Underwater Cleaning Machine External Pump Drive

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing underwater cleaning machines are heavy and difficult to handle, and they often contaminate seawater during the cleaning process.

Innovation Solution

An underwater cleaning machine that uses high-pressure water from an external pump to drive both a cleaning device for ejecting water and a suction device for removing dirty water, eliminating the need for multiple drive devices on the machine body.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple drive apparatuses (brush rotation pump, motor for screw rotation, dirty water pump) are mounted on the machine body to enable cleaning functions, then the cleaning capability is improved, but the machine weight increases and handleability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning capabilityVSAvoidmachine weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the drive functions from the machine body by using an external high-pressure water pump to power both the cleaning device (brush rotation) and suction device (dirty water removal). This eliminates the need for multiple separate drive apparatuses on the machine body, significantly reducing weight while maintaining full cleaning capability through a single external power source.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple drive apparatuses are mounted on the machine body to provide cleaning and suction functions, then the operational capability is improved, but the machine becomes heavy and difficult to handle

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational capabilityVSAvoidhandleability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes multiple drive apparatuses from the machine body and replaces them with a single external high-pressure water pump that provides power to both cleaning and suction functions. This extraction of drive functions reduces the machine's weight and complexity, making it easier to handle and operate while maintaining versatile cleaning capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Weight of moving object

If no suction device is installed to simplify the machine structure, then the weight is reduced, but seawater contamination occurs during cleaning

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemachine weightVSAvoidseawater contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an external high-pressure water pump as an intermediary device that provides the driving force for both the cleaning device and suction device. This intermediary power source enables the machine to have both cleaning and suction capabilities without mounting multiple separate drive apparatuses on the machine body, thus preventing seawater contamination while avoiding weight increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If multiple drive devices are mounted on the machine body to power cleaning and suction functions, then the functional performance is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunctional performanceVSAvoidnumber of drive devices
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts multiple drive functions from the machine body and consolidates them into a single external high-pressure water pump. This external pump powers both the cleaning device (for brush rotation) and the suction device (for dirty water removal), significantly reducing the number of drive devices that need to be mounted and managed on the machine body while maintaining full functional performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 solution results in a lighter, more manageable underwater cleaning machine that effectively prevents seawater contamination by ensuring that dirty water is suctioned and removed after cleaning.

Implementation Method 1

a cleaning device that ejects high-pressure water toward the object to be cleaned for cleaning

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHigh-pressure water ejection: Pressure Increase

Implementation Method 2

a suction device that suctions dirty water after cleaning by the cleaning device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSuction: Suction

Data Source

PatentEP3912738B1Underwater cleaning machine
Publication Date: 2025.05.14 YANMAR POWER TECH CO LTD
  • EP3912738B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3912738B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3912738B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The underwater cleaning machine 1 for cleaning an object to be cleaned while moving along the surface of the object to be cleaned which is present in water is equipped with a cleaning nozzle unit 5 for cleaning by spraying high-pressure water toward the object to be cleaned and a suction device 6 for suctioning dirty water after cleaning by the cleaning nozzle unit 5, and the cleaning nozzle unit 5 and the suction device 6 are driven by high-pressure water supplied from an external high-pressure water pump.