Shower Head Flexible Water Distribution Mat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shower heads retain water after the supply is shut off, leading to potential leaks and the formation of legionella in warm water, causing soiling and health risks.
Innovation Solution
A deformable sealing elastomer water guide mat is introduced between the jet mat and a fixed head plate, which bulges under water pressure to open outflow nozzles and creates restoring forces to actively press out remaining water when the supply is shut off, ensuring no water remains in the shower head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional water channels are used in the shower head, then water distribution is achieved, but water remains in the shower head after supply is shut off causing leaks and legionella formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a dynamic sealing mechanism where the sealing element transitions between static and dynamic states. During water flow, the sealing element is pushed away from the outlet opening by water pressure, allowing water to pass through. When water flow stops, the sealing element returns to its original position contacting the outlet opening to seal it, preventing water accumulation and legionella formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sealing element as an intermediary component between the water channel and the outlet opening. This sealing element acts as a mediator that automatically responds to water pressure changes, opening to allow flow and closing to prevent accumulation, thereby solving the contradiction between water distribution and prevention of harmful water retention.
2Reliability
If a sealing mechanism is added to prevent water accumulation, then water leakage is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is designed to be self-actuating, using the water pressure itself to open the sealing and allowing elastic recovery to close it. The system serves itself by using the flowing water to activate the sealing mechanism and the natural elastic properties to reset it, eliminating the need for external actuators, motors, or complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible sealing element made of elastomeric material that can deform and adapt to the outlet opening geometry. This flexible membrane approach simplifies the structure compared to rigid mechanical sealing systems, as it relies on material elasticity rather than complex mechanical components to achieve the sealing function.
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
Prevents water accumulation in the shower head after the supply is turned off, eliminating leaks and the risk of legionella formation, while being easy to produce and adjust for varying spring effects.
Implementation Method 1
a water guide mat (17) consisting of a deformable, sealing elastomer to be arranged between the jet mat (14) and a fixed head plate (20) of the shower head
Implementation Method 2
The correspondingly acting water pressure leads to a bulging of the flexible water control mat in the direction of the fixed head plate with the simultaneous build-up of restoring forces
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 2
Figure 5~8
AI summary
A shower head (10) as part of a sanitary fitting composed of an upper shell (11) and a lower shell (12) with passage openings (13) arranged therein for the water to be dispensed via the shower head (10), wherein, between the upper shell (11) and lower shell (12), there is arranged a jet mat (14) with outflow nozzles (15) which are formed thereon and which extend through the passage openings (13) of the lower shell (12) and which form outflow openings (16) for the water, is characterized in that a water-guiding mat (17) composed of a deformable, sealing elastomer is arranged between the jet mat (14) and a fixed head plate (20), which is arranged spaced apart from said jet mat (14), of the shower head (10), which water-guiding mat, owing to resilient support against the head plate (20), is held in abutment against the jet mat (14) so as to close off the outflow nozzles (15) of the jet mat (14), and which water-guiding mat, under the action of the water introduced between the jet mat (14) and water-guiding mat (17) via a central inlet (22), bulges toward the head plate (20) so as to form a water flow surface and opens up the outflow nozzles (15) of the jet mat (14).