Floor Cleaner Mixing Control for Constant Chemical Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor maintenance machines face challenges in uniformly dispensing cleaning fluids, particularly in controlling the ratio of water to cleaning chemicals and the dispensing rate, which can be costly and difficult to customize for specific cleaning tasks.
Innovation Solution
A floor maintenance machine with separate reservoirs for bulk diluting fluid and cleaning chemicals, equipped with a mixing system that allows for controlled ratio adjustment and dispensing rate control, using a pump and flow control device controlled by a controller to mix and dispense the cleaning solution effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cleaning chemicals are mixed with water in storage tanks on the maintenance machine, then the cleaning solution is ready for use, but the ratio of water to cleaning chemicals cannot be easily changed and requires emptying of the storage tank
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the cleaning solution storage into separate compartments: a first reservoir for concentrated cleaning chemicals and a second reservoir for diluting fluid. This segmentation allows independent storage and controlled mixing, enabling easy ratio adjustment without emptying entire tanks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic control through a controller that regulates a pump to transfer varying amounts of concentrated cleaning chemicals from the first reservoir to a discharge conduit, and controls a flow control device to adjust the ratio of diluting fluid from the second reservoir, allowing real-time ratio adjustment during operation.
2Measurement precision
If pre-mixed cleaning solution is used, then the ratio of water to cleaning chemicals is controlled, but water must be shipped which is expensive when water is locally available
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrated cleaning chemicals are pre-prepared and stored in the first reservoir in their concentrated form. The system performs preliminary concentration storage rather than pre-mixing with water, allowing local water sources to be used during operation, thus eliminating water transportation costs while maintaining precise ratio control through the pump and flow control device.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cleaning chemicals are mixed with water on site by machine operators, then customization for particular jobs is possible, but the skill level of operators is required and ratios may not be changed easily
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a level sensor that provides feedback on the level of diluting fluid in the second reservoir to the controller. The controller uses this feedback to automatically adjust the pump operation and flow control device to maintain the desired cleaning chemical to water ratio, eliminating the need for operator skill in manual mixing while preserving customization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic mixing and ratio control through the controller, pump, and flow control device without requiring operator intervention for mixing calculations or adjustments. The machine serves itself by automatically maintaining precise ratios based on sensor feedback, eliminating the skill requirement while preserving adaptability.
4Productivity
If the amount of cleaning solution dispensed is increased to clean faster, then productivity improves, but the uniformity of cleaning fluid distribution decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The level sensor provides continuous feedback on the fluid level in the second reservoir to the controller. The controller adjusts the flow control device to maintain consistent flow rates and uniform distribution even at higher dispensing volumes, allowing increased productivity without sacrificing uniformity through automatic compensation.
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
Enables accurate control of the cleaning solution's chemical-to-water ratio and dispensing rate, ensuring uniform and efficient cleaning fluid distribution during operation, addressing the limitations of previous machines.
Implementation Method 1
A pump is provided for pumping the cleaning chemical into the conduit system on a predetermined controlled basis
Implementation Method 2
provides a mixing system for effecting a controlled ratio mixture of fluid and cleaning chemical to form a cleaning solution
Implementation Method 3
A discharge flow control device is provided for controlling the amount of cleaning solution dispensed to the floor adjacent the cleaning device
Implementation Method 4
A level sensor can be provided for monitoring the level (pressure head) of diluting fluid in its storage tank
Data Source
AI summary
A method of maintaining a floor comprises discharging a diluting fluid from a first reservoir to a mixing apparatus, discharging a cleaner concentrate from a second reservoir to the mixing apparatus, continuously identifying changes in fluid level within the first reservoir with a level sensor, providing a first signal indicative of an identified change in fluid level, passing the cleaner concentrate and diluting fluid through a flow control device, and processing the first signal to generate an output signal and controlling operation of the pump and the flow control device in response to the output signal to provide a flow of fluid to a cleaning device at a substantially constant ratio of the diluting fluid from the first reservoir to the cleaner concentrate from the second reservoir for substantially all fluid levels of the first reservoir.