Brush for cleaning equipment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cleaning equipment requires multiple, bulky, and heavy dual-purpose brushes to handle various surfaces, reducing versatility and efficiency, and increasing the number of accessories needed.

Innovation Solution

A brush with a containing body and bristle command and movement means that can selectively activate three distinct functioning conditions, allowing all bristles to protrude, retract completely, or have one group protrude while the other is retracted, enabling versatile use on different surfaces with adjustable suction efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple dual-purpose brushes are used to handle various surfaces, then cleaning versatility is improved, but device complexity and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning versatilityVSAvoidnumber of accessories
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The brush head is designed with two retractable bristle groups that can be independently positioned, allowing a single brush to perform multiple cleaning functions. By controlling the retraction of first and second bristle groups, the brush can clean hard floors, carpets, and upholstered surfaces, replacing the need for multiple specialized brushes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The bristle system is divided into two separate retractable groups (first bristle group and second bristle group) that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows different portions of the brush to be positioned differently, enabling adaptation to various surface types and cleaning conditions without requiring multiple complete brush assemblies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If dual-purpose brushes are designed to handle multiple surfaces, then cleaning versatility is improved, but the brush becomes bulky and heavy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning versatilityVSAvoidbrush weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The bristle groups are designed to retract into and be housed within the brush head body when not in use. This nesting arrangement allows the bristles to be stored compactly within the containing structure, reducing the overall volume and weight of the brush when transitioning between different cleaning surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Adaptability or versatility

If retractable bristles with retraction mechanism are used for dual-purpose cleaning, then versatility is improved, but the brush becomes bulky due to mass of components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedual-purpose functionalityVSAvoidbrush volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The retraction mechanisms for both the first bristle group and second bristle group are integrated into a single brush head assembly. By merging the control systems and housing structures, the design achieves dual-purpose functionality without requiring separate mechanisms for each bristle group, thereby reducing overall volume and component mass.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3041394B1Brush for cleaning equipment
Publication Date: 2017.11.01 DE LONGHI APPLIANCES SRL
  • EP3041394B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2c
  • EP3041394B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b
  • EP3041394B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4b

AI summary

Brush for cleaning equipment, comprising a containing body (11), a plurality of bristles (14), bristle command and movement means (16a, 16b, 16c, 12, 13) able to be selectively activated in order to make the brush (10) assume a first functioning condition in which all the bristles (14) protrude from a lower part (211) of the containing body (11), a second functioning condition in which all the bristles (14) are completely retracted inside the containing body (11), and a third functioning condition in which at least a first group of bristles (14a) protrudes from said lower part (211) of the containing body (11) and at least a second group of bristles (14b) is completely retracted inside the containing body (11).