Dust container for a vacuum cleaner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dust containers for vacuum cleaners face challenges in securely attaching the dust bag during use and removal, and in reliably sensing the correct installation of the dust container to prevent damage from unseated or incorrectly installed conditions.
Innovation Solution
A dust container design featuring a connector plate with control apertures and a flexible zone, which securely engages with the vacuum cleaner's holder using a holding element and includes a sensor for correct installation verification, ensuring proper positioning and sealing of the dust bag inlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a connector plate with tab and pivot is used to retain the panel in the installed position, then the dust bag can be secured during use, but the complexity of the connector plate structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector plate is segmented into functional zones: a rigid first side for structural support and insertion, a flexible second side for sealing and engagement, and control apertures for sensing. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally while reducing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the connector plate have different mechanical properties. The first side is rigid for structural integrity, while the second side is flexible for sealing and automatic engagement. This local differentiation of material properties solves the securing problem without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire plate.
2Reliability
If a sensor arrangement with control apertures is implemented to detect correct installation, then the vacuum cleaner can prevent damage from incorrect installation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control apertures serve as intermediaries between the connector plate and the sensor arrangement. These apertures provide a simple geometric feature that allows optical or mechanical sensors to detect installation status without requiring complex sensor integration into the plate itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical sensing mechanisms with simpler optical or electromagnetic sensors that detect the presence or absence of control apertures. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining reliable detection capability.
3Ease of operation
If the connector plate includes a flexible zone for engagement with the holder, then the dust bag can be automatically secured during removal, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible zone's geometric parameters (thickness, curvature, material properties) are optimized to provide the right balance between flexibility for automatic engagement and structural integrity for reliable operation. This parameter optimization reduces manufacturing tolerances while achieving the desired automatic securing function.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3a
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a dust container (20) for a vacuum cleaner. The dust container comprising a dust bag (21, made of an air permeable material, and a connector plate (10). The connector plate surrounds an inlet (9) in the dust bag (21), whereby the connector plate (10) is configured to correctly position the inlet (9) within a vacuum cleaner by the connector plate (10) being slid into a holder of the vacuum cleaner. The connector plate (10) comprising a front surface (5) having an opening (6) for an airflow, a first side (1) adapted to be inserted into the holder of a vacuum cleaner. An opposite second side (2), a third side (3) connecting the first and second sides, and a forth side (4) connecting the first and second sides. The first side (1) is connecting the third (3) side and fourth side (4), and the connector plate (10) comprises two control apertures (7,8).