Vacuum cleaner with dirt detection

• US 5,608,944 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 03/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Healthy Gain Investments Limited
• Original Assignee: Hoover Company (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Gordon, Evan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US08/461,151
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 15/319, 15/339, 15/326
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/281 the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners

Abstract

The disclosure describes a vacuum cleaner having a dirt sensor circuit usable with an audio detector. The circuit provides amplification of the audio signal, a pulse stretcher, sensitivity selection of a non linear characteristic and visual signal means to indicate high or low levels of dirt concentration.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner having a dirt detecting circuit including:

a) an upper fill tube;

b) a microphone mounted outside said fill tube but closely adjacent thereto;

c) a dirt detecting circuit electrically connected to said microphone;

d) said dirt collecting circuit including a switchable integrator circuit portion for providing sensitivity selection for said dirt detector circuit.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein:

said dirt detecting circuit includes;

a) an amplifier filter circuit section;

b) a pulse stretcher circuit section; and

c) said switchable integrator circuit portion also including a switch whereby the selectivity of the said dirt detecting circuit may be altered.

3. The dirt detecting circuit of claim 1 wherein:

a) said integrator circuit includes at least one comparator circuit section.

4. The dirt detecting circuit of claim 3 wherein:

a) said comparator circuit section is a schmitt trigger comparator.

5. The dirt detecting circuit of claim 1 wherein:

a) said integrator circuit includes more than one comparator circuit section.

6. The dirt detecting circuit of claim 5 wherein:

a) said switch switches between at least two of said comparator circuit sections.

7. The dirt detecting circuit of claim 1 wherein:

a) said integrator circuit section provides at least a pair of time variables for said dirt detecting circuit.

8. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 7 wherein:

a) said dirt detector circuit is mounted in a console top cap for said vacuum cleaner.