Electric cleaner

• US 8,549,701 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Tosiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): SCRUGGS, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/410,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 15/521, 153/20, 153/31, 153/38, 153/39, 153/47, 15350-353, 154/12
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/32 with means for connecting a hose hose couplings for suction cleaners A47L9/24
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/26 Incorporation of winding devices for electric cables devices specially adapted for repeatedly paying-out or re-storing cables B65H75/34; arrangements of electrical cables or lines between relatively-movable parts H02G11/00
• 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 9/2863 Control elements activated by pivoting movement of the upright vacuum cleaner handle
• 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

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body capable of standing and inclining, an electric blower accommodated in the cleaner body, a floor nozzle capable of cleaning a surface while the cleaner body inclines, a mode detector detecting whether the cleaner body stands or inclines, and a controller controlling a power supplied to the electric blower. The controller is operable to supply a first power the electric blower if the mode detector detects that the cleaner body inclines, and to supply a second power lower than the first power to the electric blower if the mode detector detects that the cleaner body stands. This vacuum cleaner prevents the electric blower from overheating.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a mode detector for detecting whether the cleaner body is inclined or standing;

an electric blower accommodated in the cleaner body;

a floor nozzle provided on a bottom of the cleaner body;

a hose detachably attached to the floor nozzle, the hose allowing the cleaner body to communicate with the floor nozzle;

a hose detector detecting whether or not the hose is attached to the floor nozzle; and

a controller operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the hose detector detects that the hose is attached to the floor nozzle and the mode detector detects that the cleaner body is inclined, and

supply a second power to the electric blower lower than the first power if the mode detector detects that the cleaner body is standing and the hose detector detects that the hose is attached to the floor nozzle;

supply a third power higher than the second power and lower than the first power if the hose detector detects that the hose is detached from the floor nozzle and the mode detector detects that the cleaner body is standing.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a suction-power setting section capable of setting the second power, the suction-power setting section including a lever,

wherein when the cleaner body stands and the hose is detached from the floor nozzle, a user can change the power supplied from the controller to the electric blower by operating the lever.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

attachment plurality of attachments adapted to be detachably attached to the cleaner body and additionally detachably attached to a tip of the hose; and

a plurality of attachment detectors detecting respectively whether or not each of the attachments is attached to the cleaner body, the attachment detectors are provided inside the cleaner body,

wherein the controller changes a power supplied to the electric blower according to a detection result of the attachment detector.

4. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

an electric blower accommodated in the cleaner body;

a hose connected to the cleaner body, the hose having a tip;

a plurality of attachments adapted to be detachably attached to the cleaner body and the detached attachments are each attachable to the tip of the hose;

an attachment discriminator determining which one of the plurality of attachments is the attachment detached from the cleaner body; and

a controller operable to supply a respectively different power amount to the electric blower corresponding to which one of the attachments is detached from the cleaner body.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the attachment discriminator includes a plurality of attachment detectors detecting whether or not the plurality of attachments are attached to the cleaner body, respectively, the attachment detectors are provided inside the cleaner body.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, further comprising:

a floor nozzle pivotably attached to a bottom of the cleaner body, the floor nozzle adapted to detachably connected with the tip of the hose;

a hose detector provided at the floor nozzle, the hose detector detecting whether or not the hose is connected with the floor nozzle,

wherein the controller operable to

supply the power to the electric blower corresponding to the determined attachment if the hose detector detects that the hose is detached from the floor nozzle, and

supply the power to the electric blower regardless of a detection result of the attachment discriminator.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein

the plurality of attachments include an extension pipe, and

the controller is operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the determined attachment is not the extension pipe, and

supply a second power higher than the first power if the determined attachment is the extension pipe.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein

the plurality of attachments include a crevice nozzle, and

the controller is operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the determined attachment is not the crevice nozzle, and

supply a second power lower than the first power if the determined attachment is the crevice nozzle.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, further comprising

a suction-power setting section allowing a user to set the power supplied to the electric blower, the suction-power setting section including a lever and the use can change the power in multiple levels by operating the lever,

wherein the controller operable to

supply the set power to the electric blower if the hose detector detects that the hose is detached from the floor nozzle, and

supply the power regardless of the set power if the hose detector detects that the hose is attached to the floor nozzle.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, further comprising an input indicator indicating an indication corresponding to the set power.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, further comprising an attachment indicator indicating a plurality of indications corresponding to each of the plurality of attachments, respectively, the attachment indicator indicates the indication indicating which of the attachment, is determined by the attachment discriminator to be detached from the cleaner body.

12. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

an electric blower accommodated in the cleaner body;

a hose connected the cleaner body, the hose having a tip;

a first attachment adapted to be detachably attached to the cleaner body and the detached first attachment is attachable to the tip of the hose;

a first attachment detector detecting whether or not the first attachment is attached to the cleaner body, the first attachment detector is provided inside the cleaner body; and

a controller operable to supply a respectively different power amount to the electric blower according to a detection result of the first attachment detector whether or not the first attachment is detached from the cleaner body.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, further comprising:

a floor nozzle pivotably attached to a bottom of the cleaner body, the floor nozzle being adapted to detachably connected with the tip of the hose; and

a hose detector provided at the floor nozzle, the hose detector detecting whether or not the hose is connected to the floor nozzle,

wherein the controller operable to

supply a power to electric blower according to the detection result of the first attachment detector if the hose detector detects that the hose is detached from the floor nozzle, and

supply a power regardless of the detection result of the first attachment detector if the hose detector detects that the hose is attached from the floor nozzle.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12,

wherein the first attachment is an extension pipe, and

wherein the controller operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the first attachment detector detects that the extension pipe is attached to the cleaner body, and

supply a second power higher than the first power to the electric blower if the first attachment detector detects that the extension pipe is detached from the cleaner body.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12,

wherein the first attachment is a crevice nozzle, and

wherein the controller operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the first attachment detector detects that the crevice nozzle is attached to the cleaner body, and

supply a second power lower than the first power if the first attachment detector detects that the crevice nozzle is detached from the cleaner body.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, further comprising

a suction-power setting section allowing a user sets the power supplied to the electric blower, the suction-power setting section including a lever and the use can change the power in multiple levels by operating the lever,

wherein the controller operable to

supply the set power to the electric blower if the hose detector detects that the hose is detached from the floor nozzle, and

supply a power to the electric blower regardless of the set power if the hose detector detects that the hose is attached to the floor nozzle.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, further comprising an input indicator indicating an indication corresponding to the set power.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, further comprising an attachment indicator indicating an indication corresponding to each of the plurality of attachments, respectively, the attachment indicator indicates the indication indicating which of the attachments is determined by the attachment discriminator to be detached from the cleaner body.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second attachment adapted to be detachably attached to the cleaner body and the detached second attachment is attachable to the tip of the hose; and

a second attachment detector detecting whether or not the second attachment is attached to the cleaner body, the second attachment detector is provided inside the cleaner body,

wherein the controller is operable to supply a power to the electric blower according to the detection result of the first attachment detector and a detection result of the second attachment detector.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 19,

wherein the first attachment is an extension pipe, and

wherein the controller is operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the first attachment detector detects that the extension pipe is attached to the cleaner body, and

supply a second power higher than the first power to the electric blower if the first attachment detector detects that the extension pipe is detached from the cleaner body.

21. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 20,

wherein the first attachment is a crevice nozzle, and

wherein the controller is operable to

supply a first power to the electric blower if the first attachment detector detects that the crevice nozzle is attached to the cleaner body, and

supply a second power lower than the first power if the first attachment detector detects that the crevice nozzle is detached from the cleaner body.