Movable Side Brush Assembly for Corner Cleaning Vacuums

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Solution Overview

Problem

Automatic cleaners are limited in effectively cleaning areas outside their suction port, and increasing the length of side brushes for larger cleaning areas leads to damage and storage issues.

Innovation Solution

The automatic cleaner features a side brush assembly with a movable member that adjusts its position and rotation shaft to extend and retract, allowing effective cleaning of corners and reducing storage space requirements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If the length of the side brush is increased to expand the cleaning area, then the cleaning area is increased, but the side brush may be damaged during operation or storage and requires larger storage space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning areaVSAvoidside brush durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The side brush assembly is designed to be movable relative to the casing, transitioning between a first position (retracted) and a second position (extended). This dynamic configuration allows the side brush to extend only when needed for cleaning operations, reducing damage risk and storage space requirements while maintaining effective cleaning area when deployed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Area of stationary object

If the length of the side brush is increased to expand the cleaning area, then the cleaning area is increased, but the storage space required is increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning areaVSAvoidstorage space

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The side brush assembly transitions between retracted and extended positions, occupying minimal storage space when retracted while providing extended cleaning capability when deployed, effectively decoupling storage volume from cleaning area

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If the side brush is extended to clean areas outside the suction port, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the side brush is more susceptible to damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidside brush durability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The side brush assembly is movably connected to the casing, allowing it to extend to the second position during cleaning operations to improve cleaning effectiveness, and retract to the first position when not in use to reduce susceptibility to damage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The side brush assembly is positioned in the retracted first position before cleaning operations begin, and only extended to the second position when actually needed for cleaning, minimizing exposure time to potential damage sources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2737837B1Automatic vacuum cleaner

Publication Date: 2017.04.05 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

Provided is an automatic cleaner, which includes a casing including a suction port, a suction device disposed in the casing to suction an outer foreign substance through the suction port, a moving device that moves the casing, and a side brush assembly movably installed on the casing. The side brush assembly includes a brush rotating to move a foreign substance located out of the casing, to the suction port. A rotation shaft of the brush is horizontally moved according to a movement of the side brush assembly.