Litter Separation Mesh with Spring-Loaded Closing Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beach cleaners face issues with litter dropping out from the mesh member during collection, which reduces efficiency and requires additional manual labor to retrieve dropped litter.
Innovation Solution
A litter separating apparatus with a mesh member featuring an encircling portion and an opening-closing plate attached by a springed hinge, which pivots to close the opening during travel, preventing litter from escaping and improving collection efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the mesh member is tilted to collect litter by pivoting the right side upward, then litter collection is achieved, but litter may drop out from the front side of the mesh member
Solution Approach 1:
A front wall is introduced as an intermediary structure between the mesh member and the front opening. This front wall acts as a barrier that prevents litter from dropping out during the tilting operation, while allowing the mesh member to still be tilted for litter collection. The front wall mediates between the need to tilt for collection and the risk of litter loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The front wall is positioned in advance to counteract the potential harmful effect of litter dropping out during tilting. By having this protective structure already in place before the tilting operation begins, the system preemptively prevents litter loss rather than attempting to recover it after the fact.
2Ease of operation
If the mesh member structure is simplified for easy operation, then ease of operation is improved, but the ability to prevent litter from dropping out may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh member system is segmented into multiple functional components: the mesh member itself for catching litter, the front wall for preventing litter drop-out, and the side walls for structural support. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, maintaining simplicity of operation while ensuring reliable litter retention through the combined action of all segments.
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 effectively prevents litter from dropping out of the mesh member, enhancing collection efficiency and reducing manual labor by ensuring litter is retained within the apparatus during operation.
Implementation Method 1
an opening-closing plate (160) is provided to an open-side edge (154a) of the side wall (154) on the longitudinal member (70) to which the mesh member (80) is pivotally attached, the opening-closing plate (160) being pivotable around the edge (154a)
Data Source
AI summary
A litter separating apparatus includes a frame, a churn-up mechanism provided at a front portion of the frame, and a mesh member provided at a rear portion of the frame. During operation, when the separating apparatus is towed on the surface of sand ground, the churn-up mechanism churns up litter along with sand, and throws thus churned up litter into said mesh member which catches the litter. The mesh member includes an encircling portion including a rear wall and side walls, and having an opening formed therein. The mesh member is attached pivotally to one of longitudinal members of the frame. An opening-closing plate is pivotally arranged around an open-side edge of one of the side walls on the longitudinal member to which the mesh member is pivotally attached. Such litter separating apparatus prevents litter from dropping out from the mesh member during collection of the litter.