Floor Mat Rib Structure for Water and Debris Evacuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Floor mats with flat lower surfaces tend to trap water and debris, leading to potential damage over time, as existing designs fail to effectively shed these elements.
Innovation Solution
A mat design featuring a lower surface with diagonally extending ribs and transverse branches that create valleys for water and debris evacuation, where the ribs' longitudinal axes intersect the mat edges at angles greater than 0° and less than 90°, and the branches are axially and laterally spaced to prevent contact with adjacent ribs, allowing for efficient drainage and increased structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat lower surface is used for the mat, then the mat is simple to manufacture and has good contact with the floor, but water and debris get stuck between the mat and the floor surface causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The flat lower surface is segmented into multiple ribs that extend away from the mat, creating discrete channels and valleys for water and debris evacuation. This segmentation allows the mat to maintain simplicity while actively shedding harmful substances through the rib structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ribs are added to evacuate humidity, then water and debris can be shed effectively, but the mat structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The rib structure is designed with specific local qualities: ribs extend at angles greater than 0° and less than 90° relative to the mat edges, and branches are axially spaced apart to create optimal valley spaces. These localized structural features provide effective humidity evacuation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
3Strength
If branches are added to ribs, then structural integrity and stiffness are improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The branches are integrated into the rib structure during the initial molding process, rather than being added as separate components. This preliminary action of forming branches and ribs in a single manufacturing step maintains ease of production while achieving the desired structural integrity and stiffness.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If ribs intersect edges at angles greater than 0° and less than 90°, then debris evacuation is improved, but the rib geometry becomes more complex to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The rib geometry is defined by changing the angle parameter to be greater than 0° and less than 90° relative to the mat edges. This parameter change optimizes debris evacuation by creating effective valleys while remaining within manufacturing capabilities, avoiding extreme angles that would be difficult to produce.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various implementations include a mat having a lower surface and first and second edge portions that define at least a portion of a perimeter of the mat. The mat also includes a plurality of ribs that extend away from the lower surface of the mat for contacting the floor. Each rib has a longitudinal axis that extends between ends of the rib, and at least a portion of the plurality of ribs includes one or more branches that extend transversely to the longitudinal axis and are axially spaced apart from each other. The ribs are spaced apart from each other over the lower surface such that adjacent ribs define a valley therebetween. Water and/or debris can flow through the valleys. In addition, the longitudinal axis of each rib intersects the first and second edges of the mat at angles that are greater than 0° and less than 90°.