Vacuum Cleaner Nozzle With Rotating Mop Holder to Reduce Friction
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional broom vacuum cleaners with steam cleaning capabilities are cumbersome due to significant weight and friction, making them difficult to handle effectively during cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner nozzle with a movable mop support that rotates around an axis, providing a lifting effect and reducing friction, combined with dual suction mouths and a steam distribution system that ensures uniform steam distribution and reduced steam suction, enhancing maneuverability and cleaning efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the vacuum cleaner is equipped with a suction motor, waste separation and collection system, steam generator, and water tank to ensure efficient cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the device becomes heavy and exerts significant pressure on the mop, resulting in considerable friction and difficulty to maneuver
Solution Approach 1:
The mop holder is made rotatable relative to the nozzle body around a vertical axis, allowing the mop to dynamically adjust its position and angle during movement. This dynamic configuration enables the mop to better adapt to surface irregularities and reduces friction, improving maneuverability while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational drive mechanism pre-rotates the mop holder to an optimal position before the nozzle contacts the surface, and continuously adjusts during movement. This preliminary and continuous adjustment reduces the effort required to initiate and maintain movement, addressing the maneuverability issue caused by the heavy device
2Ease of operation
If the mop holder is made rotatable with a rotational drive mechanism to reduce friction and improve maneuverability, then ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational drive mechanism replaces complex manual adjustment mechanisms with a motorized system that automatically rotates the mop holder. This substitution simplifies the user interface (no manual adjustments needed) while the motorization is contained within a compact mechanism, balancing the trade-off between ease of operation and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational drive mechanism serves multiple functions: it positions the mop for optimal contact with the surface, adjusts to surface irregularities, and reduces friction during movement. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single mechanism, the increase in device complexity is justified by the multiple benefits achieved
3Productivity
If the steam distribution circuit supplies steam directly to the surface through the soleplate, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but steam is suctioned into the vacuum system reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The steam distribution is segmented into two paths: steam outlets in the soleplate for direct surface contact, and a steam passage through the mop holder that distributes steam under the mop. This segmentation allows steam to be delivered where needed without being immediately suctioned away, reducing steam loss while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The mop acts as an intermediary between the steam source and the surface. Steam is delivered to the mop first, which then transfers it to the surface through contact. This intermediary approach allows steam to be effectively distributed and transferred without being directly suctioned by the vacuum system, reducing steam loss
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 significantly reduces the effort required to move the vacuum cleaner, improves maneuverability, and ensures effective cleaning by minimizing friction and optimizing steam distribution, making the device easier to handle and more efficient.
Implementation Method 1
Such a rotation of the mop support, and therefore of the mop fixed to it, induces a lifting effect, or self-supporting effect, of the vacuum nozzle, which facilitates the sliding of the vacuum nozzle on the surface to be cleaned
Implementation Method 2
The steam distribution circuit includes a steam outlet opening into the underside of the soleplate, and the mop holder includes a steam passage orifice configured to be located opposite the steam outlet orifice during at least part of the rotational movement of the mop holder to advantageously distribute the steam first under the mop holder
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The vacuum cleaner nozzle (6) comprises a nozzle body (23) having a soleplate (24); a connecting sleeve (29) intended to be attached to a suction nozzle of a household vacuum cleaner; a steam cleaning device (33) comprising a mop holder (34) extending under the soleplate (24), a mop (35) attached to the mop holder (34), and a steam distribution circuit configured to supply steam to the mop (35). The mop holder (34) is mounted to rotate movably relative to the nozzle body (23) about an axis of rotation (A), and the vacuum cleaner nozzle (6) includes a rotation drive mechanism (37) configured to rotate the mop holder (34) about the axis of rotation (A).