Microbubble Shower Head With Pressure-Drop Mixing Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shower heads for generating microbubbles are complex in structure, requiring a flow swirling path and liquid swirling blade, which complicates the manufacturing process and increases costs.

Innovation Solution

A shower head design featuring a gas-liquid mixing portion at the upstream side of the introducing path, a spray plate with multiple apertures, and a discharge path that includes a compression and decompression section to absorb gas and reduce pressure, minimizing bubble merger and promoting microbubble generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a flow swirling path and liquid swirling blade are provided to generate microbubbles, then microbubble generation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemicrobubble generationVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the essential function of microbubble generation from the complex swirling flow system. By removing the flow swirling path and liquid swirling blade, it retains only the critical pressure reduction mechanism through the enlarged path and discharge path configuration, achieving microbubble generation without the unnecessary complex components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses hydraulic principles to generate microbubbles. The enlarged path and discharge path are designed to create pressure reduction zones where water pressure naturally drops, causing dissolved gases to form microbubbles. This hydraulic approach replaces the mechanical swirling blade system with a simpler pressure-based bubble generation mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

2Productivity

If a flow swirling path and liquid swirling blade are provided to generate microbubbles, then microbubble generation is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemicrobubble generationVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the essential function of microbubble generation from the complex swirling flow system. By removing the flow swirling path and liquid swirling blade, it retains only the critical pressure reduction mechanism through the enlarged path and discharge path configuration, achieving microbubble generation without the unnecessary complex components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces expensive, complex mechanical components (swirling blade, flow swirling path) with simpler, cheaper structural features (enlarged path geometry, discharge path configuration). This simplification reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining the microbubble generation function through pressure reduction alone.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

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 achieves a simple structure for microbubble generation, suppressing bubble merger and enhancing the washing function by producing a high volume of microbubbles with large specific surface areas, while reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.

Implementation Method 1

a gas absorbed by pressure reduction during introducing the warm or cold water in the warm or cold water

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure reduction: Pressure Drop

Implementation Method 2

the warm or cold water introduced in the second introducing path of the gas-liquid mixing portion is once pressurized when passing the compression portion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure increase: Pressure Increase

Implementation Method 3

the pressure of the warm or cold water is subsequently reduced when passing the decompression portion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure reduction: Pressure Drop

Implementation Method 4

each of cross-sections in a length direction of the enlarged path of the introducing path has a cross-sectional area so that a volume of the warm or cold water passing per unit time is similar to one another

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFlow velocity uniformity:

Data Source

PatentEP2907431B1Shower head
Publication Date: 2018.06.27 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP2907431B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)~1(b)
  • EP2907431B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2907431B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a shower head including a head main body provided with a gas-liquid mixing portion, a spray plate having a plurality of spray apertures, and a discharge path formed between the head main body and the spray plate, an introducing path has an enlarged path at a side of an exit of the introducing path and a discharge path is disposed perpendicular to a side of an exit of the introducing path and an entrance of the discharge path has a cross-sectional area at which a volume of the warm or cold water flowing into the discharge path per unit time is equal to or less than a volume of the warm or cold water passing a portion except the enlarged path of the introducing path per unit time.