Upright vacuum cleaner

• US 5,152,028 A
• Filed: 12/07/1990
• Issued: 10/06/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirano, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US07/624,431
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 15/319, 15/339, 15/412
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner which includes a housing for accommodating a power-driven fan and a dust chamber, a suction head having a rotary brush for agitating dust on floors, the suction head being connected to the housing so as to enable the extracted dust to enter the dust chamber, a belt for transmitting the rotation of the fan to the rotary brush, a dust detecting sensor, and a control circuit for controlling the rotation of the fan.

Claims

1. An upright vacuum cleaner comprising a housing for accommodating a power-driven fan and a dust chamber, a suction head having a rotary brush for agitating dust on floors, the suction head being connected to the housing so as to enable the extracted dust to enter the dust chamber, means for transmitting the rotation of the fan to the rotary brush, dust detecting means for generating a signal in response to the detection of dust entering the dust chamber, control means for receiving the signal from the dust detecting means and controlling the rotation of the fan in response to the signal, and a cleaning member slidably mounted in said suction head so that said member is capable of coming into contact with the dust detecting means such that the dust detecting means is cleaned by rubbing contact with said member occurring in accordance with said sliding movement of the cleaning member.

2. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the dust detecting means comprises a light emitter and a light receptor located at opposite sides of a dust passageway.

3. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the dust detecting means is located on the side of the suction head in the dust passageway.

4. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the degree of the sliding movement of the cleaning member depends on the magnitude of the change of the angle between the housing and the suction head.

5. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the cleaning member keeps in full contact with the light emitter and the light receptor when the angle between the housing and the suction head is 90°

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