Quick Release Wheel Mechanism for Vacuum Cleaners
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Solution Overview
Problem
The wheels of commercial vacuum cleaners often become dirty and clogged with debris during use, requiring professional service for maintenance, which is costly and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A quick release wheel mechanism featuring a hub and clip design that allows easy removal, cleaning, and replacement of wheels without specialized tools, utilizing a hub component with specific geometry and a clip component that can switch between closed and open positions for secure engagement or disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional wheel attachment mechanisms are used, then the wheel is securely fixed to the hub, but the wheel requires specialized tools and professional service for removal and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel attachment mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a hub with diametrically opposed openings, a clip component with engagement projections, and a hub cap. This segmentation allows the clip to be independently manipulated to secure or release the wheel, enabling tool-free removal while maintaining secure attachment during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip component is designed to transition between different states (secured and released positions) to dynamically control wheel attachment. The clip can be rotated or moved to engage with the hub openings for secure attachment, or disengaged for easy removal, providing dynamic control over the wheel-hub connection state.
2Productivity
If professional service is required for wheel maintenance, then the wheel is properly serviced, but the process is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The hub cap includes integrated finger engagement features (such as protrusions or openings) that allow users to directly manipulate the clip component without specialized tools. This self-service design enables end-users to perform wheel removal, cleaning, and replacement independently, dramatically reducing service time and eliminating the need for professional intervention.
3Ease of operation
If the clip component is always in closed position, then the wheel is securely retained on the hub, but the wheel cannot be removed for cleaning or replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The clip component is designed to transition between different states (secured and released positions) to dynamically control wheel attachment. The clip can be rotated or moved to engage with the hub openings for secure attachment, or disengaged for easy removal, providing dynamic control over the wheel-hub connection state.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick release mechanism for a wheel includes a hub and a clip, which interact with a wheel or roller that may or may not be part of the invention per se. The hub is disposable on a drive shaft such that it will rotate with the drive shaft. An optional hub cap is disposable on the wheel and has an opening that is complimentary to the geometry of the hub to allow engagement thereof such that the hub the hub cap rotate together. The clip is disposable on the hub in a closed or an open position so that the hub cap cannot or can be removed from the hub.