Continuously Curving Cleaning Element for Sharply Curved Surfaces
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dish wands are ineffective for cleaning very curved surfaces like small bowls or cups due to their design, which limits their usability on non-flat surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning element with a continuously curving surface is secured to a support, allowing for easy attachment to a cleaning tool, featuring a handle with a receptacle for liquid and a deformable actuator for controlled soap dispensing, and a hinge-based support structure that forms a secure, interlocking connection between two working surfaces, enabling a curved cleaning surface that can bend at least 45 degrees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional dish wand with a flat or slightly curved foam head is used, then it is effective for cleaning flat or slightly curved surfaces like plates, but it is ineffective for cleaning very curved surfaces like small bowls or cups
Solution Approach 1:
The foam head is designed with a continuously curving surface that transitions smoothly from a first working surface to a second working surface, allowing the cleaning element to conform to sharply curving surfaces such as bowls and cups while maintaining effective contact area for cleaning
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cleaning material is made to continuously curve from one working surface to another, then it enables cleaning of sharply curving surfaces, but it increases the complexity of the support structure requiring connectors and hinges
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into a first portion and a second portion that can be separately manufactured and then connected through interlocking connectors, allowing the curved foam head to be assembled from modular components rather than requiring a single complex piece
Solution Approach 2:
A hinge mechanism is incorporated between the first and second portions of the support structure, enabling the foam head to dynamically adjust its curvature and orientation to match the contours of various curved surfaces during the cleaning process
3Ease of operation
If the first working surface continuously curves to the second working surface forming a curving portion, then it allows easy cleaning of sharply curving surfaces, but it requires a more complex attachment mechanism with slots and flexible guards
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible guard is used in the attachment mechanism to provide the necessary flexibility for securing the curved foam head to the handle, allowing the attachment to accommodate the curved geometry without requiring complex rigid structural components
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The disclosed cleaning element, which may be secured to a cleaning tool, includes a cleaning material that continuously curves from a first working surface to a second working surface allowing for easy cleaning of sharply curving surface, such as, for example, bowls and cups. Also disclosed is a method of making a continuously curving cleaning element.