JP2789192B2 - Electric vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner having a configuration in which suction performance and the like are appropriately controlled in accordance with use conditions and user preferences. About. [Prior Art] Conventionally, it has been known to use a vacuum cleaner by adjusting the suction force. For example, according to JP-A-58-221920 and JP-A-59-146632, a method of controlling an input of an electric blower by controlling a phase of a bidirectional thyristor and switching operation modes is described. Called
By switching the selection switch, the input of the electric blower is simply switched to three levels of strong, medium and weak. However, according to these, a high-input operation or a low-input operation is simply selected according to the characteristics of the electric blower, for example, in the case of a straight-through motor, such as the series winding characteristics. Therefore, the state of the electric blower is not controlled to the appropriate suction performance corresponding to the filter clogging or the change of the use state. On the other hand, conventionally, according to Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-35864, an operation control law (hereinafter simply referred to as a predetermined one) is detected by detecting that a suction port is stuck to a cleaning surface or that a filter is clogged. Vacuum cleaners that are controlled according to a control law) are known. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The control system disclosed in the publication discloses that the state quantity (for example, air volume, pressure, current, etc.) of the vacuum cleaner is proportional or inversely proportional to the amount of change which varies depending on the use conditions. Since the system is controlled in accordance with one fixed control rule with such a fixed function or gain, a problem may occur if the conditions change. This will be described with reference to the suction characteristic diagram shown in FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 3 represents the suction air volume Q, and the vertical axis represents the rotation speed N of the electric blower, its power W, and the suction static pressure H. Here, for example, it is detected that the control law is adsorbed to the suction opening of the curtain or the like by the suction opening by detecting the rise of the suction static pressure H, and the suction static pressure H is reduced as shown by the dotted line in the drawing. To the rotation speed N or power W
If the suction port is in close contact with the carpet floor in a use state where a strong suction force is required, such as a bed, As in the case described above, the control works in the direction of lowering the suction force, which causes a problem that the required suction force cannot be obtained. In addition, appropriate control is performed in accordance with the difference in physical strength of the user (adult and child) or the user's preference at the time of use (day and night) and various use conditions, and the suction power and There is a problem that it is impossible to control noise by one control law as in the above-described conventional technology. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the problems caused by the conventional technique of controlling with a fixed control law, and to operate the vacuum cleaner with an appropriate control law according to the type of the surface to be cleaned. Is to provide. Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric blower that collects dust in a dust collection chamber by suction negative pressure, and a blower control unit that controls the number of revolutions of the electric blower. A control law generating means for generating a plurality of control laws that are predetermined according to the type of the surface to be cleaned or the like and that control the operating state of the electric blower; and Switching means for selecting the control law, and based on an arbitrary control law selected by the switching means, the control amount is transmitted to the blower control means so that the detected state quantity of the cleaner matches the target value of the control law. Output signal processing means. [Operation] With this configuration, the control law generating means of the control law according to the use condition or preference is selected by the switching means at the time of use. As a result, the vacuum cleaner's operating state quantities (air volume, pressure, current, rotation speed, etc.) are automatically adjusted according to the control rules, thereby realizing suction performance and noise control according to usage conditions and preferences. can do. When the use condition changes, for example, from a carpet floor to a curtain or the like, it is possible to easily cope with the situation by switching the control law generating means, and the conventional problem is solved. Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples. First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a control system which is a main part of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an overall configuration diagram of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 1 of the vacuum cleaner comprises a main body case 2 and a dust collecting case 3, and an electric blower 4 and a control device 5 are built in the main body case 2, and the dust collecting chamber 3 has a dust collecting filter. 6. The dust collecting chamber 3 is connected to a suction port 9 via a hose 7 and an extension pipe 8. The control device 5 is configured as shown in FIG. The AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply 10 is converted into a voltage for each device in the cleaner by the power supply device 11. Electric blower 4
, Power is supplied from the power supply device 11 via the blower control device 12. The blower control device 12 controls the current, the number of revolutions, the voltage, etc. of the electric blower 4 based on the control amount signal output from the command generation device 13. The command generator 13 includes a plurality of memories 14 (14a, 14a,
14b, 14c, 14d), a switching device 15 for selecting one of the memories 14, and performing a predetermined signal processing based on a target value function or the like given from the memory 14 selected by the selected switching device 15.
It is configured to include a signal processing device 16 that outputs a control amount signal of the electric blower 4. The signal amount of the state of the cleaner detected by the detecting device 17 is input to the signal processing device 16. The detection device 17 detects various state quantities such as a voltage, a current, a rotation speed, or a pressure or a flow rate of each part of the vacuum cleaner main body, which change depending on an operation state of the electric blower 4, and inputs them to the signal processing device 16. It is like that. The memories 14a to 14d are respectively shown in FIGS.
A control rule such as a target value function which sets the correlation between various state quantities of the cleaner shown in FIGS. 6 and 6 is stored. Then, the signal processing device 16 outputs a command value of the control amount to the blower control device 12 so that the detection state amount input from the detection device 17 matches a target value determined according to the control law. The memory 14 is not only configured by an analog electric circuit that generates a signal such as a target value function according to a control law, but also a so-called semiconductor integrated circuit that stores program software and data values in combination with a microcomputer. It is also possible to configure with a digital memory consisting of Further, the signal processing device 16 in the above embodiment
Can be constituted by a microcomputer. The operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described below. First, a case where the control rule shown in FIG. 3 is selected by the switching device 15 will be described as an example. FIG. 3 shows a control law suitable for a case where there are many cleaning surfaces, such as curtains and newspapers, which are easily attracted to the suction opening 9. As shown in the drawing, when the air volume Q at the suction port is extremely reduced due to the suction and becomes close to the closed state, the power W is controlled to be reduced as shown by a dotted line in the drawing, and the suction static pressure H is reduced to prevent the suction. It is assumed that. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the suction air volume Q enters the operation region below the point P, it is detected that suction of the suction port has occurred, and the power W is reduced as shown by the dotted line in FIG. This is to reduce the static pressure H. Here, the detection of the suction air volume Q is based on the fact that the air volume Q is
In view of the fact that the current W is proportional to the power W and the current is proportional to the power W, the power W tends to decrease as shown by the solid line in FIG. Can be detected. Therefore, a target value function or the like for the current is set in the memory 14 in advance, and is compared with the current detection value input from the detection device 17, and the characteristic of the electric blower 4 is set so as to have the characteristic shown by the dotted line in FIG. The voltage command value is determined and output to the blower control device 12. An example of this signal processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG. Seventh
In step 102 of FIG.
Then, in steps 104 and 108, the target value of the current, which is set in advance, is compared with the upper limit value and the lower limit value in steps 104 and 108, thereby judging whether or not the vehicle enters the operating region below the point P. At the same time, a voltage command value corresponding to the operation area is output to the blower control device 12 (step 112). In the above processing, if the value falls below the lower limit value, the lower limit value so far is set to the upper limit value in step 110, and the lower limit value is rewritten to a lower value by a certain amount, and based on this, the voltage command value is set to a lower value. By repeatedly performing such processing, the power W is reduced in accordance with the decrease in the suction air volume Q, the increase in the suction static pressure H is suppressed, the suction force of the suction port is reduced, and the removal of a curtain or the like is facilitated. When the suction state is eliminated, the air flow Q increases and the current increases accordingly. Therefore, contrary to the above procedure, the upper limit value is sequentially rewritten in step 106 and is indicated by the dotted line in FIG. The power W and the like are increased according to the characteristics. Note that the solid line shown in the characteristic diagram of FIG. 3 and the like shows characteristics when a commutator motor is used as the electric blower 4 and is operated at a constant voltage. Further, according to the processing procedure of FIG. 7, a step-like control consisting of a plurality of sections is performed from the point P to the airflow Q of 0, but the smooth running characteristics as shown by the dotted line as a whole can do. Further, as the detection amount, not only the current but also an air volume sensor or a pressure sensor may be used to detect the air volume Q or the suction static pressure H, and control based on the detected air volume Q or the suction static pressure H. In addition, the control amount is not limited to the voltage, and a method of directly controlling the rotation speed using an inverter or the like may be adopted. The control law shown in FIG. 4 is suitable for a case where there are many cleaning surfaces requiring a high suction force, such as carpets. In the drawing, the relationship between the state quantities in a normal use state is shown by a solid line, and when the suction port is in contact with the cleaning surface and the air volume Q is on the closed side, this is detected and the power consumption W is increased and controlled as shown by the dotted line in the figure. , Resulting in a strong suction force (static suction pressure H)
Is obtained. The control law shown in FIG. 5 is suitable in a state in which the suction port 9 is lifted in the air, that is, in a usage in which there are many pauses without actually cleaning. In such a use condition, since the air volume is usually large, the power W is controlled to be reduced as shown by a dotted line in a range exceeding a certain air volume, thereby reducing power consumption and noise reduction. The effect is obtained. The control law shown in FIG. 6 is such that the rotation speed N is controlled to be constant as shown by the dotted line in the figure even when the air volume Q changes.
According to this, similarly to the use condition of FIG. 3, in the case of a suction port that is easily adsorbed on the cleaning surface, it is suitable for gradually reducing the power consumption W as the air volume decreases, thereby preventing the adsorption. . In addition, the control law of FIG. 6 is to control the rotation speed to be constant from the viewpoint of controlling the electric blower, and to use an inverter drive motor as a drive unit of the electric blower and to control the frequency constantly. Then, it can be obtained without any special control. In other words, the present invention does not assume only the series-wound characteristics of an AC commutator motor generally used in the past, but also means that the present invention can be applied to an electric blower using a motor of another drive system. I have.
In particular, since many inverter drive motors and brushless motors have a function of controlling the number of revolutions and input / output, the present invention can be realized only by adding a simple device. As described above, according to the present embodiment, there are a plurality of different control rules suitable for use conditions and preferences, and the control rules are switched to be selectable. It can be realized without. In other words, various functions can be realized as one vacuum cleaner having various operating characteristics. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the cleaner body 1 showing a specific example of the switching device 15 of the embodiment of FIG. The switching device 9 is a memory
A plurality of switching switches 18 electrically connected to the switching switches 14a to 14d, respectively, and by selectively switching the switching switches 18, a desired control law can be selected. FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the switching device 9. 8th
When a mechanical switching switch 18 is used as in the example shown in the figure, the assembly wiring work becomes complicated when there are many signal lines.
In FIG. 9, the identification code corresponding to each of the memories 14a to 14d is represented by a binary code of several bits, and a card 19 having a hole 20 at the bit position is formed in accordance with the identification code.
19 is inserted into the switching device 15 and the identification code is read out by shading between an optical fiber cable or a not-shown optical fiber cable (not shown), and each memory 14a is accordingly read.
Ｄd and the signal processor 16 are electrically connected. This switching circuit can be constituted by an integrated circuit or the like. Other cards 19 are stored in a separately provided storage pocket 25. Second Embodiment FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a main part of another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, components having the same functional configuration as the embodiment shown in FIG. The signal processing device 21 is configured by an electric circuit including a microcomputer, stores a command value generation program and data as a control law generating means in an external memory 23, and is detachably attached to the signal processing device 21 through an insertion port 22. It is configured to be connected. The external memories 23 (a to d) can be formed by a card or a memory cassette having a built-in integrated circuit. The external memory 23 is provided corresponding to each control law, and the control law can be selected by exchanging the external memory 23. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a main part of the present embodiment. An insertion port 22 is provided on the upper outer surface of the cleaner main body 1, an external memory 23 is taken out from a storage pocket 24, and the insertion port 22 is inserted into the insertion port 22. The control rule is switched by mounting. According to this embodiment, in addition to the effect of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the storage capacity of data and the like relating to the control law can be increased, so that a more complicated control law suction performance can be realized. In addition, various control rules can be realized. As still another embodiment, a system in which the embodiment in FIG. 1 and the embodiment in FIG. 10 are combined is also possible. For example, by employing a method in which another type of control law is stored in one external memory 23 and a control rule is selected from the stored control rules by using a switching switch corresponding to the switching device 15, the number of times of replacement of the external memory 23 can be reduced. In addition to this, more advanced selection combinations can be realized. If the switching is performed by a microcomputer, the number of components can be further reduced and the circuit can be simplified. Further, according to the second embodiment in which the control rules are stored in the memory or the external memory, it is possible to dramatically realize various types of control rules as compared with a control rule generating means using a hardware-like electric circuit. In addition, a more complicated control rule (such as giving a small difference) can be realized, and the user's preference and feeling can be appropriately dealt with. Further, as another modified example, a timer function is provided in the external memory 23 or the signal processing devices 16 and 21, whereby day and night are determined, the value of the reference power consumption is automatically switched, and night operation is performed. The noise level can also be reduced automatically. Further, in any of the above embodiments, it is needless to say that it is possible to operate with the conventionally known normal suction characteristics. According to the embodiment of FIG. 10, if the external memory 23 is writable, the usability can be further improved. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of control rules for controlling the operating state of the electric blower predetermined according to the type of the surface to be cleaned and the like are provided, and the control rules are switched to be arbitrary. Since the control rule is selectable, it is possible to select and use one having optimum characteristics as appropriate according to the use conditions and preferences. As a result, a vacuum cleaner having various characteristics can be easily realized with one vacuum cleaner, and appropriate cleaning can be performed according to use conditions and preferences, and usability can be improved. Also, by switching the control law, depending on the type of the surface to be cleaned, etc., even if it is necessary to make the operation state inconsistent with each other, it is possible to meet the specific use condition without being restricted by other conditions. The combined optimal characteristics can be realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 to 6 are FIG. Diagram showing a target value function according to the control law of the embodiment,
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the signal processing device of the embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is an external view of the switching device 15 of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 is a modification of the switching device 15. External view, No.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a use part according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an external view of a main part of the embodiment of FIG. 13 ... command generation device, 14 ... memory, 15 ... switching device,
16: Signal processing device, 18: Switching switch, 19: Card, 21: Signal processing device, 22: Slot, 23: External memory.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Osamu Watanabe 1-1-1, Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside the Taga Plant of Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichi Saito 4-6 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Address Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Kazuo Tahara, Inventor 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Laboratory Co., Ltd. (72) Haruo Oharaki 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi Research, Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Kunio Miyashita 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi Research Laboratory Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tsunehiro Endo 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Research Laboratory Co., Ltd. (72) Invention Kazuyoshi Rishi 4-6-6 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Hitachi, Ltd. (56) Document JP-A-64-64616 (JP, A) JP-A-63-216524 (JP, A) JP-A-58-22190 (JP, A) JP-A-62-147995 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A47L 9/28

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In an electric vacuum cleaner having an electric blower that collects dust in a dust collection chamber by a suction negative pressure and a blower control unit that controls a rotation speed of the electric blower, the electric blower is predetermined according to a type of a surface to be cleaned and the like. Control law generating means for generating a plurality of control laws for controlling the operating state of the electric blower; switching means for selecting an arbitrary control law from the control law generating means; and arbitrary control law selected by the switching means And a signal processing unit that outputs a control amount to the blower control unit so that a detected state amount of the cleaner matches a target value of a control law. 2. 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit is configured by a microcomputer, and the control law generation unit is configured by a memory that stores a mutual target function of state quantities based on the control law. An electric vacuum cleaner characterized by the above. 3. 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said signal processing means is constituted by a microcomputer, and said control law generating means is provided from an independent memory storing a mutual target function of state quantities based on a control law. An electric vacuum cleaner, wherein said switching means is configured to select by attaching and detaching said memory.