Accessible Emergency Eyewash Basin With Regulated Tempered Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emergency eyewash and bodywash systems are complex, difficult to maintain, and often inaccessible for individuals with disabilities, leading to potential delays in repair and inadequate protection during transport, with issues such as insufficient water flow and difficulty in aligning with nozzles due to lack of tactile features and complex installation requirements.
Innovation Solution
The development of a modular, transportable, and wheelchair-accessible emergency eyewash system with tactile features, quick-connect fittings, and a thermostatically controlled valve to facilitate easy maintenance and operation, including a diamond-shaped basin and centrally located shut-off lever for user orientation and a flow regulator to ensure consistent water flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex flow systems are used in existing emergency eyewash basins, then the equipment can provide washing function, but the system becomes difficult to maintain and requires professional installation and adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The eyewash system is divided into modular components including a removable nozzle assembly, flow regulator, and quick-connect fittings that allow easy separation and replacement of parts without requiring professional maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates user-serviceable features such as quick-connect fittings for easy nozzle replacement, visible flow indicators for self-checking, and simple adjustment mechanisms that eliminate the need for professional maintenance
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional round basins are used, then the equipment is simple to manufacture, but users with temporary blindness cannot easily align themselves with the nozzles
Solution Approach 1:
The basin is designed with asymmetric geometric features including corner indicators and tactile markers that provide directional cues to help users with temporary blindness quickly locate and align with the nozzle spray pattern
Solution Approach 2:
Specific localized tactile features are added to the basin at key locations (corners, edges) to provide orientation cues without changing the overall simple basin design, enabling users to feel and locate the correct positioning area
3Adaptability or versatility
If the eyewash system is made transportable, then the equipment can be relocated to different sites, but the system becomes vulnerable to damage during transport and vibration exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed as modular components that can be easily assembled and disassembled for transport, with each component protected during movement and reassembled at the destination without damage
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates protective features such as shock-absorbing mounting, vibration-resistant connections, and protected electronic apparatus to withstand transport conditions and vibration exposure in advance
4Temperature
If thermostatically-controlled valves are used, then the equipment can control water temperature, but the flow may become insufficient when the valve fails
Solution Approach 1:
A flow regulator is introduced as an intermediary component between the thermostatic valve and the nozzle to ensure adequate water flow reaches the user even when the thermostatic valve performance degrades
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a flow regulator that maintains adequate flow parameters independent of the thermostatic valve condition, ensuring sufficient water quantity is delivered to the nozzle regardless of temperature control issues
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 allows for rapid and effective emergency washing without the need for professional maintenance, provides adequate water flow, and is user-friendly for individuals with disabilities, ensuring timely and efficient decontamination in emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
a flow regulator having an inlet, an outlet, and a variable orifice inbetween, said regulator inlet receiving tempered water from said valve, said variable orifice becoming more restrictive to flow as the pressure of water at the regulator inlet increases and becoming less restrictive to flow as the pressure of water at the regulator inlet decreases
Implementation Method 2
a thermostatically controlled valve having an inlet for hot water, an inlet for cold water, and an outlet providing tempered water
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and method for providing tempered water to an emergency wash system. Various embodiments include simple, reliable, low-cost flow regulators to reliably provide adequate emergency wash flows. Yet other embodiments include one or more features that consider the special needs of a person temporarily blinded, and include those persons having disabilities.