Cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum cleaners, particularly stick and cylinder types, are unstable during non-use and prone to uncontrolled twisting when lifted, due to the offset weight of the motor in the cleaning head, leading to potential damage and user inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A modified steering joint with a non-rotatable and rotatable section, featuring a pivotable joint and additional holding regions that automatically engage to resist rotation, ensuring stability during storage and use, and maintaining horizontal orientation for easy repositioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the motor is offset from the centreline to avoid obstructing airflow, then the motor can be positioned without blocking the air path, but the cleaning head becomes unbalanced and twists uncontrolledly when lifted
Solution Approach 1:
A counterweight is provided in the cleaning head to balance the offset motor. The counterweight compensates for the unbalanced mass distribution caused by the motor being positioned away from the centreline, preventing uncontrolled twisting when the cleaning head is lifted while maintaining the motor's offset position for airflow clearance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cleaning head is allowed to rotate freely on the rotatable joint for steering, then the cleaning head can be steered across the floor, but the vacuum cleaner becomes unstable during non-use and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable joint is designed to be dynamically lockable, transitioning between a locked state during storage to prevent rotation and an unlocked state during use to enable steering. This dynamic characteristic allows the joint to adapt its degree of freedom based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable joint automatically locks when the vacuum cleaner is in its storage position, requiring no active user intervention. The joint's design causes it to engage the locked state naturally when the cleaning head returns to its neutral position after use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cleaning head is lifted frequently for cleaning stairs, then access to stairs is enabled, but the offset weight causes uncontrolled twisting and user inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The counterweight balances the offset motor's mass, eliminating the uncontrolled twisting motion that occurs when the cleaning head is lifted. This allows frequent lifting for stair cleaning without the harmful twisting effect, maintaining both versatility and ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a cleaning head (sometimes called a “suction head”) for a vacuum cleaner, and in particular to a cleaning head having a motor to rotate a brush carried by the cleaning head. According to the invention there is provided a cleaning head (10) having a steering joint, the steering joint having a non-rotatable section (26) and a rotatable section (24) with a rotatable joint (20) between the non-rotatable section and the rotatable section. The cleaning head has a first holding region (52) which is engageable by a first part (50) of the rotatable section (24), the first holding region and the first part when engaged resisting rotation of the rotatable section. The cleaning head also has a second holding region (54) which is engageable by a second part (50) of the rotatable section (24), the second holding region and the second part when engaged resisting rotation of the rotatable section. The cleaning head can therefore be held against unwanted rotation in a storage position and also in a position in which it is suspended above a surface being cleaned.