Transverse Worm Drive Floor Mop for Low-Clearance Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automatic floor cleaning devices are too tall to clean under low furniture and have thick wheels that are sensitive to high friction floors, leading to incomplete cleaning and operational issues.
Innovation Solution
An automatic floor mopping device with a transversely arranged driving worm, reducing height to 60-64 mm and wheel width to 8-15 mm, featuring a coaxial motor shaft and driving worm, a gear ring securing turntable, and a mopping ring assembly with permanent magnets and steel balls for stability and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the overall height of the cleaning device is reduced to clean under low furniture, then the device can reach underneath low furniture, but the transmission mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional vertical stacking arrangement to a horizontal transverse arrangement of the driving worm and motor shaft. This dimensional reconfiguration allows the transmission mechanism to be compact in the vertical direction (reducing overall height to 60-64mm) while expanding horizontally, enabling the device to clean under low furniture without excessive height
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs nested gear mechanisms including a planet gear (3112) positioned below the cylindrical spur gear D (3111), and an internal gear ring (312) that encloses other transmission components. This nesting arrangement consolidates multiple transmission stages within a compact vertical footprint, reducing the overall height while maintaining functional complexity
2Length of moving object
If the width of the wheels is reduced to operate on high friction floors, then the device can operate normally on high friction floors, but the wheel structure becomes more sensitive to floor conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the wheel width parameter to a specific range of 8-15mm, which is narrower than conventional wheels. This parameter change reduces the contact area with the floor, decreasing friction and allowing the device to operate effectively on high friction surfaces such as hardwood or tiled floors without getting stuck or requiring excessive force
3Length of stationary object
If the driving worm and motor shaft are arranged coaxially and horizontally, then the device height is reduced, but the transmission mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent arranges the driving worm (305) and motor shaft (302) coaxially and horizontally, transitioning from a vertical to a horizontal arrangement. This repositioning in another dimension (horizontal plane) allows the transmission mechanism to achieve compact vertical height (60-64mm) while organizing components along the horizontal axis, reducing device height without excessive vertical 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
Enables effective cleaning under low furniture and normal operation on high friction floors without breakdown, providing a more comprehensive cleaning experience and improved user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a mopping ring assembly with permanent magnets and steel balls for stability and ease of assembly
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic mopping device with a driving worm arranged transversely includes an upper covering plate, an outer shell, a transmission member, an electrical component, a bottom cover, a chassis and a mopping ring assembly, and further includes a gear ring securing turntable, a mounting base and a motor cover. The overall height of the mopping device is between 60-64 mm, and the transmission member includes 2 wheels whose width is between 8-15 mm. The transmission member further comprises a perpendicularly arranged worm A and a horizontally arranged worm wheel B, a cylindrical spur gears A, B, C, a duplex gear and an internal gear ring. The duplex gear includes a cylindrical spur gear D and a planet gear. The worm wheel A and worm B are respectively meshed with the driving worm. The gear ring securing turntable is immovably connected to the internal gear ring, while the internal gear ring is meshed with the planet gear. The chassis is immovably connected to the gear ring securing turntable. The present invention has the following advantages: it is not that sensitive to the softness/hardness or the roughness/smoothness of the floor due to its relatively narrow wheels, thus avoiding breakdown, and its overall height is low enough to operate automatically underneath bed and table.