Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Masaru Moro

Seiji Yamaguchi

Tadashi Matsuyo

Masahiro Kimura

Hiroshi Kawakami

Hideo Okubo

Shuji Abe

Hidetoshi Imai

Saburou Kajikawa

A vacuum cleaner comprising a fuzzy inferring device for determining a motor speed in response to the amount of dust, and means for holding the motor speed determined by the fuzzy inferring device for a predetermined period of time, whereby, after the motor speed is held for the predetermined period time, the motor is driven for a certain period of time at the speed subsequently determined by the fuzzy inferring device.

Vacuum cleaner with fuzzy logic

A control apparatus of an electrical appliance comprising a sensor for detecting a physical amount; and a fuzzy inferring device for determining the drive condition of a load by fuzzy inference based on a signal outputted from the sensor, and wherein the sensor has at least one normalized membership function to be used by fuzzy inference and achieves a plurality of membership functions which can be expressed by congruent curves by performing a predetermined subtraction or an addition on the signal outputted from the sensor.

Fuzzy control apparatus generating a plurality of membership functions

A vacuum cleaner has a blower motor; a dust detector responsive to a sucked dust particle due to rotation of the blower motor for producing a dust detecting signal when each of the dust particles is detected passing a portion in a suction passage; counter responsive to the dust detection signal for counting the number of the dust interception particles for a given interval; and input power controller responsive to an output signal of the counter for controlling the input power of the blower motor by selecting an input power value from plural preset input power values in accordance with the number. Controlling input power may be performed in accordance with a pulse width indicative of the dust particle size or the counted number may be modified by pulse width. Another embodiment of the vacuum cleaner has plural light emitting diodes for indicating the number counted to show an operator uncleanliness of the floor. The controller includes a microprocessor which can control a thyristor provided in series with the blower motor directly. In a vacuum cleaner where the thyristor is located in the housing, the microprocessor may be located in a handle portion, and a D/A converter and a phase control circuit may be provided in the housing.

Vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner and method for determining the kind of floor surface being cleaned by a vacuum cleaner wherein dust amount per unit interval is detected and dust detection change patterns are analyzed for determining floor type. This analysis is based on the following assumptions: smooth and carpet surfaces can be distinguished by dust detection patterns for an interval of several seconds. On the smooth surface, almost all of the dust at one place is picked up during an early stage of the interval. On the other hand, on a carpet floor, dust is picked up continuously. On a new carpet, many piles detach during vacuuming. Thus, if dust detection is continuous over several seconds it may be assumed that, the carpet is a new carpet.

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Youkaichi, Japan

Masaru Moro