Floor Drain Overflow Pot for Odour Seal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor drains with horizontal outlets face challenges in maintaining a liquid reservoir and preventing gas exchange between the room and the sewer system, especially when the seal between the drain and outlet spout is damaged or defective, failing to meet hygiene standards.
Innovation Solution
A floor drain design featuring an inlet pot, horizontal outlet, and a trap with an inlet nozzle, overflow pot, and intermediate piece, where the overflow pot forms a liquid seal independent of the seal between the drain and outlet, ensuring the liquid reservoir remains intact even if the primary seal is compromised.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a trap with seal is used to prevent gas exchange, then odor prevention is improved, but the liquid reservoir may become defective if the seal is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The trap is divided into separate components: the inlet spout, the intermediate piece, and the outlet spout. The sealing function is segmented from the liquid reservoir containment function. The seal at the outlet spout is separated from the liquid reservoir formation, allowing the reservoir to remain intact even if the seal fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid reservoir formation is extracted from dependence on the outlet spout seal. The inlet spout penetrates the liquid reservoir to create the seal effect independently of the outlet spout sealing, removing the critical dependency between seal integrity and reservoir integrity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the inlet spout is sealed against the drain to form liquid reservoir, then odor prevention is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to seal defects
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate piece acts as an intermediary component that connects the inlet spout and outlet spout while maintaining the liquid reservoir. It provides a structural basis for the liquid reservoir that is independent of the outlet spout seal, mediating between the sealing function and the reservoir containment function.
3Ease of operation
If a traditional trap design is used, then installation is simplified, but hygiene standards cannot be guaranteed due to potential seal failure
Solution Approach 1:
The trap components are designed as separable parts (inlet spout, intermediate piece, outlet spout) that can be assembled relatively simply while achieving the hygiene goal. The segmentation allows for easier manufacturing and assembly compared to complex integrated designs, while the functional separation ensures hygiene compliance.
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 design maintains a reliable liquid seal that prevents gas exchange, ensuring compliance with hygiene standards by isolating the room from sewer gases, even when the primary seal is damaged, and simplifies installation and maintenance through a two-part overflow pot and trap configuration.
Implementation Method 1
The inlet pipe protrudes into the overflow pot so that its inlet opening is located within the overflow pot. Once the liquid level in the overflow pot reaches a sufficiently high level, the inlet opening of the inlet pipe is below the liquid's surface. This liquid, which is contained in the overflow pot and the inlet pipe, prevents gas exchange between the room and the sewer system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~4b
AI summary
The floor drain (17) comprises an inlet pot (18), a horizontal outlet (19), and a trap (1) comprising an inlet nozzle (3) with an inlet opening (6), an outlet nozzle (4) connected to the horizontal outlet (19) and sealed against the outlet (19) by a gasket (21), and an intermediate piece (5) connecting the inlet nozzle (3) and outlet nozzle (4). To prevent the trap from running dry, for example, due to a leak in the gasket (21), the floor drain (17) according to the invention has an overflow pot (2) into which the inlet nozzle (3) of the trap (1) projects, thus forming a barrier against liquid.