Robot cleaner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot cleaners have limited cleaning efficiency due to the short length of their roller brushes, which results in a smaller cleaned area compared to the area passed by the cleaner, and side brushes often get stuck or push dust away, degrading performance and potentially halting the cleaner's operation.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner design featuring 'V'-shaped brush assemblies with belts and pulleys that extend to the sides, allowing for a wider cleaning area and guiding dust towards a central inlet, along with a movable cleaning tool and adjustable inlet area to accommodate larger debris without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If side brushes are installed to extend the cleaning area, then the cleaning area is expanded, but dust is pushed away and cleaning performance degrades
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using side brushes that push dust outward, the patent inverts the approach by using a central suction inlet that actively draws dust inward. The inlet is positioned at the center bottom of the cleaner body, creating a suction zone that pulls dust from all directions toward the center, reversing the conventional outward-pushing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the dust collection function from the side brushes and concentrates it in the central inlet. By removing the side brush components and relying solely on the central suction inlet with optimized airflow, the design eliminates the harmful dust-pushing effect while maintaining effective dust collection.
2Area of stationary object
If side brushes are used to expand cleaning area, then more floor space is covered, but the cleaner gets stuck on obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the side brush components entirely, extracting only the essential central suction inlet for dust collection. This elimination of protruding side brushes prevents them from getting stuck on obstacles while the central inlet maintains effective dust collection through optimized airflow patterns.
3Area of stationary object
If roller brush length is increased to clean wider area, then cleaning coverage improves, but the cleaner structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dust collection function from a complex multi-component brush system and consolidates it into a simple central inlet structure. By removing side brushes and using only a central suction inlet with optimized airflow, the design achieves effective dust collection without increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic principles to create a suction zone that extends outward from the central inlet. By optimizing the inlet position at the center bottom and controlling airflow patterns, the suction field naturally covers a wider area without requiring physical extension of brush components, thus avoiding increased structural complexity.
4Productivity
If central inlet is used for dust collection, then dust is effectively absorbed, but larger debris cannot be accommodated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the inlet door movable rather than fixed. The inlet door can open and close based on the size of debris detected, dynamically adjusting the inlet opening size. This allows the system to accommodate both small dust particles (with the door closed for efficient suction) and larger debris (with the door open for passage).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of inlet opening size dynamically through the movable inlet door mechanism. By adjusting the opening size parameter based on debris size, the system optimizes both dust absorption efficiency (small opening) and debris accommodation (large opening), achieving adaptability across different particle sizes.
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 design enhances cleaning efficiency by effectively sweeping and absorbing dust across a wider area with a strong suction force, preventing dust from being pushed outside and reducing the risk of the cleaner getting stuck, while maintaining smooth operation without increased power requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a fan motor arranged in the main unit for producing a suction force
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A robot cleaner that sweeps dust on the floor toward its center and absorbs the dust through a small-area inlet with a strong suction force, by a cleaning tool that integrates functions of side brushes and a main brush into one. The present disclosure also provides a robot cleaner that enables a large-diameter foreign material to be guided to and effectively absorbed through the inlet without interference by a cleaning tool. The robot cleaner includes a main unit including a fan motor and a dust collector and having an inlet arranged on a base to absorb foreign materials, and a cleaning tool arranged in the bottom of the base, extending to a front side of the base from the inlet and guiding a foreign material on a floor to a side of the inlet, wherein the cleaning tool is arranged to be movable by an external force.