Ultrasonic cleaning apparatus and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ultrasonic cleaning technologies face challenges in ensuring effective distribution of ultrasonic waves across the entire surface of items being cleaned, potentially causing damage and failing to remove unevenly distributed or diverse types of dirt, while also struggling with dirt retention in tank designs that reduce cleaning efficiency and effective drying without re-depositing residue.
Innovation Solution
The ultrasonic cleaning apparatus incorporates a tank with strategically placed transducers, a gas introducer to create macroscopic bubbles, and a movable assembly to ensure thorough cleaning and drying, using a controller to manage frequency and sweep rates, and a system for fluid introduction to enhance cleaning liquid circulation and agitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ultrasonic pressure waves are directed into cleaning liquid to clean items, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but standing waves cause uneven distribution leading to ineffective cleaning in some areas and excessive aggression in others
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable assembly that can translate and rotate within the tank, dynamically changing the position of items relative to standing wave patterns. This movement ensures all surfaces receive effective cleaning exposure while avoiding prolonged exposure to aggressive nodes, resolving the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces gas bubbles as an intermediary medium that enhances ultrasonic cavitation effects. The bubbles concentrate cleaning action at specific locations while the movable assembly distributes this enhanced cleaning throughout the tank, achieving both effectiveness and uniformity.
2Ease of operation
If a tank with rack, mount, support or holder is used to hold items, then ease of operation is improved, but dirt is retained in dead volumes, interstices or passageways reducing cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the holding function from traditional racks with complex structures and replaces it with a simplified movable assembly. Items are held in a manner that eliminates dead volumes and interstices where dirt could be retained, while the movable nature ensures all surfaces remain accessible to ultrasonic cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the tank interior and movable assembly with smooth, continuous surfaces that lack crevices, corners, or irregularities. This homogeneous surface design prevents dirt retention while maintaining ease of item handling through the simplified holding structure.
3Reliability
If cleaning liquid is used to remove dirt from surfaces, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but drying is required which may re-deposit residue on cleaned surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition of water from liquid to vapor through ultrasonic heating. The rapid vaporization creates a drying effect that removes cleaning liquid from surfaces without the mechanical contact that would cause residue re-deposition, maintaining surface cleanliness after drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical drying systems (which could re-deposit residue) with ultrasonic-induced vaporization. This substitution uses acoustic energy to achieve drying through phase change, eliminating the risk of residue re-deposition associated with mechanical contact.
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 setup ensures even ultrasonic wave distribution, effective dirt removal without surface damage, reduces dirt retention in the tank, and facilitates efficient drying, enhancing the cleaning process for items like surgical instruments by ensuring thorough cleaning and minimizing re-deposition of residues.
Implementation Method 1
direct ultrasonic pressure waves into cleaning liquid received in the tank... The pressure waves produce micro-cavitation in the liquid, which has a cleaning effect at the surface of the item to be cleaned
Implementation Method 2
a gas introducer arranged to in use provide a supply of gas into cleaning liquid in the tank so that macroscopic bubbles of gas are produced, the gas introducer comprising a conduit arranged to in use deliver bubbles towards one or more blades of the assembly to urge the assembly to move
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 1A~2A
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus and method, the ultrasonic cleaning apparatus (10) comprising a tank (12) for in use receiving a cleaning liquid and for receiving an item to be cleaned in a cleaning region (16) thereof, a transducer (21) arranged, when driven, to direct ultrasonic pressure waves into cleaning liquid received in the tank (12) and a controller (30) arranged in use to drive the transducer (21), a gas introducer (40) arranged to in use provide a supply of gas into cleaning liquid in the tank so that macroscopic bubbles of gas are produced wherein the gas introducer (40) provides a plurality of bubble sources distributed below the cleaning region of the tank. The apparatus further comprises an assembly arranged in use to enable movement of the item to be cleaned in the cleaning region.