Automated Wash Rig for Freight Container Cleaning and Sanitization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual cleaning of freight containers is inefficient and inconsistent, failing to meet sanitation standards, particularly for transporting perishable goods, as existing automated solutions like wash dollies with brushes are inadequate for reaching all surfaces and can spread debris or bacteria.
Innovation Solution
An automated wash rig with brushless nozzles and air knives that traverses the container to clean and dry all surfaces, followed by ultraviolet (UV) sanitation to ensure thorough disinfection, using a wheeled chassis with motors and adjustable guide wheels for comprehensive coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning methods are used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but cleaning consistency and sanitation reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cleaning actions with an automated system that uses high-pressure water jets (hydraulic system) and heated air (thermal system) to clean container surfaces. This substitution ensures consistent application of cleaning forces and temperatures, eliminating the variability inherent in manual cleaning while maintaining operational simplicity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs controlled changes in physical parameters including water pressure (high-pressure jets), air temperature (heated drying air), and flow rates to achieve reliable cleaning and drying. These parameter controls ensure consistent sanitation results across different cleaning operations, addressing the reliability concern while using standard engineering controls rather than complex systems.
2Productivity
If brush-based automated wash dollies are used, then labor costs are reduced, but cleaning completeness and sanitation effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the brush contact element from the cleaning system and replaces it with a contactless high-pressure water jet system. This removes the fundamental limitation of brushes in reaching complex geometries and prevents the spreading of contaminants that occurs with brush contact, thereby improving both cleaning completeness and sanitation effectiveness while maintaining automated cleaning efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses high-pressure hydraulic water jets to deliver cleaning force without physical contact. The hydraulic system generates sufficient pressure to remove contaminants from all surface types and geometries, achieving reliable sanitation results. Compressed air is then used for drying, providing a complete non-contact cleaning and drying solution that maintains productivity while ensuring sanitation effectiveness.
3Reliability
If comprehensive surface coverage is achieved, then sanitation completeness is improved, but cleaning time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is segmented into distinct functional zones: washing zones with high-pressure water jets for different surface areas, and separate drying zones with heated air. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for its specific function and enables parallel operation, achieving comprehensive surface coverage while managing cleaning cycle time through efficient zonal processing rather than sequential whole-container treatment.
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 a consistent and thorough cleaning and sanitizing process that meets stringent sanitation standards, ensuring the safety of perishable goods by effectively removing debris and bacteria from all interior surfaces of freight containers.
Implementation Method 1
The wash rig may wash the surfaces by discharging a cleaning fluid onto each surface of the interior of the freight container
Implementation Method 2
The dryers may be configured to direct air flow at high pressure to push excess cleaning fluid towards the rear of the wash rig and towards the opening of the freight container
Implementation Method 3
An automated wash rig with brushless nozzles and air knives that traverses the container to clean and dry all surfaces, followed by ultraviolet (UV) sanitation to ensure thorough disinfection
Data Source
AI summary
An automated wash rig is disclosed for cleaning the interior of a freight container. The wash rig may be transported atop a mobile platform or carriage and inserted into the interior of the freight container. During the cleaning process, the wash rig may travel along the length of the floor of the freight container. Washers (e.g., spray nozzles) on the wash rig may be used to direct cleaning fluid at the surfaces of the interior of the freight container, while dryers (e.g., air knives) on the wash rig may be used to dry off those surfaces. As the wash rig traverses the entire length of the freight container, the entire interior of the freight container is washed and dried. The wash rig may also have ultraviolet (UV) lamps which can provide UV light to sanitize the interior of the freight container during this process.