Motor controlling apparatus for a vacuum cleaner

• US 5,201,095 A
• Filed: 07/01/1991
• Issued: 04/13/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Soo Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US07/724,592
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 15/353, 15/319, 15/339, 55/212, 55/213, 55/215
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0028 Security means, e.g. float valves or level switches for preventing overflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0042 Gaskets; Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user

Abstract

A motor controlling apparatus for a vacuum cleaner comprising a cylinder disposed on the base of the vacuum cleaner, a spring base mounted at lower portion of the cylinder and provided with an aperture communicating with the hole of the base, a spring mounted on the spring base, a piston biased by the spring, a cylinder head seal-tightly contacting with the piston and provided with a hole communicating with the atmosphere, and a limit switch contacting with the piston by means of an actuating rod penetrating the hole of the cylinder head in order to automatically turn off circuit of drive motor. The present invention can provide a motor controlling apparatus which can automatically open the circuit of the drive motor by means of the limit switch capable of being opened by the actuating rod as the piston moves downward resulting from rising of degree of vacuum inside the collection tank of the vacuum cleaner such as due to a clogging of the suction port and the filter pocket of the tank.

Claims

1. A motor controlling apparatus for a vacuum cleaner comprising:

a collection tank having an open upper portion and being provided with a suction port for collecting dust and washing water through said suction port;

a base member for covering said open upper portion, said base member adapted to seal a cavity formed in said collection tank, and provided with a base member opening formed in said base member and communicating said cavity with the outside atmosphere;

means for sealing said base member opening, said sealing means comprising a float and a float housing, said float housing provided under said base member opening and protruding downwardly from said base member and having a side wall with a plurality of holes, said float enclosed within said float housing and adapted for opening and closing said base member opening in response to said washing water reaching a predetermined level;

blowing means disposed over said base member opening and adapted for sucking air from said collection tank through said base member opening and exhausting said air to the outside atmosphere;

a cylinder mounted on said base member, said cylinder provided with an upper hole and a lower hole formed in said cylinder, said upper hole for communicating the outside atmosphere with an inside of said cylinder, said lower hole communicating said cavity with the inside of said cylinder;

a piston provided in said cylinder, said piston capable of being displaced upward and downward in response to changes in the pressure level inside said collection tank in order to open and close said upper hole of the cylinder;

limit switch means adapted to turn off said blowing means in response to a displacement in one direction of said piston; and

an elastic member provided in said cylinder for urging said piston against said upper hole.

2. A wet and dry vacuum cleaner comprising:

a collection tank having an open upper portion and provided with a suction port to allow dust and washing water to pass into the collection tank;

a base member for sealably covering said open upper portion to form a cavity within the collection tank;

blowing means disposed on said base member for drawing air from said cavity and exhausting said air; and

a pressure regulator comprising;

a portal communicating with the cavity and the atmosphere;

sealing means for covering the portal;

urging means for urging the sealing means over the portal with an urging force; and

limit switch means for cutting off power to the blowing means when the sealing means is urged away from the portal;

wherein when pressure within the cavity falls below a predetermined level relative to atmospheric pressure a pressure differential between the cavity and an atmosphere overcomes the urging force, thereby moving the sealing means away from the portal.

3. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner, according to claim 2, further comprising:

filter means dividing the cavity into a upper portion and a lower portion, joining with the collection tank at a junction between the collection tank and the base member for filtering air sucked in by the blowing means.

4. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner, according to claim 3, wherein the upper portion is substantially hemispherical.

5. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner, according to claim 2, the pressure regulator further comprising:

a cylindrical housing mounted on the base member and communicating with the cavity through hole formed in the base member, the portal being formed in an upper portion of said cylinder,

wherein the sealing means is a piston provided within the cylinder, said piston capable of displacing downward thereby opening the portal.

6. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner, according to claim 2, further comprising means for closing a base member opening formed in said base member, said blowing means sucking air from said cavity through said base member opening, saic closing means comprising a float adapted for opening and closing said base member opening in response to said washing water reaching a predetermined level.

7. The wet and dry vacuum cleaner, according to claim 6, said closing means further comprising a float housing extending downwardly from a bottom of said base member opening and having a side wall with a plurality of holes, said float being enclosed within said float housing.

8. A vacuum cleaner having a motor controlling apparatus, said vacuum cleaner comprising:

a collection tank for holding collected material;

suction means for drawing the collected material into said collection tank; and

means for automatically stopping an electric driving member of said suction means, said automatic stopping means disposed on a base member, said base member disposed over said collection tank, said automatic stopping means comprising;

a hollow cylinder,

a spring base disposed in a lower portion of said cylinder and provided with a first aperture providing a passage between an inside of said collection tank and an inside of said hollow cylinder,

an expansion spring mounted on said spring base,

a cylinder head disposed in an upper portion of said hollow cylinder and provided with a second aperture providing a passage between the inside of said hollow cylinder and an ambient atmosphere;

a piston disposed between said cylinder head and said spring and urged into a sealing contact with said cylinder head by said expansion spring, said piston sealably sliding on an inner wall of said hollow cylinder, and

a limit switch having a moving rod extending through the second aperture of said cylinder head to contact with said piston, said limit switch for stopping said electric driving member when a pressure differential between said collection tank and said ambient atmospheric overcomes the urging force of said expansion spring thereby displacing said piston downward.