Vacuum Cleaner Wheel Assembly for Easier Direction Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional upright vacuum cleaners face difficulty in changing direction due to a supporting unit that only engages at a predetermined angle, making it hard for users to maneuver, especially with increased weight.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner design featuring a rotatable cleaner body connected to a supporter and wheel assembly, where the contact area between wheels and the floor varies with the cleaner's position relative to the suction nozzle, allowing for easier turning by adjusting the rotational center and contact points of the wheels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a supporting unit is added to support the main body when inclined, then the main body can be supported at predetermined angles, but the weight increases and it becomes hard to change direction
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is designed to dynamically change its configuration based on the cleaner body's inclination angle. When the cleaner body is inclined at a predetermined angle or greater, the supporting unit rotates to contact the floor, providing support. When the cleaner body is in a non-inclined state, the supporting unit rotates away from the floor, reducing resistance to direction changes. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between support capability and ease of operation.
2Device complexity
If the supporting unit contacts the floor only at predetermined angle, then the structure is simple, but the supporting unit cannot help until the main body is inclined, causing difficulty in direction change
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting unit is designed to rotate between a support position (when cleaner body is inclined) and a retracted position (when cleaner body is not inclined). This dynamic movement allows the supporting unit to provide support only when needed, while minimizing interference with direction changes during normal operation, maintaining structural simplicity while improving ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum cleaner may include a suction nozzle; a cleaner body in communication with the suction nozzle; a supporter configured to connect the cleaner body with the suction nozzle and to allow a position of the cleaner body with respect to the suction nozzle to be varied; and a wheel assembly rotatably connected to the supporter. The wheel assembly may include a frame, a wheel shaft installed at the frame, and a wheels installed at the wheel shaft to be independently rotated. A contact area between each of the wheels and a floor may vary according to a varied position of the cleaner body with respect to the suction nozzle.