RV Drinking Water Supply with External Storage and Noise Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drinking water systems in recreational vehicles face challenges such as space constraints, noise, weight, energy inefficiency, and security concerns, leading to suboptimal performance and user inconvenience, with users often resorting to expensive and environmentally burdensome bottled water as a workaround.
Innovation Solution
A separate drinking water supply system using external, temperature-controlled storage for conventional containers connected via independent fluid conduits and a remotely located pump, with noise isolation and controlled access, optimizing space and reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bottled water systems are used in RVs, then water supply reliability is improved, but space requirements increase and noise levels increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the water storage into multiple smaller containers (5-gallon bottles) that can be stacked vertically in a dedicated storage compartment, rather than using a single large tank. This segmentation allows efficient use of vertical space while maintaining reliable water supply through multiple containers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical space by stacking water containers in the storage compartment rather than spreading them horizontally. The pump system draws from these vertically stacked containers, transforming the space utilization from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, thereby reducing the footprint while maintaining water supply reliability
2Reliability
If conventional bottled water systems are used in RVs, then water supply reliability is improved, but noise levels increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is extracted from the living quarters and relocated to the storage compartment where the water containers are kept. This separation removes the noise-generating component from the living space, eliminating the harmful noise factor while the pump continues to provide reliable water supply to the living areas
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces flexible hoses as intermediaries to connect the pump (located in the storage compartment) to the water dispensing points (located in the living quarters). This intermediary allows the pump to be positioned away from living spaces to reduce noise, while still delivering water reliably to where it is needed
3Reliability
If conventional bottled water systems are used in RVs, then water supply reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump operates periodically rather than continuously, activating only when water is needed at the dispensing points. This periodic operation is enabled by the system architecture where the pump draws from stored containers and delivers water on-demand, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to constant pumping while maintaining reliable water supply
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows the RV to service itself by drawing water from the stored containers through the pump system, eliminating the need for external water connections or manual water handling. The pump automatically draws from the highest available container and delivers water to dispensing points, providing self-service water supply with minimal energy input
4Quantity of substance
If freshwater tanks are left unused for extended periods, then water availability is maintained, but water quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically discards stale water from containers that have been in storage for extended periods and recovers fresh water by prioritizing dispensing from recently filled containers. The pump system can identify and draw from the most recently filled container, ensuring that water quality is maintained while preserving overall water availability in the system
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining multiple containers in various states of filling and usage. When one container is depleted or becomes stale, the system is already prepared with other containers that can immediately take over, preventing water quality deterioration while maintaining continuous water availability
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking water supply arrangement is provided for a RV, which uses fluid conduits separate from the other fresh water supply lines of the RV, separates the pump from the living RV compartment, provides independent pump controls, and stores conventional containers of drinking water in an exteriorly accessible, temperature controlled compartment, isolated from the living compartment.