Bathtub Sanitary Fitting with Adjustable Water Supply Passage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water filling and discharge devices for bathtubs are noisy when filled from above, complex and expensive when filled from the bottom, and difficult to maintain, with issues of bacterial growth and odor due to stagnant water, and mineral deposits causing blockages.
Innovation Solution
A device with a drain body, diffuser, and adjustable water supply and evacuation passages, featuring an orifice for communication between passages to prevent blockages, a movable member for controlling water flow, and a shut-off valve to manage water discharge, made from materials like polypropylene or stainless steel for ease of manufacturing and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If water supply passage is made long to reach distant water outlets, then adaptability to different bathtub configurations is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water supply passage is designed as an adjustable length passage, allowing it to be configured according to different bathtub dimensions and drain pipe positions. This dynamic adaptability enables a single device design to serve multiple installation scenarios without requiring custom manufacturing for each configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain body is designed with universal adaptability to accommodate various bathtub types and configurations. The adjustable water supply passage and standardized connection interfaces allow the same device to be installed in different bathtub models, eliminating the need for multiple specialized designs.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If orifice is positioned to drain stagnant water effectively, then bacterial growth prevention is improved, but risk of mineral deposit blockage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The orifice is positioned at the lowest point of the water supply passage chamber, enabling stagnant water to be drained automatically before bacterial growth can occur. This preliminary drainage action prevents water stagnation and creates a self-cleaning effect that reduces maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The orifice is strategically positioned in a specific location within the water supply passage where water flow velocity is highest during filling operations. This localized positioning ensures that mineral deposits are flushed through the orifice rather than accumulating, maintaining reliability while achieving stagnant water drainage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If bottom filling is implemented to reduce noise, then noise level is reduced, but device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filling and drainage functions are merged into a single integrated drain body assembly. The water supply passage, water drainage passage, and orifice are combined in one compact structure that fits within the bathtub drain, eliminating the need for separate complex bottom-filling mechanisms while maintaining quiet operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed to be self-maintainable by the user through easy access to the diffuser and water outlets. The simple construction with removable diffuser allows users to clean mineral deposits and prevent blockages without requiring professional maintenance, reversing the typical complexity-maintenance relationship.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple water outlets are provided for homogeneous water distribution, then filling uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water outlet is divided into multiple outlets arranged around the peripheral area of the diffuser. This segmentation of the water delivery function creates multiple spray zones that collectively provide homogeneous water distribution across the bathtub bottom, improving filling uniformity through distributed output points.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple water outlets are arranged in a circular peripheral pattern around the diffuser, transitioning from a single-point outlet to a distributed multi-point system. This spatial arrangement in two dimensions creates overlapping spray patterns that achieve uniform water distribution across the bathtub floor.
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 device provides a quiet, cost-effective, and easy-to-maintain solution for filling and discharging bathtubs, reducing bacterial growth and odor issues while adapting to varying bathtub sizes and preventing mineral deposits, ensuring efficient water flow and hydraulic performance.
Implementation Method 1
a water supply passage connecting the water inlet of the drain body to the water outlet of the diffuser
Implementation Method 2
a water drainage passage which is suitable for draining water from the sanitary appliance and which connects the central area of the diffuser to the lower opening of the drain body
Implementation Method 3
the orifice is located in the path of the water flow from the inlet when the water flow velocity is still high enough to flush out mineral deposits and/or prevent their formation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a water filling and drainage device for a sanitary appliance, said device comprising a drain body (4) having two opposing upper (4a) and lower (4b) openings and comprising at least one water inlet (16), a diffuser (7) mounted on the drain body (4) by insertion into the upper opening (4a) of the drain body (4) and having an open central zone (33) and a peripheral zone (30) provided with at least one water outlet (32) for filling the sanitary appliance, a water supply passage (38) connecting the water inlet (16) of the drain body (4) to the water outlet (32) of the diffuser (7), a water drainage passage (40) adapted to drain water from the sanitary appliance and connecting the central zone (33) of the diffuser (7) to the lower opening (4b) of the drain body, a orifice (46) connecting the two passages (38, 40).