Floor washing-drying machine

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Solution Overview

Problem

Floor washing-drying machines often leave a region of the washing track undried during steering maneuvers, requiring additional cleaning passes, increasing energy consumption, washing liquid usage, and time.

Innovation Solution

The machine incorporates a pair of lateral floor wipers with three elastically flexible drying blades arranged parallel and spaced, which perform sequential drying actions during steering, ensuring complete floor drying by entraining dirt and liquid residues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single rear floor wiper is used, then the structure is simple, but the floor cannot be completely dried during steering maneuvers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrying completenessVSAvoidwiper structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single rear floor wiper is divided into multiple lateral floor wipers (first, second, and third wipers) that work in sequence. Each wiper handles a specific portion of the washing track, ensuring complete drying coverage even during steering maneuvers when the washing track width varies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The drying system transitions from a single-point rear wiper to a distributed lateral wiper arrangement across the width of the machine. This spatial distribution ensures that all portions of the washing track, including edges affected during steering, are covered by at least one wiper.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If additional cleaning passes are performed, then complete drying is achieved, but energy consumption and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrying completenessVSAvoidcleaning efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the drying function into multiple lateral wipers that operate simultaneously during a single pass, the system achieves complete drying coverage without requiring multiple passes, thereby maintaining high productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The multiple lateral wipers operate continuously and simultaneously throughout the washing track width during each pass, ensuring that drying action is uninterrupted and complete, eliminating the need for additional passes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Reliability

If multiple lateral floor wipers are used, then complete drying during steering is achieved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrying completenessVSAvoidwiper arrangement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple lateral floor wipers are merged into a coordinated system where they operate simultaneously during a single pass. This combination achieves complete drying coverage without requiring complex control mechanisms, as all wipers function in parallel during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The lateral floor wipers are designed to be selectively actuated based on machine operation mode. During steering maneuvers, all wipers are activated to provide maximum coverage. During straight-line operation, fewer wipers may be needed, allowing dynamic adjustment of the drying system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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

Ensures optimum and complete drying of the floor even during steering actions, reducing the need for additional cleaning passes and associated costs.

Implementation Method 1

a suction device, which comprises a suction inlet and is connected to a tank for recovering the dirty liquid, so as to create a partial vacuum region which allows the suction of the dirt

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum suction: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

three elastically flexible drying blades arranged parallel and spaced, which perform sequential drying actions during steering, ensuring complete floor drying by entraining dirt and liquid residues

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction and adhesion: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3793422B1Floor washing-drying machine
Publication Date: 2022.07.27 FIMAP
  • EP3793422B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3793422B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3793422B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A floor washing-drying machine comprising a framework (2), which can move on the floor and supports, in a lower region, a floor washing assembly (4), comprising at least one rotating brush (5) and at least one nozzle (6) for dispensing a washing liquid; a floor drying assembly (8) is arranged at the rear of the washing assembly (4), which comprises a rear floor wiper (9), which extends substantially transversely to the advancement direction of the machine, and a suction device (10) which is connected to a tank (10b) for recovering the dirty liquid; the machine comprises at least one pair of lateral floor wipers (12), which are arranged on mutually opposite sides with respect to the vertical central plane (2a) of the framework (2) and extend substantially along at least one portion of the longitudinal extension of the framework (2); each one of the lateral floor wipers (12) comprises respectively at least three vertical drying blades (13a, 3b, 13c).