Rotating Scrubber Pad With Metered Fluid Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid dispensing devices lack control over fluid volume delivery, often resulting in erratic dispensing due to reliance on user squeezing or single check valves, which can lead to leakage and over-delivery, and fail to provide a metered dose directly onto a cleaning pad during use.
Innovation Solution
A device with a motorized assembly that rotates a cleaning pad and incorporates a metered dosing pump with a one-way valve system, allowing for controlled dispensing of a predetermined fluid volume into the pad, ensuring consistent and controlled fluid application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single one-way check valve is used to control fluid dispensing, then leakage is prevented, but the valve becomes partially clogged over time requiring additional pressure that causes over-delivery of fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The single check valve is segmented into a first check valve and a second check valve arranged in series. The first check valve controls fluid flow from the reservoir to the pump chamber, while the second check valve controls fluid flow from the pump chamber to the dispensing tip. This segmentation prevents clogging from affecting the entire system and allows each valve to maintain precise control over fluid delivery volume.
Solution Approach 2:
A pump chamber is introduced as an intermediary component between the reservoir and the dispensing tip. This pump chamber receives fluid from the first check valve and delivers it through the second check valve, providing a controlled intermediate stage that prevents direct clogging issues and enables precise metered dosing of fluid.
2Ease of operation
If user squeezing is used to dispense fluid, then simple operation is achieved, but erratic fluid volume is delivered on each successive squeeze
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber is designed to automatically meter and dose fluid based on its fixed volume capacity. Each actuation of the pump chamber delivers a precise, predetermined volume of fluid through the second check valve to the dispensing tip, eliminating the need for users to control squeeze pressure or duration while maintaining consistent fluid delivery volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump chamber operates in periodic cycles of filling and dispensing. Fluid is drawn into the pump chamber through the first check valve during the filling phase, then delivered through the second check valve during the dispensing phase. This periodic action ensures consistent, metered dosing with each cycle, providing precise fluid volume control.
3Reliability
If the container is held upright to avoid leakage, then leakage is prevented, but the container cannot be used in various orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The passive mechanical system of gravity-dependent upright positioning is replaced with an active pump-driven fluid delivery system. The pump chamber and check valves actively control fluid flow direction and pressure, preventing leakage regardless of container orientation. This allows the container to be used in various orientations including inverted positions without leakage.
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 provides predictable and controlled fluid delivery to the cleaning pad, enhancing cleaning effectiveness by ensuring a consistent volume of fluid is dispensed with each operation, while the rotating pad aids in even distribution, addressing the issues of leakage and over-delivery.
Implementation Method 1
a first one-way valve in fluid communication with the flexible metering housing to allow fluid flow from the reservoir to the metering housing
Implementation Method 2
a flexible metering housing compressible upon actuation of the pump to deliver a metered dose of the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning device includes an integral fluid dispenser therein that serves to dispense a fluid into the scrubbing pad of the device to improve the cleaning effectiveness of the device. The device includes a main body with a cleaning pad attached to one side thereof, an internal motorized assembly for rotating the cleaning pad upon depressing a button provided on a side of the main body and a fluid storage region that contains a cleaning fluid. A metered dosing pump is used to dispense a measured amount of fluid from the fluid storage region to cleaning pad upon actuation by the user. Further, the dispensing action and the rotation of the pad may be controlled by the same button or by separate buttons.