Sensor-Guided Roller Fluid Dispenser for Accurate Hand Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hand-operated dispensers for liquids like soap and hand lotions often result in wastage and incomplete decontamination due to inaccurate dispensing, as the user's hand movement can cause soap to trickle or miss the palm, leading to inconsistent and unreliable delivery of antiseptic doses.
Innovation Solution
A motorized fluid dispenser with a roller assembly and sensor system that illuminates a target area on the user's hand, ensuring precise dispensing of measured doses by rotating a holder and roller to engage the container, allowing for reproducible and controlled fluid release without direct user contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional hand-operated dispenser with a roller or plate is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the dispensing accuracy is poor and soap may trickle or miss the hand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the simple mechanical roller or plate system with a motorized roller assembly that includes a motor, holder, and controlled rotation mechanism. This substitution of mechanical systems enables precise control over the dispensing action through motorized rotation of the holder, which carries the roller along a defined path to engage and roll along the container, thereby achieving accurate and reproducible dispensing of discrete doses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic elements by making the holder rotatable about an axis, allowing the roller to move along a path between different container-engaging positions. This dynamic configuration enables the roller to engage the container at specific points during its rotational path, providing controlled and precise dispensing action rather than static contact.
2Loss of substance
If the user manually operates the dispenser by pushing or pulling the handle, then the operation is simple, but the palm movement causes soap wastage and incomplete decontamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by incorporating a sensor that automatically detects when a user's hand is in the predetermined area and triggers the dispensing cycle without requiring manual operation. The system serves itself by sensing the user's presence and autonomously initiating the motorized dispensing action, eliminating the need for the user to manually push or pull the handle while ensuring complete doses are dispensed onto the stationary hand.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback through a sensor that detects the user's hand in the predetermined area and provides this information to the controller. The controller then uses this feedback to automatically initiate the dispensing cycle, creating a closed-loop system that responds to user presence and ensures accurate dispensing without manual intervention, thereby reducing soap wastage while maintaining ease of use.
3Loss of information
If no indication system is provided, then the device is simpler, but the user cannot see where the fluid will be dispensed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical indication by projecting a beam of visible light that intersects the predetermined area where the user's hand is positioned. This light beam visually indicates the target location where the fluid will be dispensed, providing clear spatial information to the user. The light source and beam projection system convey dispensing location information through optical means, enhancing user awareness without requiring complex mechanical or electronic displays.
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 dispenser provides accurate, reproducible, and controlled dispensing of both small and large doses of fluid, reducing wastage and ensuring thorough decontamination, while indicating the dispensing location and fluid level, allowing for variable dose settings and low-level alerts.
Implementation Method 1
A sensor for sensing an object in a predetermined area located generally beneath the dispenser is disposed within the housing
Implementation Method 2
A light source is operable to emit a beam of visible light. The beam of visible light intersects the predetermined area
Implementation Method 3
The roller is dimensioned to engage and roll along a portion of the container when the roller moves in a first direction from the first container-engaging position to the second container-engaging position, thereby dispensing the fluid from the container
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a fluid dispenser for dispensing a fluid from a container. A roller is dimensioned to engage and roll along a portion of the container when the roller moves in a first direction from a first container-engaging position to a second container-engaging position. A sensor for sensing an object in a predetermined area is disposed near the housing. A light source is operable to emit a beam of visible light therefrom. The beam of light intersects the predetermined area. A controller is programmed such that when the sensor senses an object in the predetermined area, the controller energizes the light source to illuminate a target location where the fluid from the container is to be dispensed and the controller causes the roller to move in the first direction from the first container-engaging position to the second container-engaging position, thereby dispensing the fluid from the container.