Floor Cleaning Apparatus Using Ozone to Reduce Detergent Consumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning devices for flooring surfaces rely heavily on chemical detergents, leading to high economic costs and pollution due to packaging, transport, and sewer discharge, while also requiring significant detergent usage.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that minimizes detergent use by employing ozone-generated water for cleaning, which is dispensed and aspirated, utilizing ozone's disinfecting properties to effectively clean flooring surfaces without the need for industrial detergents, and includes a system for ozone production, insertion, and recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical detergents are used for cleaning flooring surfaces, then effective cleaning is achieved, but detergent consumption increases leading to high economic costs and pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies ozone, a strong oxidant, to clean flooring surfaces by generating it on-site and dispensing it through the cleaning apparatus. The ozone oxidizes dirt and organic matter on the surface, providing effective cleaning without requiring chemical detergents. This directly addresses the contradiction by replacing detergent-based cleaning with oxidation-based cleaning, thereby maintaining cleaning effectiveness while eliminating detergent consumption and associated pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical system (detergents) with a physical-chemical system (ozone generation and dispersion). The ozone is generated through electrical discharge or UV irradiation of oxygen, then dispersed onto the surface to perform cleaning. This substitution eliminates the need for detergent packaging, transport, and disposal, resolving the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and environmental/economic cost.
2Reliability
If chemical detergents are used for cleaning, then cleaning performance is maintained, but pollution levels increase due to packaging, transport and sewer discharge
Solution Approach 1:
By using ozone as a strong oxidant, the patent achieves cleaning performance without the harmful byproducts of chemical detergents. Ozone decomposes into oxygen after use, leaving no harmful residues in sewers or the environment. This eliminates the pollution associated with detergent packaging, transport, and discharge while maintaining effective cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus generates ozone on-site from ambient oxygen, eliminating the need for external detergent supplies. The system is self-sufficient, converting atmospheric oxygen into cleaning agent, thereby eliminating packaging waste, transport emissions, and sewer pollution associated with conventional detergent-based cleaning systems.
3Ease of operation
If conventional cleaning devices are used, then cleaning function is provided, but device complexity increases due to multiple tanks and chemical storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex multi-tank chemical storage and dispensing system with a compact ozone generation unit integrated into the apparatus. Instead of storing and managing multiple chemical solutions, the system generates ozone on-demand from oxygen, significantly simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining effective cleaning function.
Solution Approach 2:
The ozone generation system serves multiple functions: it cleans the surface, disinfects the area, and eliminates odors, all through a single integrated mechanism. This multi-functionality replaces what would otherwise require separate chemical agents and storage systems, thereby reducing device complexity while enhancing operational capability.
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 reduces detergent consumption and associated costs, minimizes pollution, and provides effective disinfection of flooring surfaces using ozone, while maintaining operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an ozone generating unit (16) and means (17) for inserting the ozone, produced by the generating unit (16), into the liquid at the dispenser means (5)
Implementation Method 2
the insertion means (17) comprise at least a venturi injector (21)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The object of the present invention is an apparatus for cleaning flooring surfaces. The apparatus comprises movement means (2) for enabling movement of the apparatus on a flooring surface. The apparatus is further provided with dispenser means (5) of a cleaning liquid, for enabling dispensing of the liquid at a flooring surface to be cleaned. The apparatus is further provided with recuperating means (10) of the liquid which enable aspiration thereof at the flooring surface to be cleaned. The apparatus is further provided with an ozone generating unit (16) and insertion means (17) of ozone into the liquid. The insertion means are connected to the ozone generating unit (16) and to the liquid dispenser means (5) in order to insert the ozone produced by the generating unit into the liquid at the dispenser means. The apparatus is therefore able to generate ozone, insert it into a cleaning liquid, such as for example simply water, dispense the liquid thus added- to and recuperate the liquid together with any dirt from the surface to be cleaned on which the ozone exerts its action.