Interactive Mirror Display for Intuitive Touchless Fluid Dispensing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Touchless hand cleaning devices can be difficult for users unfamiliar with their operation, leading to contamination and increased risk of infectious disease spread, especially for those accustomed to manual controls.

Innovation Solution

An enhanced bathroom mirror with an electronic display providing visual cues, such as icons and animated graphics, to assist in touchless operation, combined with a light guide to direct users to the dispenser outlet, and a computer system to track hand movement and provide intuitive feedback.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If touchless operation is implemented using proximity sensors, then contamination risk is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates for users unfamiliar with the technology

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontamination riskVSAvoidease of operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides real-time visual feedback through an electronic display that shows icons representing different fluids and animated graphics demonstrating hand gestures. This feedback loop helps users understand how to operate the touchless device correctly without contaminating it, resolving the contradiction between maintaining contamination-free operation and ensuring user-friendly operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

An electronic display acts as an intermediary between the user and the touchless operation system. It provides visual cues and instructions that bridge the gap between the user's unfamiliarity with touchless operation and the device's contamination prevention requirements, enabling users to operate the device properly without direct contact.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If visual cues are added to assist touchless operation, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mirror is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both a traditional reflective mirror and an electronic display device. By integrating the display functionality into the existing mirror structure, the system provides visual cues for touchless operation without adding separate complex components, thus improving ease of operation while minimizing the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

Facilitates easy operation of touchless fluid dispensers by users unfamiliar with the technology, reducing contamination risks and enhancing the hand cleaning experience.

Implementation Method 1

The device incorporates a light guide that provides a path of light directing a user to place his hands below a dispenser outlet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight guidance: Waveguide (optics)

Data Source

PatentEP3203356B1Interactive display device for dispensing fluids
Publication Date: 2018.11.07 OP HYGIENE IP GMBH
  • EP3203356B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3203356B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3203356B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention provides a bathroom fixture in the form of an electronic mirror with a touchlessly operated fluid dispenser. The device provides visual cues to assist in the touchless operation thereof.