Gardening equipment for blowing and vacuuming and reducing the volume of the sucked material
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional gardening equipment for blowing and sucking plant material only allows for blowing, resulting in bulky and inconvenient plant material disposal, which requires multiple trips and can lead to environmental hazards like burning.
Innovation Solution
A gardening apparatus that can both blow and suck plant material, featuring an impeller with adjustable pitch blades that shred and reduce the volume of the material, allowing it to be collected in a container and further reduced in volume by reversing the air flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional blowers are used to blow plant material, then the plant material can be moved and piled, but the volume remains bulky and requires multiple trips for disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single device: blowing capability, vacuuming capability, and shredding capability. The housing integrates both a blower outlet and a vacuum inlet, allowing the device to both move plant material and reduce its volume through shredding, eliminating the need for separate equipment and reducing disposal trips.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and dimensions of plant material by shredding it into smaller particles. The shredding mechanism breaks down leaves and grass clippings into fine particles that can be compacted, fundamentally altering the volume and density parameters of the material for more efficient disposal.
2Ease of operation
If collection bags are used to collect sucked material, then the material can be gathered, but it remains bulky and requires frequent emptying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the collection function with the shredding function. Instead of merely collecting material in a bag as with traditional vacuum cleaners, the collected plant material is fed into a shredding chamber where it is processed into compact particles, reducing the volume before storage or disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the simple mechanical collection system with a more complex system that incorporates a shredding mechanism. The collection bag is integrated with a shredding chamber and cutting elements that mechanically process the collected material, transforming it from bulky whole pieces to compact shredded particles.
3Productivity
If plant material is burned to reduce volume, then disposal is simplified, but environmental hazards are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the problematic bulkiness of plant material into an advantage through shredding. By breaking down the material into fine particles, the system creates a compact form that is easier and safer to dispose of through legitimate channels like composting or landfill, eliminating the need for harmful burning while achieving the same disposal efficiency.
4Reliability
If multiple trips are made to dispose of plant material, then proper disposal can be achieved, but time and fuel are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines blowing and vacuuming functions in one device, allowing the user to both move and reduce plant material volume in a single operation. This eliminates the need for multiple trips to collection centers, saving time and fuel while ensuring proper disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
The shredding function fundamentally changes the volume parameter of the plant material, compressing it into a much smaller form factor. This volume reduction allows all the plant material to be disposed of in a single trip, eliminating repeated journeys and the associated time and fuel losses.
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 apparatus efficiently collects and reduces the volume of plant material, making disposal easier and reducing the environmental impact by minimizing the need for multiple trips and reducing bulk at collection centers.
Implementation Method 1
an impeller arranged in a housing, mechanically connected to a device adapted to rotate the impeller
Implementation Method 2
the impeller comprises blades designed so that the direction of the incoming air flow and the direction of the outgoing air flow define an angle comprised in a range between 45° and 135°
Data Source
AI summary
The gardening apparatus (100) for blowing and sucking plant material comprises an engine or motor (20) adapted to operate in a first direction of rotation and a second direction of rotation and a housing (10) in which an impeller (30) is mechanically connected to the engine or motor (20). The housing (10) comprises a first opening (41) and a second opening (51) and the impeller (30) is adapted to generate a first air flow from the first opening (41) and exiting from said second opening (51) when the engine or motor (20) is operating according to the first direction of rotation and to generate a second air flow entering from the second opening (51) and exiting from said first opening (41) when the engine or motor (20) is operating according to the second direction of rotation. In this way, it is possible, for example, to extract air from a container (80) fixed to said second opening (51) and thus reduce the volume of the container (80) with plant material inside.