Mop Bucket with Cyclonic Inlet Flow for Continuous Clean Water Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mop buckets fail to maintain a continuous supply of clean water during mopping, as dirty water and debris are reintroduced into the bucket, leading to incomplete cleaning and streaks on floors due to turbulence and the inability to effectively separate heavy components from cleaner water.
Innovation Solution
A washing bucket design with a fluid inlet positioned adjacent to the bottom, creating a cyclonic flow path using a pipe with apertures to direct clean water upward and an outlet above the container to direct dirty water and debris outside, allowing for continuous clean water supply and efficient debris removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional mop bucket is used, then the bucket can hold water for mopping, but the water becomes contaminated with dirt and debris that cannot be effectively separated, leading to incomplete cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The bucket is divided into multiple functional zones: a main water reservoir, a cyclonic separation chamber, and a debris collection area. This segmentation allows clean water to be separated from dirty water and debris, maintaining a continuous supply of clean water for effective mopping
Solution Approach 2:
A cyclonic hydro-vortex system is implemented using hydraulic principles. Water enters the separation chamber and creates a rotating vortex that uses centrifugal force to separate heavier debris particles from the water stream, allowing clean water to be redirected back into the main reservoir while debris is discharged separately
2Reliability
If the bucket is repeatedly emptied and cleaned to remove accumulated dirt, then cleaner water can be maintained, but this requires frequent interruption of the mopping process
Solution Approach 1:
The cyclonic separation system operates continuously throughout the mopping process, automatically separating clean water from debris in real-time. This eliminates the need to stop mopping to empty or clean the bucket, maintaining both cleaning quality and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The bucket system performs self-cleaning through the automatic cyclonic separation process. The system continuously separates and removes debris without requiring manual intervention, allowing the bucket to maintain itself during the mopping operation
3Ease of operation
If turbulence is allowed in the bucket water, then the mop can be easily rinsed, but this redistributes dirt and debris throughout the water, contaminating clean areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cyclonic separation system extracts and removes debris and dirt particles from the water before the water can be used for rinsing the mop. By removing contaminants in advance, the system allows turbulent rinsing action without redistributing dirt, as the clean water supply is continuously replenished from the separated reservoir
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 design ensures a continuous supply of clean water for mopping, effectively removing debris and reducing the need for frequent bucket refilling, resulting in cleaner floors and reduced streaks.
Implementation Method 1
create a cyclonic flow path of the fluid in the container
Data Source
AI summary
A washing bucket has a container having an interior defined by wall and a bottom, a fluid inlet affixed to the wall of the container so as to communicate with the interior of the container in order to deliver a fluid into an interior of the container, and a connector affixed to the fluid inlet at an end exterior of the container. The fluid inlet is positioned adjacent to a bottom of the container. The connector is adapted to allow a hose or a conduit to be connected to the fluid inlet. A pipe is connected to the fluid inlet. The pipe has a plurality of apertures adapted to direct the fluid from the fluid inlet into the interior of the container. The pipe extends generally vertically upwardly from the fluid inlet.