EP4613169A1

EP4613169A1 - Cleaner and method for controlling cleaner

Info

Publication number: EP4613169A1
Application number: EP23885955.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Heegu Park; Daewoo Kim; Kyungjae Lee
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2022-11-04
Filing date: 2023-07-21
Publication date: 2025-09-10
Also published as: TWI851357B; KR102868081B1; TW202419036A; WO2024096258A1; EP4613169A4; KR20240064286A

Abstract

Provided is a cleaner comprising: a cleaner body provided with a battery and a handle for a user to grip; a cleaning module that is detachably coupled to the cleaner body and cleans foreign substances on the floor; an auxiliary battery housing that is detachably coupled to the cleaning module and detachably accommodates an auxiliary battery for supplying power to the cleaner body or the cleaning module; and a user interface module that is disposed on a surface of the auxiliary battery module and provides status information of the cleaning module to the user by communicating with the cleaning module, wherein the user interface module communicates with the cleaning module via fewer control wires than the amount of status information of the cleaning module.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cleaner and a method for controlling a cleaner, and more particularly, to a control circuit structure in which a minimum number of control wires to a lighting module can be arranged and a cleaner including the same.

BACKGROUND ART

A vacuum cleaner refers to a machine that sucks up dust and air by a suction force generated from a suction motor fitted in a cleaner body and separates the dust from the air and collects the dust.
Cleaners may be divided into manual cleaners for performing cleaning while the user is moving the cleaner by themselves and robot cleaners which perform cleaning while traveling on their own. Further, manual cleaners are divided into canister cleaners, upright cleaners, stick cleaners, handy cleaners, and robot cleaners. In the case of canister cleaners, a suction nozzle for sucking up dust is provided separately from a cleaner body, and the cleaner body and the suction nozzle are interconnected by a connector. In the case of upright cleaners, the suction nozzle is rotatably connected to the cleaner body. In the case of stick cleaners and handy cleaners, the user needs to hold the cleaner body in their hand when using them.
With the wide range of materials used in building construction these days, cleaning methods have become diversified. Conventionally, floors are made of wood in many cases, making wet cleaning tricky, and therefore dry cleaning has been considered the only choice. However, there are floors now available that are made of a variety of materials such as steel plates, marble, etc., which can be wet cleaned. Conventionally, cleaners dedicated to dry cleaning have been used for dry cleaning, and cleaners dedicated to wet cleaning have been used for wet cleaning. However, this involves the inconvenience of having to purchase two types of cleaners to clean different types of floors. To address the above-mentioned issue, efforts have been made into cleaners equipped with one main body, a dry cleaning module, and a wet cleaning module, in which the dry cleaning module is fitted to the main body to do dry cleaning and the wet cleaning module is fitted to the main body to do wet cleaning.
The wet cleaning module includes a water container that stores water, a heater that heats the water to generate steam, a mop that gets water or steam to sweep the floor, and so on. These components are preferably configured as a single assembly to make replacing them easier. For example, in a case where the water container or the heater is placed in the main body, the dry cleaning module fitted in the main body is an unnecessary component that makes cleaning inconvenient. Thus, the water or the heater is preferably placed in the wet cleaning module, rather than in the main body, for ease of cleaning, for ease of module replacement, and in terms of space utilization. Korean Utility Model Registration KR0489070Y1 discloses a mopping cleaner in which a cleaning module is equipped with a main battery and an auxiliary battery is detachably coupled to an extension wand. However, the mopping cleaner is not able to suck up dust and uses much of power to rotate a mop, and therefore attaching the auxiliary battery merely lengthens the operating time of the cleaner.
Moreover, when there is some dirt or debris stuck on a floor, the cleaner that sweeps the floor by rotating the mop as described above may leave that debris and dirt unremoved on the floor even after sweeping the floor by rotating the mop soaked with water. Another limitation is that, in the case of a floor where microorganisms have grown, the microorganisms may not be thoroughly removed by sweeping the floor by rotating the wet mop. To overcome this, heating the water supplied to the mop may be considered, but it requires a large amount of power to be supplied to the cleaning module, if a heater is additionally fitted to the cleaning module, because the heater uses a large amount of power to heat water.
To this end, a stick cleaner was proposed in which an auxiliary battery is additionally attached for use, and in which a module for the auxiliary battery is disposed above the cleaner module, providing the user easier access. Accordingly, various user interfaces using an auxiliary battery module are being suggested.
However, such a user interface necessitates complex wire connections for connecting the user interface and a main controller, and these wire connections may cause inconvenience to the user when adding an auxiliary battery module and attaching it to a main module.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0489070Y1 (published on September 18, 2018 )

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

In view of the conventional art described above, a first aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaner capable of providing the user with various information related to wet cleaning by configuring a user interface for an auxiliary battery module.
A second aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a circuit configuration and a control method, capable of minimizing wires for control between an auxiliary battery module and a wet cleaning module.
To this end, a third aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide efficient control by performing both a mode in which a control signal is sent out and a mode in which a selection signal is received from the user, by performing two-wire time division multiplexing on control signals for a user interface of an auxiliary battery module.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

To this end, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cleaner comprising: a cleaner body provided with a battery and a handle for a user to grip; a cleaning module that is detachably coupled to the cleaner body and cleans foreign substances on the floor; an auxiliary battery housing that is detachably coupled to the cleaning module and detachably accommodates an auxiliary battery for supplying power to the cleaner body or the cleaning module; and a user interface module that is disposed on a surface of the auxiliary battery module and provides status information of the cleaning module to the user by communicating with the cleaning module, wherein the user interface module communicates with the cleaning module via fewer control wires than the amount of status information of the cleaning module.
The user interface module may receive operation selection information of the cleaning module from the user and pass the same to the cleaning module through the control wires.
The cleaner may further comprise an extension wand that connects the cleaning module and the cleaner body, wherein the auxiliary battery housing is disposed between the extension wand and the cleaning module.
The cleaning module may include: at least one mop that sweeps the floor; a mop driving motor that provides torque to the mop; a water tank storing water; and a diffuser that discharges moisture supplied from the water tank to the mop.
The cleaning module may further include a steam generator that heats water introduced from the water tank and supplies the water to the diffuser.
The auxiliary battery may supply power to the steam generator.
The user interface module may include at least two light-emitting groups that emit light of different colors according to the status information of the cleaning module.
The cleaning module may further include a controller that periodically receives the status of each module accommodated therein and transmits the status information to the user interface via the control wires.
The controller may operate in a cycle including a first period during which the operation selection information is received from the user interface module via the control wires and a second period during which the status information is transmitted.
The user interface module may further include a selection module that receives the operation selection information from the user.
The user interface module may include a first end and a second end that are connected to two of the control wires, respectively, wherein the two light-emitting groups are connected in opposite directions to each other between the first end and the second end and emit light of different colors in a complementary manner.
The selection module may transmit selection information to the control wire through the first end.
The controller may include: a receiving terminal that reads the selection information during the first period via the control wire connected to the first end; a first transmitting terminal that transmits different voltages to the first end according to the status information of the cleaning module during the second period; and a second transmitting terminal that transmits different voltages to the second end according to the status information of the cleaning module during the second period, wherein a push-pull circuit is disposed between the second transmitting terminal and the control wire.
When steam cleaning is performed, the two light-emitting groups may emit light of a first color or a second color during the second period depending on the status of the steam generator.
The two light-emitting groups may emit light of the first color when the steam generator is in a preheating state, and may emit light of the second color when the steam generator emits steam.
The controller may transmit the status information in such a way as to, during the second period, display an abnormal state of the cleaning module by selecting the first color or the second color depending on the type of the abnormal state and making the light-emitting group blink.
The user interface module may be disposed on a front surface of the auxiliary battery housing, and the two light-emitting groups may be disposed to surround the user selection module.
The user selection module may include a tact switch that is connected in parallel to the two light-emitting groups and is turned on by being pressed by the user to cause an electrical current to flow through a connected high-resistance.
Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for controlling a cleaner, the cleaner comprising: a cleaning module that is detachably coupled to the cleaner body and cleans foreign substances on the floor; an auxiliary battery housing that is detachably coupled to the cleaning module and detachably accommodates an auxiliary battery for supplying power to the cleaner body or the cleaning module; and a user interface module that is disposed on a surface of the auxiliary battery module and provides status information of the cleaning module to the user by communicating with the cleaning module, the method comprising: a reception step in which, within one cycle, operation selection information is received from the user interface module via control wires electrically connecting the cleaning module and the user interface module; and
a transmission step in which, after the reception step, the status of each module accommodated in the cleaning module is detected, and status information is transmitted to the user interface module via the control wires., wherein the number of control wires is smaller than the sum of the amount of status information of the cleaning module and the amount of user selection information.
In a case where the cleaning module includes a steam generator, the user interface module may transmit selection information involving starting or stopping the steam generator in the reception step, and may transmit status information involving preheating of or steam emission from the steam generator in the transmission step.

EFFECT OF INVENTION

Through the above solution, when assembling a wet cleaning module for wet cleaning, an auxiliary battery module for steam can be assembled as well so as to additionally provide high power for steam. Here, the auxiliary battery module is located at the upper end of the cleaning module so that it is close to the user, and thus a user interface can be configured on the auxiliary battery module to provide the user with various information related to wet cleaning.
Moreover, it is possible to perform both a mode in which a control signal is sent out and a method in which a selection signal is received from the user, by performing circuit configuration and time-division multiplexing control in such a way as to allow for signal transmission and reception for control of the user interface by using two wires.
Accordingly, control can be done in various modes without the need for any additional wire for each mode to increase the number of connections between the cleaning module and the auxiliary battery module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 discloses a perspective view of a cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 discloses a perspective view for explaining a cleaner body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 discloses a cross-sectional view for explaining a cleaner body according to the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a cleaning module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cleaning module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, from which an upper housing is removed.
FIG. 6 is a plane view of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an auxiliary battery housing in a cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a plane view of FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a view for explaining an auxiliary battery in a cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 11 is a rear view for explaining an auxiliary battery housing being coupled to a cleaning module, in a cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 shows a user interface module of an auxiliary battery housing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13 is a view depicting a connection between a circuit board of the user interface module and a circuit board of the cleaning module.
FIG. 14 is a simplified circuit diagram of the user interface module of FIG. 12 and a circuit diagram of the circuit board of the cleaning module.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an operation in which a controller of the cleaning module sends a transmission signal to the user interface module and reads a reception signal.
FIG. 16 is a signal waveform diagram for the operation of FIG. 15.
FIGS. 17A is a current flow chart showing an operation of reading a reception signal when there is a touch input on the user interface in FIG. 16.
FIG. 17B is a current flow chart for first light emission in FIG. 16.
FIG. 17C is a current flow chart for second light emission in FIG. 16.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In the linguistically/mathematically expressed size comparison throughout this document, the terms "less than or equal to (smaller than or equal to)" and "less than (below)" can be readily substituted from the point of view of ordinary expert, the terms "greater than or equal to (more than or equal to)" and "greater than (above)" can be readily substituted from the point of view of ordinary expert, and it is obvious that such a substitution does not incur a problem in exhibiting its effect.
The expressions referring to directions such as "front (F)/rear (R)/left (Le)/right (Ri)/upper (U)/lower (D)" mentioned below are defined based on the illustrations in the drawings, but this is merely given to describe the present disclosure so as to be clearly understood, and it goes without saying that the respective directions may be defined differently depending on where the reference is placed.
For example, the front may mean a main traveling direction of the cleaner. Here, the main traveling direction may mean a vector sum value of directions in which the cleaner travels within a predetermined time.
The use of terms, in front of which adjectives such as "first", "second", and "third" are used to describe constituent elements mentioned below, is intended only to avoid confusion of the constituent elements, and is unrelated to the order, importance, or relationship between the constituent elements. For example, an embodiment including only a second component without a first component is also feasible.
In the drawings, the thickness or a size of each component is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity of the explanation. The size and area of each component do not fully reflect the actual size or area.
Moreover, an angle and a direction mentioned in describing a structure of the present disclosure are based on those described in the drawings. In description of a structure in the specification, if a reference point and a positional relationship with respect to the angle are not explicitly mentioned, reference is made to the related drawings.
FIG. 1 discloses a perspective view of a cleaner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 discloses a perspective view for explaining a cleaner body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 discloses a cross-sectional view for explaining a cleaner body according to the present disclosure.
In this specification, the term "floor" may be understood as referring to a floor of a living room or bedroom and also referring to a cleaning surface such as a carpet.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a cleaner 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cleaner body 100 having a suction motor 140 for generating a suction force, a cleaning module 300 connected to the cleaner body 100, for sucking up air and foreign substances on the floor,
a cleaning module 300 for cleaning the floor by sweeping, and an extension wand 200 that connects the cleaner body 100 and the cleaning module 300.
A structure of the cleaner body 100 will be described below.
Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a direction may be defined with respect to a dust bin 170 and a battery housing 180 that are placed with their bottom (underside) on the ground.
As used herein, the term "front" may refer to a direction in which a suction unit 120 is disposed with respect to the suction motor 140, and the term "rear" may refer to a direction in which the handle 160 is disposed. Also, when viewing the suction unit 120 from the suction motor 140, a direction to the right may be referred to as right side, and a direction to the left may be referred to as left side. Moreover, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, an upper side and a lower side may be defined along the direction perpendicular to the ground, with respect to the dust bin 170 and the battery housing 180 that are placed with their bottom (underside) on the ground.
The cleaner 1 may include a cleaner body 100. The cleaner body 100 may include a body housing 110, a suction unit 120, a dust separation unit 130, a suction motor 140, an air discharge cover 140, a handle 160, a dust bin 170, a battery housing 180, and a battery 190.
The body housing 110 may form an exterior of the cleaner body 100. The body housing 110 may provide a space for accommodating the suction motor 140 and a filter (not shown) inside. The body housing 110 may be configured in a cylinder-like shape.
The suction unit 120 may protrude outward from the body housing 110. For example, the suction unit 120 may be formed in the shape of a cylinder that is hollow inside. The suction unit 120 may be coupled to the extension wand 200. The suction unit 120 may provide a channel (hereinafter, referred to as "suction channel") through which dust-containing air can flow.
The dust separation unit 130 is a component that communicates to the suction unit 120 and applies the principle of a dust collector using centrifugal force, in order to separate the dust sucked into the cleaner body 100 through the suction unit 120. A space inside the dust separation unit 130 may communicate to a space inside the dust bin 170.
For example, the dust separation unit 130 may have at least one cyclone unit capable of separating dust by a cyclonic flow. Also, the space within the dust separation unit 130 may communicate to the suction channel. Accordingly, the air and dust sucked up through the suction unit 120 flow spirally along an inner peripheral surface of the dust separation unit 130. Thus, a cyclonic flow may be generated in the space inside the dust separation unit 130.
The suction motor 140 may generate a suction force for sucking up air. The suction motor 140 may be accommodated within the body housing 110. The suction motor 140 may generate a suction force by rotation. For example, the suction motor 140 may be provided in a cylinder-like shape.
The air discharge cover 140 may be disposed on one side in an axial direction of the body housing 110. A filter for filtering air may be accommodated in the air discharge cover 150. For example, a HEPA filter may be accommodated in the air discharge cover 140.
The handle 160 may be gripped by the user. The handle 160 may be disposed at the rear of the suction motor 140. For example, the handle 160 may be formed in a cylinder-like shape. Alternatively, the handle 160 may be formed in the shape of a bent cylinder. The handle 160 may be disposed at a predetermined angle to the body housing 110 or the suction motor 140 or the dust separation unit 130.
The handle 160 may include a gripping unit 161 formed in the shape of a column, a first extension connected to one end in a lengthwise direction (axial direction) of the gripping unit 161 and extending toward the suction motor 140, and a second extension connected to the other end in the lengthwise direction (axial direction) of the gripping unit 161.
An upper surface of the handle 160 may form part of the exterior of an upper surface of the cleaner 1.
A manipulation part 165 may be disposed on the handle 160. The manipulation part 165 may be disposed on a sloping surface formed in an upper region of the handle 160. The user may enter an instruction for operating or stopping the cleaner 1 through the manipulation part 165.
The dust bin 170 may communicate to the dust separation unit 130. The dust bin 170 may store the dust separated by the dust separation unit 130.
The dust bin 170 may include a dust bin body 171.
The dust bin body 171 may provide a space for storing the dust separated by the dust separation unit 130. For example, the dust bin body 171 may be formed in a cylinder-like shape.
For example, a lower surface of the dust bin body 171 may be provided to be openable. In this case, a discharge cover 172 may be provided on the lower surface of the dust bin body 171, so that the lower surface of the dust bin body 171 may be selectively opened.
Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the dust bin 170 may further include a dust bin compression lever 173 and a compressor 174.
The dust bin compressor lever 173 may be disposed on the outside of the dust bin 170 or the dust separation unit 130. The dust bin compression lever 173 may be configured to move up and down on the outside of the dust bin 170 or the dust separation unit 130. The dust bin compression lever 173 may be connected to the compressor 174. When the dust bin compression lever 173 is moved downward by an external force, the compressor 174 may also be moved downward. Therefore, it is possible to provide user convenience. The compressor 174 and the dust bin compression lever 173 may return to the original positions by an elastic member (not shown). Specifically, when the external force applied to the dust bin compression lever 173 is eliminated, the elastic member may move the dust bin compression lever 173 and the compressor 174 upward.
The compressor 174 may be disposed inside the dust bin body 171. The compressor 174 may move in an internal space of the dust bin body 171. Specifically, the compressor 174 may move up and down within the dust bin body 171. Therefore, the compressor may compress downward the dust in the dust bin body 171. Also, when the discharge cover 172 is separated from the dust bin body 171 and thus a lower part of the dust bin 170 is opened, the compressor 174 may move down from an upper part of the dust bin 170 and remove foreign substances such as dust remaining in the dust bin 170. Therefore, it is possible to improve the suction force of the cleaner by ensuring that there is no dust remaining in the dust bin 170. Moreover, it is possible to eliminate bad odors caused by the residue by ensuring that there is no dust remaining in the dust bin 170.
The battery housing 180 may accommodate a battery 190. The battery housing 180 may be disposed under the handle 160.
For example, the battery housing 180 may have a hexahedral shape whose bottom is open. A rear side of the battery housing 180 may be connected to the handle 160. In this case, the battery housing 180 may include an accommodating portion that opens downward. With this configuration, the battery 190 may be attached or detached through the accommodating portion of the battery housing 180.
As another example, the battery housing 180 may be provided integrally with the battery 190 accommodated therein.
The battery 190 is a component for supplying power to the cleaner 1. Specifically, the battery 190 may supply power to the suction motor 140 and supply power to electronic circuits, electronic parts, etc. through a wire embedded in the cleaner 1.
Moreover, the battery 190 may supply power to the cleaning module 300.
In a case where the battery 190 is coupled to the battery housing 180, a lower surface of the battery 190 may be exposed externally. Since the battery 190 may be placed on the floor when the cleaner 1 is put down on the floor, the battery 190 may be separated immediately from the battery housing 180. Also, because the lower surface of the battery 190 is externally exposed and the battery 190 makes direct contact with outside air, the cooling performance of the battery 190 may be improved.
Meanwhile, in a case where the battery 190 is fixed integrally to the battery housing 180, the structure for attaching and detaching the battery 190 and the battery housing 180 may be downsized, and therefore the cleaner 1 may be reduced in overall size and made lightweight.
The cleaner 1 may include an extension wand 200.
The extension wand 200 may be coupled to the cleaner body 100 and the cleaning module 300.
For example, the extension wand 200 may be formed in a long cylindrical shape. Thus, an internal space of the extension wand 200 may communicate to an internal space of the cleaning module 300. Also, the extension wand 200 may communicate to a suction channel formed in the suction unit 120 of the cleaner body 100.
When a suction force is generated through the suction motor 140, the suction force may be provided to the cleaning module 300 through the suction unit 120 and the extension wand 200. Accordingly, outside dust and air may be introduced into the cleaner body 100 through the cleaning module 300 and the extension wand 200. Also, the dust and air introduced through the cleaning module 300 may pass through the extension wand 200 and then enter the cleaner body 100. Then, the dust and air that has entered the cleaner body 100 and passed through the suction unit 120 may be separated by the dust separation unit 130, and then the dust may be stored in the dust bin 170 and the air may be discharged to the outside through the air discharge cover 150.
Meanwhile, the extension wand 200 may have an electric wire embedded therein. Accordingly, the cleaner body 100 and the cleaning module 300 may be electrically connected through the extension wand 200.
FIGS. 4 to 7 illustrate views for explaining a cleaning module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, a cleaning module 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a module housing 310 and a connecting tube 380 connected movably to the module housing 310.
The cleaning module 300 of this embodiment may be used by being connected to a handy cleaner, for example.
That is, the cleaning module 300 may be detachably connected to the cleaner body 100 or the extension wand 200. Accordingly, the user may clean the floor by using the cleaning module 300 as it is connected to the cleaner body 100 or the extension wand 200. At this time, the cleaner body 100 to which the cleaning module 300 is connected may separate dust in air by a multi-cyclonic system.
The cleaning module 300 may operate with power supplied from the cleaner body 100. Specifically, the cleaning module 300 may operate with power supplied from the battery 190 of the cleaner body 100.
Since the cleaner body 100 to which the cleaning module 300 is connected includes the suction motor 140, a suction force generated by the suction motor 140 is exerted on the cleaning module 300, allowing the cleaning module 300 to suck up foreign substances and air from the floor.
Accordingly, in this embodiment, the cleaning module 300 may perform the role of sucking up foreign substances from the floor and guiding them to the cleaner 1.
The connecting tube 380 may be connected to a rear center part of the module housing 310 and guide the sucked air to the cleaner body 100, but is not limited to this.
To help understanding with the definitions of the directions in this embodiment, in the cleaning module 300, a portion of the cleaning module 300 where the connecting tube 380 is connected may be referred to as the back (rearward) of the cleaning module 300, and a portion opposite to the connecting tube 380 may be referred to as front (forward) of the cleaning module 300.
Moreover, when viewing a suction port 313a from the connecting tube 380, the left side of a channel forming portion 313 may be referred to as the left (left-hand) side of the cleaning module 300, and the right side of the channel forming portion 313 may be referred to as the right (right-hand) side of the cleaning module 300. In addition, a direction in which the left side and the right side are connected -may be referred to as lateral. The term "lateral" may mean a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction in a horizontal plane.
Further, with respect to the cleaning module 300 placed on the floor, that is, a mop 350 placed on the floor and ready to sweep the floor, a direction toward the floor may be referred to as a lower side or a bottom, and a direction away from the floor may be referred to as an upper side or a top.
The cleaning module 300 may further include a rotary cleaning unit 340 which is rotatably provided on a lower side of the module housing 310.
For example, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be provided in a pair and arranged in a lateral direction. At this time, the pair of rotary cleaning units 340 may be rotated independently. For example, the rotary cleaning units 340 may include a first rotary cleaning unit 341 and a second rotary cleaning unit 342.
The rotary cleaning unit 340 may be coupled to the mop 350. The mop 350 may be formed in a disc shape, for example. The mop 350 may include a first mop 351 and a second mop 352.
When the mop 350 is placed on the floor, the mop 350 comes into close contact with the floor by the load of the cleaning module 300, which may increase frictional force between the mop 350 and the floor.
The module housing 310 may form the exterior of the cleaning module 300 and have a suction port 313a for sucking up air. The suction port 313a may be formed at the front end of a lower surface of the module housing 310, for example. The suction port 313a may be formed to extend laterally in the module housing 310.
The module housing 310 may include a lower housing 311 and an upper housing 312 coupled to an upper side of the lower housing 311.
The lower housing 311 may be fitted with the rotary cleaning unit 340 and form the exterior of the cleaning module 300.
The lower housing 311 may have the suction port 313a.
The lower housing 311 may have a board installation part where a printed circuit board 390 for controlling a mop driving motor 370 is installed. For example, the board installation part may be formed in the shape of a hook that extends upward from the lower housing 311.
Although not limited thereto, the board installation part may be positioned on one side of the channel forming portion 313 in the lower housing 311. For example, the printed circuit board 390 may be disposed contiguous to a first manipulation part 391 and a second manipulation part 392. Accordingly, a switch installed on the printed circuit board 390 may sense manipulations of the first manipulation part 391 and the second manipulation part 392.
The lower housing 311 may have a nozzle hole (not shown) for a diffuser 337 to penetrate through. Through the nozzle hole (not shown), water or steam (vapor) that has passed through a steam generator 336 and the diffuser 337 may be supplied to the mop 350.
The upper housing 312 may cover the upper side of the lower housing 311 and form the exterior of the cleaning module 300 of the present disclosure.
Moreover, the module housing 310 may further include a channel forming portion 313 which forms a channel that communicates to the suction port 313a, for directing air introduced from the suction port 313a to the cleaner body 100.
The channel forming portion 313 may be coupled to an upper center part of the lower housing 311, and an end thereof may be connected to the connecting tube 380.
Accordingly, the suction port 313a may extend in a roughly linear shape in a longitudinal direction by the placement of the channel forming portion 313, thereby minimizing the length of the suction port 313a and, as a result, minimizing channel loss at the cleaning module 300.
A front part of the channel forming portion 313 may cover an upper side of the suction port 313a. The channel forming portion 313 may be configured to slope upward from the front end toward the rear.
Accordingly, the channel forming portion 313 may be formed in such a way that the front part is shorter in height than the back part.
According to this embodiment, since the front part of the channel forming portion 313 is shorter in height, the height of the front part of the cleaning module 300 may be reduced, out of the entire height of the cleaning module 300. The smaller the height of the cleaning module 300, the more likely it is to be put into a narrow space beneath furniture, chairs, etc. and perform cleaning.
A blocker 314 is disposed on an underside of the lower housing 311. The blocker 314 may prevent moisture released from the mop 350 from spreading to the suction port 313a by blocking a front space where the suction port 313a is disposed and a rear space where the mop 350 is disposed. For example, the blocker 314 may include a center portion 314a and an extension portion 314b. At this time, a pair of extension portions 314b may be symmetrically connected to opposite ends with respect to the center portion 314a. Also, the center portion 314a may be disposed at the rear of the suction port 313a and prevent moisture from flowing toward the suction port 313a. Also, the extension portion 314b may be provided in an arc shape so as to surround a circular mop 350.
A plurality of rollers may be provided on a lower side of the lower housing 311 to facilitate the movement of the cleaning module 300.
For example, a front roller 315 may be positioned in front of the mop 315 in the lower housing 311. The front roller 315 may include a first roller 315a and a second roller 315b. The first roller 315a and the second roller 315b may be laterally spaced apart from each other.
The first roller 315a and the second roller 315b may be rotatably connected to shafts, respectively. The shafts may be fixed to the lower side of the lower housing 311 while configured to extend laterally.
The distance between the shaft and the front end of the lower housing 311 is longer than a minimum distance between the mop 350 and the front end of the lower housing 311.
For example, at least part of the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be positioned between the shaft of the first roller 315a and the shaft of the second roller 315b.
With this configuration, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be positioned as close to the suction port 313a as possible, and the area cleaned by the rotary cleaning unit 340, out of the floor where the cleaning module 300 is positioned, may be increased, thereby improving the floor cleaning performance.
In this embodiment, since the first roller 315a and the second roller 315b are coupled to the lower side of the lower housing 311, the mobility of the cleaning module 300 may be improved.
A third roller 316 may be further provided on the lower side of the lower housing 311. Thus, the first roller 315a and the second roller 315b, along with the third roller 316, may support the cleaning module 300 from three points. In this case, the third roller 316 may be positioned at the rear of the mop 350 so as not to interfere with the mop 350.
A cooling air intake opening 317 and a cooling air discharge opening 318 may be formed in the module housing 310.
The lower housing 311 may have a cooling air intake opening 317. Outside air may be admitted into the module housing 310 through the cooling air intake opening 317. Also, the cooling air intake opening 317 may be formed on a front sidewall of the lower housing 311. With this configuration, when the cleaning module 300 is moved forward by user manipulation, the amount of air admitted may be increased.
The upper housing 312 may have a cooling air discharge opening 318. The air in the module housing 310 may be discharged through the cooling air discharge opening 318. Also, the cooling air discharge opening 318 may be formed on both lateral sidewalls of the upper housing 312. With this configuration, the air admitted through the cooling air intake opening 317 may be directed to pass through the mop driving motor 370 in the course of flowing to the cooling air discharge opening 318, and overheating of the mop driving motor 370 may be prevented.
Also, the cooling air discharge opening 318 may be located farther away from the ground than the cooling air intake opening 317, with respect to the lower housing 311 placed on the ground than the cooling air intake opening 317. With this configuration, the air heated inside the module housing 310 may rise and be effectively discharged to the cooling air discharge opening 318. The cleaning module 300 may further include a water tank 320 so as to supply moisture to the mop 350.
The water tank 320 may be separably connected to the module housing 310. Specifically, the water tank 320 may be fitted to a water container mounting portion formed in the upper housing 312.
Moreover, the water tank 320 may be disposed in an upper part of the steam generator 336. Specifically, the water tank 320 is configured to be spaced apart from the steam generator 336 in an upper part of the steam generator 336. That is, the water tank 320 may be disposed in an upper part of the steam generator 336, with the upper housing 112 therebetween.
With the water tank 320 mounted on the module housing 310, the water tank 320 may form the exterior of the cleaning module 300.
Substantially, an entire upper sidewall of the water tank 320 may form the exterior of an upper surface of the cleaning module 300. Accordingly, the user can visually check if the water tank 320 is mounted on the module housing 310.
The module housing 310 may further include a water tank separation button which is manipulated to separate the water tank 320, while the water tank 320 is mounted on the module housing 310. For example, the water tank separation button may be positioned at a center part of the cleaning module 300. Accordingly, the user can easily recognize the water tank separation button and manipulate the water tank separation button.
With the water tank 320 mounted on the module housing 310, the water in the water tank 320 may be supplied to the mop 350.
Specifically, a space for storing water is formed inside the water tank 320. The water stored in the water tank 320 may be supplied to the steam generator 336 through at least one tube (hose). The water introduced into the steam generator 336 may be heated, and also may turn into a steam (vapor) state according to the user's selection. The water heated by the steam generator 336 may be supplied to the mop 350 through the diffuser 337.
The water tank 320 includes a water supply inlet. The water supply inlet is an opening through which water is admitted into the water tank 320. For example, the water supply inlet may be formed on a side of the water tank 320.
The water tank 320 includes a drainage outlet. The drainage outlet is an opening through which the water stored in the water tank 320 is discharged. The water discharged from the drainage outlet may flow to the steam generator 336. The drainage outlet may be formed on a lower surface of the water tank 320.
The water tank 320 includes an air hole. The air hole is a hole through which air can be admitted into the water tank 320. When the water stored in the water tank 320 is discharged to the outside, the pressure inside the water tank 320 drops, and air may be admitted into the water tank 320 through the air hole in order to compensate for the pressure drop. For example, the air hole may be formed at an upper end of the water tank 320. The cleaning module 300 of the present disclosure may further include a moisture supply portion 330 having a channel through which the water admitted from the water tank 320 is supplied to the mop 350.
Specifically, the moisture supply portion 330 may include a water tank connecting portion 331 which admits the water in the water tank 320 into the module housing 310, a water intake tube 332 which supplies the water admitted into the water tank connecting portion 331 to a water pump 333, a guiding tube 334 which supplies the water in the water pump 333 to a T-shaped connector, and a water supply tube 335 which supplies the water admitted into the connector to the steam generator 336.
The water tank connecting portion 331 may actuate a valve (not shown) in the water tank 320, and may have water flow therethrough.
The water tank connecting portion 331 may be coupled to a lower side of the upper housing 312, and may partially penetrate through the upper housing 312 and protrude upward.
Once the water tank 320 is mounted on the upper housing 312, the upward-protruding water tank connecting portion 331 may pass through the outlet of the water tank 320 and be drawn into the water tank 320.
The upper housing 312 may have a sealer for preventing the water discharged from the water tank 320 from leaking around the water tank connecting portion 331. The sealer may be formed of a rubber material, for example, and may be coupled to the upper housing 312, on an upper side of the upper housing 312.
The upper housing 312 may be fitted with a water pump 333 for controlling the discharge of water from the water tank 320.
The water pump 333 may provide water flowing force. The water pump 333 may include a first connecting port to which the water intake tube 332 is connected and a second connecting port to which the guiding tube 334 is connected. In this case, with respect to the water pump 333, the first connecting port may be an entrance, and the second connecting port may be an exit.
The water pump 333 is a pump that expands or contracts as an internal valve body is actuated, causing the first connecting port and the second connecting port to communicate, and this may be implemented by a well-known structure, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The water supply tube 335 may connect the connector and a water intake opening 336b of the steam generator 336. For example, the water supply tube 335 may be a pair of tubes that branch off the connector.
Accordingly, the water supplied to the water intake tube 332 is drawn into the water pump 333 and then flows into the guiding tube 334. The water that has flowed into the guiding tube 334 flows to the water supply tube 335 by means of the connector. Also, the water that has flowed into the water supply tube 335 may be supplied to the steam generator 336.
The steam generator 336 is a device that heats water. The steam generator 336 is disposed within the module housing 310. Specifically, the steam generator 336 is installed on an upper surface of the lower housing 311.
The steam generator 336 includes a heating chamber 336a, the water intake opening 336b, and a moisture discharge opening 336c.
A flow channel is formed inside the heating chamber 336a, through which the water admitted from the water tank 320 may flow. The heating chamber 336a may heat water by power supplied from the battery 190 and/or the auxiliary battery 500. The heating chamber 336a may adjust water temperature according to the user's control. Also, the heating chamber 336a may change water into a steam (vapor) state.
The water intake opening 336b may be a hole formed at the entrance of the heating chamber 336a. The water stored in the water tank 320 may be admitted into the steam generator 336 through the water intake opening 336b.
The moisture discharge opening 336c may be a hole formed at the exit of the heating chamber 336a. Water or steam may be discharged from the steam generator 336 through the moisture discharge opening 336c. The moisture discharge opening 336c may be connected to the diffuser 337.
Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, the steam generator 336 may be configured to slope. Specifically, the heating chamber 336a may be configured to be inclined at a predetermined angle to the ground (floor).
For example, the rear end of the heating chamber 336a may be positioned higher than the front end of the heating chamber 336a. That is, the steam generator 336 has a backward and upward slope. Accordingly, water may be heated as it flows from a rear upper part of the steam generator 336 to a front lower part thereof.
Meanwhile, the water intake opening 336b may be disposed at the rear end of the heating chamber 335a, and the moisture discharge opening 336c may be disposed at the front end of the heating chamber 336a. That is, with respect to the lower housing 311 placed on the floor (ground), the water intake opening 336b may be located farther away from the floor (ground) than the moisture discharge opening 336c. Accordingly, the water is heated as it flows down from top by gravity, and even if the water rises as it turns into a steam state, the water may be discharged to the moisture discharge opening 336c by the flowing force of the water. The diffuser 337 may be configured to discharge the water in the water tank 320 to the mop 350.
The diffuser 337 may be accommodated in a space formed inside the module housing 310. The diffuser 337 may be connected to the steam generator 336 and discharge the moisture heated in the steam generator 336 to the mop 350.
For example, the diffuser 337 may be fitted as a pair to the module housing 310 and arranged laterally. Also, the pair of diffusers 337 arranged laterally may be formed in a symmetrical fashion (mirror image).
In this embodiment the diffuser 337 may internally have a diffusion channel through which moisture can flow, and includes a nozzle from which the moisture that has flowed through the diffusion channel is discharged to the mop.
For example, the diffuser 337 may be formed in an arc shape, and have a plurality of nozzles arranged at predetermined intervals. With this configuration, the diffuser 337 may supply moisture stably to the disc-shaped mop 350.
As another example, the diffuser 337 may be formed in a ring shape, and have a plurality of nozzles arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction. In this case, the mop driving motor 370 may be disposed inside the ring-shaped diffuser. With this configuration, the diffuser 337 may quickly supply moisture to the entire disc-shaped mop 250.
The water sprayed from the diffuser 337 passes through a water passage hole formed in the rotary cleaning unit 340 and is then supplied to the mop 350. The mop 350 sweeps the floor as it rotates while having absorbed the water supplied through the diffuser 337.
The rotary cleaning unit 340 may rotate by power transmitted from the mop driving motor 370. For example, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be a rotating plate. The rotary cleaning unit 340 may be formed in a disc shape and have the mop 350 attached to a lower side.
The rotary cleaning unit 340 may be positioned at the rear of the suction port 313a on the lower side of the module housing 310, for example.
Accordingly, when cleaning while moving the cleaning module 300 forward, the floor may be swept with the mop 350 after foreign substances and air are sucked up from the floor by the suction port 313a.
For example, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may include a first rotary cleaning unit 341 connected to the first mop driving motor 371, to which the first mop 351 is attached, and a second rotary cleaning unit 342 connected to the second mop driving motor 372, to which the second mop 352 is attached.
Specifically, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may include a circular ring-shaped outer body, an inner body positioned in a central area of the outer body and spaced apart from an inner peripheral surface of the outer body, and a plurality of connecting ribs which connect an outer peripheral surface of the inner body and the inner peripheral surface of the outer body.
Moreover, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may include a plurality of water passage holes formed in a circumferential direction in order to supply the water discharged through the diffuser 337 to the mop 350.
Meanwhile, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may include an attaching means for attaching the mop 350. The attaching means may be a Velcro, for example.
The rotary cleaning unit 340 may be disposed on the lower side of the lower housing 311. That is, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be disposed on the outside of the module housing 310.
In addition, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be connected to the mop driving motor 370 to get power. For example, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be connected to the mop driving motor 370 through at least one gear and be rotated by the operation of the mop driving motor 370.
The rotary cleaning unit 340 may include a first rotary cleaning unit 341 and a second rotary cleaning unit 342.
In this embodiment, the center of rotation of the first rotary cleaning unit 341 and the center of rotation of the second rotary cleaning unit 342 are configured to be laterally spaced apart.
The center of rotation of the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be positioned farther away from the front end of the module housing 310 than a central axis that divides the front-back length of the module housing 310 into two halves. This is to prevent the rotary cleaning unit 340 from blocking the suction port 313a.
The distance between the center of rotation of the first rotary cleaning unit 341 and the center of rotation of the second rotary cleaning unit 342 may be greater than the diameter of the mop 350. This is to reduce friction against each other caused by mutual interference in the course of rotation of the first mop 351 and the second mop 352 and to prevent a decrease in cleaning surface area by the amount of interference.
The mop 350 may sweep the floor by rotating motion. The mop 350 may be coupled to a lower side of the rotary cleaning unit 340 so as to face the floor. The mop 350 may be configured such that a floor-facing bottom has a predetermined surface area, and the mop 350 is flattened in shape. The mop 350 is formed such that the vertical height thereof is sufficiently greater than the horizontal width (or diameter) thereof. When the mop 350 is coupled to the lower housing 311, the bottom of the mop 350 may be parallel to the floor. The bottom of the mop 350 may be roughly circular in shape, and the mop 350 may be entirely rotationally symmetrical.
Moreover, the mop 350 may be attached to and detached from the bottom of the rotary cleaning unit 340, and may be coupled to the rotary cleaning unit 340 and rotate with the rotary cleaning unit 340.
With the rotary cleaning unit 340 being coupled to the lower side of the module housing 310, the mop 350 may partially protrude outward of the cleaning module 300, whereby the floor located outward of the cleaning module 300, as well as the floor located downward of the cleaning module 300, may be cleaned.
For example, the mop 350 may protrude to both sides of the cleaning module 300 and also may protrude rearward thereof.
The mop 350 may include a first mop 351 coupled to the first rotary cleaning unit 341 and a second mop 352 coupled to the second rotary cleaning unit 342. Accordingly, when the first rotary cleaning unit 341 rotates by power transmitted from the first mop driving motor 371, the first mop 351 may rotate too, and when the second rotary cleaning unit 342 rotates by power transmitted from the second mop driving motor 372, the second mop 352 may rotate too.
Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the cleaning module 300 may further include a light-emitting module 360.
The light-emitting module 360 allows for detecting foreign substances or microorganisms present in front of the cleaning module 300 by radiating light forwardly of the cleaning module 300.
The light-emitting module 360 may be disposed at the front of the module housing 310. For example, the light-emitting module 360 may be disposed at the front of the lower housing 311, and a plurality of them may be disposed in a lateral direction. In this case, the light-emitting module 360 may be disposed at the rear of the cooing air intake opening 317. With this configuration, the light-emitting module 360 may be cooled by the air coming from the cooling air intake opening 317.
Meanwhile, the light-emitting module 360 may include a light-emitting member and a diffusion plate.
The light-emitting member may radiate light forward or downward. For example, the light-emitting member may be composed of a plurality of LEDs.
In this case, the light radiated by the light-emitting member may be visible rays, and in some embodiments, may be infrared rays (IR) or ultraviolet rays (UV).
With this configuration, when the light-emitting member is activated, the presence of foreign substances or microorganisms in front of the cleaning module 300 may be detected, and the foreign substances or microorganisms present in front of the cleaning module 300 may be removed, thereby improving sanitation.
Moreover, the diffusion plate may be disposed at the front of the light-emitting member and diffuse light radiated from the light-emitting member. Meanwhile, the cleaning module 300 may further include a mop driving motor 370 which provides power for rotating the mop 350 and the rotary cleaning unit 340.
Specifically, the mop driving motor 370 may include a first mop driving motor 371 which rotates the first rotary cleaning unit 341 and a second mop driving motor 372 which rotates the second rotary cleaning unit 342.
As such, the first mop driving motor 371 and the second mop driving motor 372 operate individually, and therefore even if there is trouble with one of the first mop driving motor 371 and the second mop driving motor 372, the rotary cleaning unit 340 may be rotated by the other.
Meanwhile, the first mop driving motor 371 and the second mop driving motor 372 may be arranged to be spaced apart laterally of the module housing 310. Also, the first mop driving motor 371 and the second mop driving motor 372 may be positioned at the rear of the suction port 313a.
The mop driving motor 370 may be disposed within the module housing 310. For example, the mop driving motor 370 may be mounted on the upper side of the lower housing 311 and covered by the upper housing 312. That is, the mop driving motor 370 may be positioned between the lower housing 311 and the upper housing 312.
Meanwhile, the cleaning module 300 includes a connecting tube 380 to be coupled to the cleaner body 100 or the extension wand 200.
The connecting tube 380 may be connected to an end of the channel forming portion 313 and have a tubular shape, a lower part of which functioning like a joint, and, while the cleaning module 300 is placed on the ground, the angle between a second connecting tube 382 and the ground may be changed by the user's arm movement. An upper part of the connecting tube 380 is detachably coupled by insertion of the cleaner body 100 or the extension wand 200.
Meanwhile, in this embodiment, an auxiliary battery housing 400 may be coupled to an upper part of the connecting tube 380. Specifically, the auxiliary battery housing 400 may penetrate into and be coupled to an upper part of the connecting tube 380. Although not shown, a ridge to which a connecting tube fixing portion 423 of the auxiliary battery housing 400 is coupled may be provided at an upper part of the connecting tube 380.
Meanwhile, a wire 475 may be embedded in the connecting tube 380 to send an electric current and control signals applied from the battery 190 of the cleaner body 100 or the auxiliary battery 500 to the cleaning module 300.
Meanwhile, the connecting tube 380 may have a flow channel inside so that the air sucked up by the cleaning module 300 flows to the extension wand 200 and/or the cleaner body 100. In this case, the connecting tube 380 may deform with rotation of the connecting tube 380. For example, the guiding tube may be formed in the form of a corrugated tube (bellows).
The connecting tube 380 may have a supporting projection 385. The supporting projection 385 may be disposed at the rear of the connecting tube 380 with respect to the connecting tube 380 standing perpendicular to the ground. Alternatively, the supporting projection 385 may be disposed on a lower side of the connecting tube 380, with the connecting tube 380 being parallel to the ground or inclined at a predetermined angle to the ground.
The supporting projection 385 includes a protrusion and a support. The protrusion may protrude from an outer peripheral surface of the second connecting tube 382, and the support may be formed in the shape of a plate perpendicular to the protrusion.
When the cleaner body 100 is placed down on the ground (floor), the support may support the connecting tube 380 by making contact with the ground. With this configuration, when the cleaner 100 is placed down, the connecting tube 380 and/or the extension wand 200 may be stably supported, and damage to the connecting tube 380 and/or the extension wand 200 may be prevented.
Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the supporting projection 385 may be inserted into a guide hole 422 of the auxiliary battery housing 400. With this configuration, the coupling positions of the connecting tube 380 and the auxiliary battery housing 400 may be guided, and the auxiliary battery housing 400 may be stably fixed to the connecting tube 380.
Meanwhile, the cleaning module 300 may include a printed circuit board 390 where a module controller (not shown) for controlling the cleaning module 300 is disposed. An electric current may be applied to the printed circuit board 390, and a communication line may be disposed there.
Control of the printed circuit board 390 and the controller will be described later.
In this case, the printed circuit board 390 may be cooled by the air admitted through the cooling air intake opening 317 and discharged through the cooling air discharge opening 318.
Meanwhile, the module housing 310 may further include a first manipulation unit 391 for regulating the amount of water discharged from the water tank 320. For example, the first manipulation unit 391 may be positioned on a rear side of the module housing 310.
The first manipulation unit 391 may be manipulated by the user, and water may be discharged from the water tank 320 or may not be discharged therefrom, by the manipulation of the first manipulation unit 391. Alternatively, the amount of water discharged from the water tank 320 may be regulated by the first manipulation unit 391. For example, it is possible to discharge a first amount of water per unit time from the water tank 320 or a second amount of water per unit time which is larger than the first amount, by the user's manipulation of the first manipulation unit 391.
The first manipulation unit 391 may be provided on the module housing 310 in such a way as to pivot laterally, or, in some embodiments, to pivot vertically.
For example, when the first manipulation unit 391 is in a neutral position, the amount of water discharged is zero, and the first amount of water per unit time may be discharged from the water tank 320 by pushing the left side of the first manipulation unit 391 to make the first manipulation unit 391 pivot to the left. Also, the second amount of water per unit time may be discharged from the water tank 320 by pushing the right side of the first manipulation unit 391 to make the first manipulation unit 391 pivot to the right.
The auxiliary battery housing 400 may be detachably coupled to the cleaning module 300, and the auxiliary battery 500 may be detachably coupled.
Hereinafter, the auxiliary battery housing and the coupling thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11.
The auxiliary battery housing 400 may be coupled to the connecting tube 380 of the cleaning module 300, and may detachably accommodate the auxiliary battery 500 inside. With the auxiliary battery housing 400 being coupled to the cleaning module 300, the auxiliary battery housing 400 may be disposed between the extension wand 200 and the cleaning module 300.
The auxiliary battery housing 400 may include an auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410, a coupling portion 420, and a power connecting portion (not shown).
The auxiliary battery 500 may be detachably coupled to the auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410. The auxiliary battery 500 may be detachably accommodated inside the auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410.
Specifically, the auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410 may include an accommodating portion body 411, an auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412, a terminal 413, a ridge 414, and a fastening hole 415.
In this case, the accommodating portion body 411 may have an auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412, and the terminal 413 may be provided inside the accommodating portion body 411. Also, the ridge 414 and the fastening hole 415 may be formed on both sides of the accommodating portion body 411.
The accommodating portion body 411 forms the exterior of the auxiliary battery housing 400, and is provided in such a way that the auxiliary battery 500 is accommodated inside it. For example, the accommodating portion body 411 may be formed in a shape close to a rectangular column, with four curved corners. Also, one end of the accommodating portion body 411 along the axis may be made hollow inside to accommodate the auxiliary battery 500, and the other end of the accommodating portion body 411 along the axis may be made to become gradually narrower in lateral width so as to be connected to the coupling portion 420. With this configuration, the accommodating portion body 411 may minimize the overall volume and weight while accommodating the auxiliary battery 500 inside. The auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 may accommodate the auxiliary battery 500. The auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 may be formed corresponding in shape to an auxiliary battery body 510 so that the auxiliary battery body 510 is fitted therein. For example, the longitudinal diameter of the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 may be equal to or greater than the longitudinal diameter of the battery body 510. Also, the lateral diameter of the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 may be equal to or greater than the lateral diameter of the battery body 510. Also, the curvature of a sidewall of the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 may be equal to the curvature of an outer surface of the battery body 510 facing that sidewall.
Meanwhile, the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 may be formed to have a sidewall with a sloping surface of a predetermined angle while the auxiliary battery housing 400 is coupled to the connecting tube 380. In this case, an entrance of the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 through which the auxiliary battery 500 is inserted may be open in such a way as to slope upward at a predetermined angle with respect to the ground.
Accordingly, the auxiliary battery 500 may be inserted into and coupled to the auxiliary battery housing 400 in such a way as to slope downward. Specifically, the direction in which the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 is formed may form an angle of 0 to 90 degrees with the axial direction of the extension wand 200.
The terminal 413 may be provided at a lower end of the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412. That is, the terminal 413 may be disposed at a part of the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412 farthest away from the entrance through which the auxiliary battery 500 is inserted. With this configuration, when the auxiliary battery 500 is coupled to the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 412, a terminal provided at an electrical connecting portion 540 of the auxiliary battery 500 may make contact with the terminal 412.
The ridge 414 may be hooked to the auxiliary battery 500. The ridge 414 may be formed on one lateral side of the accommodating portion body 411. A second coupling button 520 of the auxiliary battery 500 may be coupled to the ridge 414. In this case, a first button portion 521 may be held against and supported by the ridge 414, and a first hook 522 may be hooked to it.
The fastening hole 415 may be hooked to the auxiliary battery 500. The fastening hole 415 may be formed on the other lateral side of the accommodating portion body 411. A second coupling button 530 of the auxiliary battery 500 may be coupled to the fastening hole 415. In this case, a second hook 532 may be hooked to the fastening hole 415.
Accordingly, when the auxiliary battery 500 is inserted into the auxiliary battery accommodating recess 411, the ridge 414 and the fastening hole 415 may be hooked to the auxiliary battery 500, thereby preventing the auxiliary battery 500 from falling out. The coupling portion 420 may be coupled to the cleaning module 300.
Specifically, the coupling portion 420 includes a coupling portion body 421, a guide hole 422, and a connecting tube fixing hook 423.
The connecting tube 380 of the cleaning module 300 may penetrate into and be coupled to the coupling portion body 421. For example, the coupling portion body 421 may be formed in a tubular shape, and a through hole 421a may be formed inside the coupling portion body 421 in order for the connecting tube 380 to penetrate into and be coupled thereto. In this case, the inner diameter of the coupling portion body 421 may be equal to the outer diameter of the connecting tube 380 or larger than the outer diameter of the connecting tube 380. With this configuration, the connecting tube 380 may penetrate into and be accommodated in the coupling portion body 421.
The guide hole 422 may be formed in the coupling portion body 421, and may be formed in the shape of an elongate hole along the axis of the coupling portion body 421. The supporting projection 385 of the connecting tube 380 may be accommodated in the guide hole 422. Thus, when the connecting tube 380 is coupled to the coupling portion 420, the supporting projection 385 may move along the guide hole 422, and the supporting projection 385 may penetrate through the guide hole 422 and be exposed to the outside. With this configuration, the guide hole 422 may guide the coupling of the connecting tube 380 and the coupling portion 420.
The connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be provided at the coupling portion body 421 and hooked to the connecting tube 380, and when an external force is applied, it may be decoupled from the connecting tube 380. For example, the connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be formed in the shape of a long board, and a hook may be formed at one end thereof. Also, a hinge part may be provided in a middle part of the connecting tube fixing portion 423 and hinged to the coupling portion body 421. In this case, the hinge part may have a torsion spring to elastically support the coupling of the connecting tube fixing portion 423 and the connecting tube 380. Also, a button portion for giving guidance to the user about where to press may be provided on the other end of the connecting tube fixing portion 423. With this configuration, the hook of the connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be hooked to the connecting tube 380, and when the user presses the button portion, the connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be decoupled from the connecting tube 380 as it rotates around the hinge part.
The connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be coupled to the coupling portion body 421. Specifically, the connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be hinged to a side of the coupling portion body 421. For example, the hinge part of the connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be coupled to an outer peripheral surface of the coupling portion body 421, and a hook passthrough hole may be formed in the coupling portion body 421 in order for a hook of the coupling portion body 421 to pass therethrough. With this configuration, when the connecting tube 380 is inserted into and coupled to the coupling portion body 421, the hook of the connecting tube fixing portion 423 may be fastened to the connecting tube 380, thereby securely coupling together the coupling portion 420 and the connecting tube 380. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410 may be located farther away from the floor than the coupling portion 420.
That is, if the cleaner body 100 is placed on the floor, with the auxiliary battery 500 being coupled to the auxiliary battery housing 400, and the auxiliary battery housing 400 being coupled to the cleaning module 300, then at least part of the extension wand 200 may be located closer to the floor than the auxiliary battery 500.
In a case where the user sets up the extension wand 200 nearly perpendicular to the cleaning module 300, this allows for self-standing by which the extension wand 200 and the cleaner body 100 can stay perpendicular to the floor.
Meanwhile, a power connecting portion 470 may electrically connect the auxiliary battery 500 and the cleaning module 300. For example, the power connecting portion 470 may include at least two wires 475, and the terminal 413 provided in the auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410 and the terminal provided in the cleaning module 300 may be connected through the wires 475. The power connecting portion 470 is connected to the auxiliary battery 500 through the terminal 413 of the auxiliary battery accommodating portion 410 to get power and have it flow to the cleaning module 300 through the wires 475.
In this case, the power connecting portion 470 may be formed as a circuit board PCB that has a circuit pattern for connection between the terminal 413 and the wires 475 and further includes a plurality of connecting terminals L1, L2, B1, and B2 for connecting directly to the wires 475.
Some L1 and L2 of the plurality of connecting terminals L1, L2, B1, and B2 may be connected to a user interface module 450 to be described later and send and receive a control signal and a selection signal and pass them to the cleaning module 300. Some B1 and B2 of the plurality of connecting terminals L1, L2, B1, and B2 are connected to the terminal 413 and delivers power to the cleaning module 300.
The wires 475 connected to the connecting terminals L1, L2, B1, and B2 include two additional control wires 475 for sending and receiving a control signal, apart from two power wires for transmitting battery power.
The user interface module 450 and the controller of the circuit board 390 of the cleaning module 300 are interconnected via the two control wires 475 to transmit a control signal to the user interface module 450 and output a selection signal from a user selection terminal 455.
This will be described later in further detail.
The power connecting portion 470 may connect the auxiliary battery 500 and the steam generator 336. That is, the battery 190 may supply power to the components of the cleaner 1, including the suction motor 140 and except the steam generator 336, and the auxiliary battery 500 may supply power only to the steam generator 336. With this configuration, the auxiliary battery 500 may supply power directly to the steam generator 336.
Accordingly, the auxiliary battery 500 may supply power stably to the steam generator 336 which requires a relatively large amount of power within a short time.
As shown in FIG. 10, the auxiliary battery body 510 may supply power to the steam generator 336 of the cleaning module 300. The auxiliary battery body 510 may form the exterior of the auxiliary battery 500 and store electrical energy inside. For example, the auxiliary battery body 510 may be a secondary battery.
A first coupling button 520 may be disposed on one side of the auxiliary battery body 510. The first coupling button 520 may be hooked to the ridge 414 of the auxiliary battery housing 400. For example, the first coupling button 520 may include a first button portion 521 and a first hook 522. One end of the first button portion 521 may be connected to one side of the auxiliary battery body 510. In this case, the first button portion 521 may be made of an elastic material. Also, the first hook 522 may be connected to the other end of the first button portion 521, and may protrude in a direction away from the auxiliary battery body 510. The first hook 522 may be hooked to the ridge 414.
With this configuration, when the auxiliary battery 500 is coupled to the auxiliary battery housing 400, the first hook 522 may be hooked to the ridge 414. Then, when the user pulls the auxiliary battery 500 while pressing the first button portion 521, the auxiliary battery 500 may be separated from the auxiliary battery housing 400.
The second coupling button 530 may be disposed on the other side of the auxiliary battery body 510. The second coupling button 530 may be hooked to the fastening hole 415 of the auxiliary battery housing 400. For example, the second coupling button 530 may include a second button portion 531 and a second hook 532. One end of the second button portion 531 may be connected to the other side of the auxiliary battery body 510. In this case, the second button portion 531 may be made of an elastic material. Also, the second hook 532 may be connected to the other end of the second button portion 531, and may protrude in a direction away from the auxiliary battery body 510. The second hook 532 may be hooked to the fastening hole 415.
With this configuration, when the auxiliary battery 500 is coupled to the auxiliary battery housing 400, the second hook 532 may be hooked to the fastening hole 415. Then, when the user pulls the auxiliary battery 500 while pressing the second button portion 531, the auxiliary battery 500 may be separated from the auxiliary battery housing 400.
The electrical connecting portion 540 may be provided on a lower side of the auxiliary battery body 510. If the auxiliary battery 500 is coupled to the auxiliary battery housing 400, the electrical connecting portion 540 may be electrically connected to the terminal 413 of the auxiliary battery housing 400. With this configuration, when the auxiliary battery 500 is coupled to the auxiliary battery housing 400, the power stored in the auxiliary battery 500 may be supplied to the cleaning module 300.
Meanwhile, the auxiliary battery housing 400 includes a user interface module 450 at the front as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 12.
FIG. 12 shows a user interface module 450 of an auxiliary battery housing 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The user interface module 450 may inform the user of the current status of the cleaning module 300 by radiating light of at least two different colors.
To this end, the user interface module 450 may include at least two light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G which emit light of different colors.
The user interface module 450 includes a UI board 460, and includes a user selection terminal 455 mounted on the UI board 460 and at least two light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G that are disposed to surround the user selection terminal 455.
The UI board 460 may be a printed circuit board 390, and has a circuit pattern formed on it, for controlling the user selection terminal 455 and the at least two light-emitting groups 451R and 451G.
The user selection terminal 455 installed on the UI board 460 may receive instructions related to the on and off of the steam generator 336 in relation to the use of the auxiliary battery use 500.
The user selection terminal 455 is exposed to the front 411 of the auxiliary battery housing 400, and protrudes in a particular shape such as rectangular or circular.
The user selection terminal 455 may be provided in the form of a tact switch, and, as the switch of the UI board 460 is turned on upon tactile contact from the user, causing an electrical current to flow and thereby transmitting the user's selection signal.
Meanwhile, the user selection terminal 455 may be formed as a dial type in order to adjust the phase of moisture discharged from the steam generator 336. In the case of dial type, it may be implemented as a circuit whose resistance varies with the angle of rotation of the dial, thereby controlling the amplitude of the selection signal.
Meanwhile, the at least two light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G may be configured as a ring type, surrounding the user selection terminal 455.
The at least two light-emitting diode groups 45 1R and 451G may be formed of a first light-emitting diode group 451R which emits light of a first color and a second light-emitting diode group 451G which emits light of a second color.
The light-emitting diodes in the first light-emitting diode group 451R and the light-emitting diodes in the second light-emitting diode group 451G may alternate to form one ring, but not limited to this, and the light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G may be form their respective rings.
That is, the first light-emitting diode group 451R may be formed on an inner side, and the second light-emitting diode group 451G may be placed to surround the first light-emitting diode group 451R, but is not limited to this.
The individual light-emitting didoes of each light-emitting diode group 451R and 451G thus formed may be connected in series and parallel according to a circuit configuration. That is, a plurality of light-emitting diodes included in one light-emitting diode group 451R and 451G may be connected in series and parallel so as to be simultaneously turned on in response to a received control signal and emit light of the same color.
In this case, the first light-emitting diode group 451R and the second light-emitting diode group 451G may be connected in opposite directions to each other so as to turn on and off in opposite phase.
Accordingly, they are commonly connected to the two terminals L1 and L2 to receive a control signal, and are turned on and off in response to a control signal to inform the user of the status of the cleaning module 300.

In this case, the status of the cleaning module 300 provided in response to a control signal may be informed of as follows.

[Table 1]

Light-emitting diodes	Status	Operation	Concrete example
First light-emitting diode module	Turn on	Normal	Steam output
First light-emitting diode module	Blink	Abnormal	Emergency state-heater, thermistor, thermal circuit breaker, pump failure
Second light-emitting diode module	Turn on	Normal	Steam preheating
Second light-emitting diode module	Blink	Abnormal	Alarm-low battery, overheating temperature (no water)

In this case, the first light-emitting diode group 451R may express the first color, specifically, red, and the second light-emitting diode group 451G may express the second color, specifically, green. As tabulated in Table 1, the controller may provide different status information by continuously turning on the first light-emitting diode group 451R and the second light-emitting diode group 451G or making them blink (flash).
In order to send and receive a control signal and a selection signal in this way, the power connecting portion 470 is disposed at the auxiliary battery housing 400, as explained earlier.
Connections among the power connecting portion 470, the user interface module 450, and the circuit board 390 including the controller of the cleaning module 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 13.
FIG. 13 is a view depicting a connection between a circuit board of the user interface module 450 and a circuit board 390 of the cleaning module 300. FIG. 14 is a simplified circuit diagram of the user interface module 450 of FIG. 12 and a transmission/reception circuit diagram of the circuit board of the cleaning module 300.
Referring to FIG. 13, the printed circuit board 390 mounted on the cleaning module 300 contains a control IC equipped with a controller, and has a terminal for an electrical connection between the control IC and each module or element.
For example, the circuit board of the cleaning module 300 includes a coupling portion to the connecting portion 200 and terminals for connecting to the pump 333, first and second mop driving motors 371 and 372, a light-emitting module 360, a thermistor, heaters 1 and 2, and thermal circuit breakers 1 and 2.
The printed circuit board 390 receives a status signal from each module or diode through each terminal, and correspondingly provides a control signal to each terminal.
In this case, the printed circuit board 390 also includes an auxiliary battery terminal 396 which is connected to the control wires 475 by coupling with the auxiliary battery housing 400.
The auxiliary battery terminal 396 is implemented in two, and the terminals 396 are connected respectively to the control wires 475. Accordingly, the controller may transmit a control signal to each control wire 475 or receive a selection signal, and, to this end, includes an input/output circuit 395 between a transmission port and reception port of the control IC and the auxiliary battery terminals 396, on the circuit board 390 of the cleaning module 300.
Referring to FIG. 14, the respective auxiliary battery terminals 396 are denoted by n1 and n2, and an input/output circuit is formed between two transmission ports P1 and P3 of and one reception port P2 of a control IC equipped with a controller.
In this case, the input/output circuit 395 may be integrated with an IC; otherwise, it may be formed within the circuit board 390.
The input/output circuit 395 includes a first transistor Q1 between n1 and the first transmission port P1.
N1 may be defined as a contact point between two resistors R1 and R2 connected in series between a first reference voltage VCC and a second reference voltage 0, and the voltage drops according to the ratio between first resistance R1 and second resistance R2 which are the two resistors R1 and R2 and an electrical current is applied to the first terminal L1 through a first control wire.
In this case, the first transistor Q1 is connected between the first reference voltage VCC and n1, and is turned on and off in response to a control signal of the first transmission port P1 and applies the first reference voltage VCC to n1.
Accordingly, when the control signal of the first transmission port P1 is a turn-on level, the first reference voltage VCC is applied to n1, and when the control signal of the first transmission port P1 is a turn-off level, a voltage resulting from a voltage drop from the first reference voltage VCC is applied.
In this case, n1 may be connected to the reception port P2, and the controller may determine the status of the tact switch 455S of the user selection terminal 455 from the user interface module 450 by reading the voltage of n1 at a corresponding time.
The first transistor Q1 may be a BJT transistor, and may be implemented as N type which is turned on when the control signal of the first transmission port P1 is a low level.
In this case, between the first resistance R1 and the second resistance R2, the second resistance R2 may have a higher value - for example, the second resistance R2 may be three to five times higher than the first resistance R1.
In this case, additional resistances may be respectively formed at an emitter end and base end of the first transistor Q1, which may be implemented in various ways depending on filter shape.
Moreover, the first control wire 475 connected to n1 includes, but not limited to, a third resistor R3 as a linear resistor.
Meanwhile, a push-pull circuit implemented by two transistors Q2 and Q3 is formed between n2 and the second transmission port P3.
The push-pull circuit has two transistors Q2 and Q3, that is, two transistors Q2 and Q3 of different types, connected in series, between which n2 is placed.
Specifically, the second transistor Q2 may be placed between the first reference voltage VCC and n2, and the third transistor Q3 may be placed between the second reference voltage 0 and n2, and the second transistor Q2 may be n-type and the third transistor Q3 may be a p-type BJT transistor.
Bases of the second and third transistors Q2 and Q3 are equally connected to the second transmission port P3 and turned on and off in opposite phase in response to the same control signal.
Accordingly, when the second transistor Q2 is turned on, n2 is set to the first reference voltage VCC, and when the third transistor Q3 is turned on, n2 is set to the second reference voltage 0V.
Assuming that the first reference voltage VCC is 4 V, the second reference voltage 0 may be a ground voltage of 0V. By implementing the circuit of n2 as a push-pull circuit, drive current can be enhanced.
Resistances may be added to the base and emitter of the second and third transistors Q2 and Q3 depending on filter shape, as with the first transistor Q1, but are not limited thereto.
Moreover, the second control wire 475 connected to n2 may include, but not limited to, a fourth resistor R4 as a linear resistor.
The control terminals L1 and L2 of the auxiliary battery housing 400 connected to the auxiliary battery terminals 396, which are n1 and n2 of the input/output circuit 395, and the elements may be indicated as circuitry as shown in FIG. 14.
That is, the control terminals L1 and L2 connected to n1 and n2 through the first and second control wires 475 are connected between a plurality of light-emitting diodes D1 to D8.
If the first light-emitting diode group 451R and 451G express red, the red light-emitting diodes D3, D4, D7, and D8 of the first light-emitting diode group 451R are connected in series so that each pair of them forms a row, and a plurality of rows are connected in parallel to each other. Thus, a row of two light-emitting diodes connected in series may be added depending on the number of red light-emitting diodes D3, D4, D7, and D8.
In this case, each red light-emitting diode D3, D4, D7, and D8 may be formed in such a way that a negative electrode is connected to n1 and a positive electrode is connected to n2, and a resistance element may be connected to each row, but is not limited thereto. The resistance element may be implemented as a linear resistor.
Meanwhile, if the second light-emitting diode group 451G expresses green, the green light-emitting diodes D1, D2, D5, and D6 of the second light-emitting diode group 451G are connected in series so that each pair of them forms a row, and a plurality of rows are connected in parallel to each other. Thus, a row of two light-emitting diodes connected in series may be added depending on the number of red light-emitting diodes D1, D2, D5, and D6.
In this case, each green light-emitting diode D1, D2, D5, and D6 may be formed in such a way that a negative electrode is connected to n2 and a positive electrode is connected to n1, and a resistance element may be connected to each row, but is not limited thereto. The resistance element may be implemented as a linear resistor.
That is, the first light-emitting diode group 451R and the second light-emitting diode group 451G have a structure in which they are connected in opposite phase and turn on and off in a complementary manner.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 14, the tact switch 455S which is the user selection terminal 455 is connected in parallel to each row of light-emitting diodes D1 to D8, and is connected in series to a fifth resistor R5 which has a much higher resistance than the resistance element of each row of light-emitting diodes D1 to D8.
Accordingly, if the row of the tact switch 455S is connected as the tact switch 455S is pressed, an electrical current flows through a high-resistance element, and, if the tact switch 455S is not pressed, no electrical current flows through the row of the tact switch 455S.
Even if an electrical current flows through the row of the tact switch 455S by the high resistance R5 of the row of the tact switch 455S, the level of electric current is so small that it does not affect the turn-on state of the light-emitting diodes D1 to D8.
In this way, by means of the two control wires 475 connected to the user interface module 450, both operations of sending out a control signal through the light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G of two colors and reading a selection signal from the user selection terminal 455 are performed altogether.
That is, a control signal informing the user of the status of the cleaning module 300 may be transmitted by selectively controlling the on and off of the light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G of different colors, and the user's selection signal may be received by reading the current status of the tact switch 455S.
The controller may perform the transmission to and reception from each control wire 475 by time division multiplexing so that signals for more than two operations are transmitted and received via the two control wires 475.
Hereinafter, the control of transmission and reception to and from the user interface module 450 by the controller will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an operation in which a controller of the cleaning module 300 sends a transmission signal to the user interface module 450 and reads a reception signal.
FIG. 16 is a signal waveform diagram for the operation of FIG. 15. FIGS. 17A is a current flow chart showing an operation of reading a reception signal when there is a touch input on the user interface in FIG. 16. FIG. 17B is a current flowchart for first light emission in FIG. 16. FIG. 17C is a current flow chart for second light emission in FIG. 16.
First, referring to FIG. 15, the controller periodically determines the status of the cleaning module 300 and the status of the user interface module 450.
Specifically, with the wet cleaning module 300 and the auxiliary battery housing 400 being assembled together, one cycle includes a reception period T1 during which the controller reads the status of the user selection terminal 455 and a transmission period T2 during which the controller transmits a control signal to the light-emitting diode groups 451R and 451G after the reception period T1.
In one cycle, the transmission period T2 may occur first followed by the reception period T1, but not limited thereto.
In one cycle, the transmission period T2 occupies 99 out of 100, and the reception period T1 includes a short period which is about 1 out of 100.
As shown in FIG. 17A, in the transmission period T1, the first transmission port P1 applies high value to the transistors Q1 to Q3, and the second transmission port P3 also applies high value and reads a voltage value applied to the reception port P2 as a selection signal from the user (S10).
In this case, the first and second transistors Q1 and Q2 are turned off, and the third transistor T3 is turned on, thereby applying a ground voltage to n2.
While the first transistor Q1 is turned off, n1 is set to the first reference voltage VCC resulting from a voltage drop proportional to the voltage ratio between the first resistance R1 and the second resistance R2. If the first reference voltage VCC is 4 V, the first resistance R1 is 10 kΩ, and the second resistance R2 is 50 kΩ, then a voltage of about 3.3 V to 3 V may be set.
The voltage of 3.3 V to 3 V is a voltage value when the user selection terminal 455 is not turned on, and if the user selection terminal 455 is not turned on in the reception period T1, the voltage of about 3.3 V to 3V is read by the reception port P.
Meanwhile, when the user selection terminal 455 is turned on, a fifth voltage is connected in parallel to the second resistor, whereby the voltage drop applied to n1 is further increased and therefore the voltage value of n1 is further decreased.
That is, the fifth resistance R5 has a much lower value than the second resistance R2, for example, 1/10, and accordingly their combined resistance is much lower than the first resistance R1, thus further increasing the voltage drop across n1 and therefore lowering the voltage applied to n1.
For example, if the first resistance R1 is 10 kΩ, the second resistance R2 is 50 kΩ, and the fifth resistance R5 is 5 kΩ, the voltage of n1 may be 1.3 to 1.7 V.
Accordingly, if there is a voltage drop during the reception period T1 based on a reading of the voltage of n1, it may be determined that the user selection terminal 455 is turned on.
That is, this can be viewed that the user gives a corresponding instruction by pressing the selection terminal 455, and such an instruction may involve stopping or starting the operation of the steam generator 336.
Next, after the reception period T1 is finished, the transmission period T2 is started.
Once the transmission period T2 is started, the controller comprehensively receives, in the current cycle, the status of the steam generator 336, the heaters, the thermistor, the thermal circuit breakers, the pump 333, the battery, and the water tank 320.
It is determined which light-emitting diode group 451R and 451G in Table 1 to activate and how, depending on the status of each module.
It is determined whether the steam generator 336 is in operation, and if steam is currently emitted by the operation of the steam generator 336 after completion of steam preheating (S12), the red light-emitting diode group 451R is continuously turned on to output a control signal for emitting light of red, i.e., the first color, to the first and second transmission ports P1 and P3 (S13).
In relation to this, the operation of the input/output circuit 395 is illustrated in FIG. 17B.
That is, the first transmission port P1 outputs a high voltage to turn off the first transistor Q1, and, in this state, a low value is outputted to the reception port P2 to apply a Vlow voltage to n1.
At this time, a low value is outputted to the second transmission port P3 to turn on the second transistor Q1 and turn off the third transistor Q3, so that the first reference voltage VCC is applied to n2.
Accordingly, the first reference voltage VCC is applied to the positive electrodes of the red light-emitting didoes D3, D4, D7, and D8, whereby the red light-emitting didoes D3, D4, D7, and D8 are turned on, thereby emitting light of red, i.e., the first color.
If the first light-emitting diode group 451R continuously emits light of the first color, a notification is issued to inform that preheating is finished and steam is being emitted from the steam generator 336.
Meanwhile, when the first light-emitting diode group 451R blinks, a danger notification is issued according to Table 1 (S18), which indicates that the heaters, the thermistor, the thermal circuit breaker, or the pump 333 is defective or malfunctioning (S17).
This operation may continue steadily throughout the transmission period T2 of one cycle (S19).
In the next cycle, when the reception period T1 is started over again, and an operation of the user selection terminal 455 is detected. Then, in the transmission period T2, the status of each module is collected, and accordingly, the light emission of a particular light-emitting diode group 451R and 451G is controlled.
In this case, if the second light-emitting diode group 451G emits light, that is, the steam generator 336 is performing preheating (S14), or if the steam generator 336 is not in operation and an alarming requirement is met (S15), a control signal for producing the second color is transmitted.
That is, referring to FIG. 17C, the first transmission port P1 outputs a low value to turn on the first transistor Q1, so that the first reference voltage VCC is applied to n1.
At this time, a high value is outputted to the second transmission port P3 to turn off the second transistor Q2 and turn on the third transistor Q3, so that the second reference voltage 0 is applied to n2.
Accordingly, the first reference voltage VCC is applied to the positive electrodes of the green light-emitting didoes D1, D2, D5, and D6, whereby the green light-emitting didoes D1, D2, D5, and D6 are turned on to emit light of green, i.e., the second color.
If the second light-emitting diode group 451G continuously emits light of the second color, a notification is issued to inform that preheating is being performed (S14).
Meanwhile, when the second light-emitting diode group 451G blinks, an alarm notification is issued according to Table 1 (S16), which indicates that the steam generator 336 is not operating due to lack of power from the auxiliary battery or lack of water in the water tank 320.
As such, in a case where the user interface module 450 is configured in the auxiliary battery housing 400, control can be performed in various ways by time-division multiplexing, even if there are only two control wires 475 for connecting the user interface module 450 and the main controller of the cleaning module 300.

Claims

A cleaner comprising:
a cleaner body provided with a battery and a handle for a user to grip;

a cleaning module that is detachably coupled to the cleaner body and cleans foreign substances on the floor;

an auxiliary battery housing that is detachably coupled to the cleaning module and detachably accommodates an auxiliary battery for supplying power to the cleaner body or the cleaning module; and

a user interface module that is disposed on a surface of the auxiliary battery module and provides status information of the cleaning module to the user by communicating with the cleaning module,

wherein the user interface module communicates with the cleaning module via fewer control wires than the amount of status information of the cleaning module.
The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the user interface module receives operation selection information of the cleaning module from the user and passes the same to the cleaning module through the control wires.
The cleaner of claim 2, further comprising an extension wand that connects the cleaning module and the cleaner body,
wherein the auxiliary battery housing is disposed between the extension wand and the cleaning module.
The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the cleaning module includes:
at least one mop that sweeps the floor;

a mop driving motor that provides torque to the mop;

a water tank storing water; and

a diffuser that discharges moisture supplied from the water tank to the mop.
The cleaner of claim 4, wherein the cleaning module further includes a steam generator that heats water introduced from the water tank and supplies the water to the diffuser.
The cleaner of claim 5, wherein the auxiliary battery supplies power to the steam generator.
The cleaner of claim 6, wherein the user interface module includes at least two light-emitting groups that emit light of different colors according to the status information of the cleaning module.
The cleaner of claim 7, wherein the cleaning module further includes a controller that periodically receives the status of each module accommodated therein and transmits the status information to the user interface via the control wires.
The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the controller operates in a cycle including a first period during which the operation selection information is received from the user interface module via the control wires and a second period during which the status information is transmitted.
The cleaner of claim 9, wherein the user interface module further includes a selection module that receives the operation selection information from the user.
The cleaner of claim 10, wherein the user interface module includes a first end and a second end that are connected to two of the control wires, respectively,
wherein the two light-emitting groups are connected in opposite directions to each other between the first end and the second end and emit light of different colors in a complementary manner.
The cleaner of claim 11, wherein the selection module transmits selection information to the control wire through the first end.
The cleaner of claim 9, wherein the controller includes:
a receiving terminal that reads the selection information during the first period via the control wire connected to the first end;

a first transmitting terminal that transmits different voltages to the first end according to the status information of the cleaning module during the second period; and

a second transmitting terminal that transmits different voltages to the second end according to the status information of the cleaning module during the second period,

wherein a push-pull circuit is disposed between the second transmitting terminal and the control wire.
The cleaner of claim 11, wherein, when steam cleaning is performed, the two light-emitting groups emit light of a first color or a second color during the second period depending on the status of the steam generator.
The cleaner of claim 14, wherein the two light-emitting groups emit light of the first color when the steam generator is in a preheating state, and emits light of the second color when the steam generator emits steam.
The cleaner of claim 15, wherein the controller transmits the status information in such a way as to, during the second period, display an abnormal state of the cleaning module by selecting the first color or the second color depending on the type of the abnormal state and making the light-emitting group blink.
The cleaner of claim 12, wherein the user interface module is disposed on a front surface of the auxiliary battery housing, and the two light-emitting groups are disposed to surround the user selection module.
The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the user selection module includes a tact switch that is connected in parallel to the two light-emitting groups and is turned on by being pressed by the user to cause an electrical current to flow through a connected high-resistance.
A method for controlling a cleaner, the cleaner comprising:
a cleaning module that is detachably coupled to the cleaner body and cleans foreign substances on the floor;

an auxiliary battery housing that is detachably coupled to the cleaning module and detachably accommodates an auxiliary battery for supplying power to the cleaner body or the cleaning module; and

a user interface module that is disposed on a surface of the auxiliary battery module and provides status information of the cleaning module to the user by communicating with the cleaning module,

the method comprising:
a reception step in which, within one cycle, operation selection information is received from the user interface module via control wires electrically connecting the cleaning module and the user interface module; and

a transmission step in which, after the reception step, the status of each module accommodated in the cleaning module is detected, and status information is transmitted to the user interface module via the control wires.

wherein the number of control wires is smaller than the sum of the amount of status information of the cleaning module and the amount of user selection information.
The cleaner of claim 19, wherein, in a case where the cleaning module includes a steam generator, the user interface module transmits selection information involving starting or stopping the steam generator in the reception step, and transmits status information involving preheating of or steam emission from the steam generator in the transmission step.