Vacuum cleaner
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum cleaners lack the ability to autonomously detect and avoid obstacles while in operation, leading to potential malfunctions and reduced user convenience due to incorrect detection of the suction hose and other issues.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner equipped with obstacle detecting members, including laser sensors, and a controller that manages wheel motors to navigate around obstacles, preventing hose detection errors and enhancing operational reliability by ensuring the suction hose is not mistakenly identified.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the suction hose is positioned at the front center of the cleaner body, then the vacuum cleaner can effectively suck in dust, but the suction hose may be erroneously detected as an obstacle by the detecting members
Solution Approach 1:
The detecting members are divided into multiple units positioned at different locations (front side, both sides, and rear side of the suction hose). This segmentation allows the system to distinguish between the suction hose and actual obstacles by comparing signals from different detecting members, thereby preventing erroneous detection while maintaining dust suction effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that processes signals from multiple detecting members and determines whether a detected object is the suction hose or a real obstacle. By analyzing the pattern of signals across different detecting members, the controller can differentiate between the hose and obstacles, preventing false obstacle detection.
2Ease of operation
If obstacle detecting members are added to enable autonomous obstacle detection and avoidance, then user convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detecting members serve multiple functions: they detect obstacles, identify the suction hose position, and provide information for navigation control. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall system architecture while maintaining autonomous obstacle avoidance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum cleaner autonomously detects obstacles and navigates around them without user intervention. The system self-manages the detection and avoidance process by processing signals from its own detecting members and automatically adjusting its movement, thereby improving ease of operation without requiring additional user-facing controls.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cleaner body rotates during operation, then the vacuum cleaner can navigate in different directions, but obstacles may be erroneously detected due to rotation-induced changes in detecting member positions
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors signals from multiple detecting members positioned around the suction hose and uses this feedback to determine the cleaner body's rotation state. By comparing the pattern of detected signals before and during rotation, the controller can distinguish between actual obstacles and false detections caused by rotation, maintaining detection accuracy while preserving navigation flexibility.
4Reliability
If multiple detecting members are positioned at both sides of the suction hose to prevent hose detection errors, then operational reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detecting members positioned at both sides of the suction hose are integrated into a unified detection system controlled by a single controller. This merging approach allows the system to achieve high reliability through multiple detection points while simplifying manufacturing by using a centralized control architecture rather than separate independent systems.
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 vacuum cleaner effectively detects and avoids obstacles, improving user convenience and operational reliability by preventing hose detection errors and ensuring smooth navigation.
Implementation Method 1
an obstacle detecting member that detects an obstacle may include a laser sensor
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body, a suction hose mounted at a front surface of the cleaner body to suck in dust, moving wheels provided at both sides of the cleaner body, rotating to move the cleaner body and rotatably supporting the cleaner body, wheel motors connected to the moving wheels and rotating the moving wheels, a detecting part provided in the cleaner body and sensing inclination of the cleaner body to determine whether the cleaner moves and stops, a plurality of detecting members provided at a front surface of the cleaner body and located at both sides of the suction hose to detect an obstacle, and a controller for controlling the wheel motors according to detected signals of the detecting part and the obstacle detecting members.