JP2003324858A - Charging apparatus for electrical device and vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging apparatus for an electrical device which can shorten the charging starting time, as short as possible, can increase the cycle lifetime and can charge efficiently. <P>SOLUTION: The charging apparatus for the electrical device comprises a secondary battery 16 contained in the device and a temperature-sensing means 17 for detecting the temperature of the secondary battery; a battery voltage sensing means 11 for detecting the terminal voltage of the secondary battery; and a charging control means 13 for controlling the charging of the secondary battery, in response to the outputs from the temperature sensing means and the voltage sensing means. The charging of the secondary battery is started, when the temperature of the secondary battery becomes a preset charging starting temperature or lower. Thus, the charging starting time can be shortened to be as short as possible and the cycle lifetime can be increased, and the charging efficiency can be raised. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging device for electric equipment and an electric vacuum cleaner for charging a secondary battery incorporated in the electric equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a secondary battery represented by a nickel-hydrogen secondary battery or a nickel-cadmium secondary battery has been widely put into practical use as an operating power source for various device systems such as mobile phones and portable camera. Has been done. Further, in recent years, a large current can be discharged, and it is also used as a power source for electric tools and vacuum cleaners.

By the way, generally, the secondary battery is charged rapidly by a constant current, and the charging is controlled by detecting the temperature and voltage of the battery. That is,
When it is detected that the secondary battery is connected to the charger, it is determined whether the battery voltage and the battery temperature are suitable for charging, and if they are suitable, rapid charging is started. When it is not suitable, a small current is passed until the voltage rises or the battery temperature cools down, and the device enters the standby state. Check the battery voltage and temperature at any time during rapid charging, and check the -ΔV value and dT
It detects whether the battery is fully charged, such as / dt. Then, when the fully charged state is detected, the quick charging is terminated and the trickle charging for supplementing the self-discharged portion is started. This trickle charging is also intended to supplement the charge that cannot be completely charged because the battery temperature rises at the completion of charging.

Also, regarding the temperature control during charging, various controls such as detecting the battery voltage and the battery temperature and stopping the operation at a certain voltage value so as not to cause over-discharging, and displaying the remaining amount are performed. It is carried out. Various measures have been taken to extend the life of the battery, such as detecting the battery temperature and stopping it when the temperature exceeds a certain temperature.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, in order to use the secondary battery in the application having a large suction force such as an electric vacuum cleaner, the current value and the number of batteries must be increased. However, the temperature rise of the secondary battery becomes large, and the temperature of the secondary battery becomes high immediately after the vacuum cleaner operates, depending on the usage time. If the battery is set in the charger in that state and charging is started immediately, the secondary battery is charged at a high temperature, resulting in poor charging efficiency and shortened usage time. Further, if it is continuously used in that state, there is a problem that the repeated charge / discharge life (hereinafter, cycle life) is shortened due to the repeated charge in a high temperature state. Therefore, it is conceivable to charge the secondary battery after cooling it, but the cooling standby time to cool down (hereinafter, standby time) is added to the charging time, and the time to complete charging becomes longer, so charging is completed. There is a problem that charging is not completed even when trying to clean because it is difficult to estimate because time is affected by ambient temperature.

The present invention solves such a problem, and provides a charging device for electric equipment and an electric vacuum cleaner which can shorten the charging start time as much as possible, have a long cycle life, and improve the charging efficiency. The purpose is to

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a charging device for electric equipment and a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention are charged when the temperature of a secondary battery falls below a preset charging start temperature. Is to start.

As a result, the charging start time can be shortened as much as possible, the cycle life can be extended, and the charging efficiency can be improved.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is a secondary battery incorporated in an electric device and a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the secondary battery, and a voltage detecting means for detecting a terminal voltage of the secondary battery. And a charging control unit that controls charging of the secondary battery according to the output from the temperature detection unit and the voltage detection unit, and the charging of the secondary battery is performed when the temperature of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than a preset charging start temperature. By using a charging device for electrical equipment that starts charging when the temperature reaches, the charging will start after the secondary battery has cooled to the preset charging start temperature, and the charging start time will be short. It has a long cycle life and good charging efficiency.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the charging start temperature is set to 50 ° C., whereby the charging can be reliably started and the temperature of the secondary battery is kept constant. Charging can be performed without taking a long waiting time until it becomes low.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the charging start temperature can be arbitrarily switched, the charging device for electric equipment according to the first aspect is provided, so that there is time until the next use of the electric equipment. Since the charging start temperature can be set lower (for example, only once a day), the standby time is not bothered and the cycle life can be extended.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the charging device for electric equipment according to the third aspect, in which the switching means for switching the charging start temperature is provided in the charger having the voltage detection means and the charging control means. As a result, the setting of the charging start temperature can be completed only by the charger, so that it can be performed at low cost.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the charging start temperature setting operation is performed by using the switching device for switching the charging start temperature as the charging device for electric equipment according to the third aspect, which is provided on the electric device side. It will be easier to do.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the switching signal by the switching means is transmitted to the charging control means side through the terminal of the temperature detecting means connected to the secondary battery. By making it a device charger,
Since it is not necessary to newly add a transmission signal line and the number of connecting parts does not increase, control for changing the charging start temperature can be performed at low cost.

The invention according to claim 7 is any one of claims 3 to 6 in which the charging start temperature in a state where the switching operation by the switching means is not performed is set lower than the charging start temperature when the switching operation is performed by the switching means. By using the charging device for electric equipment according to the item 1, since the charging start temperature can be reliably set to a low temperature except when switching to use at high speed, the cycle life can be more reliably extended.

The invention according to claim 8 is provided with an ambient temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature, and the charging start temperature is varied according to the output of the ambient temperature detecting means. By setting the charging device for electric equipment according to the paragraph, when the ambient temperature is high, the charging start temperature is set so that the standby time does not become long, but when the ambient temperature is low, the rechargeable battery cools down for a short time. Therefore, the charging start temperature can be set lower, and the cycle life can be extended without increasing the standby time.

The invention according to claim 9 is provided with a light detecting means for detecting the brightness of the surroundings, and the charging start temperature is varied according to the brightness of the surroundings. By using the charging device for electric equipment, since the standby time is not a concern when charging in the middle of the night, the charging start temperature can be set lower, and the cycle life can be further extended.

The invention according to claim 10 is the charging device for electric equipment according to any one of claims 3 to 9, further comprising display means for displaying a switching operation by the switching means. The user can recognize and is easy to use.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the time until the charging is completed is displayed including the time until the temperature of the secondary battery reaches the charge start temperature.
By using the charging device for electric equipment according to the item, it becomes clear when the electric equipment can be used next time, so that the charging start temperature can be easily set and the waiting time does not matter.

The invention according to claim 12 has a built-in electric blower, a secondary battery, and a vacuum cleaner control means for controlling discharge of the secondary battery, and the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 11. By using the electric vacuum cleaner in which the secondary battery is charged by the charging device for electric equipment, the electric vacuum cleaner can be comfortably used.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 4 show a charging device for electric equipment according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. An electric vacuum cleaner will be described as an example of the electric equipment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a cleaner body as an electric device, which has a secondary battery (described later) built therein. Reference numeral 2 denotes a charger to which the cleaner body 1 is detachably set, and when set, charging terminals (a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a thermistor terminal of the secondary battery) are connected to charge the secondary battery.

FIG. 2 shows the whole of the electric vacuum cleaner. When the suction force or the like is selected by the hand operation unit 3, the signal is transmitted to the control circuit built in the cleaner main body 1 and controlled by the current control means. The built-in electric blower 4 rotates and a constant suction force can be obtained. Further, the electric motor 6 built in the floor nozzle 5 is also rotated to scrape up the dust on the carpet. The dust is collected in the cleaner body 1 from the floor nozzle 5 via the extension pipe 7 and the hose 8. Although the suction force is selected at the hand-held operation unit 3, the current value varies depending on the suction force, but the usage time is different, but if it is used for a long time at a high current value, it will be It goes without saying that the temperature of the secondary battery will rise.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of charge control of the secondary battery. The charger 2 includes an input power source 9, a constant current means 10, a battery voltage detection means 11 and a computing unit 12 (microcomputer).
The charging control means 13 having a built-in battery, a DC power source 14 as a power source of the arithmetic unit 12, and a dividing resistor 15 are provided. The constant current means 10 can obtain the output of the arithmetic unit 12 and output ON / OFF of charging and a plurality of constant current values.

Further, a plurality of secondary batteries 16 built in the cleaner body 1 are connected in series or in parallel, and a positive electrode and a positive electrode are applied so that the output of the constant current means 10 of the charger 2 can be applied. The negative electrode is connected. In addition, the secondary battery 16
A battery temperature detecting means 17 (generally a thermistor) for detecting the temperature of the secondary battery 16 at the time of charging and at the time of standby is provided in the vicinity of, and is connected to the DC power source 14 of the charger 2 via the dividing resistor 15. Has been done. The secondary battery 16 and the battery temperature detecting means 17 form a battery pack 18, which is built in the cleaner body 1. In addition, this battery pack 18
Is built in the cleaner body 1 and is detachably set together with the cleaner body 1 in the charger 2 (FIG. 1), but only the battery pack 18 can be freely taken out and placed in the charger 2. It can also be detachably set.

The signal from the battery temperature detecting means 17 is transmitted to the calculator 12 of the charging control means 13. By obtaining the information on the battery voltage and the battery temperature, the arithmetic unit 12 determines the transition of the rapid charge, the transition of the trickle charge due to the detection of the full charge, and outputs it to the charge control means 13.
Receiving the signal, the secondary battery 16 is charged with each constant current. In this embodiment, the charging of the secondary battery 16 is started when the temperature of the secondary battery 16 becomes equal to or lower than a preset charging start temperature.

Next, the charge control of the secondary battery 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 regarding the relationship between the battery voltage and the battery temperature in the low temperature battery and the high temperature battery.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the cleaner main body 1 having the battery pack 18 built therein is set in the charger 2, the charging control means 13 determines whether the temperature of the battery pack 18 is high or not. Judgment is made based on 17 information.
Further, it is also determined whether the battery pack 18 is over-discharged based on the information of the battery voltage detection means 11. In the case of a low temperature battery that has a low temperature and is not over-discharged (see FIG.
(A)), the battery pack 18 shifts to the rapid charging and is charged, but in the case where the temperature of the battery pack 18 is high immediately after discharging or the high temperature battery is over-discharged (see FIG. 4).
(B)), the rapid charging is on standby until the battery can be charged. Here, when the temperature of the battery pack 18 becomes low and reaches a preset charging start temperature, the battery pack 18 is rapidly charged. However, the charging start temperature set here is higher than room temperature in order to shorten the charging standby time as much as possible. Is set to 50 ° C. which is a high temperature. The charging start temperature is determined by the heat generation of the battery pack 18 during discharging and the time of discharging and connecting to the charger 2. The trickle charging is the same as the conventional one, and the description is omitted.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the charging start temperature can be arbitrarily switched. That is, the charger 2 has
The switching means 19 and the display means 20 by which the user can recognize the switching operation by the switching means 19 are provided. The display means 20 is composed of a large number of display elements, and can display the charging start temperature and the time until the charging is completed including the time until the temperature of the secondary battery 16 reaches the charging start temperature. It is switched by the input of the switching means 19.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of charge control of the secondary battery 16, and the switching means 19 is input to the arithmetic unit 12 using the DC power source 14 as a power source. The display means 20 is also connected to the arithmetic unit 12 using the DC power supply 14 as a power source.
The temperature detecting means 21 for detecting the ambient temperature is connected to the computing unit 12 so as to change the charging start temperature according to the output thereof.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, the cleaner main body 1 having the battery pack 18 incorporated therein is set in the charger 2.
The charge control means 13 determines whether the temperature of the battery pack 18 is high based on the information of the battery temperature detection means 17. Further, it is also determined whether the battery pack 18 is over-discharged based on the information of the battery voltage detection means 11. Then, when the battery temperature is high, the rapid charging is on standby until the battery pack 18 cools to a temperature below the preset charging start temperature. The preset temperature can be set by the user by the switching means 19, but the charging start temperature when the switching operation is performed by the switching means 19 is changed to the charging start temperature when the switching operation by the switching means 19 is not performed. It is set lower. That is, in the normal state, the charge start temperature is set to 45 ° C. or lower, and the charge start temperature is set to 50 ° C. or 55 ° C. by operating the switching means 19.
And it works to rise.

This charging start temperature is displayed on the display means 20 to inform the user that the charging has been switched. That is, when it is desired to perform the next cleaning as quickly as possible, the switching unit 19 increases the charging start temperature to shorten the standby time and completes the charging quickly. After that, charging will start. If the display means 20 displays not only the charging start temperature but also the time until the charging is completed, the user can easily select. Further, if the ambient temperature is detected by the temperature detecting means 21, the standby time and the charging time can be easily predicted, and the charging completion time can be accurately predicted.

Further, the detection of the ambient temperature can be performed by lowering the charging start temperature to such an extent that the secondary battery 16 can be cooled quickly if the ambient temperature is low, so that the usability does not deteriorate.

Further, if a light detection means (not shown) for detecting the brightness of the surroundings is provided and the charging start temperature is changed according to the brightness of the surroundings, if the surroundings are dark such as at night, it will take a while. Since it is not used and the standby time does not matter, it is possible to lower the charging start temperature and the charging current, and to lower the temperature of the secondary battery 16 during charging, which is more practical. It goes without saying that it will be a thing.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, Example 1,
The same components as those in 2 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the charging start temperature can be arbitrarily switched as in the second embodiment. However, the cleaner body 1 includes a switching means 22 for switching the charging start temperature of the secondary battery 16, The display means 23 is provided for displaying the switching temperature of the switching means 22.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of charge control of the secondary battery 16, and the switching means 22 controls the discharge of the secondary battery 16 by using the cleaner DC power source 24 using the secondary battery 16 as a power source. Vacuum controller 26 of control means 25
It is connected to the. In order to transmit a signal to the charger 2, the cleaner calculator 26 is also connected to the terminal of the battery temperature detecting means 17 via the resistor 27. As a result, the charging control unit 1 sends the switching signal from the switching unit 22 via the terminal of the battery temperature detecting unit 17 connected to the secondary battery 16.
3 side, that is, the charger 2 side is transmitted.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaner body 1 is set in the charger 2. The charging start temperature is switched by the switching means 22 of the cleaner body 1. The vacuum cleaner computing unit 26 that receives the signal from the switching unit 22 outputs a pulse, so that the pulse signal is also superimposed on the terminal of the connected battery temperature detecting unit 17. The arithmetic unit 12 of the charge control means 13 recognizes this superimposed signal and switches the charge start temperature. The other operations are the same as those in the second embodiment and will not be described.

As is clear from the above description of the first to third embodiments, the charging device for electric equipment of each embodiment can be used as a charging device for various electric equipment, but is suitable for actual use. As an example, the usage mode of the electric vacuum cleaner including the electric blower 4, the secondary battery 16, and the cleaner control means 25 is shown.

[0042]

As described above, the charging device for electric equipment and the vacuum cleaner of the present invention start charging when the temperature of the secondary battery falls below the preset charging start temperature. As a result, the charging start time can be shortened as much as possible, the cycle life can be extended, and the charging efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention when a cleaner body and a charger are set.

FIG. 2 is an overall external view of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the charging device for electric equipment according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram of a charging operation of a low temperature battery according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram of a charging operation of a high temperature battery according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention when the cleaner body and the charger are set.

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of a charging device for electric equipment according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the present invention when a cleaner body and a charger are set.

FIG. 8 is a circuit block diagram of a charging device for electric equipment according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Vacuum cleaner body (electrical equipment) 2 charger 9 Input power 11 Battery voltage detection means 13 Charge control means 16 secondary battery 17 Battery temperature detection means 19, 22 Switching means 20, 23 Display means 21 Temperature detection means

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masaki Takahashi             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3B057 DA00                 5G003 AA01 BA01 CA02 CA17 CB01                       CB10 CC02 EA08                 5H030 AA02 AA06 AS12 BB01 FF22                       FF27 FF44

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A secondary battery incorporated in an electric device and a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the secondary battery, a voltage detecting means for detecting a terminal voltage of the secondary battery, a temperature detecting means and an output from the voltage detecting means. Charging control means for controlling the charging of the secondary battery in accordance with the charging of the secondary battery, so that the charging is started when the temperature of the secondary battery becomes equal to or lower than a preset charging start temperature. Charging device for electrical equipment. 2. The charging device for electric equipment according to claim 1, wherein the charging start temperature is 50 ° C. 3. The charging device for electric equipment according to claim 1, wherein the charging start temperature can be arbitrarily switched. 4. The charging device for an electric device according to claim 3, wherein the switching means for switching the charging start temperature is provided in a charger including a voltage detection means and a charging control means. 5. The charging device for electric equipment according to claim 3, wherein the switching means for switching the charging start temperature is provided on the electric equipment side. 6. The charging apparatus for electric equipment according to claim 5, wherein the switching signal from the switching means is transmitted to the charging control means side via the terminal of the battery temperature detecting means connected to the secondary battery. 7. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein the charging start temperature in a state where the switching operation is not performed by the switching means is set lower than the charging start temperature when the switching operation is performed by the switching means. Charging device. 8. The electric device according to claim 1, further comprising an ambient temperature detecting means for detecting an ambient temperature, and changing the charging start temperature according to an output of the ambient temperature detecting means. Charging device. 9. The charging device for an electric device according to claim 1, further comprising a light detection unit that detects ambient brightness, and the charging start temperature is changed according to the ambient brightness. 10. The charging device for electric equipment according to claim 3, further comprising display means for displaying a switching operation by the switching means. 11. The charging device for an electric device according to claim 3, wherein the time until the charging is completed is displayed including the time until the temperature of the secondary battery reaches the charge start temperature. 12. An electric blower, a secondary battery, and a vacuum cleaner control means for controlling discharge of the secondary battery are built-in.
An electric vacuum cleaner in which a secondary battery is charged by the charging device for electric equipment according to any one of 11 above.