JP2019502488A - Home cleaning appliance and base station for home cleaning appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention comprises at least one accessory (4, 4.1) connectable to the body (14), at least one first rechargeable energy storage (12) disposed within the body (14), At least one further rechargeable energy storage (10) arranged in the accessory (4, 4.1) and at least one capable of being supplied with energy by at least one of the rechargeable energy storages (10, 12) First rechargeable energy storage (12) and further rechargeable energy with respect to a household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1), in particular a vacuum cleaner (2, 2.1) comprising two consumers (6, 46) At least one first switch unit (13) disposed between the storage (10) and the first switch unit (13) is provided. A storage (12) and a further rechargeable energy storage (10), parallel to the in the first switch position, and / or series in the second switch position, configured to connect.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to household cleaning appliances, and in particular, at least one accessory connectable to the body, at least one first rechargeable energy storage disposed within the body, and at least disposed within the accessory. It relates to a vacuum cleaner comprising one further rechargeable energy storage and at least one consumer that can be powered by at least one of the rechargeable energy storages. The present invention further relates to a base station for household cleaning appliances.

  The household cleaning implement according to the invention refers in particular to a vacuum cleaner such as a hand-held vacuum cleaner. The household cleaning appliance includes a main body and an accessory connected to or connectable to the main body. The body may comprise a handle for the user, or the handle may be placed on a rod connected to the body.

  An accessory in this case refers in particular to a component that can be coupled to or fixedly connected to the body. The accessory may be, for example, a suction unit or a nozzle unit for cleaning the surface. During operation of the hand-held vacuum cleaner, accessory contact surfaces provided for it, such as accessory rollers and / or actuating elements, come into contact with the surface to be cleaned.

  The suction device is in particular arranged in the body. The suction device comprises an actuating element in the form of a suction fan that can be driven by an electric consumer in the form of an electric motor. Particles located on the surface to be cleaned can be sucked up by the suction device via a suction path arranged between the suction device and the accessory.

  The prior art has many home cleaning appliances in which a rechargeable electrical energy storage is disposed within the body to supply energy to at least one electrical consumer. For example, energy storage in the form of a storage battery is used to supply electrical energy to at least one consumer. For example, the electric motor of the suction device can be supplied with electrical energy. By installing a rechargeable electrical energy storage in the body, a cordless and thus user-friendly operation is possible.

  One disadvantage of this type of rechargeable energy storage is that the energy storage is heavy. Placing energy storage in the body increases the weight that the user must carry while operating the handheld vacuum cleaner. This reduces the operational comfort of the handheld vacuum cleaner. Therefore, the comfort of operation of the handheld vacuum cleaner is reduced. As a result, the prior art typically uses smaller capacity electrical energy storage, thereby resulting in weight savings.

  In addition, prior art improved household cleaning appliances provide active accessories including additional rechargeable energy storage. Further rechargeable energy storage is used to supply electrical energy to an electrical consumer, such as an electrical motor and / or sensor of an actuating element, disposed within the accessory.

  In fact, in this type of household cleaning appliance, the total amount of electrical energy available to the consumer of household cleaning appliances is increasing. However, the available electrical energy cannot be used flexibly. This reduces the ease of use and further performance for the user of the household cleaner.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate the drawbacks of household cleaning devices known in the art, and in particular to improve the performance of the household cleaning device and ease of use for the user. Is to provide.

  This object is solved according to a first aspect of the invention by a cleaning implement according to claim 1. Household cleaning appliances, in particular vacuum cleaners, comprise at least one accessory that can be connected at least to the body. The household cleaning appliance includes at least one first rechargeable energy storage disposed within the body. The household cleaning appliance comprises at least one further rechargeable energy storage arranged in the accessory. The household cleaning appliance comprises at least one consumer that can be powered by at least one of the rechargeable energy storages. The household cleaning appliance is characterized in that at least one first switch unit is provided which is arranged between the first rechargeable energy storage and the further rechargeable energy storage. The first switch unit is configured to connect the first rechargeable energy storage and the further rechargeable energy storage in parallel at the first switch position and in series at the second switch position.

  Unlike the prior art, the switch unit is provided for flexibly interconnecting at least one first rechargeable energy storage of the body and at least one further rechargeable energy storage of the accessory, so The performance of the instrument and the ease of use for the user are improved. In particular, the performance and ease of use for the user can be given increased capacity (longer operation duration) by parallel connection of at least two energy storages, if necessary, and if necessary This is an improvement in that an increase in the maximum amount of power available due to the series connection of at least two energy storages can be provided (by voltage rise). Moreover, the energy storage weight of the accessory is preferably distributed directly to the contact surface of the accessory, such as an accessory roller and / or actuating element.

  The household cleaner may in particular be a vacuum cleaner. The household cleaning device comprises a body to which at least one accessory or a plurality of (different) accessories can be coupled. The accessory is in particular a combined accessory element. The at least one accessory may preferably be an active accessory (eg, an active nozzle) or a passive accessory (eg, a passive nozzle and / or an extension hose with a handle). The active accessory comprises at least one electric consumer such as an electric sensor and / or an electric actuator. The actuator may be, for example, an electric motor that operates an actuating element of a household cleaning implement or an actuating element of an accessory. On the other hand, passive accessories do not have an electric consumer.

  The household cleaning appliance comprises at least two rechargeable electrical energy storages. The rechargeable energy storage is configured to store electrical energy and send it to at least one electrical consumer as needed. The rechargeable energy storage is preferably configured as a storage battery.

  The first rechargeable energy storage is disposed within the body and the additional rechargeable energy storage is preferably disposed within the combined accessory. Additional energy storage is located within the household cleaning appliance accessory, thus increasing the electrical energy available to operate the household cleaning appliance and / or the active accessory, especially the weight of the body Without increasing.

  In order to use the available electrical energy in a flexible and optimized manner, a first switch unit is provided. The first switch unit includes switch means for connecting at least two rechargeable energy storages provided in parallel or in series. At the first switch position, the rechargeable energy storage is connected in parallel, and at the second switch position, the rechargeable energy storage is connected in series. Thus, depending on the current demand, the maximum available power is increased or the operation duration of the household cleaning device is extended.

  According to the first embodiment of the household cleaning device according to the present invention, the household cleaning device may comprise a control unit configured to control the first switch unit. According to a preferred embodiment, the household cleaning device may comprise a control unit configured to control the first switch unit in accordance with the operating state of the household cleaning device. For example, in at least one first detectable operating state, the first switch unit is (always) set to a first switch position and / or in at least one further operating state, the first switch unit is It may be implemented in the control unit to (always) be set to the second switch position. By taking into account the current operating state during connection, the ease of use for the user can be automatically improved.

  Alternatively or additionally, the control unit can be configured to control the first switch unit in response to the detected accessory type of the accessory connected to the household cleaning implement. Due to the type of accessory and in particular the intended use associated therewith, the predetermined operating mode is, for example, such that the first switch unit is set to the first switch position or the second switch position. The first switch unit may be controlled. This occurs, for example, in the case of a suction hose with a passive suction nozzle connected to the body for the purpose of cleaning the surface, the suction nozzle being a suction hose with further rechargeable energy storage. It makes it possible to compensate for suction line flow losses (Germany: suction line flow losses), which provides a first mode of operation in which the first switch unit is at least This is because the two rechargeable energy storages are switched in series with each other to compensate for the loss caused by the increased suction performance that will occur.

  The control unit is preferably configured to control the first switch unit in response to the state of the first rechargeable energy storage and / or the state of further rechargeable energy storage. The state may in particular be a current state of charge of the first rechargeable energy storage, a further rechargeable energy storage, and / or at least two rechargeable energy storages. Since the control unit controls the first switch unit in accordance with the (current) charge state of the rechargeable energy storage, the available operating time of the household cleaning appliance can be particularly increased.

  The control unit may be configured at least partly as a hardware module and / or at least partly as a software module.

  According to a particularly preferred embodiment, at least one detection unit can be provided for detecting the state of charge of the first rechargeable energy storage and / or for detecting the state of charge of a further rechargeable energy storage. Of course, two (or more) separate detection units may be provided. The detection unit may comprise a measurement module that determines the current state of charge of the rechargeable energy storage. The measurement module may perform, for example, chemical measurement, voltage dependence measurement, current integration (Germany: Strom-integrative, English: power-integrative) measurement, pressure dependence measurement, or battery impedance measurement. At least one detection unit may have a communication connection to the control unit and may provide a measured state of charge to the control unit.

  When the control unit detects a drop below a comparative charging state (Germany: Vergleichsladezustand, UK: comparative charging state) due to at least one detected charging state, the first charging energy storage and the further charging energy storage The first switch unit may be driven in such a manner that it is connected in parallel. For example, a first comparative charge state (e.g., between 10-50%) may be specified for the first rechargeable energy storage of the main body. Parallel connection of the first rechargeable energy storage of the main body to the additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory if the current state of charge of the first rechargeable energy storage of the main body falls below this first comparative charge state May be triggered automatically, especially to extend the duration of operation. Additionally or alternatively, additional comparative charge states (eg, between 10-50%) may be specified for additional rechargeable energy storage of accessories. Again, if the current state of charge of the additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory falls below the further comparative charge state, especially to extend the operating time, the additional energy of the accessory in the first energy storage of the body It may be specified that a parallel connection to the storage is automatically triggered.

In an alternative or preferably additional embodiment, the control unit can be configured to control the first switch unit in response to at least one mode of operation. The household cleaning device can preferably operate in various operating modes. The operating modes may differ, for example, in that different maximum power is supplied to the electric consumer. For example, in the first mode of operation, the electric motor of the suction fan can be operated at a higher speed (for example up to 150,000 min ⁻¹ ) than in a further mode of operation in order to supply a particularly strong suction force. According to the invention, the first operating mode may be provided by the first switch unit connecting at least two rechargeable energy storages in series with each other. For example, the maximum available operating voltage of 24V can be increased by 50% to 100%, in particular up to 48V. This makes it possible, for example, to operate individually designed motors at higher speeds. For this purpose, the control unit may detect the corresponding first operation mode, and may drive the first switch unit according to the detected operation mode. In a further (energy saving) mode of operation, the electric motor can be operated at a lower speed (lower maximum power or operating voltage), for example to save energy. When the other operating mode is detected, the control unit may cause the first switch unit to connect at least two rechargeable energy storages in parallel.

  The (desired) mode of operation can be preset by the user, for example via a user interface on a household cleaning device. Alternatively or additionally, the household cleaning implement may comprise one or more sensors. A sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor may be arranged in particular in the accessory. The at least one sensor may detect, for example, the type of surface currently being cleaned or the degree of contamination detected on the surface currently being cleaned. Depending on the type of floor detected and / or the degree of contamination detected, the evaluation unit can determine the optimal operating mode according to preset rules. The control unit may control the first switch unit according to an operation mode that is automatically set thereafter, and the first switch unit is set to the first switch position or the second switch position. Can be made.

  According to a further embodiment, it may further be provided that the first switch unit is configured to connect at least one consumer only to the additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory in the third switch state. . The first switch unit may be controllable such that only the additional rechargeable electrical energy storage of the accessory supplies electrical energy to at least one consumer such as an electric motor of the body. For example, the control unit may, by way of example, only the additional rechargeable electrical energy storage of the accessory until at least a preset second comparative charge state (e.g., 10-50%). It may be programmed to be used to supply a consumer. In particular, in the case of a detachable accessory, there is the advantage that an accessory with a discharged energy storage can be replaced with another accessory with a charged energy storage. In other words, the energy storage can be replaced by replacing the accessory. Thereby, the operating time of the household cleaning device can be further improved by simple means.

  The household cleaning implement may have at least one permanently connected accessory. In other words, in this case, accessories cannot be replaced by the user (without a substantial amount of assembly work). The accessory is preferably connectable to the body in a detachable manner. Detachable means in particular that it can be separated from the main body by a (simple) action of the user and can be exchanged for further accessories, for example.

  The accessory may suitably comprise at least one electrical charging port. Since the accessory also has its own charging port, the accessory rechargeable energy storage can be charged independently of the body of the household cleaning appliance. The charging port may correspond to the charging port of the charging module of the base station. Alternatively, the charging module may be integrated within the accessory. In that case, the charging port can be configured, for example, to connect a cable to a plug.

  In the case of a detachable accessory, preferably the plug-in connection provides an electrical connection between the additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory and the first rechargeable energy storage of the body. It may be configured. For example, the accessory includes a plug-in component (eg, a plug socket) that corresponds to a plug-in component (eg, a plug) of the body. An electrical connection can be used to send electrical energy from an accessory to a consumer in the body and / or to send electrical energy from the body to a consumer in the accessory. For example, an electrical cable with a plug connection may be provided between the consumer of the main body and the additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory.

  As already mentioned, the at least one electricity consumer may be an electric sensor and / or an actuator. The at least one consumer may preferably be an electric motor. An electric motor may be disposed within the body for driving at least one actuation element disposed within the body. The at least one actuating element arranged in the body may be a suction fan for generating an air flow for sucking up particles on the surface to be cleaned, for example. The suction fan is preferably driven by, for example, an electric drive or an electric motor.

  In principle, an accessory according to the invention may be a passive accessory or an active accessory. Passive accessories are to be understood as meaning accessories that do not contain an electric consumer. The active accessory in this case is an accessory comprising at least one electric consumer such as an electric sensor or an electric motor.

  For example, at least one electric motor may be disposed in the accessory for driving at least one actuating element disposed in the accessory. The accessory presents an electrical connection between the additional rechargeable electrical energy storage and the accessory electric motor. The electric motor may drive an actuating element, for example a brush device, a wiping device or a polishing device. Of course, the accessory may comprise more than one electric motor, sensor, and / or more than one actuation element.

  In order to provide a direct electrical connection between the accessory electric motor and the additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory, but at the same time, if necessary, to provide an electrical connection to the additional electric motor of the body, preferably For example, a second switch unit can be provided. According to a preferred embodiment, the second switch unit can be arranged in the accessory. The second switch unit may be controllable by the control unit in such a way that only the additional rechargeable electrical energy storage of the accessory supplies electrical energy to the accessory consumer. For example, the control unit may send electrical energy from the accessory's additional energy storage only to the accessory's consumer, depending on rechargeable energy storage status data, user-entered data, and / or predefined rules. The electrical connection may be established in such a way that it is supplied.

  The accessory may be a passive accessory in the form of a dual-use nozzle. The nozzle for both hard floor and carpet can be switched manually. The accessory may further be a parquet nozzle. In the case of a parquet nozzle, the additional weight of the battery located in the parquet nozzle is particularly advantageous because the brush and sealing elements of the parquet nozzle are each pressed with a greater force against the parquet flooring to be cleaned. Have Further exemplary non-comprehensive accessories that can be equipped with additional storage batteries according to the present invention include hard floor nozzles, electric brushes, scouring brushes, wiping nozzles, carpet nozzles, and upholstered furniture nozzles that increase the work area, As well as a suction hose.

  Of course, the household cleaning appliance further comprises a power cable (Germany: for charging at least one first rechargeable energy storage and / or for optional cable operation of the household cleaning appliance). Netzkable (English: mains cable) may be presented.

  Another aspect of the invention is a base station for a household cleaning appliance, in particular for a household cleaning appliance as described above, comprising a first charging port corresponding to a further charging port of the body of the household cleaning appliance. A first charging module. The base station is characterized in that the base station comprises at least one further charging module with an additional charging port corresponding to the additional charging port of the accessory.

  An accessory with additional rechargeable energy storage, for example in the form of a storage battery, can be electrically connected to the base station so that the accessory can be charged independently of the body or main unit of the household cleaning appliance. The base station may preferably present a charging module for the main body and at least one charging module for at least one accessory. Each of the at least two charging modules may be configured to optimally correspond to the charging requirements of the individual energy storage. Thus, the first charging module may provide a first charging current for the first rechargeable energy storage of the body, and the additional charging module (for additional rechargeable energy storage of the accessory) Probably another charging current (e.g. of different current strength) may be supplied.

  While the accessory's rechargeable energy storage is being charged, the user may operate a further accessory and the main body with the rechargeable energy storage, or charge the main body's first rechargeable energy storage. Can do. For example, a base station with at least two charging modules may be made in the form of a storage box for the main body and in particular for a plurality of accessories. A plurality of accessories, in particular their individual charging ports, are in direct contact with the charging port contacts of the base station or of the charging module of the base station after the accessories are placed in the corresponding receiving means of the base station. May be. As a result, the accessory can be easily charged. Thus, the operation time of the household cleaning tool can be increased. In particular, the base charging station can provide a concept for certain replacement batteries. The difference compared to the known replacement battery concept is that in this case the accessories are replaced instead of the energy storage itself. This further improves the comfort for the user.

  There are several possible ways to construct and develop a household cleaning appliance according to the invention and a base station according to the invention. For this purpose, reference is first made to the claims subordinate to the independent claim and then to the description of the exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawings.

1 shows a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a household cleaning implement according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of a household cleaning implement according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a base station according to the present invention.

  In the following, the same reference numerals are used for the same components.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a household cleaning appliance 2 in the form of a hand-held vacuum cleaner 2. The handheld vacuum cleaner 2 is configured to clean a surface 24 such as a floor 24, for example. The hand-held vacuum cleaner 2 includes a main body 14 and an accessory 4 connected to the main body 14.

  The body 14 comprises a suction device 26 with a built-in operating element 8 in the form of a suction fan 8. The suction fan 8 is driven by the electric motor 6. Further, the suction device 26 includes a storage means 28 for a dust bag (not shown).

  Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the main body 14 is connected to the handle 20 via the rod 18, so that the user can operate the handheld vacuum cleaner 2 in a standing position. The rod 18 is in particular a telescopic rod 18. A user can operate the cleaner 2 using the main switch 30. In operation, in particular the electric motor 6 is supplied with voltage in order to drive the fan 8. The electric energy supply in this case is performed through the first rechargeable energy storage 12 installed in the main body 14 of the vacuum cleaner 2.

  In this case, the vacuum cleaner 2 has an electrical energy source in the form of a further energy storage 10 installed in the accessory 4. Preferably, storage batteries 10, 12 are provided as rechargeable energy storages 10, 12. The electric drive 6 is supplied with electrical energy by the storage batteries 10, 12 via an electrical connection 16 in the form of a wiring 16.

  The accessory 4 in this example is configured in the form of a passive accessory 4. The passive accessory 4 does not include an electric consumer. The accessory shown comprises a passive actuating element 22 in the form of a bristle strip 22.

  By mounting the additional energy storage 10 in the accessory 4, the maximum available power and / or operating time of the vacuum cleaner 2 without the user feeling that the vacuum cleaner 2 is too heavy to hold by hand. (Period) can be increased. This is because the weight of the additional rechargeable energy storage 10 in this case is (mainly) distributed to the roller 32 and the bristle piece 22 of the accessory 4.

  The larger overall storage capacity of the energy storage 10, 12 is realized by the parallel connection of the rechargeable energy storage 10, 12, and the increase in the maximum available power is realized by the series connection of the rechargeable energy storage 10, 12. .

  For this purpose, in the exemplary embodiment, the first switch unit 13 is arranged between the further rechargeable energy storage 10 of the accessory 4 and the first rechargeable energy storage 12 of the body 14. . The first switch unit 13 is configured to connect the rechargeable energy storages 10 and 12 in parallel at the first switch position, and connects the rechargeable energy storages 10 and 12 in series at the second switch position. It is configured as follows. The controllable first switch unit 13 is actuated by the control unit 11. The control unit 11 is a first switch unit depending on the current operating state of the cleaner 2 and / or the current operating mode of the cleaner 2 and / or the accessory type of the accessory 4 connected to the main body 14. 13 may be configured to control.

  For example, the user may preset a first operating mode in which greater maximum available power is provided (compared to normal mode or energy saving mode). In this case, in the first operating mode, for example, the maximum suction force can be increased. When the control unit 11 detects the first operation mode, the control unit 11 drives the first switch unit 13 to cause the rechargeable energy storages 10 and 12 to be connected in series. Conversely, if a second operating mode such as an energy saving mode is preset and detected, the control unit 11 may cause the first switch unit 13 to cause the rechargeable energy storages 10 and 12 to be connected in parallel. it can.

  Further, it may be specified that the operation mode is automatically set. At least one sensor (not shown), such as an ultrasonic sensor, can detect the type of surface that is currently being cleaned. An evaluation module (not shown) can obtain the mode of operation from the detected floor type according to the stored designation and set the cleaner 2 accordingly. In the present case, this may involve a change in the connection of at least two rechargeable energy storages 10,12.

  In a preferred embodiment, the first switch unit 13 is further configured to supply only the energy from the additional rechargeable energy storage 10 of the accessory 4 to the electrical consumer 6 of the body 14 in the third switch setting. May be. This is further controlled by the control unit 11 according to the current operating state of the cleaner 2 and / or the current operating mode of the cleaner 2 and / or the accessory type of the accessory 4 connected to the body 14. It is also possible.

  The accessory 4 in this case is detachably connected to the end of the main body 14. In order to establish an electrical connection between the energy storage 10 of the accessory 4 and the electric motor 6 of the body 14, for example, a plug connection 36 is provided. Plug connection 36 can be seen in the enlarged detail of FIG. In particular, the accessory 4 comprises a plug element 36.1 corresponding to the plug element 36.2 of the body 14.

  In this example, the detachable accessory 4 is further provided with a charging port 34 simply disposed on one side wall of the accessory 4 as an example. The charging port 34 comprises in particular suitable electrical contacts. The further rechargeable energy storage 10 can be recharged via the charging port 34 by means of combined charging (ankoppelbaren Ladegeraets, UK: couplable charging) (not shown). For example, when it is detected that the rechargeable energy storage 10 of the accessory 4 is discharged, the accessory 4 is removed from the main body 14 and replaced with the accessory 4 having the charged energy storage 10. Can provide the concept of replacement storage batteries.

  A further exemplary embodiment, schematically shown, of a household cleaning appliance 2.1 according to the invention is shown in FIG. The household cleaning appliance 2.1, which in this case is shown in the form of a hand-held vacuum cleaner 2.1, comprises an active accessory 4.1. The accessory 4.1 shown is a suction polishing nozzle 4.1 with a wiper unit 40 configured as an actuating element 40. The wiper unit 40 includes a vibrating body 42 and a wiping cloth holding body 44. An electric consumer in the form of an electric motor 46 is provided for driving the wiper unit 40. The electric motor 46 may generate vibration or rotational movement of the wiping cloth holder 44. The double arrow 48 indicates a linear motion of the vibrating body 42 as an example, and thereby the wiping cloth holding body 44 is moved on the floor 24. During this movement, the floor 24 is wet or dry cleaned or polished. Furthermore, the suction path 50 can be arranged on the side next to the vibrating body 42 to suck up the particles. In this example, the wiping cloth is detachably fixed to the wiping cloth holder 44 by attachment with a Velcro (registered trademark) fastener.

  For the supply of electrical energy, the hand-held vacuum cleaner 2.1 and the accessory 4.1 have two rechargeable energy storages 10, 12 in the form of storage batteries 10, 12.

  As described above, the rechargeable energy storages 10 and 12 can be connected at least in parallel or in series by the first switch unit 13.

  Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, a first detection unit 15 is provided for detecting the current state of charge of the first rechargeable energy storage 12. The measured state of charge can be provided to the control unit 11 by the detection unit 15.

  The further rechargeable energy storage 10 can further be electrically connected to the electric motor 6 of the main body 14 and / or the electric motor 46 of the accessory 4.1 via the second switch unit 52. The second switch unit 52 may in particular be driven by the control unit 11 via a communication connection (not shown). Alternatively or additionally, a further control unit (not shown) can be provided in the accessory 4.1 for controlling the second switch unit 52.

  Furthermore, a further detection unit 54 for detecting the current state of charge of the further rechargeable energy storage 10 is arranged in the accessory 4.1. The detected state of charge can be provided to the first control unit 11 via a communication connection (not shown).

  Depending on the operating state of the cleaner 2.1, in particular the received current charging state of the at least two rechargeable energy storages 10, 12, the control unit 11 can control the first switch unit 13. For example, at least a first comparative charging state of at least one rechargeable energy storage 10, 12 can be stored in the control unit 11. The control unit 11 can be configured, for example, to compare the current state of charge of the first energy storage 12 with a first comparative state of charge (eg, a value between 10% and 50%). If the current state of charge of the first rechargeable energy storage 12 falls below a preset first comparative state of charge, the control unit 11 can recharge the energy storage, particularly independently of the current operating mode. 10 and 12 may be switched in parallel.

  Via the communication input 17, the control unit 11 can be provided, for example, with the current or desired operating mode. By way of example, the mode of operation may be attached by a user and / or by input via a user interface (not shown) and / or by one or more sensors (not shown) and / or used This can be provided by a control signal representing the type of product 4.1. The control signal may be generated, for example, by a controller (not shown) located in the accessory 4.1 and sent to the control unit 11 or a storage ( (Not shown) may be read by the control unit 11.

  It may further be defined that the electric motor 46 is supplied with electric energy by the further energy storage 10 implemented exclusively in the attachment 4.1. This applies, provided that the additional energy storage 10 is still showing an appropriate amount of charge. The attendant advantage of the connection is that the current must not be first led to the body 14 and from there again to the motor 46 of the accessory 4.1.

  Further, FIG. 3 discloses an exemplary embodiment of a base station 60 according to the present invention. In this case, the base station 60 is in particular the charging station 60 of the household cleaning appliance 2, 2.1 and the two accessories 4, 4.1 (appliances and accessories not shown). The base station 60 can be electrically connected to a power supply network (not shown) via a cable 74.

  The base station 60 includes three accommodation means 62, 64 and 66. The first accommodating means 62 is used for accommodating the main body 14. For example, the receiving means 62 may correspond to the end of the main body 14 to which the accessories 4, 4.1 can be coupled. The accommodating means 62 includes a charging module 63 having a charging port 68. The charging port 68 corresponds to the charging port of the main body 14 that is at least arranged for charging an electrical energy storage integrated in the main body. For example, the charging port of the body 14 may be a plug-in component 36.2 (see FIG. 1). The charging module 63 is adapted to the first rechargeable energy storage 12 of the main body 14 such that an optimum charging current can be supplied.

  Furthermore, the base station 60 in this case comprises two further accommodating means 64, 66 for two different accessories 4, 4.1. In particular, the shape of the receiving means 64 may correspond to the shape of the first accessory 4, 4.1, and the shape of the further receiving means 66 corresponds to the shape of the further accessory 4, 4.1. Also good.

  Each housing means 64, 66 may comprise individually configured charging modules 65, 67 which in each case have separate charging ports 70, 72. The charging ports 70, 72 may correspond to the charging ports 34 of the individual accessories 4, 4.1 in any case. The individual charging modules 65, 67 can in each case be adapted to the further energy storage 10 of the accessories 4, 4.1.

  For example, the three charging modules 63, 65, and 67 may supply different maximum charging currents and the like.

2, 2.1 Household cleaning tools 4, 4.1 Accessories 6 Electric motor 8 Suction fan 10 Further rechargeable energy storage 11 Control unit 12 First rechargeable energy storage 13 First switch unit 14 Body 15 Detection unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 Wiring 17 Communication input 18 Telescopic rod 20 Handle 22 Bristle piece 24 Surface 26 Suction device 28 Dust collection bag accommodating means 30 Main switch 32 Roller 34 Charging port 36 Plug connection 36.1, 36.2 Plug-in component 40 Wiper unit 42 Vibrating body 44 Wiping cross holding body 46 Electric motor 48 Double arrow 50 Suction duct 52 Second switch unit 54 Further detection unit 60 Base station 62, 64, 66 Housing means 63, 65, 67 Charging module 68 70, 72 charging port 74 cable

Claims (11)

Household cleaning appliances (2, 2.1), in particular vacuum cleaners (2, 2.1),
-At least one accessory (4, 4.1) connectable to at least the body (14);
-At least one first rechargeable energy storage (12) arranged in the body (14);
-At least one further rechargeable energy storage (10) arranged in said accessory (4, 4.1);
-At least one consumer (6, 46) capable of supplying energy by at least one of said rechargeable energy storage (10, 12);
A household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) comprising:
-At least one first switch unit (13) disposed between the first rechargeable energy storage (12) and the further rechargeable energy storage (10);
The first switch unit (13) connects the first rechargeable energy storage (12) and the further rechargeable energy storage (10) in parallel at a first switch position to a second switch position; Configured to connect in series at
Household cleaning appliances (2, 2.1), characterized in that.   Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) comprises a control unit (11) configured to control the first switch unit (13). Cleaning device (2, 2.1).   The control unit (11) is configured to control the first switch unit (13) in response to an operating state of the household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1). 2. Household cleaning appliances according to 2, (2.1).   The control unit (11) is configured to control the first switch unit (1) according to the detected accessory type of the accessory (4, 4.1) connected to the household cleaning device (2, 2.1). Household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it is arranged to control 13).   5. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to control the first switch unit according to at least one operating mode. 6. Household cleaning appliances (2, 2.1).   The control unit (11) controls the first switch unit (13) according to the state of the first rechargeable energy storage (12) and / or the state of the further rechargeable energy storage (10). Household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that it is configured as follows. -At least one detection unit (15, 54) is provided for detecting the state of charge of the first rechargeable energy storage (12) and / or detecting the state of charge of the further rechargeable energy storage (10); ,
The first rechargeable energy storage (12) and the further rechargeable energy storage (10) when the control unit (11) detects a drop below the comparative charge state due to at least one detected charge state; Are configured to drive the first switch unit (13) in such a manner that they are connected in parallel,
Household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to claim 6, characterized in that.   The first switch unit (13) transfers the at least one consumer (6, 46) to the further rechargeable energy storage (10) of the accessory (4, 4.1) in a third switch state. Household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is configured to connect only. The accessory (4, 4.1) is detachably connected to the body (14);
-To establish an electrical connection between the further rechargeable energy storage (10) of the accessory (4, 4.1) and the first rechargeable energy storage (12) of the body (14); A plug connection (36) is provided;
Household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that. -At least one consumer (46) is arranged in said accessory (4);
The accessory (4.1) comprises a second switch unit (52) in the accessory (4.1);
The control unit (11) is such that only the further rechargeable energy storage (10) of the accessory (4.1) supplies energy to the consumer (46) of the accessory (4.1). Configured to drive the second switch unit (52) in a
Household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that. Base station (60) for a household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1), in particular for a household cleaning appliance (2, 2.1) according to any one of the preceding claims, A first charging module (63) with a first charging port (68) corresponding to a further charging port (36.2) of the body (14) of the cleaning appliance (2, 2.1), A base station (60),
The base station (60) has at least one further charging module (65, 67) with a further charging port (70, 72) corresponding to the further charging port (34) of the accessory (4, 4.1); Comprising
A base station (60), characterized in that.

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