Anti-Blocking Roller Mechanism for Submerged Cleaning Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-propelled cleaning apparatuses for immersed surfaces face issues with protruding members becoming blocked on obstacles, leading to limited driving power, energy consumption, and potential damage to fragile surfaces, while existing solutions are costly and inefficient in overcoming obstacles and maintaining cleaning quality.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of an anti-blocking member that can rotate and roll over obstacles, allowing the protruding cleaning members to retract or move relative to the apparatus, ensuring passage over obstacles without blocking, and featuring a compact, economical design with improved suction and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the apparatus is equipped with protruding members for cleaning the immersed surface, then cleaning quality is improved, but the protruding members become blocked on obstacles such as bottom plugs or changes of gradient
Solution Approach 1:
The protruding member is made movable relative to the hollow body through an articulated support, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position. When encountering an obstacle, the protruding member can be lifted or retracted by the articulation mechanism, preventing blocking while maintaining cleaning contact during normal operation on smooth surfaces.
2Reliability
If the driving power of the apparatus is increased to overcome obstacles, then the ability to pass obstacles is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation mechanism with spring returns allows the protruding member to automatically lift over obstacles using the mechanical energy stored in the spring, rather than requiring additional motor power. The system serves itself by converting the spring's potential energy into the kinetic energy needed to clear obstacles, reducing overall energy consumption.
3Productivity
If the protruding members are kept in constant contact with the immersed surface, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but damage to fragile surfaces such as swimming pool liners occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation mechanism changes the contact parameters between the protruding member and the surface. By allowing angular movement and variable contact pressure through the articulated support, the system can adapt to surface irregularities and folds, maintaining effective cleaning contact while reducing peak stresses that cause damage to fragile liners.
4Ease of manufacture
If the apparatus design is simplified to reduce production costs, then manufacturing cost is improved, but the ability to overcome obstacles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning apparatus is segmented into independent functional modules: the hollow body, the articulated support, and the protruding member. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately using simple, cost-effective processes while the articulated connection provides the obstacle-overcoming capability that would be complex to integrate into a monolithic design.
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 solution enables the apparatus to effectively navigate obstacles while maintaining high cleaning quality, reducing energy consumption and production costs, and preventing damage to surfaces, ensuring complete and rapid surface cleaning with enhanced suction and performance.
Implementation Method 1
it comprises, immediately in front of a protruding member, according to a movement direction of the hollow body, at least one member, called an anti-blocking member, which can rotate about a rotation axis which is fixed relative to said protruding member, said anti-blocking member being provided so as to be able to roll over an obstacle of the immersed surface and to move said protruding member in order to overcome the obstacle
Data Source
AI summary
A self-propelled apparatus for cleaning an immersed surface including a hollow body, a guiding and driving device for guiding and moving the hollow body over the immersed surface, the hollow body having a base immediately facing immersed surface, at least one liquid inlet, at least one member protruding from the base of the hollow body towards the immersed surface, wherein it includes, immediately in front of a protruding member, in a movement direction of the hollow body, at least one member, called an anti-blocking member, which can rotate about a rotation axis which is fixed in relation to said protruding member, the anti-blocking member being provided in order to be able to roll over an obstacle of the immersed surface, and to drive the protruding member in movement so as to overcome the obstacle.