Drain Fitting with Concealed Overflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drain fittings for sanitary receptacles face challenges in maintaining high overflow capacity and preventing unintentional emptying when the water supply is shut off, as the closed water column creates negative pressure that can suck the basin or tub dry.
Innovation Solution
The drain fitting incorporates a control channel and control opening in the overflow body, allowing air to escape and then be reintroduced to interrupt the closed water column, ensuring that the water level remains at the overflow edge even after shutting off the water supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a closed water column is formed in the riser channel to prevent odor escape, then odor prevention is improved, but the basin is sucked dry when water supply is shut off
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the water column into two separate columns: a first water column in the riser channel and a second water column in the return channel, separated by an air gap. This segmentation allows each column to function independently - the first column prevents odor escape while the air gap prevents the second column from creating excessive negative pressure that would suck the basin dry
Solution Approach 2:
An air gap acts as an intermediary element between the riser channel and return channel water columns. This air gap interrupts the continuous water column, allowing pressure equalization while maintaining odor prevention functionality
2Reliability
If air inlet openings are provided in the riser channel to prevent basin emptying, then basin emptying prevention is improved, but overflow capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the air intake function into a separate return channel air gap rather than providing air inlet openings in the riser channel. This allows the riser channel to maintain its full overflow capacity while the return channel provides the necessary air intake to prevent basin emptying
Solution Approach 2:
The air intake function is extracted from the riser channel and relocated to the return channel. This extraction allows the riser channel to be optimized for overflow capacity without air inlet openings, while the return channel provides air intake to prevent basin emptying
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 effectively prevents the basin or tub from being sucked dry by aerating the deflection channel, maintaining a stable water level and ensuring reliable overflow performance.
Implementation Method 1
an overflow connected to the drain housing, which has a riser and a return line, each of which opens into the drain housing and whose ends facing away from the drain housing open into an overflow body which defines a deflection channel and is provided with a vent valve
Implementation Method 2
The overflow body has a control channel that connects the ventilation valve to the deflection channel, which is arranged above the deflection channel and whose longitudinal axis extends transversely to the end of the riser line that opens into the overflow body, with the control channel opening into the deflection channel via a control opening
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The equipment (1) has a drain valve, and a drain main portion (2) connected with a riser (8) and a return line (9). An overflow main portion has a vent valve (15) having a deflection channel connected to the control channel which is above the deflection channel and having its longitudinal axis extending transversely to the overflow main portion opening into the end of riser. The control channel opens in the deflection channel via a control opening such that the return line is formed in the non-overlapping wall portion of deflection channel.