Dual-Roller Fabric Sweeper With Internal Debris Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fabric cleaning devices, particularly mechanical vacuums, are cumbersome and inefficient for small or hard-to-reach surfaces, and alternative brushes often fail to effectively retain debris due to inefficient bristle contact and collection mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight fabric cleaning device with rotatable cleaning members that pick up debris and transfer it into a collection chamber within the device, using materials that attract and retain dust, dirt, and allergens, allowing for easy disposal of collected debris.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical vacuum cleaning device is used to effectively remove dirt and debris from fabric surfaces, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the device becomes large and cumbersome making it unsuitable for small or hard-to-reach areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device is segmented into two separate functional components: a lightweight manual sweeper for collecting debris and a separate collection chamber for storing it. This segmentation allows the sweeping action to be performed by a small, maneuverable device while the collection function is handled by a separate container that can be detached.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the collection chamber with debris transfer opening) that bridges the gap between the lightweight sweeper and the debris collection function. This intermediary allows the sweeper to remain small and maneuverable while still achieving effective debris collection through the transfer opening mechanism.
2Productivity
If a brush with movable brush and brush members is used to pick up dirt from fabric surface, then debris collection is achieved, but the brush fails to effectively retain debris due to inefficient bristle contact and requires shaking to dispense
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the debris retention function from the brushing action itself and places it into a separate collection chamber. The bristles transfer debris to the chamber through a defined opening, separating the collection function from the sweeping function and enabling reliable retention without dependence on bristle-to-bristle contact efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying on bristles to hold debris through contact with opposing bristles, the patent inverts the approach by using a defined opening in the housing that actively directs and captures debris as it is swept up. The debris is funneled into the collection chamber through this opening, reversing the traditional approach of passive retention through bristle interlocking.
3Quantity of substance
If debris is contained within the brush housing, then collection is achieved, but dispensing requires inverting and shaking the housing which is highly inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The collection chamber is designed to be self-emptying through gravity. The chamber can be inverted and the debris automatically dispenses through the opening without requiring manual shaking or complex mechanisms. The design allows the chamber to service itself by utilizing gravitational force to empty the collected debris.
4Ease of operation
If a lightweight manually operable device is used for fabric surface cleaning, then ease of handling is improved, but the ability to effectively engage and remove debris from the cleaning surface is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning members are constructed using composite materials that combine soft cleaning surfaces (such as cloth or fabric) with underlying structural support. This composite construction allows the lightweight sweeper to maintain effective debris engagement capability while remaining easy to handle and maneuver.
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 device effectively removes debris from fabric surfaces and deposits it into a collection chamber, facilitating easy disposal and reducing the need for inefficient shaking mechanisms, while being easy to handle and manufacture.
Implementation Method 1
The bristles on the movable brush pick up dirt from the surface by contacting the dirt as the brush is moved across the surface
Implementation Method 2
The outer surface formed of a material that readily attracts pet hair, crumbs, dust, lint, allergens and other materials present on the fabric surface
Implementation Method 3
the dirt and dust dislodged by the brush members is then collected within the movable brush opposite the bristles for later removal
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a device for use in cleaning a fabric surface of dust, dirt, pet hair and other debris present on the surface. The device includes a pair of cleaning members or rollers disposed on an underside of the device which can roll with respect to the device and with respect to one another. The rollers are selectively contacted with one another such that each roller can assist in removing debris picked up by the opposite roller and dispensing the debris into a collection chamber releasably positioned within the housing. The removal of the debris from each roller is also facilitated by opposed edges of a central opening in the housing that contact the rollers and direct the debris into the debris collection chamber.