Battery powered cordless cleaning system

• US 9,504,364 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• 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:
  US14/109,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a nozzle base portion having a suction inlet;

a body portion positioned above and coupled to the nozzle base portion, the body portion including a battery pack recess, the battery pack recess sized to receive a lithium-based battery pack, 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 body portion of the vacuum cleaner;

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;

a vacuum motor powered by the battery pack and configured to provide a suction force at the suction inlet;

a switch configured to control the application of power to the vacuum motor.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a fuel gauge configured to indicate a status of the battery pack, the fuel gauge external to the battery pack and positioned in at least one of the body portion and the nozzle base portion.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle base portion includes an aperture which allows relatively larger objects to enter the suction inlet.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a stick-type vacuum cleaner.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the vacuum motor.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the body portion is supportable by the nozzle base portion in a vertical position without external support.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the selection device is located on a handle portion and is manipulable by a finger of a user.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a refuse chamber.

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

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the vacuum motor.

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

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is positioned along an axis of the body portion.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 12, wherein the battery pack is positioned along a centerline of the body portion.

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 cell voltage of at least one of a plurality of lithium-based battery cells within the battery pack.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a brush roll motor, the brush roll motor being powered by the battery pack and configured to provide rotational movement to a brush roll.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the vacuum cleaner 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.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is positioned above the vacuum motor.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum motor is a brushless direct current (“

BLDC”

) motor.

20. 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.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner and the battery pack have a combined weight of less than approximately 7.5 pounds.

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

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

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

25. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes at least one battery cell having a lithium-based cell chemistry.

26. The vacuum cleaner of claim 25, wherein the battery pack has a nominal voltage between 4V and 48V.

27. The vacuum cleaner of claim 26, wherein the battery pack is configured to provide discharge currents between approximately 7 Amps and 11 Amps.

28. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the body portion is pivotable relative to the nozzle base portion.

29. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the switch is a user-activated power switch.