Faucet Valve Locking Mechanism Prevents Water Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional faucet devices fail to effectively prevent water from spouting out during maintenance and repair, as the switch unit is not reliably locked in the stop position, leading to accidental alignment with the water supply hole.
Innovation Solution
A faucet device with a fixing unit, valve unit, positioning unit, and locking unit, where the locking unit includes a pivotable locking component and a resilient component to ensure the switch seat is locked and misaligned with the water supply hole during valve replacement, preventing water leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the switch unit is not locked at the stop position during valve replacement, then the operation is simple and flexible, but water may accidentally spout out from the guide channel when misaligned with the water supply hole
Solution Approach 1:
The locking component is designed to automatically lock the switch unit at the stop position before any water flow operation occurs. The resilient component pre-loads the locking component against the switch unit, ensuring the guide channel is pre-positioned in a misaligned state with the water supply hole, preventing water leakage before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking component acts as an intermediary mechanism between the switch unit and the water supply system. It mediates the position control of the switch unit, ensuring that the guide channel remains misaligned with the water supply hole during maintenance operations, while allowing intentional alignment when needed.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to prevent accidental rotation of the switch unit, then water leakage is prevented, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed as a self-servicing system where the resilient component automatically engages the locking component with the switch unit without requiring external intervention. The spring-loaded design ensures automatic locking and unlocking based on the position of the valve unit, eliminating the need for additional control systems or complex actuation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking function is extracted as a separate, independent component (locking component) that can be easily added to the existing switch unit structure. This modular approach allows the locking mechanism to be implemented with minimal impact on the overall device complexity, as the locking component operates independently from the main valve control system.
3Reliability
If the guide channel is misaligned with the water supply hole during maintenance, then water leakage is prevented, but the operational functionality is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The resilient component allows the locking component to engage and disengage based on the operational state of the valve unit. During maintenance, the locking component keeps the guide channel misaligned to prevent leakage. During normal operation, the valve unit can be rotated to align the guide channel with the water supply hole, and the locking mechanism allows this intentional repositioning.
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 solution effectively prevents water from spouting out during maintenance and repair by ensuring the guide channel is reliably misaligned with the water supply hole, enhancing the safety and efficiency of maintenance processes.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient component is disposed for biasing the locking component to pivot to the locking state
Implementation Method 2
The locking component is pivotable between a locking state, where the locking end portion engages the locking groove in the switch seat for locking the switch seat to the fixing seat
Implementation Method 3
The driven end portion of the locking component is pushed by the internal surrounding surface of the valve body of the valve unit to move the locking component from the locking state to the releasing state
Data Source
AI summary
A faucet device includes a fixing unit having a water supply hole and a locking groove, a valve unit coupled separably to the fixing unit, a positioning unit, and a locking unit. The valve unit is movable between a first position to be connected to the fixing unit, and a second position to be separated from the fixing unit. The valve unit is rotatable relative to the fixing unit so as to be secured to the fixing unit by the positioning unit and to unblock the water supply hole, and is further rotatable reversely so as to be separable from the fixing unit and to block the water supply hole. The locking unit includes a locking component that is biased resiliently to engage the locking groove, and that is moved by the valve unit to be disengaged from the locking groove during movement of the valve unit from the second position to the first position.