Automated Urinal Cleaning With UV, Fluid Dispensing, and Air Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public restrooms, particularly men's rooms, suffer from urine buildup on urinals and surrounding areas due to splatter and poor aim, which is unpleasant, poses health risks, and requires inefficient manual cleaning, disrupting usage and potentially spreading bacteria.
Innovation Solution
A body waste cleaning system that autonomously dispenses cleaning fluids, emits UV light, and blows air to sanitize and dry surfaces, controlled by a computing device to maintain cleanliness without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning is performed frequently to maintain restroom cleanliness, then hygiene quality improves, but labor time and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system autonomously performs cleaning operations without human intervention. Sensors detect waste presence and automatically trigger dispensing of cleaning agents, UV light activation, and fan operation, enabling the system to service itself and maintain hygiene continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system activates cleaning functions in advance or immediately upon detecting waste, preventing contamination buildup. By responding proactively to sensor inputs, the system maintains hygiene before conditions deteriorate, eliminating the need for reactive manual cleaning.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If manual cleaning is performed immediately after use, then contamination spread is reduced, but restroom availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical cleaning with automated mechanisms: sensors detect waste, controllers process information, and actuators dispense cleaning agents, activate UV lights, and operate fans. This substitution enables immediate automated response without human presence, preventing bacterial spread while maintaining restroom availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary between waste detection and cleaning activation. It processes sensor signals and coordinates multiple cleaning functions (dispensing, UV irradiation, air circulation) to achieve rapid contamination neutralization without requiring manual intervention.
3Reliability
If cleaning products are applied frequently to maintain sanitation, then hygiene effectiveness improves, but slip hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous cleaning action through coordinated multiple functions: dispensing agents, UV irradiation for immediate sanitization, and fan-driven evaporation. This continuous multi-modal approach maintains sanitation effectiveness while minimizing liquid residue time on surfaces, reducing slip hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes phase transition of cleaning agents from liquid to vapor through fan-driven evaporation. This rapid phase change removes liquid from surfaces quickly, maintaining sanitation through vapor-phase disinfection while eliminating slip hazards associated with liquid residue.
4Productivity
If automated cleaning systems are implemented to reduce manual labor, then operational efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system is divided into independent functional modules: waste detection sensors, controller unit, cleaning agent dispensing mechanism, UV light source, and fan assembly. Each module performs a specific function and can be independently installed, maintained, or replaced, managing overall system complexity through functional segmentation.
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 system effectively maintains cleanliness by reducing manual cleaning needs, preventing bacterial spread, and ensuring surfaces remain sanitary with minimal disruption to users.
Implementation Method 1
causing an amount of air to be blown in the direction of a target area to remove moisture from the target area via evaporation at an accelerated rate
Implementation Method 2
exposing a target area to an amount of ultraviolet (UV) light to produce an at least partially sanitizing effect at the target area
Data Source
AI summary
A body waste cleaning system including at least one controller and at least one storage reservoir. The storage reservoir is configured to contain an amount of at least one fluid substance therein. The body waste cleaning system further includes at least one blowing device coupled to the at least one controller. The blowing device configured to expose a target area to air movement when activated by the at least one controller. The body waste cleaning system further includes at least one dispensing mechanism coupled to the at least one controller and connected to the at least one storage reservoir. The at least one dispensing mechanism is configured to dispense a portion of the at least one fluid substance onto the target area when activated by the at least one controller.