KR100809773B1 - Controlling method of vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A control method of a vacuum cleaner is provided to discharge dust stored inside dust collection device to the outside of a dust collection container by maintaining compression of dust even if operation of the vacuum cleaner is stopped. A control method of a vacuum cleaner comprises the steps of: operating(S320) a suction motor with a first driving force; detecting(S330) amount of dust stored inside a dust storage part; and operating(S350) the suction motor with a second driving force which is larger than the first driving force according to increase of amount of dust. The second driving force is gradually increased according to the amount of dust. The suction motor is stopped if the detected amount of dust is over a predetermined amount. The dust empty signal is displayed if the detected amount of dust is over the predetermined amount. A first case moved by a compressed motor compresses dust stored on the dust storage part and constitutes portions of the dust storage part during operation of at least suction motor.

Description

Controlling method of vacuum cleaner

1 is a perspective view of a state in which the dust collector is separated from the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the dust collecting device according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the dust separation unit according to the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the dust collecting container according to the present invention;

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II ′ of FIG. 2.

6 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between a driving device and a dust collecting container provided for compressing dust stored in the dust collecting container.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the driving device and the dust collecting container according to the present invention are coupled.

8 to 10 is a plan view of a dust collecting container showing a dust compression process inside the dust collecting device.

11 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for controlling a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.

12 is a flowchart illustrating a dust compression process and a dust emptying time inside the dust collector.

Fig. 13 is a waveform diagram of a pulse signal that varies depending on the amount of dust collected by the dust collector.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a suction motor according to the present invention.

15 is a view showing a relationship between the dust amount of a conventional vacuum cleaner and the dust suction force of the suction motor.

16 is a view showing a relationship between the dust amount of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention and the dust suction force of the suction motor.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: cleaner body 200: dust collector

210: dust separation unit 230: dust collecting container

240: first case 250: second case

270: first pressing member 280: second pressing member

310: driven gear 320: driving gear

330: compression motor

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a control method of a vacuum cleaner in which the dust collecting capacity of the dust collecting apparatus is maximized and the suction power of the vacuum cleaner is kept constant.

In general, a vacuum cleaner is a device that sucks air containing dust by using a vacuum pressure generated by a suction motor mounted inside the body, and then filters the dust inside the body.

The vacuum cleaner may include a suction nozzle for sucking air containing dust, a cleaner body in communication with the suction nozzle, an extension pipe for guiding air sucked from the suction nozzle toward the cleaner body, and air passing through the extension pipe. A connector is connected to the cleaner body. Here, a nozzle suction port having a predetermined size is formed at the bottom of the suction nozzle to allow the air containing the dust accumulated on the floor to be sucked.

On the other hand, the inside of the cleaner body, there is provided a drive device for generating an air suction force to suck the outside air containing dust to the suction nozzle.

In addition, the dust collector is detachably mounted to the cleaner body to separate and store dust. The dust collector performs a function of separating and storing dust contained in the air sucked from the suction nozzle.

In detail, the dust collecting apparatus includes a dust collecting body, an inlet for allowing air to be sucked into the dust collecting body, a cyclone portion for separating dust from the air sucked into the dust collecting body, and dust separated from the cyclone portion. The dust storage unit and a discharge port through which the dust is separated from the cyclone portion is discharged.

Meanwhile, the dust stored in the lower space of the dust collecting body, that is, the dust storage unit, continuously rotates along the inner circumferential surface of the dust collecting body by the rotational flow inside the dust collecting body while the vacuum cleaner is operating.

When the operation of the vacuum cleaner is stopped, the vacuum cleaner sinks to the bottom of the dust collecting body and is stored in a low density state.

Therefore, in the conventional dust collecting apparatus, when a predetermined amount or more of dust is stored in the dust collecting apparatus while the vacuum cleaner is operating, the dust rises while rotating along the inner wall of the dust collecting body, and is formed in the upper space of the dust collecting body. There is a problem in that the cyclone portion is violated, and thus the unseparated dust is discharged to the discharge port by piggybacking on the discharge airflow, so that dust collection performance is reduced.

In addition, when the operation of the vacuum cleaner is stopped, the dust sinks to the bottom of the dust collecting body as it is stored in a low density state. That is, since dust inside the dust collecting body occupies a volume too large for its weight, there is an inconvenience of frequently emptying the dust collecting body in order to maintain dust collecting performance.

Therefore, in recent years, in order to improve the convenience of cleaner use, efforts have been made to maximize the capacity of dust collected in the dust collecting body and to improve dust collecting performance.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to propose a control method of a vacuum cleaner to increase the dust collecting capacity of the dust collecting apparatus.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to propose a control method of a vacuum cleaner in which the compression of dust stored in the dust collecting apparatus is automatically performed.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to propose a control method of a vacuum cleaner to maintain a constant suction force of the vacuum cleaner.

Control method of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention for achieving the object as described above, the dust collecting device is formed with a suction motor for sucking the air containing the dust, and a dust storage unit for storing the dust separated from the air A control method of a vacuum cleaner, comprising: operating the suction motor with a first driving force; Determining an amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit; And operating the suction motor with a second driving force greater than the first driving force as the amount of dust is increased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a vacuum cleaner includes a suction motor for sucking air containing dust and a dust collecting device including a dust storage unit configured to store dust separated from air. Operating the suction motor; Determining an amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit; And as a result of the determination of the amount of dust, stopping the operation of the suction motor when the amount of dust exceeds a predetermined level.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments within the scope of the same idea.

1 is a perspective view of a state in which the dust collector is separated from the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention includes a cleaner main body 100 provided with a suction motor (not shown) and a dust collecting device 200 for separating and storing dust contained in sucked air. do.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner includes a suction nozzle 20 for sucking air containing dust, a handle 40 for allowing a user to operate an operation of the vacuum cleaner, the suction nozzle 20, and a handle 40. Extension pipe 30 for connecting the connection, and the connection hose 50 for connecting the suction nozzle 20 and the cleaner body 100 is configured to further include.

In this embodiment, a detailed description of the basic configuration of the suction nozzle 20, extension tube 30, handle 40 and the connection hose 50 will be omitted.

In detail, a main body suction part 110 through which the air containing the dust sucked from the suction nozzle 20 is sucked is formed at the front lower end of the cleaner main body 100.

In addition, a body discharge part 120 through which dust separated air is discharged to the outside is formed at one side of the cleaner body 100.

In addition, a dust collecting device mounting unit 130 on which the dust collecting device 200 is mounted is formed on the upper side of the main body suction unit 110, and on one side of the dust collecting unit mounting unit 130 through the main body suction unit 110. An air outlet 140 is formed to discharge air sucked into the main body 100 to the dust collecting device 200.

On the other hand, the dust collecting apparatus 200 includes a dust separator 210 for separating the dust contained in the air sucked, and a dust collecting container 230 for storing the dust separated from the dust separator 210.

Hereinafter, the dust collecting apparatus 200 according to the present invention will be described in more detail.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the dust collecting apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the dust separation unit according to the present invention.

2 and 3, the dust collecting apparatus 200 according to the present invention may be selectively coupled to the dust separating unit 210 and the dust separating unit 210 to separate the dust contained in the inhaled air. A dust collecting container 230 in which dust separated from the dust separating unit 210 is stored, and a cover member 260 coupled to an upper side of the dust separating unit 210 are included.

In detail, the dust separator 210 includes a cylindrical cyclone 211 to separate the sucked air and dust by the cyclone principle, that is, the centrifugal force difference between the air and the dust.

In addition, an upper portion of the cyclone 211 is formed with an inlet 212 through which air containing dust is sucked. Here, the inlet 212 is preferably formed in the tangential direction of the cyclone 211 in order to generate a cyclone flow in the cyclone 211.

Meanwhile, a discharge hole 262 is formed at the center of the cover member 260 to discharge air from which dust is separated by the cyclone 211, that is, inside the dust separator 210.

In addition, a hollow exhaust member 270 is coupled to the discharge hole 262. The outer circumferential surface of the exhaust member 270 is formed with a plurality of through holes 272 through which the air that has undergone the dust separation process from the cyclone 211 is discharged. Therefore, the air that has undergone the first dust separation process in the cyclone 211 is discharged from the dust collector 200 through the exhaust hole 262 via the exhaust member 270.

On the other hand, the dust collecting container 230 is coupled to the lower side of the dust separation unit 210 so that the dust separated from the dust separation unit 210 is stored. Here, for easy handling of the dust separation unit 210 and the dust collecting container 230, the dust separating unit 210 and the dust collecting container 230 has an upper handle 213 and a lower handle 258, respectively. It is provided.

In addition, a hook device is provided in the dust collecting device 200 so that the dust collecting container 230 and the dust separation unit 210 may be coupled to each other. In detail, a hook hook 214 is provided at the bottom of the outer circumferential surface of the dust separation unit 210, and a hook part 256 is selectively coupled to the hook hook 214 at the top of the outer circumferential surface of the dust container 230. do.

In addition, the partition plate 252 is formed in a horizontal direction above the dust collecting container 230. The partition plate 252 serves to partition the dust separation unit 210 and the dust collecting container 230.

In addition, the partition plate 252 is dust is stored inside the dust collection container 230 is scattered toward the dust separation unit 210 in a state in which the dust separation unit 210 is coupled to the dust collection container 230. To further prevent this from happening. In addition, an opening 254 is formed in the partition plate 252 to allow the dust separated from the cyclone 211 to flow into the dust collecting container 230. Therefore, the dust separated by the dust separation unit 210 is introduced into the dust collecting container 230 through the opening 254 and stored in the dust collecting container 230.

In addition to the above configuration, the dust collecting apparatus 200 is preferably configured to maximize the dust collecting capacity of the dust stored therein. To this end, it is preferable that a configuration for reducing the volume of dust stored in the dust collecting container is added to the dust collecting device 200.

Hereinafter, a vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust collecting device 200 according to the present invention having a maximum dust collecting capacity will be described.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the dust collecting container according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II 'of FIG.

4 and 5, the dust collecting container 230 according to the present invention includes a second case 250 coupled to the dust separator 210 and a second case 250 rotatably. The first case 240 is included.

In detail, the second case 250 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the partition plate 252 is formed on the upper side thereof, and the lower case 250 is formed to be opened. In addition, a lower handle 258 is formed on the side of the second case 250.

The first case 240 is formed by opening the upper side, and is accommodated in the second case 250 through the opened portion of the second case 250. In addition, a seating end 242 is formed below the first case 240 to allow the lower end of the second case 250 to be seated. As the first case 240 is accommodated in the second case 250 as described above, the dust separated from the dust separator 210 is stored in the first case 240. Therefore, the first case 240 is formed with a dust storage unit 241 for storing the separated dust.

In addition, a guide protrusion 244 for guiding rotation of the first case 240 is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the first case 240, and the guide protrusion 244 is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the second case 250. Is inserted into the projection insertion groove 259 is inserted.

In detail, the guide protrusion 244 is formed along the circumferential direction of the first case 240, and a cross section is formed to be round. The protrusion insertion groove 259 is formed along the circumferential direction of the second case 250 and is formed in a shape corresponding to the guide protrusion 244. Therefore, the first case 240 may be stably rotated with respect to the second case 250 by the guide protrusion 244 and the protrusion insertion groove 259.

At this time, the first case 240 and the second case 250 may be coupled by the guide protrusion 244 and the protrusion insertion groove 259 without a separate fastening means. That is, the guide protrusion 244 and the protrusion insertion groove 259 additionally serve to couple the second case 250 and the first case 240.

Here, the outer circumferential surface of the first case 240 and the inner circumferential surface of the second case 250 may be spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other when the first case 240 is coupled to the second case 250. The reason is that only the guide protrusion 244 of the first case 240 is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the second case 250, so that the friction with the second case 250 during the rotation of the first case 240 By minimizing the area, the noise generated during friction is minimized.

On the other hand, the dust collecting container 230 is provided with a pair of pressing members (270, 280) to reduce the volume of dust stored in the dust storage unit 241, to increase the dust collection capacity. Here, the pair of pressing members 270 and 280 compress the dust by interaction with each other to reduce the volume of dust, thereby increasing the density of the dust stored in the dust storage unit 241. The maximum dust collecting capacity of the dust collecting container 230 is increased.

The pair of pressing members 270 and 280 may include a first pressing member 270 formed in the first case 240 and a second pressing member 280 formed in the second case 250. ) Is included.

Therefore, when the first case 240 is rotated, the first pressing member 270 rotates toward one side of the second pressing member 280, and one side surface of the first pressing member 270 is rotated. And a gap between one side of the second pressing member 280 opposite to one side of the first pressing member 270 is narrowed, and thus the first pressing member 270 and the second pressing member ( 280 between the dust is compressed.

Here, the first pressing member 270 is rotated together when the first case 240 is rotated, so that the first pressing member 270 may be referred to as a rotating member, the second pressing member 280 Since it remains fixed, it may be called a fixed member.

In detail, the second pressing member 280 extends downward from the partition plate 252 of the second case 250. At this time, the vertical length of the second pressing member 280 is located close to the inner bottom surface of the first case 240 in a state in which the first case 240 is coupled to the second case 250. It is preferable. The reason is to minimize the leakage of dust pushed by the first pressing member 270 through the gap formed under the second pressing member 280.

The one end 281 of the second pressing member 280 is preferably spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the second case 250 by a predetermined distance, and the other end 282 of the second pressing member 280 is It is preferable to be spaced apart a predetermined distance from the axis forming the central axis of the second case 250. Here, one side end 281 of the second pressing member 280 is formed to be spaced apart from the inner peripheral surface of the second case 250 by a predetermined distance to form a space for the first case 240 is coupled For sake. In addition, the space may correspond to or be formed to be larger than the thickness of the first case 240.

The reason why the other end 282 of the second pressing member 280 is spaced apart from the axis forming the central axis of the second case 250 by a predetermined distance is the first case 240 when the first case 240 is rotated. This is to prevent interference between the first pressing member 270 and the second pressing member 280.

On the other hand, the first pressing member 270 is protruded upward from the bottom of the first case 240. One end of the first pressing member 270 is integrally formed on the inner circumferential surface of the first case 240, and the other end is integrally formed on the rotation shaft 272 of the first case 240.

It is preferable that the 1st press member 270 and the 2nd press member 280 comprised as mentioned above are comprised by the plate of square shape. In addition, the second pressing member 280 may be formed of the second pressing member 280 to prevent the falling of the dust flowing into the dust storage unit 241 through the opening 254. 2 is preferably located opposite the opening 254 with respect to the central axis of the case (250).

In addition, an upper end of the first pressing member 270 may be formed with a cutout 274 (Chamfer) cut at a predetermined angle. The cutout 274 has a space formed between the opening 254 and the first pressing member 270 when the upper end of the first pressing member 270 is positioned below the opening 254. In this case, dust may be easily introduced through the opening 254.

That is, the cutout 274 serves to prevent the dust flowing through the opening 254 from interfering with the first pressing member 270.

In addition to the above configuration, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention further includes a driving device that is selectively connected to the first case 240 to rotate the first case 240.

Hereinafter, the coupling relationship between the dust collecting container 230 and the driving device will be described in detail.

6 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between a driving device provided for compressing dust stored in the dust collecting container and a dust collecting container, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the driving device and the dust collecting container according to the present invention are coupled.

6 and 7, a driving device for rotating the first case 240 includes a compression motor 330 for generating a driving force and a driving force of the compression motor 330 with the first case 240. It includes a power transmission unit 310, 320 to transmit. In addition, a micro switch 340 which is turned on / off in response to the rotation of the drive gear 320 is provided below the dust collector mounting unit 130.

In detail, the power transmission units 310 and 320 may be driven gear 310 coupled to the rotation shaft 272 of the first case 240, and drive gear 320 for transmitting power to the driven gear 310. Included. In addition, the driving gear 320 is coupled to the rotation shaft of the compression motor 330 is rotated by the compression motor 330.

Accordingly, when the compression motor 330 is rotated, the drive gear 320 coupled with the compression motor 330 is rotated, and the rotational force of the compression motor 330 is driven by the drive gear 320. The driven gear 310 is rotated by being transmitted to the gear 310.

In addition, the first case 240 is rotated by the rotation of the driven gear 310, and the first pressing member 270 is rotated at the same time. In detail, the gear shaft 314 of the driven gear 310 is coupled to the rotation shaft 272 at the lower side of the first case 240. As the driven gear 310 is coupled to the lower side of the first case 240 as described above, the driven gear 310 is exposed to the outside of the dust collecting device 200.

Here, when the driven gear 310 is rotated, the inner circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 272 and the driven gear 310 so that the driven gear 310 is rotated simultaneously with the first case 240 without turning. The outer circumferential surface horizontal cross-sectional shape of the gear shaft 314 is preferably polygonal. That is, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the rotation shaft 272 and the gear shaft 314 of the driven gear 310 is formed in a non-circular shape, the first case 240 smoothly rotates when the driven gear 310 is rotated It is desirable to be able to.

In addition, the drive gear 320 is formed with a plurality of gear teeth 322 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. In the present invention, a portion in which the gear tooth 322 is formed in the drive gear 320 is referred to as a “protrusion”, and a portion in which the gear tooth 322 is not formed is referred to as a “depression portion” 323. In addition, the terminal extending from one side of the micro switch 340 is located below the portion where the gear teeth 322 of the drive gear 320 is formed.

Therefore, the terminal extending from the micro switch 340 periodically detects the protrusion and the depression as the driving gear 320 rotates. That is, the micro switch 340 is turned on when the protrusion of the drive gear 320 is located above the terminal, and turned off when the depression is located. The on-off signal of the micro switch 340 is applied to the counter 480 to be described later to output a predetermined pulse signal. At this time, the counter 480 outputs a pulse signal having a high level when the micro switch 340 is on and a low level when the micro switch 340 is on.

Therefore, the degree of rotation of the drive gear 320 can be measured by measuring the number of pulses (ie, the on-off period of the switch).

On the other hand, the compression motor 330 is provided below the dust collector mounting portion 130, the drive gear 320 is coupled to the rotary shaft of the compression motor 330, the bottom surface of the dust collector mounting portion 130 Is provided. In addition, a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the drive gear 320 is exposed to the outside from the bottom of the dust collector mounting portion 130. To this end, it is preferable that a motor accommodating part (not shown) in which the compression motor is installed is formed below the bottom of the dust collector mounting part 130.

In addition, an opening 131 is formed at a bottom of the dust collector mounting unit 130 to expose a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the drive gear 320 to the dust collector mounting unit 130. As the driving gear 310 is exposed to the dust collector mounting unit 130 as described above, when the dust collector 200 is mounted on the dust collector mounting unit 130, the driven gear 310 is driven by the driving gear 320. ) Is engaged.

Here, the compression motor 330 is preferably a motor capable of forward rotation and reverse rotation. In other words, the compression motor may be a motor capable of bidirectional rotation. Accordingly, the first case 240 may rotate forward and reverse, and as the first case 240 rotates forward and reverse, dust compressed on both sides of the second pressing member 280 may occur. Will accumulate.

As such, in order to enable forward and reverse rotation of the compression motor 330, the compression motor 330 may use a synchronous motor. The synchro-motor is configured to be capable of forward and reverse rotation by the motor itself, and when the force applied to the motor is greater than or equal to a predetermined value when the motor rotates in one direction, the rotation of the motor is converted to the other direction. . At this time, the force applied to the motor is a resistance force (torque) generated when the first pressing member 270 presses the dust, and when the resistance force reaches a set value, the rotation of the motor is directed. It is configured to be converted.

Since the synchronized motor is generally known in the motor art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, it is one of the technical ideas of the present invention to enable forward and reverse rotation of the driving motor by the synchro motor.

At this time, the direction change time of the compression motor 330 is determined when the first pressing member 270 is rotated in a predetermined direction and the drive gear 320 is not rotated at a predetermined cycle because it can not rotate anymore due to dust. It is done by

That is, in the present invention, the micro switch 340 detects a time when the driving gear 320 no longer rotates due to dust, and pauses the compression motor 330 and then rotates the compression motor 330. After changing the direction, it is operated again.

In addition, even when the first pressing member 270 rotates to reach a peak that can no longer rotate while compressing the dust, the first pressing member 270 may continuously press the dust for a predetermined time. Do. Here, the peak that the first pressing member 270 cannot rotate refers to when the resistance reaches a set value.

When the resistance reaches the set value, the power for rotating the first pressing member 270, that is, the power applied to the compression motor 330 is cut off for a predetermined time and the first pressing member ( The dust is compressed in the stopped state 270, and when the predetermined time passes, the first pressurizing member 270 is moved by applying power to the compression motor 330 again.

In addition, the compression motor 330 preferably continuously rotates the first case 240 and the first pressing member 270 at the same angular speed so as to easily compress the dust. In addition, when a dust or more of a predetermined amount of dust is collected inside the dust storage unit 241, in order to prevent deterioration of dust collection performance and overload of the motor, it is possible to display the dust emptying time of the dust collector 200 to the user. desirable.

To this end, notification units 510 and 520 are provided on the cleaner body 100 or the handle 40 to collect dust or more in a predetermined amount inside the dust collecting device 200, thereby providing the first pressing member 270. When the range of rotation is less than a predetermined angle, the dust emptying time of the dust collector 200 is displayed to the user. The notification unit 510, 520 may be a light emitting diode (LED) for visually notifying the user of the emptying time of the dust collecting container 200, and may be audible to the user of the dust collecting device 200. It may also be a speaker 520 to inform the timing of emptying.

In addition, the LED 510 and the speaker 520 may be applied at the same time to inform the user of the dust emptying time of the dust collecting device 200, in this case, the LED 510 is a handle for controlling the operation of the user ( 40 is preferably provided, and the speaker 520 may be provided at any position of the cleaner body 100 or the handle 40.

Hereinafter, the operation of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described.

When power is applied to the suction motor of the vacuum cleaner, suction force is generated by the suction motor, and air containing dust is sucked into the suction nozzle 20 by the suction force.

In addition, the air sucked through the suction nozzle 20 is introduced into the cleaner body 100 through the main body suction part 110, and the introduced air flows into the dust collector 200 through a predetermined flow path. do.

In detail, the air containing the dust is sucked in the tangential direction of the cyclone 211 through the inlet 212 of the dust separation unit 210. Then, the sucked air falls while turning along the inner circumferential surface of the cyclone 211, in which air and dust are separated from each other while being subjected to different centrifugal forces by the weight difference.

In addition, the dust is separated air is filtered through the through hole 272 of the exhaust member 270 and is discharged to the outside of the dust collector 200 through the discharge hole 262.

Meanwhile, the separated dust is dropped downward through the opening 254 in the process of turning along the inner circumferential surface of the cyclone 211 and stored in the dust storage unit 241. In addition, the air discharged through the discharge hole 262 is introduced into the cleaner body 100. In addition, the air introduced into the cleaner body 100 is discharged to the outside through the body discharge part 120 through the suction motor.

As the dust in the air is separated and dust is stored in the dust storage unit 241 as described above, the pair of pressing members 270 and 280 compress the dust stored in the dust storage unit 241. And, if a predetermined amount or more of dust is stored in the dust storage unit 241 during the cleaning process, the notification unit (510, 520) is activated, the user by the notification unit (510, 520) can know when the dust is empty. Will be.

In addition, the user separates the dust collecting apparatus 200 from the cleaner body 100 and emptyes the dust stored in the dust collecting apparatus 200.

8 to 10 is a plan view of a dust collecting container showing a dust compression process inside the dust collecting apparatus.

8 illustrates a state in which the first case 240 compresses dust while rotating in a counterclockwise direction, and FIG. 9 illustrates a state in which the first case 240 compresses dust while rotating in a clockwise direction. FIG. 10 illustrates a state in which a large amount of dust is filled on both sides of the second pressing member 280 by repeating the process of FIGS. 8 and 9.

Hereinafter, a control method of compressing the dust stored in the dust storage unit 241 and the dust emptying time will be described.

11 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for controlling a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the vacuum cleaner according to the spirit of the present invention includes a control unit 410 made of a microcomputer, an operation signal input unit 420 for selecting suction power (eg, heavy, medium, or weak mode) of dust, Suction for operating the suction motor 450, which is a drive motor for sucking dust into the dust collecting apparatus 200 according to an operation mode (ie, strong, medium, or weak mode) input from the operation signal input unit 420. The motor driver 440, the compression motor driver 460 for operating the compression motor 330 used to pressurize the dust stored in the dust collector 200, and the left and right rotation degrees of the compression motor 330 A counter 480 for measuring a left and right reciprocating rotation time, a dust collector mounting detector 470 for detecting whether the dust collector is mounted, a signal for emptying the dust stored in the dust collector 200, and Whether the dust collector is mounted L At least a signal display unit 430 displayed through the light emitting element such as ED is included.

In detail, the dust collecting device mounting detector 470 is provided to prevent the suction motor and the compression motor 330 from being operated when the dust collecting device 200 is not mounted.

The dust collector mounting detector 470 may be a pressure sensor provided below the dust collector mounting unit to sense the weight of the dust collector or a micro switch that is turned on / off depending on whether the driven gear is mounted. However, in the spirit of the present invention it is noted that there is no limitation in the structure for detecting the mounting of the dust collector 200.

Therefore, when the user does not operate the vacuum cleaner through the operation signal input unit 420 while the dust collecting device 200 is not mounted, a signal indicating the signal is displayed on the signal display unit 430. On the other hand, when the user operates the vacuum cleaner through the operation signal input unit 420 while the dust collecting device 200 is mounted, the suction motor 450 and the compression motor 330 are operated.

At this time, if the user selects one of the strong, medium, and weak modes indicating the suction power by using the operation signal input unit 420, the controller 410 responds to the suction corresponding to the strong, medium, or weak mode. The suction motor driver 440 is controlled to operate the suction motor 450 with power. That is, the suction motor driver 440 operates the suction motor 450 at a predetermined suction power according to a signal transmitted from the controller 410.

Meanwhile, the controller 410 operates the suction motor driver 440 and operates the compression motor driver 460 at the same time as or immediately after the suction motor driver 440 to operate the compression motor 330.

When the suction motor 450 is operated, dust sucked through the suction nozzle 20 flows into the dust collector 200. In addition, the dust introduced into the dust collecting apparatus 200 is compressed by the first pressing member 270 which is reciprocally rotated by the compression motor 330.

In addition, the counter 480 measures the left and right reciprocating movement time (cycle) of the compression motor 330 and transmits the information to the control unit 410.

Here, as the amount of dust compressed by the dust collecting device 200 increases, the left and right reciprocating movement time of the compression motor 330 decreases. When the dust compressed in the dust collecting apparatus 200 reaches a predetermined amount and the left and right reciprocating movement time of the compression motor 330 is less than a predetermined time, the control unit 410 based on this information, the signal display unit ( 430 displays a signal to empty the dust stored in the dust collector (200). Herein, it may be easily understood that the signal generated by the display unit is set differently from the signal indicating the dust emptying time.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a dust compressing process and a dust emptying time in the dust collecting apparatus, and more specifically illustrates an operation concept of the block diagram shown in FIG. 11.

Referring to FIG. 12, a user selects one of strong, medium, and weak modes, which are suction powers displayed on the operation signal input unit 420, to operate a vacuum cleaner. Then, the controller 410 operates the suction motor driver 440 to drive the suction motor 450 according to the suction mode selected by the user (S110).

In addition, when the suction motor 450 is operated, air containing dust is sucked through the suction nozzle 20 by the suction force of the suction motor 450. The dust sucked in this way is stored in the dust collector (200). In the dust collecting apparatus 200, a dust compressing action is performed by the pressing members 270 and 280.

Therefore, the control unit 410 drives the compression motor 330 to compress the dust stored in the dust collector 200 (S120).

Here, in the present invention, although the compression motor 330 is driven after the suction motor 450 is driven, as another embodiment, the suction motor 450 and the compression motor 330 may be operated at the same time. will be.

In operation S120, when the compression motor 330 is driven, the driving gear 320 coupled with the rotation shaft of the compression motor 330 rotates. In addition, when the driving gear 320 rotates, the driven gear 310 rotates in association with the driving gear 320. When the driven gear 410 rotates, the first case 240 rotates.

Then, with the rotation of the first case 240, the first pressing member 270 is automatically rotated toward the second pressing member 280 to compress the dust (S130).

As the driving gear 320 rotates as described above, the terminal of the micro switch 340 is periodically turned on / off as the driving gear 320 rotates. In addition, the counter 480 receiving the on-off signal of the micro switch 340 outputs a predetermined pulse signal corresponding thereto and transmits the predetermined pulse signal to the controller 410.

In detail, as the amount of dust compressed in the dust collecting apparatus by the first pressing member 270 and the second pressing member 280 increases, the reciprocating rotation time of the driven gear 310 is shortened, thereby engaging with it. The reciprocating rotation time of the driven gear 320 will be equally short.

In this case, shortening the reciprocating rotation time of the drive gear 320 means that the on-off frequency of the micro switch 340 is reduced, which results in the number of pulse signals output from the counter 480. Means decrease.

Here, how the pulse signal is output will be described later with reference to FIG. 13.

When the first pressing member 270 moves toward the second pressing member 280 to compress dust, the driven gear 310 and the driving gear 320 rotate at regular intervals, and the driving gear ( The micro switch 340 will be turned on and off at regular intervals according to the rotation of the 320. Accordingly, the pulse signal of a regular period will be generated from the counter 480.

However, when the dust is sufficiently compressed so that the first pressing member 270 no longer moves toward the second pressing member 280, the driven gear 310 and the driving gear 320 no longer rotate. This means that as a result, the pulse signal, which was generated regularly, no longer occurs.

Therefore, the controller 410 needs to confirm that the dust is compressed to the maximum limit by the movement of the first pressing member 270 for the next operation. It is determined based on whether or not to That is, the controller 410 determines whether a regular pulse is generated from the counter 480 (S140).

If a regular pulse occurs, since there is more space to compress the dust between the first pressing member 270 and the second pressing member 280, in this case, the process returns to step S130 to compress the conventional dust Continue.

On the other hand, when no regular pulse is generated, that is, when the dust is sufficiently compressed by the first pressing member 270, the control unit 410 stops the operation of the compression motor 330 (S150).

That is, while the periodic pulse is applied through the counter 480, the moment when the regular cycle of the pulse is broken, the control unit 410 recognizes this and the compression motor 330 through the compression motor driver 460 Stop). Therefore, the rotation operation of the first case 240 is also stopped.

Next, the control unit 410 maintains the stop state of the compression motor 330 for a predetermined time (for example, about 3 seconds) (S160). Here, the stop time is a standby time for driving the rotational direction of the compression motor 330 in the opposite direction, and at the same time to continuously compress the dust while the first pressing member 270 is stopped. It's time.

Next, the controller 410 determines whether the number of pulses from when the previous compression motor stops (time T1) to when the current compression motor stops (time T2) is less than the predetermined number N (S170). The reason for doing so is to determine whether the amount of compressed dust has exceeded a certain amount. For example, if the amount of stored dust exceeds a certain amount, the reciprocating travel time of the first pressing member 270 is reduced, as a result, corresponding to a decrease in the number of pulses output from the counter 480 during this period. .

That is, in the present invention, whether or not the amount of dust compressed in the dust collecting apparatus 200 exceeds a predetermined level, the reciprocating movement time of the first pressing member 270 (in other words, generated from the counter 480). The number of pulses to be measured).

As a result of the determination in step S170, when the number of pulses from when the previous compressed motor stops (time T1) to when the current compressed motor stops (time T2) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number N, the dust collecting device 200 Meaning that there is a space to further compress the dust therein, the process returns to step S130 to perform the whole process again.

At this time, the compression motor 330 by the control unit 410 is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction immediately before the stop in step (S150).

On the contrary, as a result of the determination in step S170, when the number of pulses from when the previous compression motor stops (time T1) to when the current compression motor stops (time T2) is less than the predetermined number N, the control unit ( 410 determines whether the result of measuring the number of pulses determined in the step S170 is less than a predetermined number has continuously reached a predetermined number M, for example, three times (S180).

By doing so, it is possible to more reliably determine that the amount of dust stored in the dust collector 200 exceeds a predetermined amount, and of course, the first pressing member 270 rotates normally under the influence of various foreign substances. This is to prevent errors that can be caused by not being able to move.

As a result of the determination in step S180, if it does not reach the predetermined number of times, the process returns to step S130 to repeat the whole process.

On the other hand, when the determination result in step S180 reaches a predetermined number of times, the controller 410 stops the suction motor 450 (S190). The reason for forcibly stopping the suction motor 450 is that when the amount of dust accumulated in the dust collecting device 200 exceeds a predetermined amount, if the dust suction operation is forcibly continued, the suction efficiency of the dust decreases as well as the suction motor. This is because 450 may be overloaded.

Next, the control unit 410 transmits a signal to empty the dust in the dust collector to the signal display unit 430 so that the user can recognize. As another embodiment of the present invention, the dust exchange signal may be displayed as a predetermined sound signal using a buzzer circuit.

13 is an example of a waveform diagram of a pulse signal that varies depending on the amount of dust collected by the dust collector.

(A) of FIG. 13 shows the case where there is little dust in the dust collection container, FIG. 13 (b) shows the case where the dust is filled in the dust collection container, and FIG. 13 (c) shows that the amount of dust The case where a predetermined level is reached.

Referring to FIG. 13, a pulse waveform is a signal output from the counter 480 and input to the controller 410. As described above, the pulse signal is turned on and off according to the rotation of the driving gear 320. The counter 480 receives the signal of the micro switch 340.

Initially, upon operation of the compression motor 330, the first urging member 270 will be placed in an arbitrary position. Therefore, for example, the controller 410 performs a normal operation from the time point A at which the compression motor 330 first rotates and stops for the first time. That is, the controller 410 recognizes the pulse signal input from the counter 480 as the pulse signal in the normal state after reaching the time point A.

As can be seen in FIG. 13, when the amount of dust stored in the dust collector 200 is small, since the first pressing member 270 is rotatable in the left or right direction as much as possible, in this case, as shown in FIG. 13A. For example 10 pulses will be output.

As the amount of dust increases over time, the lateral rotational movement time of the first pressing member 270 (in other words, the lateral movement distance may be shortened) gradually decreases.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13C, when the number of pulse signals generated at the right and left rotations is three, for example, and the generation of such pulse signals is repeated a predetermined number of times (three times in the present invention), the control unit 410 ) Responds with a signal to empty the dust.

Up to now, the control method of the vacuum cleaner which compresses the dust accumulated in the dust collector and marks the emptying time of the compressed dust was demonstrated concretely.

Hereinafter, a driving force control method of the suction motor according to the dust storage amount proposed by the present invention will be described in detail.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a suction motor according to the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a relationship between a dust amount of a conventional vacuum cleaner and a dust suction force of a suction motor, and FIG. A diagram showing the relationship between the dust suction force of the suction motor.

In FIG. 14, when the user operates the vacuum cleaner (S310), a predetermined driving force (which is referred to as a first driving force) is generated in the suction motor 450 for sucking air containing dust (S320). The first driving force is controlled by the controller 410 at the time of initial operation of the vacuum cleaner, and may vary according to the difference in the maximum driving force of the suction motor 450, but it is preferably about 90% of the maximum driving force.

Next, the control unit 410 measures the amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit 241 by the above-described dust amount measuring method (S330). That is, the controller 410 measures the amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit 241 from the number of pulse signals input from the counter 480. Since this has been fully described above, further description will be omitted.

As a result of the measurement in step 330, when it is determined that the amount of dust does not exceed a predetermined reference amount (S340), the controller 410 continues to maintain the suction motor 450 at the first driving force. While operating, the amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit 241 is continuously measured.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the amount of dust exceeds a predetermined reference amount as a result of the measurement in step 330 (S340), the controller 410 may set the driving force of the suction motor 450 according to the amount of dust. Increase in proportion. In this case, the driving force of the suction motor 450 that is increased is referred to as a second driving force.

Here, the second driving force is preferably implemented to increase in proportion to the increase amount of dust. However, as another embodiment, the second driving force may be increased step by step in accordance with the amount of dust.

Here, it will be easily understood that the amount of dust when the driving force of the suction motor 450 is increased is smaller than the amount of dust when the suction motor 450 is stopped in FIG. 12. The number of pulses generated by the counter 480 may determine whether the dust has exceeded a predetermined reference amount.

As shown in FIG. 15, since the driving force of the suction motor has been kept constant regardless of the amount of dust from the operation of the vacuum cleaner in the related art, when the amount of dust stored in the dust storage portion exceeds a predetermined level. There was a problem that the substantial suction force for sucking dust from the outside is reduced.

However, when using the control method proposed in the present invention as shown in Figure 16 it can be seen that the suction force is kept constant.

As can be seen from the above, in the case of the present invention, the suction power of the vacuum cleaner can be kept constant by increasing the driving force of the suction motor 450 from the time when the amount of dust sucked exceeds a certain amount, the counter If the number of pulses converted at 480 is less than a predetermined number, the suction motor 450 is stopped and the dust emptying signal is known to the outside.

In the above, as shown in the drawings, a canister-type vacuum cleaner has been described as an embodiment of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and is applicable to an upright type cleaner or a robot cleaner. Make this possible.

According to the present invention as proposed, since the dust stored in the dust storage unit is compressed to minimize its volume, there is an effect of maximizing the capacity of the dust stored in the dust storage unit.

In addition, as the dust collecting capacity of the dust collecting device is maximized by the compression action of the dust, the user has to remove the trouble of frequently emptying the dust stored in the dust collecting device.

In addition, since the compression action of the dust is maintained even when the vacuum cleaner is stopped, the dust stored in the dust collecting apparatus is easily discharged to the outside of the dust collecting container when the dust is empty.

In addition, when dust is collected in the dust collector more than a predetermined amount, since the dust emptying time of the dust collector is displayed, there is an effect that the user can easily know when to empty the dust.

In addition, by varying the driving force of the suction motor provided in the vacuum cleaner according to the amount of dust stored there is an effect that the vacuum cleaner has a constant suction force.

Claims (12)

In the control method of the vacuum cleaner including a suction motor for sucking the air containing dust, and a dust collecting device is formed dust storage unit for storing the dust separated from the air, Operating the suction motor at a first driving force; Determining an amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit; And And operating the suction motor with a second driving force greater than the first driving force as the amount of dust is increased. The method of claim 1, And the second driving force is gradually or stepwise increased according to the amount of dust. The method of claim 1, And stopping the suction motor when the determined amount of dust exceeds a predetermined amount. The method of claim 1, If the determined amount of dust exceeds a predetermined amount, the control method of the vacuum cleaner to display the dust emptying signal to the outside. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, At least the suction motor is operated, forming a part of the dust storage unit and controlling the dust stored in the dust storage unit by a first case moved by a compression motor. The method of claim 5, wherein The movement time of the first case is continuously sensed, and the determination of the amount of dust is determined from the movement time control method of the vacuum cleaner. In the control method of the vacuum cleaner including a suction motor for sucking the air containing dust, and a dust collecting device is formed dust storage unit for storing the dust separated from the air, Operating the suction motor; Determining an amount of dust stored in the dust storage unit; And As a result of the determination of the amount of dust, the method of controlling the vacuum cleaner comprising the step of stopping the operation of the suction motor when the amount of dust exceeds a predetermined level. The method of claim 7, wherein And controlling the vacuum cleaner to display a dust emptying signal to the outside when the suction motor is stopped. The method of claim 7, wherein The dust stored in the dust collecting device is a control method of a vacuum cleaner which is compressed by a first case which forms a part of the dust storage unit and is moved by a compression motor. The method of claim 9, The rotation time of the compression motor is continuously sensed, the control method of the vacuum cleaner is determined by the comparison of the rotation time and the reference time of the amount of dust. The method of claim 10, The reference time includes a first reference time and a second reference time having a value greater than the first reference time. And when the rotation time is equal to or greater than the first reference time, the driving force of the suction motor maintains the initial driving force. The method of claim 11, When the rotation time is between the first time time and the second reference time, the driving force of the suction motor is increased corresponding to the amount of dust, and when the rotation time is less than the second reference time, the suction motor stops. How to control the vacuum cleaner.

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