Vacuum Nozzle Soleplate Geometry for Soft-Floor Suction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum cleaner nozzles do not ensure optimal contact and suction performance on soft floors, such as carpets, due to their design which compromises air supply and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner nozzle with a rear scraping rib and a chamfered surface forming an inclination angle of between 1° and 4° relative to the rear sliding surface, enhancing contact and air supply while maintaining resistance to advancement, and featuring a rear scraping rib for optimized scraping of soft floors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the rear sliding surface is inclined at a high angle (approximately 10°) relative to the front sliding surface, then air supply to the vacuum cleaner nozzle is improved for suction on smooth and hard floors, but application to soft floors such as carpets is not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The rear sliding surface is divided into two distinct surfaces: a first rear sliding surface with a high inclination angle (approximately 10°) for hard floors, and a second rear sliding surface with a low inclination angle (1° to 4°) for soft floors. This segmentation allows the nozzle to optimize contact with different floor types independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle design allows dynamic adaptation to different floor types through the dual-surface configuration. When encountering soft floors, the nozzle naturally transitions to using the second rear sliding surface with lower inclination, while hard floors engage the first rear sliding surface with higher inclination, enabling automatic adaptation without user intervention.
2Productivity
If the rear scraping rib projects from the lower face of the sole, then scraping performance on soft floors is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rear scraping rib is integrated directly into the sole structure as a unified component rather than being a separate attachment. This merging of functions allows the scraping rib to be formed simultaneously with the sole during manufacturing, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective scraping capability on soft floors.
Solution Approach 2:
The rear scraping rib is positioned specifically at the rear portion of the sole where it is needed for scraping soft floors, while the rest of the sole maintains its standard structure. This localized addition provides enhanced scraping performance only where required, without unnecessarily complicating the entire nozzle structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rear chamfered surface forms a small inclination angle (1° to 4°) relative to the rear sliding surface, then application to soft floors is optimized, but air supply may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The air supply function is segmented between two rear sliding surfaces: the first rear sliding surface with high inclination handles air supply for hard floors, while the second rear sliding surface with low inclination optimizes contact for soft floors. This segmentation ensures that air supply is maintained through the first surface when needed, while the second surface provides soft floor adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rear scraping rib acts as an intermediary element between the two rear sliding surfaces and the floor surface. It facilitates the transition and coordination between the high-inclination surface for air supply and the low-inclination surface for soft floor contact, ensuring both functions work together harmoniously.
Data Source
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Figure 5
AI summary
The vacuum nozzle (2) comprises a soleplate (6) having a lower face (7) and a suction nozzle (8) opening onto the lower face (7), the soleplate (6) having a rear scraping rib (11) for scraping the floor to be cleaned and projecting from the lower face (7), the lower face (7) having a rear sliding surface (13) and a front sliding surface (14) located on either side of the suction nozzle (8) and substantially flat, the rear sliding surface (13) adjoining the rear scraping rib (11) and being located behind the rear scraping rib (11), the lower face (7) further having a rear chamfered surface (17) extending in line with the rear sliding surface (13) and substantially flat, the rear chamfered surface (17) forming a angle of inclination between 1° and 4° relative to the rear sliding surface (13).