Rotating Brush Pipe Cleaner With Orbital Gearbox Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe cleaning technologies fail to provide a safe and/or a clean environment for removing and/or a safe and/or a clean environment for removing and/or a safe and/or a clean environment for removing and/or a safe and/or a clean environment for removing and/or a safe and/or a clean environment for removing residue that has formed on the inner walls of pipes, the workers may be exposed to an unsafe and/or dangerous work environment for removing residue that has formed on the inner walls of pipes, the workers may be exposed to an unsafe and/or a dangerous work environment for removing residue that has formed on the inner walls of pipes, the workers may be exposed to an unsafe and/or a hazardous work environment.
Innovation Solution
A pipe cleaning device that includes a main body configured to move within a pipe in an axial direction, a brush module with rotating brushes, and a gear mechanism to provide rotational and orbital motion to the brushes, effectively removing residue from the pipe inner walls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning methods are used to remove residue from pipe inner walls, then workers can directly access and clean the pipes, but workers are exposed to unsafe and hazardous work environments when pipes are at high locations or contain toxic residue
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device autonomously navigates and cleans pipe inner walls without human intervention. The main body moves axially through the pipe while brush modules automatically contact and clean the inner wall surface, eliminating the need for workers to manually access hazardous areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning device serves as an intermediary between the operator and the hazardous environment. It performs the dangerous cleaning task in toxic or hard-to-reach pipes, protecting workers from direct exposure while maintaining effective cleaning capability.
2Productivity
If a gear box with multiple gears is used to generate orbital motion of brushes, then the brushes can effectively remove residue through combined rotational and orbital motion, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The brush modules exhibit dynamic motion with two degrees of freedom: rotation about their own axes and orbital motion around the pipe center. This dynamic behavior is achieved through the gear mechanism that converts axial movement into combined rotational-orbital brush motion for enhanced cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The gear box merges multiple gear components (input gear, stationary gear, output gears, driven gears) into a compact integrated structure. This combination generates the complex orbital motion of brushes through the interaction of meshing gears, achieving effective residue removal without requiring separate mechanisms.
3Productivity
If brushes are configured to rotate and move in orbital motion, then residue removal effectiveness is improved, but the mechanical design and control become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The brush modules exhibit dynamic motion with two degrees of freedom: rotation about their own axes and orbital motion around the pipe center. This dynamic behavior is achieved through the gear mechanism that converts axial movement into combined rotational-orbital brush motion for enhanced cleaning.
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 device effectively removes residue from pipe inner walls while ensuring worker safety by providing a safe and controlled environment for cleaning operations, even in hazardous or toxic environments.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of output gears are configured to form a first meshing with the input gear and form a second meshing with the stationary gear
Implementation Method 2
Gases and fluids flowing inside a pipe may form residue on the inner wall of the pipe through physical and/or chemical reactions
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe cleaning device includes a main body, a brush module including a plurality of brushes and a plurality of connecting members, a gear box, and a driving module. The gear box includes an input gear, a stationary gear, a plurality of output gears, and a plurality of driven gears. The plurality of output gears form a first meshing with the input gear and form a second meshing with the stationary gear. Each of the plurality of driven gears form a third meshing with a corresponding one of the plurality of output gears. Each of the plurality of brushes rotates in a same rotational direction and at a same angular velocity as the plurality of driven gears, and orbits in a same direction and at a same angular velocity as the plurality of driven gears.