Asymmetric Dual-Mop Design for Gap-Free Floor Cleaning Coverage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cleaning equipment with a circular double turntable structure struggles to remove all dust or dirt from an area in a single pass due to gaps between the mops, requiring multiple cleaning cycles.

Innovation Solution

A cleaning robot equipped with a mopping drive mechanism and a mopping apparatus featuring two mops with specific diameter edges and rotating centers, allowing for a gap to be formed between the long-diameter and short-diameter edges, which adjusts to cover uncleaned areas during rotation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If two circular mops are used in a double turntable structure, then the cleaning equipment can rotate to clean the floor, but gaps are formed between the mops due to processing errors, preventing complete coverage of the cleaning area

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning coverage efficiencyVSAvoidmop tangency alignment
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the traditional circular symmetric shape of the mops to an asymmetric design where one mop has a larger diameter than the other. This asymmetric configuration allows the mops to overlap during rotation, ensuring complete coverage of the cleaning area and eliminating gaps that would otherwise exist between two equal-sized circular mops.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the mops by using different diameters for the two mops. Specifically, the first mop has a larger diameter while the second mop has a smaller diameter, creating an intentional size difference that enables full coverage of the cleaning area without gaps, resolving the manufacturing precision issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Area of stationary object

If two large circular mops are used, then they can cover more area, but they squeeze and deform each other, resulting in gaps between them

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning area coverageVSAvoidmop deformation
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

By using asymmetric mop sizes with the first mop being larger and the second mop being smaller, the patent prevents the squeezing and deformation problem that occurs when two large equal-sized mops are used. The size difference allows the mops to rotate without interfering with each other's shape while still achieving complete area coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

3Shape

If the mops are made smaller to avoid deformation, then they maintain their shape, but gaps are formed between them, requiring multiple cleaning passes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemop shape stabilityVSAvoidnumber of cleaning passes
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the size parameters of the mops by creating an asymmetric configuration where the first mop has a larger diameter and the second mop has a smaller diameter. This parameter change allows the mops to be sufficiently large to cover the entire cleaning area in one pass while maintaining shape stability and avoiding deformation issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3827727B1Mopping member, mopping apparatus, cleaning robot, and control method for cleaning robot
Publication Date: 2025.05.07 YUNJING INTELLIGENCE (SHENZHEN) CO LTD
  • EP3827727B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3827727B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3827727B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed relates to a mopping member, a mopping apparatus, a cleaning robot, and a control method for the cleaning robot. The mopping member includes a first mop and a second mop; the first mop is provided with a first rotating center, the second mop is provided with a second rotating center, and the distance between the first rotating center and the second rotating center is a rotating center distance. When the first mop and the second mop rotate, a short-diameter edge of one mop corresponds to a long-diameter edge of the other mop; at a connection line position of the first rotating center and the second rotating center, a gap between the first mop and the second mop is formed between the short-diameter edge of one mop and the corresponding long-diameter edge of the other mop.