Extraction cleaner and cleanout tool for the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surface cleaning apparatuses, such as extraction cleaners, face challenges in effectively removing debris like hair and carpet fibers that become clogged in the suction nozzle or intertwined with the agitator, requiring disassembly for cleaning and leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A cleanout tool with a flexible body and dual cleaning implements, including a nozzle cleaning implement with hooks and a brush cleaning implement with a comb, designed to reach and remove debris from the suction nozzle and agitator without disassembly, enhancing maintenance efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the suction nozzle and agitator are designed to effectively capture and remove debris, then cleaning performance is improved, but debris becomes clogged in the suction nozzle or intertwined with the agitator requiring disassembly for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The cleanout tool is divided into multiple functional segments: a flexible body for navigation, a nozzle cleaning implement with hooks for removing clogged debris from the suction nozzle, and a brush cleaning implement with a comb for removing intertwined debris from the agitator. This segmentation allows each component to address specific cleaning needs without requiring disassembly of the main apparatus.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleanout tool serves as an intermediary device that accesses and cleans debris from the suction nozzle and agitator through the existing openings and spaces in the apparatus. The flexible body allows the tool to navigate through the apparatus interior, while the specialized implements (hooks and comb) interact with clogged materials to remove them without requiring disassembly of the main cleaning apparatus.
2Productivity
If a cleanout tool is designed to reach into the suction nozzle and agitator, then debris removal capability is improved, but the tool structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cleanout tool combines multiple cleaning functions into a single device: the flexible body provides navigation and positioning, the nozzle cleaning implement with hooks addresses suction nozzle clogs, and the brush cleaning implement with comb handles agitator debris. This multi-functionality allows one tool to perform all necessary cleaning tasks, avoiding the need for multiple separate tools or disassembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleanout tool employs a flexible body that can bend and navigate through the interior spaces of the suction nozzle and around the agitator. This flexibility allows the rigid cleaning implements (hooks and comb) to reach into confined spaces and access clogged areas without requiring the tool itself to be complex or the apparatus to be disassembled.
3Ease of operation
If the cleanout tool uses a flexible body to reach clogged areas, then accessibility to hard-to-reach debris is improved, but the tool loses structural rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is segmented into a flexible body portion for navigation and rigid implement portions (nozzle cleaning implement with hooks and brush cleaning implement with comb) for debris removal. The flexible body provides the necessary compliance to reach into confined spaces, while the segmented rigid implements maintain structural integrity for effective debris engagement and removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible body acts as a compliant transmission medium that transfers user applied forces to the cleaning implements while adapting to the complex geometry of the apparatus interior. This flexible connection allows the rigid cleaning implements to reach into hard-to-access areas without requiring the entire tool to be rigid, thus achieving both accessibility and structural effectiveness.
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 cleanout tool effectively clears clogged debris from the suction nozzle and agitator, improving the performance and ease of maintenance of surface cleaning apparatuses by allowing for cleaning without disassembly, thus restoring optimal operation.
Implementation Method 1
a source of suction in fluid communication with the working air conduit to draw the cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned and through the nozzle and the working air conduit to the recovery tank
Implementation Method 2
an agitator provided adjacent to the suction nozzle for agitating the surface to be cleaned
Implementation Method 3
a nozzle cleaning implement with hooks
Implementation Method 4
a brush cleaning implement with a comb
Data Source
AI summary
An extraction cleaner having a cleanout tool for use with a surface cleaning apparatus such as an extraction cleaner or vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle cleaning implement and a brush cleaning implement.