Integrated Flow Path Assembly for Water Purifier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water purifiers face challenges with complex pipe layouts leading to assembly difficulties, increased production costs, and reduced maintainability due to complex flow paths, which result in leakage and damage under pressure.
Innovation Solution
A flow path assembly for a water purifier that integrates multiple flow paths using a main body with protruding flow path parts and filter mounting parts, allowing for easy assembly and replacement of components without fusion work, thereby minimizing pipe usage and enhancing internal space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual pipes are complicatedly connected to each other to form flow paths, then the water purifier can supply purified water through sequential filtration, but the pipe layout becomes complex in narrow space, making assembly difficult and lowering assembly quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple individual pipes into a single integrated flow path component. This component includes multiple flow path holes that form complete water flow paths from raw water inlet to purified water outlet, eliminating the need for separate pipe connections and reducing assembly complexity while maintaining the sequential filtration function.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated flow path component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural support, provides multiple flow paths for different stages of filtration, and replaces multiple separate pipe components. This multi-functionality reduces the number of parts and simplifies the overall assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If individual pipes are complicatedly connected to each other, then various components can be connected, but the pipes require curved or bent shapes rather than straight lines, resulting in lower pressure resistance performance and causing water leakage or pipe damage
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple curved pipe segments into a single integrated component with optimally positioned flow path holes, the design eliminates weak points at connection joints. The integrated structure maintains straighter, more robust flow paths that better withstand water pressure while still enabling connections to various filtration components.
3Reliability
If individual pipes are complicatedly connected to each other, then the flow path can be established, but replacing filters and pipes requires excessive time and is difficult to assemble and disassemble, lowering overall maintainability
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated flow path component is designed as a separable module that can be easily detached from the housing and filtration elements. This segmentation allows users to quickly remove and replace filters without dealing with complex pipe disconnections, significantly improving maintainability while maintaining complete flow paths during operation.
4Device complexity
If integrated flow path is manufactured using a single mold, then the flow paths can be integrated, but it is impossible to manufacture due to flow path complexity, increasing production cost
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated flow path component is designed with a structure that can be manufactured using standard two-mold injection molding processes. The component includes a body portion and a separately formed cover that integrates the flow path holes, allowing for efficient manufacturing without requiring complex single-mold tools, thereby controlling production costs.
5Device complexity
If pipes are separately provided and then fused together, then the flow path can be formed, but the assembly has insufficient bonding strength, causing leakage or damage when internal pressure is increased due to imbalance in bonding strength
Solution Approach 1:
The flow paths are formed as integral portions of the molded body rather than by fusing separate pipe components. This merging eliminates weak bonding interfaces and creates a unified structure with consistent strength throughout, preventing leakage under pressure while maintaining the necessary flow path configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
The flow path assembly for a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may easily mount various parts and filters therein while integrating flow paths which are movement paths of introduced raw water with each other, and may minimize usage of pipes by applying a plurality of flow path parts integrated with each other without a fusion work, and simultaneously have improved workability while shortening the assembly and replacement time of a filter and each part by securing an internal space.