JP2005087599A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging type vacuum cleaner with improved battery life span by constantly maintaining a temperature balance between cells of secondary battery during charging and discharging and effective cooling the secondary battery during discharging. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum cleaner is equipped with an electric blower (no drawing) generating suction air stream and a secondary battery 6 supplying electric power to the electric blower (no drawing) and an air permeable thermal conducting member 10 arranged so as to place next to said secondary battery 6 to keep constant temperature distribution in the batteries 6 by thermal conduction between the thermal conducting member 10 and batteries 6 and to improve life span of the batteries 6 by their effective cooling with air stream due to the air permeability of the thermal conducting member 10 during discharge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rechargeable vacuum cleaner using a secondary battery.

  A conventional rechargeable vacuum cleaner is composed of an electric blower chamber that houses an electric blower that generates suction air, a dust collection chamber that collects dust sucked in along with the suction air, and a battery compartment that houses secondary batteries. Is done. In recent years, rechargeable vacuum cleaners use a secondary battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery to improve the suction force and supply a large current to the electric blower. In order to shorten the charging time, charging is performed by supplying a large current even during charging to shorten the charging time.

  It is generally known that secondary batteries can no longer be used due to a decrease in battery capacity due to repeated charge and discharge, but the higher the temperature during charge and discharge use, the higher the charge and discharge that can be used. Since the number of times is reduced, the exhaust air from the electric blower is supplied to the battery housing during discharge to suppress an increase in the temperature of the secondary battery.

Moreover, in order to supply a large current, the secondary battery is configured by bundling a plurality of cells, and for the purpose of making the life of each cell uniform, each cell at the time of charging / discharging is made using a metal plate such as aluminum. It is set as the structure which suppresses the temperature dispersion in between (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 2002-291669 A

  However, the above configuration has a problem that only the battery directly exposed to the exhaust air during cooling is cooled, the temperature balance between the cells becomes uneven, and the life is shortened.

  Moreover, in order to solve the problem of uneven temperature balance, a metal plate such as aluminum may be used. Since the plate becomes an obstacle and the exhaust air does not directly hit the battery, there is a problem that the cooling efficiency of the secondary battery is deteriorated particularly at the time of discharging at a high temperature.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and maintains a constant temperature balance between the cells of the secondary battery during charging and discharging, and efficiently cools the secondary battery during discharging to improve the battery life. An object is to provide a vacuum cleaner.

  In order to solve the above conventional problems, the present invention provides an electric blower that generates suction air, a secondary battery that supplies electric power to the electric blower, and a heat conductive member that is disposed so as to be substantially in contact with the secondary battery. The thermal conductive member is configured to have air permeability, keeps a constant temperature balance between the cells of the secondary battery during charging and discharging, and efficiently cools the secondary battery during discharging. Then, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner which can improve a battery life is provided.

  It is possible to provide a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that can maintain a constant temperature balance between the cells of the secondary battery during charging and discharging, and can efficiently cool the secondary battery during discharging to improve battery life.

  1st invention is equipped with the electric blower which emits suction | inhalation wind, the secondary battery which supplies electric power to the said electric blower, and the heat conductive member arrange | positioned so that the said secondary battery may be contact | connected substantially, The said heat conduction The heat conductive member is configured to have air permeability, and the temperature of each battery becomes uniform due to heat conduction between the heat conductive member and each battery, and since the heat conductive member has air permeability during discharge, Since the current directly hits the battery, the battery can be efficiently cooled and the battery life can be improved.

  The second aspect of the invention is configured to allow the suction air or the exhaust air generated by the electric blower to pass through the heat conductive member. The suction air generated by the electric blower in the air flow for cooling the heat conductive member or the secondary battery. Alternatively, by using the exhaust air, it is possible to reduce the cost and size of the main body without providing another part that causes an air flow.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the heat conductive member is provided with a communication portion for allowing an air flow to pass therethrough, and the battery can be efficiently cooled by passing the air flow through the communication portion and directly hitting the battery. Lifetime can be improved. Moreover, weight reduction of a heat conductive member is also realizable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of secondary batteries are arranged so that the communicating portions face each other between the batteries that are generated when a plurality of secondary batteries are arranged. Between the batteries that occur when the batteries are arranged, the heat conductive member and the battery are not in contact with each other, and a communication part is provided there, so that a communication part is provided without significantly affecting the heat conduction. It is possible to make the temperature of the battery uniform more efficiently, cool the battery, and further improve the battery life.

  The fifth invention is formed by adhering a porous body to the surface of the heat conductive member, and since the surface area increases and the heat dissipation improves, the battery can be cooled more efficiently and the battery life can be improved. .

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the heat conductive member is brought into close contact with the secondary battery by bringing the heat conductive member into contact with the uneven shape generated when a plurality of secondary batteries are arranged. Since the contact area between the heat conductive member and the secondary battery is increased, the heat conduction efficiency is improved and the battery can be cooled more efficiently.

  In the seventh invention, the communication portion is formed in a mesh shape, the temperature between each battery is kept constant by heat conduction, and the battery can be reliably cooled by an air flow through a plurality of small holes in the mesh shape. .

  In the eighth aspect of the present invention, a convex portion is formed on the heat conductive member. By increasing the surface area of the heat conductive member, the heat dissipation efficiency is improved, and the cooling efficiency during charge / discharge can be further improved.

  In the ninth aspect of the invention, the convex portions are arranged substantially in parallel with the air flow direction, and the air flow flows more smoothly through the battery by the rectifying effect by the fins, so that the battery can be cooled more efficiently. .

  A tenth aspect of the invention includes an electric blower that generates suction air, a secondary battery that supplies electric power to the electric blower, and a heat conductive member that is disposed so as to be substantially in contact with the secondary battery. An air flow is applied to the battery, and the thermal conductive member is disposed on the downstream side of the secondary battery. At the time of discharging, the temperature between the batteries is reduced by the thermal conductive member on the surface where the suction air is not blown. The surface where suction air is blown is kept constant, and the suction air directly hits each battery without being blocked by the heat conductive member, so that the battery can be cooled efficiently.

  In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the heat conductive member is configured to apply suction air generated by the electric blower or exhaust air discharged from the electric blower. By using the suction air or exhaust air generated by, the cost can be reduced and the size of the main body can be reduced without providing a separate part that causes the air flow.

  In a twelfth aspect of the invention, the secondary battery and the heat conductive member are integrally covered with a heat shrinkable member so that the secondary battery and the heat conductive member can be reliably and easily adhered to each other. Since the adhesive tape is not necessary, it is inexpensive, and when the battery is replaced, the heat conductive member can be replaced at the same time, so that the serviceability can be improved.

  In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the secondary battery is provided, and the temperature detection means is provided between the secondary battery and the heat conductive member. In addition, since the temperature of each battery that is the same due to heat conduction can be measured without variation, charge / discharge control that matches the exact battery temperature is possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, a main body 18 is an electric blower 3 that generates suction air, and a power source for driving the electric blower 3, and a secondary battery pack in which a plurality of substantially cylindrical secondary batteries 6 are bundled rearward. A dust collection case 4 is provided on the upstream side of the suction air of the electric blower 3. Further, one end of the hose 5 is connected to the upstream side of the dust collecting case 4 of the main body 18, and the floor suction port 1 is connected to the other end via the extension pipe 2. When suction is generated by operating the electric blower 3, dust is sucked together with the suction from the floor suction port 1, and only dust is collected in the dust collecting case 4 of the main body 18. 3 is discharged from the exhaust port 9 of the main body 18 to the outside of the main body.

  When the electric blower 3 is operated and discharged or charged, the secondary battery 6 serving as the power source generates heat due to a chemical reaction, but as the temperature during charging and discharging becomes higher, the number of repeated use of charging and discharging decreases. It is generally known to do. The market demands that the number of times of repeated use can be increased as much as possible to extend the service life. Therefore, as a method for suppressing the temperature rise of the secondary battery 6 during use, a part of the exhaust air discharged by the electric blower 3 is used. Is circulated to the battery storage chamber 19 in which the secondary battery 6 is stored to obtain a cooling effect.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the main body 18 as viewed from the bottom side, but the battery cover 20 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 18, and after loosening and removing the tightening screw 21, the battery cover 20 is covered with the cover as shown in FIG. 3. The battery cover 20 can be opened by sliding it in the X direction. When the battery lid 20 is removed, the secondary battery 6 stored in the battery storage chamber 19 can be taken out as shown in FIG. When the secondary battery has reached the end of its charge / discharge cycle, it can be replaced with a new secondary battery 6.

  5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. The battery storage chamber 19 is provided with an inlet 12 and an outlet 13 that communicate with the storage chamber side of the electric blower 3 and circulate exhaust air for cooling the secondary battery 6 from the electric blower 3.

  FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the secondary battery 6. An aluminum plate 10 having thermal conductivity is in close contact with the exhaust upstream side surface 7 of the secondary battery 6. The aluminum plate 10 is provided with 16 oval holes 11 serving as communication portions in the valleys between the batteries formed when a plurality of the secondary batteries 6 are arranged, and the surface of the aluminum plate 10 is porous. A solid ceramic 14 is applied.

  About the vacuum cleaner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  As described above, when the electric blower 3 is operated, the exhaust air flows into the battery storage chamber 19 from the inlet 12 provided in the battery storage chamber 19 of the main body 18 and flows out from the outlet 13. At that time, the temperature rise of the secondary battery 6 is suppressed by convection. At this time, since the exhaust air passes through the hole 11 and directly hits the secondary battery 6 without being blocked by the aluminum plate 10, the battery can be efficiently cooled.

  Moreover, since the aluminum plate 10 is in contact with each battery, the temperature variation of each secondary battery 6 is suppressed by heat conduction. On the other hand, since the ceramic 14 applied to the surface of the aluminum plate 10 increases the surface area of the aluminum plate 10 and improves the heat dissipation, the temperature rise of the secondary battery 6 can be more efficiently suppressed during charging and discharging. . Moreover, by providing the hole part 11, a weight can be made light compared with a single plate, and usability can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the secondary battery 6 of the second embodiment. On the exhaust air upstream surface 7 side of the secondary battery 6, a heat conductive graphite sheet 15 is brought into close contact with the uneven shape of the battery that occurs when a plurality of secondary batteries 6 are arranged. Further, the graphite sheet 15 is provided with 16 elliptical hole portions 11 serving as communication portions in valley portions between the batteries that are generated when a plurality of the secondary batteries 6 are arranged.

  About the vacuum cleaner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  Since the graphite sheet 15 is a flexible sheet, the graphite sheet 15 can be easily adhered in accordance with the uneven shape generated when a plurality of secondary batteries 6 are arranged. Therefore, the contact area is widened, and the temperature variation of each battery can be more effectively suppressed by heat conduction. Moreover, since the heat dissipation efficiency is better than that of the aluminum plate, the temperature rise of the battery can be more efficiently suppressed during charging and discharging.

(Embodiment 3)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view of the secondary battery 6 according to the third embodiment. An aluminum plate 16 that has thermal conductivity and has a mesh-like hole portion is in close contact with the exhaust air upstream surface 7 side of the secondary battery 6.

  About the vacuum cleaner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  At the time of discharging, the exhaust air passes through a plurality of small meshes and directly hits the entire secondary battery 6, so that the whole can be efficiently cooled without unevenness. At the same time, the temperature variation of each battery can be suppressed by heat conduction.

(Embodiment 4)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the secondary battery 6 according to the fourth embodiment. A heat-conductive fin-like aluminum plate 17 provided with convex fins 22 projecting into the exhaust air in a direction substantially parallel to the exhaust air is in close contact with the exhaust air upstream surface 7 side of the secondary battery 6. The fin-shaped aluminum plate 17 is provided with 16 oval holes 11 serving as communication portions in valleys between the batteries that are formed when a plurality of secondary batteries 6 are arranged.

  About the vacuum cleaner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  At the time of discharging, the fins 22 are arranged substantially in parallel with the flow of the exhaust air, so that the exhaust air can be rectified more smoothly and pass through the secondary battery 6 to cool the secondary battery 6 more efficiently. Moreover, since the surface area of the aluminum plate 17 is increased by the fins 22, the heat dissipation efficiency during charging and discharging is also improved.

(Embodiment 5)
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. A heat conductive aluminum plate 10 is in close contact with the exhaust air downstream surface 8 side of the secondary battery 6, and a trough between the batteries that occurs when a plurality of secondary batteries 6 are arranged on the aluminum plate 10. In addition, 16 oval holes (not shown) serving as communication portions are provided. Further, the secondary battery 6 and the aluminum plate 10 are covered with a heat shrinkable tube 23 and integrally packed. On the other hand, a thermistor 24 capable of detecting temperature is provided between the aluminum plate 10 and the secondary battery 6.

  About the vacuum cleaner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  As described above, when the electric blower 3 is operated, the exhaust air flows into the battery storage chamber 19 from the inlet 12 provided in the battery storage chamber 19 of the main body 18 and flows out from the outlet 13. At that time, the temperature rise of the secondary battery 6 is suppressed by convection. At this time, there is no obstacle on the exhaust air upstream surface 7 side, and the exhaust air directly hits the secondary battery 6, so that the secondary battery 6 can be efficiently cooled.

  On the other hand, since the aluminum plate 10 is in contact with each battery, the temperature variation of each battery is suppressed by heat conduction. Further, since the secondary battery 6 and the aluminum plate 10 are packed together by a heat shrinkable tube, the secondary battery 6 and the aluminum plate 10 can be reliably and easily adhered to each other, and no adhesive tape or the like is required for the adhesion. Therefore, it is inexpensive, and when the battery is replaced, the aluminum plate 10 can be replaced at the same time, so that serviceability can be improved.

  On the other hand, since the thermistor 24 is provided between the aluminum plate 10 and the secondary battery 6, even one temperature detection means can accurately measure the temperature of each battery that is the same due to heat conduction without variation. More accurate charge / discharge control, such as starting charging when the temperature of each cell of the battery 6 is exactly 40 degrees or less, is possible. Further, by providing a hole (not shown), the weight can be reduced as compared with a single plate, and usability can be improved.

  In each of the above embodiments, the exhaust air from the electric blower 3 is used for cooling the secondary battery 6. Further, although an aluminum plate is used as the heat conductive member, other materials may be used as long as they have heat conductive properties.

  As described above, the rechargeable vacuum cleaner according to the present invention keeps the temperature balance between the cells of the secondary battery constant during charging and discharging, and efficiently cools the secondary battery during discharging, thereby reducing the battery life. It is particularly useful for rechargeable vacuum cleaners for home use and business use.

Whole perspective view of the electric vacuum cleaner which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention External view of the bottom side of the vacuum cleaner Battery cover operation state appearance on the bottom side of the vacuum cleaner Battery vacuum appearance of the vacuum cleaner AA sectional view of FIG. (A) Plan view of the battery housed in the same vacuum cleaner (b) AA sectional view of FIG. 6 (a) (A) Plan view of a battery housed in a vacuum cleaner showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention (b) AA sectional view of FIG. 7 (a) FIG. 8B is a plan view of the battery housed in the electric vacuum cleaner showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. (A) Plan view of a battery housed in a vacuum cleaner showing Embodiment 4 of the present invention (b) AA sectional view of FIG. 9 (a) (A) AA sectional view of FIG. 2 showing Embodiment 5 of the present invention (b) AA sectional view of FIG. 10 (a)

Explanation of symbols

3 Electric blower 6 Secondary battery 10 Aluminum plate (thermally conductive member)
12 Inlet 13 Outlet 18 Body 19 Battery Storage Room 20 Battery Cover

Claims (13)

An electric blower that emits suction air, a secondary battery that supplies electric power to the electric blower, and a heat conductive member that is disposed so as to be substantially in contact with the secondary battery, wherein the heat conductive member has air permeability. A vacuum cleaner having a structure. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 1 comprised so that the suction | inhalation wind or exhaust air which an electric blower emits might be allowed to pass through a heat conductive member. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 2 which provided the communication part for an airflow to pass through a heat conductive member. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the communicating portions are arranged so as to face each other between the batteries generated when a plurality of secondary batteries are arranged. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a porous body is formed in close contact with the surface of the thermally conductive member. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the heat conductive member is substantially in close contact with the secondary battery by bringing the heat conductive member into contact with the uneven shape generated when a plurality of secondary batteries are arranged. The electric vacuum cleaner according to any one of 5. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the communication portion is formed in a mesh shape. The vacuum cleaner of any one of Claims 1-7 which formed the convex part in the heat conductive member. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 8 which has arrange | positioned the convex part substantially parallel to the direction through which air flows. An electric blower that emits suction air; a secondary battery that supplies electric power to the electric blower; and a heat conductive member that is disposed so as to be substantially in contact with the secondary battery, and applies an air flow to the secondary battery. And the vacuum cleaner which has arrange | positioned the said heat conductive member in the downstream of the said secondary battery. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein suction heat generated by the electric blower or exhaust air discharged by the electric blower is applied to the heat conductive member. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the secondary battery and the heat conductive member are integrally covered with a heat shrink member. The electric cleaning of any one of Claims 10-12 which provided the temperature detection means which detects the temperature of a secondary battery, and provided the said temperature detection means between the said secondary battery and the said heat conductive member. Machine.

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