Biometric Water Tap Assembly for Authorized Hot Water Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water tap and valve assemblies pose safety risks as children or elderly individuals can accidentally or intentionally activate safety buttons, leading to burns from hot water, and mechanical failures can occur, compromising safety.
Innovation Solution
Integration of biometric recognition means, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, into the water tap or valve assembly, requiring a positive match of pre-stored biometric features to operate the tap or valve, ensuring only authorized users can access hot or boiling water functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety button is provided on the tap to prevent accidental hot water dispensing, then safety against unauthorized hot water access is improved, but the safety button can still be actuated by children or elderly persons accidentally or deliberately, and mechanical component failure can occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical safety button system with a biometric recognition system. Instead of using a mechanical button that can be accidentally pressed or fail, the system uses biometric sensors (fingerprint, facial recognition, or voice recognition) to verify user identity electronically. This substitution eliminates the mechanical failure mode and the risk of accidental activation by children or elderly persons, as biometric features cannot be accidentally reproduced.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy or template of authorized users' biometric features and stores it in memory. During operation, the system compares the presented biometric data against these stored templates to verify authorization. This copying approach allows for reliable identification without requiring physical interaction with mechanical components that could fail or be misused.
2Reliability
If biometric recognition means are integrated into the water tap assembly, then unauthorized access to hot water is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single biometric recognition system. The same biometric sensor and processing unit can recognize different types of biometric features (fingerprint, facial features, voice patterns) and can be applied to various tap configurations (singles lever, dual lever, shower mixer). This multi-functionality approach reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the biometric recognition means, memory for storing biometric data, micro-processing means for verification, and temperature control functions into a single integrated water tap assembly. By merging these components rather than having them as separate systems, the patent reduces the overall complexity and creates a unified control mechanism that simplifies installation and operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Water tap (2) or water valve assembly is provided which has biometric recognition means (20) provided on or associated with the same. The biometric recognition means (20) are arranged such that operation of the water tap (2) or water valve assembly and/or operation of one or more functions of the water tap (2) or water valve assembly takes place only upon recognition or a positive match of one or more biometric features of a user.