Vacuum cleaner and method for controlling the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum cleaners with complex structures struggle to accurately follow user movement and detect obstacles, leading to potential collisions and user safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner equipped with a moving unit, suction unit, first and second detecting units, and a control part that determines a target location and moving route to avoid obstacles, allowing the cleaner body to move in sync with the user's direction while preventing wheel rotation hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the vacuum cleaner has a structure that enables the moving member to be rotatable and to simultaneously perform the translational motion, then the vacuum cleaner can move and rotate, but the structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The moving member is divided into a cleaner body and a separate suction unit connected by a connection pipe, allowing independent movement and rotation capabilities while simplifying the overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The connection pipe between the cleaner body and suction unit is designed to be flexible and rotatable, enabling dynamic adjustment of the suction unit's position and orientation while the cleaner body moves independently
2Ease of operation
If the vacuum cleaner detects mechanical motion and moves the driving part, then the vacuum cleaner can follow user movement, but it cannot exactly detect the user's actual movement direction
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical motion detection system is replaced with an optical detection system using a light receiver and transmitter, which provides more accurate detection of the user's actual movement direction by detecting changes in light reflection patterns
3Device complexity
If the vacuum cleaner cannot recognize an obstacle in advance, then the structure remains simple, but there is a risk of colliding with the obstacle
Solution Approach 1:
The light transmitter and receiver are positioned to detect obstacles before the cleaner body reaches them, allowing the control unit to plan avoidance routes in advance and execute smooth collision-free navigation
Solution Approach 2:
The light receiver continuously monitors the environment and provides real-time feedback to the control unit about detected obstacles, enabling dynamic route adjustment and continuous collision avoidance
4Productivity
If the wheel of the cleaner is rotated by the driving part during cleaning operation, then the cleaner can move, but the user may be injured or clothes may be caught in the gap
Solution Approach 1:
A safety sensor acts as an intermediary between the driving part and the wheel, detecting when the cleaner body is lifted or tilted and automatically stopping wheel rotation to prevent user injury and clothing entanglement while allowing normal cleaning operations to proceed
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body having a moving unit; a suction unit configured to suction dust and air; a detecting unit configured to detect movement of the suction unit; and a control part configured to determine whether movement of the cleaner body is required, based on information detected by the suction unit, and to control the moving unit when the movement of the cleaner body is required, wherein the control part determines a target location to which the cleaner body will be moved, determines a moving route to the target location based on a detected obstacle, controls the moving unit so that the cleaner body is moved along the determined moving route, stops a motor when it is determined that the cleaner body is not in contact with a floor surface, and thus prevents a user's injury.