Sanitary Fitting Interspace Design for Compact Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sanitary fittings require spacious housings due to thick flexible hoses and need additional support structures, making them bulky and difficult to assemble, while also being noisy and costly to produce.
Innovation Solution
A sanitary fitting design utilizing an elongated interspace between flexible and rigid components to form the waterway, eliminating the need for additional support structures and sealing elements, allowing for a flat cross-section and simplified assembly, with the flexible component made of silicone or rubber for noise damping and effective sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional flexible hoses are used to form the waterway, then the waterway can be formed, but the housing becomes bulky and requires additional support structures
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible component integrates multiple functions: it forms the waterway, provides sealing, and eliminates the need for separate support structures. The flexible component is pressed against the rigid component to simultaneously achieve positioning and sealing, merging what were previously separate elements into one integrated solution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible component made of elastomeric material that forms the waterway as a thin-walled structure. This flexible shell replaces the thick-walled conventional hose, significantly reducing the space required in the housing while maintaining the waterway function.
2Reliability
If thick-walled flexible hoses are used, then the waterway is formed, but the overall dimensions of the sanitary fitting increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible component is designed as a thin-walled elastomeric structure that forms the waterway. This thin film approach replaces thick-walled hoses, reducing the overall dimensions of the fitting while the flexibility of the material ensures reliable sealing when pressed against the rigid component.
Solution Approach 2:
The sanitary fitting combines rigid and flexible materials (rigid component with elastomeric flexible component) to create a composite structure. The rigid component provides structural support with minimal thickness, while the flexible component provides sealing, together achieving reliable sealing in a compact package.
3Reliability
If additional sealing elements are used between components, then sealing is improved, but the assembly becomes more complex and dimensions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it forms the waterway, provides sealing against the rigid component, and eliminates the need for separate sealing elements. The sealing function is self-integrated into the flexible component itself, which deforms to create a seal when pressed against the rigid component.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is merged with the flexible component that forms the waterway. Instead of using a separate sealing element, the flexible component itself provides the sealing interface when pressed against the rigid component, combining what were previously separate functions into one element.
4Ease of manufacture
If rigid components are used throughout, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but noise from water flow increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite construction with rigid components for structural support and precise manufacturing, combined with a flexible elastomeric component for the waterway. The flexible material acts as a noise damper for water flow, while the rigid components maintain manufacturing precision and structural integrity.
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 reduces the overall dimensions of the sanitary fitting, simplifies assembly, and lowers production costs by minimizing the need for additional connectors and reducing noise from water flow, while maintaining a fluid-tight and efficient waterway.
Implementation Method 1
Using a flexible component has also the advantage that noise caused by water running through the waterway is muffled
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure provides a sanitary fitting (10) for the use in a bathroom or kitchen, for example, for a controlled release of water having a water inlet (46), a water outlet (68), a waterway connecting the water inlet (46) with the water outlet (68), a rigid component (28) extending along the waterway, and a flexible component (26) extending along the waterway. According to the invention the flexible component (26) sealingly contacts the rigid component (68) such that an elongated interspace (66) is formed between the rigid component (28) and the flexible component (26), wherein the interspace (66) forms at least a portion of the waterway.