Flat Mop Wing Plate Locking for Stable Synchronous Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable flat mops lack a mechanism to lock wing plates in a horizontal plane during expansion, leading to unnecessary pivoting and poor cleaning performance, and fail to securely lock the plates when folded, causing them to sway or shake.
Innovation Solution
A synchronously foldable and expandable flat mop design featuring a mop-holding rod, wing plates with press-against bodies, a synchronous-folding-expanding connecting body, and a rotating sleeve connector that locks the wing plates in a horizontal plane by using upper and side protruding portions and recesses to prevent pivoting and ensure stability during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixing spring is mounted between the wing plate and the connector, then the wing plate can be fixed in position, but the unnecessary pivoting still exists in the joint points because the fixing spring has its maximum loading
Solution Approach 1:
A locking block is introduced as an intermediary component between the wing plate and connector. The locking block engages with a locking groove on the connector and a pressing groove on the wing plate, acting as a mechanical mediator that eliminates pivoting while maintaining fixing reliability without relying on spring loading limits
2Productivity
If the two wing plates are expanded outward for cleaning operation, then the cleaning area is increased, but the bottom surfaces of the two wing plates are not horizontal to each other due to unnecessary pivoting
Solution Approach 1:
The locking block serves as a mediator that connects the wing plate to the connector, preventing relative pivoting motion. This ensures that when wing plates are expanded outward for cleaning, their bottom surfaces remain horizontally aligned with each other, maintaining precision while preserving full cleaning area
3Volume of moving object
If the two wing plates are folded inward for storage, then the space occupation is reduced, but the two wing plates easily sway or shake without a folded-locking mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The locking block acts as a mediator that can be positioned in different locations along the connector. When folded for storage, the locking block engages with the connector to prevent swaying and shaking, providing stability in the folded position while maintaining compact storage volume
Data Source
AI summary
The invention discloses a folding flat mop having a mop-holding rod, two wing plates, a synchronous-folding-expanding connecting body, a synchronous-folding-expanding element, and a rotating sleeve connector. Each wing plate has a press-against body having an upper protrusion and a side protrusion, and a cleaning member is mounted on a bottom surface of each wing plate. The synchronous-folding-expanding connecting body has a shaft portion and two wing-plate-connecting portions respectively pivotally connected to the two wing plates. The synchronous-folding-expanding element is installed in a hole of the shaft portion, and each end of the synchronous-folding-expanding element is pivotally connected to or is gear engaged with each wing plate. The rotating sleeve connector has a sleeve portion covering an outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion and an attaching portion protruding upward from the sleeve portion to connect to the mop-holding rod.