Extraction Cleaner Bladder-in-Tank Design to Prevent Fluid Mixing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional carpet extractors lack an efficient mechanism for delivering cleaning fluid and recovering spent fluid and dirt, often resulting in inadequate cleaning and potential mixing of cleaning solutions.
Innovation Solution
A surface cleaning apparatus with a modular design featuring a fluid delivery system using a bladder for storing cleaning fluid and a fluid recovery system that includes a recovery tank, suction source, and modular nozzle/spray unit for effective fluid distribution and extraction, along with a fill cap to prevent mixing of spent and fresh cleaning fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional carpet extractors are used without a fill cap, then the structure is simpler, but spent cleaning fluid and dirt mix with fresh cleaning fluid in the bladder
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fill cap as a separate, removable component from the integrated tank system. This allows the cap to be taken off for filling operations and secured during operation, preventing fluid mixing while maintaining structural simplicity when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The fill cap acts as an intermediary component between the recovery tank and the bladder. It provides a controlled interface that prevents direct mixing of spent and fresh fluids while allowing intentional filling operations, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and reliability.
2Productivity
If a modular nozzle/spray unit is implemented, then cleaning fluid delivery and recovery is more efficient, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into modular components: a removable nozzle/spray unit, a separate bladder, and an integrated recovery tank. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while maintaining overall system efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular nozzle/spray unit serves multiple functions: delivering cleaning fluid through spray nozzles, agitating the carpet surface with brushes, and recovering spent fluid through suction. This multi-functionality increases cleaning efficiency without requiring separate devices for each operation.
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 apparatus ensures thorough cleaning by delivering and recovering cleaning fluid and dirt efficiently, preventing contamination of fresh fluid with spent fluid and allowing for focused treatment of stains, thus enhancing cleaning efficacy and user control.
Implementation Method 1
a source of suction in fluid communication with the conduit to draw the cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned and through the nozzle and the conduit to the recovery tank
Implementation Method 2
A fill cap covers the inlet spout of the bladder to prevent spent cleaning fluid and dirt from mixing with the cleaning fluid stored inside the bladder
Data Source
AI summary
An extraction cleaner for a floor surface comprises a fluid delivery system for storing cleaning fluid and delivering the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned and a fluid recovery system for removing the spent cleaning fluid and dirt from the surface to be cleaned and storing the spent cleaning fluid and dirt. The fluid delivery system can further include a bladder housed within a tank of the recovery system, and the bladder can be closed by a fill cap.