Battery powered cordless cleaning system

• US 8,671,509 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Reed, Brett, Allemann, Markus, Rukavina, Doug, Reindle, Mark, Siegel, Norm, Gee, Jack W. II, Horvath, Jamie, Butts, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): SCRUGGS, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/594,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 153/28, 153/29, 153/52, 154/12
• US Class Current: 15/328
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0004 Suction cleaners adapted to take up liquids, e.g. wet or dry vacuum cleaners floor-scrubbing machines taking-up dirty liquid by suction A47L11/30
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 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
• 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: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A cordless, battery-powered system of cleaning products. The system of cleaning products includes devices such as upright vacuums (e.g., a stick vacuum, a lightweight upright vacuum, etc.), a hand-held vacuum, a carpet-cleaner, a canister vacuum, and the like. Each of the devices is powered by a battery pack which is interchangeable among the devices. The battery pack includes a combination of hardware and software for connecting to, identifying, and communicating with the cleaning products to ensure that each of the products receives the power necessary to ensure optimal performance.

Claims

1. A cordless cleaning system, comprising:

a rechargeable battery pack having a battery pack housing and at least two cells within the housing, a first power terminal, a second power terminal, and a communication terminal;

a first cordless cleaning device operable to selectively removably receive and be powered by the rechargeable battery pack, the first cordless cleaning device including a first battery pack recess sized to receive the rechargeable battery pack, a portion of the battery pack housing being insertable into the first battery pack recess, the first cordless cleaning device configured to receive power from the first power terminal and the second power terminal and communicatively connect to the battery pack over the communication terminal; and

a second cordless cleaning device operable to selectively removably receive and be powered by the rechargeable battery pack, the second cordless cleaning device including a second battery pack recess sized to receive the rechargeable battery pack, the portion of the battery pack housing being insertable into the second battery pack recess, the second cordless cleaning device configured to receive power from the first power terminal and the second power terminal and communicatively connect to the battery pack over the communication terminal,

wherein the first device is a first type of cleaning device and the second device is a second type of cleaning device, the first type being different than the second type, and

wherein at least one of the first device and the second device has an upright working position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is configured to operate in one of a first mode and a second mode.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first mode is a sleep mode.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a battery charger external to the first device and the second device, the battery charger operable to receive and charge the rechargeable battery pack.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the charger is operable to receive and charge the rechargeable battery pack when the battery pack is not connected to either the first device or the second device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery pack has a lithium-based chemistry.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a stick or upright vacuum cleaner and the second device is a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third cordless cleaning device operable to receive and be powered by the rechargeable battery pack, wherein the third device is a third type of cleaning device, the third type being different than the first and second types.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is bagless.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first device and the second device is operable in the upright working position without external support.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein a charge capacity of the rechargeable battery pack is at least approximately 10 volts.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device includes a suction inlet and a vacuum motor, the vacuum motor being powered by the battery pack and configured to provide a suction force at the suction inlet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first cordless cleaning device includes a brush roll motor, the brush roll motor being powered by the battery pack and configured to provide rotational movement to a brush roll.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is configured to operate in a first mode in which the vacuum motor is operable, and a second mode in which the brush roll motor and the vacuum motor are operable.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first cordless cleaning device further includes a selection device configured to select the first mode or the second mode.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the vacuum motor.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the first cordless cleaning device includes a refuse chamber.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the refuse chamber.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the vacuum motor.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the vacuum motor, and the vacuum motor is positioned above the refuse chamber.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the vacuum motor is a brushless direct current (“

BLDC”

) motor.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is configured to provide at least approximately 6 air Watts of power at the suction inlet.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device and the battery pack have a combined weight of less than approximately 7.5 pounds.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device includes a body portion and the battery pack is positioned along an axis of the body portion.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the battery pack is positioned along a centerline of the body portion.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is configured to communicate serially with the battery pack.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device receives a signal over the communication terminal related to a voltage of at least one of the at least two cells within the housing.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is an upright vacuum cleaner.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is a canister vacuum cleaner.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is a wet/dry floor cleaner.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cordless cleaning device is a carpet cleaner.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two battery cells have a lithium-based cell chemistry.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the battery pack has a voltage between 4V and 48V.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the battery pack is configured to provide discharge currents between approximately 7 Amps and 11 Amps.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the second cordless cleaning device is a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the second cordless cleaning device includes a suction inlet and is configured to provide at least approximately 13 air Watts of power at the suction inlet.