Vacuum cleaner

• US 4,611,365 A
• Filed: 10/10/1984
• Issued: 09/16/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Takashi, Ishino, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Chris K.
• Application Number:
  US06/667,476
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 15/339, 15/412, 15/377
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2831 Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/14 Universal motors H02P25/12 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a suction motor 13, which is encased in a casing, and a brush motor 12 for driving a brush, which is encased in a floor nozzle. A remote control of the rotational speed of the suction motor 13 is performed by superimposing a signal on two feed wires 32, 33 provided from the casing to the brush motor 14.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor fan suction unit including a suction motor;

a floor brush unit including a brush motor;

a suction passage for establishing communication between said motor fan suction unit and said floor brush unit;

a pair of current carrying conductor wires for connecting said brush motor to a source of alternating current;

a remote control unit provided on said suction passage and coupled to said conductor wires so that the alternating current flows therethrough, said remote control unit having means for generating a control signal; and

circuit means coupled through said conductor wires to said remote control unit for controlling the rotational speed of said suction motor in response to the generated control signal.

2. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control signal generating means superimposes a pulse signal on the alternating current passing through said conductor wires.

3. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control signal generating means has an inductor.

4. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of said suction passage is made up of a flexible hose and said pair of conductor wires are embedded in a wall of said flexible hose.

5. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an indicating control circuit coupled to said rotational speed control circuit means, for indicating the rotational speed of said suction motor by means of an indicator.

6. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor fan suction unit including a suction motor;

a floor brush unit including a brush motor;

a suction passage for establishing communication between said motor fan suction unit and said floor brush unit;

a pair of current carrying conductor wires for connecting said brush motor to a source of alternating current;

a remote control unit provided on said suction passage and coupled to said conductor wires so that the alternating current flows therethrough, said remote control unit having means for generating a control signal; and

circuit means coupled through said conductor wires to said remote control unit for controlling the rotational speed of said suction motor in rsponse to the generated control signal, said circuit means comprising a signal detecting circuit for detecting the generated control signal, a memory for storing the rotational speed of said suction motor corresponding to an output of said signal detecting circuit, and a phase control circuit energized in response to an output of said memory.

7. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a motor fan suction unit including a suction motor;

a floor brush unit including a brush motor;

a suction passage for establishing communication between said motor fan suction unit and said floor brush unit;

a pair of current carrying conductor wires for connecting said brush motor to a source of alternating current;

a remote control unit provided on said suction passage and coupled to said conductor wires so that the alternating current flows therethrough, said remote control unit having means for generating a control signal, said control signal generating means comprising two diodes connected to each other in parallel in opposite directions and switched by switches; and

circuit means coupled through said conductor wires to said remote control unit for controlling the rotational speed of said suction motor in response to the generated control signal, said rotational speed control circuit means comprising a current-sense detector for detecting the direction of current from said control signal generating means, an integrator for converting an output of said current-sense detector into a direct current, two comparators which are coupled to said integrator and to which positive or negative voltage is applied, an oscillator operated by outputs of said comparators, a switching circuit energized by an output of said oscillator, a counter for counting outputs of said oscillator, an up-down control circuit for increasing or decreasing the value of said counter, D/A converter for a digital signal output of said counter to an analog signal output, a pulse generator for generating a pulse when an output of said D/A converter corresponds to an output of a ramp generator generating a sawtooth wave in a cycle similar to a half cycle of an alternating-current power source, an amplifier for amplifying an output pulse of said pulse generator, and a bidirectional thyristor triggered by an output pulse of said amplifier.