Sanitary Fitting Two-Button Activation Force and Duration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sanitary fittings lack a user-friendly and safe operating mechanism for controlling hot water extraction, often requiring excessive force to prevent accidental activation, which compromises convenience and safety.
Innovation Solution
A method and sanitary fitting design that utilize electronic activation buttons and a controller to require a specific minimum force and duration for activating hot water extraction, ensuring safe operation by preventing unintentional activation, and incorporating a light source for visual feedback, along with a pot-filling mode for controlled water dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical solutions with barriers or high force requirements are used for hot water extraction, then safety is improved by preventing unintentional activation, but ease of operation deteriorates due to high force expenditure
Solution Approach 1:
The activation process is segmented into two distinct steps: first pressing an activation button to enable the function button, then pressing the function button to activate hot water extraction. This segmentation separates the safety verification step from the actual activation step, allowing the system to ensure intentional activation while maintaining ease of operation through simple button presses rather than high force requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The activation button must be pressed first to enable the function button before hot water extraction can be activated. This preliminary action serves as a safety verification step that confirms intentional user intent before allowing the hot water function to activate, thereby preventing unintentional activation while maintaining operational simplicity
2Reliability
If electronic buttons with minimum force and duration requirements are used, then safety is improved by preventing accidental activation, but device complexity increases due to force and duration measurement mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical force measurement systems with electronic sensing mechanisms. The activation button and function button are designed as electronic buttons (capacitive or piezo) that can detect pressing force and duration through electrical signals, thereby reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining safety through programmable force and duration thresholds
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes in the electronic sensing domain - measuring pressing force and duration as electrical parameters - to determine activation conditions. This approach allows safety verification through software-based threshold comparisons rather than complex mechanical mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliable safety control
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 solution provides a safe and convenient operation of sanitary fittings by ensuring that hot water extraction is only activated with sufficient force and duration, enhancing user safety and comfort while allowing controlled water dispensing through a predetermined amount.
Implementation Method 1
The activation button and/or the function button can in particular be electronic buttons, such as capacitive buttons or piezo buttons
Implementation Method 2
The activation button and/or the function button can in particular be electronic buttons, such as capacitive buttons or piezo buttons
Implementation Method 3
along with a light source for visual feedback
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A method for controlling a sanitary fitting (1) comprising at least the following steps: a) pressing an activation button (2) of the sanitary fitting (1) to activate a function button (3) to start the dispensing of hot water from the sanitary fitting (1); b) activating the function button (3) when the activation button (2) is pressed during step a) with an initial operating force exceeding a minimum initial operating force, and when the activation button (2) is pressed during step a) for longer than a minimum initial duration; c) pressing the function button (3); d) activating the dispensing of hot water from the sanitary fitting (1) when the function button (2) is pressed in step c) with a second operating force exceeding a second minimum operating force, and when the function button (3) is pressed in step c) for longer than a second minimum duration. A sanitary fitting with a corresponding two-button operation is also proposed.