Permanent-Sealed Floor Tool Housing for Low-Loss Suction Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum cleaners suffer from suction losses and turbulence due to inadequate sealing around the chamber inlet, which reduces their efficiency and increases noise during operation.
Innovation Solution
A floor tool with a housing formed of two permanently connected portions, featuring a chamber inlet and outlet, and a unitary construction to minimize ambient air infiltration and maintain suction pressure, along with a cleaning member and driving mechanism for efficient dirt collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the chamber inlet has a small cross-sectional area, then the suction air flow velocity increases near the inlet, but ambient air is drawn into the chamber through high velocity areas causing suction losses and turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple permanently connected portions that collectively form the sealed chamber structure. This segmentation allows for precise sealing at each connection point, preventing ambient air infiltration while maintaining the required small inlet cross-sectional area for high velocity suction flow.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple housing portions are permanently joined together to form a unitary sealed construction. This merging creates continuous sealing surfaces that prevent ambient air from entering the chamber, resolving the contradiction between maintaining high velocity flow through a small inlet and preventing suction losses.
2Speed
If the chamber inlet has a small cross-sectional area, then the suction air flow velocity increases near the inlet, but turbulence is generated in the chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented housing structure with permanent connections provides a sealed environment that controls and directs the high velocity suction flow, containing it within defined pathways and preventing chaotic turbulence within the chamber while maintaining the velocity benefits at the inlet.
Solution Approach 2:
The permanently joined housing portions create a unified sealed chamber that guides the suction air flow smoothly, reducing turbulence generated by ambient air infiltration and ensuring laminar flow paths despite the high velocity conditions at the small inlet area.
3Ease of manufacture
If the housing is made of multiple separate parts, then ease of manufacture is improved, but sealing around the chamber inlet becomes inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple portions for manufacturing advantages, but permanent connections are implemented at all critical joints to ensure sealing reliability. This allows the benefits of modular manufacturing while eliminating the sealing problems associated with separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple housing portions are permanently merged through permanent connections to create a sealed unitary construction. This approach maintains the manufacturing flexibility of multiple parts while achieving the sealing reliability of a unified structure, preventing ambient air infiltration at all connection points.
Data Source
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AI summary
A floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including: a housing having an interior surface that defines a chamber for receiving at least a portion of a cleaning member, the housing including: a chamber inlet for receiving dirty air; and a chamber outlet for communication with the suction source, wherein the housing is formed of at least two housing portions which provide said interior surface and all of said housing portions are permanently connected or permanently joined to each other.