Shower Control Member with Front-Accessible Outlet Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional showers have a diverter operator positioned on the rear or hidden side, making it difficult for users to operate and determine the chosen outlet functions while showering.
Innovation Solution
A shower design with a control member featuring a flow channel and through holes that communicate with inlet and outlet bores, allowing easy switching between multiple outlet functions by rotating a longitudinal tube with adjusting positions and sealing rings, providing audible feedback through positioning protrusions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the diverter operator is positioned on the rear side or hidden side of the shower, then the structure can be compact, but it becomes difficult for users to find and operate while showering
Solution Approach 1:
The control member is moved from the traditional rear-side positioning to the front surface of the shower body, changing the spatial dimension of operation. This allows users to easily access and operate the diverter function while showering, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and structural positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
A control member with through holes is introduced as an intermediary element between the user and the diverter function. This control member features multiple through holes corresponding to different outlet functions, serving as a mediator that simplifies user interaction while maintaining the underlying diverter mechanism.
2Loss of information
If the diverter operator is hidden, then the shower appearance can be cleaner, but users cannot easily check which outlet function is chosen
Solution Approach 1:
Different through holes in the control member are associated with different outlet functions (e.g., shower head, hand shower, bathtub). When a specific through hole aligns with the inlet bore, it visually indicates the current outlet function selection, providing immediate feedback to users without complicating the control structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The control member provides visual feedback through its through holes, allowing users to immediately see which outlet function is currently active. This feedback mechanism eliminates uncertainty about the selected function while maintaining a simple control structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A shower includes a shower assembly and a control member. The shower assembly includes a main body having a side wall, an end wall, a plurality of outlet bores and an inlet bore, wherein the side wall and end wall are connected to each other to compose an accommodating space. The outlet bores and the inlet bore are positioned on the side wall of the main body, and communicate with each other through the accommodating space. The control member is positioned in the accommodating space of the shower assembly, and has a flow channel and a plurality of through holes. Each of the through holes communicates with each other through the flow channel, and is corresponding to the inlet bore or one of the outlet bores. When the control member is operated, at least one of the through holes communicates with the inlet bore, and another one of the through holes communicates with the corresponding one of the outlet bores.