Power management system for a floor care appliance

• US 7,208,892 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoover Company (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hoover Company (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Tondra, Aaron P., Gordon, Evan A., Sclafani, Adam C.
• Primary Examiner(s): IP, SHIK LUEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US10/444,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20040231088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 318/34, 318/53, 318/46, 153/19, 153/39, 154/12, 701/23, 701/25, 701/26
• US Class Current: 318/53
• 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 processing an alternating electrical current supplied to an appliance configured to communicate with a communication network, said system comprising:

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

at least two load devices;

a microprocessor maintaining one or more operational parameters for controlling the performance of said at least two load devices, said microprocessor configured to receive the output from the zero cross detector circuit and to generate an output to control the voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices; and

a data port coupled to said microprocessor, said data port configured to be associated with the communication network, wherein said operational parameters maintained by said microprocessor may be changed via said data port;

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. The power management system of claim 1, wherein said microcontroller is configured to collect performance data associated with the operation of the appliance.

10. The power management system of claim 9, wherein said microcontroller enables said collected performance data to be output to the communication network via said data port.

11. The power management system of claim 10, wherein said microprocessor.

12. A power management system for processing an alternating electrical current supplied to an appliance and configured to communicate with a communication network, said system comprising:

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

at least two load devices;

a microprocessor maintaining one or more operational parameters for controlling the performance of said at least two load devices, said microprocessor configured to receive the output from the zero cross detector circuit and generating an output;

a data port coupled to said microprocessor, said data port configured to be associated with the communication network, wherein said operational parameters maintained by said microprocessor may be changed via said data port;

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 consumed; and

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 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 predetermined amount.

13. The power management system of claim 12, 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.

14. The power management system of claim 12, 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.

15. The power management system of claim 14, 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.

16. The power management system of claim 12, wherein said microcontroller is configured to collect performance data associated with the operation of the appliance.

17. The power management system of claim 16, wherein said microcontroller enables said collected performance data to be output to the communication network via said via said data port.

18. The power management system of claim 17, wherein said microprocessor enables at least one of said one or more operational parameters to be modified based on said collected performance data output from said data port.

19. A power management system to process an alternating electrical current supplied to a floor care appliance, said system comprising:

a zero cross detector circuit configured to generate an output indicating when the alternating current crosses a zero voltage threshold;

at least two load devices; and

a microprocessor coupled to said at least two load devices and to said zero cross detector circuit, said microprocessor configured to receive the output from the zero cross detector circuit;

wherein in response to the receipt of said output generated by said zero cross detector, said microprocessor controls the amount of current supplied to said at least two load devices by monitoring the amount of time the current is turned on to each of said load devices after said zero cross detector generates said output indicating said zero voltage threshold, such that the total current applied to each said at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined level.

20. The power management system of claim 19, 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.

21. The power management system of claim 19, wherein said microprocessor controls the current applied to each of said at least two load devices said microprocessor switching the electrical current after a predetermined amount of time so that the amount of current applied to said at least two load devices does not exceed a predetermined value.

22. The power management system of claim 21, wherein said microprocessor is coupled to at least one sensing circuit to sense the current drawn by one of said at least two load devices, such that if said sensing circuit detects a change of current drawn by one of said at least two load devices, said microprocessor adjusts the amount of time the current is turned on to each of the other load devices, such that the total amount of current consumed by said at least two load devices does not exceed a pre-determined value.

23. The power management system of claim 19, wherein said microcontroller is configured to collect performance data associated with the operation of the appliance.

24. The power management system of claim 23, wherein said microcontroller enables said colleted performance data to be output to the communication network via said data port.

25. The power management system of claim 24, wherein said microprocessor enables at least one of said one or more operational parameters to be modified based on said collected performance data output from said data port.

26. A method of managing the power supplied to an appliance via a microprocessor controlling at least two load devices, the microprocessor maintaining a data port for communicating with a network, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining at the microprocessor at least one operational parameter for controlling the performance of the at least two load devices;

detecting at the microprocessor

when the alternating current of the power supplied to the appliance crosses the zero voltage threshold;

detecting the amount of current drawn at each of the at least two load devices;

controlling 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 the value associated with said operational parameter; and

modifying said operational parameter maintained by the microprocessor via the data port.

27. The method of managing the power in an appliance of claim 26, including the steps of:

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

determining 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 identified at said determining step, whereby 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 said timer turns the current on to each of said at least two load devices.

28. The method of managing the power in an appliance of claim 26, further comprising:

collecting performance data associated with the operation of the appliance.

29. The method of managing the power in an appliance of claim 28, further comprising:

downloading said performance data from the appliance via the data port; and

modifying said at least one operational parameter based on performance data obtained at said downloading step.

30. The method of managing the power in an appliance of claim 29, further comprising:

uploading said modified at least one operational parameter to the appliance via the data port.

31. A power management system for processing an alternating electrical current supplied to an appliance configured to communicate with a communication network, said system comprising:

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

at least two load devices;

a microprocessor maintaining one or more operational parameters for controlling the performance of said at least two load devices, said microprocessor configured to receive the output from the zero cross detector circuit and to generate an output to control the voltage applied to each of said at least two load devices; and

a data port coupled to said microprocessor, said data port configured to be associated with the communication network, wherein said operational parameters maintained by said microprocessor may be changed via said data port;

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, and said microcontroller is configured to collect performance data associated with the operation of the appliance, said microprocessor enabling at least one of said one or more operational parameters to be modified based on said collected performance data output from said data port.