Shower Drain Insert With Sensor Positioning for Low-Slope Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower drains in renovated buildings often lack sufficient slope for effective water drainage, necessitating additional mechanisms like pumps, which complicates the installation of accessible showers.
Innovation Solution
An insert for a shower drain featuring an inlet and outlet opening connected by a channel with a defined highest point, incorporating a sensor attachment mechanism for accurate water detection, allowing easy replacement and reliable drainage control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pump is added to actively pump out water, then drainage is achieved without sufficient slope, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensor from the complex pump control system and integrates it into a simple insert that can be independently installed in the shower drain. This allows water level detection without requiring integration with pump control logic, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining drainage reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert with integrated sensor enables the shower drain system to self-monitor water levels and automatically detect drainage needs without external control systems. The sensor provides autonomous water presence detection, allowing the system to self-regulate based on actual water conditions in the drain.
2Reliability
If the sensor is permanently integrated into the shower drain, then sensor positioning is stable, but sensor replacement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor system into a separate, removable insert that can be independently exchanged. The insert containing the sensor is designed as a discrete component that interfaces with the shower drain, allowing the sensor to be replaced by simply removing and replacing the insert without affecting the permanent shower drain structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert acts as an intermediary component between the permanent shower drain and the sensor. It provides stable positioning for the sensor while remaining itself removable, thus mediating between the need for stable sensor mounting and the need for easy sensor replacement.
3Reliability
If the sensor is positioned at the highest point of the channel, then water accumulation is prevented, but sensor placement becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specific highest point geometry within the channel that naturally directs water flow. The channel cross-section is designed with a localized peak at the highest point, ensuring water flows away from this location in all directions, providing reliable water level detection without complex positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The highest point of the channel is designed to be at the same elevation as the sensor detection point, creating an equipotential relationship. This ensures that when water reaches the sensor level, it has naturally flowed to the highest point of the channel, providing accurate water presence detection without requiring additional elevation adjustments or complex positioning.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an insert for a shower drain that can support a sensor and has an internal channel. The invention further relates to a shower drain with such an insert.