Floor Nozzle Air Labyrinth for Universal Carpet and Hard Floor Cleaning
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor nozzles for vacuum cleaners are expensive, complex, and lack flexibility to clean different floor surfaces effectively without user intervention, particularly struggling with smooth floors and long-pile carpets.
Innovation Solution
A floor nozzle design featuring rhombus-shaped or oval sealing elements forming an air channel labyrinth at the suction mouth edge, allowing for easy manufacturing and robustness, with diamond-shaped solids that effectively comb long-pile carpet fibers and collect coarse dirt on various surfaces without requiring user adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If sealing elements are designed as diamond-shaped solids, then manufacturing simplicity and robustness are improved, but cleaning effectiveness on different floor surfaces must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The diamond-shaped sealing elements are designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: they seal the suction nozzle against different floor surfaces (hard floors, carpets, rugs) while also combing carpet fibers and forming air channels for dirt collection. This universal design eliminates the need for switching between different nozzle types for different floor surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing elements are designed with specific dimensional parameters (height of 5-15mm, diamond shape geometry) that allow them to adapt to varying floor surface conditions. The height and shape parameters enable the elements to effectively seal against both hard floors and soft carpets while maintaining their combing and air channel formation functions.
2Reliability
If sealing elements are designed as diamond-shaped solids, then robustness and resistance to damage are improved, but complexity of switching mechanisms is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex switching mechanism from the floor nozzle design. Instead of having multiple nozzle types or switchable components, the single robust diamond-shaped sealing element design handles all floor surface types directly, removing the source of potential malfunctions and simplifying the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The diamond-shaped sealing elements are designed to automatically adapt to different floor surfaces without requiring user intervention or switching mechanisms. The elements self-adjust through their geometric design and positioning, providing reliable sealing and combing functions across various floor types.
3Ease of operation
If diamond-shaped solids are used at suction nozzle edge, then carpet fiber combing is improved, but pushing force requirement must be managed
Solution Approach 1:
The diamond-shaped sealing elements are positioned specifically at the suction nozzle edge where carpet combing is most needed. This localized placement ensures effective fiber combing and air channel formation at the critical sealing interface, while the overall nozzle design maintains acceptable pushing force requirements through optimized element distribution and geometry.
4Manufacturing precision
If air channel labyrinth is formed by diamond-shaped solids, then coarse dirt capture is improved, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functions into the single diamond-shaped sealing element: sealing, carpet combing, and air channel labyrinth formation for dirt capture. This consolidation achieves effective coarse dirt capture through the形成的 air channels while maintaining manufacturing simplicity by using a single geometric shape for all functions, eliminating the need for separate components.
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 design enables universal cleaning capabilities across different floor surfaces, including smooth floors and long-pile carpets, with reduced pushing forces and improved dirt collection, while being simpler and less prone to damage.
Implementation Method 1
the air channel labyrinth formed by several sealing elements projecting from the underside towards the floor surface
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum cleaner's floor nozzle is continuously moved back and forth across the floor surface. The dust pickup efficiency of the vacuum cleaner depends heavily on the design of the floor nozzle
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Floor nozzle (1) for a vacuum cleaner (2), for cleaning and maintaining floor surfaces, with a housing (3) having an underside (4) facing the floor surface in the operating position, on which an elongated suction opening (6) extending transversely to the operating direction (5) is arranged, wherein the suction opening (6) is bounded by an associated suction opening edge (7, 7a), wherein the suction opening edge (7, 7a) has an air channel labyrinth (8) formed by several sealing elements (9) projecting from the underside (4) towards the floor surface, forming the air channel labyrinth (8), wherein the sealing elements are either designed as diamond-shaped solid bodies (9) or as sealing lip sections (11) extending transversely to the operating direction (5) and arranged offset from one another in the operating direction (5). Vacuum cleaner (2) with such a floor nozzle (1).