Vacuum cleaner including blower device and method for controlling same

Abstract

A cleaner may include: a cleaner main body; a battery and a suction motor inside the cleaner main body, the suction motor configured to provide suction power such that a foreign object outside the cleaner is sucked into an inside of the cleaner; a blower device configured to be connected to the cleaner main body and to blow away the foreign object outside the cleaner; a power line configured to transfer power supplied from the battery to the cleaner main body and the blower device; a signal line configured to transfer a signal between the cleaner main body and the blower device; and a first processor configured to cause a first signal to be transmitted, via the signal line, to the blower device by controlling an operation of a first switch element, and further configured to receive, via the signal line, a second signal from the blower device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cleaner, comprising:
 a cleaner main body;   a battery inside the cleaner main body;   a suction motor inside the cleaner main body, the suction motor configured to provide suction power such that a foreign object outside the cleaner is sucked into an inside of the cleaner;   a blower device configured to be connected to the cleaner main body and to blow away the foreign object outside the cleaner;   a power line configured to transfer power supplied from the battery to the cleaner main body and the blower device;   a signal line configured to transfer a signal between the cleaner main body and the blower device; and   a first processor configured to cause a first signal to be transmitted, via the signal line, to the blower device by controlling an operation of a first switch element, and further configured to receive, via the signal line, a second signal from the blower device, wherein the first processor is further configured to:
 identify a state in which an external device is connected to the cleaner main body; 
 transmit identification request information to the external device to identify the external device that is connected to the cleaner main body; 
 receive identification information from the external device based on the identification request information; 
 identify that the external device is the blower device based on the identification information; and 
 stop driving of the suction motor based on identifying that the suction motor is driving and that the blower device is connected to the cleaner main body. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the first processor is further configured to generate the first signal by:
 transmitting a first code by causing a voltage of a first level lower than a threshold to be applied to the signal line by turning on the first switch element; and   transmitting a second code by causing a voltage of a second level higher than the threshold to be applied to the signal line by turning off the first switch element.   
     
     
         3 . The cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the first signal comprises the first code and the second code transmitted by the first processor. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the blower device comprises:
 a second switch element connected to the signal line; and   a second processor connected to the second switch element, and   wherein the second processor is configured to receive the first signal and generate the second signal.   
     
     
         5 . The cleaner of  claim 4 , wherein the second processor is further configured to generate the second signal by:
 transmitting a first code by causing a voltage of a first level lower than a threshold to be applied to the signal line by turning on the second switch element; and   transmitting a second code by causing a voltage of a second level higher than the threshold to be applied to the signal line by turning off the second switch element.   
     
     
         6 . The cleaner of  claim 5 , wherein the second signal comprises the first code and the second code transmitted by the second processor. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the first processor is configured to transmit the first signal every preset period. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the first signal comprises target driving information indicating a target driving level of the blower device. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the second signal comprises current driving information indicating a current driving level of the blower device. 
     
     
         10 . The cleaner of  claim 4 , wherein the second signal comprises abnormal driving information obtained based on identifying abnormal driving of the blower device. 
     
     
         11 . The cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein the first processor is further configured to limit the power supplied to the blower device based on receiving the abnormal driving information from the second processor. 
     
     
         12 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the blower device comprises an identification resistor, and
 wherein the cleaner main body further comprises a first voltage divider that is configured to distribute a voltage input from the signal line to an input port of the first processor.   
     
     
         13 . The cleaner of  claim 12 , wherein the first processor is further configured to:
 identify that the voltage input to the input port of the first processor by the first voltage divider is changed in a case where the blower device is connected to the cleaner main body; and   identify that the external device is connected to the cleaner main body based on identifying that the voltage is changed.   
     
     
         14 . The cleaner of  claim 1 , further comprising an input/output interface comprising at least one input button and a display,
 wherein the first processor is further configured to, based on the input/output interface receiving an input regarding a target driving speed of a blower motor of the blower device, control the power supplied to the blower motor by controlling on or off of switch elements of an inverter of the blower motor.   
     
     
         15 . A method for controlling a cleaner that is performed by at least one processor, the method comprising:
 identifying a state in which an external device is connected to a cleaner main body of the cleaner;   transmitting, through a signal line connected to the cleaner main body, identification request information to the external device to identify the external device that is connected;   receiving, from the external device and through the signal line, identification information obtained based on the identification request information;   identifying that the external device is a blower device based on the identification information; and   stopping driving of a suction motor inside the cleaner main body based on identifying that the suction motor is driving, and that the blower device is connected to the cleaner main body.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising transmitting, through the signal line, a first signal from the cleaner main body to the blower device, wherein the transmitting the first signal comprises:
 transmitting a first code by causing a voltage of a first level that is lower than a threshold to be applied to the signal line; and   transmitting a second code to the signal line by causing a voltage of a second level higher than the threshold to be applied to the signal line.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising transmitting the first signal every preset period. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising transmitting, through the signal line, a second signal from the blower device to the cleaner main body, wherein the transmitting the second signal comprises:
 transmitting a first code by causing a voltage of a first level lower than a threshold to be applied to the signal line; and   transmitting a second code by causing a voltage of a second level higher than the threshold to be applied to the signal line.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the identifying the state in which the external device is connected to the cleaner main body comprises:
 identifying a change in voltage input by an identification resistor of the blower device; and   identifying that the external device is connected to the cleaner main body based on identifying that the voltage is changed.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 receiving, via a user interface of the cleaner main body, an input regarding a target driving speed of a blower motor of the blower device; and   controlling power supplied to the blower motor based on the input.