Washing Machine Conveyor Beam Ultrasonic Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing washing machines require significant downtime and manual maintenance to clean and restore conveying beams, which are prone to limescale and encrusted dirt deposits, leading to operational inefficiencies and risks of assembly errors.
Innovation Solution
A washing machine design that integrates an ultrasonic cleaning system within the return zone of the conveyor system, utilizing a heat transfer medium and ultrasonic waves to clean and maintain the conveying beams during operation, eliminating the need for manual disassembly and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual disassembly and assembly of beams is performed for cleaning and maintenance, then the beams can be restored to initial operating conditions, but significant operation time is taken and assembly errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic cleaning of the beams through an integrated cleaning装置 that operates within the washing machine, eliminating the need for manual disassembly and assembly. The cleaning system uses cleaning agents and mechanical means to remove deposits from the beams while they remain in place, allowing the system to maintain itself without external intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical process of disassembling and reassembling beams is replaced by an automated cleaning system that uses cleaning agents, spray mechanisms, and possibly ultrasonic or thermal treatments to remove deposits. This substitution eliminates the mechanical manipulation required for maintenance while reducing downtime.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If beams are manually disassembled for cleaning, then limescale and encrusted dirt deposits can be removed, but the washing machine must stop operation
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is designed to operate continuously or periodically without interrupting the washing machine's operational cycle. The beams are cleaned in place while containers continue to be processed, or the cleaning occurs during dedicated cycles that do not stop the overall system operation, maintaining continuous productive action.
Solution Approach 2:
The washing machine cleans its own conveying beams using an integrated cleaning system that includes spray nozzles, cleaning agents, and possibly thermal or ultrasonic elements. This self-maintaining capability allows the system to remove harmful deposits without requiring external manual intervention or operational shutdown.
3Ease of repair
If beams are manually assembled, then maintenance can be performed, but assembly errors may lead to inconvenient downtimes
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically maintains its beams through an integrated cleaning装置 that eliminates manual assembly operations. The cleaning system operates independently of manual intervention, ensuring consistent and error-free maintenance while maintaining operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual assembly and disassembly operations are replaced by an automated cleaning system that uses mechanical spray mechanisms, thermal treatments, or ultrasonic vibrations to clean the beams. This substitution eliminates human error in assembly while maintaining effective maintenance capability.
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 solution allows for continuous operation without stopping the washing machine, effectively removing limescale and encrusted dirt deposits from the beams, reducing maintenance risks and operational downtime, while ensuring efficient cleaning through controlled ultrasonic energy application.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic wave generator UG, which is coupled to the basin 104 and is configured to generate ultrasonic waves which propagate through the heat transfer medium within the same basin 104
Implementation Method 2
a heating apparatus 36 for heating the beams by allowing thermal contact between the same beams 16 and the circulated heat transfer medium
Implementation Method 3
a circulation system 35 for circulating heat transfer medium between the first heat exchange zone H1 and the return zone R1
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A washing machine (1) for washing empty containers (2) includes a plurality of beams (16) cyclically movable along a closed-loop path (P) for carrying and advancing a plurality of containers (2) along the path (P), an inlet and an outlet station (I, O) arranged along the path (P) to respectively allow the beams (16) to withdraw and discharge the containers (2), a return zone (R1) arranged along the path (P) downstream of the outlet station (O), and cleaning means arranged within the return zone (R1) to clean the beams (16), while the latter are advanced through the basin (104).