WO2023233703A1

WO2023233703A1 - Cleaning machine and sound output method

Info

Publication number: WO2023233703A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/002426
Authority: WO
Inventors: 哲次佐土島
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-05-31
Filing date: 2023-01-26
Publication date: 2023-12-07

Abstract

This cleaning machine (100) comprises: a speaker (80); an electric blower (40) which rotates to generate suction force for the cleaning machine (100); and a controller which generates a sound signal of a frequency lower than the rotation frequency of the electric blower (40) and causes the speaker (80) to output a sound based on the sound signal.

Description

Vacuum cleaner and audio output method

The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner equipped with a speaker and a sound output method.

Patent Document 1 discloses that in order to reduce noise generated from a vacuum cleaner, noise at an integral multiple of the rotational speed of an electric blower included in the vacuum cleaner is monitored with a microphone, and the phase of the amplifier is adjusted so that this value is minimized. and a vacuum cleaner that adjusts the level.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-187131

The present disclosure provides a vacuum cleaner that can effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated.

A vacuum cleaner in the present disclosure is a vacuum cleaner, and includes a speaker, an electric blower that rotates to generate a suction force of the vacuum cleaner, and an audio signal that generates an audio signal with a frequency lower than the rotational frequency of the electric blower, and A controller that causes a speaker to output audio based on the audio signal.

Further, the sound output method in the present disclosure is a sound output method using a vacuum cleaner, in which a sound signal having a frequency lower than the rotational frequency of an electric blower that generates suction force of the vacuum cleaner by rotating is generated, and A speaker provided in the machine outputs audio based on the audio signal.

Note that these general or specific aspects may be realized in a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. It may be implemented in any combination of circuits, computer programs, and non-transitory storage media.

The vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure can effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first audio signal. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the spectrum of the square wave of the first audio signal. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner circuit according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a typical spectrogram of sound generated from a vacuum cleaner. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a vacuum cleaner according to modification 1. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a vacuum cleaner according to modification 2.

(Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure)
In recent years, as vacuum cleaners have become smaller, the volume of the operating sound of the vacuum cleaner has been reduced, and as small motors have increased in speed, the operating sound has shifted to a higher frequency range. This makes it difficult for the user to feel the suction force of the vacuum cleaner from the operating noise generated by the vacuum cleaner.

Patent Document 1 attempts to reduce the noise generated by a vacuum cleaner by outputting a sound that is out of phase with the operating sound generated by the vacuum cleaner, but it is difficult to reduce the noise generated by the vacuum cleaner. No consideration is given to notifying the user.

Therefore, the present inventor has discovered a vacuum cleaner that can effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

(Embodiment)
Embodiments will be described below using FIGS. 1 to 9.

[1. composition]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the vacuum cleaner according to the embodiment.

The vacuum cleaner 100 includes a housing 10, an operating section 20, a circuit 30, an electric blower 40, a dust sensor 50, a container 60, a suction pipe 70, a speaker 80, and a head 90. The vacuum cleaner 100 is, for example, a stick-type vacuum cleaner. Further, the vacuum cleaner 100 is, for example, a cyclone type vacuum cleaner.

Note that the vacuum cleaner 100 may include a rechargeable battery (not shown), and may operate using electric power stored in the rechargeable battery. Further, the vacuum cleaner 100 does not need to have a rechargeable battery, and may operate using power supplied from an external commercial power source.

The housing 10 houses a circuit 30, an electric blower 40, and a dust sensor 50. A container 60 is connected to the housing 10. Furthermore, the housing 10 is provided with an operation section 20 that accepts operations from a user.

The operation unit 20 is a button switch that accepts operations from the user. The operation unit 20 receives, for example, an operation to turn on the power of the vacuum cleaner 100. Further, the operation unit 20 may receive an operation for switching the operation mode between a first mode in which the suction force is weak and a second mode in which the suction force is stronger than the first mode. Further, the operation unit 20 may receive an operation for switching on/off the output of the audio from the speaker 80, for example. The operation unit 20 is not limited to a button switch, and may have any configuration as long as it is an input interface that accepts operations from a user, such as a slide switch, a touch panel, etc.

The circuit 30 controls the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the operation accepted by the operation unit 20, the detection result of the dust sensor 50, and the like. Circuit 30 is an example of a controller. Details of the configuration and function of the circuit 30 will be described later.

The electric blower 40 generates the suction force of the vacuum cleaner 100 by rotating. The electric blower 40 includes a fan 41 and a motor 42.

The fan 41 generates the suction force of the vacuum cleaner 100 by rotating to generate an airflow from the suction port 92 of the head 90 of the vacuum cleaner 100 to the exhaust port (not shown).

When the motor 42 is supplied with current, it rotates the fan 41 at a rotation frequency that corresponds to the supplied current. The motor 42 is, for example, a three-phase motor.

The dust sensor 50 is a sensor that detects the amount of dust flowing into the container 60 along with the airflow.

The container 60 has a space for storing dust sucked in from the head 90. The container 60 is detachably connected to the housing 10.

The suction tube 70 is a tubular member whose one end is connected to the housing 10 and the other end is connected to the head 90. The suction pipe 70 is a member that guides air containing dust sucked in from the head 90 to the container 60 connected to the housing 10 .

The speaker 80 outputs audio based on the audio signal output from the circuit 30. The speaker 80 is arranged in the suction tube 70, for example.

The head 90 has a suction port 92 that sucks dust using the suction force generated by the rotation of the electric blower 40. The suction port 92 is formed to face the floor when the head 90 is placed on the floor. Further, the head 90 may further include a rotating brush 91 that guides dust on the floor to the suction port 92 by rotating. The rotating brush 91 is rotated by a motor (not shown) when a suction force is generated in the vacuum cleaner 100, that is, when the vacuum cleaner 100 is powered on. Note that the rotating brush 91 does not need to be constantly rotated when the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 is on, and when the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 is on and the head 90 is placed on the floor. It may be rotated by a motor (not shown). That is, even if the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 is on, the rotating brush 91 does not need to be rotated when the head 90 is not placed on the floor. Note that the head 90 does not need to include the rotating brush 91.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration in the embodiment.

The circuit 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a memory 32, a motor driver 33, an isolator 34, a frequency divider 35, a filter 36, and an amplifier circuit 37.

The CPU 31 executes a process of transmitting a control signal to the motor driver 32 by executing a program stored in the memory 32. The CPU 31 transmits a control signal to the motor driver 33 in response to the operation accepted by the operation unit 20. For example, when the operation unit 20 accepts a power-on operation, the CPU 31 transmits a control signal for operating in the first mode to the motor driver 33. Further, for example, when the operation unit 20 receives an operation indicating an operation instruction in the second mode, the CPU 31 transmits a control signal for operating in the second mode to the motor driver 33. Further, when the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 50 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the CPU 31 transmits a control signal to the motor driver 33 to operate in the third mode.

Furthermore, the CPU 31 may execute a process of switching the audio on and off by executing a program stored in the memory 32. Specifically, the CPU 31 switches the output of the audio signal to the speaker 80 on and off in response to the operation of switching the output of the audio on and off using the operation unit 20 . That is, when the audio output is turned off, the CPU 31 may turn off the operations of the isolator 34, frequency divider 35, filter 36, and amplifier circuit 37. Conversely, when the audio output is turned on, the CPU 31 may turn on the operations of the isolator 34, frequency divider 35, filter 36, and amplifier circuit 37. Since the CPU 31 is one of the components of the circuit 30, it is an example of a controller.

The memory 32 stores programs executed by the CPU 31. The program is a program for the CPU 31 to execute a process of transmitting a control signal to the motor driver 32 and a process of switching audio on/off.

The motor driver 33 drives the motor 42 at a rotation frequency according to the control signal received from the CPU 31. When the motor driver 33 receives a control signal for operating in the first mode, it controls the motor 42 so that the motor 42 is driven at the first rotation frequency. Moreover, when the motor driver 33 receives a control signal for operating in the second mode, it drives the motor 42 so that the motor 42 is driven at the second rotation frequency. The second rotation frequency is a higher rotation frequency than the first rotation frequency. Further, when the motor driver 33 receives a control signal for operating in the third mode, the motor driver 33 drives the motor 42 so that the motor 42 is driven at the third rotation frequency. The third rotation frequency is a rotation frequency lower than the second rotation frequency. Moreover, the third rotation frequency is a rotation frequency lower than the first rotation frequency. Note that the third rotational frequency does not have to be a rotational frequency lower than the first rotational frequency, and may be the same rotational frequency as the first rotational frequency, or may be a rotational frequency higher than the first rotational frequency. good.

A rotation signal from the motor driver 33 to the motor 42 is input to the isolator 34 . For example, any one of the three-phase (that is, U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase) signals of the motor 42 is input to the isolator 34 as a rotation signal. The isolator 34 isolates the circuits of the motor driver 33 and motor 42 from the circuits of the isolator 34, frequency divider 35, filter 36, amplifier circuit 37, and speaker 80 in terms of direct current. Isolator 34 inputs the rotation signal to frequency divider 35 . Since the rotation signal is based on any one of the three-phase signals of the motor 42, which is a three-phase motor, the rotation signal is a signal with a duty ratio of 1/3.

The frequency divider 35 generates a first audio signal containing a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 from the input rotation signal. Specifically, the frequency divider 35 divides the rotation signal with a duty ratio of 1/3 obtained by the isolator 34 into 1/4, so that the frequency of the rotation signal becomes 1 as shown in FIG. A first audio signal converted to /4 is generated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first audio signal. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the spectrum of the square wave of the first audio signal. Note that the broken line in FIG. 5 indicates an envelope connecting each frequency component.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first audio signal is a square wave with an amplitude of A and a duty ratio τ/T of 1/3. Note that τ indicates the duration time during which the waveform of the first audio signal is on (high), and T indicates the period of the first audio signal. The period T is the reciprocal of 1/4 of the rotation frequency f.

This first audio signal has a duty ratio of 1/3 and a rotational frequency divided by 1/4, so that the spectrum of the first audio signal has a rotational frequency of the motor 42 as shown in FIG. It includes a frequency component f/4 that is 1/4 times the frequency of f, a frequency component f/2 that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of f, and does not include a frequency component 3f/4 that is 3/4 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42. In other words, the frequency divider 35 does not include a frequency component that is 3/4 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42, but contains a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42, and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42. It is possible to generate a first audio signal including a large number of audio signals.

The filter 36 is a low-pass filter that cuts a frequency band higher than a frequency component that is 3/4 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42. The filter 36 cuts the above-mentioned frequency band with respect to the first audio signal, thereby producing a second audio signal containing a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42. A signal can be generated.

The amplifier circuit 37 amplifies the amplitude of the second audio signal generated by the filter 36 and outputs the amplified third audio signal to the speaker 80 as an audio signal.

The third audio signal includes a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42. That is, the audio signal output to the speaker 80 includes a frequency component that is 1 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42 to the nth power of 2 (n is a natural number).

Note that the CPU 31 only executes the processes of the CPU 31 described above (that is, the process of transmitting a control signal to the motor driver 32 and the process of switching on/off the audio) by executing the program stored in the memory 32. Instead, processing for the operation of the entire vacuum cleaner 100 may be executed. In other words, the circuit 30 may execute the functions realized by each component of the circuit 30 described above by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

[2. motion]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner circuit according to the embodiment.

A rotation signal from the motor driver 33 to the motor 42 is input to the isolator 34 of the circuit 30. The isolator 34 inputs the input rotation signal to the frequency divider 35 .

The frequency divider 35, filter 36, and amplifier circuit 37 of the circuit 30 generate an audio signal containing a frequency component lower than the rotational frequency of the motor 42 (S11). Specifically, as explained using FIGS. 3 to 5, the third audio signal containing a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 is rotated. It is generated as an audio signal containing frequency components lower than the frequency.

Next, the circuit 30 outputs audio based on the generated audio signal (that is, the third audio signal) from the speaker 80 (S12).

The isolator 34, frequency divider 35, filter 36, and amplifier circuit 37 of the circuit 30 repeat steps S11 to S13 while the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 is on.

Thereby, while the power is on, the vacuum cleaner 100 can output sound based on the sound signal containing a frequency component lower than the rotational frequency of the electric blower 40 from the speaker 80.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a typical spectrogram of sound generated from a vacuum cleaner. FIG. 7 is a graph in which only sound components whose sound pressure is higher than a predetermined sound pressure are extracted, and in reality, sounds with frequency components other than those shown in the graph are also generated from the vacuum cleaner 100.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the motor 42 of the vacuum cleaner 100 is turned on at time t0, the rotation frequency of the motor 42 is controlled so that the electric blower 40 has a constant speed at the rotation frequency f1. The operating sound of the vacuum cleaner 100 includes more sounds with frequency components equal to the rotational frequency of the motor 42. Therefore, the frequency of the operation sound of the vacuum cleaner 100 increases until it reaches the frequency f1 immediately after time t0, and reaches a steady state at the frequency f1. The circuit 30 generates an audio signal including a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency in accordance with this rotation frequency, and outputs audio based on the audio signal from the speaker 80. . Therefore, audio including a 1/4 harmonic that rises to a frequency f1/4 immediately after time t0 and a 1/2 harmonic that rises to a frequency f1/2 immediately after time t0 is output.

Then, when the second mode of the vacuum cleaner 100 is turned on at time t1, the rotation frequency of the motor 42 is controlled so that the electric blower 40 is constant at a rotation frequency f2 higher than the rotation frequency f1. Therefore, the frequency of the operation sound of the vacuum cleaner 100 increases from frequency f1 to frequency f2 during the period after time t1, and reaches a steady state at frequency f2. The circuit 30 generates an audio signal including a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency in accordance with this rotation frequency, and outputs audio based on the audio signal from the speaker 80. . Therefore, in the period after time t1, there is a 1/4 overtone whose frequency increases from frequency f1/4 to frequency f2/4, and a 1/4 overtone whose frequency increases from frequency f1/2 to frequency f2/2. Audio including the second overtone is output.

Then, when the motor 42 of the vacuum cleaner 100 is turned off at time t2, the rotation frequency of the electric blower 40 is controlled to be zero. Therefore, the frequency of the operation sound of the vacuum cleaner 100 decreases from frequency f2 to 0 in the period after time t2. The circuit 30 generates an audio signal including a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency in accordance with this rotation frequency, and outputs audio based on the audio signal from the speaker 80. . Therefore, in the period after time t2, the sound includes a 1/4 overtone whose frequency decreases from frequency f2/4 to 0, and a 1/2 overtone whose frequency decreases from frequency f2/2 to 0. is output.

Note that when the motor 42 of the vacuum cleaner 100 is turned off, the circuit 30 does not need to generate the audio signal. That is, when motor 42 of vacuum cleaner 100 is turned off, circuit 30 may also be turned off. In this case, the operation of turning on the motor 42 and the operation of turning on the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 are the same, and the operation of turning off the motor 42 and the operation of turning off the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 are the same. It is.

Note that the circuit 30 generates an audio signal that includes a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency while the motor 42 is on. In other words, the circuit 30 causes the speaker 80 to output audio based on the audio signal during a period including a period in which the rotational frequency of the electric blower 40 is changing. In this case, the circuit 30 operates during a period in which the motor 42 is on, that is, a period in which the rotational frequency of the electric blower 40 is changing, and a period in which the rotational frequency is not changing (a period in which the rotational frequency is in a steady state). In both cases, an audio signal containing a frequency component 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component 1/2 times the rotation frequency is generated.

In this way, when a sound whose frequency changes according to the changing rotational frequency is added during a period when the rotational frequency of the electric blower 40 is changing, the user is likely to notice the added sound. Therefore, by outputting the sound during a period including a period in which the rotational frequency is changing, it is possible to more effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated in the vacuum cleaner 100.

Therefore, the circuit 30 includes a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency only during the period when the rotation frequency of the electric blower 40 is changing while the motor 42 is on. An audio signal may be generated and audio based on the generated audio signal may be output from the speaker 80. In this way, by outputting the audio based on the audio signal only during the period when the user is likely to notice the added audio, the audio signal can be generated and the audio can be output during other periods when the user is less likely to notice the added audio. There can be no. Therefore, it is possible to reduce power consumption while suppressing a reduction in the effect of adding audio.

[3. Effects, etc.]
The vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment includes a speaker 80, an electric blower 40, and a circuit 30. The electric blower 40 generates the suction force of the vacuum cleaner 100 by rotating. The circuit 30 acquires the rotational frequency of the electric blower 40, generates an audio signal containing a frequency component lower than the rotational frequency, and causes the speaker 80 to output audio based on the audio signal.

According to this, the vacuum cleaner 100 outputs sound from the speaker 80 based on the sound signal of a frequency lower than the rotation frequency. In this way, by outputting the sound having a frequency lower than the rotation frequency, it is possible to effectively notify the user that the vacuum cleaner 100 is generating suction force without giving the user a sense of discomfort.

Here, the operation sound of the vacuum cleaner 100 includes the sound generated by the operation of the electric blower 40 and the sound generated by sucking air. The sound generated by operating the electric blower 40 is lower than the sound generated by sucking air. Since the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment outputs sound at a frequency lower than the rotational frequency from the speaker 80, the sound generated by the operation of the electric blower 40 is more effective than the sound generated by sucking air. Can be emphasized effectively. In other words, the speaker 80 can output audio to further emphasize the operating state of the electric blower 40 so as not to make the user feel uncomfortable.

Furthermore, since the purpose of the vacuum cleaner 100 is not to reduce the noise being generated, there is no need to output audio that is in the opposite phase of the noise. Therefore, there is no need to capture the noise with a microphone, and there is no need to adjust the audio signal so that the audio is in the opposite phase of the noise.

Furthermore, in the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment, the audio signal includes a frequency component that is 1 times the rotational frequency of the audio to the nth power of 2 (n is a natural number).

According to this, since the operating sound generated from the electric blower 40 includes a frequency component of the rotation frequency of the electric blower 40, the speaker 80 can output a sound containing one harmonic of 2 to the nth power with respect to the operating sound. , the operation sound can be made into an overtone of the voice. Thereby, it is possible to more effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated in the vacuum cleaner 100 using a sound that reduces the discomfort that the user feels.

Additionally, the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a housing 10, a head 90, and a suction tube 70. The housing 10 accommodates an electric blower 40. The head 90 has a suction port 92 that sucks dust using suction force. The suction tube 70 connects the housing 10 and the head 90. Speaker 80 is placed in suction tube 70 .

According to this, since the speaker 80 is arranged in the suction tube 70, the voice from the speaker 80 can be resonated with the suction tube 70, and the voice can be amplified. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated in the vacuum cleaner 100 without giving the user a sense of discomfort.

Further, the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment further includes an operation unit 20 that receives an operation from the user to turn on/off the output of the sound. The CPU 31 of the circuit 30 switches output of the audio signal to the speaker 80 on and off in accordance with the operation accepted by the operation unit 20.

According to this, the user can turn on and off the audio output according to the user's needs by operating the operation unit 20, so the audio output can be turned on and off according to the user's preference.

[4. Modified example]
(Modification 1)
In the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the embodiment described above, the speaker 80 is arranged in the suction pipe 70, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the speaker 80 may be arranged in the housing 10.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a vacuum cleaner according to Modification 1.

The vacuum cleaner 101 differs from the vacuum cleaner 100 of the embodiment only in the position where the speaker 80 is arranged, and the other configurations are the same as the vacuum cleaner 100. As shown in FIG. 8, in the vacuum cleaner 101, a speaker 80 is arranged in the housing 10.

According to this, since the speaker 80 is arranged in the housing 10 that houses the electric blower 40 that is the source of the operating sound, the sound can be output from a position close to the source of the operating sound. Therefore, it is possible to effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated in the vacuum cleaner 101 so as not to make the user feel uncomfortable.

(Modification 2)
In the vacuum cleaner 100 according to the embodiment described above, the speaker 80 is arranged in the suction pipe 70, but the speaker 80 is not limited thereto, and may be arranged in the head 90.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a vacuum cleaner according to Modification 2.

The vacuum cleaner 102 differs from the vacuum cleaner 100 of the embodiment only in the position where the speaker 80 is placed, and the other configurations are the same as the vacuum cleaner 100. As shown in FIG. 9, in the vacuum cleaner 102, a speaker 80 is arranged on a head 90.

According to this, since the rotating brush 91 is arranged on the head 90, noise is generated from the head 90 when the rotating brush 91 hits the floor surface. In the vacuum cleaner 102 in this embodiment, the speaker 80 is arranged in the head 90, so that the noise generated by the rotating brush 91 can be effectively masked by outputting sound from the head 90. Therefore, it is possible to effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated in the vacuum cleaner 102 so as not to make the user feel uncomfortable.

(Modification 3)
Although the

vacuum cleaners

100, 101, and 102 according to the above-described embodiments and modifications 1 and 2 are stick-type vacuum cleaners, the casing is not limited to this, and the casing moves on the floor. It may also be a canister type vacuum cleaner in which the body and the suction pipe are connected through a flexible pipe. Alternatively, it may be a portable (handy type) vacuum cleaner in which the casing and the head are directly connected.

(Modification 4)
Although the

vacuum cleaners

100, 101, and 102 according to the above embodiments and modifications 1 and 2 are cyclone type vacuum cleaners, the present invention is not limited to this, and instead of the container 60, a paper pack for storing dust may be used. It may also be a paper bag type vacuum cleaner.

(Modification 5)
It is assumed that the

vacuum cleaners

100, 101, and 102 according to the above-described embodiments and modifications 1 and 2 generate audio signals using a hardware circuit including an isolator 34, a frequency divider 35, a filter 36, and an amplifier circuit 37. The present invention is not limited to this, and the audio signal may be generated by digital processing using software using the CPU 31. Specifically, the CPU 31 obtains a rotation signal from the motor driver 33 to the motor 42 . The CPU 31 generates a first audio signal including a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 from the input rotation signal. Specifically, the CPU 31 generates a first audio signal in which the frequency of the rotation signal is converted to 1/4 by frequency-dividing the rotation signal with a duty ratio of 1/3 to 1/4. Then, the CPU 31 cuts a frequency band higher than a frequency component that is 3/4 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42. The CPU 31 cuts the above-mentioned frequency band from the first audio signal to generate a second audio signal including a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42. generate. The CPU 31 amplifies the amplitude of the second audio signal and outputs the amplified third audio signal to the speaker 80 as an audio signal.

Further, the CPU 31 acquires the rotational frequency of the motor 42, generates by digital processing a third audio signal including a frequency component 1/4 times the acquired rotational frequency and a frequency component 1/2 times the acquired rotational frequency, and generates a third audio signal containing a frequency component 1/4 times the acquired rotational frequency. The speaker 80 may output audio including 1/4 overtones and 1/2 overtones.

(Modification 6)
In the

vacuum cleaners

100, 101, and 102 according to the above-described embodiments and modifications 1 and 2, the circuit 30 includes a frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42 and a frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency of the motor 42. Although it is assumed that an audio signal is generated, the present invention is not limited to this, and an audio signal that includes a frequency component lower than the rotational frequency of the motor 42 may be generated. The circuit 30 may generate an audio signal containing at least one of a frequency component 1/4 times the rotation frequency and a frequency component 1/2 times the rotation frequency as an audio signal for causing the speaker 80 to output sound. Further, the circuit 30 transmits an audio signal to the speaker 80 that includes a frequency component other than the frequency component that is 1/4 times the rotation frequency and the frequency component that is 1/2 times the rotation frequency, and that is lower than the rotation frequency of the motor 42. It may also be generated as an audio signal for outputting audio.

(Modification 7)
The

vacuum cleaners

100, 101, and 102 according to the embodiments and modifications 1 and 2 have a frequency component that is 3/4 times the rotational frequency of the motor 42 for the first audio signal generated by the frequency divider 35. Although filter processing is performed to cut higher frequency bands, it is not necessary to perform filter processing.

Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

Additionally, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may constitute one circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits. Further, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

Further, general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or non-transitory storage medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. Additionally, the present invention may be implemented in any combination of systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, and computer-readable non-transitory storage media.

For example, the present disclosure may be realized as an audio output method executed by a controller (computer or DSP), or may be realized as a program for causing a computer or DSP to execute the audio output method.

Other embodiments may be obtained by making various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or may be realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. These forms are also included in the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is useful as a vacuum cleaner or the like that can effectively notify the user that suction force is being generated.

10 housing 20 operation unit 30 circuit 31 CPU
33 Motor driver 34 Isolator 35 Frequency divider 36 Filter 37 Amplifier circuit 40 Electric blower 41 Fan 42 Motor 50 Dust sensor 60 Container 70 Suction pipe 80 Speaker 90 Head 91 Rotating brush 92

Suction port

100, 101, 102 Vacuum cleaner

Claims

A vacuum cleaner,
speaker and
an electric blower that generates suction power for the vacuum cleaner by rotating;
A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a controller that generates an audio signal with a frequency lower than the rotational frequency of the electric blower, and causes the speaker to output audio based on the audio signal.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal includes a frequency component that is 1 times the nth power of 2 (n is a natural number) of the rotation frequency.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller outputs the sound from the speaker during a period including a period in which the rotation frequency is changing.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the controller outputs the sound during a period including a period in which the rotation frequency is changing.
moreover,
comprising a casing that accommodates the electric blower,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the speaker is arranged in the housing.
moreover,
A casing that houses the electric blower;
A head having a suction port that sucks dust and a rotating brush that guides the dust to the suction port,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the speaker is arranged on the head.
moreover,
A casing that houses the electric blower;
A head with a suction port that sucks out dust;
a suction tube connecting the casing and the head,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the speaker is arranged in the suction tube.
moreover,
comprising an input interface that accepts an operation from a user to switch on/off the output of the audio,
The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller switches output of the audio signal to the speaker on and off in response to the operation accepted by the input interface.
A voice output method using a vacuum cleaner,
Generating an audio signal with a frequency lower than the rotational frequency of an electric blower that generates the suction force of the vacuum cleaner by rotating;
An audio output method comprising: outputting audio based on the audio signal from a speaker included in the vacuum cleaner.