Mobile sink assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tools and equipment on work sites often become contaminated with particulate matter, requiring off-site cleaning, which is inconvenient and can lead to environmental contamination, especially when dealing with toxic or harmful waste.
Innovation Solution
A mobile sink assembly with partitioned compartments, traps, and a pump system that allows for on-site cleaning and effective trapping of particulate waste, using a riser and valve assembly to control fluid flow and retain particulates, with disposable filter bags for easy disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tools and equipment are cleaned off-site, then cleaning can be performed with proper waste disposal facilities, but worker productivity decreases and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is segmented into separate functional compartments: a first trap for capturing particulate matter, a second trap for additional filtration, and a lower compartment for waste collection. This segmentation allows the system to provide complete cleaning functionality with proper waste disposal at a mobile, on-site location, eliminating the need for workers to travel off-site while maintaining reliable waste capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump acts as an intermediary device that transfers cleaning fluid from the lower compartment through the trap system and back, enabling the cleaning process to occur on-site without requiring connection to external water supplies or drainage systems. This intermediary pumping mechanism makes the system self-contained and mobile.
2Ease of operation
If tools and equipment are cleaned on-site using water from a tap or hose, then worker convenience improves, but the surrounding area becomes contaminated with waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the potentially harmful waste water into a beneficial closed-loop cleaning process. The pump recycles water from the lower compartment back through the traps, and the traps capture particulate matter that would otherwise contaminate the environment. This transforms what would be harmful waste discharge into an effective waste capture and recycling system.
Solution Approach 2:
The trap system discards particulate matter from the cleaning water by capturing it in the first and second traps, while the pump recovers and recycles the cleaned water back into the system. This separation and recovery process prevents environmental contamination while maintaining worker convenience for on-site cleaning.
3Reliability
If a fixed sink assembly with plumbed connections is used, then waste can be properly trapped and disposed of, but the system is not accessible to workers outdoors or away from facilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static, fixed sink assembly to a dynamic, mobile unit equipped with wheels. This allows the waste trapping system to be moved to wherever workers need it, whether outdoors, on construction sites, or in locations without permanent plumbing infrastructure, while maintaining the same effective waste trapping functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile sink assembly serves multiple functions: it provides waste trapping through the trap system, enables cleaning of tools and equipment, and can be transported to various locations using the wheel assembly. This multi-functionality makes the system adaptable to diverse work environments and accessible to workers in various locations.
4Ease of repair
If the riser and valve assembly allows fluid to overflow the first trap, then the trap can be easily cleaned, but particulate matter may escape during normal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The riser and valve assembly provides different flow characteristics at different locations and conditions: during normal operation, it maintains a sealed condition that prevents particulate escape through the draining aperture; during cleaning, it allows controlled opening for easy trap removal and cleaning. This localized control of flow properties resolves the contradiction between retention and cleaning ease.
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 convenient on-site cleaning of tools and equipment, effectively trapping and managing toxic or harmful waste, reducing environmental impact and increasing work efficiency by allowing cleaning to occur anywhere without the need for access to traditional sink facilities.
Implementation Method 1
a pump operatively connected to pump fluid from the lower compartment to the first trap
Implementation Method 2
an overflow aperture in a dividing wall providing fluid communication between an upper compartment and a lower compartment
Implementation Method 3
particulate matter is retained in the first and second traps
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to a mobile sink assembly including a container partitioned into two compartments with an overflow aperture in a dividing wall providing fluid communication between an upper compartment and a lower compartment. There is a first trap in the top opening of the upper compartment and a second trap positionable below the first trap. There is a riser and valve assembly coupled to the draining aperture in the first trap and configured to control a flow of liquid from the first trap. There is a pump that pumps fluid from the lower compartment to the first trap. In this way water recirculates through the traps while particulate matter is retained in the first and second traps.