Modular vacuum cleaner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing on-board vehicle vacuum cleaners have complex and dedicated installation arrangements, limiting their versatility across different vehicles and configurations within a vehicle, making them inconvenient for cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A modular vacuum cleaner system comprising a vacuum module, a collector module, and an interconnecting duct that allows for various configurations such as in-line, perpendicular, and side-by-side arrangements, enabling flexible installation and use in different vehicle spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated installation arrangement is used for on-board vehicle vacuum cleaners, then the vacuum cleaner can be firmly installed in a specific location, but the versatility across different vehicles and configurations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner system is divided into separate modular components (vacuum module, collector module, hose compartment) that can be independently positioned and configured. The interconnecting duct serves as a flexible connector between these modules, allowing the system to be assembled in different arrangements (in-line, perpendicular, side-by-side) to adapt to various vehicle spaces while maintaining stable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum cleaner is designed with universal mounting capabilities through multiple mounting brackets and flexible interconnecting ducts that can accommodate different vehicle types and interior configurations. The same modular components can be installed in various locations (under seats, in cargo areas, in console compartments) across different vehicle models, providing multi-functional adaptability without requiring vehicle-specific custom installations.
2Reliability
If a complex and dedicated installation arrangement is used, then the vacuum cleaner can be securely mounted, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into standardized modules with dedicated mounting brackets for each component. This segmentation allows each module to be independently secured to the vehicle structure using simple bracket-to-surface mounting, avoiding the need for complex integrated mounting structures. The modular approach simplifies the overall installation process while maintaining secure mounting of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The interconnecting duct is designed with flexible positioning capabilities, allowing it to connect vacuum and collector modules in multiple orientations and distances. This dynamic flexibility enables the system to adapt to different spatial constraints within vehicles without requiring complex rigid mounting structures, reducing installation complexity while ensuring secure component attachment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If modular components are used with flexible arrangement, then the versatility and ease of installation improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner is divided into three main modular components (vacuum module, collector module, hose compartment) that can be independently manufactured, installed, and maintained. Each module has standardized connection interfaces through the interconnecting duct, allowing flexible arrangement in different spatial configurations (in-line, perpendicular, side-by-side) without requiring complex integration mechanisms, thus achieving configuration flexibility with manageable assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting brackets and interconnecting duct serve dual functions: they provide structural support and secure mounting while simultaneously enabling flexible configuration. By merging these functions into integrated components, the system achieves versatile positioning capabilities without adding separate complex adjustment mechanisms, thereby balancing configuration flexibility with acceptable device complexity.
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 modular design allows for easy assembly and orientation in various shapes and orientations, facilitating installation in diverse vehicle configurations while maintaining the vacuum cleaner as an integrated unit, enhancing ease of handling and use.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum module configured to draw a vacuum... such that the vacuum module pulls air into, through, and out of the collector module when drawing a vacuum
Data Source
AI summary
Vacuum cleaners to be mounted in a vehicle are disclosed. Some of the vacuum cleaners have a modular design that allows the vacuum cleaners to be arranged, assembled, and/or installed in different configurations and to fit in different spaces within the vehicle. Vacuum cleaners may include a vacuum module, a collector module, and/or a hose storage module. An interconnecting duct is configured to operatively couple the vacuum module and the collector module in any one of a plurality of different predefined assembly configurations. The collector module may have a debris canister that may be lifted straight out of a collector housing. The vacuum cleaner may be installed in a vehicle in a manner to allow easy removal of the debris canister without disconnecting and/or removing other portions of the vacuum cleaner.