Electric vacuum cleaner

• US 6,664,748 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogishima, Takuya, Yoshioka, Tomokazu, Kushida, Hiroyuki, Takanose, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsieh, Shih-Yung
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLON SANTANA, EDUARDO
• Application Number:
  US10/101,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20020175646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 318/139, 318/445, 318/446, 318/650, 15D/IG.1, 153/19, 153/39
• US Class Current: 318/139
• 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 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• 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: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter

Abstract

An electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention boosts a voltage supplied to a motor-driven blower through the use of a boost converter circuit with a DC power supply as a drive source to thereby increase the output of the motor-driven blower so as to enhance dust suction power. The present invention provides, as operation modes of such an electric vacuum cleaner, an operation mode for boosting power inputted to the motor-driven blower with the boost converter circuit to thereby increase dust suction power, and an operation mode for deactivating the boost converter circuit. Consequently, the boost converter circuit is used to enable the boosting of the power inputted to the motor-driven blower only when really required, and a loss in power produced due to the mounting of the boost converter circuit can be reduced. Thus, the service hour per charge for a battery can be set to a level equivalent to an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with no boost converter circuit.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor-driven blower driven with a DC power supply as a drive source;

voltage converting means for boosting a voltage output from the DC power supply and supplying power to the motor-driven blower;

switching means for switching an operation mode of a non-boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage of the DC power supply to the motor-driven blower and a boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means to the motor-driven blower;

an operation mode switching control unit for selecting the non-boost operation mode or the boost operation mode; and

electric vacuum cleaner control means for controlling the switching means according to a select operation of the operation mode switching control unit and thereby switching between the operation modes for the motor-driven blower,

wherein the operation mode switching control unit is provided with a boost control part for selecting the boost operation mode, and when rotational driving of the motor-driven blower is stopping and the boost control part is selected, the electric vacuum cleaner control means allows the boost operation mode after the non-boost operation mode.

2. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor-driven blower driven with a DC power supply as a drive source;

voltage converting means for boosting a voltage output from the DC power supply and supplying power to the motor-driven blower;

switching means for switching an operation mode of a non-boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage of the DC power supply to the motor-driven blower and a boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means to the motor-driven blower;

an operation mode switching control unit for selecting the non-boost operation mode or the boost operation mode; and

electric vacuum cleaner control means for controlling the switching means according to a select operation of the operation mode switching control unit and thereby switching between the operation modes for the motor-driven blower,

wherein the operation mode switching control unit includes a stop control part for stopping rotational driving of the motor-driven blower, and when the stop control part is selected in the boost operation mode, the electric vacuum cleaner control means allows rotational driving of the motor-driven blower to stop after the non-boost operation mode.

3. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor-driven blower driven with a DC power supply as a drive source;

voltage converting means for boosting a voltage output from the DC power supply and supplying power to the motor-driven blower;

switching means for switching an operation mode of a non-boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage of the DC power supply to the motor-driven blower and a boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means to the motor-driven blower;

an operation mode switching control unit for selecting the non-boost operation mode or the boost operation mode; and

electric vacuum cleaner control means for controlling the switching means according to a select operation of the operation mode switching control unit and thereby switching between the operation modes for the motor-driven blower,

wherein the electric vacuum cleaner control means detects an output voltage of the DC power supply and changes an output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means according to the detected output voltage of the DC power supply.

4. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor-driven blower driven with a DC power supply as a drive source;

voltage converting means for boosting a voltage output from the DC power supply and supplying power to the motor-driven blower;

switching means for switching an operation mode of a non-boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage of the DC power supply to the motor-driven blower and a boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means to the motor-driven blower;

an operation mode switching control unit for selecting the non-boost operation mode or the boost operation mode; and

electric vacuum cleaner control means for controlling the switching means according to a select operation of the operation mode switching control unit and thereby switching between the operation modes for the motor-driven blower,

wherein the electric vacuum cleaner control means detects an output voltage of the DC power supply in the boost operation mode and switches the operation mode of the motor-driven blower from the boost operation mode to the non-boost operation mode according to the detected output voltage of the DC power supply.

5. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor-driven blower driven with a DC power supply as a drive source;

voltage converting means for boosting a voltage output from the DC power supply and supplying power to the motor-driven blower;

switching means for switching an operation mode of a non-boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage of the DC power supply to the motor-driven blower and a boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means to the motor-driven blower;

an operation mode switching control unit for selecting the non-boost operation mode or the boost operation mode; and

electric vacuum cleaner control means for controlling the switching means according to a select operation of the operation mode switching control unit and thereby switching between the operation modes for the motor-driven blower,

wherein the DC power supply includes a battery, and the electric vacuum cleaner control means detects the capacity of the battery and changes an output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means according to the detected capacity of the battery.

6. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor-driven blower driven with a DC power supply as a drive source;

voltage converting means for boosting a voltage output from the DC power supply and supplying power to the motor-driven blower;

switching means for switching an operation mode of a non-boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage of the DC power supply to the motor-driven blower and a boost operation mode for outputting the output voltage boosted by the voltage converting means to the motor-driven blower;

an operation mode switching control unit for selecting the non-boost operation mode or the boost operation mode; and

electric vacuum cleaner control means for controlling the switching means according to a select operation of the operation mode switching control unit and thereby switching between the operation modes for the motor-driven blower,

wherein the DC power supply includes a battery, and the electric vacuum cleaner control means detects the capacity of the battery in the boost operating mode and switches the operation of the motor-driven blower from the boost operation mode to the non-boost operation mode according to the detected capacity of the battery.

7. An electric vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a voltage convertor including a magnetic element storing energy supplied from a DC power supply, a switching element turning on and off according to a switching signal, and a switching control means providing the switching signal to the switching element for controlling the switching element with the switching signal, the magnetic element executing repetition of storage and emission with respect to energy according to turn on and off of the switching element so that the voltage convertor boosts a voltage output from the DC power source and outputs the boosted voltage; and

a motor-driven blower driven by the voltage output from the voltage convertor,

wherein the switching control means sets a frequency of the switching signal to store the energy into the magnetic element on a condition that the energy remains in the magnetic element.

8. An electric vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a voltage convertor including a magnetic element storing energy supplied from a DC power supply, a switching element turning on and off according to a switching signal, and a switching control means providing the switching signal to the switching element for controlling the switching element with the switching signal, the magnetic element executing repetition of storage and emission with respect to energy according to turn on and off of the switching element so that the voltage convertor boosts a voltage output from the DC power source and outputs the boosted voltage; and

a motor-driven blower driven by the voltage output from the voltage convertor,

wherein the switching control means sets a duty cycle of the switching signal to store the energy into the magnetic element on a condition that the energy remains in the magnetic element.

9. An electric vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a voltage convertor including a magnetic element storing energy supplied from a DC power supply, a switching element turning on and off according to a switching signal, and a switching control means providing the switching signal to the switching element for controlling the switching element with the switching signal, the magnetic element executing repetition of storage and emission with respect to energy according to turn on and off of the switching element so that the voltage convertor boosts a voltage output from the DC power source and outputs the boosted voltage; and

a motor-driven blower driven by the voltage output from the voltage convertor,

wherein the switching control means controls a frequency of the switching signal to store the energy into the magnetic element on a condition that the energy remains in the magnetic element.

10. An electric vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a voltage convertor including a magnetic element storing energy supplied from a DC power supply, a switching element turning on and off according to a switching signal, and a switching control means providing the switching to the switching element for controlling the switching element with the switching signal, the magnetic element executing repetition of storage and emission with respect to energy according to turn on and off of the switching element so that the voltage convertor boosts a voltage output from the DC power source and outputs the boosted voltage; and

a motor-driven blower driven by the voltage output from the voltage converting means,

wherein the switching control means controls a duty cycle of the switching signal to store the energy into the magnetic element on a condition that the energy remains in the magnetic element.