Cleaner station and cleaner system including the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stick and robot vacuum cleaners face limitations in cleaning efficiency and user convenience due to small dust bin capacity and difficulty in sharing cleaning information, obstacle detection, and structural issues.
Innovation Solution
A cleaner station that functions as a communication hub, wirelessly connecting with stick and robot vacuum cleaners to share obstacle and cleaning information, featuring a display unit for uncleaned areas and optimized operation unit for enhanced user convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a robot vacuum cleaner performs autonomous cleaning, then user convenience is improved, but the cleaner cannot navigate obstacles effectively and may collide with objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a robot vacuum cleaner with a stick vacuum cleaner into an integrated system. The robot cleaner handles autonomous navigation and initial cleaning, while the stick vacuum cleaner provides manual obstacle avoidance assistance. When the robot encounters obstacles it cannot navigate, users can take control of the stick vacuum to manually clear paths, merging autonomous and manual operation modes to solve the reliability problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a base station as an intermediary that receives data from both the robot vacuum cleaner and stick vacuum cleaner. The base station processes obstacle information from the robot cleaner and can guide the user-operated stick cleaner to navigate around obstacles, acting as a communication mediator that bridges autonomous navigation limitations with manual intervention capabilities.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the dust bin capacity is increased, then cleaning duration is improved, but the cleaner becomes heavier and less portable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the dust collection system into two separate components: a dust bin in the robot vacuum cleaner for autonomous operation and a dust bin in the stick vacuum cleaner for manual operation. This segmentation allows each cleaner to have optimized dust bin capacity according to its specific use case, rather than requiring one large bin that increases weight for both applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional cleaning system where two different cleaner types (robot and stick) work together as a unified system. The stick vacuum cleaner can serve as both a standalone device for manual cleaning and as an obstacle-clearing tool to assist the robot cleaner, providing multiple functions without requiring a single heavy device.
3Device complexity
If a single cleaner type is used, then device complexity is reduced, but cleaning effectiveness across different areas is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two different cleaner types (robot vacuum cleaner and stick vacuum cleaner) into a coordinated system. The robot cleaner handles autonomous navigation and general area cleaning, while the stick vacuum cleaner provides manual precision cleaning and obstacle management. This merging allows the system to leverage the strengths of both cleaner types to achieve comprehensive cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic system where the roles and operations of the two cleaners can switch and adapt based on situation. The robot cleaner operates autonomously during normal cleaning, but users can intervene with the stick cleaner when manual intervention is needed. The system dynamically adjusts between autonomous and manual operation modes to maintain both simplicity and effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaner system includes: a cleaner; and a cleaner station which collects and removes dust discharged from a dust bin of the cleaner. The cleaner includes a first cleaner which performs manually a cleaning operation by a user, and a second cleaner which performs the cleaning operation while autonomously driving. The cleaner station includes: a housing which has one side coupled to the cleaner and has an inner space where the dust is collected; and a display unit which is disposed on the housing and outputs position information including a moving path of each of the first cleaner and the second cleaner transmitted from the first cleaner and the second cleaner by wireless communication during a cleaning operation.