Manual-Automatic Flush Driving Device with Variable Water Volume Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flush driving devices in toilets are either entirely manual, leading to inconvenience and bacterial spread, or automatic, which relies on electricity and may fail if sensors or power supply is unreliable, and they use a fixed water capacity for both urine and defecation, wasting water.
Innovation Solution
A manual-automatic integration flush driving device that combines manual and automatic mechanisms, using a control panel with manual buttons and a sensing window, featuring rotating and lifting mechanisms driven by a motor, allowing for adjustable water usage based on user input or detection, ensuring reliability and water efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an automatic flush mechanism with sensor and driving motor is used, then convenience and hygiene are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to dependence on electricity and sensor functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic operating mechanism is segmented into independent functional modules: sensor module, control unit, and driving motor module. This segmentation allows the system to maintain partial functionality even if one module fails, improving overall reliability while preserving automatic operation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a manual operating mechanism that changes the operational parameter from fully automatic to manual control. This parameter change provides an alternative operation mode when automatic systems fail, resolving the reliability contradiction by offering operational flexibility.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed capacity of water is used for flushing, then the flushing system is simple to operate, but water efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary water consumption for urine flushing
Solution Approach 1:
The flushing system transitions from a static fixed-capacity design to a dynamic variable-capacity design. The control unit dynamically adjusts water capacity based on sensor detection results (urine vs. defecation), optimizing water efficiency while maintaining ease of operation through automatic detection.
Solution Approach 2:
Different water capacities are allocated for different flushing needs: a smaller capacity for urine flushing and a larger capacity for defecation flushing. This local quality differentiation optimizes water usage for each specific situation without complicating the user interface.
3Reliability
If a manual flush driving device is used, then reliability is maintained without electricity dependence, but ease of operation deteriorates due to manual control requirements and potential bacterial spread
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the automatic operating mechanism (sensor + motor) and manual operating mechanism (buttons + levers) into a single integrated flushing device. This merging allows the system to provide both automatic convenience and manual reliability, resolving the contradiction by offering both operation modes within one unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The flushing device achieves multi-functionality by incorporating both automatic detection and manual control capabilities. The control unit can operate in automatic mode when sensors detect the user, or switch to manual mode when buttons are pressed, making the device universally applicable to different user needs and situations.
Data Source
AI summary
A flush driving device for a toilet includes a mounting bracket, a control panel that includes a sensing window and manual buttons, and a manual operating mechanism that includes bars cooperating with the manual buttons and rotating mechanisms connected with the bars. Rotating shafts of the rotating mechanisms are mounted in the mounting bracket. An automatic operating mechanism includes a driving motor, a rod controlled by the driving motor, and lifting mechanisms cooperating with the rod. The flush driving device also includes pull arms connected to both the rotating mechanisms and the lifting mechanisms for controlling the flush of the toilet.