Snowflake machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snowflake machines suffer from bubble accumulation and stickiness at the nozzle, leading to dripping, and are unable to effectively disperse bubbles away from the machine, resulting in unsatisfactory snowfall simulation, along with noisy operation.
Innovation Solution
A snowflake machine design featuring a primary and secondary passageway system with varying cross-sectional areas and cutouts to manage airflow, combined with mufflers to reduce noise, ensuring bubbles are dispersed and maintained at a distance from the machine while minimizing noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If air currents are used to push bubbles farther away, then snowfall simulation distance is improved, but noise level increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air outlet is divided into a primary passageway and a secondary passageway. The primary passageway pushes bubbles outward while the secondary passageway provides surrounding air currents to maintain bubbles in the air, achieving farther travel distance without excessive noise
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary passageway acts as an intermediary that provides additional air currents around the bubbles to maintain them in the air, enabling the bubbles to travel farther without requiring excessive force from the primary passageway that would generate noise
2Length of moving object
If high velocity air currents are used to push bubbles farther, then bubble travel distance is improved, but bubble accumulation at outlet increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air outlet is segmented into primary and secondary passageways. The primary passageway uses high velocity air to push bubbles outward, while the secondary passageway provides surrounding air currents that prevent bubble accumulation at the outlet
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the air outlet have different functions: the primary passageway region provides high velocity push, while the secondary passageway region provides lower velocity surrounding currents that prevent accumulation, creating local quality differences in the air flow
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 design effectively prevents bubble accumulation and dripping, enhances snowfall simulation by maintaining bubbles at a distance, and significantly reduces operational noise.
Implementation Method 1
the blower operates to generate air currents to cause the bubble forming cap to generate bubbles, wherein the air currents generated by the blower pass through the primary passageway and the secondary passageway and move to an outer side of the outlet device, thereby pushing the bubbles generated by the bubble forming cap outward
Implementation Method 2
the primary passageway includes a first end remote from the blower and a second end adjacent to the blower, the secondary passageway includes an outlet end adjacent to the first end of the primary passageway and an inlet end adjacent to the second end of the primary passageway, and a cross sectional area of the outlet end is greater than a cross sectional area of the first end, such that a velocity of air currents flowing through the outlet end is smaller than a velocity of air currents flowing through the first end
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
A snowflake machine (10) comprises a blower (84) and an outlet device (72) is connected to the blower (84). The outlet device (72) includes a primary passageway (80) and a secondary passageway (82) around the primary passageway (80). The blower (84) operates to generate air currents which drives bubbles to pass through the primary passageway (80), thereby pushing the bubbles into the air. Air currents passing through the secondary passageway (82) to push the bubbles farther away from the outlet device (72).