Sewer Pipeline Cleaning Tool With Reversible Drive Return
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cleaning sewage pipelines are complex, require skilled personnel, and are not suitable for individual, preventive maintenance, leading to frequent clogging and high maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A device with a reversible geared motor drive and a movable cleaning tool, such as a brush or cylindrical spiral, that can be controlled manually or automatically, allowing for self-returning mechanisms and integration with a control panel for remote operation, enabling easy access and automated cleaning without disassembling the drain system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual cleaning with sanitary rope is used, then the cleaning can be performed without specialized equipment, but the process requires considerable time and skilled personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device is designed to be operated by the consumer themselves without requiring specialized skilled personnel. The automated drive mechanism and simple control panel enable the end-user to perform maintenance independently, eliminating the need to hire professionals while significantly reducing the time required compared to manual cleaning methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely manual mechanical cleaning process with an automated electromechanical system. A drive mechanism with a motor automatically moves the cleaning tool through the pipeline, substituting human labor and manual operations with automated mechanical movement, thereby reducing both time and skill requirements.
2Reliability
If professional cleaning services are used, then thorough cleaning can be achieved, but material costs and time costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By enabling consumers to perform cleaning themselves with the provided device, the system eliminates recurring payments to professional cleaning services. The one-time investment in the device replaces ongoing material costs of hiring professionals, while maintaining reliable cleaning quality through automated consistent operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables preventive maintenance by allowing regular, easy cleaning before clogs fully develop. This preliminary action prevents severe blockages that would require expensive emergency professional intervention, thereby reducing overall material costs while maintaining reliable pipeline function.
3Ease of operation
If the cleaning device is designed for comprehensive automation, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device is divided into distinct functional modules: a drive mechanism, a cleaning tool, a control panel, and a movable element. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function simply, while the overall system achieves automation. The modular structure manages complexity by making each part relatively simple rather than attempting to create a single complex integrated unit.
4Reliability
If the cleaning tool can access all areas of the pipeline, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but the device becomes harder to install and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible cable or belt as the movable element that transmits motion from the drive mechanism to the cleaning tool. This flexible element can navigate the entire length of the pipeline and accommodate various pipe configurations, enabling comprehensive cleaning coverage. The flexibility of this thin-film-like component simplifies installation compared to rigid mechanical systems, as it requires no complex joints or adaptations for different pipe layouts.
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 solution mechanizes the cleaning process, allowing consumers to perform efficient and preventive maintenance on sewage pipelines at any time, reducing material and time costs by eliminating the need for manual intervention and constant system disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
a spring (9), which moves the cleaning tool (6) from its end position to its initial position
Implementation Method 2
The cleaning tool (6) may be provided with a magnetic element (15) to interact with at least one limit switch (16)
Implementation Method 3
the movement of which can be effected through winding and unwinding the same by means of the drive
Implementation Method 4
the cleaning tool can have ridges located between the turns of the cylindrical spiral, which push the ridges while rotating, ensuring displacement of the cleaning tool
Data Source
AI summary
The group of inventions can be used for removal of deposits in sewers and the simultaneous removal thereof in various pipelines, providing mechanization of the cleaning process in a sewage pipeline and eliminating the need for disassembling the drain system and manually cleaning it. A movable element and a cleaning tool mounted thereon, both arranged within the sewage pipeline, are moved along the sewage pipeline by means of a drive mounted outside the sewage pipeline and connected to the movable element. In the initial position, the cleaning tool is located at the end of the sewage pipeline, outside the sewage pipeline portion connecting the drain pipe with a riser. When the cleaning tool reaches the end position at the junction of the sewage pipeline and the riser, the drive and the movable element move the cleaning tool to its initial position.