Single-Lever Sanitary Fitting for Automated Hygiene Flushing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional single-lever mixers lack the capability for automatic hygiene flushing due to their purely mechanical design, leading to potential stagnation and legionella formation in drinking water systems, while electronic systems with solenoid valves often fail to ensure sufficient flushing of cold or hot water selectively.
Innovation Solution
A sanitary fitting with a rotatable and tiltable lever, equipped with a sensor device such as a Hall sensor, allows for intuitive manual operation and enables a dead space-free water line section for improved hygiene flushing, integrating an electronically controllable mixing unit with ceramic valves for precise temperature and flow control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a purely mechanical single-lever mixer is used, then the ease of operation for setting water temperature and flow is improved, but the capability for automatic hygiene flushing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a mechanical single-lever mixer with electronic automation components (sensor device, mixing unit with valves and drives) into a unified system. The mechanical lever maintains its intuitive operation for temperature and flow control, while the electronic components enable automatic hygiene flushing functionality, thus merging mechanical ease of operation with automated hygiene capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The sanitary fitting is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides manual control for water temperature and flow adjustment through the lever, enables automatic hygiene flushing through the sensor device and mixing unit, and integrates both mechanical and electronic operation modes into a single device that serves both user-controlled water dispensing and automated hygiene maintenance.
2Extent of automation
If electronic systems with solenoid valves are used, then the capability for automatic hygiene flushing is improved, but the dead space in water line sections deteriorates flushing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates dead space from the water line sections by designing a streamlined water path from the water connection through the mixing unit to the water outlet. The mixing unit with its valve arrangement is configured to minimize stagnant water areas, ensuring that the automatic hygiene flushing can effectively reach all water line sections without being hindered by dead spaces where water stagnation could occur.
3Device complexity
If conventional single-lever mixers are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability for maintaining drinking water quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sanitary fitting incorporates a sensor device that enables automated detection and triggering of hygiene flushing operations. The system can automatically initiate flushing sequences to maintain drinking water quality without requiring manual intervention, thus providing self-service functionality that enhances reliability for water quality maintenance while building upon the simple mechanical lever interface.
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 solution provides intuitive manual operation for setting water temperature and flow, ensures effective hygiene flushing without dead spaces, and allows for automated on-demand flushing, enhancing drinking water quality and reducing the risk of legionella formation.
Implementation Method 1
sensor device (10) for detecting various positions of the lever (4.1) of the movable operating element (4) relative to a fixed position of the fitting body (1.1), wherein the sensor device (10) comprises a Hall sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A sanitary fitting including a fitting body, a water connection, a water outlet or water exit and a movable operating element having a lever, wherein the lever is rotatable about a first axis of rotation to control a water temperature and is tiltable about a second axis of rotation to control a water flow. According to the invention, a sensor device for detecting various positions of the lever of the movable operating element relative to a fixed position of the fitting body is arranged in the fitting body. The sanitary fitting can advantageously be combined with a mixing unit which can be electronically controlled by means of the operating element, the mixing unit having a connection for cold water, a connection for hot water, a connection for a mixed water line connectable to the sanitary fitting, at least two independently controllable valves for setting the temperature and volume flow of the mixed water to be dispensed via the connection for the mixed water line and drives controlling the valves. The sanitary fitting according to the invention offers intuitive manual operation for setting the water temperature and flow rate and enables improved hygienic flushing.