Cleaning bin for cleaning robot
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning bins for autonomous cleaning robots are inefficient in debris separation, leading to increased power consumption and frequent filter cleaning or replacement, as debris often reaches the filter, impeding airflow and requiring more energy to operate.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning bin with multiple stages of debris separation, including a debris compartment, particulate compartment, and cyclone formation within the debris separation cone, which separates debris from airflow before it reaches the filter, reducing the amount of debris that needs to be filtered and lowering power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If debris is allowed to reach the filter, then the filter can capture all particles, but the airflow is impeded and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning bin is divided into multiple compartments: a debris compartment for large debris, a particulate compartment for fine particles, and a filter compartment. This segmentation allows different types of debris to be separated at different stages, preventing all debris from reaching the filter and thus reducing airflow impediment and power consumption while maintaining filtration effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cyclone separator performs preliminary separation of debris from the airflow before the air reaches the filter. By removing a significant portion of debris in advance through centrifugal force, the filter only needs to handle the remaining fine particles, reducing its workload and the energy required to maintain airflow.
2Device complexity
If a single-stage filtration system is used, then the device complexity is low, but debris reaches the filter frequently requiring cleaning or replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system is segmented into multiple stages: the debris compartment captures large debris, the cyclone separator removes particulate matter, and the filter handles fine particles. This multi-stage approach distributes the filtration workload, preventing the filter from becoming clogged quickly and reducing maintenance frequency despite the increased structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cyclone separator acts as an intermediary between the debris compartment and the filter. It pre-processes the airflow by removing a significant portion of debris before the air reaches the filter, thereby protecting the filter and extending its service life without requiring a complex manual intervention system.
3Volume of moving object
If the cleaning bin is made compact for easier navigation, then the robot can navigate smaller spaces, but the debris separation efficiency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cyclone separator is nested within the cleaning bin structure, with the debris compartment, particulate compartment, and filter compartment arranged in a compact, space-efficient configuration. This nesting allows multiple separation stages to be integrated into a small volume, maintaining high debris separation efficiency while enabling the robot to navigate tight spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The cyclone separator utilizes rotational motion in a third dimension to achieve debris separation without requiring additional horizontal space. By employing centrifugal force through rotational airflow, the system achieves effective debris separation within a compact vertical footprint, allowing the cleaning bin to maintain a small overall size while preserving separation efficiency.
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 multi-stage separation design reduces the amount of debris reaching the filter, lowering power requirements for the vacuum assembly, extending filter maintenance intervals, and allowing the cleaning robot to ingest more debris before filter cleaning is needed, while maintaining a compact profile for easier navigation in smaller spaces.
Implementation Method 1
The inner conduit tapers from the upper opening to the lower opening such that the airflow forms a cyclone within the inner conduit
Implementation Method 2
the airflow forms a cyclone within the inner conduit
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
A cleaning bin mountable to an autonomous cleaning robot operable to receive debris from a floor surface includes a debris compartment to receive a first portion of debris separated from the airflow and a particulate compartment to receive a second portion of debris separated from the airflow. The cleaning bin also includes a debris separation cone having an inner conduit defining an upper opening and lower opening. The upper opening receives the airflow from the air channel. The inner conduit tapers from the upper opening to the lower opening such that the airflow forms a cyclone within the inner conduit.