CN113507876A

CN113507876A - Vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner head

Info

Publication number: CN113507876A
Application number: CN202080017878.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: D.布鲁克; P.斯蒂芬斯
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-20
Filing date: 2020-03-19
Publication date: 2021-10-15
Also published as: GB201903837D0; GB2582349B; GB2582349A; WO2020188287A1

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes: a vacuum motor configured to draw air through the vacuum cleaner; a battery pack configured to supply electric power to the vacuum motor; and a control system configured to switch the vacuum cleaner between a plurality of operating modes in accordance with an operator input. The control system is further configured to determine a parameter of the battery pack. The control system is configured to change the manner in which the operating mode is presented to the user based on the determination of the parameter.

Description

Vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner head

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

Background

Battery powered vacuum cleaners are commonly manufactured for sale in many different countries around the world. In some cases, the vacuum cleaner is subject to minor modifications to accommodate different markets. For example, in markets where size and weight are typically the primary concerns, a particular model of vacuum cleaner may have a smaller capacity battery pack, while in markets where power is typically the primary concern, a particular model of vacuum cleaner may have a larger capacity battery pack. Furthermore, where such vacuum cleaners have more than one mode, consumers in different markets may sometimes have a preference in how to present different modes to them for selection. If a vacuum cleaner manufacturer is to meet these preferences/requirements, they may need to include steps in the production process to customize the vacuum cleaner for the intended market (which may increase production time and cost), and/or leave the customization to the end user (and thus the user may become frustrated with the time required to set up the machine according to their own preferences).

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or to provide an improved or alternative vacuum cleaner.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum motor configured to draw air through the vacuum cleaner;

a battery pack configured to supply electric power to the vacuum motor; and

a control system configured to switch the vacuum cleaner between a plurality of operating modes in accordance with an operator input,

wherein:

the control system is further configured to determine a parameter of the battery pack; and is

The control system is configured to change the manner in which the operating mode is presented to the user based on the determination of the parameter.

Based on the determination of the parameters, the control system, which changes the way in which the operating mode is presented to the user, may allow the vacuum cleaner to optimize itself and/or adapt itself to anticipated user preferences based on the nature of the particular battery pack included therein. This may avoid performing such optimization or adaptation as a manufacturing step (thereby increasing the time and cost of the production process) or by the end user (thereby potentially reducing customer satisfaction due to increased time to set up the machine).

The parameter may be a maximum capacity of the battery pack.

Considering the trade-off between capacity and size/weight, battery capacity is a key variable in vacuum cleaner design, considering the preferences of different customers for battery capacity. Therefore, vacuum cleaners that are able to optimize themselves or adapt to different battery capacities may be of particular benefit.

Alternatively, the parameter may be battery life (e.g., absolute age or number of charge/discharge cycles the battery has experienced during its life cycle), battery maximum voltage, or maximum allowable current draw.

The plurality of modes may include a plurality of suction power modes.

The suction power provided by a particular vacuum cleaner depends to a large extent on the amount of electrical power delivered to the vacuum motor, the higher the suction power, the higher the electrical power required. Therefore, the suction power is inseparable from the electric power supply from the battery pack. Hence, self-optimization and/or adaptation of the suction power mode of the vacuum cleaner based on battery pack parameters may be particularly beneficial. For example, where the parameter is battery capacity, the control system may change the way the suction power mode is presented to the user, so that the vacuum cleaner prefers a lower power mode when the battery pack has less capacity.

Alternatively or additionally, the plurality of modes may include a plurality of cleaning head brush bar modes (e.g., brush bar on or off, or a plurality of brush bar speed settings), and/or a plurality of cleaning head light modes (e.g., light on or off, or a plurality of brightnesses).

The control system may be configured to change the manner in which the operating mode is presented to the user by changing the default operating mode selected by the vacuum cleaner without selection by the operator.

The default mode of the cleaner is more likely to be the mode that the new owner experiences first (unless they immediately adjust the settings of the cleaner). Thus, a default mode depending on the battery pack parameters may allow the new owner's first impression of the vacuum cleaner to be consistent with its possible preferences. For example, asian consumers generally prefer lighter machines, which therefore tend to have smaller capacity batteries, and generally prefer the vacuum cleaner to start in the lowest power mode. In contrast, north american consumers generally prefer more powerful vacuum cleaners, which tend to have larger capacity batteries (to provide adequate run time). Thus, a control system that modifies the default mode based on a determined battery capacity may allow machines shipped to asian markets and equipped with smaller battery packs to automatically adapt by selecting the low mode as the default mode. Also, machines shipped to the north american market and equipped with larger battery packs may be automatically adapted by selecting a high power mode.

The default mode of operation may be the mode which is activated each time the vacuum cleaner is powered on. Alternatively, the vacuum cleaner may have a memory storing the most recently used mode, so that when the vacuum cleaner is powered on, it starts operating in the mode when it was last powered off. In the latter case, the default mode may be a mode in which the vacuum cleaner is activated when first powered on after manufacture.

The control system may be configured to switch the vacuum cleaner between at least three modes of operation in dependence on an operator input.

The control system may be configured to cycle between the operating modes, and the control system is configured to change the order in which the operating modes are cycled based on the determination of the parameter.

For example, the control system may change the mode of operation that occurs first in the cycle (and thus the control system may also be considered to change the default mode of operation, as described above). Alternatively, where there are three or more modes of operation, the first mode of the sequence may remain unchanged and the control system may change the sequence of the remaining modes of operation.

The control system may change the order of the operating modes by rearranging the sequence of operating modes and/or by making one or more operating modes completely unavailable (e.g., when the operating mode is a draw power mode and the parameter of the battery is its capacity, the control system may make the highest draw power mode unavailable when it is determined that the battery capacity is relatively small).

Optionally, the control system is configured to:

repeating cycling the power mode in sequence, switching from the low power mode to the medium power mode, from the medium power mode to the high power mode, from the high power mode to the low power mode, and so on;

cycling the pump power mode from the low pump power mode if it is determined that the capacity of the battery pack is below the threshold; and is

If it is determined that the capacity of the battery pack is above the threshold, then the cycle draw power mode is initiated from the draw power mode.

The battery pack may be removably mounted to the vacuum cleaner.

This may allow an operator to use a vacuum cleaner with different battery packs (e.g. battery packs having different parameters).

Alternatively, the battery pack may be permanently attached to the vacuum cleaner during manufacture.

The battery pack may include a memory having stored thereon an indication of the parameter, the control system being configured to determine the parameter by reading the indication from the memory.

This may reduce processing time and/or allow a cheaper control system to be used compared to a vacuum cleaner in which the control system determines by directly measuring the parameter.

In the case where the parameter is the maximum capacity, the indication may be a data "flag" indicating that the battery pack has a specific size (e.g., 0 for a small-capacity battery pack and 1 for a large-capacity battery pack, or 00 for a small-capacity battery pack, 01 for a medium-capacity battery pack and 10 for a large-capacity battery pack). Alternatively, the indication may be an integer (e.g., in mAh) corresponding to the maximum capacity of the battery pack.

The memory may be part of a battery management system of the battery pack.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stick type vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a handheld vacuum cleaner of the stick vacuum cleaner of fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the handheld vacuum cleaner of figure 2; and is

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a control system for the vacuum cleaner.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding features throughout the description and drawings.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a stick type vacuum cleaner 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wand vacuum cleaner 2 comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner 4 which is connected to a floor tool 6 in the form of a cleaner head by an elongate rigid wand 8. In this case, the wand may be attached to the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner and the rear duct 12 of the cleaner head 6. The wand 8 is generally tubular, the interior space of which forms the suction path and extends from the cleaner head 6 to the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4.

The cleaner head 6 has a sole plate 14 which is configured to engage a floor surface and has a suction opening (not visible) through which dirty air (i.e. air entrained with dirt) from the floor surface can be drawn into the cleaner head 6. In use, a vacuum motor (not visible) housed in the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 generates suction at the air inlet 10. Dirty air from the floor surface is drawn into the cleaner head 6 through suction openings (not visible) in the sole plate 14 and then travels along the interior of the wand 8 and into the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

The wand 8 is releasably attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 so that the handheld vacuum cleaner can be used alone (or with a tool attached to the air inlet 10). The wand 8 is also removably attachable to the cleaner head 6 so that different floor tools can be mounted to the wand. Furthermore, the rear duct 12 of the cleaner head 6 may be attached directly to the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner, so that the cleaner head 6 may be used in conjunction with the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, and is not limited to use as part of the wand cleaner 2.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 defines a longitudinal axis 16 extending from a front end 18 to a rear end 20 of the handheld vacuum cleaner. The longitudinal axis 16 intersects the air inlet 10. When it is attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, the wand 8 is parallel to the longitudinal axis 16 (and in this case co-linear with the longitudinal axis 16). The handheld vacuum cleaner also includes a pistol grip 22 positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis 16. The pistol grip 22 is located rearward of the air inlet 10, i.e., the pistol grip is axially located closer to the rear end 20 than the air inlet. In other words, the air inlet 10 is located forward of the pistol grip 22 (because the axial position of the air inlet is closer to the front end 18 than the pistol grip).

Figures 2 and 3 show the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 in isolation. The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 will now be further described with reference to these figures in conjunction with figure 1.

As noted above, the pistol grip 22 is positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis 16. In this case, the pistol grip 22 is at an angle of approximately 75 degrees to the longitudinal axis 16. As shown in fig. 1-3, with the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 positioned with the longitudinal axis 16 horizontal, the pistol grip 22 may be positioned in a generally vertical orientation, extending from a lower end 24 to an upper end 26. The upper end 26 has a trigger 28 which forms an on/off switch for the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, as described in more detail later.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 includes a first housing 30 at the upper end 26 of the pistol grip 22 and a second housing 32 at the lower end 24 of the pistol grip 22. The first and

second housings

30, 32 are attached to one another by a pistol grip 22 and a support strut 34 that extends, in this case, generally parallel to the pistol grip 22.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 is battery powered. A battery array (not visible) and a Battery Management System (BMS) on a PCB (not visible) are provided in the second housing 32. The battery, the BMS, and the second housing 32 form a battery pack 33. In some embodiments, battery pack 33 may be removable, but in this case it is permanently attached. In this embodiment, the battery is rechargeable. They may be recharged on site by plugging a charging cable into a charging port (not shown) of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4.

The first housing 30 includes a motor housing 38 and a separator support 40. The motor housing 38 is generally elongated and defines a longitudinal axis that is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16. The motor housing 38 houses a vacuum motor 42 and supports a filter assembly 44. The vacuum motor 42 includes an electric motor 46 and an impeller 48. The electric motor 46 is configured to receive power from a battery (not visible) to drive the impeller 48 to rotate about a motor axis, which in this case is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16. The rotation of the impeller 48 generates an airflow through the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 (as discussed in more detail below), thereby generating a suction force at the air inlet 10.

The separator support 40 supports a dirt separator 50, the dirt separator 50 being configured to remove dirt from air drawn into the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 through the air inlet 10. The dirt separator 50 of this embodiment includes a first separation stage 52 and a second separation stage 54. The first separation stage 52 has a single cyclone chamber 56 formed by the upper part of a transparent box 58, a perforated cylindrical shroud 60 and a first dirt container 62 formed by the lower part of the box 58 and an openable lid 64, the openable lid 64 being pivotable about a hinge (not visible). The box 58 is in the form of a cylindrical outer wall that is concentrically positioned about the longitudinal axis 16. Since the bins 58 are concentrically located, the rotational axis of the first separation stage 52 (i.e. the rotational axis of the cyclones formed inside the cyclone chamber 56) is collinear with the longitudinal axis.

Behind the shroud 60 is an air passage 66 that surrounds an inner wall 68 and leads to the second separation stage 54. The second separation stage 54 has a plurality of cyclone chambers 70 arranged in parallel. The cyclone chamber 70 has a respective tangential inlet 72 branching off from the air passage 66, an open end 74 configured as a dirt outlet, and an air outlet in the form of a vortex finder 76. The second separation stage 54 also has a second dirt container 78 defined between the inner wall 68 and a duct 80 of the air inlet 10. The conduit 80 is generally elongate so as to define an inlet axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axis 16 and in this case co-linear with the longitudinal axis 16.

The filter assembly 44 includes a housing 82, a pre-motor filter member 84, and a post-motor filter member 86. The housing 82 defines a pair of grid-like air outlets 88, through which clean air (i.e. air from which at least some of the entrained dirt has been separated) is discharged from the handheld vacuum cleaner 4. The pre-motor filter member 84 is located upstream of the vacuum motor 42 and downstream of the dirt separator 50, and is configured to filter out small dirt particles that are not removed by the dirt separator 50 before reaching the vacuum motor 42. The pre-motor filter member 84 comprises a laminated porous felt pad, in this case comprising a layer of an electrostatic felt pad, for example sold under the name "Technostat". A post-motor filter member 86 is located downstream of the vacuum motor 42 and upstream of the air outlet 88. The post-motor filter member 86 is configured to filter any dirt particles (e.g., debris from the carbon brushes of the electric motor 46) that may be released by the electric motor 46. In this case, the post-motor filter member 86 is a pleated fiberglass HEPA filter. The filter members 84, 86 are annular in shape and share a common axis, which in this embodiment is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16. In practice, the entire filter assembly 44 is annular and is positioned substantially concentrically about the longitudinal axis 16.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 includes a screen 100, and more particularly, a flat, full color, backlit TFT screen mounted on the rear facing surface of the motor bucket 38 a. On the back of the screen is a controller 101 in the form of a PCB, which will be discussed in more detail later.

The screen 100 faces substantially directly rearward (i.e., substantially normal to the longitudinal axis). It is positioned on the first housing 30 (more specifically on the motor bucket 38a, behind the vacuum motor 42) and is thus radially above the pistol grip 22 for ease of viewing. Except above, the screen 100 is located axially behind the pistol grip 22. In practice, the screen 100 is positioned on the rearmost surface 103 of the handheld vacuum cleaner so that it is not obscured by components of the handheld vacuum cleaner located behind it. The screen 100 is positioned such that it intersects the longitudinal axis 16.

The screen 100 is visible through an aperture 102 in the filter assembly 44, the aperture 102 being in the form of a circular through-hole in the housing 82 of the filter assembly 44. In this case, the screen 100 is slightly recessed relative to the housing 82 so that the screen is viewed through the aperture 102. However, in other cases, the core 38 of the motor housing 30 may extend slightly rearwardly such that the screen 100 protrudes through the aperture 102 and out of the housing 82.

Located below the screen 100 (in the vertical direction defined by the pistol grip 22) is a pair of

control members

104a, 104b, each

control member

104a, 104b being positioned adjacent to the screen 100 and configured to receive control inputs from a user. In this case, each

control member

104a, 104b takes the form of a button. As with the screen 100, each

control member

104a, 104b faces rearwardly. The

control members

104a, 104b are pressed by pushing them forward in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 16. In this embodiment, the

buttons

104a, 104b are used to vary the suction power level of the vacuum cleaner 4.

In use of the stick vacuum cleaner 2, a user holds the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 by means of the pistol grip 22, with the upper end 26 being held by the index and middle fingers and the lower end 24 being held by the ring and little fingers. When the user's wrist is straight, this positions the longitudinal axis 16 substantially in line with the user's forearm. The user may then direct the longitudinal axis 16 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 towards the area of the floor to be cleaned (by moving their forearms and/or wrists) so as to direct the air inlet 10, wand 8 and cleaner head 6 towards that area.

In use, power from the battery is delivered to the electric motor 46 of the vacuum motor via a wire (not visible), as discussed in more detail below, and the electric motor 46 rotates the impeller 48. The impeller 48 creates an airflow through the vacuum cleaner, drawing air into the air inlet 10 and expelling it from the air outlet 88. This creates a suction force at the air inlet 10 which draws an airflow into the stick vacuum cleaner 2. The airflow passes through an airflow passage which extends from a suction opening (not visible) in the sole plate 14 through the cleaner head 6, wand 8 and handheld vacuum cleaner 4 to an air outlet 88 of the filter assembly 44.

Dirty air that has entered the air inlet 10 from the cleaner head 6 via the wand 8 passes along the duct 80, the end section 94 of the duct 80 turning the airflow radially outwards and then directing it tangentially into the cyclone chamber 56 of the first separation stage 52. The air then spirals around the cyclone chamber 56 where coarse dirt is separated therefrom by centrifugal action and deposited into the first dirt container 62. The air from which the coarse dirt has been separated then passes through the shroud 60, through the air passage 66 and into the second separation stage 54. The air is then split into a series of streams, each of which enters one of the cyclone chambers 70 through its inlet 72 and forms a cyclone therein. Finer dirt is centrifugally separated and discharged from the open end 74 of the cyclone chamber 70 into the second dirt container 78, and air from which the finer dirt has been removed exits the cyclone chamber 70 through its vortex finder 76. From the vortex finder 76, the separated flow is then directed into the filter assembly 44. The air is then directed generally radially inward, through the pre-motor filter member 84, through the apertures 90 and into the electric motor 46. It then flows axially from the electric motor 46, through the impeller 48, through the bore 92 and through the post-motor filter member 86. The cleaned air then flows out of the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 through the air outlet 88.

Referring now to fig. 4 in conjunction with fig. 1-3, the trigger 28, BMS 110, screen 100, controller 101 and

control members

104a, 104b are connected together by wiring and together form a control system 112 of the vacuum cleaner 4.

The control system 112 controls the supply of electric power from the battery cells 114 of the battery pack 33 to the vacuum motor 42. In this embodiment, the control system 112 controls the time that power is delivered to the vacuum motor 42, as well as the power level at which the power is delivered (i.e., switching the power mode of the vacuum cleaner), as described below.

The controller 101 is connected to the trigger 28 and the BMS 110, and the BMS is connected to the battery cell 110 and the vacuum motor 42. When the operator pulls the trigger, the controller 101 senses this and signals the BMS 110. The BMS 110 then allows power to flow from the battery to the vacuum motor 42 at a particular power level, whereby the electric motor 46 rotates the impeller to draw air through the vacuum cleaner 4 at a particular suction power.

The vacuum cleaner 4 has three different modes of operation, in which case power is delivered to the vacuum motor 42 at different power levels in the three power modes-a high power mode in which power is supplied to the vacuum motor 42 at a power level of 600W; a medium power mode in which the vacuum motor 42 is supplied with electrical power at a power level in the range of 200W to 400W; and a low power mode in which power is supplied to the vacuum motor at a power level of 100W. The precise power level at which power is delivered to the vacuum motor 42 when the vacuum cleaner 4 is in the second power mode varies over time depending on the surface being cleaned by the vacuum cleaner 4, and the manner of variation is not important to the present invention.

The control system 112 is configured to switch the vacuum cleaner 4 between the three power modes in dependence on input from an operator. In this case, the operator may cycle between the three power modes using the control member 104b connected to the controller 101. When the operator depresses this control member 104b, the controller detects this and sends a signal to the BMS to change the power level at which power is supplied to the vacuum motor 42 the next time the trigger 28 is pulled. More specifically, when the user presses the control member 104b, the controller 101 signals the BMS 110 to advance one step in a repeating cycle of increasing the power level. For example, if the vacuum cleaner 4 is in the low mode, pressing the control member 104b will change it to the medium mode, if the vacuum cleaner is in the medium mode, pressing the control member 104b will change it to the high mode, if the vacuum cleaner is in the high mode, pressing the control member 104b will change it back to the low mode, and so on.

When the battery pack 33 is first connected to the controller 101 during assembly of the vacuum cleaner, the control system 112 determines parameters of the battery pack. In this case, the control system 112 determines the maximum capacity of the battery pack 33. Some models of vacuum cleaner 4 are sold with smaller capacity battery packs and some models are sold with larger battery packs, and by determining the capacity of the battery packs, the control system 112 determines which particular model the machine is.

In this embodiment, the BMS 110 of the battery pack 33 includes a memory containing a data flag indicating whether the battery pack is of a smaller capacity type or a larger capacity type. When the BMS 110 and the controller 101 are first connected together, the BMS transmits a data stream to the controller 101, and if the capacity of the battery pack 33 is large, one bit in the data stream is '1', and if the capacity of the battery pack 33 is small, one bit in the data stream is '0'. Thus, the determination of battery capacity by the control system 112 involves only reading the data stream.

As described above, the control system 112 switches the power mode of the vacuum cleaner in a repeating cycle from low to medium, medium to high and high to low. However, the control system 112 changes the manner in which the mode is presented to the user based on the determination of the battery pack 33. More specifically, it changes the order in which the modes are presented to the user, in this case by changing the default mode that the vacuum cleaner 4 selects without user input.

If the control system 112 determines that the battery pack 33 has the smaller of the two possible capacities, the control system 112 will select the low mode as the default mode. Thus, when the trigger 28 is pulled for the first time after assembly of the vacuum cleaner 4, the vacuum cleaner will enter the low mode, then the pressing control member 104b will cycle from the low mode to the medium mode, then from the medium mode to the high mode, then from the high to the low mode, and so on. In this embodiment the controller 101 has a memory which stores the mode in which the vacuum cleaner last pulled the trigger 28, so from then on the sequence of modes is presented to the user starting with the most recent mode in which they used the vacuum cleaner 4.

Similarly, if the control system 112 determines that the battery pack 33 has the larger of the two possible capacities, the control system will select the medium mode as the default mode. Thus, when the trigger 28 is pulled for the first time after assembly of the vacuum cleaner 4, the vacuum cleaner will enter a medium mode, and then pressing the control member 104b will cycle from the medium mode to the high mode, from the high mode to the low mode, from the low mode to the medium mode, and so on.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, whilst in the above described embodiment the switching of the power mode of the vacuum cleaner 4 (using the control means 104b) and the selective delivery of power to the vacuum motor 42 (using the trigger 28) may be performed independently, in other embodiments this may not be the case. For example, a single button may control both functions (e.g., by cycling from off to low mode, to medium mode, to high mode, and then off again with successive presses).

For the avoidance of doubt, the above optional and/or preferred features may be used in any suitable combination, particularly as set out in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum motor configured to draw air through the vacuum cleaner;

a battery pack configured to supply power to the vacuum motor; and

wherein:

The control system is configured to change the manner in which the operational mode is presented to the user based on the determination of the parameter.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a maximum capacity of the battery pack.

3. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of modes comprises a plurality of suction power modes.

4. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the control system is configured to change the manner in which the operating mode is presented to the user by changing the default operating mode selected by the vacuum cleaner without selection by the operator.

5. A vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim wherein the control system is configured to switch the vacuum cleaner between at least three modes of operation in dependence on an operator input.

6. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the control system is configured to cycle between the operating modes and the control system is configured to change the order in which the operating modes are cycled based on the determination of the parameter.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, in combination with any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control system is configured to:

cycling the power mode repeatedly in sequence, switching from the low power mode to the medium power mode, from the medium power mode to the high power mode, from the high power mode to the low power mode, and so on;

8. A vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim wherein the battery pack is removably mounted to the vacuum cleaner.

9. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the battery pack comprises a memory having stored thereon an indication of the parameter, the control system being configured to determine the parameter by reading the indication from the memory.