Cleaning device equipped with omni-directional type main wheels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional canister vacuum cleaners face maneuverability issues due to protruding wheel hubs that can get stuck on obstacles, impairing their ability to navigate around corners or table legs effectively.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates omnidirectional main wheels with spherical cap-shaped fixed wheel hubs and rotating rollers that allow lateral movement when encountering obstacles, enabling the vacuum cleaner to roll laterally and avoid collisions, thus enhancing maneuverability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fixed wheel hubs are made to extend beyond the main wheels to provide structural support, then the structural strength is improved, but the wheel hubs become protruding parts that can get stuck on obstacles and impair maneuverability
Solution Approach 1:
The fixed wheel hubs are designed with a spherical cap shape instead of protruding extensions. This curved geometry allows the hubs to roll over obstacles smoothly without getting stuck, maintaining structural support while eliminating the maneuverability problems caused by protruding parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel hub configuration is changed from a static protruding structure to a dynamic spherical cap that can adapt its contact point with the ground. This dynamic geometry enables the hub to automatically adjust during movement, allowing the cleaner to navigate around obstacles effectively.
2Strength
If conventional fixed wheel hubs are used, then the structural support is maintained, but the cleaning device cannot easily avoid obstacles and requires user intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical cap shape of the fixed wheel hubs enables the cleaning device to automatically adapt to obstacles by rolling laterally. The curved surface allows smooth transition over obstacles without getting trapped, providing inherent obstacle avoidance capability while maintaining structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical cap design allows the cleaning device to handle obstacle avoidance autonomously through lateral rolling movement. The system self-adjusts when encountering obstacles without requiring user intervention to manually maneuver the device around obstacles.
3Speed
If large diameter main wheels are used to cross obstacles, then the ability to cross thresholds is improved, but the overall device size increases and may cause other maneuverability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical cap shaped fixed wheel hubs provide the obstacle crossing capability without requiring large diameter main wheels. The curved geometry of the hubs themselves acts as the obstacle-crossing element, allowing the cleaner to maintain a compact overall size while still effectively crossing thresholds and navigating obstacles.
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
This configuration allows the vacuum cleaner to easily dodge obstacles by rolling laterally, preventing collisions and improving navigation around obstacles, thereby increasing its maneuverability and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
The first rotating rollers (13b) of the first main wheel (13) are able to rotate freely and have axes of rotation that are not parallel, preferably perpendicular, to the axis of rotation of the first main wheel (13)... allowing the main body to move by rolling not only longitudinally but also laterally when an obstacle comes into contact with the cleaning unit
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The cleaning apparatus (1) comprises a main body (2); a first fixed wheel hub (18) and a second fixed wheel hub (19) which are integral with the main body (2) and which are arranged on either side of the main body (2), the main body (2) and the first and second fixed wheel hubs (18, 19) defining an assembly of overall spherical shape; and a first main wheel (13) and a second main wheel (14) which are annular and which rotate respectively around the first and second fixed wheel hubs (18, 19), the first and second fixed wheel hubs (18, 19) extending from the main body (2) respectively beyond the first and second main wheels (13, 14), the first and second main wheels (13, 14) being of the omnidirectional type.