JP7794142B2 - vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an electric vacuum cleaner.

The vacuum cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 below comprises a main body, an electric blower built into the main body, a suction tool connected to the main body, a grip for the user to hold, and an acceleration sensor for detecting the position of the main body. A control button for the user is provided on a portion of the main body away from the grip. Operation of the control button allows switching between normal mode and standby mode. In normal mode, the electric blower is activated or stopped based on operation of the control button, regardless of the detection results of the acceleration sensor. In standby mode, the electric blower is activated or stopped based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor. That is, when the main body is detected to be upright while the electric blower is stopped, the electric blower is activated. On the other hand, when the electric blower is activated and the main body is detected to be tilted, the electric blower is stopped.

Patent No. 5603951

In some cases, an operation button is provided on the grip so that the user can operate it at their fingertips. Applying Patent Document 1 to such cases creates the following problem. In standby mode, the operation button on the hand is disabled, and the electric blower cannot be started or stopped without changing the position of the main unit. If the operation button on the hand is enabled in standby mode, even if the electric blower is started using the operation button while the main unit is upright, the electric blower will immediately stop based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor. Similarly, even if the electric blower is stopped using the operation button while the main unit is tilted, the electric blower will immediately start based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor. This reduces usability for the user.

This disclosure has been made to solve these problems. Its purpose is to provide an electric vacuum cleaner that can simultaneously control the operation of an electric blower based on the operation of an operation button and the detection results of an acceleration sensor, without compromising ease of use for the user.

The vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure comprises a main body, an electric blower built into the main body, a gripping unit that is gripped by a user, an acceleration sensor for detecting the posture of the main body, and a control unit that stops the electric blower when the acceleration sensor detects an upright posture, including an upright posture, of the main body, and operates the electric blower when the acceleration sensor detects an inclined posture of the main body. The vacuum cleaner further comprises an operation button provided on the gripping unit that is operated by a user to start and stop the electric blower. The control unit disables the upright detection, which is detection of the upright posture by the acceleration sensor, when the electric blower is started by operating the operation button while the main body is in an upright posture and the electric blower is stopped. The control unit cancels the disablement of the upright detection when an inclined posture is detected by the acceleration sensor after the upright detection has been disabled.

According to the present disclosure, when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button while the main body is in an upright position and the electric blower is stopped, the upright detection by the acceleration sensor is disabled. As a result, the electric blower does not immediately stop, and usability for the user is not impaired. If the acceleration sensor detects that the main body is tilted after disabling the upright detection, the disabling of the upright detection is canceled. This enables control of the electric blower based on the detection results by the acceleration sensor. Therefore, the electric blower can be stopped by placing the main body in an upright position. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both drive control of the electric blower based on operation of the operation button and drive control of the electric blower based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor.

1 is a perspective view showing the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment with the main body in an inclined position. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the electric vacuum cleaner with the main body in an upright position. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the electric vacuum cleaner. 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner in the second embodiment. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the modified example. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner according to the modified example.

Embodiments of an electric vacuum cleaner according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts will be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be simplified or omitted as appropriate. For convenience, the following description may express the positional relationship of each structure based on the illustrated state. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and any combination of the embodiments, any modification of any component of each embodiment, or any omission of any component of each embodiment are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiment 1.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a vacuum cleaner according to embodiment 1 in an inclined position, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the vacuum cleaner in an upright position, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the vacuum cleaner.

In the following explanation, dust and other debris may be collectively referred to simply as "dust." Air containing dust may also be referred to as "dust-containing air." Finally, air from which dust has been removed may also be referred to as "clean air."

The electric vacuum cleaner 1 is a cordless, upright electric vacuum cleaner. It comprises a main body 2, an electric blower 3, a battery 4, a cylindrical portion 5, a dust collection portion 6, a handle portion 7, an extension tube 8 that extends longitudinally in one direction, and a suction tool 9.

In the following, in the longitudinal direction, the side where the battery 4 is located may be referred to as the upper side, and the side where the suction tool 9 is located may be referred to as the lower side. Also, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the side where the dust collection unit 6 is located may be referred to as the front side, and the side where the tubular unit 5 is located may be referred to as the rear side.

The main body 2 is a housing that houses the electric blower 3. The electric blower 3 generates an airflow for sucking in dust. The battery 4 is a power source for driving the electric blower 3 and the rotating brush 93 (described below), and is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery. The battery 4 is attached to the rear of the main body 2. The tubular portion 5 has a connection port 51 at its lower longitudinal end for sucking in dust. An air passage is formed inside the tubular portion 5 to guide the dust-laden airflow that passes through the connection port 51 to the dust collection portion 6. A gasket (not shown) is provided at the open edge of the connection port 51, and an extension tube 8 is airtightly connected to the tubular portion 5.

The dust collection unit 6 separates dust from the dust-laden air sucked in through the connection port 51 and collects the separated dust. The dust collection unit 6 has, for example, a cyclone separator (not shown). Instead of a cyclone separator, the dust collection unit 6 may have, for example, a dust collection bag that can collect dust by filtering the airflow. The airflow from which dust has been removed by the dust collection unit 6 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 2a opened in the main body 2. The grip unit 7 is a handle that the user holds in their hand. The grip unit 7 has an operation button 71 that the user presses to turn the electric blower 3 on or off. The operation button 71 drives and stops the electric blower 3. The operation button 71 is located in a position where it can be operated by the user's thumb when the user grips the grip unit 7. The operation button 71 may include an operation switch. The grip portion 7 is provided with a cleaner-side electrode 72 that is electrically connected to the stand-side electrode 28, which will be described later.

The extension pipe 8 is a straight, hollow tubular member. The upper end of the extension pipe 8 is connected to the connection port 51 of the cylindrical portion 5. The lower end of the extension pipe 8 is connected to the suction device 9.

The suction tool 9 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the left-right direction (width direction). A connecting part 91 is attached to the upper part of the suction tool 9 at the center of the width direction via a joint part 92.

The connection part 91 of the suction tool 9 is connected to the lower end of the extension tube 8. The joint part 92 allows the orientation of the extension tube 8, and therefore the main body 2, relative to the suction tool 9 to be changed in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions within a preset angular range. This allows the user of the vacuum cleaner 1 to clean with the main body 2 tilted forward, backward, left-to-right, relative to the suction tool 9 within a preset angular range.

A suction chamber (not shown) extending in the left-right direction is provided inside the suction tool 9, and a rotating brush 93 for sweeping up dust from the floor surface is housed within the suction chamber and is free to rotate. The suction tool 9 contains a brush motor 94 for rotating the rotating brush 93. Power is supplied to the brush motor 94 from the battery 4. The bottom of the suction tool 9 is provided with a suction port (not shown) that communicates with the suction chamber. Wheels 95 supported by support members (not shown) are provided on the bottom of the suction tool 9, outside the suction port in the left-right direction.

As shown in Figure 2, the vacuum cleaner 1 can be placed on the stand 20 with the main body 2 in an upright position. In this state, the battery 4 can be charged, and by disconnecting the extension tube 8 from the cylindrical portion 5, the extension tube 8 and suction tool 9 can be removed from the vacuum cleaner 1. This allows the vacuum cleaner 1 to be used as a handheld vacuum cleaner.

Here, the upright posture of the main body 2 refers not only to the upright posture shown in FIG. 2, but also to postures in which the angle θ when tilted in at least one direction from the upright posture (the front-to-rear direction in this embodiment) is smaller than the reference angle θth (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The angle θ corresponds to the angle detection value detected by the acceleration sensor 12, which will be described later. The reference angle θth can be set in advance taking into account ease of use by the user, and is, for example, 40 degrees. The tilted posture of the main body 2 refers to a posture in which the angle θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth. The upright posture refers to a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the main body 2 is aligned with the vertical direction. These upright and tilted postures of the main body 2 can be detected by the angle detection value θ of the acceleration sensor 12, which will be described later.

The stand 20 has a base 21. A support column 22 extending vertically is attached to the top surface of the base 21. A first support column 23a is provided at the top end of the support column 22 to support the gripping section 7 from below. A second support column 23b is provided on the rear surface of the first support column 23a to support the dust collecting section 6 from below. A third support column 23c is provided on the rear surface of the second support column 23b to support the lower end of the cylindrical section 5 and the upper end of the extension tube 8. The base 21 is provided with a mounting section 24 on which the suction tool 9 is placed. A rotary brush cleaning section 25 for cleaning the rotary brush 93 is provided on the upper surface of the mounting section 24.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the stand 20 further includes a power plug 26, a voltage converter 27, and a stand-side electrode 28. The power plug 26 is connected to, for example, a commercial power outlet. The voltage converter 27 converts the AC voltage (e.g., AC 100 V) of the commercial power source supplied via the power plug 26 into a desired DC voltage (e.g., DC 30 V). The DC voltage converted by the voltage converter 27 is output from the stand-side electrode 28. The stand-side electrode 28 is provided, for example, on the first support portion 23a for supporting the grip portion 7.

The vacuum cleaner 1 has a built-in control board 10. The control board 10 is equipped with a microcomputer 11 as a control unit and an acceleration sensor 12 for detecting the attitude of the main body 2. Like the electric blower 3 and the brush motor 94, the microcomputer 11 receives power from the battery 4. The microcomputer 11 is a microcomputer. The microcomputer 11 includes a processor 11a and a memory 11b. The processor 11a executes programs stored in the memory 11b, causing the microcomputer 11 to perform preset processes and control the overall operation of the vacuum cleaner 1, including driving the electric blower 3 (described below), driving the brush motor 94, and charging and discharging the battery 4. As will be described in more detail below, the memory 11b stores an upright detection disable flag and a tilt detection disable flag. These flags can be set ON or OFF by the processor 11a. A known acceleration sensor 12 can be used, so a detailed description of the acceleration sensor, including the attitude detection method, will be omitted.

The microcomputer 11 can execute control to drive or stop the electric blower 3 based on the user's operation of the operation button 71. That is, when the operation button 71 is turned ON, the microcomputer 11 drives the electric blower 3, and when the operation button 71 is turned OFF, the microcomputer 11 stops the electric blower 3.

The microcomputer 11 can also control the driving or stopping of the electric blower 3 based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 12. That is, when the acceleration sensor 12 detects an upright posture, the microcomputer 11 stops the electric blower 3, while when the acceleration sensor 12 detects a tilted posture, the microcomputer 11 drives the electric blower 3.

When the microcomputer 11 drives the electric blower 3, a suction force acts on the dust collection unit 6, the tubular unit 5, and the extension tube 8, causing dust-laden air to be sucked in through the suction device 9. That is, the electric blower 3 generates an airflow that is sucked in through the suction port of the suction device 9. At this time, the rotating brush 93 may be rotated to suck in the picked-up dust and other particles. The dust-laden air sucked in through the suction device 9 passes through the extension tube 8 and the tubular unit 5 and is taken into the dust collection unit 6. In the dust collection unit 6, dust is separated from the dust-laden air. The clean air discharged from the dust collection unit 6 passes through the electric blower 3 and is then discharged to the outside of the main body 2 through the exhaust port 2a.

Next, an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 in embodiment 1. The upright region in the figure is the region where the main body 2 takes an upright position, and the tilted region is the region where the main body 2 takes an tilted position.

At time T1 (initial state) shown in FIG. 4 , the main body 2 is in an upright position and the electric blower 3 is stopped. Then, at time T2, with the main body 2 in an upright position, the user presses the operation button 71 (ON operation). Upon receiving an input signal corresponding to the ON operation, the microcomputer 11 drives (starts operation of) the electric blower 3, regardless of the main body 2 being in an upright position. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables (hereinafter referred to as "upright detection disabled") the detection of the upright position of the main body 2 by the acceleration sensor 12. As a result, at time T3, even though the main body 2 is in an upright position, the electric blower 3 continues to operate, thereby preventing a loss of usability for the user. In contrast, in the conventional example, because the detection of the upright position of the main body 2 is enabled, the electric blower 3 is immediately stopped based on the detection of the upright position by the acceleration sensor 12, resulting in a loss of usability.

At the following time T4, even when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position, the operation of the electric blower 3 continues. At this time, the microcomputer 11 cancels the standing detection disablement that was set at time T2. As a result, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position at time T5, the microcomputer 11 stops the operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 12. This provides ease of use, as the user does not need to press the operation button 71 (to turn it off) to stop the electric blower 3.

Also, at time T11 shown in Figure 5, the electric blower 3 is operating with the main body 2 in an inclined position. Then, at time T12, with the main body 2 in an inclined position, the user presses the operation button 71 (OFF operation). Upon receiving an input signal corresponding to the OFF operation, the microcomputer 11 stops operation of the electric blower 3, regardless of the inclined position of the main body 2. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables detection of the inclined position of the main body 2 by the acceleration sensor 12 (hereinafter referred to as "tilt detection disabled"). As a result, at time T13, even though the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the electric blower 3 remains stopped, and usability is not impaired. In contrast, in the conventional example, detection of the inclined position of the main body 2 is valid, and therefore the electric blower 3 immediately starts operating based on the detection of the inclined position by the acceleration sensor 12, thereby impairing usability.

At the following time T14, even when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position, the electric blower 3 remains stopped. At this time, the microcomputer 11 cancels the tilt detection disablement that was set at time T12. As a result, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position at time T15, the microcomputer 11 starts operating the electric blower 3 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 12. This provides ease of use, as the user does not need to press the operation button 71 (ON operation) to operate the electric blower 3.

Figures 6 and 7 are flow diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 in embodiment 1. The routine shown in Figure 6 is started by the microcomputer 11 while the electric blower 3 is stopped, as shown at time T1 in Figure 4. In this routine, it is first determined whether the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S1). If the operation button 71 has been pressed (turned ON), as shown at time T2 in Figure 4, standing detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled (step S2). Standing detection can be disabled, for example, by setting the standing detection disable flag stored in memory 11b to ON. Note that standing detection can also be disabled in other ways. In the following step S3, operation of the electric blower 3 is started.

While the electric blower 3 is operating, the microcomputer 11 starts the routine shown in FIG. 7. In this routine, it first determines whether the operation button 71 has been pressed (Step S11). If the operation button 71 has not been pressed (OFF operation), it determines whether standing detection is disabled (Step S12). If standing detection is disabled, i.e., if the standing detection disabled flag is ON, the process proceeds to Step S13. In Step S13, it determines whether the angle detection value θ of the acceleration sensor 12 is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position. If the angle detection value θ is less than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the process returns to Step S11. On the other hand, if the angle detection value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the standing detection disabled state is canceled (Step S14). In Step S14, the standing detection disabled flag is set to OFF. Then, the process returns to Step S11.

If it is determined in step S12 above that the standing detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position. If the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped (step S16).

Furthermore, if the operation button 71 is pressed (turned OFF) as shown at time T12 in Figure 5 while the electric blower 3 is operating, tilt detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled (step S17). Tilt detection can be disabled, for example, by setting the tilt detection disable flag stored in memory 11b to ON. However, tilt detection can also be disabled by other methods. In the following step S16, operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped. After that, the routine shown in Figure 6 is started again.

If it is determined in step S1 that the operation button 71 has not been pressed (turned ON), the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, it is determined whether tilt detection is disabled. If tilt detection is disabled, i.e., if the tilt detection disabled flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position. If the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an upright position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is smaller than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the tilt detection disable state is canceled (step S6). In step S6, the tilt detection disabled flag is set to OFF. Then, the process returns to step S1.

If it is determined in step S4 above that tilt detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position. If the detected angle value θ is less than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an upright position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is started (step S3).

As described above, this embodiment employs a configuration in which, when the operation button 71 is turned ON (or OFF), the electric blower 3 is driven (or stopped) and standing (or tilt) detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled. This prevents the electric blower 3 from being immediately stopped (or driven) against the user's will, and does not impair usability for the user. Furthermore, after standing (or tilt) detection is disabled, the configuration is such that the disablement is canceled if the acceleration sensor 12 detects a tilted posture (or standing posture). This allows the drive control of the electric blower 3 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 12 to be enabled. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both drive control of the electric blower 3 based on the operation of the operation button 71 and drive control of the electric blower 3 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 12 without impairing usability.

Embodiment 2.
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a difference (hysteresis) is provided between the reference angle θth1 for determining whether the standing posture is present and the reference angle θth2 for determining whether the inclined posture is present. The following mainly describes the difference. Note that the reference angle θth1 can be set smaller than the reference angle θth in the first embodiment, and the reference angle θth2 can be set larger than the reference angle θth.

Figures 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 in embodiment 2. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, a continuation region exists between the upright region and the tilted region. The continuation region in the figure is a region in which the main body 2 takes an intermediate position. The intermediate position is a position between the upright position and the tilted position. In the continuation region, the operating state in the region before transitioning to the continuation region continues.

At time T21 (initial state) shown in Figure 8, the main body 2 is in an upright position and the electric blower 3 is stopped. Then, at time T22, with the main body 2 in an upright position, the user presses the operation button 71 (ON operation). The microcomputer 11 receives an input signal corresponding to the ON operation and drives the electric blower 3 (starts operation) even though the main body 2 is in an upright position. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables standing detection. As a result, at time T23, even though the main body 2 is in an upright position, the electric blower 3 continues to operate, and usability for the user is not impaired. In contrast, in the conventional example, because standing detection is enabled, the electric blower 3 is immediately stopped when the acceleration sensor 12 detects the upright position, thereby impairing usability.

At the following time T24, even when the main body 2 transitions to an intermediate position, the operating state of time T23 (operation of the electric blower 3) continues. Furthermore, at time T25, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position, the microcomputer 11 cancels the standing detection disablement set at time T22 while continuing operation of the electric blower 3. At time T26, even when the main body 2 transitions to an intermediate position (continuation region), the operating state of time T25 (operation of the electric blower 3) continues. However, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position at the following time T27, the microcomputer 11 stops operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12. This eliminates the need for the user to press the operation button 71 (OFF operation) to stop the electric blower 3, making it easy to use.

Also, at time T31 shown in Figure 9, the electric blower 3 is operating with the main body 2 in an inclined position. Then, at time T32, with the main body 2 in an inclined position, the user presses the operation button 71 (OFF operation). The microcomputer 11, having received an input signal corresponding to the OFF operation, stops operation of the electric blower 3, regardless of the inclined position of the main body 2. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables tilt detection. As a result, at time T33, even though the main body 2 is in an inclined position, the electric blower 3 continues to be stopped, and usability is not impaired. In contrast, in the conventional example, tilt detection is enabled, so the electric blower 3 immediately starts operating based on the detection of the inclined position by the acceleration sensor 12, thereby impairing usability.

At the following time T34, even when the main body 2 transitions to an intermediate position, the operating state of time T33 (electric blower 3 stopped) continues. Furthermore, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position at time T35, the microcomputer 11 cancels the tilt detection disablement set at time T32 while continuing to stop the electric blower 3. As a result, after the main body 2 transitions to an intermediate position (continuation region) at time T36, when the main body 2 further transitions to an inclined position at time T37, the microcomputer 11 starts operating the electric blower 3 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 12. Usability is enhanced because the user does not need to press the operation button 71 (ON operation) to operate the electric blower 3.

10 and 11 are flow charts showing an example of the operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 in embodiment 2. The routines shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can also be applied to the modified examples described later. The routine shown in FIG. 10 is initiated by the microcomputer 11 while the electric blower 3 is stopped, as shown at time T21 in FIG. 8 . In this routine, first, it is determined whether the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S1). If the operation button 71 has been pressed (turned ON), as shown at time T22 in FIG. 8 , the standing detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled, for example, by setting the standing detection disable flag stored in memory 11b to ON (step S2). In the subsequent step S3, when the electric blower 3 starts operating, the routine shown in FIG. 11 is initiated by the microcomputer 11. In this routine, first, it is determined whether the operation button 71 has been pressed (step S11). If the operation button 71 has not been pressed (turned OFF), it is determined whether standing detection is currently disabled (step S12). If standing detection is disabled, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position (step S13A). If the detected angle value θ is less than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an standing or intermediate position, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the standing detection disable flag is set to OFF, for example, to cancel the standing detection disable (step S14).

If it is determined in step S12 above that the standing detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S15A. In step S15A, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position. If the detected angle value θ is greater than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an intermediate position or an inclined position, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped (step S16).

Furthermore, if the operation button 71 is pressed (turned OFF) as shown at time T32 in Figure 9 while the electric blower 3 is operating, tilt detection by the acceleration sensor 12 is disabled (step S17), for example, by setting the tilt detection disable flag to ON. In the following step S16, operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped. Thereafter, the routine shown in Figure 10 is started again.

If it is determined in step S1 that the operation button 71 has not been pressed (ON operation), it is determined whether tilt detection is disabled (step S4). If tilt detection is disabled, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an upright position (step S5A). If the detected angle value θ is greater than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an inclined or intermediate position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or less than the reference angle θth1, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an upright position, the tilt detection disable state is canceled, for example, by setting the tilt detection disable flag to OFF (step S6). Then, the process returns to step S1.

If it is determined in step S4 above that tilt detection disable has been canceled, the process proceeds to step S7A. In step S7A, it is determined whether the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., whether the main body 2 is in an inclined position. If the detected angle value θ is less than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 is in an upright or intermediate position, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected angle value θ is equal to or greater than the reference angle θth2, i.e., if the main body 2 has transitioned to an inclined position, the electric blower 3 starts operating (step S3).

As explained above, the present disclosure can also be applied when there is a difference (hysteresis) between the reference angle θth1 for determining an upright posture and the reference angle θth2 for determining an inclined posture. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as in the first embodiment.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above embodiment describes an electric vacuum cleaner 1 equipped with a suction tool 9, but the present invention can also be applied to handheld electric vacuum cleaners that do not have a suction tool.

12 and 13 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the operation of a vacuum cleaner in a modified example. This modified example differs from the second embodiment in that, at time T43 shown in FIG. 12, the user presses (ON) the operation button 71 while the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. In this case, the microcontroller 11, upon receiving the ON operation, drives (starts operation of) the electric blower 3, even though the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. At the same time, the microcontroller 11 disables the standing detection. As a result, at time T44, the operation of the electric blower 3 continues even though the main body 2 is in the intermediate position, thereby preventing usability from being impaired. At the following time T45, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position, the microcontroller 11 cancels the standing detection disablement set at time T43 while continuing to operate the electric blower 3. At time T46, even when the main body 2 transitions to the intermediate position (continuation region), the operating state of time T45 (operation of the electric blower 3) continues. At the next time T46, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position, the microcomputer 11 stops the operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 12. This is easy to use because the user does not need to press the operation button 71 (to turn it off) to stop the electric blower 3.

13, the user presses the operation button 71 (OFF operation) while the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. The microcomputer 11, upon receiving the OFF operation, stops the operation of the electric blower 3, even though the main body 2 is in the intermediate position. At the same time, the microcomputer 11 disables tilt detection. Then, at time T55, when the main body 2 transitions to an upright position, the microcomputer 11 cancels the tilt detection disablement set at time T53 while continuing to stop the electric blower 3. As a result, when the main body 2 transitions to an inclined position at time T57, the microcomputer 11 starts the operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 12. This eliminates the need for the user to press the operation button 71 (ON operation) to operate the electric blower 3, providing improved usability. In this way, the present disclosure can also be applied when the operation button 71 is pressed while the main body 2 is in the intermediate position (continuation region). Therefore, this modification can achieve the same effects as those of the second embodiment.

However, while the vacuum cleaner 1 is in use, for some reason the angle detection value θ of the acceleration sensor 12 may become unknown, making the posture of the main body 2 unknown. In this case, usability can be further improved by configuring the main body 2 to forcibly transition to an upright posture, thereby resetting the angle detection value θ.

1...Vacuum cleaner, 2...Main body, 3...Electric blower, 4...Battery, 5...Cylindrical part, 6...Dust collection part, 7...Handle part, 71...Operation button, 8...Extension tube, 9...Suction tool, 11...Microcomputer (control part), 12...Acceleration sensor, θ...Angle detection value, θth, θth1, θth2...Reference angle

Claims (4)

The main body and
an electric blower built into the main body;
a grip portion to be gripped by a user;
an acceleration sensor for detecting the attitude of the main body;
a control unit that stops the electric fan when the acceleration sensor detects that the main body is in an upright position, and that operates the electric fan when the acceleration sensor detects that the main body is in an inclined position;
Equipped with
an operation button provided on the grip portion and operated by a user to start and stop the electric blower;
when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button while the main body is in an upright position and the electric blower is stopped, the control unit disables the upright detection, which is the detection of the upright position by the acceleration sensor;
The control unit cancels the disabling of the standing-up detection when the tilted posture is detected by the acceleration sensor after the standing-up detection has been disabled. when the electric blower is stopped by operating the operation button while the main body is in an inclined position and the electric blower is in a driving state, the control unit disables tilt detection, which is detection of the inclined position by the acceleration sensor;
The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit cancels the disabling of the tilt detection when the upright posture is detected by the acceleration sensor after the tilt detection has been disabled. 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor further detects an intermediate posture between the upright posture and the inclined posture,
The control unit disables the standing detection when the electric blower is driven by operating the operation button in the standing posture or the intermediate posture and in the stopped state. 3. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the acceleration sensor further detects an intermediate posture between the upright posture and the inclined posture,
The control unit disables the tilt detection when the electric blower is stopped by operating the operation button while the electric vacuum cleaner is in the inclined posture or the intermediate posture and the electric blower is in a driving state.