Closed-Top Surface Water Filter System with Riser Pipe

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing filter systems for surface water are costly and complex to install, with open-top designs that require significant effort and resources for substrate handling and maintenance, and often result in uneven floor coverings and tripping hazards, while also being inefficient in removing harmful substances from water.

Innovation Solution

A closed-top filter system with a horizontally oriented housing that simplifies installation and substrate handling, allowing for easier distribution and replacement of the filter medium, and incorporates a riser pipe for maintenance access, enabling efficient filtration and reduced substrate degradation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If an open-top channel design is used for filter system, then substrate handling and installation become complex and costly, but the system can still perform filtration function

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation easeVSAvoidsubstrate handling complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a closed-top housing structure that encloses the substrate, replacing the open-top channel design. This closed structure simplifies installation by eliminating the need for complex substrate handling through open tops, while maintaining filtration effectiveness through the closed design that allows controlled substrate placement and distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The filter system is divided into modular components including the housing, substrate layer, and distribution layers. This segmentation allows the substrate to be handled and installed in manageable sections, reducing overall installation complexity while maintaining the closed-top design benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of repair

If open-top channel design is used, then substrate replacement and maintenance become difficult, but filtration can still be performed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesubstrate replacement easeVSAvoidmaintenance complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The closed-top housing structure provides a controlled environment for substrate maintenance. The housing can be accessed through designated openings or by removing sections, allowing substrate replacement to be performed systematically rather than through the complexity of open-top designs, thereby simplifying maintenance operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The system is designed with pre-configured access points and modular components that facilitate substrate replacement before it becomes necessary. The closed structure allows for planned maintenance intervals with simplified access, rather than requiring complex open-top arrangements for routine maintenance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If channel is installed along sealed surfaces, then floor covering becomes uneven and creates tripping hazards, but surface water collection is achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface water collectionVSAvoidfloor covering uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The closed-top housing structure has a streamlined, uniform external profile that allows it to be seamlessly integrated into floor coverings. The housing can be installed at a consistent level with the surrounding surface, eliminating tripping hazards and maintaining aesthetic uniformity while still effectively collecting surface water through its inlet structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from a surface-level open channel that disrupts floor continuity to a subsurface or flush-mounted closed housing. This dimensional change allows the filtration function to be achieved without compromising the uniformity and safety of the floor covering.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Productivity

If shafts are used for vertical flow filtration, then installation is complex and requires deep soil penetration, but filtration can be performed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefiltration efficiencyVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using vertical shafts that penetrate deep into the soil, the patent inverts the approach by using horizontal or shallowly buried closed-top housings. This inversion maintains filtration efficiency through the closed design while dramatically reducing installation complexity by eliminating the need for deep soil penetration and complex shaft construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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 closed-top design enhances installation ease, reduces substrate handling complexity, and maintains filtration efficiency while minimizing economic and aesthetic drawbacks, allowing for effective removal of harmful substances from surface water without disrupting the floor covering.

Implementation Method 1

the flow-through filter medium, which determines the filtering effect, can be a substrate that, due to its porosity, provides a mechanical filtering effect

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical filtering: Filter (physical)

Implementation Method 2

depending on its composition, can also have a chemical effect, e.g., to bind water constituents

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectChemical binding: Adsorption

Implementation Method 3

as well as a biological effect, e.g., to break down water constituents through microorganisms

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectBiological degradation: Decomposition (biological)

Data Source

PatentEP4471219A1Surface water filter system
Publication Date: 2024.12.04 FUNKE KUNSTSTOFFE GMBH
  • EP4471219A1 patent drawingFigure 1~3b
  • EP4471219A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP4471219A1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

In a filter system (1) for surface water arranged in the ground (3), in whose housing (30) a filter-effective substrate (14) is arranged, the invention proposes that the housing (30) be designed to be closed at the top and that a riser pipe (10) is connected to the housing (30), which in use extends upwards and at least to the surface of the ground (3). Furthermore, the invention proposes a method for introducing the substrate (14) into the filter system (1), wherein the substrate (14) is introduced from above through the riser pipe (10) into the housing (30) and then distributed within the horizontally oriented housing (30) in its longitudinal direction.