CN108471919B

CN108471919B - Household cleaning device and base for household cleaning device

Info

Publication number: CN108471919B
Application number: CN201780007596.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马库斯·科内利森
Original assignee: Warwick Corp
Current assignee: Warwick Corp
Priority date: 2016-01-21
Filing date: 2017-01-17
Publication date: 2020-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2037-01-17
Also published as: DE102016101004A1; JP2019502488A; CN108471919A; EP3405090B1; WO2017125367A1; EP3405090A1; TWI688362B; TW201729747A; ES2903375T3; JP6667648B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a household cleaning appliance (2,2.1), in particular a vacuum cleaner (2,2.1), comprising at least one attachment (4,4.1) that can be connected to a base body (14), at least one first rechargeable energy store (12) that is arranged in the base body (14), at least one further rechargeable energy store (10) that is arranged in the attachment (4,4.1) and at least one consumer (6,46) that can be supplied with energy from at least one of the rechargeable energy stores (10.12), wherein at least one first switching unit (13) is provided that is arranged between the first rechargeable energy store (12) and the further rechargeable energy store (10), and wherein the first switching unit (13) is provided for connecting the first rechargeable energy store (12) in parallel and/or in series with the further rechargeable energy store (10) in a first switching position and/or in a second switching position.

Description

Household cleaning device and base for household cleaning device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a household cleaning appliance, in particular a vacuum cleaner, comprising at least one attachment which can be connected to a base body, at least one first rechargeable energy store which is arranged in the base body, at least one further rechargeable energy store which is arranged in the attachment, and at least one consumer which can be supplied with power from at least one of the rechargeable energy stores. The invention further relates to a base for a household cleaning appliance.

Background

A household cleaning appliance according to the invention is to be understood in particular as a vacuum cleaner, such as a hand-held vacuum cleaner. The household cleaning appliance has a base body and an attachment connected or connectable to the base body. The base may include a handle provided for the user or the handle may be disposed on a rod connected to the base.

An accessory according to the invention is understood to mean, in particular, an element that can be connected or fixed to a base body. The accessory may for example be a suction unit or a nozzle unit for cleaning a surface. When the hand-held cleaner is in operation, the contact surface provided for this purpose of the accessory, such as the running wheel and/or the working element of the accessory, can be brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned. In particular, a getter device is arranged in the base body. The suction device has a working element in the form of a suction pump, which can be driven by an electrical consumer in the form of an electric motor. With the suction device, particles located on the surface to be cleaned can be sucked in through a suction channel arranged between the suction device and the attachment.

In the prior art, more and more household cleaning appliances are provided with rechargeable energy stores in their base body for supplying at least one consumer with energy. The energy store, for example a battery, is used to supply at least one consumer with electrical energy. For example, the electric motor of the suction device is supplied with electric energy. By mounting the rechargeable energy store in the base body, a user-friendly operation of the household cleaning appliance can be achieved wirelessly and thus.

A disadvantage of such rechargeable energy storages is the high weight of the energy storage. The arrangement of the energy store in the base body increases the weight that the user is burdened with when the hand-held vacuum cleaner is operated. This reduces the operating comfort of the hand-held vacuum cleaner. Therefore, in the prior art, electrical energy stores with a lower charge are generally used for a lower weight.

Furthermore, in the domestic cleaning appliance improved in the prior art there are also active accessories, which comprise a further rechargeable energy store. The further rechargeable energy store serves to supply electrical energy to electrical consumers arranged in the accessory, for example to electric motors and/or sensors for the operating elements.

In such a household cleaning appliance, the electrical energy supplied to the consumers of the household cleaning appliance is generally increased. But the power supplied cannot be used flexibly. This reduces the user-friendliness and performance of the household cleaning appliance.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a household cleaning appliance which at least reduces the disadvantages of the known household cleaning appliances and in particular improves the user-friendliness and the performance of the household cleaning appliance.

This object is achieved according to a first aspect of the invention by a household cleaning appliance according to claim 1. The household cleaning appliance, in particular a vacuum cleaner, comprises at least one attachment which can be connected at least to a base body. The household cleaning appliance comprises at least one first rechargeable energy store arranged in the base body. The household cleaning appliance comprises at least one further rechargeable energy storage arranged in the accessory. The household cleaning appliance comprises at least one consumer which can be powered by at least one of the rechargeable energy storages. The household cleaning appliance is characterized by at least one first switching unit arranged between the first rechargeable energy store and the further rechargeable energy store. The first switching unit is provided for connecting the first rechargeable energy store in parallel with the further rechargeable energy store in the first switching position and in series in the second switching position.

By providing a switching unit differently from the prior art, so that a first rechargeable energy store of at least one base body and a further rechargeable energy store of at least one attachment are flexibly connected to one another, the user-friendliness and performance of the household cleaning appliance are improved. The user friendliness and performance are particularly improved by the fact that, if necessary, a capacity increase is achieved by connecting at least two energy stores in parallel (longer operating time) and, if necessary, an increased maximum available power is made available by connecting at least two energy stores in series (by voltage increase). Furthermore, the weight of the energy store of the accessory is preferably distributed directly on the contact surface of the accessory, such as its sliding wheels and/or working elements.

The domestic cleaning appliance may in particular be a vacuum cleaner. The household cleaning appliance comprises a base body, to which one or more (different) accessories can be coupled at least. The attachment is in particular an attachable attachment element. The at least one accessory is preferably an active accessory (e.g. an active nozzle) or a passive accessory (e.g. a passive nozzle and/or an elongated hose with an operating handle). The active accessory has at least one load, such as an electrically driven sensor and/or an electrically driven actuator. The actuator may for example be an electric motor for driving a working element of the household cleaning appliance or for driving a working element of the accessory. In contrast, passive accessories do not include a load.

The domestic cleaning appliance comprises at least two rechargeable energy storages. The rechargeable energy store is provided for storing electrical energy and supplying it to the at least one consumer when required. Preferably, the at least one rechargeable energy store is designed in the form of a battery.

A first rechargeable energy store is arranged in the base body and a further rechargeable energy store is arranged in the preferably couplable attachment. By arranging an additional energy store in the accessory of the domestic cleaning appliance, the electrical energy which is supplied for the operation of the domestic cleaning appliance and/or the active accessory can be increased in particular without increasing the weight of the base body.

In order to make the electrical energy supplied available flexibly and optimally as required, a first switching unit is provided. The first switching unit has a switching device, so that at least two rechargeable energy stores arranged are connected in parallel or in series. In a first switching position, the rechargeable energy stores are connected in parallel, and in a second switching position, the rechargeable energy stores are connected in series. This makes it possible to increase the maximum power supplied or to extend the operating time of the household cleaning appliance, depending on the current requirements.

According to a first embodiment of the domestic cleaning appliance according to the invention, the domestic cleaning appliance may have a control unit which is provided for controlling the first switching unit. According to a preferred embodiment, the household cleaning appliance may comprise a control unit arranged to control the first switching unit in dependence on an operating state of the household cleaning appliance. For example, in the control unit, an operation can be carried out in which the first switching unit is (normally) brought into the first switching position in at least one detectable first operating state and/or into the second switching position in at least one further operating state. By taking into account the current operating state at the time of switching, user friendliness can be improved in an automated manner.

Alternatively or additionally, a control unit may be provided for controlling the first switching unit in dependence on the detected accessory type of the accessory connected to the household cleaning appliance. Depending on the type of accessory and in particular the usage rules associated therewith, for example, the predetermined operating mode can control the first switching unit in such a way that it is brought into the first or second switching position. This makes it possible, for example, to compensate for a suction hose for floor cleaning, which is connected to a base body of the household cleaning appliance and has a passive suction nozzle (which has a further rechargeable energy store) for suction power losses which are determined by its use in fluid mechanics, by providing a first operating mode in which the first switching unit connects at least two rechargeable energy stores in series with one another and the resulting losses are balanced by the increased suction power.

The control unit may preferably be arranged to control the first switching unit in dependence on a state of the first rechargeable energy store and/or a state of the further rechargeable energy store. The state can be, in particular, the current charge state of the first rechargeable energy store, the second rechargeable energy store and/or the at least two rechargeable energy stores. By having the control unit control the first switching unit in dependence on the (current) charging state of the rechargeable energy store, the length of the operating time provided by the domestic cleaning appliance can be increased in particular.

The control unit may be at least partially designed as a hardware module and/or at least partially designed as a software module.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, at least one detection unit for detecting the charge state of the first rechargeable energy store and/or for detecting the charge state of the second rechargeable energy store can be provided. Obviously, two (or more) separate detection units may also be provided. The detection unit may comprise a measurement module for determining a current state of charge of the rechargeable energy store. The measurement module may, for example, perform chemical, voltage-dependent, current-integrated, pressure-dependent, or battery impedance measurements. At least one detection unit may have a communication connection with the control unit and provide the control unit with the measured state of charge.

The control unit may be configured to control the first switching unit such that the first rechargeable energy store is connected in parallel with the further rechargeable energy store when it is detected that at least one measured state of charge is lower than a reference state of charge. For example, a first reference charge state (e.g., between 10 and 50%) may be specified for a first rechargeable energy store of the substrate. If the current charge state of the first rechargeable energy store of the base body is lower than this first reference charge state, the first rechargeable energy store of the base body can be automatically connected in parallel with a further rechargeable energy store of the accessory, in particular for extended operation. Alternatively or additionally, a further reference charge state (for example between 10 and 50%) may be specified for a further rechargeable energy store of the accessory. In this case, it can also be provided that the first energy store of the base body is automatically connected in parallel with the further energy store of the accessory, in particular for the purpose of extending the operating time, if the current charge state of the further rechargeable energy store of the accessory falls below a further reference charge state.

For an alternative or preferred additional embodiment, the control unit may be configured to control the first switching unit in accordance with at least one operating mode. The household cleaning appliance can preferably be operated in different operating modes. The operating modes can differ, for example, in the supply of different maximum powers to the consumers. For example, in a first operating mode, the electric motor of the air extractor may be operated at a higher rotational speed (e.g., up to 150000 min) than in another operating mode^-1) Operates to provide particularly high suction power. According to the invention, a first operating mode can be provided, in which at least two rechargeable energy stores are connected in series with one another by means of a first switching unit. The maximum drive voltage provided can be increased, for example, from 24V, in particular by 50% to 100% up to 48V. This makes it possible, for example, to drive a correspondingly designed motor at an increased rotational speed. For this purpose, the control unit may detect the respective first operating mode and control the first switching unit in accordance with the detected operating mode. In a further (energy-saving) operating mode, the electric motor can be operated at a lower speedFast (lower maximum power or operating voltage) operation, for example, to save energy. Upon detection of a further operating mode, the control unit can cause the first switching unit to connect at least two rechargeable energy stores in parallel.

The (desired) operating mode can be set on the domestic cleaning appliance, for example, by the user via a user interface. Alternatively or additionally, the domestic cleaning appliance may comprise one or more sensors. The sensor, such as an ultrasonic sensor, can be arranged in particular in the attachment. The at least one sensor may, for example, detect the type of surface currently being cleaned or the degree of contamination of the surface currently being cleaned. The analysis and evaluation unit can determine an optimum operating mode according to given rules on the basis of the detected ground type and/or the degree of pollution. The control unit can control and cause the first switching unit to place the first switching unit in the first or second switching position according to the operating mode automatically set thereby.

According to a further embodiment, it can additionally be provided that the first switching unit is provided for connecting the at least one consumer only to a further rechargeable energy store of the accessory in the third switching state. The first switching unit can be controlled in such a way that only the further rechargeable energy store of the accessory supplies at least one consumer, for example an electric motor of the base body. The control unit can be programmed, for example, such that, for example, up to a given second reference charge state (for example 10 to 50%), only the further rechargeable energy store of the accessory is used to supply the electrical consumers of the at least one household cleaning appliance. In particular, with a detachable accessory, it is advantageous if the accessory with the discharged energy store can be replaced by another accessory with a charged energy store. That is, the energy storage replacement may be performed by replacement of the accessory. The operating time of the household cleaning appliance can thereby be further improved in a simple manner.

The household cleaning appliance may have at least one fixedly connected accessory. That is, in this case, the accessory cannot be replaced by the user (without significant installation expense). The attachment member is preferably removably attachable to the base member. Detachable in particular means that the accessory can be detached from the base body with a (simple) user action and replaced, for example, by another accessory.

The accessory may preferably include at least one charging port. By providing the accessory with its own charging port, the rechargeable energy store of the accessory can be charged independently of the base body of the household cleaning appliance. The charging port may correspond to a charging port of a charging module of the cradle. Alternatively, the charging module can also be integrated in the accessory. The charging port can then be configured, for example, for connecting a cable with a plug.

Preferably, for an accessory designed as a detachable accessory, a plug connection can be provided for establishing an electrical connection between a further rechargeable energy store of the accessory and the first rechargeable energy store of the base body. For example, the accessory has a plug element (e.g., a socket) that corresponds to a plug element (e.g., a plug) of the base. The electrical connection can be used to transmit electrical energy from the accessory to the load in the base body and/or from the base body to the load in the accessory. A plug-in connection can be provided, for example, between the load of the base body and a further rechargeable energy store of the accessory.

As mentioned above, the at least one load may be an electrically driven sensor and/or actuator. The at least one electrical consumer may preferably be an electric motor. The electric motor can be arranged in the base body for driving at least one working element arranged in the base body. At least one of the working elements arranged in the group can be an air extractor for generating an air flow for sucking in particles, for example, located on the surface to be cleaned. The air extractor is preferably driven by an electric drive or an electric motor.

The accessory according to the invention is basically a passive or active accessory. A passive accessory is understood to be an accessory that does not comprise an electrically driven electrical consumer. An active accessory is preferably understood to be an accessory with at least one electrically driven consumer, for example an electrically driven sensor or an electric motor.

For example, at least one electric motor may be arranged in the accessory for driving at least one working element arranged in the accessory. The accessory may have an electrical connection between another rechargeable energy storage and an electric motor of the accessory. The electric motor can, for example, drive a brush head device, a wiping device or a polishing device as working element. It is obvious that the accessory may contain a plurality of electric motors, sensors and/or a plurality of working elements.

In order to establish a direct electrical connection between the electric motor of the accessory and the further rechargeable energy store of the accessory, while simultaneously establishing an electrical connection, if required, for example with the further electric motor of the base body, it may be preferred to design the second switching unit. According to a preferred embodiment, the second switching unit may be arranged in the accessory. The second switching unit can be controlled by the control unit in such a way that only the further rechargeable energy store of the accessory supplies electrical energy to the load of the accessory. For example, the control unit can establish the electrical connection in dependence on status data, user input and/or a definable rule of the rechargeable energy store in such a way that the electrical consumer of the accessory is supplied with electrical energy only from a further energy store of the accessory.

The accessory may be a passive accessory in the form of a combined suction nozzle. The combined nozzle can be switched manually for hard floors and carpeted floors. The accessory can also be a wood floor suction nozzle. For wood floor nozzles, the additional weight of the battery arranged in the wood floor nozzle plays a particularly advantageous role, since the bristles or sealing elements of the wood floor nozzle press more strongly against the wood floor to be cleaned. Other exemplary and non-limiting accessories that may be additionally equipped with batteries according to the present invention are hard floor nozzles, powered brush heads, polishing brush heads, wiping nozzles, carpet nozzles and polishing nozzles and nozzle hoses that extend the working radius.

It is obvious that the household cleaning appliance may additionally have a power supply line for charging the at least one first rechargeable energy store and/or for selectively wiring the household cleaning appliance.

Another aspect of the invention is a base for a household cleaning appliance, in particular for the aforementioned household cleaning appliance, comprising a first charging module with a charging port corresponding to another charging port of the base body of the household cleaning appliance. The base is characterized in that the base comprises at least one further charging module with a charging port corresponding to a further charging port of the accessory.

By enabling an accessory containing another rechargeable energy storage, for example in the form of a battery, to be electrically connected to the chassis, the accessory can be charged independently of the base or main unit of the domestic cleaning appliance. The base can preferably have a charging module for the base body and at least one charging module for the at least one accessory. The at least two charging modules can each be arranged in such a way that they correspond as optimally as possible to the charging requirements of the respective energy store. In this way, a first charging module can supply a first charging current to a first rechargeable energy store of the base body, and a further charging module can supply (possibly) a further charging current (for example at a further current intensity) to a further rechargeable energy store of the accessory body.

When the rechargeable energy store of the accessory is charged, the user can drive the base or charge the first rechargeable energy store of the base by means of the further accessory and its rechargeable energy store. For example, the base with at least two charging modules can be designed in the form of a storage box for the base body and in particular for a plurality of accessories. The plurality of accessories, in particular the individual charging ports thereof, can preferably be brought into contact directly with the charging port of the base or of the base charging module after the accessory has been placed in the corresponding receptacle of the base. This makes it possible to charge the accessory in a simple manner. The operating time of the household cleaning appliance can thereby be increased. A battery replacement concept can be provided in particular by means of the charging base. The present invention differs from known battery replacement concepts in that the present invention replaces the accessory rather than the energy storage itself. This further improves the operating comfort.

Drawings

There are thus a number of possibilities for implementing and improving the household cleaning appliance according to the invention and the base according to the invention. For this purpose, reference is made, on the one hand, to the dependent claims of the independent claims and, on the other hand, to the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the drawings. Wherein

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a household cleaning appliance according to the invention,

fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a household cleaning appliance according to the invention, and,

fig. 3 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a base according to the invention.

Detailed Description

In the following, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a domestic cleaning appliance 2 in the form of a hand-held cleaner 2. The hand-held cleaner 2 is arranged to clean a surface 24, such as a floor 24. The hand-held cleaner 2 comprises a base 14 and an attachment 4 connected to the base 14.

The base body 14 comprises a suction device 26 with a working element 8 in the form of a suction blower 8 located inside. The air pump 8 is driven by the electric motor 6. The suction device 26 further comprises a housing 28 for a dust bag (not shown).

Furthermore, in an embodiment in accordance with the invention, the base 14 is connected to a handle 20 by a stem 18, whereby a user can operate the hand-held cleaner 2 while standing. The rod 18 is in particular a telescopic rod 18. The user can activate the cleaner 2 by means of the main switch 30. When activated, in particular, a voltage is applied to the electric motor 6, so that the blower 8 is driven. The electrical energy supply is preferably carried out via a first rechargeable energy store 12 which is mounted in the base body 14 of the vacuum cleaner 2.

The vacuum cleaner 2 here preferably has an electrical energy supply in the form of a further rechargeable energy store 10 mounted in the attachment 4. The

batteries

10,12 are preferably designed as

rechargeable energy stores

10, 12. The electric drive 6 is supplied with electrical energy via the

batteries

10,12 via an electrical connection 16 in the form of a line 16.

The accessory 4 is constructed in this embodiment as a passive accessory 4. The passive accessory 4 does not comprise an electrically driven load. The illustrated attachment includes a passive working element 22 in the form of a bristle bar 22.

By implementing the additional energy store 10 in the accessory 4, the maximum available power and/or the length of time the cleaner 2 is operated can be increased without the user feeling that the cleaner 2 is too heavy in his hands. The reason is that the extra weight of the rechargeable energy store 10 described above is distributed (mainly) over the sliding wheel 32 and the bristle bar 22 of the attachment 4.

The increased total storage capacity of the

energy stores

10,12 is achieved by the parallel connection of the

rechargeable energy stores

10,12, and the increased maximum available power is achieved by the series connection of the

rechargeable energy stores

10, 12.

To this end, in this embodiment a first switching unit 13 is arranged between the further rechargeable energy store 10 of the accessory 4 and the first rechargeable energy store 12 of the base 14. The first switching unit 13 is provided to connect the

rechargeable energy stores

10,12 in parallel in a first switching position and to connect the

rechargeable energy stores

10,12 in series in a second switching position. The controllable first switching unit 13 is controlled by the control unit 11. The control unit 11 may be arranged to control the first switching unit 13 in dependence on the current operating state of the cleaner 2 and/or the current operating mode of the cleaner 2 and/or the accessory type of the accessory 4 connected to the base 14.

The user may for example specify that in the first mode of operation an increased maximum available power (relative to the normal mode or the energy saving mode) is to be provided. This makes it possible, for example, to increase the maximum suction power in the first operating mode. If the control unit 11 detects the first operating mode, it causes the series connection of the

rechargeable energy stores

10,12 by controlling the first switching unit 13. Conversely, if a second operating mode, such as a power-saving mode, is specified or detected, the control unit 11 can cause a parallel connection of the

rechargeable energy stores

10,12 via the first switching unit 13.

It is also possible to design the operating mode automatically. At least one sensor (not shown), such as an ultrasonic sensor, may detect the type of surface currently being cleaned. An analysis module (not shown) can derive the operating mode from the detected ground type on the basis of stored predetermined parameters and configure the dust collector 2 accordingly. This may in the present invention include a change of the connection of the at least two

rechargeable energy storages

10, 12.

In a preferred embodiment, the first switching unit 13 can additionally be provided to supply the load 6 of the base body 14 in the third switching position exclusively with the further rechargeable energy store 10 of the accessory 4. This can also be controlled by the control unit 11 depending on the current operating state of the cleaner 2 and/or the current operating mode of the cleaner 2 and/or the type of accessory 4 connected to the base 14.

Here, the above-mentioned attachment 4 is detachably connected to the end of the base body 14. A plug connection 36 is provided for establishing an electrical connection between the energy store 10 of the accessory 4 and the electric motor 6 of the base body 14, for example. The plug connection 36 can be seen in the enlarged detail in fig. 1. The attachment 4 has in particular a plug element 36.1 corresponding to the plug element 36.2 of the base body 14.

The detachable accessory 4 is also equipped here with a charging port 34, which is arranged, for example, on only one side wall of the accessory 4. The charging port 34 has, among other things, suitable electrical contacts. The further rechargeable energy store 10 can be charged via a charging port 34 by means of a connectable charging device (not shown). For example, when the rechargeable energy store 10 of a discharged accessory 4 is detected, the accessory 4 can be removed from the base body 14 and replaced by the accessory 4 with the charged energy store 10. Thereby providing a battery replacement concept.

A further exemplary embodiment of a household cleaning appliance 2.1 according to the invention is shown in fig. 2. The domestic cleaning device 2.1 shown here in the form of a hand-held cleaner 2.1 comprises an active accessory 4.1. The accessory 4.1 shown is a suction polishing nozzle 4.1 with a wiping unit 40 configured as a working element 40. The wiping unit 40 includes a swinging body 42 and a wiping cloth holder 44. An electrical load in the form of an electric motor 46 is provided for driving the wiping unit 40. The electric motor 46 can cause an oscillating or rotating motion of the wipe holder 44. The double arrow 48 schematically shows the linear movement of the pendulum 42, which movement is performed by the wipe carrier 44 on the floor 24. During this movement the floor 24 is cleaned or polished wet or dry. A suction channel 50 can additionally be arranged laterally next to the pendulum 42 for sucking in particles. The wiping cloth is detachably fixed by means of a hook and loop fastener on the wiping cloth holder 44.

For supplying electric energy, the hand-held cleaner 2.1 and the accessory 4.1 have two

rechargeable energy stores

10,12 in the form of

batteries

10, 12.

As mentioned above, the

rechargeable energy storages

10,12 may be connected at least in parallel or in series by the first switching unit 13.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a first detection unit 15 is provided for detecting the current charging state of the first rechargeable energy store 12. The measured state of charge may be provided to the control unit 11 by the detection unit 15.

The further rechargeable energy store 10 can also be electrically connected to the electric motor 6 of the base body 14 and/or to the electric motor 46 of the accessory 4.1 via a second switching unit 52. The second switching unit 52 can be controlled, in particular, by the control unit 11 via a communication link (not shown). Alternatively or additionally, a further control unit (not shown) for controlling the second switching unit 52 can be provided in the accessory 4.1.

Furthermore, a further detection unit 54 for detecting the current charge state of the further rechargeable energy store 10 is arranged in the accessory 4.1. The detected charging state may be provided to the first control unit 11 via a communication connection (not shown).

The control unit 11 can control the first switching unit 13 depending on the operating state of the vacuum cleaner 2.1, in particular depending on the received current charging state of the at least two

rechargeable energy storages

10, 12. In the control unit 11, for example, at least one first reference charge state can be stored at least for one

rechargeable energy store

10, 12. The control unit 11 can be provided, for example, to compare the current charge state of the first energy store 12 with a first reference charge state (for example, a value between 10% and 50%). The control unit 11 can, in particular, cause the

energy stores

10,12 to be connected in parallel independently of the current operating mode if the current charge state of the first rechargeable energy store 12 is lower than a given first reference charge state.

The control unit 11 can be provided, for example, with a current or desired operating mode via the communication port 17. The operating mode can be provided, for example, by a user and/or by input via a user interface (not shown) and/or by one or more sensors (not shown) and/or by a control signal representing the type of accessory 4.1 used. The control signal may for example be generated by a control device (not shown) arranged in the accessory 4.1 and transmitted to the control unit 11 or read by the control unit 11 from a memory (not shown) arranged in the accessory 4.1.

It can also be provided that the electric motor 46 is supplied with electrical energy only from a further energy store 10 implemented in the accessory 4.1. This applies if the further energy store 10 still has a sufficient charge. The corresponding connection has the advantage that the current does not have to be conducted first to the base body 14 and from there back to the motor 46 of the accessory 4.1.

In addition, fig. 3 discloses an embodiment of a base 60 according to the invention. The base 60 is in particular a charging stand 60 for the household cleaning appliance 2,2.1 and the two accessories 4,4.1 (appliance and accessory not shown) of the invention. The base 60 may be electrically connected to a power supply network (not shown) by a cable 74.

The base 60 has three

receptacles

62,64 and 66. The first accommodation portion 62 is for accommodating the base 14. The receptacle 62 can, for example, correspond to the end of the base body 14, to which the attachment 4,4.1 can be attached. The receptacle 62 includes a charging module 63 with a charging port 68. The charging port 68 corresponds to a charging port of the base body 14, which is at least arranged for charging an electrical energy store integrated in the base body. The charging port of the base body 14 can be, for example, a plug element 36.2 (see fig. 1). The charging module 63 is adapted to the first rechargeable energy store 12 of the base body 14 in such a way that an optimum charging current can be provided.

Here, the base 60 furthermore has two

further receptacles

64,66 for two different accessories 4, 4.1. In particular, the shape of the housing 64 may correspond to the shape of the first appendage 4,4.1 and the shape of the further housing 66 corresponds to the shape of the further appendage 4, 4.1.

Each

receptacle

64,66 may include a separately configured charging

module

65,67 with a separate charging

port

70,72, respectively. The charging

ports

70,72 may correspond to the charging ports 34 of the respective accessories 4,4.1, respectively. The

respective charging module

65,67 can be adapted to the respective further energy store 10 of the accessory 4, 4.1.

The three charging

modules

63,65,67 may for example provide different maximum charging currents or the like.

Description of the reference numerals

2,2.1 household cleaning appliance

4,4.1 Accessories

6 electric motor

8 air extractor

10 another rechargeable energy store

11 control unit

12 first rechargeable energy store

13 first switch unit

14 base body

15 detection unit

16 conducting wire

17 communication portal

18 telescopic rod

20 handle

22 bristle bar

24 surface

26 air suction device

28 dust bag holder

30 main switch

32 sliding wheel

34 charging port

36 plug connection

36.1,36.2 plug element

40 wiping unit

42 oscillating body

44 wiping cloth support

46 electric motor

48 double arrow

50 air suction channel

52 second switching unit

54 further detection unit

60 base

62,64,66 container

63,65,67 charging module

68,70,72 charging port

74 electric cable

Claims

1. A household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) comprising

At least one accessory (4,4.1) that can be connected at least to the base body (14),

at least one first energy store (12) which is placed in the base body (14) and can be recharged,

-at least one further energy store (10) placed in the accessory (4,4.1) and capable of being recharged

At least one consumer (6,46) which can be powered by at least one of a first energy store (12) which can be recharged and a further energy store (10) which can be recharged,

-wherein there is at least one first switching unit (13) arranged between a first energy storage (12) that can be recharged and another energy storage (10) that can be recharged, and

-wherein the first switching unit (13) is provided for connecting a first rechargeable energy store (12) in parallel in a first switching position and/or in series in a second switching position with a further rechargeable energy store (10),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

-the household cleaning device (2,2.1) comprises a control unit (11) arranged for controlling the first switching unit (13),

-the control unit (11) is arranged for controlling the first switching unit (13) in dependence of the detected attachment type of the attachment (4,4.1) connected to the household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1).

2. A household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it is a vacuum cleaner.

3. A household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (11) is arranged to control the first switch unit (13) in dependence on an operating state of the household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1).

4. A household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (11) is arranged to control the first switching unit (13) according to at least one operating mode.

5. A household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (11) is arranged to control the first switching unit (13) depending on the state of a first rechargeable energy storage (12) and/or the state of another rechargeable energy storage (10).

6. Household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) according to claim 5,

-having at least one detection unit (15,54) for detecting the charging state of a first rechargeable energy store (12) and/or for detecting the charging state of a further rechargeable energy store (10), and

-the control unit (11) is provided for, upon detection of at least one detected state of charge being lower than a reference state of charge, controlling the first switching unit (13) to connect the first rechargeable first energy storage (12) in parallel with the further rechargeable energy storage (10).

7. A household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first switching unit (13) is provided for connecting at least one consumer (6,46) only to a further rechargeable energy store (10) of the accessory (4,4.1) in a third switching state.

8. Household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) according to claim 1,

-said accessory (4,4.1) is removably associated with the base body (14),

-providing a plug connection (36) for establishing an electrical connection between a further rechargeable energy store (10) of the accessory (4,4.1) and a first rechargeable energy store (12) of the base body (14).

9. Household cleaning appliance (2,2.1) according to claim 1,

-arranging at least one electrical consumer in the accessory, and

-the accessory comprises a second switching unit (52) in the accessory,

-wherein the control unit (11) is provided for controlling a second switching unit (52) such that only a further energy store (10) of the accessory, which can be recharged, powers the electrical consumer of the accessory.