Window washing systems and methods
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window washing systems are labor-intensive, dangerous, and inefficient, often resulting in uneven cleaning due to bulky equipment and fixed spray nozzles that miss spots, especially when cleaning elevated windows.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile window washing assembly with roller bars, pulleys, and a wiper arm equipped with spray nozzles and a motor that translates along the window frame, using magnetic stops for precise control and even cleaning, and a central cleaning fluid reservoir for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual window washing is performed, then cleaning can be done, but it is labor-intensive and dangerous when working at elevated heights
Solution Approach 1:
The window washing system is nested within the window frame structure itself. The roller bars are mounted inside the frame, the wiper arm travels along the frame, and all cleaning components are contained within the frame's boundaries. This nesting approach automates the cleaning function while keeping the device compact and integrated into the existing architecture, avoiding the need for external bulky equipment or suspended platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the window to clean itself through automated mechanisms. The motor-driven wiper arm automatically traverses the window pane, applying cleaning solution and wiping the surface without human intervention. The magnetic stops and sensors enable the system to self-regulate its movement and operation, making the window cleaning process autonomous and eliminating the need for manual labor at elevated heights.
2Manufacturing precision
If cleaning solution is sprayed from a fixed position at the top of the window, then the window can be cleaned, but the cleaning solution is not evenly applied resulting in missed spots
Solution Approach 1:
The spray system transitions from a fixed position to a dynamic, moving configuration. The spray nozzle is attached to the wiper arm, which travels along the entire length of the window pane. As the wiper arm moves, the nozzle dynamically adjusts its position, ensuring cleaning solution is applied uniformly across the entire window surface from top to bottom, eliminating missed spots and uneven coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray nozzle delivers cleaning solution with localized precision at each position along the window. Rather than spraying from a single fixed point, the moving nozzle applies solution locally at each segment of the window's surface as it passes, ensuring even distribution and complete coverage across the entire pane through spatially varied application.
3Volume of moving object
If a low-profile window washing assembly is used, then the system is more compact and hidden, but precise control of the wiper arm translation is more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates magnetic stops that provide feedback-based position control for the wiper arm. As the low-profile wiper arm translates along the window frame, the magnetic stops detect its position and provide feedback signals to control the motor, ensuring precise stopping and reversing at the correct locations. This feedback mechanism enables accurate position control within the compact assembly, overcoming the challenges of the reduced profile size.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional mechanical position control mechanisms with magnetic field-based control. Instead of using complex mechanical stops, switches, or sensors, the invention uses magnets embedded in the window frame to detect and control the wiper arm's position. This substitution enables precise control within a compact design, eliminating the need for bulky mechanical positioning components.
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 provides a safe, efficient, and even cleaning process for windows, reducing labor and the risk of accidents while ensuring thorough coverage and automated operation, including remote control and scheduling via a mobile application.
Implementation Method 1
a motor rotatably coupled to the first roller bar or the second roller bar such that, upon activation, the motor rotates the first roller bar and the second roller bar thereby causing the wiper arm to translate
Implementation Method 2
at least one magnet affixed to the wiper arm... A distance between the first magnetic stop and the second magnetic stop defines a translation distance of the wiper arm and, when the one or more magnet of the wiper arm contacts the first magnetic stop or the second magnetic stop, the motor is configured to stop
Implementation Method 3
The wiper arm includes at least one spray nozzle disposed along the length... A cleaning fluid reservoir fluidly coupled to the one or more spray nozzles of the wiper arm
Data Source
AI summary
A window washing assembly includes a first roller bar and a second roller bar affixed within a window frame. The assembly includes a first pulley coupled to the first roller bar and the second roller bar. The assembly includes a second pulley parallel to the first pulley and coupled to the first roller bar and the second roller bar. The assembly includes a wiper arm coupled to the first pulley and the second pulley, wherein the wiper arm includes at least one spray nozzle, a wiper blade, and at least one magnet. The assembly includes a motor coupled to the first or second roller bar. The assembly includes a first magnetic stop and a second magnetic stop. The assembly includes a cleaning fluid reservoir fluidly coupled to the one or more spray nozzles of the wiper arm.