Patent Application
20240268616
This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of European Patent Application EP23156819.7, filed Feb. 15, 2023; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, especially to a handheld vacuum cleaner having a nozzle with brush rollers for picking up all the debris etc.
In the past, handheld vacuum cleaners were relatively small, highly portable vacuum cleaners, suited particularly to relatively low duty applications such as spot cleaning floors and upholstery in the home, interior cleaning of cars and boats etc. Nowadays, with the development of the technology in the fields of batteries and suction units, handheld vacuum cleaners can replace conventional vacuum cleaners in cleaning apartments and rooms.
There are many types of handheld vacuum cleaners. A common feature is that they should be as compact and lightweight as possible to easily be carried around for cleaning in desirable locations. One of this kind typically is not provided with a suction hose as conventional vacuum cleaners, which normally are positioned on the floor during use. Instead, the nozzle is pushed across the floor by the user by means of a small and lightweight body of the handheld vacuum cleaner, that is held in the hand, and connected to the nozzle by a rigid suction tube, for comfortable use.
For facilitating cleaning apartments and flats the nozzle can be provided with a single brush roller or with a pair or more brush rollers for increasing cleaning efficiency and often with wheels, such that the nozzle can be rolled over the surface to be cleaned, while keeping the nozzle opening spaced a small distance from the surface for generating of a fast flowing air stream to draw the debris and dust into the nozzle air inlet channel. Accordingly, the wheels function also as spacers for maintaining at least the nozzle a desired distance from the surface being cleaned. In most cases it is sufficient if the nozzle is provided with two wheels, which preferably are rotatable about a common rotation axis. An unfavorable phenomenon associated with the air flow under the nozzle is the sucking of the nozzle to the cleaned surface, which causes a significant increase in resistance when moving it across the cleaned surface, what the user perceives as an inconvenience.
Chinese published patent application CN113520210A discloses a handheld dust collector and a corresponding motion control method. The handheld dust collector comprises a floor brush assembly, a dust collection assembly and an induction part. The dust collection assembly is connected to the floor brush assembly and swings relative to the floor brush assembly. The induction part is arranged on the floor brush assembly or the dust collection assembly. The motion control method comprises the following steps: swing information of the dust collection assembly relative to the floor brush assembly is obtained through the induction part; and the floor brush assembly is controlled to move based on the swing information.
German utility model DE 202018104549 U1 discloses a suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner for cleaning a floor covering, in particular carpeting, with a housing, a suction mouth formed on the underside of the housing, a suction mouth formed in the housing and attached to the suction mouth adjoining suction chamber, a vertically movably mounted brush roller arranged in the suction chamber and rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation, a motor for driving the brush roller and an actuating device for changing the mode of action of the brush roller, and the actuating device is adapted so that, when cleaning a hard floor, the brush roller is lifted off the hard floor so that relative to the Hard floor below the brush roller results in a gap, and/or to change the rotation of the brush roller from a unidirectional rotation to an oscillating rotation when cleaning a hard floor.
International patent application WO 2020/213076 A1 discloses a novel vacuum cleaner that assists user operations for moving a suction head. A suction head sucks up waste material on a surface being cleaned and comprises rotary brushes. The rotary brush is attached to a rotary shaft. The rotary brush is attached to the rotary shaft and is driven independently from the rotary brush. The rotary brush is attached to a rotary shaft, which is parallel to the rotary shaft, and is disposed on the same side as the rotary brush. The rotary brush is attached to the rotary shaft, is provided on the same side as the rotary brush and is driven independently from the rotary brush. The rotary brushes are subjected to independent drive control according to the direction of a user operation for moving the suction head.
The object of the present invention is to further develop the prior art vacuum cleaners as well as to provide a vacuum cleaner, and more particular a handheld vacuum cleaner, wherein the user can use the handheld vacuum cleaner to clean the surface in an energy-saving manner by assisted movement of the nozzle.
With the above and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a handheld vacuum cleaner, comprising:
In other words, the above and other objects of the invention are achieved by a handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a body, a handle arranged on the body, a nozzle connected with the body via a suction pipe and having at least two independently rotating brush rollers for cleaning a surface, an input unit for providing data for assisting movement of the nozzle, two or more electric motors connected to the brush rollers and providing a rotational force, rotary encoders connected with the brush rollers to count the number and direction of their revolutions, and a control unit having a processor with memory for processing and storing data and for driving the electric motors by applying a voltage to the motors, and the input unit is arranged in the nozzle and provided with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor is configured to measure an accelerations along XY-axes and an angle of rotation around the Z-axis that is perpendicular to the cleaned surface which is defined by axes XY-axes, and the control unit is being arranged to receive data from the input unit to drive the motors according to the measured accelerations along XY-axes and the angle of rotation around the Z-axis for assisting movement of the nozzle in one or more predetermined directions.
Advantageously, the input unit with the IMU sensor measures accelerations along XY-axes and an angle of rotation around the Z-axis and hence detects the direction of moving of the nozzle given by the user. Based on this, the control unit drives the electric motors and accordingly two separated brush rollers that are in contact with the surface to be cleaned, causing transfer of the torque to support movement of the nozzle in the same direction, so as to assist the movement of the nozzle and accordingly the handheld vacuum cleaner. This saves the user energy and manual work.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention a control unit is configured to drive the motors by applying voltages to the motors which varies depending on a value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit by a first constant and the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant. Advantageously the control unit provides the right electric motor with the voltage which is a sum of a predetermined constant value of the voltage and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit by a first constant and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant, and the left electric motor is provided with the voltage which is the predetermined constant value of the voltage minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit by a first constant, and minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant. In particular, the forward movement of the handheld vacuum cleaner is supported, as the backward pulling movement is not so energy intensive for the user.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention the nozzle comprises a right and a left wheel, rotatable provided in a lower portion of the nozzle disposed on the sides of the nozzle and configured to drive the nozzle across the cleaned surface, wherein each of the wheels is provided with rotatable encoders and electric motors being configured to drive them by the control unit. Preferably, the control unit is configured to drive wheels in the same direction and with the same rotational speed as the brush roller placed on the same side of the nozzle.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention the body is provided with a joystick controller having a sensor equipped with an operating shaft that is pivotally mounted relative to the body about a pivot center within the body so as to effect movement of the operating shaft the sensor provides an output signal indicative of a degree of pivotal movement of the operating rod, for controlling the nozzle assisted movement. Preferably the control unit is configured to receive the output signal of the sensor and to drive brush rollers or/and drive wheels.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention the nozzle is equipped with an optical sensor providing an output indicative of the amount and direction of movement of the nozzle relative to the cleaned surface, wherein the control unit is configured to receive and process data.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention the body is provided with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor which is configured to measure accelerations of the body along XYZ-axes for controlling the nozzle assisted movement.
With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for operating the above-outlined handheld vacuum cleaner. The method comprises the following steps: driving brush rollers both with the same predetermined rotational speed by the control unit supplying it with the predetermined value of the voltage, measuring accelerations of the nozzle along XY-axes by the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor of the input unit, measuring the angle of rotation of the nozzle around the Z-axis, wherein the Z-axis is perpendicular to the cleaned surface defined by XY-axes by the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor of the input unit, the control unit drives the brush rollers according to measuring accelerations of the nozzle along XY-axes and/or angle of rotation of the nozzle around the Z-axis, wherein the control unit provides the right electric motor connected to the right brush roller with the voltage which is a sum of a predetermined constant value of the voltage and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit by a first constant and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant, and providing the left electric motor connected to the left brush roller with the voltage which is the predetermined constant value of the voltage minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit by a first constant, and minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a handheld vacuum cleaner, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, in particular, to
The input unit 7 is arranged in the nozzle 4 and provided with an inertial measurement unit IMU sensor 13 that is configured to measure an acceleration along XY-axes and an angle α of rotation around the Z-axis, that is perpendicular to the cleaned surface which is defined by axes XY-axes. The control unit 12 receives data from the input unit 7 to drive the electric motors 8, 8′ according to the measured accelerations along XY-axes and the angle of rotation around the Z-axis for assisting movement of the nozzle 4 in one or more predetermined directions. The control unit 12 is configured to drive the motors 8, 8′ by applying voltages to the motors 8, 8′ which varies depending on a value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit 7 by a first constant and the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant. The control unit 12 provides the right electric motor 8 with the voltage which is a sum of a predetermined constant value of the voltage and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying the angle α of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit 7 by a first constant and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant, and the left electric motor 8′ is provided with the voltage which is the predetermined constant value of the voltage minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit 7 by a first constant, and minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant.
The nozzle 4, or brush head 4, is provided with two wheels, a right wheel 10, a left wheel 10′ rotatably mounted in a lower portion of the nozzle 4, laterally on the sides of the nozzle 4 and configured to drive the nozzle 4 across the surface to be cleaned. Each of the wheels 10, 10′ is provided with rotatable encoders i.e., a right encoder 14, a left encoder 14′ and electric motors, a right electric motor 15, a left electric motor 15′ being configured to drive them by the control unit 12. in the same direction and with the same rotational speed as respectively the brush roller 6, 6′ placed on the same side of the nozzle 4. Additionally, the body 2 is provided with a joystick controller 16 having a sensor equipped with an operating shaft 17 that is pivotally mounted relative to the body 2 about a pivot center within the body 3, so as to effect movement of the operating shaft 17 the sensor provides an output signal indicative of a degree of pivotal movement of the operating shaft 17. The control unit 12 is configured to receive the output signal of the sensor and to drive brush rollers 6, 6′ and/or drive wheels 10, 10′. The nozzle 4 is equipped with an optical sensor for supporting measurements of the IMU sensor 13, and providing an output indicative of the amount and direction of movement of the nozzle 4 relative to the cleaned surface. The control unit 12 is configured to receive and process data. The body 2 is also provided with an inertial measurement unit IMU sensor 18 which is configured to measure accelerations of the body 2 along XYZ-axes for assisted movement of the nozzle 4 based on the body 2 movement in relation to XYZ-axes.
The input unit 7 is arranged in the nozzle 4 and provided with an inertial measurement unit IMU sensor 13 that is configured to measure an acceleration along XY-axes and an angle α of rotation around the Z-axis, i.e., the surface normal of the surface to be cleaned, which is defined by axes XY-axes. The control unit 12 receives data from the input unit 7 to drive the electric motors 8, 8′ according to the measured accelerations along XY-axes and the angle of rotation around the Z-axis for assisting movement of the nozzle 4 in one or more predetermined directions. The control unit 12 is configured to drive the motors 8, 8′ by applying voltages to the motors 8, 8′ which varies depending on a value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit 7 by a first constant and the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant. The control unit 12 provides the right electric motor 8 with the voltage which is a sum of a predetermined constant value of the voltage and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying the angle α of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit 7 by a first constant and a value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant, and the left electric motor 8′ is provided with the voltage which is the predetermined constant value of the voltage minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying an angle of rotation around the Z-axis signal received from the input unit 7 by a first constant, and minus the value of the voltage gained by multiplying accelerations along XY-axes by a second constant.
The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23156819.7 | Feb 2023 | EP | regional |
