Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/28—Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
  • A47L9/2857—User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/28—Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
  • A47L9/2805—Parameters or conditions being sensed
  • A47L9/281—Parameters or conditions being sensed the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust
  • A47L9/2815—Parameters or conditions being sensed the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust using optical detectors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/28—Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
  • A47L9/2836—Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means characterised by the parts which are controlled
  • A47L9/2842—Suction motors or blowers

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method used in vacuum cleaners to determine the dirtiness of the place to be cleaned and of the dust sensor components.
• dust sensors formed of optic components namely light emitting and light receiving components are placed on the dust passageway of a vacuum cleaner.
• Light emitting device is emitting an infrared light beam or the like and light receiving device is receiving the light emitted by the light emitting device.
• These devices are arranged in a predetermined position on the air passageway.
• These light emitting and light receiving devices are placed across each other at fixed positions so that the change in light intensity indicates the amount of dust passing through the suction path. When these devices are covered with dust, the light received is decreased so the performance of the dust sensing means is degraded.
• the amount of dust passing through the passageway can be determined when the vacuum cleaner is at its on stage according to the light received by the receiver.
• the light intensity received by the receiver decreases as the amount of dust passing through the passageway increases. This property is used to increase the motor power as the dust is sensed. Although this is an efficient way of determining dust, as the dust is sucked through the passageway, it covers the surface of the sensors decreasing the amount of light received although there is no dust passing.
• a "sensitivity correction means" is described to solve this problem.
• the aim of the method described in this patent is to increase the amount of light emitted by the emitter proportional to the reduction of light caused by the adhering of particles on the sensors.
• the problem with this method is that, if the amount of light emitted is increased when the window members on the sensors are soiled, after a certain period it reaches a limit value, i.e. the emitted light can no longer be increased. In this case the window members on the sensors have to be cleaned manually. The user is informed that soiling of the window members is increased too much that a correction in the intensity of light emitted by the light emitting device reaches its limit value.
• the object of the present invention is to sense whether the place that is being cleaned is dusty or not.
• Another object of this invention is to determine whether the components of the dust sensor are soiled or not.
• Figure 1 - is the shematic view showing an overall arrangement of a vacuum cleaner.
• Figure 2 - is the circuit diagram of the detection means according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3 - is the light intensity versus time graph when dust sensor components are getting dirty.
• Figure 4 - is the reference difference value (Dref) versus received light intensity graph.
• Figure 5 - is the flow chart of the control method. The components shown in the drawings have the following numbers;
• a vacuum cleaner (1) comprises a motor (6) to drive a fan (9) that provides the suction, a detection means (8) to detect the dust, and an indication means (5) either comprising LED's or LCD's to indicate to the user that the dust sensor components are dirty and a control means (7) that controls the motor (6).
• Detection means (8) comprises a dust sensor (2) placed on the dust passageway to detect the dust passing through and comprising two components namely a light emitter (3) which is preferably a light emitting diode and a light receiver (4) which is preferably a phototransistor to detect dust passing through the dust passageway, a resistor Rl (10) for determining the current to be introduced into the light emitter (3), and a detection circuit (11) to measure the light received by the light receiver (4) in terms of voltage or current depending on its arrangement.
• a light emitter (3) which is preferably a light emitting diode
• a light receiver (4) which is preferably a phototransistor to detect dust passing through the dust passageway
• a resistor Rl (10) for determining the current to be introduced into the light emitter (3)
• a detection circuit (11) to measure the light received by the light receiver (4) in terms of voltage or current depending on its arrangement.
• the supply voltage (Vx) on the light emitting side of the detection means (8), the resistor Rl (10) is chosen such that the current that is applied to the light emitter (3) is always maximum and it is not changed during the operation of the vacuum cleaner (1) so that the intensity of the emitted light is kept constant during the operation of the vacuum cleaner (1).
• the maximum current is applied to the light emitter (3) of the dust sensor (2) (101). This current does not change during the operation of the vacuum cleaner (1).
• the output from the light receiver (5) is measured for predetermined intervals of time. Each time interval defines a cycle.
• the intensity of the light received by the light receiver (4) fluctuates. It decreases at the moment when the dust passes between the light emitter (3) and the light receiver (4) and it increases at the moment when no dust passes between the light emitter (3) and the light receiver (4).
• a probable light intensity versus time graph is shown in Figure 3.
• the light intensity can be measured in terms of voltage or in terms of current and the measured voltage or current can increase or decrease with the dust passing through the dust passageway i.e. voltage or current measurement is proportional or inversely proportional to the intensity of light received by the light receiver (4).
• the local maximum values max,(n), max 2 (n), ... maXj(n) and local minimum values min,(n), min 2 (n).... min ⁇ n) of the light intensity are found and stored (102).
• the mean value of the local maximum values (max(n)) and the mean value of the local minimum values (min(n)) of the output data are computed and stored for the cycle n, in the memory of the control means (7). (103).
• the difference (Delta(n)) between the mean value of the local maximum values (max(n)) and the mean value of the local minimum values (min(n)) is calculated (104).
• the difference (Delta(n)) is then compared with a predetermined reference difference value (Dref(n)) (106).
• the reference difference value (Dref(n)) depends on the mean value of the local minimum values (min(n)).
• a different reference difference value Dref(n) is kept in the memory of the control means (7). While cleaning the surface, if the surface is dirty and/or if the dust is adhering on the dust sensor (2) components, the mean value of the local minimum values of the light intensity, (min(n)) will decrease, and the fluctuations in the received light intensity will decrease as well.
• Dref(n) is chosen as a small value to provide the adaptation to the detection conditions and to be able to detect the presence of dust with a smaller Delta(n) value.
• the reference difference value (Dref(n)) can also be chosen as a constant value.
• the first possibility is that "the place is not dusty" so there will be no need to increase the motor (6) power.
• the second possibility is that "dust sensor (2) components, the light emitter (3) and/or the light receiver (4) are dirty, and it causes an output without enough fluctuations to reflect the real state of the surface which is being cleaned".
• the mean value of the local minimum values (min(n)) is compared with a predetermined minimum allowed light intensity value (Dmin), that is a constant value determined experimentally and stored in the memory unit (108).
• the decision is that there is no dust in the drawn air i.e. "the place is not dusty” and it is decided to keep the motor (6) power constant (109).
• the cycle n+1 starts.
• the mean value of the local minimum values of the light intensity (min(n)) for the cycle n is smaller than the predetermined minimum allowed light intensity value Dmin and it is started to count the number of consequent cycles where the following conditions occur(l l ⁇ ); the difference values (Delta) are smaller than the reference difference values (Dref) and mean values of the local mimimum values (min) are smaller than the predetermined minimum allowed light intensity value (Dmin), i.e the differences (Delta(n), Delta(n+1 ),....
• Delta(n+c)) are smaller than the reference difference values (Dref(n), Dref(n+1), Dref(n+c)) respectively and each mean values of the local minimum values (min(n), min(n+l) min(n+c)) are smaller than the predetermined minimum allowed light intensity value (Dmin). Then the number of cycles counted is compared with c (111). If they are equal, i.e. if above conditions exist for c consecutive cycles, it is decided that "the dust sensor components, the light emitter (3) and the light receiver (4) are dirty" and the user is warned via the indication means (5) and the cycle n+c+1 starts.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Electric Vacuum Cleaner (AREA)
• Filters For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=21619314

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2000
  • 2000-12-22 EP EP00990164A patent/EP1343406B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-22 AT AT00990164T patent/ATE272353T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-12-22 DE DE60012800T patent/DE60012800T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-22 ES ES00990164T patent/ES2225296T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-22 WO PCT/TR2000/000067 patent/WO2002051297A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2000-12-22 TR TR2003/00969T patent/TR200300969T1/xx unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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