Mat Cleaning Apparatus with Pile Side Up Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mat cleaning machines are inefficient as they wash mats with the pile side down, making it difficult for operators to detect and address rips, tears, or areas needing deeper cleaning, leading to unsatisfactory cleaning and the need for re-cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A mat cleaning apparatus that allows mats to be introduced with the pile side up, enabling quality inspection and pre-treatment, featuring a prewash module, wash/rinse module with high-pressure nozzles, and an extraction module with air knives, all with inclined conveyor belts to ensure effective dirt removal and water reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the mat is washed with the pile side down, then dirt falls out of the mat by gravity, but operators cannot see rips, tears, or areas needing deeper cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional washing orientation by washing the mat with the pile side up instead of down. This allows operators to visually inspect the mat surface during the washing process, identifying rips, tears, and areas needing deeper cleaning, while still effectively removing dirt through the washing mechanism.
2Reliability
If the mat is re-cleaned to address missed areas, then cleaning completeness improves, but time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary inspection and identification of problem areas before the washing process begins. Operators can spot rips, tears, and heavily soiled areas during loading, allowing them to apply pre-treatment or adjust washing parameters for those specific areas, ensuring complete cleaning in a single pass and eliminating the need for re-cleaning.
3Ease of operation
If the mat is conveyed horizontally through the cleaning system, then the process is simple, but targeted cleaning of specific areas is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic positioning capabilities that allow the mat to be tilted or positioned at different angles during the washing process. This enables operators to target specific areas of the mat for enhanced cleaning while maintaining a generally horizontal conveyance system, combining simplicity with adaptability.
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
Enables targeted cleaning of specific areas, reducing the need for re-cleaning and ensuring mats are satisfactorily cleaned by allowing for pre-treatment and effective dirt removal through inclined conveyor belts and high-pressure water and air flow.
Implementation Method 1
the conveying means having an incline in at least a part of the wash and/or rinse module
Implementation Method 2
said wash and/or rinse module comprising a plurality of high pressure nozzles positioned to spray water onto the pile side of the mat
Implementation Method 3
said extraction module comprising a plurality of air knives positioned to direct a stream of air onto the pile side of the mat
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for washing a mat, which enables a user to introduce the mat into the apparatus pile side up so, that it can be inspected and pretreated before cleaning by the apparatus. The mat is inclined in the wash and/or rinse module of the apparatus, while a plurality of high pressure nozzles spray water onto the pile side of the mat. Water flowing down the inclined mat pre-wets regions of the mat to pre-treat these regions before they are treated by the high pressure nozzles. The apparatus may include a trough at the bottom of the incline to further soak the mat before treatment by the high pressure nozzles. The apparatus may include means for holding the mat flat on the incline, means for extracting water from the cleaned mat, and means for cleaning and reusing water.