Shower Head Assembly with Actuable Valve for Simplified Plumbing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dual shower facilities in aged care and mental health settings require complex plumbing and controls, which can be hazardous and difficult to manage, especially with the need for separate overhead and hand-held shower systems.
Innovation Solution
A shower head assembly with a housing that includes a conduit with an actuable valve, allowing water to be directed between a shower outlet and a water outlet, simplifying plumbing and controls by requiring only one water inlet and eliminating the need for two sets of temperature controls, and featuring a design that minimizes ligature risks with a smoothly curved exterior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a dual shower facility with separate overhead and hand-held shower systems is installed, then shower functionality is improved, but device complexity and plumbing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the overhead shower and hand-held shower into a single integrated shower head assembly. The housing contains both a shower outlet for overhead mounting and a water outlet with coupling element for hand-held attachment, eliminating the need for separate shower systems and complex dual plumbing infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The shower head assembly serves multiple functions: it can be mounted overhead to provide shower flow, or the hand-held shower head can be attached to the water outlet coupling element for handheld use. This multi-functional design allows a single device to replace what would traditionally require two separate shower systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate overhead and hand-held shower systems are installed, then shower versatility is improved, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Both the shower outlet and water outlet are integrated into a single housing with a unified valve mechanism. The actuable valve within the housing controls water flow to either the shower outlet or the water outlet, eliminating the need for separate control systems that would be required for independent overhead and hand-held showers.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional shower head design with multiple components is used, then shower functionality is maintained, but ligature risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with a substantially spherical shape and a smoothly curving outer surface without sharp corners or protruding portions. This curved, seamless design eliminates potential ligature points while maintaining the functional integration of shower outlet and water outlet coupling elements.
Solution Approach 2:
By integrating all functional components (shower outlet, water outlet, coupling element, valve) within a single encapsulated housing, the design eliminates external protruding parts that could pose ligature risks, while still providing both overhead and hand-held shower capabilities.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a single housing encapsulates the conduit with no protruding portions, then safety is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substantially spherical housing with smoothly curving surfaces provides inherent structural strength and safety while being manufacturable using standard spherical or near-spherical molding techniques. The encapsulated internal components (conduit, valve, outlets) are integrated within this simple external form, balancing safety requirements with manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a shower head assembly which comprises a housing having a water inlet, a shower outlet and a water outlet. Further, the shower head assembly has a conduit for water that is positioned within the housing and arranged such that a flow of water is directed from the water inlet to the shower outlet or to the water outlet. The conduit comprises an actuatable valve transferable between an actuated condition and a de-actuated condition. The shower head assembly is arranged such that, when the actuatable valve is actuated, the water flow is directed to one of the shower outlet and the water outlet, and when the actuatable valve is not actuated, the water flow is directed to the other one of the shower outlet and the water outlet.