Fogless Shower Mirror With Wedge Reservoir and Auto Refill
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mirrors used in shower environments fog quickly due to condensation, limiting their usability during personal grooming tasks like shaving, and existing fogless mirror designs face issues with weight distribution, filling speed, and automatic refilling.
Innovation Solution
A fogless shower mirror with a thermally conductive mirror assembly and a reservoir that can be manually or automatically filled with warm water, featuring a unique wedge-shaped design for rapid filling and a long thermal time constant, combined with an automatic-fill adapter for continuous water supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a uniform cross-section water reservoir is used in a fogless mirror, then the mirror can effectively prevent fogging, but the weight of water increases in direct proportion to the size of the mirror, potentially causing support mounting elements to fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the water reservoir from a uniform cross-section design to a wedge-shaped design with varying thickness. The reservoir has a front wall that is thinner than the rear wall, creating an asymmetric structure that reduces overall weight while maintaining the thermal mass needed for fog prevention. This asymmetric geometry allows the mirror to prevent fogging effectively without the water weight increasing in direct proportion to mirror size.
2Strength
If a small cross-section fill port is used in the mirror reservoir, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the filling or manual emptying of the reservoir becomes relatively slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the fill port adaptable in size rather than fixed. The fill port can be opened to a large size during filling operations to enable rapid water intake, then closed to a small size during normal operation to maintain structural integrity. This dynamic adjustment of the fill port size allows the system to optimize for both filling speed and structural strength depending on the operational phase.
3Ease of operation
If the mirror assembly is made removable from the support stand for filling, then manual filling is possible, but the device complexity increases compared to permanent mounting designs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the mirror system into separable components: a removable mirror assembly and a stationary support stand. The mirror assembly can be detached from the support stand, filled with water manually or automatically, and then reattached. This segmentation enables easy manual filling while keeping the mounting mechanism relatively simple through standardized connection interfaces.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If automatic refilling capability is added to the mirror, then continuous fog prevention is improved, but the device complexity and need for additional components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the mirror system to automatically refill its own water reservoir without requiring external intervention. The automatic refilling capability allows the mirror to maintain its anti-fog function continuously by self-replenishing its water supply from the shower head or other water source, eliminating the need for manual emptying and refilling operations.
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 mirror remains fog-free for an extended period, allowing uninterrupted use during personal care tasks, with improved weight distribution and faster filling capabilities compared to prior designs.
Implementation Method 1
the warm water warming a mirror plate mounted to the mirror assembly to thus resist formation of image-fogging condensation droplets on the reflective surface of the mirror plate
Data Source
AI summary
An automatically filling fogless shower mirror includes a mirror assembly having a mirror which thermally conductively contacts a water reservoir within the mirror assembly that communicates at the upper end thereof with a water-fill aperture. A tubular automatic water-filling adapter installable between a water supply pipe and a shower head has protruding from the adapter a flexible water supply tube which diverts a small portion of water flowing through the adapter into an inlet opening of the tube, which is discharged from an outlet opening in a distal end of the tube which is removably inserted into the water-fill aperture. Heating of the mirror by warm water in the reservoir prevents fogging caused by condensation of water vapor. Water cooled by warming the mirror trickles from a small drain hole in the reservoir and is continuously replenished by warm water supplied by the automatic water-filling adapter.