Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Retractable Handle for Coupling Ergonomics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous robot vacuum cleaners with hand-held units have ergonomic issues during coupling and uncoupling, and the hand-held vacuum cleaners are not practical to handle due to difficult-to-grasp handles, which limits their maneuverability and usability.
Innovation Solution
A robot vacuum cleaner design featuring a main body and a hand-held vacuum cleaner that can be coupled and uncoupled reversibly, with a gripping handle that moves between retracted and deployed positions, allowing for easy handling and locking mechanisms to secure the handle in place, ensuring the robot can pivot without interference and maintain maneuverability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the hand-held vacuum cleaner has a fixed handle design, then the structure is simple, but the ergonomics during coupling and uncoupling are poor and the handle is difficult to grasp
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to be movable relative to the hand-held vacuum cleaner body, allowing it to transition between retracted and deployed positions. This dynamic configuration enables the handle to be grasped easily during coupling/uncoupling operations while maintaining a compact profile during autonomous operation, thus improving ergonomics without permanently increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle movement is constrained within a specific angular range (30° to 60° relative to the longitudinal axis), utilizing angular dimensionality to achieve ergonomic positioning. This allows the handle to be accessible from lateral directions during coupling while maintaining a streamlined appearance during autonomous operation.
2Ease of operation
If the gripping handle protrudes beyond the envelope side surface, then the handle is easier to grasp, but the robot vacuum cleaner cannot pivot or turn on itself without interfering with nearby obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is configured to be retractable within the envelope side surface during autonomous operation, allowing the robot to pivot and navigate obstacles without interference. When coupling or uncoupling is required, the handle can be deployed to a position where it is accessible for grasping, thus dynamically resolving the conflict between maneuverability and handle accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle structure is segmented into a movable portion and a fixed portion, allowing independent movement of the handle relative to the vacuum cleaner body. This segmentation enables the handle to be positioned for easy grasping during coupling operations while maintaining a compact profile that does not interfere with the robot's maneuverability during autonomous operation.
3Ease of operation
If the handle is made movable between retracted and deployed positions, then ergonomics are improved, but additional locking mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically engage when the handle is in the deployed position and automatically disengage when the handle is moved to the retracted position. This self-service locking approach eliminates the need for separate manual locking operations, improving ergonomics while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism utilizes magnetic attraction or elastic deformation rather than complex mechanical interlocks. This substitution simplifies the locking system while still providing reliable handle retention in the deployed position and easy release when needed.
Data Source
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AI summary
Autonomous robot vacuum cleaner comprising: • a main body (10) of robot vacuum cleaner, • a hand vacuum cleaner (20), arranged to couple reversibly to the main body (10): - so as to form the autonomous robot vacuum cleaner in coupled position, and - so as to form an autonomous hand vacuum cleaner (20) in uncoupled position, in which the robot vacuum cleaner has a peripheral wall defining a lateral envelope surface, in which the hand vacuum cleaner (20) includes a gripping handle (21) provided movable to occupy: - a retracted position, or - a deployed position, characterized in that: the housing opens onto the lateral envelope surface (100), the gripping handle (21) in the retracted position is tangent to or recessed from the lateral envelope surface.