DE20210567U1 - vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Utility model application

Vacuum cleaner

Vorwerk & Co. Inter holding GmbH

Mühlenweg 17-37

D-42275 Wuppertal

VGN 265 098 24502N1DE mue/pau/we 8th TuIi 2002 Vacuum cleaner

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner with an electric motor and a connecting cable for the electric motor, as well as with control electronics for the electric motor, further with an attachment which has its own electric motor with its own control electronics.

Vacuum cleaners of the type in question are known. Depending on requirements, these are equipped with an attachment that has its own electric motor, e.g. to drive rotary brushes. The attachment's electric motor is controlled by electronics within the attachment, with the control pulses being transmitted from the main device - the vacuum cleaner - to the attachment. For this purpose, the known solutions provide control lines between the vacuum cleaner and the attachment in addition to the connecting line, with the interface between the attachment and the vacuum cleaner having plug contacts for both the control lines and the connecting line.

In view of the previously described prior art, a technical problem of the invention is seen in the improved design of a vacuum cleaner of the type in question with regard to the transmission of control impulses between the vacuum cleaner and the attachment.

This problem is solved first and foremost by the subject matter of claim 1, whereby the control electronics of the attachment are acted upon by modulating control signals onto the connecting cable of the attachment's electric motor. As a result of this inventive design, the connecting cable between the vacuum cleaner and the attachment, which is already present, is also used to transmit the control signals. This solution advantageously eliminates the need for additional VGN 265 098 24502N1DE mue/pau/we 8. TuIi 2002

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Control lines, which on the one hand proves to be cost-effective in terms of production and on the other hand, due to the reduction in contacts in the area of the interface between the vacuum cleaner and the attachment, it is more reliable, i.e. less susceptible to interference. This embodiment according to the invention can also be used advantageously to report control signals from the attachment back to the connecting line of the electric motor of the attachment by modulation. For example, a blockage of a brush drive of the attachment can be reported to the vacuum cleaner by modulated pulses via the connecting line, which can then lead to the blower motor being switched off, for example. The control electronics are coupled to a transformer which has an input and an output winding. In this regard, it is provided that the input winding can be controlled via a capacitor with a high frequency, for example with 75 to 175 kHz, preferably 125 kHz. It is also provided that the inductance of the input winding or the capacitance of the capacitor are tuned to the exciting high frequency in order to generate a resonance. A capacitor is connected downstream of the transformer, whereby a high frequency pulse is coupled into the power grid, i.e. into the connecting line, via the output winding and the downstream capacitor. Finally, it is provided that the impedance of the generator in the control electronics is adapted to the impedance of the power grid by means of the turns ratio of the transformer. As a result of the design according to the invention, digital information transmission is achieved, whereby any amount of information can be transmitted in this way. By eliminating any control lines, a future-proof, universally expandable system is created.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent only one embodiment. It shows:

VGN 265 098 24502N1DE mue/pau/we 8th TuIi 2002

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Fig. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner according to the invention in perspective view;

Fig. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram for the transmission of control signals via the connecting line.

Shown and described with reference to Fig. 1 is a vacuum cleaner 1 in the form of a hand-held vacuum cleaner with an electric motor 2 of a suction-blower unit, to which vacuum cleaner 1 an attachment 3 is connected both electrically and fluidically.

The vacuum cleaner 1 is provided with a connecting cable 4 for electrical connection. The suction power of the suction-blower unit is controlled via a manually operable slide control 5 in the area of a handle 6.

As can be seen from the diagram in Fig. 2, both motors of the devices, i.e. both the electric motor 2 of the vacuum cleaner 1 and the electric motor 7 of the attachment 3, are each connected to the N and L lines of the connecting line 4, whereby two interfaces 8 in the form of plug contacts are provided between the vacuum cleaner 1 and the attachment 3, which are only shown schematically in Figure 2.

Both devices, ie the vacuum cleaner 1 and the attachment 3, each contain a control electronics 9, 9', which can control the respective motor 2 or 7 with the help of a triac 10, 10'. In addition, a transformer 11, 11' is included, each with an input winding 12, 12' and an output winding 13, 13'. The input windings 12 and 12' are each controlled via a capacitor 14, 14' with a high frequency, e.g. 125 kHz, via the control electronics 9, 9', whereby the winding end of the input winding 12, 12' facing away from the capacitor 14 or 14' is on the N line. Here, the inductance of the input windings is 12,12' and the capacitance of the VGN 265 098 24502N1DE mue/pau/we 8. TuIi 2002

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arranged capacitors 14,14' are resonantly tuned to the exciting high frequency.

With the output windings 13 and 13', the high frequency is coupled to the power grid, i.e. to the connecting line 4, via a further capacitor 15, 15'. Consequently, control signals from the control electronics 9, 9' are forwarded to the connecting line 4 by modulation and are filtered out accordingly by the arrangement in the other device for controlling its electric motor.

It is essential that the turns ratio of the transformer 11,11' is designed in such a way that the impedance of the high-frequency generator within the control electronics 9, 9' is adapted to the impedance of the power grid.

At least one choke 16,16' in the mains supply line ensures that the modulated control signals remain within the device and are not introduced into the supply network.

The design according to the invention enables both a signal transmission from the vacuum cleaner 1 to the attachment 3 and a feedback from the attachment 3 to the vacuum cleaner 1 to be achieved in the simplest manner using the existing connecting cable 4.

All disclosed features are (in themselves) essential to the invention. The disclosure content of the associated/attached priority documents (copy of the prior application) is hereby fully included in the disclosure of the application, also for the purpose of including features of these documents in the claims of the present application.

VGN 265 098 24502N1DE mue/pau/we 8th TuIi 2002

Claims (7)

1. Vacuum cleaner ( 1 ) with an electric motor ( 2 ) and a connecting cable for the electric motor ( 2 ), as well as with control electronics ( 9 ) for the electric motor ( 2 ), further with an attachment ( 3 ) which has its own electric motor ( 7 ) with its own control electronics ( 9 '), characterized in that the control electronics ( 9 ') of the attachment ( 3 ) are acted upon by modulating control signals onto the connecting cable ( 4 ) of the attachment electric motor ( 7 ). 2. Vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or in particular according thereto, characterized in that control signals of the attachment ( 3 ) are fed back by modulation to the connecting line ( 4 ) of the electric motor ( 7 ) of the attachment ( 3 ). 3. Vacuum cleaner according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the control electronics ( 9 , 9 ') are coupled to a transformer ( 11 , 11 ') with an input winding ( 12 , 12 ') and an output winding ( 13 , 13 '). 4. Vacuum cleaner according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the input winding ( 12 , 12 ') can be controlled at high frequency via a capacitor ( 14 , 14 '). 5. Vacuum cleaner according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the inductance of the input winding ( 12 , 12 ') or the capacitance of the capacitor ( 14 , 14 ') are tuned to the exciting high frequency in order to generate a resonance. 6. Vacuum cleaner according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that a capacitor ( 15 , 15 ') is connected downstream of the transformer ( 11 , 11 ') and that a high-frequency pulse is coupled into the power grid via the output winding ( 13 , 13 ') and the downstream capacitor ( 15 , 15 '). 7. Vacuum cleaner according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that by means of the turns ratio of the transformer ( 11 , 11 ') the impedance of the generator in the control electronics ( 9 , 9 ') is adapted to the impedance of the power grid.