Upright vacuum cleaner

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional upright vacuum cleaners have a large motor housing due to horizontally disposed motors, occupying significant space and limiting the arrangement of other components.

Innovation Solution

The upright vacuum cleaner features a motor assembly with a rotating axis non-parallel to the brushroll axis, using a drive belt for power transmission and a clutching device to adjust the motor position, allowing for a compact design and synchronous control of dust sweep and suction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the motor is disposed horizontally with the motor shaft parallel to the mounting platform, then the motor can be easily mounted and operated, but the motor housing will have a huge volume and occupy a large area

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor mounting easeVSAvoidmotor housing area
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the motor mounting orientation from horizontal to vertical, rotating the motor 90 degrees so that the motor shaft becomes perpendicular to the mounting platform. This dimensional change allows the motor housing to occupy less horizontal area while maintaining the same functional capabilities, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of mounting and housing area occupation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If the motor is disposed horizontally, then the motor can drive the brushroll and fan, but it will limit the arrangement of other parts of the vacuum cleaner to a great extent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust sweep and suction controlVSAvoidpart arrangement flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

By rotating the motor to a vertical position with the shaft perpendicular to the mounting platform, the patent creates additional spatial freedom in the horizontal plane. This allows other components such as the brushroll, fan, and structural elements to be arranged more flexibly around the motor, resolving the contradiction between maintaining dust sweep/suction functionality and improving part arrangement versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If the motor shaft is parallel to the mounting platform, then the motor can be mounted on the platform, but the motor housing will have a huge volume

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor mounting simplicityVSAvoidmotor housing volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent reorients the motor so that the shaft becomes perpendicular to the mounting platform, effectively changing the mounting dimension from horizontal to vertical. This allows the motor housing to be positioned more compactly, reducing its horizontal footprint and overall volume occupation while maintaining mounting simplicity through the standardized vertical mounting interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

This design reduces motor volume, occupies less space, and facilitates diverse part arrangements, enabling a stable, reliable, and efficient cleaning operation with a simple and compact structure.

Implementation Method 1

the motor drives the brushroll rolling by a drive belt

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

The motor is moved from the first oblique position to the first upright position by the bridging member when the body moves from the second upright position to the second oblique position

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Advantage: Mechanical Advantage

Data Source

PatentEP3222184B1Upright vacuum cleaner
Publication Date: 2019.12.04 JIANGSU MIDEA CLEANING APPLIANCES
  • EP3222184B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP3222184B1 patent drawingFigure 5~8
  • EP3222184B1 patent drawingFigure 9~13

AI summary

An upright vacuum cleaner (1) includes a brushroll (11); a motor assembly (200) including a motor housing (21) and a motor (22), in which a rotating axis of the motor (22) and a rotating axis of the brushroll (11) are disposed in a non-parallel manner, and the motor (22) drives the brushroll (11) rolling by a drive belt (13) and is rotatable between a first upright position of tensioning the drive belt (13) and a first oblique position of loosening the drive belt (13); a body assembly (300) including a body (31), a bridging member (32) and a dirt cup (37) mounted on the body (31), in which the bridging member (32) is rotatably connected with the motor housing (21) to make the body (31) rotatable between a second upright position and a second oblique position, and the motor (22) is moved by the bridging member (32) from the first oblique position to the first upright position when the body (31) moves from the second upright position to the second oblique position.