Sanitary Stream Regulator with Optical Coding and Segmented Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stream regulators for fluid media lack clear identification and adaptability, leading to confusion in selecting suitable components for different flow rates and stream patterns, especially in spare parts, and fail to ensure quality and cost-efficiency in manufacturing and use.
Innovation Solution
A sanitary component with exchangeable and combinable property-defining components in a sandwich-like arrangement, featuring optical and tactile coding to specify flow rate classes and stream patterns, including a pivotable stream straightener and elastomer coating for easy cleaning, allowing for easy identification and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different stream regulator products are produced to meet different flow rate classes and stream patterns, then user requirements for different applications are satisfied, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stream regulator is divided into separate functional components: a screen attachment (filter screen), a diffuser plate assembly with flow rate regulator, and a shell body with stream-forming openings. These components can be manufactured independently and assembled in different combinations to create various stream regulator variants, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen attachment is designed with a translucent or transparent material that allows it to serve dual purposes: filtering impurities from the fluid stream and simultaneously displaying optical coding information about the diffuser plate assembly's flow rate class. This universal design eliminates the need for separate identification components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the screen attachment is made from nontransparent synthetic material, then manufacturing is simplified, but the insert elements inside the stream regulator cannot be visually identified
Solution Approach 1:
The screen attachment is made from a translucent or transparent synthetic material specifically at the regions where optical coding information needs to be displayed. This local quality change allows light to pass through to reveal the diffuser plate assembly's coding while maintaining the screen's filtering function, without requiring the entire screen to be transparent.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen attachment utilizes optical properties including transparency and color coding to convey information. The translucent/transparent material allows optical coding on the diffuser plate assembly to be visible, while color codes on various components indicate flow rate classes and stream patterns.
3Ease of operation
If optical coding is provided on the diffuser plate assembly and shell body, then identification and selection are simplified, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The identification function is extracted from the functional components and implemented as separate optical coding elements (color codes, symbols) on the screen attachment, diffuser plate assembly, and shell body. This separation allows the coding information to be applied independently during manufacturing without affecting the precision requirements of the functional components themselves.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of different stream regulator variants are produced, then diverse user requirements are met, but stock management and spare parts identification become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Different color codes are assigned to indicate different flow rate classes (e.g., blue for 6 l/min, red for 30 l/min) and stream patterns (laminar vs. aerated). This color-coding system provides immediate visual identification of component specifications, simplifying stock management and spare parts selection across the product range.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a sanitary component, namely a stream regulator or stream former for flowing fluid media, consisting of property-defining components in a sandwich-like arrangement in the direction of flow which comprise at least one screen attachment, one diffuser plate assembly as well as a shell body having segments of stream-forming openings extending across its cross-sectional surface. The property-defining components are exchangeable and combinable so as to realize adaptability to different user and user requirements. A locking means is provided e.g. on the inner circumference of the shell body for this purpose as is a corresponding counter-locking means on the outer circumference of the diffuser plate assembly. The diffuser plate assembly exhibits, at least on its exterior, a flow rate class-specifying optical code and the shell body exhibits a stream type-specifying, namely laminar or aerated, optical code.