Robot Cleaner Dust Inlet Shielding to Prevent Backflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot cleaners face issues with dusts being discharged backward and clogging, which reduces suction performance and creates unsanitary conditions when the dust container is emptied, as dusts flow outside and can cause the suction force to be poorly transmitted to the cleaning surface.
Innovation Solution
A robot cleaner design featuring a foreign material storage unit that can be selectively opened and blocked, with a shield member that closes when the suction motor is not in use to prevent dust backflow, and a detection system to alert when the filter is blocked, allowing for easy separation and maintenance of the storage unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the foreign material storage unit is always open to allow easy emptying, then ease of operation is improved, but dusts discharge backward and cause unsanitary environment
Solution Approach 1:
The shield member is designed to be movable between open and closed positions. During cleaning operation, the shield member closes to prevent dust backflow. When emptying is needed, the shield member opens to allow dust discharge. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between preventing dust discharge and enabling easy emptying.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the foreign material storage unit is always closed to prevent dust discharge, then harmful factors are reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates as emptying becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The dust container assembly is divided into separable components: the dust container body, the cover, and the shield member. This segmentation allows the shield member to be independently opened for emptying while the rest of the container remains closed during operation, resolving the contradiction between dust containment and ease of emptying.
3Productivity
If the duct container is filled with dusts to increase storage capacity, then productivity is improved, but suction performance deteriorates due to clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The detection unit continuously monitors the dust container for clogging conditions and provides feedback to the control unit. When clogging is detected, the control unit alerts the user to empty the container, preventing suction performance deterioration. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain optimal performance while maximizing dust storage capacity.
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
Prevents dust backflow and maintains suction performance by ensuring dusts are contained within the storage unit until emptied, improving cleaning efficiency and user convenience by allowing for timely cleaning of the storage unit.
Implementation Method 1
a suction motor mounted in a main body thereof to filter the dusts within the main body
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a robot cleaner, and more particularly to a robot cleaner for shielding particularly an air inlet of a foreign material storage unit. The robot cleaner includes a main body including a drive unit for providing a suction force, a main cover for shielding a side of the main body, a foreign material storage unit separably disposed on the main cover, the foreign material storage unit having an air inlet for introducing air containing foreign materials, a foreign material cover disposed on the main cover, the foreign material cover selectively shielding a side of the foreign material storage unit, and a shield member disposed on the foreign material storage unit, the shield member selectively shielding the air inlet.