Suction Foot Holder for Floor Cleaning With Pretensioned Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional floor cleaning machines require a heavy squeegee to generate sufficient contact pressure for effective cleaning, making it difficult to transition between lowered and raised positions due to the high force needed.
Innovation Solution
A floor cleaning machine with a pivotable holding arm arrangement and a linear actuator, where a biasing element, such as a spring or cable, provides additional pressing force to the squeegee when in the lowered position, allowing for effective sealing without increasing the weight of the squeegee.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If the squeegee is designed to be heavy, then sufficient contact pressure is achieved for effective cleaning, but the force required to transition between lowered and raised positions increases
Solution Approach 1:
A spring element is introduced as a counterbalancing mechanism that provides upward force to offset the weight of the heavy squeegee during transition. The spring is arranged to engage with the squeegee assembly and exert a lifting force that reduces the effort needed to move the squeegee between positions, while allowing the squeegee to maintain its heavy weight for effective contact pressure during operation
2Stress or pressure
If the squeegee is designed to be heavy, then sufficient contact pressure is achieved for effective cleaning, but the weight of the squeegee increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element acts as a counterweight mechanism that provides upward lifting force during transitions, effectively compensating for the heavy weight of the squeegee. This allows the squeegee to maintain its substantial mass for effective contact pressure during cleaning operations while the spring offsets this weight during position changes, reducing the operational burden
3Reliability
If a biasing element is added to provide additional pressing force, then sealing contact is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is designed to be dynamically engaged only during the transition to the lowered position. As the squeegee moves into the lowered position, the spring becomes compressed and provides additional pressing force to ensure reliable sealing contact. When the squeegee is in the raised position, the spring is disengaged or relaxed, so it does not contribute to the weight or complexity during transitions. This dynamic engagement allows the system to achieve reliable sealing when needed without permanently increasing operational complexity
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 additional pressing force ensures a sealing contact with the floor surface, enhancing the suction effect for cleaning liquid removal without the need for excessive weight or complex control systems, and simplifies the operation by not requiring additional weight to be lifted when transitioning to the raised position.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing element, such as a spring or cable, provides additional pressing force to the squeegee when in the lowered position
Data Source
AI summary
A floor cleaning machine is shown and described, comprising a machine frame to which a chassis is attached, a suction foot with a suction chamber open to the floor surface to be cleaned, a support arm assembly pivotably mounted on the machine frame about a horizontal pivot axis, the suction foot being spaced apart from the pivot axis on the support arm assembly so that the vertical position of the suction foot relative to the floor surface to be cleaned is adjustable between a raised position and a lowered position, and a linear actuator having a first coupling end and a second coupling end, the distance of the first coupling end relative to the second coupling end being adjustable along an adjustment axis, and the first coupling end being connected to the support arm assembly.wherein the suction foot is moved between the lowered and raised positions by adjusting the distance between the coupling elements, wherein the second coupling end is slidably mounted on the machine frame parallel to the adjustment axis, and wherein a pretensioning element is provided which is coupled to the second coupling end in such a way that it pretensions the linear actuator in the direction along the adjustment axis in which the first coupling end is moved to lower the suction foot onto the floor surface to be cleaned.