CN113907638A

CN113907638A - Electric vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN113907638A
Application number: CN202110576761.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柏原裕
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2020-07-07
Filing date: 2021-05-26
Publication date: 2022-01-11
Also published as: JP2022014754A

Abstract

Provided is an electric vacuum cleaner capable of easily confirming whether a display part can correctly display information. An electric vacuum cleaner (1) is provided with: an electric blower (8) for generating suction negative pressure; an operation unit (24) that obtains a request to start the electric blower (8); a control unit (9) for controlling the operation of the electric blower (8) in accordance with the instruction obtained by the operation unit (24); and at least one display unit (12) that displays information by lighting up, blinking, or turning off. The information represents first state information representing a first state of the electric vacuum cleaner (1). The display unit (12) displays the first status information by turning on, blinking, or turning off, and displays a light emission confirmation type different from turning off during a period from when the operation unit (24) acquires a request to start the electric blower (8) to when the first status information is displayed.

Description

Electric vacuum cleaner

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an electric vacuum cleaner.

Background

There is known an electric vacuum cleaner including a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), and reporting a degree of clogging of a filter according to the number of light emitting diodes.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 6-343587

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the case where an abnormality of the electric blower is reported by the lighting of the light source and a normality of the electric blower is reported by the extinction of the light source, the light source is less likely to be turned on than the light source is not likely to be turned off. If the light source fails and cannot be turned on, the user may not notice the failure of the light source and may not recognize the abnormality of the electric blower.

Further, information such as the degree of clogging of the filter and the remaining amount of the battery can be displayed by combining the light source that is turned on and the light source that is turned off. However, for example, when a light source that is turned on when the clogging of the filter is at a maximum fails and cannot be turned on, there is a risk that the user does not notice the failure of the light source and the filter is excessively clogged. Further, for example, when a light source that is turned on when the remaining battery level is the maximum remaining battery level fails and cannot be turned on, there is a risk that the user will not notice the failure of the light source and will be in doubt about the deterioration of the battery.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner capable of easily confirming whether or not a display unit can correctly display information.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, an electric vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an electric blower generating a suction negative pressure; an input unit that obtains a request for starting the electric blower; a control unit for controlling the operation of the electric blower in accordance with the instruction obtained by the input unit; and at least one display unit that displays information by lighting up, blinking, or turning off. The information represents first state information representing a first state of the electric vacuum cleaner, the display unit displays the first state information by turning on, blinking, or turning off, and displays a light emission confirmation type different from turning off during a period from when the input unit obtains a request to activate the electric blower to when the first state information is displayed.

Effects of the invention

The electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment can reliably indicate the integrity of the display unit by a light-emitting mode that is significantly different from the status information before the status information is displayed, and the user can easily and reliably know the integrity of the display unit.

In the electric vacuum cleaner of the present embodiment, the combination of a part or all of the lighted display portion and the remaining portion of the lighted display portion displays the remaining battery level of the secondary battery, and the electric vacuum cleaner blinks to display the light emission confirmation type. Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner can easily indicate the integrity of all the display units by clearly distinguishing the display unit displaying the status information from the display unit displaying the light emission confirmation type.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an electric vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an algorithm (algorithm) of start control and stop control of the electric blower performed by the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an algorithm (algorithm) for controlling the display of the display unit executed by the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a display portion of an electric vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an algorithm (algorithm) for controlling the display of the display unit performed by the electric vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 1A … electric vacuum cleaner, 2 … vacuum cleaner body, 3 … tube portion, 5 … body case, 6 … wheels, 7 … dust separating and collecting portion, 8 … electric blower, 9 … control portion, 11 … power cord, 12 … display portion, 12a … first display portion, 12b … second display portion, 12c … third display portion, 15 … body connecting port, 16 … plug, 19 … connecting tube, 21 … dust collecting hose (hose), 22 … hand operating tube, 23 … gripping portion, 24 … operating portion, 24a … power switch, 24b … switch, 24c … brush switch, 25 … tube, 26 … suction port body, 28 …, 29 … rotary cleaning body, 31 … motor, 41 … control circuit, 42 … circuit, 43 … switch element, 45 a … grid, 45 power control portion, … extension portion, … load sensing portion, … centrifugal 3649 motor, 51 … rotation sensor, 52 … current sensor, 53 … pressure sensor, 61 … secondary battery, 62 … display arrangement.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 7. In the drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[ first embodiment ]

A first embodiment of an electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 4.

As shown in fig. 1, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called horizontal type. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a cleaner body 2 that can travel on a surface to be cleaned, and a pipe portion 3 that can be attached to and detached from the cleaner body 2. The duct portion 3 is fluidly connected to the cleaner body 2.

The cleaner body 2 includes a main body case 5 as a housing, a pair of wheels 6 provided on each of the left and right sides of the main body case 5, a dust separation and collection unit 7 detachably attached to the front half of the main body case 5, an electric blower 8 housed in the rear half of the main body case 5, a control unit 9 for mainly controlling the electric blower 8, a power supply line 11 for supplying electric power to the electric blower 8, and a display unit 12 for displaying information indicating the state of the electric cleaner 1.

The cleaner body 2 drives the electric blower 8 by electric power supplied from a commercial ac power supply via a power cord 11 connected to a plug-in connector for wiring (so-called outlet). The cleaner body 2 causes a negative pressure generated by the driven electric blower 8 to act on the duct portion 3. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 sucks air containing dust (hereinafter, referred to as "dust-containing air") from a surface to be cleaned through the duct portion 3. The cleaner body 2 separates dust from the sucked dust-containing air. The cleaner body 2 collects and accumulates the separated dust, and discharges clean air after the dust is separated.

The electric vacuum cleaner 1 may further include a secondary battery as a power source provided in the cleaner body 2. In other words, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 may be a cordless type. In this case, the cleaner body 2 drives the electric blower 8 by the electric power stored in the secondary battery. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 including the secondary battery in place of the power cord 11 can be easily used without being limited by the length of the power cord 11 and without winding up the power cord 11.

A main body connection port 15 corresponding to the suction port of the cleaner main body 2 is provided in a front portion of the main body casing 5. The main body connection port 15 has a joint structure in which the pipe portion 3 can be attached and detached. The main body connection port 15 fluidly connects the pipe portion 3 and the dust separation and collection part 7.

The wheels 6 are large-diameter running wheels that rollably support the cleaner body 2. The main body case 5 may be provided with an auxiliary wheel such as a caster (caster) in addition to the wheel 6. The auxiliary wheels stabilize the traveling posture of the main body case 5.

The dust separating and collecting section 7 separates dust-containing air flowing into the cleaner body 2 into clean air and dust. The dust separating and collecting section 7 accumulates dust separated from the dust-containing air, and sends the cleaned air from which the dust has been removed to the electric blower 8. The dust separation/collection section 7 may be an inertial separation system including a centrifugal separation system, or a filtration separation system using a filter. In the inertial separation method, the dust is separated from the air by the difference between the inertial force acting on the moving air and the inertial force acting on the moving dust.

The electric blower 8 sucks air from the dust separation/collection part 7 to generate a negative pressure (suction negative pressure).

The control unit 9 includes a microprocessor and a storage device for storing various operation programs, parameters, and the like executed by the microprocessor. The storage device stores various settings (arguments) relating to a plurality of operation modes set in advance. A plurality of operating modes are associated with the output of the electric blower 8. Each operation mode has different input values (input value of the electric blower 8, target value of current flowing through the electric blower 8) from each other. Each operation mode is associated with an operation request acquired by the pipe unit 3. The control unit 9 selects an arbitrary operation mode corresponding to the operation request acquired by the duct unit 3 from a plurality of operation modes set in advance, reads out the selected operation mode from the storage unit, and controls the operation of the electric blower 8 in accordance with the input value of the read operation mode.

The power cord 11 supplies power to the cleaner body 2 from the plug-in connector for wiring. At the free end of the power cord 11 a plug 16 is provided. In addition, when the electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a secondary battery as a power source, the power supply line 11 replaces a charger for charging the secondary battery.

The display unit 12 is provided on the upper surface of the cleaner body 2, for example. The display unit 12 is a light source, for example, a light bulb or a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The display unit 12 is turned on, blinked, or turned off to display information. This information is status information representing the status of the electric vacuum cleaner 1. The state information is information that can sense the state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1, and specifically, information that can sense the state of the electric blower 8. When the filter of the dust separation/collection part 7 is clogged, or the large foreign matter clogging pipe part 3 and the air passage on the upstream side of the electric blower 8 are clogged, the electric blower 8 becomes in an excessively rotated state with a decrease in the amount of air sucked. In the electric blower 8 driven by the commutator motor, the amount of spark generation in the commutator may become excessively large with a decrease in the remaining life. These states are abnormal states of the electric blower 8. The display unit 12 displays a plurality of pieces of information having different meanings by at least two of lighting, blinking, and turning off. For example, the display unit 12 is turned off to display status information indicating that the electric blower 8 is normal, and is turned on to display status information indicating that the electric blower 8 is abnormal. The display unit 12 may display information by turning off and blinking pairs or by turning on and blinking pairs, or may display information by turning on, blinking, and turning off. The state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is determined by the control unit 9. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes various sensors for acquiring information for determining the state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1. The control unit 9 determines the state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 based on information obtained from these various sensors. Further, the control unit 9 causes the display unit 12 to display the state information representing the determined state. Hereinafter, the state information representing the state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1, in other words, the state information displayed on the display unit 12 will be referred to as "state information". The state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 represented by the status information includes an abnormal state of the electric blower 8 and a normal state of the electric blower 8. The state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 includes a completely abnormal state in which the electric blower 8 fails and cannot be restarted, and a semi-abnormal state (semi-normal state) in which the electric vacuum cleaner can be recovered by removing foreign matter blocking the air passage on the upstream side of the electric blower 8 or cleaning the filter.

The duct portion 3 sucks in dust-containing air from the surface to be cleaned by negative pressure applied from the cleaner body 2 and guides the dust-containing air to the cleaner body 2. The pipe portion 3 includes a connection pipe 19 as a joint that is attachable to and detachable from the cleaner body 2, a dust collection hose 21 that is fluidly connected to the connection pipe 19, a manual operation pipe 22 that is fluidly connected to the dust collection hose 21, a grip portion 23 that protrudes from the manual operation pipe 22, an operation portion 24 provided on the grip portion 23, an extension pipe 25 that is attachable to and detachable from the manual operation pipe 22, and a suction port body 26 that is attachable to and detachable from the extension pipe 25.

The connection pipe 19 is fluidly connected to the dust separating and collecting section 7 through the main body connection port 15.

The dust collection hose 21 is a long and flexible substantially cylindrical hose. One end (here, the rear end) of the dust collection hose 21 is fluidly connected to the connection pipe 19. The dust collection hose 21 is fluidly connected to the dust separation and collection part 7 via a connection pipe 19. The flexible dust collection hose 21 increases the range of movement of the pipe portion 3 with respect to the position of the cleaner body 2, thereby improving the convenience of the electric cleaner 1.

The manual operation pipe 22 relays the dust collection hose 21 and the extension pipe 25. One end (here, the rear end) of the manual operation pipe 22 is fluidly connected to the other end (here, the front end) of the dust collection hose 21. The manual operation pipe 22 is fluidly connected to the dust separation/collection unit 7 via the dust collection hose 21 and the connection pipe 19.

The grip 23 is a portion that is gripped by a hand of a user to operate the electric vacuum cleaner 1. The grip portion 23 protrudes from the handle tube 22 in an appropriate shape that can be easily gripped by a hand of a user.

The operation unit 24 includes a plurality of switches for obtaining an operation request. Specifically, the operation unit 24 includes: a power switch 24a that obtains a request for starting the electric blower 8 and a request for stopping the electric blower 8 as operation requests; a changeover switch 24b for acquiring a request for changing the operation mode of the electric blower 8 as an operation request; and a brush switch 24c for obtaining a power supply request to the suction port body 26. The

switches

24a, 24b, and 24c are electrically connected to the control unit 9. The

switches

24a, 24b, and 24c obtain an operation request when, for example, they are depressed.

The user of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 operates the power switch 24a to start the stopped electric blower 8 and stop the driven electric blower 8. The electric blower 8 is alternately repeatedly driven and stopped every time the power switch 24a is operated.

The user of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 can select the operation mode of the electric blower 8 by operating the selector switch 24 b. The control unit 9 switches the operation mode of the electric blower 8 in the order of strong → medium → weak → … … each time an operation request is received from the changeover switch 24 b. The operation unit 24 may include a strong operation switch (not shown), a medium operation switch (not shown), and a weak operation switch (not shown) instead of the changeover switch 24 b.

The extension pipe 25 has a telescopic structure in which a plurality of cylindrical bodies are stacked. That is, the extension pipe 25 can be extended and contracted. A joint structure that can be attached to and detached from the other end (here, the front end) of the manual operation pipe 22 is provided at one end (here, the rear end) of the extension pipe 25. The extension pipe 25 is fluidly connected to the dust separating and collecting unit 7 via the manual operation pipe 22, the dust collection hose 21, and the connection pipe 19. The extendable extension pipe 25 can adjust the distance between the grip 23 and the suction port body 26, thereby improving the convenience of the vacuum cleaner 1.

The suction port body 26 can run or slide on a surface to be cleaned such as a wooden floor or a carpet. The suction port body 26 has a suction port 28 on the bottom surface. The bottom surface of the suction port body 26 faces the surface to be cleaned in a traveling state or a sliding state. The suction port body 26 includes a rotatable cleaning element 29 disposed at the suction port 28 and a motor 31 for rotating the cleaning element 29. A joint structure that can be attached to and detached from the other end (here, the front end) of the extension pipe 25 is provided at one end (here, the rear end) of the suction port body 26. The suction port body 26 is fluidly connected to the dust separating and collecting unit 7 via the extension pipe 25, the manual operation pipe 22, the dust collection hose 21, and the connection pipe 19. That is, the suction port body 26, the extension pipe 25, the manual operation pipe 22, the dust collection hose 21, the connection pipe 19, and the dust separation/collection part 7 are a suction air passage from the electric blower 8 to the suction port 28. The motor 31 alternately repeats driving and stopping every time the brush switch 24c is operated.

When the power switch 24a receives an operation request while the electric blower 8 is stopped, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 starts the electric blower 8. For example, when the power switch 24a receives an operation request while the electric blower 8 is stopped, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 first operates the electric blower 8 in the strong operation mode. When the changeover switch 24b receives an operation request while the electric blower 8 is operated in the strong operation mode, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 changes the operation mode of the electric blower 8 to the medium operation mode. When the changeover switch 24b receives an operation request while the electric blower 8 is operated in the medium operation mode, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 changes the operation mode of the electric blower 8 to the weak operation mode. The strong operation mode, the medium operation mode, and the weak operation mode are a plurality of operation modes set in advance. The input value to the electric blower 8 is highest in the strong operation mode and is smallest in the weak operation mode. The activated electric blower 8 discharges air from the dust separation and collection part 7 to make the inside thereof negative pressure.

The negative pressure in the dust separating/collecting section 7 passes through the main body connection port 15, the connection pipe 19, the dust collecting hose 21, the manual operation pipe 22, the extension pipe 25, and the suction port body 26 in this order and acts on the suction port 28. The vacuum cleaner 1 sucks in dust on a surface to be cleaned together with air by a negative pressure acting on the suction port 28. The dust separating and collecting section 7 separates and accumulates dust from the dust-containing air sucked into the electric vacuum cleaner 1, and sends the air separated from the dust-containing air to the electric blower 8. The electric blower 8 discharges the air sucked from the dust separation/collection section 7 to the outside of the cleaner body 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment includes a control circuit 41 electrically connected to a commercial ac power supply E via a plug 16.

The control circuit 41 performs operation control of the electric blower 8 and display control of the display unit 12. The control circuit 41 includes: an electric blower 8 connected in series to a commercial ac power supply E; a circuit 42 for supplying electric power from a commercial ac power supply E to electric blower 8; a switching element 43 for opening and closing the circuit 42; a control power supply unit 45 for converting the commercial ac power supply E and supplying driving power to the control unit 9; a load sensing unit 46 that detects a load of the electric blower 8; a display unit 12 for displaying information indicating the state of the electric vacuum cleaner 1; and a control unit 9 for controlling the operation of the electric blower 8 and the display of the display unit 12.

The electric blower 8 includes a centrifugal fan 48 fluidly connected to the duct portion 3 via the dust separation/collection portion 7, and a motor 49 for driving the centrifugal fan 48. The motor 49 rotates the centrifugal fan 48 by the commercial ac power supply E or the electric power supplied from the secondary battery. The rotating centrifugal fan 48 sucks air from the dust separation and collection unit 7 to generate a suction negative pressure. The motor 49 may be a commutator motor or a commutatorless motor.

The switching element 43 is a TRIAC (Triode AC Switch), a reverse blocking 3-terminal thyristor (SCR), a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor), or the like. The switching element 43 includes a gate electrode 43a connected to the control unit 9. The switching element 43 changes the input (drive current) of the electric blower 8 in accordance with a change in the gate current or gate voltage.

The control power supply unit 45 is a power supply circuit that generates a control power supply for the control unit 9. When the plug 16 of the power cord 11 is pulled out from the commercial ac power supply E, the control power supply unit 45 causes the power supply to be lost and stops the supply of the control power supply.

The load of the electric blower 8 detected by the load sensing unit 46 is, for example, the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8, the current value I flowing through the electric blower 8, or the suction negative pressure P of the electric blower 8. In other words, the load sensing unit 46 is a rotation sensor 51 that detects the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8, a current sensor 52 that detects the value I of the current flowing through the electric blower 8, or a pressure sensor 53 that detects the suction negative pressure P of the electric blower 8. The load sensing unit 46 outputs the detection result to the control unit 9.

When the air flow rate decreases due to blockage of the duct portion 3 and the dust separation/collection portion 7, which are the air passages on the upstream side of the electric blower 8, the suction negative pressure P of the electric blower 8 increases, the positive pressure of the air sucked into the electric blower 8 decreases, the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8 increases, and the current value I flowing through the electric blower 8 decreases. The electric vacuum cleaner 1 may include at least one of the rotation sensor 51, the current sensor 52, and the pressure sensor 53 to detect the load of the electric blower 8.

The rotation sensor 51 is a hall element that measures the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8. The rotation sensor 51 measures the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8 from a change in the magnetic field accompanying the rotation of the electric blower 8. The rotation sensor 51 is mainly suitable for detecting a load of the electric blower 8 including a commutatorless motor as the motor 49.

The current sensor 52 is, for example, a current transformer that measures a value I of a current flowing through the electric blower 8. The control unit 9 estimates the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8 from the change in the current value I flowing through the electric blower 8. The current sensor 52 is mainly suitable for detecting the load of the electric blower 8 including a commutator motor as the motor 49.

The pressure sensor 53 measures the suction negative pressure P of the electric blower 8. When the duct portion 3 and the dust separating and collecting part 7, which are the air duct communicating with the electric blower 8, are closed, the suction negative pressure P of the air duct connecting the dust separating and collecting part 7 and the electric blower 8 is increased. The pressure sensor 53 measures the suction negative pressure P of the air passage connecting the dust separating and collecting part 7 and the electric blower 8.

The control unit 9 periodically reads an operation request input from the operation unit 24 and zero-crossing timing of the commercial ac power supply E detected by a zero-crossing detector (not shown), and controls the input of the electric blower 8 by performing switching control (phase control) of the switching element 43 in accordance with the selected operation mode. When the power source of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a secondary battery, the control unit 9 changes the duty ratio (the ratio of ON (ON) to OFF (OFF)) of the switching element 43 to control the input of the electric blower 8.

The control unit 9 controls the input of the electric blower 8, for example, in accordance with a plurality of operation modes including a weak operation mode, a medium operation mode, and a strong operation mode. The control unit 9 sequentially switches the operation mode and controls the switching of the switching element 43 each time an operation request is received from the changeover switch 24 b.

Next, the start control and stop control of the electric blower 8, which is one of the programs executed by the control unit 9, will be described.

As shown in fig. 3, the control unit 9 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment reads the initial setting from the storage unit after activation (step S1). The initially set values include an operation request acquired by the operation unit 24, an operation state of the electric blower 8, an input target value of the electric blower 8, and a timer. The operation request acquired by the power switch 24a includes "request present" and "no request". The operating state of the electric blower 8 includes "during stop" of the electric blower 8 and "during operation" of the electric blower 8. The input target value is expressed by a percentage with the maximum value that can be input to the electric blower 8 as 100%. For example, the input target value in the strong operation mode is 100%, the input target value in the medium operation mode is 60%, and the input target value in the weak operation mode is 40%.

Fig. 3 relates to control of starting and stopping the electric blower 8, and does not include control of changing the operation output of the electric blower 8, that is, control of changing the operation output of the electric blower 8 based on the operation request obtained by the changeover switch 24 b. The initial value of the operation output is set to "strong operation mode".

The initial value of the operation request acquired by the power switch 24a is "no request". The initial value of the operating state of the electric blower 8 is "stopped". The initial value of the input target value is "100%" corresponding to "strong operation mode". The initial value of the timer is "zero".

Next, the control unit 9 obtains an operation request from the power switch 24a of the operation unit 24 (step S2). When the power switch 24a is operated, the control unit 9 obtains an operation request of "request present" from the power switch 24 a. When the power switch 24a is not operated, the control unit 9 obtains an operation request of "no request".

Next, the control unit 9 acquires the sensing results of various sensors used for determining the status information of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 (step S3). The sensing result of the various sensors of the present embodiment is the load of the electric blower 8 obtained from the load sensing unit 46. That is, the control unit 9 obtains at least one of the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8, the current value I flowing through the electric blower 8, and the suction negative pressure P of the electric blower 8.

Next, the control unit 9 controls the display of the display unit 12 (step S4). The display control of the display unit 12 includes: the power switch 24a performs display control before the electric blower is started up, which is performed after the operation request of "request" is obtained until the electric blower 8 is started up in the next step S5, and display control during the operation of the electric blower, which is performed after the electric blower 8 is started up in step S5.

Next, the control unit 9 controls the operation of the electric blower 8 (step S5). The operation control of the electric blower 8 is performed based on the operation request obtained by the power switch 24a and the operation state of the electric blower 8. When the operation state is "stopped" and the operation request is "no request", the control unit 9 keeps stopping the electric blower 8. When the operation state is "stopped" and the operation request is "requested", the control unit 9 starts the electric blower 8 and starts the timer. When the operating state is "operating" and the operation request is "no request", the control unit 9 continues the operation of the electric blower 8. When the operating state is "running" and the operation request is "request present", the control unit 9 stops the electric blower 8 and initializes the timer to "zero". The execution order of steps S4 and S5 may be reversed.

Then, the controller 9 repeats steps S2 to S5 at a substantially constant control cycle. This control cycle is preferably equal to or less than a time at which the control unit 9 can reliably detect that the power switch 24a has received an operation request.

In addition, when the operation request is "request present" in step S5, the control unit 9 initializes the operation request to "no request" as the preprocessing for repeating steps S2 to S5.

Next, display control of the display unit 12 (step S4) which is one of the programs executed by the control unit 9 will be described.

As shown in fig. 4, the display unit 12 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment is turned on, blinks, or is turned off to display the status information, and a light emission confirmation type different from turning off is displayed during a period from when the power switch 24a receives a request to start the electric blower 8 to when the status information is displayed.

Here, the status information indicates that the electric blower 8 is in a normal state by, for example, turning off the display unit 12. At this time, the display unit 12 lights up or blinks to display the light emission confirmation type during a period from when the power switch 24a receives a request to start the electric blower 8 to when it is turned off to display the status information.

Further, as for the status information, for example, the display unit 12 is turned off to show that the electric blower 8 is in the normal state, and the display unit 12 is turned on to show that the electric blower 8 is in the abnormal state. The abnormal state of the electric blower 8 refers to, for example, an excessive rotation state in which the suction side of the electric blower 8 is clogged. The display unit 12 lights up or blinks to display the light emission confirmation type during a period from when the power switch 24a receives a request to start the electric blower 8 to when it is turned off or blinks to display the status information.

When there are a plurality of pieces of status information, in other words, when the display unit 12 is turned off to indicate that the electric blower 8 is in the normal state and the display unit 12 is turned on to indicate that the electric blower 8 is in the abnormal state, the light emission confirmation type is displayed during a period from when the power switch 24a receives a request to activate the electric blower 8 to when the earliest status information is displayed.

In addition, the status information and the light emission confirmation type are preferably different. For example, when the status information is displayed by turning off or blinking the display unit 12, it is preferable that the light emission confirmation type is displayed by turning on the display unit 12. As in the present embodiment, when the status information indicating the normal status is the turning off of the display unit 12, the status information may be the same as the light emission confirmation type.

Specifically, when the display control of the display unit 12 is started (fig. 3, step S4), the controller 9 checks whether or not the operation request is "request present" (step S11). The presence or absence of the operation request confirmed in step S11 is based on the operation request acquired in step S2 of fig. 3.

If step S11 is affirmative, in other words, if the power switch 24a of the operation unit 24 is operated and the control unit 9 has acquired the operation request "request available" (yes at step S11), the control unit 9 checks whether or not the operation state of the electric blower 8 is "stopped" (step S12).

If step S12 is affirmative, in other words, if the operating state of the electric blower 8 is "stopped" (yes at step S12), the controller 9 causes the display unit 12 to display the light emission confirmation type (step S13) to end the display control of the display unit 12. The light emission confirmation type is, for example, lighting or blinking of the display unit 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 starts the electric blower 8 and starts the timer in step S5 of fig. 3. Further, the control unit 9 initializes the operation request and changes the operation request to "no request" as the preprocessing for repeating steps S2 to S5.

If step S12 is negative, in other words, if the operating state of electric blower 8 is "in operation" (no at step S12), controller 9 turns off display unit 12 (step S14) and ends the display control of display unit 12. The display unit 12 for turning off is status information showing that the electric blower 8 is in a normal state. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 stops the electric blower 8 and resets the timer in step S5 of fig. 3. Further, the control unit 9 initializes the operation request and changes the operation request to "no request" as the preprocessing for repeating steps S2 to S5.

Next, if step S11 is negative, in other words, if the power switch 24a of the operation unit 24 is not operated and the control unit 9 has acquired the operation request "no request" (no at step S11), the control unit 9 checks whether or not the operation state of the electric blower 8 is "operating" (step S15).

If step S15 is affirmative, in other words, if the operating state of the electric blower 8 is "running" (yes at step S15), the control unit 9 determines whether the electric blower 8 is normal (step S16). The control unit 9 determines whether or not the electric blower 8 is normal based on the load of the electric blower 8 acquired from the load sensing unit 46 in step S3 of fig. 3. That is, the control unit 9 determines whether the electric blower 8 is normal or not based on a magnitude relationship between at least one of the rotation speed N of the electric blower 8, the current value I flowing through the electric blower 8, and the suction negative pressure P of the electric blower 8 and a predetermined determination value.

If step S16 is affirmative, in other words, if electric blower 8 is normal (yes in step S16), controller 9 turns off display unit 12 (step S14) and ends the display control of display unit 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the operation of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3.

If step S16 is negative, in other words, if an abnormality is estimated in electric blower 8 (no in step S16), controller 9 blinks display unit 12 (step S17) and ends the display control of display unit 12. The blinking display unit 12 is status information indicating that the electric blower 8 is in an abnormal state. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 controls the operation of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3. At this time, since an abnormality is estimated in the electric blower 8, the control unit 9 may reduce the rotation speed of the electric blower 8 or stop the electric blower 8.

Next, if step S15 is negative, in other words, if the operating state of electric blower 8 is "stopped" (no at step S15), controller 9 ends the display control of display unit 12 because there is no operation request even if electric blower 8 is stopped. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the stop of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3.

Further, steps S12 to S13 are display control before the electric blower is started, and steps S12 to S14 and steps S15 to S17 are display control during the operation of the electric blower. The control unit 9 displays the status information on the display unit 12 after the electric blower 8 is started to notify the user whether the electric cleaner 1 is normal, and displays the light emission confirmation type on the display unit 12 during a period from when the power switch 24a receives the operation request "to when the electric blower 8 is started to notify the user whether the display unit 12 is normal.

For example, when the control is performed such that the display unit 12 is turned off when the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is normal, and the display unit 12 is turned on or blinks when the electric vacuum cleaner 1 is abnormal, there is no chance that the display unit 12 is turned on or blinks. If the display unit 12 fails and cannot be lit or blinked, the user may not notice the failure of the display unit 12 and may not recognize the abnormality of the electric vacuum cleaner 1.

Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment can easily indicate the health of the display unit 12 by temporarily lighting or blinking the display unit 12 by the display control before the electric blower is started.

The electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment displays a light emission confirmation type different from the light-off and status information. For example, when the display unit 12 is turned on to display the excessive rotation state of the electric blower 8 as the status information, the light emission confirmation type is displayed by blinking of the display unit 12. When the display unit 12 blinks to display the excessive rotation state of the electric blower 8 as the status information, the light emission confirmation type is displayed by the display unit 12 being turned on. Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment can reliably indicate the health of the display unit 12 by the light emission pattern that is significantly different from the status information before the status information is displayed. The user can easily and reliably know the integrity of the display unit 12.

The pre-activation display control of the electric blower may be a control in which a light emission confirmation type is displayed on the display unit 12 for a predetermined time period based on a timer started by the activation of the electric blower 8.

[ second embodiment ]

A second embodiment of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 7.

In the electric vacuum cleaner 1A of the present embodiment, the same components as those of the electric vacuum cleaner 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 5, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A of the present embodiment is a so-called cordless horizontal type. The electric vacuum cleaner 1A includes a secondary battery 61 as a power source provided in the cleaner body 2. Secondary battery 61 stores electric power consumed by electric blower 8.

The state information of the electric vacuum cleaner 1A according to the present embodiment includes information that enables recognition of the remaining battery level (SOC) of the secondary battery 61.

As shown in fig. 6 in addition to fig. 5, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A includes a plurality of display units 12. These plurality of display units 12 are referred to as a display array unit 62. In other words, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A includes the display arrangement unit 62 including the plurality of display units 12. The plurality of display units 12 may be arranged in a line or in a matrix (matrix). The display units 12 are described as a first display unit 12a, a second display unit 12b, and a third display unit 12c, with alphabetic additional characters being assigned to the display units.

The display array unit 62 displays the status information of the electric vacuum cleaner 1A, in other words, the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61, by a combination of lighting, blinking, and turning off of the plurality of display units 12. The remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61 is expressed as a percentage of 100% when fully charged. As shown in fig. 6a, when all of the three display units 12 are turned on, the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is 70% or more (display of large remaining battery level). As shown in fig. 6b, when two adjacent display units 12 are turned on and the remaining one display unit 12 is turned off, the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61 is less than 70% and 30% or more (display of the remaining battery capacity). As shown in fig. 6c, when one display unit 12 is turned on and two adjacent display units 12 are turned off, the remaining battery capacity of secondary battery 61 is less than 30% (display of small remaining battery capacity). In other words, display array unit 62 displays the remaining battery capacity of secondary battery 61 by a combination of a part or all of display unit 12 that is turned on and the remaining part of display unit 12 that is turned off.

The display array unit 62 may display the remaining battery level of less than 85% and 70% or more, the remaining battery level of less than 50% and 30% or more, and the remaining battery level of less than 15% by blinking of the display unit 12.

The remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is estimated by various known methods. For example, the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is estimated based on the inter-terminal voltage of the secondary battery 61 and the power value output from the secondary battery 61. The electric vacuum cleaner 1A includes various sensors, for example, a voltage sensor and a current sensor, which acquire information for estimating the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61.

As shown in fig. 7, the display arrangement unit 62 of the electric vacuum cleaner 1A of the present embodiment displays the status information by a combination of turning on, turning off, or turning on the plurality of display units 12, and performs a display of a light emission confirmation type and a display of the status information during a period from when the power switch 24a obtains a request to start the electric blower 8 to when the status information is displayed, thereby turning on or turning off all the display units 12.

Here, the condition information is the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61, and is displayed as shown in fig. 6a to 6 c. The light emission confirmation type is displayed during a period from when the power switch 24a receives a request to start the electric blower 8 to when the display array unit 62 displays the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61.

When the remaining battery capacity of secondary battery 61 is displayed by a combination of a part or all of display unit 12 that is turned on and the remaining part of display unit 12 that is turned off, display unit 12 is turned on or blinks to display the light emission confirmation type.

A case where the display array unit 62 includes three display units 12 will be described. When the display array unit 62 displays the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61 by combining the one display unit 12 that is turned on and the two display units 12 that are turned off, the control unit 9 turns on or blinks at least the two display units 12 that are to be turned off before displaying the remaining battery capacity to display the light emission confirmation type. The control unit 9 may turn on or blink all of the three display units 12 before displaying the remaining battery power to display the light emission confirmation type.

When the display array unit 62 displays the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61 by combining the two lit display units 12 and the one extinguished display unit 12, the control unit 9 lights or blinks at least the one display unit 12 that is scheduled to be extinguished to display the light emission confirmation type before displaying the remaining battery capacity. The control unit 9 may turn on or blink all of the three display units 12 before displaying the remaining battery power to display the light emission confirmation type. Before displaying the remaining battery power, the control unit 9 may turn on or blink one of the display units 12 to be turned off, and turn on or blink at least one of the two display units 12 to be turned on to display the light emission confirmation type.

When the display array unit 62 displays the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 by using the three display units 12 that are lit up, the control unit 9 causes all of the three display units 12 to blink and display the light emission confirmation type before displaying the remaining battery level.

The condition information and the light emission confirmation type are preferably different. For example, when the status information is displayed by turning off and turning on the display unit 12, the light emission confirmation type is preferably displayed by blinking of the display unit 12. When the status information is displayed as shown in fig. 6a, all the display units 12a, 12b, and 12c are caused to blink to display the light emission confirmation type. When the status information is displayed as shown in fig. 6b, at least the display unit 12c is lit or blinks to display the light emission confirmation type. When the status information is displayed as shown in fig. 6c, at least the display unit 12b and the display unit 12c are lit or blinked to display the light emission confirmation type.

In the light emission confirmation type, the plurality of display units 12 that light up or blink may be a combination of at least one display unit 12 that lights up and at least one display unit that blinks. The plurality of display units 12 that light up or blink in the light emission confirmation type may light up or blink at the same time or may light up or blink at different times. The plurality of display units 12 that light up or blink in the light emission confirmation type may light up or blink in an irregular pattern, or may light up or blink in a regular pattern.

Specifically, when the display control of the display unit 12 is started (fig. 3, step S4), the controller 9 checks whether or not the operation request is "request present" (step S21). The presence or absence of the operation request confirmed in step S21 is based on the operation request acquired in step S2 of fig. 3.

If step S21 is affirmative, in other words, if the power switch 24a of the operation unit 24 is operated and the control unit 9 has acquired the operation request "request available" (yes at step S21), the control unit 9 checks whether or not the operation state of the electric blower 8 is "stopped" (step S22).

If step S22 is affirmative, in other words, if the operating state of the electric blower 8 is "stopped" (yes at step S22), the controller 9 causes the display unit 12 to display the light emission confirmation type (step S23) to end the display control of the display unit 12. The light emission confirmation type is, for example, blinking of all the display sections 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 starts the electric blower 8 and starts the timer in step S5 of fig. 3. Further, the control unit 9 initializes the operation request and changes the operation request to "no request" as the preprocessing for repeating steps S2 to S5.

If step S22 is negative, in other words, if the operating state of electric blower 8 is "in operation" (no at step S22), controller 9 turns off all display units 12 (step S24) and ends the display control of display units 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 stops the electric blower 8 and resets the timer in step S5 of fig. 3. Further, the control unit 9 initializes the operation request and changes the operation request to "no request" as the preprocessing for repeating steps S2 to S5.

Next, if the determination at step S21 is negative, in other words, if the power switch 24a of the operation unit 24 is not operated and the control unit 9 has acquired the operation request "no request" (no at step S21), the control unit 9 checks whether the operation state of the electric blower 8 is "operating". If step S25 is affirmative, in other words, if the operating state of the electric blower 8 is "running" (yes at step S25), the controller 9 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is equal to or higher than the first threshold (step S26). The first threshold is set so that it can be determined that the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially 70% or more, for example.

If yes in step S26, that is, if the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially 70% or more (yes in step S26), the controller 9 turns on all the display units 12 (step S27) to end the display control of the display units 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the operation of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3.

If step S26 is negative (no in step S26), the control unit 9 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is equal to or higher than the second threshold (step S28). The second threshold is set so that it can be determined that the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially 30% or more, for example.

If step S28 is affirmative, in other words, if the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially 30% or more and less than 70% (yes in step S28), the controller 9 turns on both the display units 12 and turns off one of the display units 12 (step S29), thereby ending the display control of the display unit 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the operation of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3.

If step S28 is negative (no in step S28), the control unit 9 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is equal to or higher than the third threshold (step S30). The third threshold is set, for example, so that it can be determined that the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially 5% or more.

If step S30 is affirmative, in other words, if the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially 5% or more and less than 30% (yes in step S30), the controller 9 turns on one display unit 12 and turns off both display units 12 (step S31), thereby ending the display control of the display unit 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the operation of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3.

If step S30 is negative, in other words, if the remaining battery level of secondary battery 61 is substantially less than 5% (yes in step S30), controller 9 turns off three display units 12 (step S24) and ends the display control of display unit 12. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the operation of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3. If step S30 is negative, in other words, if the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 is substantially less than 5% (no at step S30), the controller 9 preferably stops the operation of the electric blower 8 at step S5 in fig. 3 before the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 substantially reaches zero (0%).

Next, if step S25 is negative, in other words, if the operating state of electric blower 8 is "stopped" (no at step S25), controller 9 ends the display control of display unit 12 because there is no operation request even if electric blower 8 is stopped. When the display control by the display unit 12 is finished, the control unit 9 continues the stop of the electric blower 8 in step S5 of fig. 3.

Further, steps S22 to S23 are pre-electric blower start display control, and steps S25 to S31 are electric blower operation display control. After the electric blower 8 is started, the control unit 9 displays the status information on the display unit 12 to notify the user of the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61, and, after the operation request "is obtained from the power switch 24a, notifies the user of whether or not all the display units 12 are normal by combining the status information with the light emission confirmation type until the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61 is displayed.

That is, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A of the present embodiment can easily indicate the health of all the display units 12 by temporarily lighting or blinking all the display units 12 by the display control before the electric blower is started and the display control during the operation of the electric blower.

In addition, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A temporarily lights or blinks all the display units 12 in accordance with the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 by the combination of step S23 and step S27, the combination of step S23 and step S29, or the combination of step S23 and step S31. Therefore, it is preferable to infer the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 at least before executing step S23. For example, the control unit 9 acquires the sensing results of various sensors used for determining the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 in step S3 of fig. 3, and estimates the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 before executing step S23 after acquiring the sensing results of the sensors.

In the electric vacuum cleaner 1A according to the present embodiment, the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 61 is displayed by a combination of a part or all of the display unit 12 that is turned on and the remaining part of the display unit 12 that is turned off, and a light emission confirmation type is displayed by blinking. Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A can easily present the health of all the display units 12 so as to clearly distinguish the display unit 12 displaying the status information from the display unit 12 displaying the light emission confirmation type. Thus, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A can intuitively indicate the integrity of all the display units 12 without giving a sense of incongruity to the user.

In the electric vacuum cleaner 1A of the present embodiment, the light emission confirmation type may be displayed by blinking all the display units 12. Therefore, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A can easily present the health of all the display units 12 independently of the estimation of the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61 before estimating the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 61. Thus, the electric vacuum cleaner 1A can intuitively indicate the integrity of all the display units 12 without giving a sense of incongruity to the user.

Therefore, according to the

electric vacuum cleaner

1, 1A of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the display unit 12 can correctly display information.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner is provided with:

an electric blower generating a suction negative pressure;

an input unit that obtains a request for starting the electric blower;

a control unit that controls operation of the electric blower in accordance with the instruction obtained by the input unit; and

at least one display unit that displays information by lighting, blinking, or turning off,

the information represents first state information representing a first state of the electric vacuum cleaner,

the display unit displays the first status information by turning on, blinking, or turning off, and displays a light emission confirmation type different from turning off during a period from when the input unit obtains a request to start the electric blower to when the first status information is displayed.

2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

the display unit displays a light emission confirmation type different from the light-off and the first status information.

3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2,

the display unit blinks to display the first state information, and lights up to display the light emission confirmation type.

4. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3,

the first state is an over-rotation state of the electric blower in which the blockage of the suction side of the electric blower can be analogized.

5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1,

a battery for storing electric power consumed by the electric blower,

the at least one display section is a plurality of the display sections,

the first state is a remaining amount of the battery,

the plurality of display sections display the first status information in a combination of lighting, blinking, or turning off, and perform the display of the light emission confirmation type and the display of the first status information so that all the display sections are lit or blinking.

6. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 5,

the plurality of display units display the first state information in a combination of a part or all of the display units that are turned on and the remaining part of the display units that are turned off, and blink to display the light emission confirmation type.

7. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 5,

the plurality of display sections display the light emission confirmation type by blinking all of the display sections.