Adjustable Steering Mechanism for Serviceable Floor Cleaner Housings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor cleaning machines are compact but lack easy access to internal components for maintenance and repair, requiring time-consuming and costly disassembly of external components to access internal parts, which increases the risk of damage or loss.
Innovation Solution
A floor cleaning machine design featuring a primary housing with rotatable front and rear housings that allow selective access to internal components without disassembly, along with a flexible telescoping steering shaft that remains interconnected during housing rotation, enabling easy maintenance without compromising compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the housing is made compact with minimized internal volume, then the machine size is reduced, but access to internal components becomes difficult requiring disassembly of external components
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple segments: a stationary housing and a movable housing that can be independently rotated. This segmentation allows the movable housing to be accessed separately without disassembling the entire housing or removing external components, thus maintaining compact size while improving accessibility for maintenance operations.
2Ease of repair
If removable housing segments are used to improve access to internal components, then maintenance becomes easier, but the device complexity and risk of damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The movable housing is designed to be rotatable relative to the stationary housing, providing dynamic access to internal components. This rotational movement allows maintenance personnel to access components from multiple angles without requiring complete disassembly, reducing both structural complexity and the risk of damage compared to fully removable segments.
3Ease of operation
If external components are removed prior to accessing internal components, then access is enabled, but time is lost and damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into stationary and movable portions that can be independently accessed. The movable housing can be rotated to expose internal components directly without requiring removal of external components first, thereby eliminating the time-consuming sequence of operations and reducing the risk of damage to external components.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the steering shaft is rigid and fixed, then structural stability is maintained, but the movable housing cannot be rotated without disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The steering shaft transitions from a rigid, fixed configuration to a flexible configuration that can bend and extend. This parameter change in the shaft's physical properties allows the movable housing to rotate freely for maintenance access while the flexible shaft maintains continuous connection between the steering wheel and steerable wheel, preserving both stability and operability.
Data Source
AI summary
A floor cleaning machine is provided that includes a chassis that supports at least one cleaning element. The chassis is supported by a plurality of wheels, one which is steerable via a steering wheel that is interconnected to a housing also associated with the chassis. The chassis provided includes a plurality of movable housing members, one of which is associated with the steering wheel. To access the internal components of the floor cleaning machine, the front housing is rotated or moved away from the other housings wherein the steering wheel does not require disconnection to allow this movement.