Rechargeable vacuum cleaner system

• US 20050017681A1
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogishima, Takuya, Kushida, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/891,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20050017681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/112
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A rechargeable vacuum cleaner system including a vacuum clear having a body care, a storage chamber provided in said body case, the storage chamber having an opening, a battery assembly housed in the storage chamber through the opening, a heat transfer wall configured to constitute a portion of the storage chamber, a temperature-detecting element for detecting a temperature of the battery assembly, a charger to charge the battery assembly and including a charging stage, and a charge-controlling part provided in the charging stage to control charge of the battery assembly, a resilient member being provided in the storage chamber to thermally couple the battery assembly with the heat transfer wall, the charger including a heat transmission part which constitutes a portion of the charging stage and which has a heat transmitting surface, the heat transfer wall of the storage chamber being thermally connected to the heat transmission surface of the heat transmission part of the charger.

Claims

1. A rechargeable vacuum cleaner system, comprising:

a vacuum cleaner having a body case;

a storage chamber provided in said body case, the storage chamber having an opening;

a battery assembly housed in said storage chamber through the opening;

a heat transfer wall configured to constitute a portion of said storage chamber;

a temperature-detecting element for detecting a temperature of said battery assembly;

a charger to charge the battery assembly and including a charging stage; and

a charge-controlling part provided in the charging stage to control charge of the battery assembly,

wherein a resilient member is provided in said storage chamber to thermally couple the battery assembly with the heat transfer wall,

wherein said charger includes a heat transmission part which constitutes a portion of the charging stage and which has a heat transmitting surface,

wherein the heat transfer wall of the storage chamber is thermally connected to the heat transmission surface of the heat transmission part of the charger and a circuit including the charge-controlling part for charging the battery assembly is established between the vacuum cleaner and the charger when the vacuum cleaner is coupled with the charging stage of the charger, and

wherein said charge-controlling part is configured to control a charge current of the battery assembly based on a comparison of a temperature of the battery assembly detected by the temperature-detecting element with a predetermined charge permissible temperature range during the charge of the battery assembly.

2. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1, wherein the body case includes an upper case and a lower case and the opening of the storage chamber is opened at the lower case, the opening being closed by the heat transfer wall.

3. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1, wherein the body case includes an upper case and a lower case and the storage chamber is detachably mounted on the lower case.

4. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1,

wherein said vacuum cleaner includes a pair of running wheels provided on the body case for moving on a floor to be cleaned, the pair of running wheels is arranged in parallel to one another so that the opening of the storage chamber is located between the pair of running wheels,

wherein said heat transfer wall faces the floor when the vacuum cleaner is used, and

wherein the thermally connection between the heat transfer wall of the storage chamber and the heat transmission surface of the heat transmission part of the charger is guided by the pair of running wheels when the vacuum cleaner is coupled with the ch g stage of the charger.

5. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 4, wherein the heat transmission surface of the heat transmission part of the charger is located in parallel to the floor with a distance in a vertical direction and the distance is set so that a weight of the vacuum cleaner is charged on the heat transmitting surface when the vacuum cleaner is coupled with the charging stage of the dr.

6. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1, wherein the battery assembly is composed of a plurality of rechargeable battery cells and the temperature-detecting element is disposed in a space between mutually adjacent battery cells, the temperature-detecting element being fiber disposed at an inner location in the storage chamber compared with the battery cell adjoining to the heat transfer wall when the battery assembly is housed in the storage chamber.

7. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1, wherein the charging stage of the charger is provided with heat-radiating fins thermally coupled with the heat transmission part of the charging stage.

8. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1 further comprising a contact-assisting mechanism for assisting the thermal contact between the heat transfer wall and the heat transmitting surface of the heat transmission part when the vacuum cleaner is coupled with the charging stage of the charger.