Automatic vacuum nozzle height adjustment system for vacuum cleaner
First Claim
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1. A height adjustment apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner having a brush mounted for rotation in proximity to a vacuum nozzle orifice and a motor for rotating said brush, comprising:
- means for adjusting the height of said brush from a surface to vary the speed of the motor as a function of the load transmitted to the motor by the brush;
sensing means for sensing the brush speeds resulting from said height adjustments; and
means responsive to said speed sensing means for controlling said height adjusting means, including means for establishing a height that is a function of the sensed brush speed.
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Abstract
A vacuum cleaner includes a device which senses brush speed while varying nozzle height settings until an optimum height setting is reached. Nozzle height is varied by a motor that rotates a cam to move a support roller and is set by stopping the motor when a predetermined brush speed condition is reached. A programmed control circuit senses the brush speed while controlling the cam motor.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A height adjustment apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner having a brush mounted for rotation in proximity to a vacuum nozzle orifice and a motor for rotating said brush, comprising:
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means for adjusting the height of said brush from a surface to vary the speed of the motor as a function of the load transmitted to the motor by the brush; sensing means for sensing the brush speeds resulting from said height adjustments; and means responsive to said speed sensing means for controlling said height adjusting means, including means for establishing a height that is a function of the sensed brush speed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A vacuum cleaner for use in cleaning a floor covering, comprising:
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means for generating a suction; a suction nozzle in fluid communication with said suction generating means; a brush mounted for rotation in said suction nozzle; means for rotatably driving said brush; means for sensing the rotational speed of said brush; a motor mounted adjacent said suction nozzle; a cam mounted for rotation by said motor; a cam follower abutting said cam; means for adjusting the height of said suction nozzle from the surface being cleaned in response to movement of said cam follower; a program controlled means for receiving signals from said speed sensing means and operating said motor, said program controlled means including; means for comparing a current brush speed to a predetermined brush speed; and means for terminating operation of said motor when said predetermined brush speed is sensed. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A method for adjusting a vacuum nozzle height in a vacuum cleaner having a brush mounted for rotation within a said nozzle and means for raising and lowering said nozzle in relation to a surface being cleaned, comprising the steps of:
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(a) rotatably driving a brush with a motor; (b) adjusting the height of the vacuum nozzle and brush relative to a surface to be cleaned whereupon the speed of the motor will vary as a function of the load transmitted to the motor by the brush; (c) sensing the resultant brush speeds during step (b) height adjustments; (d) selecting a height corresponding to a predetermined brush speed characteristic; (e) and terminating step (b) to maintain operation of the cleaner at the selected height and corresponding speed of step (d). - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A canister vacuum cleaner for cleaning floor surfaces, comprising:
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a canister suction unit for generating a vacuum air flow; a suction hose connected at a first end to said canister suction unit to conduct said vacuum air flow; a handle connected to a second opposite end of said suction hose; a manually operable switch mounted on said handle; a wand connected at a first end to said handle and being in fluid communication with said suction hose; a vacuum head connected to a second opposite end of said wand, said vacuum head including a vacuum nozzle in fluid communication with said wand; a brush rotatably mounted within said vacuum nozzle for contact with a floor surface when said vacuum nozzle is adjacent the floor; a motor within said vacuum head connected to rotate said brush; a speed sensor mounted in said vacuum head and connected to sense the speed of at least one of said brush and said motor; means for adjusting the height of said vacuum nozzle from the floor surface; and a control circuit connected to receive signals from said speed sensor and being connected to operate said height adjusting means, said control circuit including a programmed control unit having means for causing operation of said height adjusting means to terminate when a signal from said speed sensor is substantially equal to a predetermined signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification