Vacuum Cleaner Station Dust Compression and Volume Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cleaner stations face inefficiencies in dust storage, lack of user-friendly dust amount visualization, and inconsistent user awareness of dust removal timing, leading to potential missed emptying times and inconvenience due to consumable dust bags.

Innovation Solution

A cleaner station with a compression unit that rotates a rotation plate to compress dust evenly, displays dust amount on a display unit, and calculates dust volume through rotation angle measurement, allowing flexible and accurate dust removal timing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If a dust bag is used to store collected dust, then dust storage efficiency increases and the cycle between dust removal operations extends, but the dust bag is consumable and requires periodic replacement causing inconvenience and additional cost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust storage capacityVSAvoidpermanent dust storage
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the consumable dust bag with a permanent dust bin that can be repeatedly filled and emptied. The dust bin is designed to be durable and reusable, eliminating the need for periodic replacement of dust bags while maintaining effective dust storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables recovery and reuse of the dust bin itself. Instead of discarding the storage container after one use, the dust bin is designed to be emptied, cleaned, and refilled multiple times, transforming a single-use consumable into a reusable durable component.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Extent of automation

If a canister dust bin with multi-stage separation device is used, then dust can be collected automatically, but the continuous airflow generated increases the volume of collected dust reducing storage efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic dust collectionVSAvoiddust storage efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the dust collection function from the storage function. The cleaner performs dust collection automatically, and the dust is transferred to the dust bin for storage. This separation allows the storage container to be optimized for compact dust storage rather than being designed for continuous airflow and automatic separation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses periodic dust collection cycles rather than continuous operation. The cleaner operates intermittently to collect dust, which is then stored in the bin. This periodic approach allows dust to settle and be compacted efficiently without continuous airflow preventing density increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Device complexity

If the rotation plate stops at the same position after each compressing process, then the control is simple, but the dust accumulates unevenly on one side of the rotation plate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol simplicityVSAvoiddust distribution uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces asymmetric control in the rotation plate operation. Instead of stopping at the same symmetric position each time, the rotation plate alternates its stopping position between left and right sides. This asymmetric stopping pattern ensures that dust accumulates evenly on both sides of the rotation plate over multiple compression cycles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements periodic alternation of the rotation plate stopping position. The plate stops at alternating positions (left, right, left, right) in successive compression cycles. This periodic variation in stopping position prevents dust from accumulating preferentially on one side while maintaining relatively simple control logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

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

Enhances dust storage efficiency, enables easy dust amount visualization without manual inspection, and allows precise timing of dust removal, preventing blockages and reducing the need for consumable dust bags.

Implementation Method 1

a dust collection motor disposed inside the housing, and a dust bag which accommodates the collected dust and is configured to be coupled with a cleaner or a dust bin of the cleaner

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSuction force: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

a compressing operation of compressing the collected dust by a rotation operation of a compression unit disposed inside the collection unit

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Data Source

PatentEP4581995A1Vacuum cleaner station and method for collecting dust performed by vacuum cleaner station
Publication Date: 2025.07.09 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP4581995A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4581995A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4581995A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of collecting dust performed by a cleaner station including a housing coupled to a dust bin of a cleaner, a dust collection motor disposed inside the housing to generate a suction force to suction dust inside the dust bin, and a collection unit in which a space for collecting the dust suctioned from the interior of the dust bin is provided, the method including a cover opening operation of opening a discharging cover of the dust bin so that an interior of the housing communicates with the interior of the dust bin after the dust bin is coupled to the housing, a door opening operation of opening a door disposed on a coupling unit to which the dust bin is coupled, a dust collection operation of collecting dust inside the collection unit by driving the dust collection motor, and a compressing operation of compressing the collected dust by a rotation operation of a compression unit disposed inside the collection unit, wherein the compressing operation may include a main compression operation in which the rotation operation of the compression unit is performed after the dust collecting operation, and an initial compression operation in which the rotation operation of the compression unit is performed before the dust collecting operation.