Façade Cleaning Brush Using Gravity Drive and Fluid Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic cleaning systems for multi-story building façades are complex, electricity-dependent, and require fluid hoses, which are inefficient and difficult to maintain, especially for multi-story buildings due to power supply challenges and hose-related issues like leakage and tangling.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning apparatus that uses capillarity forces to feed a rotating brush with cleaning fluid, powered by gravity and friction, eliminating the need for electrical power and hoses, with a self-leveling mechanism for fluid management and a wiper device for fluid collection and reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electrical power and fluid hoses are used to supply cleaning fluid to the brush, then the cleaning system can operate effectively, but the device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex electrical power supply and fluid hose systems from the cleaning apparatus. Instead, it uses a gravity-fed container system where cleaning fluid is stored in a container and delivered to the brush through gravity and capillary action, removing the need for electrical pumps and hoses while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning apparatus is designed to be self-sufficient by using gravity to feed cleaning fluid from the container to the brush without external power sources. The system serves itself by utilizing natural physical forces (gravity and capillarity) rather than requiring external electrical infrastructure or complex pumping mechanisms
2Ease of operation
If electrical power supply is provided to the cleaning apparatus on multi-story buildings, then the brush can be rotated and cleaning can be performed, but power supply challenges and electrical infrastructure requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical mechanical system (electric motors for rotating the brush) with a passive mechanical system. The brush rotation is achieved through the mechanical interaction of the brush with the façade surface itself, utilizing friction and gravity during the apparatus's vertical movement, thereby eliminating electrical power requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning apparatus generates its own operational motion through the interaction between the brush and the building façade. As the apparatus moves vertically along the building, gravity and friction automatically rotate the brush, making the system self-powered without external electrical infrastructure
3Quantity of substance
If hoses are used to transport cleaning liquid over several floors, then cleaning fluid can be supplied continuously, but leakage and tangling problems increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the hoses from the system entirely. Instead of using hoses to transport cleaning fluid over several floors, the invention uses a container mounted on the apparatus that holds the cleaning fluid and delivers it directly to the brush through gravity and capillary action, eliminating leakage and tangling issues
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning fluid supply system is made self-contained and self-regulating. The container on the apparatus automatically feeds cleaning fluid to the brush using gravity and capillary forces, requiring no external hoses or pumping systems, and ensuring reliable fluid delivery without the problems of leakage or tangling
4Adaptability or versatility
If manual cleaning of façades is performed, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but effectiveness and safety deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning apparatus is designed to be self-operating, moving automatically down the façade under gravity while the brush rotates through friction with the surface. This automated operation maintains the adaptability to handle various façade conditions while dramatically improving cleaning effectiveness and safety by removing manual labor from high-altitude work
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 solution provides efficient, electricity-free, and hose-free cleaning, reducing complexity and weight, while ensuring effective fluid distribution and collection, enhancing cleaning efficiency and reducing maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid feeding device adapted to feed the rotating brush with cleaning fluid from the container by means of capillarity forces
Implementation Method 2
the drive mechanism for rotating the brush comprises at least one drive wheel arranged to be in contact with the surface of the façade and to generate a friction powered torque during downward movement of the cleaning apparatus
Implementation Method 3
the apparatus is designed so that a downward movement of the apparatus is solely powered by gravity forces acting on the apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an automatic cleaning apparatus (1) for cleaning facades on multi-story buildings. The apparatus comprises a rotating brush (11) arranged rotatable about its longitudinal axis, a drive mechanism (16) for rotating the brush, a container (18) for housing a cleaning fluid, and a fluid feeding device adapted to feed the rotating brush with cleaning fluid from the container by means of capillarity forces. The apparatus is designed to engage to steering guides (4) provided on the facade. The apparatus is designed so that a downward movement of the apparatus is solely powered by gravity forces acting on the apparatus. The drive mechanism for rotating the brush comprises at least one drive wheel (16) arranged to be in contact with the surface of the facade and to generate a friction powered torque during downward movement of the cleaning apparatus, and a transmission unit arranged to transfer the torque of the drive wheel to the rotating brush to make the brush rotate during the downward movement. The apparatus further comprises a wiper device (22) arranged above the rotating brush and adapted to be in contact with the facade during cleaning to wipe off used cleaning fluid from the facade, and a fluid collecting member arranged to collect the cleaning fluid wiped off by the wiper device, and to transport the collected cleaning fluid to the container for reuse.