Pneumatic Salt Delivery System for Water Softener Refill
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for replenishing salt in water softeners are cumbersome and require manual handling of heavy, bulky salt bags, leading to dust and inconvenience, especially when servicing personnel need to enter homes or businesses.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for remotely delivering salt to a salt bin using a hopper apparatus on a vehicle equipped with a computerized scale, gate valve, and pressure sensor, allowing for efficient and accurate delivery without manual handling, using a salt delivery hose and funnel cone to fill the bin without entering the premises.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If salt is delivered in bags and manually handled, then the salt can be transported to the water softener, but the process becomes cumbersome and produces dust
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pneumatic system where compressed air is blown through a hose to transport salt pellets from a bulk container directly into the salt bin. This eliminates manual handling of bags and prevents salt dust from being generated during transport, as the salt flows through a closed pneumatic conduit rather than being poured or dumped manually.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual bag handling, carrying, and pouring with an automated pneumatic delivery system. The compressed air flow substitutes for human physical effort, and the pneumatic transport substitutes for manual pouring, thereby eliminating dust generation and operational cumbersome-ness.
2Ease of operation
If servicing personnel enter the residence to deliver salt, then the salt can be delivered to the salt bin, but the homeowner must be present or provide access means
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service salt delivery where the homeowner can refill their own salt bin using a bulk salt container and the pneumatic delivery system. The system is designed to be user-operable without requiring servicing personnel entry, giving the homeowner control and eliminating the need for scheduled visits or access arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the salt delivery function from the context of servicing personnel entry and transforms it into an independent, on-demand system that operates entirely within the homeowner's control, removing the dependency on external service providers entering the residence.
3Duration of action of moving object
If large bags of salt are used, then the salt supply duration is extended, but the bags become heavy and bulky requiring vehicle transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from discrete bag-based salt storage to a continuous bulk salt storage system. Instead of dealing with multiple separate bags that must be individually transported and emptied, the system uses a single large bulk container that can be refilled, effectively extending the salt supply duration without the recurring burden of transporting additional heavy bags.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple salt bag deliveries into a single bulk salt container system. Rather than repeatedly transporting and handling multiple separate bags, the bulk container consolidates the salt supply function, reducing the frequency and burden of transport operations while maintaining extended supply duration.
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
This approach reduces the need for frequent and costly salt bag purchases, minimizes dust and manual labor, and allows for precise salt delivery, eliminating the need for expensive packaging and reducing waste, while ensuring accurate billing through a computerized scale system.
Implementation Method 1
If the salt bin becomes full, the salt will block the hose and the pressure sensor will detect an increase in pressure
Implementation Method 2
delivering air pressure from the hopper apparatus through the salt delivery hose to the salt bin
Data Source
AI summary
A salt delivery system operates to remotely deliver water softening salt to a salt bin located inside a structure. The salt delivery system is positioned on a vehicle and includes a hopper apparatus for holding salt, a computerized scale system for weighing salt actually delivered to the bin, a salt delivery hose connected between the structure and hopper apparatus, a funnel cone positioned above the remotely located salt bin, and a pipe connected between the salt bin and the structure.