Floor Cleaning Pad Pressure Control With Cantilever Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional floor cleaning machines face challenges in maintaining consistent pad pressure due to factors like wear, voltage fluctuations, and floor surface conditions, leading to potential scratching or inadequate polishing.
Innovation Solution
A pressure regulating system utilizing a motor-driven movable body with an elastically deformable cantilevered arm, sensor, and actuator to adjust cleaning implement pressure against the floor, ensuring it remains within a predetermined range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pad pressure is increased to improve polishing effect, then polishing quality is improved, but risk of floor scratching and wax removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a sensor to detect the actual pad pressure during operation and feeds this information back to a controller. The controller then adjusts the actuator to maintain pressure within the optimal range, preventing both insufficient polishing and excessive pressure that causes scratching. This closed-loop feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by dynamically balancing polishing effectiveness with floor protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements dynamic pressure adjustment through an actuator that continuously modifies the pad pressure based on real-time conditions. Instead of fixed pressure, the system adapts pressure levels dynamically to match floor conditions and implement wear, ensuring adequate polishing while preventing damage. The actuator mechanism allows the cleaning implement to move vertically to maintain optimal pressure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If pad pressure is decreased to prevent floor damage, then floor safety is improved, but polishing quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor continuously monitors pad pressure and provides feedback to the controller. When pressure drops below the minimum threshold needed for effective polishing, the controller activates the actuator to increase pressure. This ensures polishing quality is maintained while preventing pressure from exceeding damage thresholds, resolving the contradiction between safety and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator provides dynamic pressure adjustment capability, allowing the system to increase pressure when needed for polishing and decrease it when approaching damage thresholds. This dynamic control enables the system to operate at the optimal pressure boundary, simultaneously achieving good polishing results and floor protection.
3Device complexity
If conventional pressure regulation methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but pressure consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a sensor to detect actual pad pressure and a controller to process this information and adjust pressure accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures consistent pressure maintenance despite variations in implement wear, battery voltage, or floor conditions. The added complexity of the sensor-controller-actuator system directly addresses and resolves the pressure consistency problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces conventional mechanical pressure regulation (such as spring-loaded mechanisms or manual adjustment) with an electronically controlled actuator system. This substitution uses sensors and controllers to achieve more precise and consistent pressure regulation, trading mechanical simplicity for electronic control reliability and pressure consistency.
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 system effectively maintains consistent pad pressure, preventing damage from excessive force and ensuring adequate polishing by dynamically adjusting to changes in floor conditions and implement wear.
Implementation Method 1
A sensor is coupled to the cantilevered arm to sense or measure deformation of the cantilevered arm
Implementation Method 2
An actuator, such as linear motor, is coupled to the housing for lifting and lowering the housing
Implementation Method 3
A motor is coupled to the housing and the cleaning implements for driving the cleaning implements
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method for regulating the pressure between a floor cleaning implement (22) and a floor, wherein the floor cleaning implement (22) is coupled to a floor cleaning machine (10). The device of one embodiment comprises a cantilevered arm (28) coupled to the floor cleaning machine (10) and a sensor (30) coupled to the cantilevered arm (28) and positioned to sense deflection or other deformation of the cantilevered arm (28). An actuator (26) is coupled between the cantilevered arm (28) and cleaning implements (22). The actuator (26) is also coupled to the sensor (30) and adapted to receive signals from the sensor (30) to cause actuation of the actuator (26). When pressure other than a predetermined amount causes the cantilevered arm (28) to deform, the sensor (30) senses this deformation and cause the actuator (26) to actuate in a direction that allows the cantilevered arm (28) to return to a position in which the pressure is within the predetermined amount.