Shower Valve Trim Assembly With Rotational Wall Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower valve trim assemblies often become misaligned with the wall due to installation errors, leading to accelerated wear, improper sealing, and a less aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Innovation Solution
A valve trim assembly design that includes a floating adapter and a locking nut, allowing for rotational adjustment to maintain engagement between the assembly and the wall, thereby ensuring the assembly remains perpendicular despite misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional fixed valve trim assembly is installed, then the assembly structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the assembly becomes misaligned with the wall due to installation errors, leading to accelerated wear and improper sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the adapter rotatable relative to the valve body through a universal joint mechanism. This allows the trim assembly to dynamically adjust its orientation to compensate for misalignment between the valve centerline and the wall, thereby maintaining proper sealing performance without requiring a completely complex redesign of the entire assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of the adapter relative to the valve body by allowing rotation about the centerline axis. This parameter change enables the assembly to adapt to different alignment conditions while maintaining the basic structural simplicity of the fixed assembly design
2Reliability
If a traditional fixed valve trim assembly is installed, then the assembly structure is simple, but the assembly becomes misaligned relative to the wall, causing accelerated wear on components
Solution Approach 1:
The universal joint mechanism enables dynamic adjustment of the adapter orientation to compensate for misalignment, preventing accelerated wear on sealing components and extending component durability while adding only moderate structural complexity through the addition of the rotatable adapter and joint mechanism
3Ease of manufacture
If a traditional fixed valve trim assembly is installed, then the assembly is easy to manufacture, but misalignment results in a less aesthetically pleasing appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable adapter provides a simple dynamic adjustment mechanism that can be easily manufactured and integrated into the existing assembly design, allowing field adjustment of alignment without requiring complex pre-adjustment mechanisms or specialized manufacturing processes
Data Source
AI summary
A valve trim assembly for use in a shower environment. The valve trim assembly includes an outer covering and a valve assembly. The outer covering includes a first axis disposed through a midpoint of the outer covering. The valve assembly is at least partially disposed within the outer covering and configured to control a flow of fluid. The valve assembly includes a nut coupled to the outer covering, an adapter at least partially disposed within the nut and rotatable about the first axis, and an elongated joint coaxially aligned with the adapter. The nut and the adapter cooperatively define a joint where the adapter rotates within the nut to maintain engagement between the outer covering and a wall.