Vacuuming robot

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vacuum cleaner robots face difficulties in navigating uneven surfaces, such as transitions from hard floors to carpets or door sills, due to their inability to overcome elevations, resulting in reduced dust pickup efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A vacuum cleaner robot with a height-adjustable floor nozzle that can pivot relative to its base, allowing it to adapt to different floor levels by increasing the distance between the nozzle and the surface, enabling the robot to move onto elevations and maintain effective suction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the floor nozzle is fixed in position relative to the base, then the structure is simple and stable, but the robot cannot overcome elevations on uneven surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to navigate uneven surfacesVSAvoidfloor nozzle adjustment mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The floor nozzle is made dynamically adjustable relative to the base through a height adjustment mechanism. This allows the floor nozzle to change its position vertically, enabling the robot to adapt to uneven surfaces and overcome elevations such as carpet edges or door sills, while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the base is designed to be height-adjustable, then the robot can overcome elevations, but the overall device complexity increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to overcome elevationsVSAvoidbase height adjustment mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of making the entire base height-adjustable, only the floor nozzle is made locally adjustable. This localized adjustment approach allows the robot to overcome elevations by raising or lowering the floor nozzle independently, while keeping the base structure simple and stable, thereby reducing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If a rotating brush roller is used for dust pickup, then the structure is simple, but dust pickup efficiency is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust pickup efficiencyVSAvoidmotor fan unit
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention combines a rotating brush roller with a motor fan unit to create a hybrid dust pickup system. The brush roller provides initial agitation and guidance of dust particles, while the motor fan unit generates strong suction to efficiently collect dust. This merged approach achieves high dust pickup efficiency while maintaining reasonable structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 height-adjustable floor nozzle allows the robot to effectively navigate uneven surfaces, improving dust pickup efficiency by ensuring continuous operation over varied terrain without getting stuck, enhancing its cleaning capability.

Implementation Method 1

a motor fan unit for generating a volume flow

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure differential: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

a dust separator for separating dust from air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCyclone separation: Cyclone Separation

Data Source

PatentEP3047777B1Vacuuming robot
Publication Date: 2019.11.20 EUROLIFTERS HLDG NV
  • EP3047777B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3047777B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3047777B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner robot 1 comprising a base 8 mounted on wheels 5, a dust separator and a floor nozzle 3 arranged on the base 8 for drawing an air flow into the vacuum cleaner robot 1, the floor nozzle 9 being designed to be height-adjustable with respect to the base 8.