Surface maintenance vehicle with an integrated water trap for trapping residual waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current floor surface maintenance machines experience hose runoff of waste water when the vacuum system is turned off, leading to inefficiencies in waste recovery during wet scrubbing operations.
Innovation Solution
A waste recovery system with a squeegee assembly and self-cleaning reservoir that includes a fluid trap portion between inlet and outlet passages, positioned to retain backflow waste and direct it back into the recovery tank, ensuring complete collection and minimizing floor runoff.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a vacuum system is used to remove waste water from the floor, then waste recovery efficiency is improved, but hose runoff occurs when the vacuum system is turned off
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is positioned at the lowest point of the waste recovery system before the vacuum system stops suction, creating a trap that captures residual waste water before it can flow back to the floor. This preliminary action prevents hose runoff without requiring continuous vacuum operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The reservoir acts as an intermediary component between the vacuum system and the floor, capturing and holding residual waste water that would otherwise flow back through the hose. This intermediary structure solves the runoff problem by providing a intermediate storage point.
2Loss of substance
If the reservoir is positioned closer to the floor surface, then hose runoff is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is integrated into the squeegee assembly structure, merging the waste trapping function with the existing squeegee components. This combination reduces overall system complexity while achieving runoff prevention through strategic positioning near the floor surface.
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 effectively prevents hose runoff by ensuring all waste is collected and stored in the tank, even when the vacuum system is disengaged, and facilitates self-cleaning by directing residual waste back into the tank upon re-engagement, enhancing operational efficiency and cleanliness.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum system adapted to start and stop suctioning waste from a floor surface... the vacuum system draws waste from the floor surface through the fluid suction path by applying a suction force
Implementation Method 2
When the vacuum supply is turned off, any waste water still present in the recovery hose flows down to the floor due to lack of suction. This is referred to as hose runoff.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
Embodiments include a waste recovery system for a floor surface maintenance machine. The waste recovery system comprises a squeegee assembly having a squeegee frame, a squeegee retainer extending below the squeegee frame and a reservoir integrally defined in the squeegee retainer. The reservoir can have an inlet passage proximal to the floor surface, an outlet passage fluidly coupled to the fluid suction path and leading to the waste recovery tank, and a fluid trap portion positioned between the inlet and outlet passages. The fluid trap portion can retain backflow fluids in the fluid suction path. The reservoir is positioned at a clearance distance from the floor surface in a direction normal to the floor surface such that the reservoir forms the lowest portion of the waste recovery system in the direction normal to the floor surface.