WO2007052106A1

WO2007052106A1 - Control device

Info

Publication number: WO2007052106A1
Application number: PCT/IB2006/002985
Authority: WO
Inventors: Massimiliano Pineschi
Original assignee: Massimiliano Pineschi
Priority date: 2005-10-31
Filing date: 2006-10-24
Publication date: 2007-05-10
Also published as: ITMO20050284A1

Abstract

The control device suitable for controlling appliance (1) operating apparatus (6), comprises driving means (14) placed at a distance from said operating apparatus (6); generating means of control signals (8, 9, 10, 12) that can be operated with said driving means (14); receiver means (112) of said control signals, connected to said operating apparatus (6), said generating means comprising a generator of control acoustic signals generated by air flows (AS) conveyed by means of conveyance (8).

Description

CONTROL DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention refers to a control device.

Household and many other appliances feature control devices designed to be used by users to regulate their operation.

In particular, in the case of household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, control devices are used that regulate the operating functions of the appliance and which, for reasons of convenience, are fitted at a distal end of a flexible suction hose which conveys the air and vacuumed dirt inside the vacuum cleaner, collecting this up in a specially-designed chamber.

These controls are connected to the motor which moves a fan that generates vacuum in order to start and stop this, or else to regulate its rotation speed, both by means of a connection consisting of one or more cables and by means of remote, wireless connections, for instance, by means of radio or infrared connections. These controls comprise one or more buttons that are connected with devices which, when pressed by the user, give off radio or infrared impulses.

The bodies that give off the signals must be equipped with their own power supply system, generally independent of the motor and of the other vacuum cleaner parts; this power supply is by means of batteries fitted in specific compartments obtained in an area close to the buttons or with a power cable that starts from the vacuum cleaner body and extends along the flexible hose as far as the area where the control buttons are fitted.

When the buttons are pressed and the bodies give off one or more radio or infrared impulses, these are received by a receiver associated with the body of the vacuum cleaner, and which transforms them into one or more generated controls to regulate, for example, the power of the motor and, consequently, the rotation speed of the fan that generates vacuum: in point of fact, the controls can be used to change the fan rotation speed and therefore the vacuum power of the cleaner.

STATE OF THE ART These known controls do have some drawbacks.

A first drawback is that the radio-frequency type impulses used to control the vacuum cleaner, or other household appliances, generate interference phenomena with other appliances, such as television sets or telephones and disturb or stop their operation. Another drawback relating to the use of infrared impulses is that it must be possible to align the emission body and the receiver body, without any obstacle in between, because otherwise the signals transmitted by the emission body by means of an infrared beam are not received by the receiver body and the control required by the user is not executed.

In both cases, as it has been said, the emission bodies have to be powered and to do this, a special battery compartment has to be positioned near the area where these are located, with batteries that can be replaced or recharged when they are down, and featuring contacts for transmitting power to the control bodies. This creates a further drawback determined by the need to obtain a space in an area of the flexible suction hose for fitting the grip for the user's hand; to obtain a compartment in this area, the creation is required of an enlargement of the grip which causes further problems to arise regarding ease of handling and inconvenience.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to upgrade the state of the art.

Another object of the invention is to create a control device that permits controlling the operation of the appliances, especially vacuum appliances, by means of controls without cable connections, but which does not cause interference phenomena with other appliances or require particular alignments between emission bodies and receiver bodies or significant enlargements of the grip area of the suction hose or accessories to be fitted on this. According to the invention, a control device is provided, suitable for controlling appliance operating apparatus, comprising driving means placed at a distance from said operating apparatus; control signal emission means that can be operated with said driving means; receiver means of said control signals, connected to said operating apparatus, characterised by the fact that said emission means comprises a generator of control acoustic signals generated by air flows conveyed by means of conveyance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear even more evident from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, form of embodiment of a control device, illustrated by way of non limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is an interrupted schematic side view of a vacuum appliance featuring a control device according to the invention; figure 2 is an interrupted schematic side view in larger scale of a control device, in an open configuration for generating a control acoustic signal; figure 3 is an interrupted schematic side view in larger scale of the control device of figure 2, in a closed configuration; figure 4 is a perspective view from below of an end piece of a suction hose of a vacuum appliance, featuring the control device of figures 3 and 4; figure 5 is a side view of the end piece of figure 4, in an open position to generate a control signal; figure 6 is a side view of the end piece of figure 5, in a closed position; figure 7 is a longitudinal section view of the end piece of figure 6; figure 8 is a view from below of the end piece of figure 6; figure 9 is a side view of the end piece of figure 6 featuring a cover guard; figure 10 is a view from above of the end piece of figure 6; figure 11 is a perspective view in larger scale of the end piece of figure 9.

FORMS OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION With special reference to figure 1, a vacuum cleaner appliance featuring a suction hose 2 extending out of this and which, at a end turned outwards, features an end piece 3 forming a grip 4 has been globally indicated by reference number 1.

The end piece 3 axially forms a pipe 5 with an internal cavity 5A through which transit air flows sucked up by a motor-fan unit 6 positioned inside the vacuum cleaner 1 and which has a direction of suction indicated by the arrows "A"; the end piece 3 features a suction end 5B turned outwards and an opposite end 5C that converges into the suction hose 2, for example by means of a fit-in coupling.

With reference to figures 2, 3 and 7, it will be seen that in the bottom part of the end piece 3 a duct 8 has been obtained that stretches substantially parallel to the internal cavity 5 A of the pipe 5 and which forms an entrance end 9 and an opposite exit end 10 which converges into the internal cavity 5A. The duct 8 is shaped so that, when it is crossed by air flows, it generates an acoustic signal with a predetermined frequency, and is therefore a generator of control acoustic signals.

According to an alternative form of embodiment of the control device, not shown for the sake of simplicity, inside the duct 8 diaphragms can be housed that can be crossed by air flows or lamellar bodies which, when invested by the air flows, create a control acoustic signal with its own pre-established frequency.

On board the vacuum cleaner 1 is a receiver body 11 that takes concrete shape, for example, in a microphone 12 ready to receive the control acoustic signals generated by the air flows that cross the duct 8 according to a direction of flow indicated by the arrows "AS"; the microphone 12 is in turn connected to an acoustic signal transducer, such as for example an electronic board for operating the motor-fan unit 6 and able to modulate the power of the latter.

The entrance end 9 features a door 12 which is hinged to a pin 13 attached to the end piece 3 and which is transversal with respect to the direction of flow "AS".

The door 12 is designed to oscillate between a closed position of the end 9, as shown in figures 3 and 7, and a total or only partially open position of the end 9, as shown in figure 3.

To move the door 12 a specific button 14 is provided located in an ergonomic area of the end piece 3, for example, in the upper part of this, opposite the lower part where the duct 8 is fitted.

The button 14 is designed to be operated with the finger "D" of the hand of a user, as shown in figures 3 and 4 and is connected to the door 12 by means of a bracket 15 which is hinged to the end piece 3 by means of a hinge 16, so as to complete rotation in one direction according to circumference arcs of limited amplitude when the button

14 is pressed or in an opposite direction when the button 14 is released.

The bracket 15 has one end turned towards the door 12 conforming a tooth 15A suitable for being placed in contact with the door 12 and pushing this in a closed position of the end 9 of the duct 8 or releasing it in an open position of the latter. According to the invention in any case, other forms of embodiment are nevertheless possible of the mechanical connection between the button 14 and the door 12, so that by actuating the button 14, the door 12 oscillates between the possible positions this can assume.

With reference to figures 4, 8, 10, 11, it can be noted that the end piece 3 features two ducts 8 which are parallel and with their respective ends 9 both featuring respective doors 12' and 12".

In this case, there are two buttons 14 positioned near to one another and indicated as 14' and 14", each of which drives a respective door 12' and 12" to open or close the corresponding end 9 of the relevant duct 8. Each of the latter, in this possible for of embodiment of the control device, is shaped so as to emit a control acoustic signal with a frequency different to that of the other. With reference to the figures 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, it must be observed that the entrance end 9 of the duct 8 and the relevant door 12 are enclosed in a protection guard 17 featuring, on a wall turned towards the end 5B, a series of vents 18 such as to allow conveyed air flows "AS" to enter. The operation of the control device 1 is described with reference to the version featuring two ducts 8 and is as follows: when the vacuum cleaner 1 is switched on, the flow of air sucked up by the motor-fan unit 6 and which passes through the pipe 5 obtained in the end piece 3 is kept to a minimum and the power provided by the motor-fan unit is, in this case, between approx. 100 and 200 watt. When maximum power is required from the motor-fan unit 6, the user presses both buttons 14' and 14", causing the doors 12' and 12" to open and opening both the entrance ends 9 of the ducts 8.

The air flow that transits through the pipe 5 triggers the suction of further air flows through the open ducts 8 which enter through the entrance ends 9 and flow into the internal cavity 5A due to the effect of the suction generated by the motor-fan unit 6, through the opposite ends 10 that flow into this.

The two air flows that cross the suitably shaped ducts 8 or which feature lamellar bodies or diaphragms that can be crossed by the air flows, generate two distinct control acoustic signals with two different frequencies that sum up together and which, summed up, are received by the microphone 112 on board the vacuum cleaner 1. The same flows of sucked-up air which cross the shaped ducts 8 and the pipe 5 can represent a means of transport and consequently a way of transmitting the acoustic signals generated by the open ducts 8 to the microphone 112.

The microphone 112, in turn, sends the sum of the control acoustic signals to a control acoustic signal transducer, for instance an electronic board, which accelerates the motor-fan unit so this provides the maximum power required by the user, for example approx. 1000 watt.

When the need for maximum power ends, the user again releases the buttons 14' and 14" and the doors 12' and 12" close the entrance ends 9 of the ducts 8 again: no control acoustic signal is generated and the electronic board slows down the rotation of the motor-fan unit 6 which returns to initial minimum speed. When however the required power is medium, the user only presses one of the buttons 14, thus opening only one door 12 and only one duct 8 which, therefore, generates just one control acoustic signal with its own frequency, which is received by the microphone 112 and sent to the electronic board which accelerates the motor-fan unit partially to only supply the medium power required.

According to the invention, it is also possible to arrange the ducts 8 so that, being able to generate two control acoustic signals of different frequencies, when they are started alternately, they can send to the microphone two different control acoustic signals, to each of which corresponds a medium power value of the motor-fan unit 6: in other words, the control device is able to regulate the suction power of the motor-fan unit 6 between a minimum value, a maximum value and two medium values, different from one another.

Claims

1) Control device suitable for controlling appliance (1) operating apparatus (6), comprising driving means (14) placed at a distance from said operating apparatus (6); control signal emission means that can be operated with said driving means (14); receiver means (112) of said control signals, connected to said operating apparatus (6), characterised by the fact that said emission means comprises a generator of control acoustic signals (8, 9, 10, 12) generated by air flows (AS) conveyed by means of conveyance (8).

2) Device according to claim 1, wherein said air flows (AS) are conveyed in such a way to invest said generator of control signals (8, 9, 10, 12).

3) Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said means of conveyance (8) comprises: duct means (8) defining an entrance end (9) and an exit end (10).

4) Device according to claim 3 wherein said entrance end (9) features opening/closing means (12) which can be operated with said driving means (14).

5) Device according to any of the claims from 1 to 3, wherein said generator of acoustic signals (8, 9, 10, 12) comprises a profile of said duct means, which is shaped in such a way to generate sounds having predetermined frequencies.

6) Device according to any of the claims from 1 to 3, wherein said generator of control acoustic signals (8, 9, 10, 12) comprises diaphragm means that can be crossed or lamellar bodies, housed in said duct means (8) so as to generate sounds having predefined frequencies when invested by said conveyed air flows (AS).

7) Device according to claim 3, wherein said duct means (8) is associated with piping means (5) arranged for a transit in an internal part (5A) of sucked up air in a direction of suction (A), so that at least said exit end (10) is in communication with said internal part (5A) of said piping means (5) so that said sucked up air in said direction of suction (A) activates said conveyed air flows (AS). 8) Device according to claim 3 or 7, wherein said duct means (8) is substantially parallel to said piping means (5). 9) Device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said piping means (5) comprises a suction hose (2) of a vacuum appliance (1).

10) Device according to claim 9, wherein said vacuum appliance comprises a vacuum cleaner (1). 11) Device according to any of the claims from 7 to 10, wherein said piping means

(5) comprises an end piece (3) of said suction hose (2).

12) Device according to any of the claims from 7 to 10, wherein said piping means (5) comprises a brush and/or inlet (3) accessory which can be mounted at one end of said suction hose (2) of a vacuum appliance (1). 13) Device according to any of the claims from 1 to 12, wherein said conveyed air flows (AS) are generated by said vacuum appliance (1).

14) Device according to claim 3 or 7, wherein said opening/closing means comprises: at least one door (12) mounted oscillating near said entrance end (9) so as to open it partially or totally or closing it tight; button means (14) mounted on said piping means (5); bracket means (15) having one end connected with said button means (14) and an opposite end (15A) arranged to make said door (12) oscillate.

15) Device according to claim 14 wherein said door (12) is mounted oscillating onto an oscillating pin (13) positioned crosswise said piping means (5). 16) Device according to any of the claims 1, 5, 6 wherein said generator of acoustic signals (8, 9, 10, 12) can be coupled with further generators of control acoustic signals (8, 9, 10, 12) having different frequencies from each other. 17) Device according to claim 16 wherein said frequencies can be summed up together. 18) Device according to claim 14 or 16 wherein said further generators of control acoustic signals (8, 9, 10, 12) can be operated with further corresponding button means (14', 14") mounted on said piping means (5).

19) Device according to claim 1 wherein said receiver means comprise at least a microphone (112) connected to acoustic frequency transducer means of said control acoustic signals.

20) Device according to claim 19 wherein said transducer means comprises an electronic circuit to which said operation of appliances (1) is subject. 21) Appliance, characterized in that it comprises a control device according to one or more of the preceding claims.