Dual-Lip Squeegee Design for Continuous Vertical Surface Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water slides are limited in their ability to effectively clean vertical surfaces without leaving traces, as they can only be pulled in one direction, leading to interrupted movement and complex production processes.
Innovation Solution
A water slide design featuring two lips, one fixed at a 45-degree angle and the other adjustable to maintain contact with the surface, allowing for continuous wiping of both horizontal and vertical surfaces without leaving traces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rubber lip is fixed at a fixed angle to the handle, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the squeegee can only be pulled in one direction and cannot effectively clean vertical surfaces all the way to the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The squeegee is divided into two separate lips instead of one continuous rubber lip. The first lip is attached at a first angle to the handle, and the second lip is attached at a second angle to the handle. This segmentation allows each lip to function independently at different angles, enabling continuous cleaning motion from pulling to pushing without requiring a complex adjustable joint mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If the rubber lip is made movable with a pivot joint, then the squeegee can push and pull continuously on vertical surfaces, but the device becomes complex to manufacture and requires maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating one movable joint to adjust the single rubber lip angle, the invention segments the rubber lip into two fixed-angle lips. This eliminates the need for complex pivot joints and maintenance while achieving the same functional result of adapting to different cleaning angles during pushing and pulling motions.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than making the rubber lip adjustable through a joint mechanism, the invention inverts the approach by providing two separate fixed-angle lips. The complexity is shifted from a mechanical adjustment system to a static multi-component design, simplifying manufacturing and maintenance while achieving adaptability.
3Productivity
If the squeegee is designed with a single rubber lip, then the structure is simple, but it leaves marks on vertical surfaces when transitioning from pulling to pushing motion
Solution Approach 1:
The single rubber lip is segmented into two separate lips with different attachment angles. The first lip is optimized for pulling motion at a first angle, and the second lip is optimized for pushing motion at a second angle. This segmentation ensures that at least one lip is always in optimal contact with the surface, preventing marks during transition between pulling and pushing motions.
4Ease of operation
If the user pulls the squeegee from top to waist height, then cleaning is effective, but the user cannot push it further down without bending or kneeling
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the rubber lip into two lips with different angles, the squeegee can maintain effective surface contact whether being pulled upward or pushed downward. This allows the user to push the squeegee from waist height all the way to the floor without bending, as the second lip is specifically angled to maintain contact during the pushing motion.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
The invention relates to a squeegee comprising a handle (1), a first lip holder (21) with a first lip (22), and a second lip holder (31) with a second lip (32), wherein the first and the second lip holder (21, 31) are rigidly connected to the handle (1).