Cleaning Roller Vane Bend Design for Debris Pickup and Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous cleaning robots face challenges in efficiently picking up debris and navigating obstacles due to limitations in existing cleaning roller designs, which affect their debris pickup capability, mobility, noise reduction, and susceptibility to wear.
Innovation Solution
The design of a cleaning roller with a vane configuration that includes interconnected portions forming bends, allowing for greater debris pickup and mobility, along with features such as helical paths and surface features to enhance debris agitation and airflow cooperation, and noise reduction through reduced stiffness and openings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the vane extends radially outward along a radial axis without a bend, then the structure is simple, but the debris pickup capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vane includes a bend that causes it to extend in a first direction and then in a second direction different from the first direction. This curved configuration allows the vane to sweep across the floor surface for a greater distance as the roller rotates, improving debris pickup capability compared to a straight radial extension.
2Productivity
If the vane is stiff to maintain orientation relative to the floor surface, then debris pickup is improved, but noise is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The vane is configured to be sufficiently flexible to reduce the likelihood that the vane affects a direction of movement of the robot as the vane contacts the floor surface. This flexibility also helps reduce noise while maintaining the ability to sweep debris effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller includes features that reduce stiffness at various locations along the roller, such as openings along the vane. These stiffness reductions mitigate noise produced by the roller as it contacts the floor surface and debris, while the bent configuration maintains debris agitation capability.
3Productivity
If the roller produces lateral force on the robot, then debris pickup may be enhanced, but the robot drifts leftward or rightward
Solution Approach 1:
The roller is configured to be symmetric about a central axial plane of the roller. This symmetry reduces the tendency of the roller to produce a lateral force on the robot as the robot moves along the floor surface and as the roller contacts the floor surface, preventing drift while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
4Productivity
If the vane contacts the floor surface with greater force to agitate debris, then debris pickup is improved, but wear on the vane increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible configuration of the vane allows it to contact the floor surface with sufficient force to agitate debris while being able to deflect and reduce impact forces that would cause wear. The flexibility enables the vane to adapt to surface variations without excessive stress concentration.
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot is featured. The cleaning roller includes an elongate member extending along a longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller, and a vane extending outward from the elongate member. The vane includes a first vane portion attached to the elongate member, and a second vane portion attached to the first vane portion. The first vane portion extends from the elongate member at a location intersecting a radial axis of the cleaning roller. The first vane portion extends along a first axis angled relative to the radial axis and away from the radial axis in a tangential direction. The second vane portion extends along a second axis angled relative to the first axis. A first angle between the first axis and the radial axis is greater than a second angle between the second axis and the radial axis.