Dust Receptacle Latching for Single-Action Vacuum Cleaner Closure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cleaning devices, such as vacuum cleaners, face issues with dust and dirt escaping due to awkwardly designed receptacles that require complex operations to close properly, leading to inefficient dust collection and potential messes.

Innovation Solution

A cleaning device with a housing cover and receptacle cover that utilize a common locking mechanism, along with positioning devices and rotatable latching devices, ensuring secure closure with a single operation, preventing dust escape and simplifying the operation process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single cover is used to close both the housing and the receptacle, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of dust containment deteriorates because the receptacle may not be properly closed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecover structureVSAvoiddust containment
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cover structure is segmented into a housing cover and a receptacle cover as separate components. The housing cover closes the housing, while the receptacle cover closes the receptacle. This segmentation allows each cover to be independently optimized for its specific function, ensuring that the receptacle is always properly closed to contain dust while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the receptacle is made easily removable for emptying, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of secure closure deteriorates as users may not properly close it

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereceptacle emptyingVSAvoidreceptacle closure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The receptacle cover is equipped with a latching mechanism that automatically engages when the cover is placed on the receptacle. This preliminary action of automatic latching ensures that the receptacle is securely closed without requiring the user to perform additional closing actions, thereby maintaining ease of operation while ensuring reliable closure to prevent dust escape.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If a complex latching mechanism is used to ensure secure closure, then the reliability of dust containment is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficult closing operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust containmentVSAvoidclosing operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The latching mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through spring-loaded latching elements that automatically engage with corresponding receptacles when the cover is placed on the housing. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex manual operating steps, allowing users to simply place the cover on and achieve secure closure, thereby maintaining both high reliability and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

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 solution ensures secure closure of the receptacle, preventing dust escape and simplifying the operation of the cleaning device, while protecting the device from improper closure damage.

Implementation Method 1

a first latching device (5) attached to the housing cover (4), with a second latching device (6) attached to the receiving container (3), which interacts with the first latching device (5) in such a way that when the housing cover (4) is closed, the first latching device (5) latches with the second latching device (6)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Fastener: Mechanical Fastener

Implementation Method 2

the incoming air flow is displaced into a cyclone by a corresponding air duct, as a result of which the dust and dirt particles are pressed outwards due to centrifugal force and fall into a receptacle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentEP2510852B1Cleaning device
Publication Date: 2016.11.02 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP2510852B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2510852B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2510852B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a cleaning device (1), with a housing which has a lockable housing cover (4) covering the housing, with a receptacle (3) which is provided in the housing and which has a lockable cover covering the receptacle (3). has a container cover (2), with a first latching device (5) attached to the housing cover (4), with a second latching device (6) attached to the receiving container (3), which interacts with the first latching device (5) in such a way that when it is closed of the housing cover (4), the first latching device (5) latches with the second latching device (6) and at the same time the second latching device (6) with which the container cover (2) latches.