Electronic Faucet Mixing Valve for Precise Hands-Free Water Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional faucets lack advanced control mechanisms for efficiently managing hot and cold water delivery, often requiring manual adjustment of handles for temperature and flow rate, and do not offer hands-free or smart operation.
Innovation Solution
A water delivery system with a mixing valve and electronic user interface that includes a controller, allowing for wireless input from a remote user interface to adjust the flow of hot and cold water, featuring a spout with separate conduits for spray and stream outlets, and a diverter valve for customizable temperature and flow settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional manual handle control is used for mixing hot and cold water, then the faucet structure remains simple, but the user cannot achieve precise control over water temperature and flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handle control with an electronic control system that uses sensors to detect user gestures (hand presence, palm orientation) and automatically adjusts water temperature and flow rate through electronic valve control, eliminating the need for manual mechanical adjustment while achieving precise control
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic temperature and flow rate adjustment based on sensor detection of user presence and gestures, eliminating the need for manual operation and providing hands-free control that adapts to user needs automatically
2Loss of substance
If manual handle adjustment is used for flow rate control, then the device structure remains simple, but water waste occurs due to inability to precisely regulate flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual flow rate adjustment with electronic valve control that responds to sensor-detected gestures, enabling precise flow regulation that reduces water waste while maintaining ease of operation through automatic control
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic sensor detection to monitor user presence and gestures, continuously adjusting flow rate in response to detected actions, enabling precise control that prevents water waste while maintaining operational convenience
3Ease of operation
If no hands-free operation is provided, then the faucet system remains simple, but user convenience is reduced for hands hygiene scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects user presence and gestures through sensors and automatically activates or deactivates water flow without requiring physical contact with handles, providing hands-free operation that maintains hygiene while adding automatic control functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical handle operation with sensor-based detection of hand presence and gestures, converting physical interaction into electronic control signals that activate the mixing valve and provide hands-free operation
4Measurement precision
If separate control mechanisms are added for temperature and flow rate, then precise control is achieved, but the number of components and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines temperature control and flow rate control into a single integrated electronic mixing valve system that responds to gesture detection, merging multiple control functions into one unified device that reduces component count while maintaining precise control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic mixing valve performs multiple functions including temperature regulation, flow rate control, and hands-free activation response to different gestures, consolidating what would traditionally require separate mechanisms into a single multi-functional component
Data Source
AI summary
A water delivery system is disclosed. The water delivery system may have an electronic user interface. The electronic user interface may be a portable device. The electronic user interface may include inputs to select water temperature, water flow rates, water flow patterns, and/or task based presets. A mixing valve for use with either manual faucets or electronic faucets is disclosed.