Recirculating Shower Filtration With Nano-Filter Quality Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower systems fail to provide a comfortable and user-friendly experience while ensuring water quality, as they often lead to bacterial growth, viral spreading, and maintenance issues due to inadequate filtration and lack of quality verification, and may malfunction without options for conventional showering.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid device with a recirculation loop, a filter system incorporating a nano-filter and filter quality sensors that redirect water to drainage when contaminants exceed a certain level, ensuring high-quality water and user comfort by using a nano-filter for viral-level filtration and a pre-filter for larger contaminants, along with sensors for monitoring and maintaining optimal filter performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If water is recirculated through a filter system, then water consumption is reduced and environmental impact is minimized, but bacterial growth and viral spreading risks increase due to inadequate filtration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nano-filter with porous structure having pore sizes in the nanometer range, which physically blocks bacteria and viruses while allowing water molecules to pass through. This porous material approach resolves the contradiction by providing effective biological filtration without requiring chemical disinfectants, thus reducing water consumption through safe recirculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter system combines multiple filtration layers including pre-filters, nano-filters, and backwash filters in a composite structure. Each layer addresses different contamination levels, creating a multi-barrier system that effectively prevents bacterial and viral passage while maintaining water flow for recirculation, thereby reducing overall water consumption.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If optical detection is used to monitor water quality, then contamination detection capability is improved, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to bubble interference from water turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by allowing water to settle and bubbles to rise and escape before optical detection occurs. The detection is timed or positioned to occur after turbulence has subsided, ensuring accurate measurements without bubble interference while maintaining the ability to detect contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary settling chamber or calibration system that separates the turbulent water flow from the optical detection zone. This intermediary space allows bubbles to dissipate while maintaining sample integrity for accurate optical contamination detection.
3Loss of substance
If a recirculation shower system is implemented, then freshwater usage is minimized, but user comfort and shower experience quality deteriorate compared to conventional showers
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts water temperature, flow rate, and pressure parameters to maintain optimal shower experience. By continuously monitoring and adjusting these parameters, the recirculated water provides user comfort equivalent to conventional showers while minimizing freshwater consumption through efficient recirculation.
4Reliability
If filter systems are used for water purification, then water quality is improved, but system complexity and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system incorporates automated backwashing functionality where accumulated contaminants are periodically reversed-flushed out without user intervention. This self-service approach maintains high water quality through continuous filtration while minimizing maintenance burden by automatically cleaning the filters, reducing the need for manual disassembly and cleaning.
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 hybrid device provides a comfortable and hygienic shower experience by ensuring water quality, maintaining system autonomy, and offering a conventional shower option if the recirculation system malfunctions, while being economically and environmentally friendly.
Implementation Method 1
a filter system with a nano-filter, at least one filter quality sensor and at least one pre-filter positioned before the nano-filter
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention describes a hybrid device (1) for a recirculation shower, allowing purification and either recycling of water or discarding of water, wherein said hybrid device (1) comprises a recirculation loop (2), a filter system (4) with a nano-filter (5) such as for instance an electropositive nano-ceramic filter, e.g. a nano alumina (fiber) filter, at least one filter quality sensor (3), at least one pre-filter (6), and wherein the hybrid device (1) is arranged to redirect the water from recirculation to drainage when the at least one filter quality sensor (3) indicates the need thereof.