IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,280,461
Granted Patent B2
US 12,280,461 · App. 18/122,219 · Granted Apr 22, 2025

Electrical device for actuating a vacuum cleaner

Inventor: Moritz Caspar (Stuttgart, DE)
Assignee: Festool GmbH
B23Q11/0046A47L7/0095A47L9/2884A47L9/2894G08C17/02H04W76/10H04W76/14B25F5/02G08C2201/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,280,461
App. No.
18/122,219
Granted
Apr 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electric device in the shape of a machine tool or an energy storage module for the electric power supply of a machine tool. The electric device has a wireless communication interface for wireless communication with an external communication apparatus, which forms part of a vacuum cleaner provided to suction dust generated by the machine tool and with the wireless communication interface being designed to send at least one control command to control the vacuum cleaner as a function of a switching status of the switching element to the external communication apparatus via a wireless control connection.

Claims (56)

1. An external communication apparatus as part of a vacuum cleaner, the external communication apparatus comprising:

a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with an external electric device,

wherein the vacuum cleaner is actuatable by the external electric device,

wherein the external electric device is one of a machine tool or an energy storage module for an electric power supply of a machine tool,

wherein the external communication apparatus and the external electric device form a system,

wherein the energy storage module has a module housing with a device interface for a detachable connection to the machine tool,

wherein the machine tool has a drive motor to drive a tool holder on which a tool provided to process a workpiece is arranged or is arrangeable, the drive motor being switchable using a switching element of the machine tool and/or the energy storage module,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed for wireless communication with a wireless communication interface of the external electric device and is designed to receive at least one control command to switch on and/or switch off the vacuum cleaner as a function of a switching status of the switching element from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device via a wireless control connection, and

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed to receive at least one registration message from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device to establish the wireless control connection, and

wherein the external communication apparatus is ready in a standby mode to receive the at least one registration message and the external communication apparatus is not ready in an operating mode to receive the at least one registration message, and

wherein the external communication apparatus is designed in the standby mode to send at least one request message to request the external electric device to send the at least one registration message to the external communication apparatus.

2. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus is switched using a registration operating element into the standby mode and/or wherein the external communication apparatus switches into the standby mode after connecting the vacuum cleaner to an electric energy supply for the vacuum cleaner.

3. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising optical and/or acoustic display means to display the standby mode and/or the apparatus ends the standby mode after a predetermined or determinable time.

4. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus is designed to establish at least one wireless control connection to an operating device in a permanent category and is further designed to establish the wireless control connection to the external electric device as a control connection of a non-permanent category.

5. The external communication apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein only a single wireless control connection of the non-permanent category is established with the external communication apparatus and/or wherein the control connection of the non-permanent category is reserved only to a device to actuate the vacuum cleaner from the machine tool or the energy storage module.

6. The external communication apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a first operating action at the external communication apparatus is required to establish the wireless control connection of the non-permanent category and the wireless control connection of the permanent category is established by a second operating action different compared to the first operating action, and/or is established by a permanent setting, using an electric registration operating element or using a setting settable by software.

7. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus ends the wireless control connection with the external electric device after a predetermined or settable time and/or in the case of switching off the vacuum cleaner and/or in the case of separating the vacuum cleaner from an electric energy supply.

8. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus is designed to establish the wireless control connection as a function of the signal strength of a signal sent by the wireless communication interface containing the at least one registration message, wherein the external communication apparatus signals the wireless communication interface in the case of a distance between the wireless communication interface and the external communication apparatus of less than 1 meter to prioritise the at least one registration message for an immediate establishment of the control connection and/or wherein the external communication apparatus prefers, in the case of external electric devices concurring with one another to establish the control connection, the external electric device with a highest signal strength to establish the control connection and/or wherein the external communication apparatus sets a registration confirmation message to the at least one registration message as a function of the signal strength of the signal of the wireless communication interface.

9. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus ends a suction operation when the wireless control connection is interrupted and/or the external communication apparatus does not obtain any control command within a predetermined or determinable time from the external electric device.

10. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus is designed to receive at least one configuration message for a configuration, of a working position and/or a suction power, of the vacuum cleaner as a function of a variable characterising the external electric device.

11. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory to store authorisation parameters or registration parameters and/or encryption parameters to establish control connections to at least two electric devices and wireless communication interfaces of the at least two electric devices.

12. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus is actuatable by at least one remote control device in addition to the at least one wireless control connection.

13. The external communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication apparatus is designed to prioritise the at least one control command generated by a control operating element different from the external electric device to switch on and/or switch off the vacuum cleaner with respect to the wireless control connection, wherein the control command forms a priority control command.

14. The external communication apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the control operating element comprises a switching element on the vacuum cleaner and/or a remote control device assigned to the vacuum cleaner or forming part of the vacuum cleaner.

15. An external communication apparatus as part of a vacuum cleaner, the external communication apparatus comprising:

a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with an external electric device,

wherein the vacuum cleaner is actuatable by the external electric device,

wherein the external electric device is one of a machine tool or an energy storage module for an electric power supply of a machine tool,

wherein the external communication apparatus and the external electric device form a system,

wherein the energy storage module has a module housing with a device interface for a detachable connection to the machine tool,

wherein the machine tool has a drive motor to drive a tool holder on which a tool provided to process a workpiece is arranged or is arrangeable, the drive motor being switchable using a switching element of the machine tool and/or the energy storage module,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed for wireless communication with a wireless communication interface of the external electric device and is designed to receive at least one control command to switch on and/or switch off the vacuum cleaner as a function of a switching status of the switching element from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device via a wireless control connection,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed to receive at least one registration message from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device to establish the wireless control connection, and

wherein the external communication apparatus is designed to establish the wireless control connection as a function of the signal strength of a signal sent by the wireless communication interface containing the at least one registration message, wherein the external communication apparatus signals the wireless communication interface in the case of a distance between the wireless communication interface and the external communication apparatus of less than 1 meter, to prioritise the at least one registration message for an immediate establishment of the control connection and/or wherein the external communication apparatus prefers, in the case of external electric devices concurring with one another to establish the control connection, the external electric device with a highest signal strength to establish the control connection and/or wherein the external communication apparatus sets a registration confirmation message to the at least one registration message as a function of the signal strength of the signal of the wireless communication interface.

16. The external communication apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the external communication apparatus is ready in a standby mode to receive the at least one registration message and the external communication apparatus is not ready in an operating mode to receive the at least one registration message.

17. The external communication apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the external communication apparatus is designed in the standby mode to send at least one request message to request the external electric device to send the at least one registration message to the external communication apparatus.

18. An external communication apparatus as part of a vacuum cleaner, the external communication apparatus comprising:

a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with an external electric device,

wherein the vacuum cleaner is actuatable by the external electric device,

wherein the external electric device is one of a machine tool or an energy storage module for an electric power supply of a machine tool,

wherein the external communication apparatus and the external electric device form a system,

wherein the energy storage module has a module housing with a device interface for a detachable connection to the machine tool,

wherein the machine tool has a drive motor to drive a tool holder on which a tool provided to process a workpiece is arranged or is arrangeable, the drive motor being switchable using a switching element of the machine tool and/or the energy storage module,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed for wireless communication with a wireless communication interface of the external electric device and is designed to receive at least one control command to switch on and/or switch off the vacuum cleaner as a function of a switching status of the switching element from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device via a wireless control connection,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed to receive at least one registration message from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device to establish the wireless control connection, and

wherein the external communication apparatus further comprises a memory to store authorisation parameters or registration parameters and/or encryption parameters to establish control connections to at least two electric devices and their-wireless communication interfaces of the at least two electric devices.

19. An external communication apparatus as part of a vacuum cleaner, the external communication apparatus comprising:

a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with an external electric device,

wherein the vacuum cleaner is actuatable by the external electric device,

wherein the external electric device is one of a machine tool or an energy storage module for an electric power supply of a machine tool,

wherein the external communication apparatus and the external electric device form a system,

wherein the energy storage module has a module housing with a device interface for a detachable connection to the machine tool,

wherein the machine tool has a drive motor to drive a tool holder on which a tool provided to process a workpiece is arranged or is arrangeable, the drive motor being switchable using a switching element of the machine tool and/or the energy storage module,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed for wireless communication with a wireless communication interface of the external electric device and is designed to receive at least one control command to switch on and/or switch off the vacuum cleaner as a function of a switching status of the switching element from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device via a wireless control connection,

wherein the communication interface of the external communication apparatus is designed to receive at least one registration message from the wireless communication interface of the external electric device to establish the wireless control connection, and

wherein the external communication apparatus is designed to prioritise the at least one control command generated by a control operating element different from the external electric device to switch on and/or switch off the vacuum cleaner with respect to the wireless control connection, wherein the control command forms a priority control command.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 16, 2023
From: CASPAR, MORITZ
To: FESTOOL GMBH
Reel/Frame 062999/0530 →
Priority Claims (2)
DE 102017112706.2 · Jun 8, 2017 · national
DE 102017131457.1 · Dec 29, 2017 · national
Continuity (2)
Division 16619826
Related Publication 20230219183A1 · Jul 13, 2023
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