Vacuum cleaner and method for operating same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum cleaners require significant effort to adjust the suction nozzle for reliable suction of coarse material across different surfaces, as existing adjustment options often fail to ensure effective suction in all situations.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner with a manually operable switch on the hand part to control an electric actuator, allowing the suction nozzle's support element to be easily adjusted between working and temporary coarse material positions, enabling improved suction of coarse material with minimal user effort by increasing the distance between the suction mouth and the floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the suction nozzle is adjusted to increase the distance between the suction mouth and the floor for coarse material suction, then the suction of coarse material is improved, but the user effort required to adjust the nozzle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suction nozzle is designed with a dynamically adjustable support element that can change its extension state automatically or manually, allowing the distance between the suction mouth and floor to be adapted based on the cleaning task. This dynamic adjustment mechanism resolves the contradiction by making the nozzle structure flexible rather than fixed, enabling easy transition between different suction configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that automatically detect the presence of coarse material and trigger the support element to extend or retract without requiring manual user intervention. This self-service capability eliminates the need for users to manually adjust the nozzle, thereby maintaining reliable coarse material suction while minimizing user effort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple adjustment options are provided for the suction nozzle to handle different surfaces, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suction nozzle is designed with a universal support element mechanism that can serve multiple functions: it can extend to increase distance for coarse material on hard floors, retract for close-contact carpet cleaning, and automatically adjust based on sensor input. This multi-functional design provides adaptability for different surfaces and material types without requiring separate adjustment mechanisms for each scenario, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that provide feedback about the cleaning conditions (presence of coarse material, floor type detection) to the control system. This feedback mechanism enables automatic adjustment of the support element, eliminating the need for multiple manual adjustment options and reducing device complexity while maintaining high adaptability to different cleaning scenarios.
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 solution allows for effortless adjustment of the suction nozzle to optimize coarse material suction, ensuring reliable pickup of debris across various surfaces with reduced user effort, enhancing the vacuuming experience by simplifying the operation of switching between different positions.
Implementation Method 1
a support element (12) which can be moved by means of an actuator (13) relative to the suction nozzle (4)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner (I) and a method for operating a vacuum cleaner (1). The vacuum cleaner (1) according to the invention has a suction nozzle (4) for sucking up dirt and/or dust, in particular coarse material and/or fine dust, from a floor (5) by means of a suction air flow and with a handle (17) for manual movement of the suction nozzle (4) over the base (5), the suction nozzle (4) having a housing (6), a suction chamber (8) formed within the housing (6) with a base-side opening forming a suction mouth (21), a suction channel (9) opening into the suction chamber (8) for guiding the suction air flow and a support element (12), the support element (12) being movable relative to the underside (7) of the suction nozzle (4) by means of an actuator (13) in order to by extending the support element (12) to increase the distance of the suction mouth (21) from the floor (5) at least in some areas and by retracting the support element (12) to reduce the distance of the suction mouth (21) from the floor (5) at least in some areas. The actuator (13) can be controlled by means of a manually operable switch (18) arranged on the handle (17). This provides such a vacuum cleaner (1) that allows its suction nozzle (4) to be adapted to a particular situation with little effort, in order to also ensure reliable suction of coarse material.