Floor care apparatus having visual dirt indicator with flexible membrane circuit

• US 7,373,689 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Charbonneau, Gary P., Bowden, Jason D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas; David B
• Application Number:
  US11/409,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20070245510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 153/19, 153/39
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/281 the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices

Abstract

A floor care apparatus has a housing with a wall having a contour. A flexible membrane circuit includes an adhesive side that attaches the circuit to the wall to generally follow the contour. A controller connects to the circuit and illuminates a visual indicator as a relative function of the cleanliness or dirtiness of a signal of a dirt sensor connected to the controller. A motor is also controlled by the controller as a relative function of the dirt sensor signal. Further, the flexible membrane circuit includes a side opposite the adhesive side to friction fit the visual indicator against the housing. Preferably, the visual indicator includes a plurality of colors, from light emitting diodes, wherein the side opposite the adhesive side of the circuit connects to the light emitting diodes.

Claims

1. A floor care apparatus, comprising:

a housing having a wall with a contour;

a visual indicator on the housing, the visual indicator having a plurality of serially arranged lenses;

a controller in the housing; and

a flexible membrane circuit electrically connecting the visual indicator and the controller, the circuit including a first and second side, the first side friction fits a portion of the visual indicator against the housing, the second side including an adhesive to attach the second side to the wall to generally follow the contour.

2. The floor care apparatus of claim 1, further including a dirt sensor providing an input to the controller.

3. The floor care apparatus of claim 2, wherein the visual indicator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes having various colors located underneath the lenses to indicate a relative dirtiness or cleanliness of an airstream related to the input of the dirt sensor.

4. The floor care apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first side of the circuit connects to the light emitting diodes.

5. The floor care apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller includes a control for a motor as a relative function of the input of the dirt sensor.

6. The floor care apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller controls illumination of the visual indicator via the circuit as a relative function of a speed of the motor.

7. The floor care apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller controls illumination of the visual indicator via the circuit as a relative function of the input of the dirt sensor.

8. A floor care apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a controller in the housing;

a dirt sensor providing an input to the controller;

a visual indicator on the housing having a plurality of lenses, the controller controlling illumination of the visual indicator as a relative function of the input of the dirt sensor; and

a flexible membrane circuit electrically connecting the visual indicator and the controller, the circuit having a first terminal end with a connector and a second terminal end with a plurality of light emitting diodes for insertion underneath the lenses.

9. The floor care apparatus of claim 8, wherein the housing further includes a wall having a contour.

10. The floor care apparatus of claim 9, the circuit including a first and second side, the first side of the circuit friction fits a portion of the visual indicator against the housing and connects to the light emitting diodes such that the light emitting diodes abut an undersurface of the lenses whereby the need for mechanical fasteners is eliminated, the second side including an adhesive to attach the second side to the wall to generally follow the contour.

11. The floor care apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller further includes a control for a motor as a relative function of the input of the dirt sensor.

12. A floor care apparatus, comprising:

a housing with a wall having a contour;

a controller in the housing;

a dirt sensor providing an input to the controller;

a motor controlled by the controller as a relative function of the input of the dirt sensor;

a visual indicator on the housing, the controller controlling illumination of the visual indicator as a relative function of the input of the dirt sensor; and

a flexible membrane circuit electrically connecting the visual indicator and the controller, the circuit including a first and second side, the second side including an adhesive to attach the second side to the wall to generally follow the contour.

13. The floor care apparatus of claim 12, wherein the visual indicator includes a plurality of colors to indicate a relative dirtiness or cleanliness of an airstream related to the input of the dirt sensor.

14. The floor care apparatus of claim 12, wherein the visual indicator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes.

15. The floor care apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first side of the circuit connects to the plurality of light emitting diodes.

16. The floor care apparatus of claim 12, wherein the circuit friction fits a portion of the visual indicator to the housing.

17. A method of making a floor care apparatus, comprising:

providing a housing with a wall having a contour; and

attaching a flexible membrane circuit to the housing by adhering a side of the circuit to the wall to follow the contour.

18. The method of claim 17, further including connecting the circuit to a controller and a visual indicator.

19. The method of claim 18, further including connecting the controller to a dirt sensor in the housing so during use the controller can control illumination of the visual indicator via the circuit as a function of the dirtiness or cleanliness of an airstream related to a signal of the dirt sensor.

20. The method of claim 19, further including connecting the controller to a motor so during use the controller can control motor speed based upon the number of dirt particles greater than 10 micrometers that pass the dirt sensor during a given 100 millisecond interval.