Portable Solar Water Purifier with Nested Storage and Adjustable Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Access to fresh water is limited in many areas due to lack of electricity for effective filtration, particularly in poor regions and disaster-stricken areas, necessitating a portable, eco-friendly, durable, and inexpensive water purification system.
Innovation Solution
A portable water purification system comprising a water storage receptacle, reverse osmosis filter, pump, and solar panel array, where the solar panels provide power for the pump or charge a battery, and the system can be configured for operation and storage to facilitate easy transport and setup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a portable water purification system is designed to be compact for easy portability, then ease of transport is improved, but the system may lack sufficient space for effective filtration components and power sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the filter housing inside the water storage container, and storing the solar panels and other components within the same container when not in use. This nested arrangement allows the system to be compact and portable while maintaining all necessary filtration components, effectively resolving the contradiction between portability and filtration effectiveness.
2Use of energy by moving object
If solar panels are made adjustable to track the sun, then energy generation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by designing the solar panels with an adjustable mounting mechanism that allows them to be repositioned to track the sun throughout the day. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the system to maximize solar energy capture without requiring complex automated tracking systems, thus improving energy generation while keeping the overall system complexity manageable.
3Reliability
If the system includes all components for complete water purification, then purification capability is improved, but portability deteriorates due to increased weight and size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing the water storage container to serve multiple purposes: storing purified water, housing the filter when not in use, and containing the solar panels and other components during transport. This universal design allows the system to maintain complete purification capabilities while minimizing weight and size by eliminating the need for separate storage containers for each component.
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 system efficiently converts source water into drinkable water, is compact for easy portability, and reduces the risk of component loss during transport, while being adaptable for various power sources and water purification needs.
Implementation Method 1
The array group can be configurable to at least one of provide power for the pump or charge a battery
Implementation Method 2
The reverse osmosis filter can be configurable to convert source water into drinkable water
Data Source
AI summary
A portable water purification system is disclosed. The system can have a water storage receptacle, a reverse osmosis filter, a pump, and a solar panel array group. The reverse osmosis filter can be configurable to convert source water into drinkable water, and the pump can be configurable to provide the source water from a water source to the reverse osmosis filter. The array group can have at least one bi-fold solar panel array, and the array group can be configurable to provide power for the pump. The water storage receptacle can be configurable to contain the drinkable water in one configuration and configurable to contain at least one component of the purification system for storage in another configuration.