Disk Agitator Structure to Prevent Pet Hair Jamming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum cleaners with rotating agitators struggle to effectively remove pet hair from surfaces due to hair becoming wedged between bristles, leading to operational impediments and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
The design of an agitator with a dowel and radially extending disks in oblique planes, featuring scalloped peripheral edges and nubs on the disk surfaces, which rotate to agitate debris and prevent hair from becoming lodged, enhancing the collection of pet hair and other debris.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional tufted brush with bristle bundles is used, then the agitator can contact and move debris on surfaces, but hair becomes wedged between bristles and accumulates at the base of tufts, impeding operation
Solution Approach 1:
The conventional tufted brush is segmented into individual disks with radial elements, where each disk is spaced apart from others axially. This segmentation prevents hair from traveling along continuous bristle bundles to become wedged at the base, as each disk independently agitates debris without providing a continuous path for hair accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional tufted brush surface to a three-dimensional configuration with disks spaced axially along the rotation axis. This adds the axial dimension to the agitation mechanism, creating gaps between disks that disrupt the path hair would otherwise follow to become wedged between bristles.
2Strength
If bristles are tightly packed at the base of tufts, then structural integrity is maintained, but hair becomes more difficult to remove once wedged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of maintaining tight bristle packing throughout, the brush is segmented into discrete disks with radial elements. Each disk maintains sufficient structural integrity through its radial elements, while the axial spacing between disks prevents hair from becoming wedged and difficult to remove, eliminating the need for tight continuous packing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the problematic continuous bristle bundle structure and replaces it with discrete radial elements on spaced disks. This removes the continuous path that allows hair to become wedged deep within tightly packed bristles, while retaining the agitation function through the radial elements on each disk.
3Productivity
If an agitator rotates to agitate debris, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but hair wraps around the rotating agitator and impedes operation
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating agitator is segmented into multiple disks spaced axially, with each disk having radial elements. This segmentation creates gaps between disks that prevent hair from wrapping continuously around the rotation axis, as the spaced configuration disrupts the circular path hair would follow during rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spaced disks act as intermediaries that break up the continuous rotational path. The gaps between disks serve as release points where wrapped hair can be shed back onto the surface rather than continuing to wrap around the agitator, preventing jamming while maintaining agitation effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
An agitator provided for a surface cleaning apparatus includes a dowel defining an axis of rotation and multiple disks extending radially from the dowel to a peripheral edge.