Sanitary Faucet Knob Self-Cleaning via Gravity Water Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional faucets contaminate hands again when turning off the water, as the lever must be operated by hand, potentially reintroducing bacteria from the lever to the cleaned hand, especially in hygienically critical areas like hospitals and food processing plants.
Innovation Solution
A sanitary faucet design where the sanitary knob, which controls the water supply, is designed to receive water on its upper surface during operation and incline to guide water back to the user when turned off, effectively washing the touch area and preventing bacterial contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional lever-type faucet is used, then water supply control is achieved, but the hand becomes contaminated again when turning off the water
Solution Approach 1:
The faucet system performs self-cleaning by using the discharged water itself to wash the knob. The water that would otherwise be wasted is redirected to flow over the knob surface, automatically cleaning it during the water shutdown process without requiring additional water or manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful discharged water into a beneficial cleaning medium. Instead of treating the discharged water as waste, the system redirects it to serve as the cleaning agent that washes the knob, transforming a potential contamination source into a hygiene solution.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If foot control or electronic sensor control is used, then hand contamination is prevented, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the water flow itself as the cleaning mechanism, eliminating the need for external control systems. The discharged water automatically performs the cleaning function through gravity-driven flow, requiring no additional motors, sensors, or control electronics.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and utilizes the kinetic energy and flow of the discharged water for the cleaning function. By taking the water that would otherwise be wasted and redirecting it through the knob, the system eliminates the need for complex electronic or mechanical control mechanisms.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If foot control or electronic sensor control is used, then hand contamination is prevented, but facility costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The faucet system is self-sufficient, using its own discharged water as the cleaning agent. This eliminates the need for expensive electronic sensors, motors, or control systems, keeping the facility cost low while effectively preventing hand contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the previously wasted discharged water into a valuable cleaning resource. This approach requires no additional materials, chemicals, or expensive components, making it an cost-effective solution that prevents contamination without increasing facility costs.
4Device complexity
If conventional faucet design is used, then simple structure is maintained, but hygiene standards in critical environments are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The modified faucet structure enables self-cleaning functionality where the discharged water flows over the knob to clean it. This adds minimal structural complexity while significantly improving hygiene performance for critical environments like hospitals and food processing facilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention repurposes the discharged water flow to serve as a cleaning mechanism. By redirecting the water flow path, the system maintains relatively simple overall structure while transforming a potential hygiene hazard into a cleaning advantage, suitable for high-standard environments.
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 sanitary faucet effectively prevents bacterial infection or propagation by ensuring the user's touch area is washed with received water when turning off the faucet, enhancing hygiene in critical environments.
Implementation Method 1
when the water supply valve is shut off, forms a tilted state so as to guide the held water to the front of the faucet housing, thereby washing the portion which was touched by the user
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a sanitary faucet which, in the process of turning off water, enables washing a knob which is touched in order to turn the water on/off, and thus enables promoting the hygienic use thereof. The sanitary faucet comprises: a faucet housing which forms a water supply channel by being connected to water supply lines, and is provided with an outlet for discharging water; a water supply valve which is installed on the faucet housing and is operated by being pressed by a user so as to supply or shut off water in the supply channel; and a sanitary knob which is disposed between the outlet and the water supply valve in a state of being installed on the faucet housing such that the tilt thereof may be adjusted so as to press the water supply valve by being touched by the user, and is formed so as to extend to the front of the faucet housing so as to guide water discharged from the outlet to the front of the faucet housing when the water is supplied by the water supply valve, and holds a portion of the water while forming a levelled state when the water is supplied by the water supply valve, and when the water supply valve is shut off, forms a tilted state so as to guide the held water to the front of the faucet housing, thereby washing the portion which was touched by the user.