Dual-Roller Fabric Sweeper for Debris Retention and Easy Emptying
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fabric cleaning devices are cumbersome and inefficient for small or hard-to-reach surfaces, and alternative devices often fail to effectively retain debris due to the design of their bristle mechanisms, requiring inefficient methods like inversion and shaking for debris removal.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight fabric cleaning device with rotating cleaning members that pick up debris and deposit it into a collection chamber, utilizing materials that attract and retain dust, dirt, and allergens, allowing for easy disposal of collected debris without the need for inversion.
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 invention divides the cleaning function into two separate components: a lightweight handheld sweeper for collecting debris and a separate collection chamber for storing it. This segmentation allows the cleaning head to be small and maneuverable while the collection capacity is separated, resolving the contradiction between effective cleaning and device size.
2Quantity of substance
If a brush mechanism is used to pick up and retain debris, then debris collection is achieved, but the device requires inversion and shaking for inefficient debris removal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the collection chamber as a separate, removable component from the sweeper body. This allows the collection chamber to be easily detached and emptied without requiring the user to invert or shake the entire device, making debris disposal simple and convenient while maintaining effective debris retention during cleaning.
3Ease of operation
If a lightweight manually operable device is used for small cleaning tasks, then ease of use in difficult locations is improved, but the ability to effectively retain and remove debris becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the lightweight sweeper head from the collection chamber, the invention enables the cleaning portion to be small and easy to maneuver in hard-to-reach areas, while the collection chamber provides sufficient capacity for debris storage. The segmented design allows each component to optimize its function without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable collection chamber extracts the debris storage function from the cleaning head, allowing the sweeper to remain lightweight and easy to operate while still providing effective debris retention. The chamber can be attached during cleaning and easily removed for disposal, maintaining both accessibility and reliability.
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 picks up and retains debris on fabric surfaces, allowing for efficient cleaning and easy disposal of collected materials, improving upon the inefficiencies of existing devices by using a collection chamber and materials that attract and retain dirt and allergens.
Implementation Method 1
The materials are also chosen to be somewhat flexible such that the material, in addition to being cleaned by the material positioned on the opposed rotatable member, can be further cleaned of the dirt, dust and other debris picked up by the material as a result of the contact of the material on each cleaning member with the housing.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a device (10) for use in cleaning a fabric surface (16) of dust, dirt, pet hair and other debris (20) present on the surface (16). The device (10) includes a pair of cleaning members or rollers (60, 61) disposed on an underside of the device (10) which can roll with respect to the device (10) and with respect to one another. The rollers (60, 61) are selectively contacted with one another such that each roller (60, 61) can assist in removing debris (20) picked up by the opposite roller (60, 61) and dispensing the debris (20) into a collection chamber (32) releasably positioned within a housing (11). The removal of the debris (20) from each roller (60, 61) is also facilitated by opposed edges of a central opening (58) in the housing (11) that contact the rollers (60, 61) and direct the debris (20) into the debris collection chamber (32).