Mobile Eye Washing Station Cartridge Compression Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional emergency eye washing stations are bulky, immobile, and often located in fixed positions, making them ineffective in industries where eye hazards can occur in varying locations, and they require disassembly after a single use.
Innovation Solution
A mobile eye washing station with a fluid storage cartridge, nozzle assembly, and waste fluid collection basin, equipped with spring-loaded assemblies and wheels, allowing for easy relocation and intuitive operation, with the waste fluid collection basin compressing the fluid storage cartridge to drive fluid communication and dispersion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional eye washing stations are designed with large, top-heavy configurations to store sufficient eye wash fluid, then the fluid storage capacity is improved, but the device becomes too bulky to relocate and must be secured to walls or support structures
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a removable fluid storage cartridge, a pump assembly, a nozzle assembly, and a collection basin. This segmentation allows the heavy fluid storage to be isolated in a removable cartridge that can be easily replaced without moving the entire device, resolving the contradiction between fluid capacity and relocatability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates a mobile base with wheels and a telescoping handle, transforming it from a static wall-mounted unit to a mobile cart. The pump system also transitions from manual operation to automated operation via a trigger mechanism, making the device dynamically adaptable to different operational needs and locations.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional eye washing stations are secured to walls or support structures to support their weight, then structural stability is improved, but the device fails to accommodate industries where eye hazards occur in varying locations
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions from a fixed wall-mounted configuration to a mobile cart with a stable triangular base and braking mechanism. The base provides structural stability when parked, while the wheels and handle enable easy relocation to different locations within the facility, accommodating varying eye hazard locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The device includes its own integrated support structure (mobile base with braking mechanism) rather than relying on external wall mounting. The braking mechanism automatically engages when the cart is stationary, providing self-stabilization without requiring installation on support structures.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional eye washing stations require disassembly after a single use, then waste fluid disposal is simplified, but the device complexity increases and usability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device features a removable fluid storage cartridge that can be easily detached and replaced. The cartridge contains both the fluid storage and waste collection functions, allowing users to simply remove and replace the entire cartridge rather than disassembling the device. This maintains simplicity while improving usability.
Solution Approach 2:
The waste collection basin is integrated with the fluid storage cartridge as a single removable unit. This merging of storage and waste collection functions into one replaceable component simplifies the disposal process while maintaining ease of operation, as users handle a single integrated unit rather than separate components.
4Device complexity
If the waste fluid collection basin is positioned to compress the fluid storage cartridge to drive fluid communication, then the device complexity is reduced, but the device must be designed with specific vertical orientation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The pump assembly includes a check valve and pressure-equalizing channels that allow fluid to flow in either direction depending on pressure differential. This enables the device to function whether the cartridge is compressed from above (during normal use) or from the side (during relocation or cleaning), providing orientation flexibility while maintaining mechanism simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump assembly acts as an intermediary between the fluid storage cartridge and nozzle assembly. It includes passive pressure-equalizing channels and active trigger-actuated pumping that can operate regardless of the relative orientation of the cartridge and nozzle, mediating the fluid transfer to accommodate different orientations while keeping the overall mechanism simple.
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 easy relocation and effective operation in emergency situations, providing intuitive access to eye wash fluid without the need for fixed installation, improving usability and mobility while maintaining efficient fluid distribution and collection.
Implementation Method 1
the waste fluid collection basin may be configured to collect eye wash fluid dispersed by the nozzle assembly. Via contact with the fluid storage cartridge, the waste fluid collection basin may compress the fluid storage cartridge to drive fluid communication between the fluid storage cartridge and the nozzle assembly.
Implementation Method 2
the station may include two spring loaded assemblies disposed vertically above the fluid storage cartridge. In such an embodiment, the two spring loaded assemblies may be configured to, in response to the user inputted downward force, compress the fluid storage cartridge so as to initially drive fluid communication between the fluid storage cartridge and the nozzle assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses are described that provide for a mobile eye washing station. An example station includes a fluid storage cartridge that stores unused eye wash fluid and a nozzle assembly in fluid communication with the fluid storage cartridge. In operation, the nozzle assembly dispenses the unused eye wash fluid stored in the fluid storage cartridge via one or more nozzles of the nozzle assembly. The example station further includes a waste fluid collection basin that, in operation, collects eye wash fluid dispersed by the nozzle assembly. Due to contact with the fluid storage cartridge, the waste fluid collection basin compresses the fluid storage cartridge to drive fluid communication between the fluid storage cartridge and the nozzle assembly. The fluid storage cartridge is disposed vertically beneath the waste fluid collection basin.