Upright surface treatment apparatus having removable pod
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional upright vacuum cleaners lack balance and ergonomic design, leading to user fatigue during operation, as the weight distribution and modular components are not optimized for ease of use and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable surface treatment apparatus with a removable pod that includes a suction motor assembly cavity, battery cavity, and dust cup cavity, where the suction motor assembly and battery cavities are positioned on opposing sides of a vertical plane, allowing the dust cup to be centered, enhancing balance and reducing user fatigue through balanced weight distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional upright vacuum cleaners use traditional weight distribution design, then the structure is simple, but user fatigue increases due to poor balance and ergonomics
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner is divided into modular components including a handle assembly, pod assembly, and dust cup assembly that can be independently configured. The pod assembly contains the motor and battery, while the dust cup assembly holds the collection container, allowing for optimized weight distribution across separate modules rather than a monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions components along a vertical plane rather than traditional horizontal arrangement. The motor assembly and battery assembly are disposed on opposite sides of a vertical plane extending through the pod, creating a balanced weight distribution that aligns the center of gravity with the user's hand position in the vertical dimension.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pod is made removable and reconfigurable, then adaptability and ease of operation improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner is divided into modular components including a handle assembly, pod assembly, and dust cup assembly that can be independently configured. The pod assembly contains the motor and battery, while the dust cup assembly holds the collection container, allowing for optimized weight distribution across separate modules rather than a monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The latching mechanism allows the pod assembly to transition between locked and unlocked states, enabling dynamic reconfiguration. The dust cup assembly can be detached from the pod assembly, and the power source can be removed from the pod, providing multiple levels of reconfigurability based on user needs.
3Ease of operation
If the center of gravity is aligned with the wand, then balance and ease of operation improve, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric positioning of components within the pod assembly. The motor assembly and battery assembly are placed on opposite sides of the vertical plane at specific positions that create a balanced center of gravity. The dust cup assembly is positioned to complement this arrangement, with its center of gravity also aligned with the vertical plane, achieving overall balance through deliberate asymmetric design rather than symmetric arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable surface treatment apparatus may include a wand and a pod removably coupled to the wand. The wand may have a first distal end that is configured to couple to a surface cleaning head and a second distal end that is configured to couple to a handle. The pod may include a suction motor assembly cavity, a battery cavity, and a dust cup cavity. The suction motor assembly cavity and the battery cavity may be disposed on opposing sides of a vertical plane, wherein the vertical plane extends along a central longitudinal axis of the pod. The dust cup cavity may be disposed between the suction motor assembly cavity and the battery cavity such that at least a portion of the dust cup cavity is disposed on each side of the vertical plane.