Squeegee with seal flap
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional squeegee assemblies in scrubber-dryer machines fail to maintain an effective seal with uneven surfaces, leading to loss of vacuum pressure and incomplete removal of dirty water and surfactant, resulting in reduced cleaning efficiency and premature squeegee wear.
Innovation Solution
The squeegee assembly features flexible seal flaps within channels on the front squeegee that can move between open and closed positions, ensuring air, dirty water, and surfactant can enter the vacuum chamber while maintaining a seal with the floor, even on uneven surfaces, by closing when contact is lost to prevent vacuum pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the front squeegee has a fixed size and configuration of slotted channels, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the squeegee cannot adapt to uneven floor surfaces causing loss of vacuum pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the channel openings adjustable rather than fixed. The channels can change their open area dynamically in response to operating conditions, allowing the squeegee to adapt to uneven floor surfaces while maintaining effective sealing and vacuum pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by varying the open area of the channels based on operating requirements. The channel openings can change their dimensions or configuration to optimize performance on different floor surfaces, transitioning between different operational states to maintain adaptability.
2Reliability
If the squeegees maintain close contact with the floor to create a vacuum chamber, then vacuum pressure is maintained, but dirty water and surfactant cannot enter the vacuum chamber effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the squeegee blade into multiple sections with individual channels. This allows different portions of the squeegee to perform different functions - some areas maintain sealing contact with the floor while other areas with open channels allow dirty water and surfactant to enter the vacuum chamber effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating different functional zones on the squeegee blade. The channels are strategically positioned and sized to provide localized openings for fluid intake while other portions of the blade maintain continuous contact with the floor for sealing, ensuring both vacuum maintenance and effective pickup.
3Reliability
If the front squeegee wears over time, then the seal between squeegee and floor breaks down, but replacing the entire squeegee is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by making the channels as separate, replaceable components within the squeegee assembly. When wear occurs, only the channel sections need to be replaced rather than the entire squeegee blade, reducing maintenance costs and downtime while preserving the seal integrity of the main blade structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements discarding and recovering by allowing the channel components to be discarded when worn and replaced with new ones, while the main squeegee blade structure is recovered and reused. This extends the overall life of the squeegee assembly and reduces waste.
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
This design enhances vacuum performance over uneven surfaces and extends the life of the squeegees by maintaining a seal and reducing the degradation of water pick-up performance over time, allowing for more effective cleaning and extended squeegee durability.
Implementation Method 1
The squeegees form a partial seal with a surface to be cleaned, such as a floor. Dirty water and surfactant mixture from the cleaning process is directed to the vacuum chamber and the dirty water is drawn by a vacuum from the vacuum chamber to a dirty water tank for subsequent disposal.
Implementation Method 2
The squeegees form a partial seal with a surface to be cleaned, such as a floor... maintain a seal between the squeegee and the floor so the vacuum system is not compromised
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The present invention relates generally to a surface cleaning squeegee assembly and more specifically to a squeegee assembly mounted on a scrubber-dryer floor cleaning machine. The squeegee assembly includes a front squeegee having a number of spaced channels along a lower edge covered by seal flaps, and a rear squeegee having no channels. The front and rear squeegees define a vacuum chamber between them. Air, dirty water and surfactant are vacuumed into the vacuum chamber through the front squeegee channels for ultimate disposal. When the scrubber-dryer surface cleaning machine traverses over an uneven surface, the seal flaps close the channels to limit or eliminate any vacuum loss to the vacuum chamber.