Vacuum Cleaner Wheel Assembly for Stable Turning on Carpets
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum cleaners face issues with directional changes, where the traveling wheels do not adjust accordingly, leading to potential lifting or overturning, and struggle with straight movement on carpets due to wheel assembly design.
Innovation Solution
The vacuum cleaner features a wheel assembly with frames and wheels having a negative camber angle, a caster for all-direction rotation, and an elastic member to facilitate independent rotation of the main body, allowing smooth direction changes and improved straight mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the main body is forcibly moved in a state in which the traveling wheels are lifted from the floor, then the direction of the main body can be changed, but the main body may overturn
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is designed to dynamically adapt its configuration based on the main body's movement state. During direction changes, the wheels can be lifted or rotated to accommodate the main body's rotation, while during straight movement, the wheels maintain contact with the floor for stable support. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between ease of direction change and overturn risk.
2Ease of operation
If the wheel assembly includes only a caster rotatable in all directions, then the main body can change direction easily, but the main body may shake even during straight movement
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is segmented into multiple independent wheel units rather than a single caster. This segmentation allows individual wheels to be positioned and controlled independently, providing both the rotational freedom needed for direction changes and the stable contact needed for straight movement, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of direction change and straight movement stability.
3Productivity
If the main body moves on a carpet with long pile, then the suction unit can clean the carpet, but the main body may not easily travel on the carpet
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to adapt to different surface conditions. On carpets with long pile, the wheels can sink in slightly and deform the carpet fibers, reducing resistance and facilitating easier travel while maintaining the suction unit's cleaning capability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A vacuum cleaner includes a main body including a fan motor to generate suction force, a suction unit connected to the main body to suction foreign matter from a surface to be cleaned in a state of contacting the surface, a dust collector separatably mounted to the main body to separate and collect dust from air suctioned by the suction unit, and a wheel assembly to move the main body, wherein the wheel assembly includes frames provided at a lower part and left and right sides of the main body and wheels rotatably mounted to the frames provided at the left and right sides of the main body, each wheel having a negative camber angle.