Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner may include: a cleaner body having a suction motor; a suction unit in communication with the cleaner body and to suction air and dust; a battery; a battery management system configured to detect a state of the battery; a charger configured to apply a charging current to the battery and thus to charge the battery; a body connector to which a charging connector for supplying commercial power to the cleaner body is able to be separably connected; and a controller configured to control charging of the battery. The controller may attempt charging of the battery when it is detected that the charging connector is connected to the body connector, and the controller may reattempt the charging of the battery when the charging of the battery is not normally performed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a cleaner body;   a suction motor to generate a suction force;   a suction unit to be in communication with the cleaner body and to suction air;   a battery to supply power to the suction motor;   a battery management system configured to detect information regarding the battery;   a charger configured to apply a charging current to the battery for charging the battery;   a body connector to receive a charging connector for supplying power to the cleaner body; and   a controller configured to control charging of the battery,   wherein when the charging connector is determined to be coupled to the body connector, the controller to attempt the charging of the battery, and   when the charging of the battery is not normally performed, the controller to reattempt the charging of the battery.   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , comprising a charging switch to allow or stop the charging current from the charger, and the charging switch to be changed to be on when the charging of the battery is attempted. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 2 , wherein when the charging of the battery is not normally performed after the charging switch is changed to be on, the controller changes the charging switch to be off, and then after a predetermined time, the controller changes the charging switch to be on again. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 3 , comprising a current detection unit that detects a current applied to the battery, and
 when an average value or a value of the current detected by the current detection unit is less than a reference current value, the controller changes the charging switch to be off, and then after the predetermined time, the controller changes the charging switch to be on again.   
     
     
         5 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 4 , wherein when the average value or the value of the current detected by the current detection unit is less than the reference current value, the controller determines whether the battery is fully charged, and
 when the battery is determined to be fully charged, the controller finishes the charging of the battery.   
     
     
         6 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 5 , wherein the controller finishes the charging of the battery by changing the charging switch to be off. 
     
     
         7 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , comprising a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the battery, and when the charging connector is determined to be coupled to the body connector, the controller determines whether the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit is a full charging voltage or greater, and
 when the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit is the full charging voltage or greater, the controller attempts the charging of the battery, and then the controller determines whether the battery is normally charged.   
     
     
         8 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 7 , wherein the controller repeatedly attempts the charging of the battery until the battery is determined to be normally charged. 
     
     
         9 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 7 , wherein the battery management system includes a switch to change to be off to protect the battery when the battery has a predetermined temperature or greater, and the switch to change to be off when an average value or a value of a current detected by a current detection unit is a reference current value or less. 
     
     
         10 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a current detection unit that detects a current of the battery, and
 when the charging connector is determined to be coupled to the body connector, the controller determines whether a value or an average value of the current detected by the current detection unit is a reference current value or less, and   when the value or the average value of the current detected by the current detection unit is determined to be the reference current value or less, the controller attempts the charging of the battery, and then the controller determines whether the battery is normally charged.   
     
     
         11 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 10 , wherein the controller repeatedly attempts the charging of the battery until the battery is determined to be normally charged. 
     
     
         12 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 10 , wherein the battery management system includes a switch to change to be off to protect the battery when the battery has a predetermined temperature or greater, and the switch to change to be off when the average value or the value of the current detected by the current detection unit is the reference current value or less. 
     
     
         13 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 12 , wherein when the switch is changed to be on, the controller to determine that the battery is normally charged. 
     
     
         14 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a cleaner body;   a suction motor to generate a suction force;   a suction unit to be in communication with the cleaner body and to suction air;   a battery to supply power to the suction motor;   a battery management system configured to detect information regarding the battery;   a charger configured to apply a charging current to the battery, for charging the battery, and the charger to be detachably coupled to the cleaner body; and   a controller configured to control charging of the battery,   wherein when the charger is determined to be coupled to the cleaner body, the controller to attempt the charging of the battery, and   when the charging of the battery is not normally performed, the controller to reattempt the charging of the battery.   
     
     
         15 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 14 , comprising a charging switch to allow or stop the charging current from the charger, and the charging switch to be changed to be on when the charging of the battery is attempted. 
     
     
         16 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 15 , wherein when the charging of the battery is not normally performed after the charging switch is changed to be on, the controller changes the charging switch to be off, and then after a predetermined time, the controller changes the charging switch to be on again. 
     
     
         17 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 16 , comprising a current detection unit that detects a current applied to the battery, and
 when an average value or a value of the current detected by the current detection unit is less than a reference current value, the controller changes the charging switch to be off, and then after the predetermined time, the controller changes the charging switch to be on again.   
     
     
         18 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a cleaner body;   a suction motor to generate a suction force;   a suction unit to be in communication with the cleaner body and to suction air;   a battery to supply power to the suction motor;   a battery management system configured to detect information regarding the battery;   a second connector to couple to a first connector for applying power for charging the battery; and   a controller to control charging of the battery,   wherein when the first connector is determined to be coupled to the second connector, the controller to attempt the charging of the battery, and   when the charging of the battery is not normally performed, the controller to reattempt the charging of the battery.   
     
     
         19 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 18 , comprising a charging switch to allow or stop the charging current for charging the battery, and the charging switch to be changed to be on when the charging of the battery is attempted, and
 when the charging of the battery is not normally performed, the controller changes the charging switch to be off, and then after the predetermined time, the controller changes the charging switch to be on again.   
     
     
         20 . The vacuum cleaner according to  claim 19 , comprising a current detection unit that detects a current applied to the battery, and
 when an average value or a value of the current detected by the current detection unit is less than a reference current value, the controller changes the charging switch to be off, and then after the predetermined time, the controller changes the charging switch to be on again.