Automated Vent Cover With Vacuum Release Door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vent cover systems require manual intervention to remove the vent cover door from a vent opening due to vacuum retention, hindering automation and efficiency in hospital room disinfection processes.
Innovation Solution
A vent cover system incorporating a portable automated vent cover with a drive system, telescoping tube, collapsible mobile tripod, and vacuum release door, which allows for automated or manual operation to break the seal between the vent cover door and the vent opening, facilitating easy removal without manual prying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vent cover door is used to cover a vent opening, then the vent opening is sealed, but the vacuum in the vent retains the door against the opening requiring manual intervention to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The vent cover door is segmented into a main door body and a separate vacuum release door. The vacuum release door is positioned within the main door and can be independently actuated. This segmentation allows the seal to be broken at a specific location (through the vacuum release door) without requiring manual intervention on the entire door assembly, thus maintaining seal integrity while enabling easy automated removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum release door acts as an intermediary element between the automated drive system and the main vent cover door. The drive system actuates the vacuum release door, which in turn breaks the vacuum seal and allows the main door to be withdrawn. This intermediary mechanism translates automated linear motion into the necessary seal-breaking action without requiring manual prying.
2Productivity
If a portable automated vent cover is used to speed up disinfection, then productivity increases, but the vacuum retention prevents automated removal requiring operator intervention
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the door into a main body and a vacuum release component, the system enables automated actuation of only the release portion. The drive system can automatically move the vacuum release door to break the seal, allowing the main door to be withdrawn automatically. This maintains the productivity benefit of automated vent covering while achieving full automation of door removal without operator intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum release door mechanism is designed to be actuated automatically by the drive system, which moves the release door to break the vacuum seal. Once the seal is broken, the main door can be withdrawn automatically without requiring operator intervention. This self-service mechanism maintains high productivity while achieving complete automation of the door removal process.
3Ease of operation
If the vacuum release door is positioned within the vent cover door, then the seal breaking point is concentrated, but the door structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The door is segmented into a main door body and a vacuum release door positioned within it. This segmentation concentrates the seal-breaking function at a specific location (the vacuum release door) while keeping the overall structure relatively simple. The vacuum release door can be a straightforward component that slides or rotates within the main door, breaking the seal at a controlled point without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire door structure.
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
Enables efficient and automated withdrawal of the vent cover door from the vent opening, enhancing disinfection speed and bypassing air flow between entry and exit vents, thus improving the disinfection process without disrupting normal air circulation patterns.
Implementation Method 1
the vacuum in the vent retains the vent cover door against the vent opening
Implementation Method 2
The drive system moves the inner cover tube along a vertical axis
Implementation Method 3
Air blown into the room will bypass circulating through the room by going through the flexible tube from the entry vent to the exit vent
Data Source
AI summary
A vent cover system preferably includes a portable automated vent cover and a vacuum release door. The portable automated vent cover includes a drive system, a telescoping tube, a vent cover door and a collapsible mobile tripod. A vacuum break opening is formed through a middle of the vent cover door. The vacuum release door preferably includes a vacuum door plate, a plurality of retention pins, a sealing gasket and a tube flange. A plurality of pin holes are formed around a perimeter of the vacuum door plate to receive the plurality of retention pins. The plurality of retention pin are inserted through the plurality of pin holes and attached to the vent cover door. The tube flange includes an opening, which is sized to snugly receive an inner cover tube of the telescoping tube and is attached to a bottom of the vacuum door plate.