices for the connected suction cleaning device 1, for example the base station 14 can additionally be designed for emptying, cleaning, etc. the suction chamber 5 of the suction cleaning device 1. However, these functions are not further elucidated here.

During the normal suction operation of the suction cleaning device 1, suction is sucked by means of the blower from the surface to be cleaned into the suction chamber 5 via the suction nozzle 16, wherein the air flow with entrained suction is first cleaned by the two filter elements 6 (coarse particle filter and fine filter) in the conveying direction to the blower 2, so that the suction remains in the suction chamber 5. The finally cleaned air then flows via the flow channel 8 to the blower 2 and is finally blown out via the outlet opening 10 into the environment of the suction cleaning device 1. While passing through the flow channel 8, the air flows into the battery housing 7 of the battery 3, so that the battery blocks arranged in the battery housing 7 are cooled by the air flow. During the illustrated suction operation, the secondary air opening 9 is closed, so that only an air flow through the suction nozzle 16 in the direction of the blower 2 is present.

In order to charge the accumulator 3 of the suction cleaning device 1, the suction cleaning device 1 is inserted into the base station 14 until the charging device 4 of the base station 14 comes into contact with the electrical line 13 of the suction cleaning device 1 and thus an electrical connection is established. The contact between the electrical line 13 and the charging device 4 is detected by means of a sensor and transmitted to the control device of the suction cleaning device 1. The control device thus controls the opening of the auxiliary air opening 9 and the switching on of the blower 2. During the charging process, the blower 2 is operated at the lowest available power, here for example 10 watts. Furthermore, the flow path from the aspirate chamber 5 to the filter element 6 is advantageously closed, so that air can flow only into the flow channel 8 via the auxiliary air opening 9. As soon as the control device detects a contact of the electrical line 13 with the charging device 4, a charging process for charging the battery 3 is initiated and the blower 2 is switched on. The auxiliary air then flows into the flow channel 8 via the auxiliary air opening 9 and is advantageously filtered by means of one of the filter elements 6, i.e. by means of a fine filter, before entering the battery housing 7. Cool and clean auxiliary air flows through the battery housing 7 and cools the batteries 3 or battery packs in the process, after which the air is conveyed by means of the blower 2 through the outlet opening 10 into the environment of the suction cleaning device 1. By cooling the battery 3, the charging time for the charging process of the battery 3 can be reduced, and the service life of the battery 3 is also increased.

List of reference numerals

1 suction cleaning device

2 blower

3 accumulator

4 charging device

5 suction object cavity

6 Filter element

7 accumulator case

8 flow chamber

9 auxiliary air vent

10 output opening

11 brush

12 wheels

13 conducting wire

14 base station

15 power supply connector

16 suction nozzle

Claims

1. A method for operating a suction cleaning device (1), wherein, during a suction operation, suction is removed from a surface to be cleaned by means of a blower (2) of the suction cleaning device (1), and wherein the blower (2) is operated by means of a battery (3), characterized in that, during a charging process of the battery (3), the battery (3) is cooled by an air flow generated by the blower (2), wherein, during the charging process of the battery (3), a secondary air opening (9) arranged before the battery (3) on the basis of the flow direction of the air flow conveyed by the blower (2) is opened, so that the battery (3) is cooled by secondary air entering the suction cleaning device (1) through the secondary air opening (9).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction cleaning device (1) is a vacuum cleaner robot.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that during the charging process the blower (2) is operated at a power of 10-100 watts.

4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air flow delivered by the blower (2) is filtered by means of a filter element (6) before reaching the accumulator (3).

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the blower (2) is switched on automatically at the beginning of a charging process.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the blower is switched on when an electrical contact between the accumulator (3) and a charging device (4) for the accumulator (3) is established.

7. A suction cleaning device (1) having a blower (2) for conveying suction from a surface to be cleaned into a suction chamber (5) of the suction cleaning device (1) and having a battery (3) for operating the blower (2), wherein the heat generated by the battery (3) can be dissipated by the air flow generated by the blower (2), characterized in that the suction cleaning device (1) has a control device which is configured for, operating the blower (2) during a charging process of the battery (3), in order to cool the accumulator (3) by means of the air flow generated by the blower (2), wherein an auxiliary air opening (9) is arranged in front of the battery (3) based on the flow direction of the air flow delivered by the blower (2).

8. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the suction cleaning device (1) is a vacuum cleaner robot.

9. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that a filter element (6) filtering the air flow is arranged before the accumulator (3) based on the flow direction of the air flow delivered by the blower (2).

10. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the control means are configured for switching on the blower (2) at the beginning of a charging process of the accumulator (3).

11. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the control means are configured for switching on the blower (2) when an electrical contact between the accumulator (3) and the charging means (4) for the accumulator (3) is established.

12. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the accumulator (3) together with an accumulator housing (7) constitutes a modular unit arranged in the suction cleaning device (1), wherein the modular unit at the same time constitutes a section of a flow channel (8) for the air flow, so that the air flow can be conveyed through the modular unit.

13. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the accumulator (3) has one or more accumulator blocks which are arranged annularly inside the flow channel (8) on the basis of the cross section of the flow channel (8).

14. The suction cleaning device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the accumulator (3) is arranged before the blower (2) based on the flow direction of the air flow delivered by the blower (2).