Vacuum Cleaner Nozzle Fork Locking Device to Reduce User Effort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum cleaner nozzles require significant user effort to maintain brush positions, leading to potential breakage and discomfort, especially when transitioning between positions, and may not provide optimal suction performance on soft floors.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner nozzle with a brush actuation mechanism that includes a locking device allowing dissociation of handle indexing from fork pivoting, reducing user effort and enhancing locking stability, featuring a movable lock and abutment members to facilitate easier operation and improved suction performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lever indexing system is used to maintain fork position and brush position, then the fork can be held in a predetermined position for optimal suction performance, but significant user effort is required to move the lever between positions
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent subsystems: a lever indexing system for brush position control and a separate locking device for fork position control. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized independently - the locking device provides stable fork positioning with minimal user effort, while the lever indexing system handles brush position changes.
Solution Approach 2:
A movable lock acts as an intermediary element between the lever indexing system and the fork pivoting mechanism. This lock engages with the fork to prevent unwanted pivoting during operation, while allowing the lever to be moved easily between positions without requiring significant force to overcome fork friction.
2Ease of operation
If significant forces are applied to the lever to move it between positions, then the fork can be repositioned, but this may cause breakage of plastic parts in the indexing system
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the fork locking function from the brush positioning function, the locking device absorbs the mechanical stresses of fork repositioning, protecting the plastic components of the lever indexing system from breakage during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device provides a mechanical buffer that prevents excessive forces from being transmitted to the plastic indexing components. When the fork needs to be repositioned, the lock engages and disengages in a controlled manner, cushioning against sudden force spikes that could break plastic parts.
3Reliability
If the lever indexing system is used to control both brush position and fork position, then the system can maintain optimal suction performance, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation mechanism is segmented into two independent systems: a simplified lever indexing system for brush position control and a separate locking device for fork position control. This reduces the complexity of each individual system while maintaining the overall suction performance through coordinated operation of both subsystems.
Solution Approach 2:
The fork position control function is extracted from the lever indexing system and implemented as a separate locking device. This extraction simplifies the lever indexing system by removing the complex mechanical interconnections needed to control fork pivoting, while the locking device provides dedicated fork position control.
Data Source
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AI summary
Vacuum nozzle (2) comprising a soleplate, at least one brush (13.1, 13.2, 13.3), a connecting sleeve, a fork (4) which is mounted in pivot joints with transverse pivot axes vis-à-vis the soleplate and the connecting sleeve, and a brush actuation mechanism comprising a lever indexing system (16) configured to hold the lever (15) in at least a first, a second and a third lever position, and a locking device (26) comprising a lock (36) movable between a first lock position in which the lock (36) blocks the pivoting of the fork (4) vis-à-vis the soleplate and a second lock position in which the lock (36) allows the pivoting of the fork (4) relative to the soleplate.