CN113208496A - Vacuum cleaner assembly and method for operating same - Google Patents

Vacuum cleaner assembly and method for operating same Download PDF

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Publication number
CN113208496A
CN113208496A CN202110161068.8A CN202110161068A CN113208496A CN 113208496 A CN113208496 A CN 113208496A CN 202110161068 A CN202110161068 A CN 202110161068A CN 113208496 A CN113208496 A CN 113208496A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
energy storage
vacuum cleaner
storage unit
external energy
external
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Pending
Application number
CN202110161068.8A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
W·格尔登
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Wise Ltd
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Wise Ltd
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L5/00—Structural features of suction cleaners
    • A47L5/12—Structural features of suction cleaners with power-driven air-pumps or air-compressors, e.g. driven by motor vehicle engine vacuum
    • A47L5/22—Structural features of suction cleaners with power-driven air-pumps or air-compressors, e.g. driven by motor vehicle engine vacuum with rotary fans
    • A47L5/28—Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • A47L9/28—Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
    • A47L9/2868—Arrangements for power supply of vacuum cleaners or the accessories thereof
    • A47L9/2884—Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L11/00—Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
    • A47L11/40—Parts or details of machines not provided for in groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, or not restricted to one of these groups, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers
    • A47L11/4002—Installations of electric equipment
    • A47L11/4005—Arrangements of batteries or cells; Electric power supply arrangements
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L11/00—Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
    • A47L11/40—Parts or details of machines not provided for in groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, or not restricted to one of these groups, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers
    • A47L11/4027—Filtering or separating contaminants or debris
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • A47L9/02—Nozzles
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
    • A47L9/102—Dust separators
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • A47L9/28—Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
    • A47L9/2857—User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • A47L9/32—Handles

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Electric Vacuum Cleaner (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner assembly (1) comprising: a cleaner housing (2); a fan (3) arranged in the cleaner housing (2) for generating a suction air flow; an electric fan motor (4) for driving the fan (3); a dirt separation device (5) arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing (2) for separating dirt particles entrained in the suction air flow; a cleaner nozzle (6); and a suction pipe (7) connecting the cleaner nozzle (6) with the cleaner housing (2). At least one external energy storage unit (8) is arranged on the suction pipe (7). According to the invention, an external energy storage unit (8) can be connected to the fan motor (4).

Description

Vacuum cleaner assembly and method for operating same
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner assembly, comprising: a cleaner housing; a fan disposed in the cleaner housing for generating a suction airflow; an electric fan motor for driving a fan; a dirt separation device arranged in the cleaner housing for separating dirt particles entrained with the suction air flow; and a cleaner nozzle; and a suction pipe for detachably connecting the cleaner nozzle with the cleaner housing. The invention proceeds from a vacuum cleaner assembly of the type in which at least one external energy accumulator unit is arranged on the suction pipe.
Background
A vacuum cleaner assembly of this type is known, for example, from the publication DE102016105687a1 of the applicant. The external energy storage unit is used here to supply the mechanical cleaning device arranged in the vacuum cleaner nozzle with electrical energy. However, the disadvantage in this assembly is that a conventional vacuum cleaner is used which limits the mobility and flexibility of the cleaner assembly.
Furthermore, in the past, market segments have been increasingly established in which a hand-held vacuum cleaner operated by means of an accumulator is coupled to a conventional suction pipe and a vacuum cleaner floor nozzle. These so-called "stick-on cleaners" can be used in a wide variety of floor cleaning tasks. In particular, these hand-held cleaners can be used even in situations where the accessibility is poor or where the socket is far away (e.g. on stairs). However, in order to ensure sufficient maneuverability and to reduce the weight to be borne by the user as much as possible, the battery capacity of such a stick-type cleaner is strongly limited in many cases.
Disclosure of Invention
Against this background, the invention is based on the following tasks: the operating time and cleaning power of this type of vacuum cleaner assembly is increased. In this case, as much flexibility as possible in handling should be ensured.
The subject of the invention and the solution of said task are a vacuum cleaner assembly according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments are given in the dependent claims.
Starting from a vacuum cleaner assembly of this type, it is provided according to the invention that an external energy storage unit can be connected to a fan motor which drives the fan. The electrical energy stored in the external energy storage unit carried by the suction tube can thus also be used for the fan in the vacuum cleaner housing. The additional weight of the energy store held on the suction tube can be handled particularly well here, since it can be arranged with a low center of gravity in the vicinity of the vacuum cleaner nozzle. In this case, the vacuum cleaner nozzle can be designed, in particular, as a floor nozzle, which guides the weight force, in particular of an external energy accumulator unit, at least partially out into the floor.
Furthermore, the center of gravity of the external energy storage device is located in the vicinity of the longitudinal axis of the suction pipe, which in normal operating behavior is also the pivot axis for controlling the vacuum cleaner nozzle. The mass arranged in the vicinity of the pivot axis causes a small moment of inertia which also facilitates use.
Despite the same weight of an equally large energy accumulator, this energy accumulator leads to better operability when arranged on the suction pipe than when arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing. Conversely, heavier accumulators with larger capacities may be used with similar operating characteristics. In addition, the vacuum cleaner housing can also be separated from the suction pipe (and therefore from the external energy accumulator unit) and used in "sole operation" (soloetriib), so that the weight of the external energy accumulator unit is only insignificant when the vacuum cleaner housing is handled.
A particularly lightweight construction of the cleaner housing can be achieved if the cleaner housing does not have an own energy storage unit and the fan motor is supplied with power only via an external energy storage unit during operation of the cleaner assembly. This embodiment can be used to concentrate the inertial mass in the lower region of the suction pipe in the vicinity of the vacuum cleaner nozzle. In this embodiment, an alternative energy supply, in particular in the form of a cable connection, can be provided for the separate operation of the vacuum cleaner housing.
In a further preferred embodiment of the vacuum cleaner assembly, an additional internal energy storage unit for supplying power to the fan is arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing. This allows a particularly flexible use both in the overall connection of the vacuum cleaner assembly and in the individual operation of the vacuum cleaner housing, in which operation a so-called "hand-held vacuum cleaner" is used, without the use of a suction pipe and a vacuum cleaner nozzle attached thereto. Preferably, the suction tube is detachably connected to the cleaner housing, to an external energy storage unit and/or to the cleaner nozzle. Thereby, the cleaner assembly can be used or stored or transported variably in different configurations. By separating the cleaner housing, a separate operation as a handheld cleaner can be achieved. Furthermore, in order to clean difficult-to-access areas, the cleaner nozzle can be detached and a cleaner housing with a suction pipe connected upstream can be used. Preferably, provision can also be made for the vacuum cleaner nozzle to be connectable directly to the vacuum cleaner housing.
The separation of the external energy storage unit from the suction pipe (in addition to a temporarily significant weight reduction) also enables a separate charging of the external energy storage unit. In particular, in professional applications, it is also possible to replace the storage battery with a fully charged, alternative external energy storage unit.
In order to provide an electrical connection, contact elements which are assigned in pairs are arranged at the connection points between the suction pipe on the one hand and the external energy storage unit, the cleaner nozzle and the cleaner housing on the other hand. The contact elements establish electrical contact with each other in the connected state of the components. Thus, an electrical contact between the energy storage unit and the fan motor can also be achieved by a mechanical connection of the suction pipe to the vacuum cleaner nozzle housing or the vacuum cleaner housing.
In a preferred embodiment, the energy storage unit has a measuring device for determining a state of charge of the energy storage unit. The measuring device can be connected to a control and/or regulating unit (control unit) arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a state of charge display is arranged on the vacuum cleaner housing, which display can display the state of charge of the energy storage unit. In particular, the display can be carried out as a separate electrical quantity value only with respect to the external energy storage unit. In the case of an additional arrangement of the internal energy storage unit in the vacuum cleaner housing, the state of charge of the internal energy storage unit can also be specified individually or as a sum value including the state of charge of the external energy storage unit.
The measuring device can also be designed, in particular, as a so-called charge/discharge regulator or as an energy management system. The measuring device is also designed to control the energy absorption of the energy storage unit during charging operation and/or the energy output of the energy storage unit during use of the vacuum cleaner. The measuring device is particularly preferably connected to the control electronics in the vacuum cleaner housing via a data line and can be actuated by the control electronics.
The connection of the measuring unit to the controller can be realized in particular via a separate data line. However, the data line can also be formed by a line of the current rail, the transmitted information being applied to the supply voltage as an alternating current component. In this way, in the second variant, no additional contact conduction is necessary.
According to a preferred embodiment, at least one electrically driven cleaning device is arranged on the vacuum cleaner nozzle. The cleaning device can be in particular a rotatable cleaning roller, in particular a rotatably driven brush roller. The cleaning device is expediently at least partially supplied with power by an external energy storage unit.
For controlling the cleaning device, an external control device can be arranged in the external energy storage unit or in the vacuum cleaner nozzle, which external control device controls the electrical energy supplied by the external energy storage unit to the cleaning device. The external control unit can be operated in this case, in particular, by a manual control element, in particular a mechanical switch.
According to a further embodiment, the external control unit can be adjusted or formed additionally or exclusively via a control and/or adjustment unit (controller) arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing. The connection between the external control unit and the control unit is preferably connected to the vacuum cleaner nozzle housing or the vacuum cleaner housing via a data line, in particular the same data line as a possible measuring unit or a charging/discharging regulator.
Within the scope of the invention, it can also be provided that the electrically driven cleaning device is directly connected to the vacuum cleaner housing via a supply line and is directly supplied with electrical energy from there. The control and/or the wiring of the drive of the electric cleaning device can then be effected directly from the vacuum cleaner housing. In this way, the control of the electric cleaning device can be implemented particularly simply in conjunction with, in particular synchronously with, the control of the fan motor.
The subject of the invention is also a method for operating a vacuum cleaner assembly. The vacuum cleaner assembly comprises a cleaner housing having a fan arranged in the housing for generating a suction air flow and a dirt separation device arranged in the cleaner housing for separating dirt particles entrained in the suction air flow. Furthermore, the assembly comprises at least one cleaner nozzle and a suction pipe connecting the cleaner nozzle to the cleaner housing. An external energy storage unit is arranged on the suction pipe. Within the scope of the method according to the invention, it is provided that the fan is supplied with energy via an external energy storage unit on the suction pipe. By arranging the external energy storage unit on the suction pipe, the handling of the vacuum cleaner assembly (also referred to as a stick cleaner) is significantly simplified or an increase in the capacity of the electric energy storage unit can be achieved, while at the same time the handling is equally good.
According to a first variant, the external energy storage unit on the suction pipe forms the sole energy source for the fan in the vacuum cleaner assembly. Alternatively, in order to operate the vacuum cleaner housing as a handheld vacuum cleaner alone, a connection, in particular a cable, for an external energy source can be provided.
According to an alternative embodiment, an additional internal energy storage unit for supplying power to the fan is arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing. The internal energy storage unit can be used in particular when the vacuum cleaner housing is operated as a single hand-held vacuum cleaner, when the power supply via the energy storage unit on the suction pipe is not available.
Particularly preferably, the vacuum cleaner assembly has control electronics (controller), which control the energy flow in the vacuum cleaner assembly, in particular mounted in the vacuum cleaner housing. In this case, it is preferably provided that the energy storage unit arranged on the suction pipe and the additional energy storage unit arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing are used in parallel and/or in series in order to supply energy to the fan.
For this purpose, in particular, control electronics (charge/discharge controllers) can be arranged in the energy storage units, which control the energy output and the energy absorption of the respective energy storage unit.
In particular, it is preferably provided that the fan is initially supplied with electrical energy from an external energy storage unit arranged on the suction pipe. In normal operation, this embodiment switches on an additional energy storage unit arranged inside the vacuum cleaner housing only when the specific charge of the energy storage unit is below a certain charge. In this way, the highest possible charge state of the internal energy storage unit is maintained for as long as possible, so that the vacuum cleaner housing remains available for as long as possible in the stand-alone operation as a hand-held vacuum cleaner.
Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that, in order to achieve a particularly high output (for example as a so-called "Boost mode"), two energy storage units are used simultaneously, at least for a defined period of time, and in this case, the maximum permitted output is preferably output.
In one variant, at least one electrically driven cleaning device is arranged in the vacuum cleaner nozzle. The cleaning device is preferably also supplied with electrical energy by an external energy storage unit arranged on the suction pipe. However, it is also possible to supply the cleaning device with an internal energy storage unit and/or to supply the cleaning device with two energy storage units.
Particularly preferably, the electrically driven cleaning device is controlled or the speed of the electrically driven cleaning device is regulated by an electronic control unit (motor control device). The motor control device can in this case be arranged in particular in the vacuum cleaner nozzle or in or on an external energy accumulator unit. The motor control is operated here or via an operating element connected to the motor control, for example a push button or a switch, which can be arranged on the vacuum cleaner nozzle or on the housing of an external energy storage unit. Alternatively or additionally, the control unit can also be actuated by a control in the vacuum cleaner housing. In this case, it is provided, in particular, that the electric cleaning device is also put into operation when the fan motor is activated. But the cleaning device may also be separately switched on or off.
According to a preferred embodiment, the external energy storage unit also has a charging/discharging regulator or an energy management system. The charging/discharging controller may be self-controlling automatically as a function of external operating parameters or may be controlled by external control signals, for example, control signals of control electronics (controller) in the vacuum cleaner housing.
In particular, it is provided that the energy absorption or energy output of the external energy storage unit can be regulated directly by the control unit. In this way, in particular in the case of limited charging capacity, it can be provided that the internal energy storage unit is initially charged during the charging operation. As soon as the internal energy storage unit is charged or exceeds, within the scope of the usual charging cycle, a threshold value which triggers a limitation of the charging current, the charging of the external energy storage unit is also gradually initiated or intensified. In particular, a battery management system can be formed by the charging/discharging regulator and the controller, which battery management system provides for charging the internal energy storage unit with priority and for operating the external energy storage unit with the additionally available charging current.
In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, provision can furthermore be made for the internal energy storage unit to be charged (without connection to an external current source) with electrical energy drawn from the external energy storage unit. This is particularly relevant when the internal energy storage unit is (partially) discharged during separate operation and then connected to the suction pipe and the vacuum cleaner nozzle again. This "transfer charging" can be effected in particular in the switched-off state of the vacuum cleaner assembly. This may also occur during ongoing operation if the electrical parameter allows it. Despite the transition losses occurring here, the electrical endurance in stand-alone operation can thereby be maximized.
The electrical connection between the external energy storage unit and the wind turbine is preferably made via a current rail having at least two separate conductors. The electrical connection is expediently formed at the transition between the suction tube and the vacuum cleaner housing by a plug-in or touch-contact connection. Thus, when the suction tube is mechanically disconnected from the cleaner housing, electrical disconnection of the voltage rail occurs simultaneously, and conversely if the two components are joined together, the voltage rail is automatically reconnected.
Preferably, the current rail extends continuously into the vacuum cleaner nozzle, where it enables the operation of the lighting device and/or the electrically driven cleaning appliance.
In order to control the electronics of the external energy storage unit and/or the electrical components installed in the vacuum cleaner nozzle, data lines can be provided. The data line may be configured as a separate further line. Alternatively, it is also possible to apply the control signal as an ac voltage component to the dc voltage applied to the current rail. The communication between the individual components, in particular the communication between the charging/discharging regulator, the controller and the motor control device, is preferably effected via a bus system.
Alternatively, the individual structural components can also be designed to operate independently of one another. This capability is particularly advantageous when no central control by the controller is provided or does not function as provided. As a result, a hybrid operation of the different components can also be achieved, which have corresponding control possibilities only in some sections.
For example, it can be provided that the charging and discharging electronics of the external energy store or of the internal energy storage unit automatically switch into a charging mode when a specific limit voltage on the current rail is exceeded and automatically carry out a charging process when electrical energy is extracted from the current rail.
The maximum voltage that can be provided by the energy storage unit can also be related to the state of charge of the energy storage unit. If the charge and discharge control device determines that: if the voltage currently applied to the current rail exceeds this voltage value, the charging/discharging control device separates the energy storage unit from the current rail, at least without a corresponding control input, in order to prevent an undesired charging of the storage cells. If the voltage value on the current rail drops below this threshold value as a result of the discharge of a further energy storage unit, the respective energy storage unit is switched on, so that both can now be used as electrical energy sources. This automatic switching on and off enables an operation which can dispense with a central control.
Drawings
The invention is elucidated below on the basis of the accompanying drawings, which only show embodiments. Shown schematically in the drawings, wherein:
figure 1A shows a vacuum cleaner assembly according to the invention in three dimensions,
FIG. 1B shows the vacuum cleaner assembly of FIG. 1A in an exploded view, an
Fig. 2A to 2C show schematic electrical diagrams of different vacuum cleaner assemblies according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Detailed Description
Figure 1A shows a cleaner assembly 1 according to the present invention having a cleaner housing 2. A fan 3 for generating a suction air flow is arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing 2 and can be driven by an electric fan motor 4. Fig. 1 also shows a dirt separation device 5 for separating dirt particles entrained in the suction air flow. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the dirt separation device is designed as a combination of a cyclone filter and a fiber filter. Any other commercially available technology can be used here.
The cleaner assembly 1 further comprises a cleaner nozzle 6 and a suction duct 7 connecting the cleaner nozzle 6 with the cleaner housing 2. An external energy storage unit 8 is arranged on the suction pipe 7.
The various components of the cleaner assembly 1 are releasably connected to one another. Fig. 1B shows these components separately from one another in an exploded view. In particular, the cleaner housing 2 can be detached from the rest of the cleaner assembly 1 and used in stand-alone operation as a so-called "hand-held cleaner". With the general arrangement of the cleaner assembly 1 (as shown in figure 1A), the cleaner assembly can be used as a so-called "stick-on cleaner" as well as an equivalent alternative to a cleaner, for example for floor cleaning.
One possible wiring of the vacuum cleaner assembly 1 according to the invention is shown in fig. 2A: the assembly of the suction pipes 7 is indicated by a dashed outline and the assembly of the cleaner housing 2 is indicated as a dashed outline. The suction pipe 7 is associated with an external energy storage device 8, which comprises a plurality of storage cells 9 and a combined measuring unit and energy management system (charging/discharging regulator) 10. The external energy storage device 8 is connected via a current rail 11, which comprises conductors, to a control and regulation unit (control unit) 12 located in the vacuum cleaner housing 2. In this case, the current rail 11 extends from the external energy storage unit 8 via the suction pipe 7 into the vacuum cleaner housing 2. On the respective interface, via the first and second contact pads 13a, 13b, respectively, releasable electrical contacts are provided which automatically connect together and disconnect when the various components of the cleaner assembly 1 are mechanically connected and disconnected. According to the invention, the external energy storage unit 8 can be connected to the fan motor 4. This is achieved in the present embodiment via current rail 11 and controller 12.
In the exemplary embodiment shown, an internal energy storage unit 14 with an internal storage cell 15 and an internal charging/discharging regulator 16 arranged therein is also arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing 2. Schematically illustrated within the scope of the accompanying drawings: the internal energy storage unit 14 has a smaller number of storage cells 15 or a smaller capacity and therefore has a smaller weight and a smaller size.
A controller 12 arranged in the cleaner housing effects motor control as a function of the switch position of a slide-selector switch 17, which is also shown in fig. 1A and 1B. Furthermore, a state of charge display 18 is provided, by means of which the state of charge of the external energy storage unit 8 and the internal energy storage unit 14 is displayed. For this purpose, the external charge/discharge regulator 10 and the internal charge/discharge regulator 16 feed back the current charge of the battery cell 9 or 15 to the controller 12 via the data line 19.
Fig. 2A also shows a connecting element 20 for an external power supply to the vacuum cleaner housing 2. The connecting element can be used to charge the external energy storage unit 8 and the internal energy storage unit 14 or to supply energy during (individual) operation. Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the connection unit 20 must be forcibly used in the separate operation of the vacuum cleaner housing 2 if no internal energy storage unit 14 is formed.
Within the scope of the invention, it is also conceivable for the external energy storage unit 8 to be charged in a separate charging station when it has been disengaged. Particularly preferably, the external energy storage unit 8 also has a state of charge display 21, which displays the current state of charge either continuously during the charging operation or after actuation of the button 21 a. For this purpose, in particular, a row of preferably multicolored display illuminants 21b can be provided.
Another preferred embodiment of the connection is shown in fig. 2B. The design of this connection corresponds substantially to fig. 2A. In addition, a cleaning roller 23, which is driven by a roller motor 22, is provided in the vacuum cleaner nozzle 6, which is shown here by dashed lines. In this case, a cleaning roller (preferably a brush roller) is arranged in a roller chamber located in the vacuum cleaner nozzle 6 and mechanically detaches dirt particles adhering to the floor during operation. The dirt particles are then carried away together with the suction air flow generated by the fan 3. The electrical wiring of this embodiment is shown in fig. 2B: the cleaning motor 22 is regulated by a motor control 24 arranged in the cleaner nozzle 6. The motor control is connected to a data line 19 and can be controlled by the controller 12 in the vacuum cleaner housing 2 via this data line. In this way, the cleaning roller 23 can be automatically switched on and off in accordance with the cleaning level selected on the selector switch 17. Additionally, a foot switch 25 is provided on the cleaner nozzle for control. The foot switch allows individual switching on and off, so that the vacuum cleaner can also be operated without the brush roller in the suction mode, or alternatively with only the cleaning roller without a suction air flow. In fig. 1A, a foot switch 25 is arranged on the cleaner nozzle 6 on the upper side. In contrast, a selector switch 26 is provided for mechanically switching the vacuum cleaner nozzle 6 between the carpet floor position and the smooth floor position.
Another particularly simple variant of the connection is shown in fig. 2C: the control electronics are completely dispensed with there. Both the internal energy storage unit 14 and the external energy storage unit 8 are connected to the common current rail 11 without a regulating device. Both the fan motor 4 and the roller motor 22 can be connected to the current rail by means of simple mechanical switches 27a and 27b, respectively. The current rail can preferably be designed for power selection with a plurality of switching positions, which embed different choke impedances into the circuit.

Claims (11)

1. A vacuum cleaner assembly (1) comprising: a cleaner housing (2); a fan (3) arranged in the cleaner housing (2) for generating a suction air flow; an electric fan motor (4) for driving the fan (3); a dirt separation device (5) arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing (2) for separating dirt particles entrained in the suction air flow; a cleaner nozzle (6); and a suction pipe (7) connecting the vacuum cleaner nozzle (6) to the vacuum cleaner housing (2), at least one external energy storage unit (8) being arranged on the suction pipe (7), characterized in that the external energy storage unit (8) can be connected to the fan motor (4).
2. The vacuum cleaner assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that an internal energy storage unit (14) for powering the fan motor (4) is arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing (2).
3. Vacuum cleaner assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the suction tube (7) is detachably connected with the vacuum cleaner housing (2), with the external energy storage unit (8) and/or the vacuum cleaner nozzle (6).
4. The vacuum cleaner assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that a controller (12) is arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing (2) for regulating the electrical power output to the fan motor (4).
5. Vacuum cleaner assembly (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that a charge-discharge regulator (10) is provided in the external energy storage unit (8), which charge-discharge regulator is connected with the controller (12) via a data line (19).
6. Vacuum cleaner assembly (1) according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one electrically driven cleaning device (22, 23) is arranged on the vacuum cleaner nozzle (6), which cleaning device can be connected with the external energy storage unit (8).
7. A method for operating a vacuum cleaner assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the fan motor (4) is at least partly powered by the external energy storage means (8).
8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the external energy storage device (8) has an external charging/discharging regulator (10), in that an internal energy storage unit (14) having an internal charging/discharging regulator (16) is arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing (2), in that the vacuum cleaner housing (2) has a controller (12) which is connected to the internal charging/discharging regulator (16) and to the external charging/discharging regulator (10), and in that the controller (12) controls the power output of the external energy storage unit (8) and of the internal energy storage unit (14) in operation via the respective charging/discharging regulator (10, 16).
9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that in a first operating phase electrical energy is completely or mainly extracted from the external energy storage device (8), and in a subsequent second operating phase electrical energy is completely or mainly extracted from the internal energy storage device (14), in particular after complete discharge of the external energy storage device (8).
10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, in order to provide a particularly high power output (boost mode), the outer energy storage unit (8) and the inner energy storage unit (14) each provide a maximum energy output allowed.
11. Method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the controller (12) in a transfer charge mode operates the external energy storage unit (8) for energy output (discharging) and the internal energy storage unit (14) for energy absorption (charging).
CN202110161068.8A 2020-02-06 2021-02-05 Vacuum cleaner assembly and method for operating same Pending CN113208496A (en)

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