Removable Transport Wheels for Floor-Cleaning Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor-cleaning appliances are cumbersome to transport between locations, often requiring manual carrying or use of additional devices, and lack efficient mechanisms for transitioning between cleaning and transport modes.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of rotatably fixed transporting wheels on the housing, which can be easily attached and detached by the user, allowing the appliance to be converted between a cleaning position and a transport position, with optional storage solutions to maintain mobility and space efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If transporting wheels are permanently fixed on the housing, then the appliance can be easily transported, but the cleaning tool cannot contact the floor surface effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The transporting wheels are segmented from the main housing structure and can be independently mounted or removed. They are designed as separate components that attach to the housing only when needed for transport, allowing the cleaning tool to function independently during cleaning operations without interference from the transporting wheels
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure for the transporting wheels is designed to be dynamic and changeable. The wheels can be easily mounted onto or removed from the housing depending on whether transport or cleaning function is needed, transforming the appliance between different operational states without permanent fixed structures
2Ease of operation
If the appliance is designed for easy transport, then mobility is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The transporting wheels are extracted as separate, removable components rather than being integrated into the permanent structure. This allows the appliance to maintain a simple basic structure for cleaning operations, with transport functionality added only when needed through simple attachment to pre-provided mounting locations on the housing
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is designed with universal mounting features that can accommodate the transporting wheels at different locations or configurations. The same basic housing structure serves both cleaning and transport functions by simply attaching or removing the wheels, avoiding the need for separate dedicated structures for each function
3Adaptability or versatility
If transporting wheels are always attached, then transport over steps and stairs is enabled, but space for cleaning tool operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transporting wheels are segmented from the main cleaning structure and positioned at locations that do not interfere with the cleaning tool's workspace when attached. The mounting locations are carefully selected to place the wheels at the periphery of the housing, maximizing the central area available for cleaning tool operation while still enabling transport functionality
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a floor-cleaning appliance having a housing, on the underside of which is disposed at least one floor-cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance, for the purpose of cleaning a floor surface, can be guided manually by the user in an operating direction along the floor surface. In order to develop the floor-cleaning appliance such that it can be transported in a simple manner, it is proposed according to the invention that the floor-cleaning appliance has transporting wheels which are adapted to be rotatably fixed by the user, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on wheel bearings disposed on the side of the housing.