Rotating Showerhead Jet Outlet Element Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower heads fail to generate a moving spray pattern with a clearly recognizable movement pattern while being efficient to produce and requiring minimal effort.
Innovation Solution
A shower head design featuring a rotatable jet outlet element driven by a water-operated drive device with a reduction gear, such as a worm gear, which creates a slowly rotating jet outlet element that changes its direction or course, allowing for variable and visually perceivable spray patterns without protruding significantly from the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a rotatable jet outlet element with reduction gear is used to create a moving spray pattern, then the spray pattern becomes visually perceivable and variable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive device is activated automatically by the water flow itself, eliminating the need for external power sources or complex control mechanisms. The water pressure drives the turbine, which through the reduction gear, rotates the jet outlet element, creating a self-powered system that reduces overall device complexity while achieving the desired moving spray pattern
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hydraulic principles by employing water flow to directly drive the turbine mechanism. The water pressure and flow rate are converted into rotational motion through the turbine blades, which then drives the reduction gear and jet outlet element, creating a hydraulically-powered system that simplifies the overall design
2Speed
If the jet outlet element rotates slowly to create a recognizable movement pattern, then the beam pattern changes are visually perceivable, but the speed of water discharge is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the rotation speed of the jet outlet element through the reduction gear mechanism. The turbine can operate at higher speeds to maintain water discharge efficiency, while the reduction gear converts this to a slower, more visually perceivable rotation of the jet outlet element, allowing both high productivity and visible movement pattern to coexist
Solution Approach 2:
The reduction gear changes the speed parameter between the turbine and jet outlet element. By using a gear ratio greater than 1:1, the system transforms the fast-rotating turbine into a slow-rotating jet outlet element, maintaining water flow efficiency while creating a visually recognizable movement pattern in the spray
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 shower head produces a spray pattern that changes direction or course, providing a visually noticeable and variable experience without the need for significant protrusions, enabling efficient production and user perception of movement.
Implementation Method 1
a water-operated drive device (10) with a reduction gear (25), in particular a snail (13), which is driven by the flowing water
Implementation Method 2
A worm gear is used as a reduction gear, which is intended to ensure that the jet outlet elements rotate relatively slowly
Data Source
AI summary
A showerhead housing (1) contains multiple jet outlet elements (6), each having multiple diagonally running passages (24), which form jet openings. The jet outlet elements (6) are mounted rotatably in the housing (1) and are set into a slow revolution by a water-driven rotor via a reduction gear. Because of the diagonal course of the passages (11), the jets exiting from the showerhead thus execute specific movements, which can be visually recognized by the user of the shower. The jet outlet elements (6) can all be rotationally driven in the same direction or alternately in different directions.