Power management system for a floor care appliance

• US 20040231088A1
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aaron P. Tondra, Adam C. Sclafani, Evan A. Gordon
• Original Assignee: Aaron P. Tondra, Adam C. Sclafani, Evan A. Gordon
• Inventors: Tondra, Aaron P., Gordon, Evan A., Sclafani, Adam C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,208,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2831 Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/009 having two or more independently controlled outputs for DC-DC converter with intermediate AC H02M3/33561
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/2576 with digital control
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 5/46 for speed regulation of two or more dynamo-electric motors in relation to one another
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A floor care appliance is provided with an improved power management system for controlling the total amount of current provided to at least a first and a second load device of an appliance. The power management system is comprised of a microprocessor, an alternating current voltage source, a voltage regulating circuit, a clamping circuit, at least two load devices, and a MOC and a triac for each of the at least two load devices. The clamping circuit outputs a fixed voltage of 5.7 volts during the positive portion of the ac cycle and a fixed voltage of −0.7 volts during the negative portion of the ac cycle. The fixed voltages are input to a microprocessor which utilizes these inputs to control the average voltage and the amount of time the current is turned on to each of the at least first and second load devices. A current sensing circuit is used to monitor the current to one of the at least two load devices to provide feedback to the microprocessor so that the microprocessor can adjust the average voltage and current to the at least two load devices so that the total current consumed does not exceed a pre-determined level.

Claims

1. A power management system for an appliance, comprised of:

an alternating current power source;

a voltage regulating circuit;

a zero cross detector circuit for generating an output indicating when the alternating current crosses the zero voltage threshold;

at least two load devices;

a microprocessor for receiving the output from the zero cross detector circuit and generating an output for controlling the voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices;

wherein said microprocessor controls the voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices such that the total current consumed by said at least two load devices, does not exceed a pre-determined level.

2. The power management system of claim 1, further including at least two load device trigger circuits wherein one load device trigger circuit is associated with one of said at least two load devices for turning the current on to the associated load device.

3. The power management system of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor controls the average voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices with an associated timer which is reset each time said microprocessor detects the alternating current crossing the zero voltage threshold, said microprocessor being pre-programmed with a table of values having an amount of time each timer is on associated with a voltage to be applied to each of the at least two load devices.

4. The power management system of claim 3, wherein said microprocessor receives said input from said at least one sensing circuit and the amount of time each timer associated with each of said at least two load devices is based upon said input according to an amount of time programmed in the table of values associated with a voltage to be applied to all of said at least two load devices such that the total current does not exceed a pre-determined value.

5. The power management system of claim 1, wherein said at least two load devices are electric motors.

6. The power management system of claim 1, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps.

7. The power management system of claim 1, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps and one of said at least two load devices consumes 10 amps and another of said at least two load devices consumes 2 amps.

8. The power management system of claim 1, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps and one of said at least two load devices consumes 9.5 amps and another of said at least two load devices consumes 2.5 amps.

9. A power management system for an appliance, comprised of:

an alternating current power source;

a voltage regulating circuit;

a zero cross detector circuit for generating an output indicating when the alternating current crosses the zero voltage threshold;

a microprocessor for receiving the output from the zero cross detector circuit and generating an output;

at least two load devices;

at least one current sensing circuit for sensing the amount of current consumed by one of said at least two load devices and generating an input to said microprocessor corresponding to the amount of current sensed;

at least two load device trigger circuits, wherein one of said at least two load device trigger circuits is associated with one each of said at least at least two load devices;

wherein each of said at least two load device trigger circuits turns on the current to the associated load device upon receiving said output from said microprocessor, said microprocessor generating said output to each of said at least two load device trigger circuits such that a change in the amount of current being consumed by said one load device associated with said at least one current sensing circuit will cause the microprocessor to adjust the output to each of said at least two load devices such that the total current consumed by all of said at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined amount.

10. The power management system of claim 9, further including at least two load device trigger circuits wherein one load device trigger circuit is associated with one of said at least two load devices for turning the current on to the associated load device.

11. The power management system of claim 9, wherein said microprocessor controls the average voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices with an associated timer which is reset each time said microprocessor detects the alternating current crossing the zero voltage threshold, said microprocessor being pre-programmed with a table of values having an amount of time each timer is on associated with an average voltage to be applied to each of the at least two load devices.

12. The power management system of claim 11, wherein said microprocessor receives said input from said at least one sensing circuit and the amount of time each timer associated with each of said at least two load devices is on is adjusted based upon said input according to an amount of time programmed in the table of values associated with an average voltage such that the total amount of current supplied to all of said at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined value.

13. The power management system of claim 9, wherein said at least two load devices are electric motors.

14. The power management system of claim 9, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps.

15. The power management system of claim 9, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps and one of said at least two load devices consumes 10 amps and another of said at least two load devices consumes 2 amps.

16. The power management system of claim 9, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps and one of said at least two load devices consumes 9.5 amps and another of said at least two load devices consumes 2.5 amps.

17. A power management system for a floor care appliance, comprised of:

an alternating current power source;

a voltage regulating circuit;

a zero cross detector circuit for generating an output indicating when the alternating current crosses the zero voltage threshold;

at least two load devices;

a microprocessor for receiving the output from the zero cross detector circuit and generating an output for controlling the average voltage to be applied to each of said at least two load devices;

wherein said microprocessor controls the average voltage applied to each of said two load devices such that the total current consumed by said at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined level.

18. The power management system of claim 17, further including at least two load device trigger circuits wherein one load device trigger circuit is associated with one of said at least two load devices for turning the current on to the associated load device.

19. The power management system of claim 17, wherein said microprocessor controls the average voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices with an associated timer which is reset each time said microprocessor detects the alternating current crossing the zero voltage threshold, said microprocessor being pre-programmed with a table of values having an amount of time each timer is on associated with an average voltage to be applied to each of the at least two load devices.

20. The power management system of claim 19, wherein said microprocessor receives said input from said at least one sensing circuit and the amount of time each timer associated with each of said at least two load devices is on is adjusted based upon said input according to an amount of time programmed in the table of values associated with an average voltage to be applied to each of said at least two load devices such that the total amount of current consumed by said at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined value.

21. The power management system of claim 17, wherein one of said at least two load devices is an agitator drive motor and another of said at least two load devices is an suction motor.

22. The power management system of claim 17, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps.

23. The power management system of claim 17, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps and said suction motor consumes 10 amps and said agitator drive motor consumes 2 amps.

24. The power management system of claim 17, wherein said pre-determined level is 12 amps said suction motor consumes 9.5 amps and said agitator drive motor consumes 2.5 amps.

25. A method of managing the power in an appliance, comprised of the steps of:

providing at least two load devices;

providing an alternating current power source;

providing a voltage regulating circuit;

providing a zero cross detector circuit for detecting when the alternating current crosses the zero voltage threshold;

providing a microprocessor;

inputting when the alternating current crosses the zero voltage threshold to the microprocessor; and

utilizing the microprocessor to control the average voltage applied to the at least two load devices based upon when the alternating current crosses the zero voltage threshold such that the total amount of current consumed by the at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined value.

26. A method of managing the power in an appliance of claim 25, including the steps of:

providing the microprocessor with a timer associated with each of the at least two load devices for controlling the average voltage applied to each of the at least two load devices;

providing at least one sensing circuit to determine the amount of current consumed by one of said at least two load devices;

inputting the amount of current consumed by one of said at least two load devices to the microprocessor;

varying the average voltage applied to the at least two load devices based upon the current consumed by the one of said at least two load devices as determined by said at least one sensing circuit, said average voltage to be applied to the at least two load devices being determined by a table of average voltages associated with a time the timer turns the current on to each of said at least two load devices.