Swivel Joint Lock Prevention in Floor Cleaning Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Floor treatment appliances with pivoting and swiveling mechanisms face issues such as unintended locking during steering, instability during storage, and premature automatic shut-off due to misalignment of body portions, leading to user inconvenience and operational disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a swivel joint with a moveable lock-prevention member that allows the body to swivel between home and non-home positions, preventing locking in non-home positions and enabling locking only in the home position, along with a sensor to prevent automatic shut-off during use, ensuring stable operation and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the body is allowed to pivot freely relative to the appliance head, then the appliance can be steered and positioned flexibly, but the body may become unintentionally locked in non-home swivel positions causing operational disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor component acts as an intermediary between the swivel joint mechanism and the control system. The sensor detects the swivel position and communicates this information to the controller, which then determines whether to enable or disable the automatic shut-off function. This intermediary system resolves the contradiction by allowing free swiveling for steering while preventing unintended locking through intelligent control based on real-time position feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through the sensor component that continuously monitors the swivel position of the body relative to the appliance head. This feedback loop allows the controller to make real-time decisions about enabling or disabling automatic shut-off, ensuring that the body can be steered freely during operation while preventing unintended locking in non-home positions. The feedback mechanism provides the system with awareness of its own state, allowing it to adapt its behavior accordingly.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the appliance automatically shuts off when the body reaches a certain position, then storage stability is improved, but operational continuity is disrupted when the body position coincides with the shut-off trigger
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic shut-off function is made dynamic rather than static. Instead of having a fixed position that always triggers shut-off, the system dynamically enables or disables the shut-off function based on the current operational state and swivel position. During operation, the shut-off function is disabled to maintain continuity. During storage, when the body is in the home swivel position, the shut-off function is enabled to provide stability. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by adapting the shut-off behavior to the current context.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the sensor component to automatically determine whether the appliance is in an operational or storage state based on the body position. When the body is in the home swivel position during storage, the sensor triggers the shut-off function without user intervention. During operation, the system recognizes the operational state and prevents premature shut-off. This self-service approach allows the appliance to automatically manage its own operational continuity and storage stability without requiring user input.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the sensor triggers shut-off at any body position, then storage stability is achieved, but false triggering during use causes operational disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the operational parameters of the automatic shut-off function based on the detected swivel position. When the sensor detects that the body is in the home swivel position and the appliance is in storage mode, the shut-off parameter is enabled. When the body is in any other position or the appliance is in operational mode, the shut-off parameter is disabled. This parameter change approach prevents false triggering during use while maintaining storage stability when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor component performs preliminary detection of the body position before the shut-off function is activated. By continuously monitoring the swivel position and determining whether the body is in the home position, the system can preemptively enable or disable the shut-off function to prevent false triggering. This preliminary action ensures that the shut-off only occurs when the conditions are appropriate, avoiding disruptions during operational use while maintaining stability during storage.
Data Source
AI summary
A pivoting and swiveling floor treatment appliance includes a lock-prevention member that prevents a body from becoming pivotally locked in a forward/backward direction when a portion of the body is in a swiveled position. The lock-prevention member may move relative to an appliance head and to a portion of the body that swivels. In some embodiments, components of the lock-prevention member contribute to locking the swivel of the body when the body is pivotally locked.