Absorbent Cleaning Pad Design for Compact Floor Cleaning Robots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional floor cleaning methods, such as using wet mops, can be cumbersome and exhausting, especially when cleaning large areas, as they require frequent dipping and bending, which can lead to injuries and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A surface cleaning pad with an absorbent core and a liner layer that absorbs and retains liquid and debris without expanding, allowing for effective cleaning by a compact mobile robot without impeding its movement, featuring a combination of cellulose fibers, polymer fibers, and a hydroentangled spunbond or spunlace wrap layer to prevent sticking and drag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional wet mop is used to clean floors, then cleaning can be performed, but the user experiences physical exhaustion and risk of injury from frequent bending and dipping
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous mobile robot performs cleaning tasks independently without human intervention. The robot navigates autonomously, applies cleaning solution, and absorbs dirt, allowing the cleaning system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous human operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical mop system with an autonomous robotic system that uses sensors, microprocessors, and automated mechanisms for navigation and cleaning, substituting human physical labor with automated mechanical and electronic systems.
2Quantity of substance
If a cleaning pad absorbs large amounts of liquid, then cleaning efficacy improves, but the pad expands and raises the front edge of the robot, impeding movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the absorbent pad by incorporating compressible materials and designing a structure that maintains dimensional stability. The pad's compression characteristics are adjusted to prevent expansion while retaining high liquid absorption capacity, ensuring the robot's movement is not impeded.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible, thin film-like absorbent pad structure that can conform to the floor surface without creating significant height. This thin film design allows the pad to absorb liquid while maintaining a profile that does not interfere with the robot's movement or balance.
3Weight of moving object
If the cleaning pad is made lightweight for the compact robot, then the robot's mobility improves, but the pad may not provide sufficient downward force for effective cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the battery pack and other heavy components to create a counterweight effect that concentrates force on the cleaning pad. The robot's center of gravity is strategically located to provide sufficient downward force on the pad without increasing the overall robot weight excessively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials for the cleaning pad that combine lightweight structures with high-density absorbent materials. This allows the pad to remain lightweight for robot compatibility while providing sufficient mass and surface area for effective cleaning force distribution.
4Quantity of substance
If the cleaning pad uses hydrophilic materials to absorb liquid, then absorption capacity increases, but the pad sticks to the floor surface creating drag
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface properties to different regions of the cleaning pad. The top surface uses hydrophilic materials for liquid absorption, while the bottom surface uses hydrophobic or low-friction materials to prevent sticking to the floor. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between absorption and movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer or coating on the pad's bottom surface that mediates between the hydrophilic absorbent core and the floor surface. This intermediary layer prevents direct adhesion between the pad and floor while allowing the hydrophilic materials to perform their absorption function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The cleaning pad efficiently absorbs and retains fluid and debris, allowing the robot to maintain maximum downward force and cleaning efficacy without tilting or losing balance, providing a more efficient and safer cleaning experience.
Implementation Method 1
an absorbent core containing fiber material which absorbs and retains liquid material
Implementation Method 2
fiber material which absorbs and retains liquid material
Implementation Method 3
a liner layer in contact with and covering at least one side of the absorbent core, containing fiber material which retains and wicks liquid material through the liner layer
Data Source
AI summary
A pad particularly adapted for surface cleaning. The pad includes an absorbent core having the ability to absorb and retain liquid material, and a liner layer in contact with and covering at least one side of the absorbent core. The liner layer has the ability to retain and wick liquid material through the liner layer. Cleaning apparatus containing such pads and methods of using such pads are also described.