Patent ID: 7237298

Claim:
A vacuum cleaner ( 10 ), including: a housing; a suction airflow sensor ( 94 ), disposed within said housing, for detecting a condition associated with a suction airflow path mounted to the housing; a sensor processor ( 90 ), disposed within said housing, in communication with the suction airflow sensor for evaluating the detected condition, determining whether a responsive action is required, and, when required, initiating a suitable predetermined control procedure in response to the detected condition; a floor type sensor ( 97 ), disposed within said housing, in operative communication with the sensor processor for emitting sonic energy toward a floor being traversed by the vacuum cleaner and detecting sonic energy reflected by the floor, wherein the sensor processor interprets the detected sonic energy to identify a floor type, and initiates a predetermined control procedure based on the type of floor being traversed; a vacuum source ( 36 , 38 ), disposed within said housing, for creating the suction airflow path to provide a vacuuming function for collection of dust and dirt particles; and a controller processor ( 74 ), disposed within said housing, in communication with the sensor processor for selectively controlling the vacuum source, based at least in part upon information received from the sensor processor; wherein the suction airflow sensor includes a differential pressure sensor for detecting a difference between a first pressure associated with the suction airflow path and a second pressure associated with ambient air near the vacuum cleaner.