Vacuum cleaner and vacuum cleaning system in wireless communication with a user-controlled electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11950754-B2
Application number	US-202218047160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2022
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a base defining a suction chamber, a user-manipulatable handle coupled to the base, a brushroll driven by a brushroll motor, a transmitter and a receiver both of which are in wireless communication with a user-controlled electronic device, and a controller in communication with the transmitter and the receiver. The controller controls the brushroll motor in a default mode wherein the brushroll is configured to run at a first percent of power on a first floor surface and a second percent of power on a second floor surface. The controller receives a communication from the user-controlled electronic device via the receiver and configured to cause the controller to turn off the default mode and run the brushroll at a third percent of power at both the first floor surface and the second floor surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a base defining a suction chamber;
a user-manipulatable handle coupled to the base, the handle for moving the base with respect to a surface;
a suction source driven by a suction motor;
a brushroll driven by a brushroll motor;
a transmitter and a receiver, both of which for wireless communication with a user-controlled electronic device; and
a controller in communication with the transmitter and the receiver, the controller configured to
control the brushroll motor in a default mode wherein the brushroll is configured to run at a first percent of power on a first floor surface and a second percent of power on a second floor surface,
receive a communication from the user-controlled electronic device via the receiver, the communication configured to cause the controller to turn off the default mode and thereby run the brushroll at a third percent of power at both the first floor surface and the second floor surface.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the third percent of power is equal to the first percent of power.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to run the brushroll at the first percent of power, the second percent of power, and the third percent of power by controlling a speed of the brushroll motor by controlling the amount of current provided to the brushroll motor.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 , wherein the brushroll rotates at a rotational speed between 1000 and 5000 revolutions-per-minute at the first percent of power.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4 , wherein the brushroll rotates at a rotational speed between 0 and 1000 revolutions-per-minute at a second percent of power.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the first floor surface is carpet.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 , wherein the second floor surface is hard floor.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the first percent of power is higher than the second percent of power.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the first percent of power is higher than 10%.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the second percent of power is between 0% and 10%.

11. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a base defining a suction chamber;
a user-manipulatable handle coupled to the base, the handle for moving the base with respect to a surface;
a suction source driven by a suction motor;
a brushroll driven by a brushroll motor;
a transmitter and a receiver, both of which for wireless communication with a user-controlled electronic device; and
a controller in communication with the transmitter and the receiver, the controller configured to
control at least one of the suction motor and the brushroll motor at an initial value corresponding to
a predetermined threshold associated with a floor type, and
a sensed parameter from at least one of a floor type sensor and a brushroll sensor, wherein the sensed parameter is compared to a predetermined threshold associated with a floor type,

receive a communication from the user-controlled electronic device via the receiver, the communication providing an updated threshold to replace the predetermined threshold and cause the controller to control at least one of the suction motor and the brushroll motor at an updated value corresponding to the updated threshold and an updated sensed parameter from at least one of the floor type sensor and the brushroll sensor.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the brushroll sensor includes at least one of
a tachometer for sensing a revolutions per minute value of the brushroll,
a tachometer for sensing a revolutions per minute value of the brushroll motor,
an electrical sensor for sensing an electrical parameter of the brushroll motor,
a torque sensor for sensing a torque of the brushroll motor, and
a pulse width modulation controller for the brushroll motor.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the floor type sensor includes at least one of
a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure within the vacuum,
a current sensor for sensing a current of the suction motor,
a current sensor for sensing a current of the brushroll motor,
a tachometer for sensing a revolutions per minute value of the brushroll, and
a tachometer for sensing a revolutions per minute value of the brushroll motor.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined threshold is a first pressure value and the updated threshold is a second pressure value different from the first pressure value.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined threshold is a first torque value and the updated threshold is a second torque value different from the first torque value.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined threshold is a first current value and the updated threshold is a second current value different from the first current value.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined threshold is higher than the updated threshold.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined threshold is lower than the updated threshold.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the suction motor and the brushroll motor at the initial value based on a comparison between the predetermined threshold and the sensed parameter.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the suction motor and the brushroll motor at the updated value based on a comparison between the updated threshold and the updated sensed parameter.

Assignees

• Techtronic Floor Care Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Truitt Patrick
• Zimmerman Todd

Classifications

• A47L9/2831 Primary

  Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed · CPC title

• A47L5/30

  with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes · CPC title

• A47L9/0411

  driven by electric motor · CPC title

• A47L9/2821

  Pressure, vacuum level or airflow · CPC title

• A47L9/2826

  the condition of the floor · CPC title