WO2018230549A1

WO2018230549A1 - Electric vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2018230549A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/022356
Authority: WO
Inventors: 柏原　裕; 宇根　正道
Original assignee: 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社
Priority date: 2017-06-14
Filing date: 2018-06-12
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Also published as: CN110381791A; JP7044487B2; JP2019000295A

Abstract

Provided is an electric vacuum cleaner with which status can be easily reported while the electric vacuum cleaner is provided with a secondary battery. An electric vacuum cleaner (11) has a secondary battery (16), an electric blower (15) that operates by power supplied from the secondary battery (16), an operation control unit (17) that controls the operation of the electric blower (15), and a notification control unit (19) capable of communicating with a notification unit that notifies a user about prescribed information. The operation control unit (17) stops the operation of the electric blower (15) when the voltage of the secondary battery (16) has fallen below a first voltage during operation of the electric blower (15). The operation control unit (17) limits the operation of the electric blower (15) until the voltage of the secondary battery (16) is greater than a second voltage that is greater than the first voltage. The notification control unit (19) reports when the voltage of the secondary battery (16) has reached the second voltage during charging of the secondary battery (16).

Description

Vacuum cleaner

Embodiment of this invention is related with the vacuum cleaner provided with the electrically-driven part which operate | moves by the electric power feeding from a secondary battery.

Conventionally, there is a vacuum cleaner that uses a secondary battery as a power source. In such a vacuum cleaner, when the voltage of the secondary battery is lowered during the cleaning and the electric blower is stopped, there is a demand for restarting cleaning as soon as possible because of the remaining cleaning.

For example, there is a vacuum cleaner that includes a display unit that displays a charging state of the secondary battery, displays that the secondary battery is being charged, and turns off when the charging is completed. In the case of this configuration, although the user can confirm the start of charging, it is not considered to confirm whether or not the vacuum cleaner can be used before the battery is fully charged.

In recent years, charge control has become complicated for protection of secondary batteries, etc., so the time from the charging operation until the vacuum cleaner can actually be used may be far from the user's expectation. is there. For this reason, it is required not to make the user misidentify that the vacuum cleaner is broken or to operate the power switch repeatedly to check whether it can be used.

JP 2002-51957 A

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that can be easily informed of the state while having a secondary battery.

The vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment includes a secondary battery, an electric unit that operates by feeding power from the secondary battery, an operation control unit that controls the operation of the electric unit, and a notification that notifies a user of predetermined information. A notification control unit capable of communicating with the unit. The operation control unit stops the operation of the electric unit when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes less than the first voltage during the operation of the electric unit. The operation control unit limits the operation of the electric unit until the voltage of the secondary battery becomes larger than a second voltage that is larger than the first voltage. The notification control unit notifies the notification unit when the voltage of the secondary battery reaches the second voltage during charging of the secondary battery.

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the vacuum cleaner of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the charge condition of the secondary battery of a vacuum cleaner provided with a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a graph which shows an example of the voltage change of a secondary battery at the time of use of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a graph which shows an example of the voltage change of a secondary battery at the time of charge of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows operation restriction | limiting state control of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows operation control of the electrically-driven part of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows charge standby control of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows the alerting | reporting control of the alerting | reporting part of a vacuum cleaner same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the charge condition of the secondary battery of a vacuum cleaner provided with the vacuum cleaner of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the vacuum cleaner of 3rd Embodiment. (a) is explanatory drawing which shows typically an example of alerting | reporting by the alerting | reporting part of an external device, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows typically another example of alerting | reporting by the alerting | reporting part of an external device. It is a perspective view which shows the external device of 4th Embodiment.

Embodiment

Hereinafter, the configuration of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3, reference numeral 10 denotes an electric vacuum cleaner. The electric vacuum device 10 includes an electric vacuum cleaner 11 and a storage base 12 that is a storage device as a charging device.

The electric vacuum cleaner 11 includes a vacuum cleaner body 13. Further, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a dust collecting unit 14. Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 includes an electric blower 15 as a suction source as an electric part. In addition, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a secondary battery 16 that is a power supply unit. Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 includes an operation control unit 17. Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 may include a charge control unit 18. Further, the electric vacuum cleaner 11 includes a notification control unit 19. The vacuum cleaner 11 also includes a setting button 20 as an operation request unit. And this vacuum cleaner 11 is provided with the light emission part 21 as an alerting | reporting part. In this embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 11 is a canister-type vacuum cleaner including an air passage body 22 that can be attached to and detached from the cleaner body 13 that can run on the floor as a surface to be cleaned. For example, it may be a long stick type (handy type) vacuum cleaner provided with an air passage body 22 that can be attached to and detached from the longitudinal vacuum cleaner body 13, or a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that can run autonomously. However, it can be suitably used. That is, the air passage body 22 is not an essential configuration.

The vacuum cleaner body 13 includes an electric blower 15, a secondary battery 16, an operation control unit 17, a charge control unit 18, and a notification control unit 19. The cleaner body 13 may be provided with a connecting portion (not shown) for charging connected to the storage stand 12, for example. Further, in this embodiment, the cleaner body 13 includes traveling wheels 24 on both sides, for example, so that the cleaner body 13 can travel on the floor surface.

The dust collecting unit 14 is a part that collects dust sucked together with air from the air by using a negative pressure generated by driving the electric blower 15. The dust collection unit 14 may be integrated into the cleaner body 13 or may be detachable from the cleaner body 13.

The electric blower 15 generates a negative pressure by rotating a fan by the electric motor, and sucks dust into the dust collecting unit 14 together with air.

The secondary battery 16 supplies power to, for example, the electric blower 15, the operation control unit 17, the notification control unit 19, and the light emitting unit 21. As the secondary battery 16, for example, a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery is used. The secondary battery 16 may be a battery pack including a plurality of cells. In addition, the secondary battery 16 may include a detection unit (sensor) 25 that detects the state of the secondary battery 16. Further, the secondary battery 16 may include an output unit (microcomputer) 26 that outputs a state detected by the detection unit 25. The detection unit 25 and the output unit 26 may be incorporated in the secondary battery 16 or may be provided separately from the secondary battery 16. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 25 detects the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 directly or indirectly, for example. Further, the detection unit 25 directly or indirectly detects whether or not the secondary battery 16 is being charged, that is, the state of charge C. Furthermore, the detection unit 25 may detect, for example, the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 directly or indirectly in addition to the voltage V and the charge state C of the secondary battery 16. The secondary battery 16 can be charged by power feeding from a charging device (power supply source) such as a charging device (charging stand) (not shown).

The operation control unit 17 controls the operation of the electric blower 15 and the like. That is, the operation control unit 17 controls at least the operation state such as on / off of the electric blower 15 and the operation power by controlling at least the energization amount (energization time) from the secondary battery 16 to the electric blower 15. is there. As the operation control unit 17, for example, a microcomputer or the like is used. The operation control unit 17 is electrically connected to the electric blower 15, the secondary battery 16, the output unit 26, the charging control unit 18, the notification control unit 19, the setting button 20, and the like.

The charging control unit 18 controls charging of the secondary battery 16. That is, the charging control unit 18 includes a charging circuit such as a constant current circuit. The charging control unit 18 may be provided integrally with a microcomputer or the like together with the operation control unit 17, for example, or may be provided on the storage base 12.

The notification control unit 19 causes the light emitting unit 21 to notify in a predetermined manner. In the present embodiment, the notification control unit 19 controls the operation of the light emitting unit 21, for example. That is, the notification control unit 19 controls the energization amount (energization time) from the secondary battery 16 to the light emitting unit 21, thereby displaying the display state of the light emitting unit 21, in this embodiment, the notification mode (light emission of the light emitting unit 21). Mode). The notification control unit 19 is electrically connected to the light emitting unit 21 and can output information and / or signals to the light emitting unit 21. That is, the notification control unit 19 can communicate with the light emitting unit 21. Further, in this embodiment, the notification control unit 19 controls the notification mode (light emission mode) of the light emitting unit 21 according to the state of the secondary battery 16 received via the detection unit 25 (from the operation control unit 17). To do. The notification control unit 19 may be provided integrally with a microcomputer or the like together with the operation control unit 17, for example. That is, the operation control unit 17 and the notification control unit 19 may be provided integrally.

The setting button 20 is for the user to set the operation of the electric blower 15 and the like. In this embodiment, the setting button 20 is provided on the air passage body 22, for example, but may be provided on the cleaner body 13, for example.

The light emitting unit 21 visually gives various notifications (displays) to the user depending on the light emission mode, such as lighting, blinking, or extinguishing. Examples of information to be notified include information indicating the amount of charge of the secondary battery 16. In addition, as will be described in detail later, in the vacuum cleaner 11 according to the present embodiment, the operation of the electric blower 15 may be controlled based on the charge amount of the secondary battery 16, and information indicating the presence or absence of the restriction Are also subject to notification. The light emitting unit 21 operates by supplying power from the secondary battery 16. As the light emitting unit 21, for example, an LED is used. For example, in the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 21 is provided at the front portion of the cleaner main body 13. However, the light emitting unit 21 may be provided at any position such as the air passage body 22 as long as the user can easily see the light emitting unit 21. it can. Further, the light emitting unit 21 can be shared with notifications other than the state of the secondary battery 16, such as notifications indicating that the vacuum cleaner 11 is operating. That is, in the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 21 is not a dedicated one for notifying information indicating the amount of charge of the secondary battery 16 or the presence or absence of the restriction of the operation of the electric blower 15, for example, the strength of the operation of the electric blower 15 Other information on the control of the vacuum cleaner 11, such as information indicating the operating status such as the amount of dust sucked in, other than the amount of charge of the secondary battery 16 and the presence or absence of restrictions on the operation of the electric blower 15 Can also be used as

The air passage body 22 applies a negative pressure generated by driving the electric blower 15 to the floor surface or the like. That is, the air passage body 22 is connected to the suction side of the electric blower 15. In addition, the air passage body 22 enables the user to pull the cleaner body 13 to run in the canister-type vacuum cleaner 11. The air passage body 22 is attachable to and detachable from the cleaner main body 13, for example. In the present embodiment, the air passage body 22 includes a flexible hose body 28, an extension pipe 29, and a suction port body 30, for example, in the case of a stick-type vacuum cleaner or the like. Can be of a substantially straight tube shape including the extension pipe 29 and the suction port body 30, or only the suction port body 30 in the case of an upright type vacuum cleaner.

On the other hand, the storage table 12 is a charging table having a function of charging the secondary battery 16 of the vacuum cleaner 11 with an external power source such as a commercial AC power source. In the present embodiment, the storage table 12 can store the vacuum cleaner 11 in a charged state. The storage table 12 includes a main body support portion 51 that supports the vacuum cleaner main body 13, for example. In addition, the storage table 12 may include an air passage body support portion 52 that supports the air passage body 22. The storage table 12 may include a power cord 54.

The main body support portion 51 can be configured to hold the vacuum cleaner main body 13 with the front portion directed upward, for example. The main body support portion 51 is provided with a connection receiving portion (not shown) that is electrically connected to a connection portion of the vacuum cleaner main body 13 of the vacuum cleaner 11, for example.

The air path body support portion 52 can be configured to support the air path body 22 by supporting the suction port body 30, for example.

The power cord 54 is connected to an external power source by being connected to an outlet such as a wall via an AC adapter or the like, for example. The power cord 54 is electrically connected to the connection receiving unit, and can supply power for charging from an external power source to the secondary battery 16 via the connection receiving unit and the connection unit.

And the storage stand 12 of this embodiment has a function as a charging stand, and will be in the connection state which can charge the secondary battery 16 if a user sets the vacuum cleaner 11 in the storage stand 12. FIG. However, it is necessary to satisfy a predetermined condition to start charging, and the condition will be described later. In the present embodiment, the storage base 12 is cited as an example of the “charging device” in the present invention. However, as the “charging device”, as long as the secondary battery 16 of the vacuum cleaner 11 can be connected to be charged. Well, it may not have a function as a storage table.

Next, the operation of the vacuum cleaner 11 will be described.

The vacuum cleaner 11 is in a state where the secondary battery 16 is sufficiently charged and can be used normally, and the operation control unit 17 determines the amount of power supplied from the secondary battery 16 to the electric blower 15 according to the operation of the setting button 20. The electric blower 15 is controlled to operate. The vacuum cleaner 11 sucks dust such as a floor surface together with air by the negative pressure generated by the operation of the electric blower 15. The user grasps the air passage body 22 and moves the suction port body 30 back and forth on the floor surface, thereby sucking dust into the dust collecting portion 14 via the suction port body 30. The dust collecting unit 14 separates and collects dust from the sucked dust-containing air. The air from which the dust has been separated is sucked into the electric blower 15 to cool the electric blower 15 and then exhausted from the cleaner body 13. Then, when the cleaning is completed, the user instructs the stop with the setting button 20, so that the operation control unit 17 reduces the energization amount from the secondary battery 16 to the electric blower 15, and stops the electric blower 15. .

In this embodiment, the operation control unit 17 monitors the state of the secondary battery 16 via the detection unit 25. That is, the operation control unit 17 determines whether the secondary battery 16 is being charged based on the information output from the output unit 26, the voltage V of the secondary battery 16, and the temperature T of the secondary battery 16. Monitoring. Note that the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 may be monitored only when the secondary battery 16 is charged.

When the electric blower 15 is in operation, the operation control unit 17 gradually decreases the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 to become the first voltage (stop voltage) V1 or less (an example is shown in FIG. 4). The electric blower 15 is forcibly stopped until the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 reaches a second voltage (driveable voltage) V2 larger than the first voltage V1. Limit the behavior of In this way, the vacuum cleaner 11 is prevented from being repeatedly restarted with the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 being low (imaginary line in FIG. 4), and the life of the secondary battery 16 is prevented from being reduced. . That is, when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 once decreases to the first voltage V1, the operation control unit 17 waits until the voltage of the secondary battery 16 reaches the second voltage V2. It is set as an operation restriction section that restricts the operation.

The first voltage V1 is higher than the discharge end voltage of the secondary battery 16. The first voltage V1 can be a low voltage close to the discharge end voltage, for example. The second voltage V2 is lower than the voltage when the secondary battery 16 is fully charged. For example, the second voltage V2 may be lower than the voltage of the secondary battery 16 in the fully charged state and close to the voltage of the fully charged state. That is, the second voltage V2 is set larger than the first voltage V1 by a predetermined threshold or more.

Further, the operation control unit 17 outputs an instruction to the charge control unit 18 so as to wait for the secondary battery 16 to be charged in a state where the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is higher than the predetermined temperature Tth. That is, from the start of charging to the time t1 when the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature Tth, the secondary battery 16 is in a state where the vacuum cleaner 11 is stored in the storage base 12 (that is, the secondary battery Even when 16 is connected to an external power source), the secondary battery 16 is waited to be charged. Further, the operation of the electric blower 15 is limited until the time t2 when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes higher than the second voltage V2 after waiting for this charging (an example is shown in FIG. 5). By doing in this way, the lifetime reduction of the secondary battery 16 is prevented.

In addition, the notification control unit 19 is configured such that when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 reaches the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged (the state in which the restriction on the operation of the electric blower 15 by the operation control unit 17 is released) Then, the operation of the light emitting unit 21 is controlled so as to be notified by the light emitting unit 21 (first mode).

Further, the notification control unit 19 is in a state where the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is equal to or lower than the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged. In this embodiment, the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is the second voltage V2. The operation of the light emitting unit 21 is continuously controlled so as to be notified by the light emitting unit 21 (when the operation of the electric blower 15 is restricted by the operation control unit 17) (second mode).

At this time, these notifications are different from each other. Therefore, the notification control unit 19 differs between the first mode and the second mode that are different between when the operation control unit 17 does not restrict the operation of the electric blower 15 and when it is restricted when the secondary battery 16 is charged. The operation of the light emitting unit 21 is controlled so as to be notified in the above manner.

Further, the notification control unit 19 causes the light emitting unit 21 to notify when the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is higher than the predetermined temperature Tth when the secondary battery 16 is charged and the secondary battery 16 is waiting to be charged. In this way, the operation of the light emitting unit 21 is controlled (third mode).

Further, the notification control unit 19 controls the operation of the light emitting unit 21 so that the light emitting unit 21 notifies when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes less than the third voltage V3 during the operation of the electric blower 15. (4th aspect). The third voltage V3 is a voltage lower than the voltage when the secondary battery 16 is fully charged. For example, the third voltage V3 may be set to a voltage lower than the second voltage V2 and closer to the first voltage V1 than the second voltage V2, or the third voltage V3 may be set to the second voltage V3. It may be set to a value larger than the voltage V2.

One of the first aspect and the second aspect is lit and the other is blinking. In the present embodiment, for example, the first aspect is turned on and the second aspect is blinking. Further, the third aspect may be different from the first aspect and the second aspect, and is either the first aspect or the second aspect, particularly the same aspect as the second aspect. May be. Furthermore, a 4th aspect is set as the blink state of a short cycle, for example. The blinking cycle of the fourth aspect is shorter than the blinking. That is, in the present embodiment, the blinking of the fourth aspect is shorter than the blinking of the second aspect.

These operations will be described in more detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

The operation control unit 17 obtains the voltage V, the charging state C, and the temperature T from the secondary battery 16 and the operation request from the setting button 20, and notifies the electric blower 15 and the charge control unit 18 accordingly. An instruction is sent to the control unit 19. The electric blower 15 operates or stops in response to an instruction from the operation control unit 17. The light emitting unit 21 displays in a predetermined manner according to the instruction from the notification control unit 19 based on the instruction from the operation control unit 17.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the vacuum cleaner 11 first performs initial setting (step S1). As the initial setting, the operation restriction state parameter P1 is 0 (operation possible), the operation state parameter P2 is 0 (stop state), the operation request parameter P3 is 0 (operation stop), and the charge state parameter P4 is 0 (not charging) ), Charging standby state parameter P5 is set to 0 (charging unrestricted). These parameters P1 to P5 are each provided in the operation control unit 17 in the present embodiment, but may be provided in the notification control unit 19, for example.

Next, the operation control unit 17 acquires the voltage V from the secondary battery 16 (step S2), and acquires the charge state (charge state parameter P4) of the secondary battery 16 based on the acquired voltage V (step S3). ), The temperature T is acquired from the secondary battery 16 (step S4), and the operation request (operation request parameter P3) is acquired from the setting button 20 (step S5). The order in which these steps S2 to S5 are performed may be switched if possible. For example, step S4 may be performed prior to step S2 and step S3.

Further, the operation control unit 17 controls the operation restriction state of the electric blower 15 (step S6), the operation control of the electric blower 15 (step S7), the charging standby control of the secondary battery 16 (step S8), the light emitting unit 21 After performing the notification control (step S9), the process returns to step S2.

Fig. 7 shows the operation restriction state control flow. The operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 acquired in step S2 (FIG. 6) is less than the first voltage V1 (V <V1) (step S10). In step S10, if the operation control unit 17 determines that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is less than the first voltage V1 (V <V1), the operation restriction state parameter P1 is set to 1 (operation restriction). (Step S11), the process proceeds to the next control. On the other hand, when the operation control unit 17 determines in step S10 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is not less than the first voltage V1 (the first voltage V1 or more (V ≧ V1)), the secondary battery 16 It is determined whether or not the voltage V of 16 is greater than the second voltage V2 (V> V2) (step S12). If it is determined in step S12 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is greater than the second voltage V2 (V> V2), the operation restriction state parameter P1 is set to 0 (operation possible) (step S13) Control (step S7 in this embodiment). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is not greater than the second voltage V2 (the second voltage V2 or less (V ≦ V2)), the operation restriction state parameter P1 is changed. Without proceeding to the next control (step S7 in this embodiment) as it is.

FIG. 8 shows an operation control flow of the electric blower 15. The operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the operation state parameter P2 is 1 (operation state) (step S20). If it is determined in this step S20 that the operation state parameter P2 is not 1 (0 (stop state)), the operation control unit 17 subsequently sets the operation request parameter P3 acquired in step S5 (FIG. 6) to 1 ( It is determined whether or not (operation start) (step S21). If it is determined in step S21 that the operation request parameter P3 is not 1 (0 (operation stop)), the process proceeds to the next control (step S8 in this embodiment) as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21 that the operation request parameter P3 is 1, the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the charge state parameter P4 acquired in step S3 (FIG. 6) is 1 (charging). Judgment is made (step S22). If it is determined in step S22 that the charge state parameter P4 is 1, the process proceeds to the next control (step S8 in the present embodiment) as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the charge state parameter P4 is not 1 (0 (not charging)), the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the operation limit state parameter P1 is 1 (operation limit). Is determined (step S23). If it is determined in this step S23 that the operation restriction state parameter P1 is 1, the process proceeds to the next control (step S8 in this embodiment) as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S23 that the operation restriction state parameter P1 is not 1 (0 (operation possible)), the electric blower 15 is operated to set the operation state parameter P2 to 1 (operation state) (step S23). S24), and proceeds to the next control (step S8 in the present embodiment).

If it is determined in step S20 that the operation state parameter P2 is 1, the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the operation request parameter P3 acquired in step S5 (FIG. 6) is 1 (operation start). Judgment is made (step S25). If it is determined in step S25 that the operation request parameter P3 is not 1 (0 (operation stop)), the electric blower 15 is stopped and the operation state parameter P2 is set to 0 (stop state) (step S26). Then, the process proceeds to the next control (step S8 in this embodiment). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S25 that the operation request parameter P3 is 1, the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the charge state parameter P4 acquired in step S3 (FIG. 6) is 1 (charging). Judgment is made (step S27). If it is determined in step S27 that the charge state parameter P4 is 1, the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S27 that the charge state parameter P4 is not 1 (0 (not charging)), the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the operation limit state parameter P1 is 1 (operation limit). Is determined (step S28). If it is determined in step S28 that the operation restriction state parameter P1 is 1, the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S28 that the operation restriction state parameter P1 is not 1 (0 (operation possible)), the process directly proceeds to the next control (step S8 in the present embodiment).

FIG. 9 shows a charging standby control flow of the secondary battery 16. The operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 acquired in step S4 (FIG. 6) is lower than a predetermined temperature Tth (step S30). If it is determined in step S30 that the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is less than the predetermined temperature Tth (T <Tth), the operation control unit 17 sets the charging standby state parameter P5 to 0 (chargeable) ( In step S31), the process proceeds to the next control (step S9 in this embodiment). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S30 that the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is not less than the predetermined temperature Tth (is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature Tth (T ≧ Tth)), the operation control unit 17 sets the charging standby state parameter P5 to 1. (Charging standby) is set (step S32), and the process proceeds to the next control (step S9 in the present embodiment).

FIG. 10 shows a notification control flow of the light emitting unit 21. The operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the charging state parameter P4 acquired in step S3 (FIG. 6) is 1 (charging) (step S40). If it is determined in step S40 that the charging state parameter P4 is not 1 (0 (not charging)), the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the operating state parameter P2 is 1 (operating state). (Step S41). If it is determined in step S41 that the operation state parameter P2 is not 1 (0 (stop state)), the operation control unit 17 outputs an instruction to the notification control unit 19, and the notification control unit 19 The operation is controlled to be the fifth mode (for example, extinguishment) (step S42), and the process proceeds to the next control (step S2 in this embodiment). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that the operation state parameter P2 is 1, the operation control unit 17 determines that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 acquired in step S2 (FIG. 6) is less than the third voltage V3 (V It is determined whether or not <V3) (step S43). If it is determined in step S43 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is not less than the third voltage V3 (the third voltage V3 or more (V ≧ V3)), the process proceeds to step S42. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is less than the third voltage V3 (V <V3), the operation control unit 17 outputs an instruction to the notification control unit 19, and the notification control unit 19 controls the operation of the light emitting unit 21 to display in the fourth mode (step S44), and proceeds to the next control (step S2 in the present embodiment).

If it is determined in step S40 that the charging state parameter P4 is 1, the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the charging standby state parameter P5 is 1 (charging standby) (step S45). If it is determined in this step S45 that the charging standby state parameter P5 is 1, the operation control unit 17 outputs an instruction to the notification control unit 19, and the notification control unit 19 controls the operation of the light emitting unit 21 to perform the third operation. (Step S46), and proceeds to the next control (step S2 in this embodiment). That is, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting unit 21 displays in the third mode from the start of charging to time t1. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S45 that the charging standby state parameter P5 is not 1 (0 (charging is possible)), the operation control unit 17 determines whether or not the operation limiting state parameter P1 is 1 (operation limiting). Is determined (step S47). If it is determined in step S47 that the operation restriction state parameter P1 is not 1 (0 (operation possible)), the operation control unit 17 outputs an instruction to the notification control unit 19, and the notification control unit 19 outputs the light emitting unit 21. Is controlled and displayed in the first mode (step S48), and the process proceeds to the next control (step S2 in the present embodiment). In addition, when displaying in the first mode of step S48, it is possible to make the user easily noticed by generating sound or the like simultaneously with the display.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S47 that the operation restriction state parameter P1 is 1, the operation control unit 17 outputs an instruction to the notification control unit 19, and the notification control unit 19 controls the operation of the light emitting unit 21. 2 (step S49), and proceeds to the next control (step S2 in this embodiment). That is, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting unit 21 displays in the second mode from time t1 to time t2. For this reason, for example, when the second mode and the third mode are the same mode, the notification in the same mode continues from the start of charging to time t2.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the notification control unit 19 uses the light emitting unit 21 to indicate that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has reached the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged. Since the notification is made, the state of the secondary battery 16 can be easily recognized by the notification of the light emitting unit 21 without the user trying to start the vacuum cleaner 11.

That is, when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is lowered to enter a stop state, the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 temporarily rises due to the decrease in internal resistance (the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4), and particularly the current is large. In the case of the secondary battery 16 of the vacuum cleaner 11, the rising voltage is large, it operates when the vacuum cleaner 11 is restarted, and the voltage instantaneously drops below the first voltage V1 and stops. There are things to do. Therefore, when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is reduced so that the life of the secondary battery 16 is not shortened by repeating this operation (imaginary line in FIG. 4), the secondary battery 16 has the second voltage V2. The operation control unit 17 restricts the operation of the electric blower 15 until it is charged as described above. As described above, the light emitting unit 21 notifies that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is higher than the second voltage V2. Thus, the user can easily recognize that the operation control unit 17 has released the restriction on the operation of the electric blower 15.

For this reason, it is less likely that the vacuum cleaner 11 cannot be used against the user's expectation, and the user can be prevented from misidentifying that the vacuum cleaner 11 is malfunctioning. In addition, since the user can know whether or not the vacuum cleaner 11 can be used without operating the setting button 20, it can also be prevented from feeling annoying. Furthermore, for example, when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 decreases during cleaning, the electric blower 15 stops, and the remaining cleaning has occurred, the secondary battery 16 is charged to a usable state. The cleaning can be resumed quickly.

In addition, when the secondary battery 16 is charged, the notification control unit 19 notifies the light emitting unit 21 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has not reached the second voltage V2, so that the user can turn on the light emitting unit 21. Accordingly, it can be easily recognized that the operation of the electric blower 15 is restricted by the voltage V of the secondary battery 16. In addition, when the secondary battery 16 is charged until the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes higher than the second voltage V2, if the light emitting unit 21 continuously notifies, the notification is easily noticed (the notification is difficult to overlook). It is possible to recognize that the vacuum cleaner 11 cannot be used due to the operation restriction of the electric blower 15 by the operation control unit 17 at an arbitrary timing.

Further, since the operation control unit 17 causes the light emitting unit 21 to notify the first mode and the second mode which are different from each other when the operation of the electric blower 15 is restricted and when it is not restricted, the light emission is performed. Based on the notification mode of the unit 21, it can be easily recognized whether or not the operation of the electric blower 15 is restricted.

In addition, the notification control unit 19 causes the light emitting unit 21 to notify that the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is higher than the predetermined temperature Tth and the charging control unit 18 is waiting for charging, so that the user can turn the light emitting unit 21 on. Thus, it can be easily recognized that the secondary battery 16 is being charged. Moreover, if the light emitting unit 21 continuously notifies while the temperature T of the secondary battery 16 is higher than the predetermined temperature Tth and charging is on standby, the notification can be easily noticed (notice is not easily overlooked).

That is, for example, immediately after the operation of the vacuum cleaner 11 is finished, the temperature of the secondary battery 16 is high, and when the secondary battery 16 is hot like this, the storage base 12 is connected to the vacuum cleaner 11. However, charging may be waited until the temperature of the secondary battery 16 decreases. Depending on the season and temperature, the time required for the temperature of the secondary battery 16 to drop varies, so the length of connection time to the storage base 12 and the charging status of the secondary battery 16 match the user's sense. In some cases, it may be difficult to predict the state of charge of the secondary battery 16 simply by the connection time to the storage base 12. Therefore, by notifying the light-emitting unit 21 that charging is in the standby state, the user can easily recognize that the user is in the standby state for charging, and the user predicts when the vacuum cleaner 11 can be used. It becomes easy.

Furthermore, the notification control unit 19 notifies the light emitting unit 21 that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has become less than the third voltage V3 during the operation of the electric blower 15, so that the user can control the light emitting unit 21. Accordingly, it is possible to easily recognize that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has decreased, that is, the remaining amount of the secondary battery 16 has decreased, and it becomes easier to predict the remaining operable time. For this reason, the user can easily determine whether to continue using the vacuum cleaner 11 or to temporarily stop the use and charge the secondary battery 16.

In addition, using the light emitting unit 21, the notification control unit 19 notifies that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has reached the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged (first mode), and the secondary When the battery 16 is charged, one of the notification (second mode) that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has not reached the second voltage V2 is turned on, and the other is flashed to notify the electric blower 15 Flashing in a shorter cycle than the flashing in the first mode or the second mode is notified that the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 has become less than the third voltage V3 during the operation of (4th mode) By making it alert | report by, it can make it easy to notice each alert | report with respect to a user.

That is, whether or not the operation of the electric blower 15 is restricted is an action that the user voluntarily confirms, whereas the remaining amount of the secondary battery 16 (remaining operable time) is small. Since the confirmation is not necessarily an action that the user voluntarily performs, it is preferable to use a notification mode that the user can easily notice. Therefore, using the characteristic that humans are more easily aware of things that are moving than those that are not moving, the light emitting unit 21 is used as a notification unit, and the first and second aspects of the light emitting unit 21 are Either one is turned on and the other is blinked, and the notification of the fourth aspect is executed with blinking shorter than the blinking. That is, by applying fast flashing to the fourth mode as a mode that is easier to notice than turning on and off, it is possible to make it easier for the user to notice that the remaining amount of the secondary battery 16 has decreased. Note that the flashing in the notification of the fourth mode executed while the vacuum cleaner 11 is in use is flashing in a shorter cycle than the flashing in the notification of other modes executed while charging the vacuum cleaner 11. Since this is intended to make the user easily aware as described above, “short cycle blinking” refers to blinking that is short enough to be recognized by a human.

Further, when charging of the secondary battery 16 is started from the state in which the light emitting unit 21 is informing in the fourth mode, the light emitting unit 21 is in the third mode, the second mode, or the first mode. Since the notification is made, the user can easily recognize that charging of the secondary battery 16 has been started by switching the notification modes.

Furthermore, each notification described above is visually performed using the display of the light emitting unit 21, so that even if it is easy for the user to notice by continuous notification, the user is bothered compared to the case where notification is made by voice. Hard to give.

Among the above notifications, the notifications in the first to third aspects are notifications performed while the electric blower 15 is stopped, and the notifications in the fourth aspect are notifications performed while the electric blower 15 is stopped. Since the notification is performed only when the voltage of the secondary battery 16 is lowered, it is performed by a conventional electric vacuum cleaner that indicates the operation state of the electric blower 15 and the operation state of the operation. Can be shared with other notifications. Accordingly, the light emitting unit 21 can be realized by diverting display components (such as LED lamps) provided in the conventional vacuum cleaner, and there is no need to provide a display component dedicated to the notification unit. The complication of the configuration can be prevented.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the structure, an effect | action, and control similar to the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the storage base 12 is provided with a light emitting unit 57 as a notification unit.

The light emitting unit 57 visually gives various notifications (displays) to the user depending on the light emitting mode such as lighting, blinking, or extinguishing. The light emitting unit 57 operates by supplying power from the external power source by connecting the power cord 54 to the external power source through an outlet, for example. As this light emission part 57, LED is used, for example. In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 57 is provided, for example, on the main body support unit 51. However, the light emitting unit 57 can be provided at any position on the storage table 12 as long as it is easily visible to the user. Further, the light emitting unit 57 can be shared with notifications other than the state of the secondary battery 16 of the vacuum cleaner 11, such as notifications indicating that the power cord 54 is connected to the outlet. That is, in the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 57 is not a dedicated one for notifying the state of the secondary battery 16, but is provided in advance in the storage table 12, for example, to notify other such as the operation state of the storage table 12. You can also use things. The operation of the light emitting unit 57 may be directly controlled by the notification control unit 19 of the vacuum cleaner 11, or the operation control of the storage base 12 based on the signal or information transmitted (output) from the notification control unit 19 The operation may be controlled by the unit.

Specifically, in steps S46, S48, and S49 of the first embodiment, information or a signal is output from the notification control unit 19 so as to be notified by the light emitting unit 57 instead of notification by light emission of the light emitting unit 21. That is, the notification control unit 19 instructs the light emitting unit 57 of the storage table 12 to notify in the first mode, the second mode, or the third mode. As a result, when the secondary battery 16 is charged, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, you may make it provide the alerting | reporting control part 19 and the alerting | reporting part in each of the vacuum cleaner 11 and the storage stand 12 combining the said 2nd Embodiment and the said 1st Embodiment. In this case, the state of the secondary battery 16 at the time of charging (operation limited state, charging standby state) may be notified by only one of the notification units, or by both notification units.

And in each said embodiment, each alerting | reporting aspect of the

light emission parts

21 and 57 can each be made into arbitrary aspects, such as changing a light emission color mutually or making it light-extinguish, for example.

The notification according to the second mode may be continued until the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged, or the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 is the second voltage V2. May be notified intermittently or only a predetermined number of times at an arbitrary timing equal to or lower than the voltage V2, or may be notified immediately before the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes higher than the second voltage V2.

Furthermore, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the second aspect is not provided as a notification aspect of the notification section (light emitting sections 21 and 57). In this case, the control in steps S47 and S49 in the above embodiments is not necessary.

Similarly, the notification according to the third aspect may be continued until the temperature of the secondary battery 16 becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature Tth, or is intermittent at any timing when the temperature of the secondary battery 16 is higher than the predetermined temperature Tth. Or may be notified only a predetermined number of times, or may be notified immediately before the temperature of the secondary battery 16 reaches the predetermined temperature Tth.

Further, as a notification mode of the notification unit (light emitting units 21 and 57), a configuration without the third mode may be employed. In this case, the control of steps S4, S8, S45, S46 and the like in each of the above embodiments is not necessary.

Furthermore, the notification according to the fourth aspect may be continued after the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes less than the third voltage V3 when the secondary battery 16 is used, or intermittently at predetermined time intervals. It may be notified, or may be performed only when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes less than the third voltage V3 when the secondary battery 16 is used.

And it can also be set as the structure which is not equipped with a 4th aspect as a alerting | reporting aspect of an alerting | reporting part (light emission parts 21 and 57). In this case, the control in steps S41, S43, S44 and the like in the above embodiments is not necessary.

In addition, the notification is made according to the light emission state of the

light emitting units

21 and 57, but the notification may be made using, for example, display of an image or sound or the like.

Furthermore, for example, when the secondary battery 16 is fully charged, the notification control unit 19 can also notify the

light emitting units

21 and 57. In this case, for example, by causing the

light emitting units

21 and 57 to notify in the sixth aspect different from the first to third aspects, the user refers to the notification and the secondary battery 16 does not reach full charge. Even when it is ready to use, it can be selected whether to use the vacuum cleaner 11 or to use the vacuum cleaner 11 after the secondary battery 16 is fully charged, which further improves usability.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the structure similar to said each embodiment, an effect | action, and control, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the third embodiment, in addition to or in place of the notification of the state of the secondary battery 16 in the vacuum cleaner 11 and / or the storage base 12 of the first and second embodiments. The state of the secondary battery 16 is notified by the external device 61. That is, in the third embodiment, the notification unit 62 may be provided in the external device 61. In other words, in the third embodiment, notification is performed using the notification unit 62 of the external device 61.

As the external device 61, for example, a smartphone having a display function and a communication function in advance is preferably used. That is, as the notification unit 62, a display unit such as a liquid crystal display unit or an organic EL display unit provided in the external device 61 in advance can be used. Therefore, the notification unit 62 can visually notify the state of the secondary battery 16. In addition, the external device 61 is previously provided with a receiving unit 63 that can receive information and signals by wire or wireless.

In this case, the vacuum cleaner 11 includes a communication unit 64 in which the notification control unit 19 is a transmission unit. That is, the notification control unit 19 has a function of transmitting information to the external device 61. The communication unit 64 outputs information and signals that cause the notification unit 62 to operate in various modes, directly to the receiving unit 63 of the external device 61, or indirectly via a network such as the Internet, in a wired or wireless manner. You may do it. For example, a wireless LAN device or the like is preferably used as the communication unit 64. Therefore, the notification control unit 19 can communicate with the notification unit 62.

And, in particular, in step S48 of each of the above embodiments, instead of notification by light emission of the light emitting unit 21, information or a signal is transmitted from the notification control unit 19 so as to be notified by the notification unit 62 via the communication unit 64, By receiving this information or signal by the receiving unit 63, the notification unit 62 of the external device 61 performs notification. That is, the notification control unit 19 instructs the notification unit 62 of the external device 61 to notify in the first mode.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), a notification such as “The vacuum cleaner is ready to use” is displayed on the notification unit 62. Further, for example, when the secondary battery 16 is in a fully charged state, information or a signal is transmitted from the notification control unit 19 via the communication unit 64, and this information or signal is received by the receiving unit 63, Notification can also be performed by the notification unit 62 of the external device 61. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the notification unit 62 is notified by displaying “charging of the vacuum cleaner is completed” or the like. With this notification, the user refers to the notification and uses the vacuum cleaner 11 when the secondary battery 16 becomes usable even if the secondary battery 16 does not reach full charge, or the secondary battery 16 is fully charged. It becomes possible to select whether to use the vacuum cleaner 11 after becoming, and the usability is further improved.

These notifications may use, for example, a so-called push notification that the external device 61 notifies without the user performing an operation for confirmation, or an operation performed by the user for confirmation. A so-called fetch notification that gives notification in response to the execution of the above may be used, or these may be combined. For example, if the information that “the vacuum cleaner is available” is pushed, the user can know that immediately after the vacuum cleaner 11 becomes available. If the same information is fetched together with this, even if the user misses the push notification, it becomes possible to know that the electric vacuum cleaner 11 can be used at any timing by the user.

As a result, in the state where the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 becomes larger than the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged, the same operational effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained.

In this configuration, even if the user is away from the electric vacuum cleaner 11 being charged, for example, at a position where the electric vacuum cleaner 11 or the storage base 12 is not visible, the external device 61 is carried by or near the user. Therefore, the notification unit 62 of the external device 61 can know the state (charged state) of the secondary battery 16. For this reason, for example, the user can know the timing when the vacuum cleaner 11 can be used by notifying the notification unit 62, and if there is any remaining cleaning, the vacuum cleaner 11 can be used. Can be resumed immediately, and while waiting for the use of the vacuum cleaner 11 (to be able to resume cleaning), move away from the vacuum cleaner 11 for other housework such as laundry You can also do work.

In the third embodiment, the notification unit 62 of the external device 61 is not limited to a portable device such as a portable terminal. For example, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. The notification unit 62 of the external device 61 of the mold can also be used. As the external device 61, any device including the notification unit 62 and the reception unit 63 can be used. For example, a refrigerator is preferably used. Since the refrigerator is basically always powered on, it can always be informed by the notification unit 62 and is often the main part of the kitchen layout, so stay in the kitchen for housework such as cooking. This is because it is conspicuous and easy to see for the user who is.

Therefore, the notification control unit 19 is not limited to the one that directly controls the notification unit, and as shown in the third and fourth embodiments, signals and information for causing the notification unit 62 of the external device 61 to perform notification. Etc. may be output.

In the third and fourth embodiments, the notification of the notification unit 62 is performed by, for example, changing the characters and sentences displayed on each other arbitrarily, changing the color and design, etc., respectively. It can be set as the alerting | reporting aspect other than this embodiment.

Further, the notification unit 62 may perform notification corresponding to the second mode and the third mode shown in steps S46 and S49 of the first embodiment.

Furthermore, the notification by the notification unit 62 can be arbitrarily combined with the notification in the light emitting unit 21 of the first embodiment and the light emitting unit 57 of the second embodiment.

In each of the above embodiments, the notification control unit 19 causes the notification unit to notify when the voltage V of the secondary battery 16 reaches the second voltage V2 when the secondary battery 16 is charged. The notification may be arbitrarily set.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

A secondary battery,
An electric part that operates by feeding from the secondary battery;
An operation control unit for controlling the operation of the electric unit;
A notification control unit capable of communicating with a notification unit for notifying a user of predetermined information;
The operation control unit stops the operation of the electric unit when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes lower than the first voltage during the operation of the electric unit, and the voltage of the secondary battery is the first voltage. Limiting the operation of the motorized portion until it is greater than a second voltage greater than the voltage;
The said notification control part makes the said alerting | reporting part alert | report when the voltage of the said secondary battery reaches the said 2nd voltage at the time of charge of the said secondary battery. The vacuum cleaner characterized by the above-mentioned.
The notification control unit causes the notification unit to notify that the voltage of the secondary battery has not reached the second voltage when the secondary battery is charged.
A charge control unit that controls charging of the secondary battery is provided.
In a state where the temperature of the secondary battery is higher than a predetermined temperature, the charging control unit waits for charging of the secondary battery,
The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit causes the notification unit to notify that charging of the secondary battery is on standby.
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notification control unit causes the notification unit to be notified by display.
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification unit can be shared with other notifications.
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the notification control unit has a function of transmitting information to an external device and performs notification using the notification unit of the external device.
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a notification unit whose operation is controlled by a notification control unit.
The notification control unit causes the notification unit to notify that the voltage of the secondary battery has become less than the third voltage during the operation of the electric unit.
The notification unit notifies by display,
The notification control unit notifies that the voltage of the secondary battery has not reached the second voltage when charging the secondary battery, and notifies that the voltage of the secondary battery has reached the second voltage. One of the above is notified by lighting the display of the notification unit, and the other is notified by blinking the display of the notification unit, and the voltage of the secondary battery becomes less than the third voltage during the operation of the electric unit. 9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the notification is notified by blinking of the notification unit having a shorter cycle than the blinking.
A secondary battery,
An electric part that operates by feeding from the secondary battery;
A charge control unit for controlling charging of the secondary battery;
A notification control unit that controls the operation of a notification unit that notifies the user of predetermined information;
In a state where the temperature of the secondary battery is higher than a predetermined temperature, the charging control unit waits for charging of the secondary battery,
The said notification control part makes the said notification part notify that the charge of the said secondary battery is waiting. The vacuum cleaner characterized by the above-mentioned.