Rotating Inlet Funnel for Floor Drain Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor drains lack flexibility in installation, particularly in adapting to varying floor gradients, tile patterns, and vertical walls, which limits their positioning and sealing options.
Innovation Solution
A floor drain design featuring an inlet funnel with a pipe socket that can be rotated 180° about a vertical axis eccentric to the pipe socket, allowing for horizontal position adjustment, combined with play in the pipe socket within the receiving pipe for fine adjustment, and a sealing mat for enhanced sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the pipe socket is fixed in a single position in the receiving pipe, then the installation structure is simple, but the adaptability to different floor gradients, tile patterns, and wall positions is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe socket is designed to be rotatable within the receiving pipe, transforming a fixed static connection into a dynamic adjustable one. This allows the inlet funnel to be positioned at different angles and orientations to accommodate various floor gradients and tile patterns while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the pipe socket and receiving pipe is divided into separate components that can move independently. The pipe socket can rotate and adjust its position within the receiving pipe, allowing each component to be optimized separately while providing collective adaptability to different installation conditions.
2Manufacturing precision
If the inlet funnel position is fixed relative to the receiving pipe, then the manufacturing precision requirement is low, but the alignment precision with floor coverings and walls is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable connection allows for post-installation positioning adjustments, reducing the need for extremely precise manufacturing tolerances. The pipe socket can be rotated and positioned within the receiving pipe to achieve accurate alignment with floor coverings and walls after installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the positional parameters of the inlet funnel relative to the receiving pipe through rotation and adjustment mechanisms. This enables fine-tuning of the position to achieve precise alignment without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances on all components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pipe socket has play in horizontal direction, then the position adjustment flexibility is improved, but the sealing reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible sealing mat is used to compensate for the play or clearance between the pipe socket and receiving pipe. The flexible material can deform to fill the gaps while maintaining the watertight seal, allowing horizontal adjustment without compromising sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mat acts as an intermediary element between the pipe socket and receiving pipe. It mediates the clearance or play between these components, maintaining the seal while allowing the necessary horizontal adjustment for positioning alignment.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a floor drain, for example for showers, which has a pipe stub (2) of an inlet funnel (1) and a receiving pipe (11) which can be inserted into each other in at least two positions rotated by 180° relative to each other, wherein an eccentric position of the upper part (3) of the inlet funnel (1) provides a transverse offset between these two positions.