cleaner

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hand-held vacuum cleaners face challenges in maintaining suction performance over time due to filter clogging, which requires increasing the filter area, necessitating structural changes to the cleaner body.

Innovation Solution

A cleaner design featuring a filter mechanism with a protruding and bendable filter unit that increases the filter area without altering the cleaner's structure, allowing for improved foreign substance filtering and reduced suction performance deterioration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the filter area is increased to improve foreign substance filtering performance, then the filtering capability is improved, but the cleaner body structure must be changed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveforeign substance filtering performanceVSAvoidcleaner body structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The filter unit is designed to be movable between a protruding state (when the cover is open) and a retracted state (when the cover is closed). This dynamic configuration allows the filter area to be effectively increased without permanently altering the cleaner body structure, resolving the contradiction between improved filtering performance and structural complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The filter unit utilizes the vertical dimension by protruding outward from the cleaner body when the cover is open. This dimensional change allows the filter area to be expanded in a direction that does not require changing the horizontal footprint or overall structure of the cleaner body

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

2Duration of action of moving object

If the filter area is increased to accommodate more foreign substances, then the suction performance deterioration is reduced, but the cleaner body structure must be changed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesuction performance durationVSAvoidcleaner body structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The movable filter unit allows the cleaner to dynamically adjust its filter capacity. When the cover is open, the filter protrudes to provide larger surface area for accommodating foreign substances, thereby extending suction performance duration without requiring a permanently larger or more complex cleaner body structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the filter area is increased to improve foreign substance filtering, then the filtering performance is improved, but the internal structure must be changed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveforeign substance filtering performanceVSAvoidinternal structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The filter unit is extracted from the fixed internal structure and made movable. When the cover is open, the filter can be positioned outside the main cleaner body, effectively separating the filter expansion function from the cleaner body structure and avoiding internal structural changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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

The design enhances filtering performance and extends the cleaner's usage time by accommodating more foreign substances without changing the cleaner's structure, maintaining efficient suction performance.

Implementation Method 1

a suction motor accommodated in the main body and configured to generate suction force

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure difference: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

a filter mechanism accommodated in the main body through the opening and configured to filter foreign substances

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhysical filtration: Filter (physical)

Implementation Method 3

Foreign substance contained in the air suctioned through the suction hole may be collected into an upstream cyclone by the centrifugal separation device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal separation: Centrifugal Separation

Data Source

PatentEP3747329B1cleaner
Publication Date: 2024.07.03 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3747329B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3747329B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3747329B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A cleaner, according to the present invention, comprises: a main body having an opening; a suction motor received in the main body and generating suction force; an opening cover separably coupled to the main body and covering the opening; and a filter mechanism received in the main body through the opening and filtering foreign substances in air discharged by the suction motor, wherein, when the opening cover is separated from the main body, at least one portion of the filter mechanism protrudes, through the opening, towards the outer side of the main body, and when the opening cover is coupled to the main body, the at least one portion of the filter mechanism protruding towards the outer side of the main body is received in the main body by being compressed by the opening cover.