Steamer Head Auto-Rotation for Horizontal Steam Spraying Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steamers for ironing laundry often result in uneven steam distribution due to user arm position changes, causing wrist strain and difficulty in maintaining uniform steam spraying.
Innovation Solution
A steamer with a hinge-connected head that rotates horizontally using a motor controlled by a sensor and controller, ensuring consistent steam direction, along with a light emitting unit for operational state and battery charge indication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the steamer is held at different arm positions, then the spraying direction changes, but uniform steam distribution cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The head is made rotatable relative to the handle through a hinge connection, allowing the spraying direction to dynamically adjust and maintain horizontality regardless of handle inclination. The motor actively rotates the head to compensate for arm position changes, ensuring uniform steam distribution while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A sensor detects the inclination angle of the handle and provides feedback to the controller, which then actuates the motor to rotate the head to the correct horizontal spraying position. This closed-loop feedback system ensures that uniform steam distribution is maintained despite changes in user arm position.
2Manufacturing precision
If the head is made rotatable to maintain horizontal spraying, then steam distribution improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex mechanical rotation mechanism is replaced with an electromagnetic motor driven by electronic control. The motor, controlled by a microcontroller based on sensor feedback, provides precise and reliable rotation of the head to maintain horizontal spraying, reducing mechanical complexity while improving control precision.
3Ease of operation
If the head returns to original position for storage, then storage ease improves, but additional control complexity is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The head automatically returns to its original storage position through motor actuation controlled by the system's existing control unit. When the steamer is turned off or stored, the controller commands the motor to rotate the head back to the initial position, providing self-service functionality that enhances storage convenience without requiring additional complex mechanical return mechanisms.
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 steamer maintains uniform steam distribution, reduces user strain, facilitates easy storage, and provides visual feedback on operational states and battery charge levels.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor which senses an inclination in the longitudinal direction of the handle with respect to a horizontal line
Implementation Method 2
a motor which rotates the head about the hinge
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a steamer and a method of controlling the same, in which the steamer may uniformly spray steam onto laundry even when a position of a user's arm is changed. To this end, the steamer of the present disclosure includes: a handle having a hinge formed at one end in a longitudinal direction thereof, the hinge protruding in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; a head which is rotatably connected to the hinge and sprays steam; a motor which rotates the head about the hinge; a sensor which senses an inclination in the longitudinal direction of the handle with respect to a horizontal line; and a controller which according to the inclination sensed by the sensor, operates the motor to rotate the head to a position at which the head may spray steam horizontally.