Battery powered cordless cleaning system

• US 8,756,753 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• 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., Horvath, Jamie, Butts, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): SCRUGGS, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/740,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20130152333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 153/20, 153/24, 153/28, 153/29, 153/47
• 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 upright vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a nozzle base portion having a suction inlet;

a body portion;

a pivotable joint coupled between the nozzle base portion and the body portion;

a suction source for providing a suction force at the suction inlet; and

a battery pack interface configured to receive a removable and rechargeable lithium-based battery pack, the battery pack interface including a battery pack recess, a first power terminal and a second power terminal, the vacuum cleaner configured to receive power from the battery pack over the first power terminal and the second power terminal, a communication terminal, the vacuum cleaner configured to communicatively connect to the battery pack over the communication terminal, the battery pack including a battery pack housing, a portion of the battery pack housing being insertable into the battery pack recess, the battery pack being selectively removably coupled to the vacuum cleaner,

wherein

the suction source is powered by the battery pack,

the body portion is pivotable relative to a first axis,

the body portion is pivotable relative to a second axis, and

the body portion is supportable by the nozzle base portion in a vertical position without external support.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the combined weight of the vacuum cleaner and the battery pack is less than approximately seven and one-half pounds.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack recess is configured to receive an extendable latch of the battery pack.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a fuel gauge external to the battery pack and configured to indicate a status of the battery pack.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first axis is parallel to a cleaning surface and the second axis is approximately perpendicular to the first axis.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the suction source.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner includes a refuse chamber.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the refuse chamber.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the suction source.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the suction source, and the suction source is positioned above the refuse chamber.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction source is a brushless direct current (“

BLDC”

) motor.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is configured to provide at least approximately 6 air Watts of power at the suction inlet.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes at least two battery cells.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is configured to communicate serially with the battery pack.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner receives a signal over the communication terminal related to a voltage of at least one of a plurality of battery cells within the battery pack housing.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a canister vacuum cleaner.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a wet/dry floor cleaner.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a carpet cleaner.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack has a voltage between 4V and 48V.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the battery pack is configured to provide discharge currents between approximately 7 Amps and 11 Amps.