Hands-Free Soap Dispenser Pump Control for Continuous Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric soap dispensers often fail to provide a continuous stream of soap, require priming, and have inefficiencies in power usage, leading to inconsistent performance and potential for bacterial transmission in public washrooms.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a housing with a power supply, reservoir, pump, and electronic control unit that allows for continuous soap dispensing, priming, and power modulation to extend battery life, along with features like a reversible pump to prevent dripping and sensors for hands-free operation, and a light read module to reduce false triggers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an electric soap dispenser delivers uniform measure doses of fluid soap upon each actuation, then hygiene is improved by reducing germ transmission, but the user cannot discharge a continuous stream of soap for tasks like washing dishes or cleaning surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The soap dispenser incorporates a button that enables continuous operation mode, allowing the pump to dispense soap continuously rather than in fixed discrete doses. This dynamic switching between single-dose and continuous dispensing modes provides both hygiene protection through controlled dosing and operational flexibility for various cleaning tasks.
2Reliability
If a liquid type pump is used in the soap dispenser, then the pump can effectively move liquid soap, but the pump must be primed by being pumped manually before it can operate
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is positioned at the lowest point of the dispenser housing, allowing liquid soap to naturally flow into the pump chamber through gravity before operation is needed. This preliminary positioning of the liquid eliminates the need for manual priming, as the pump chamber is already filled with soap ready for immediate operation.
3Reliability
If the pump is allowed to dry out and contains only air, then the pump stops operating, but additional priming features increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber is designed to automatically refill with liquid soap from the reservoir through gravity flow when the liquid level drops or air enters the chamber. This self-refilling mechanism eliminates the need for external priming devices or manual intervention, maintaining reliable operation while keeping the device simple in design.
4Reliability
If the sensor is operated continuously at high frequency, then false triggers from ambient light are reduced, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor operates in periodic pulses rather than continuously, with the control unit activating the sensor at intervals to detect hand presence. This pulsed operation significantly reduces power consumption compared to continuous operation while maintaining adequate detection capability, as the sensor only needs to scan for hands at intervals rather than constantly monitoring.
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 a convenient, efficient, and hygienic soap dispensing experience by allowing continuous soap flow, reducing bacterial transmission, and optimizing power usage, while preventing dripping and improving sensor accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
A pump can be disposed in the housing, the pump having an inlet connected to the outlet of the reservoir
Implementation Method 2
An electric motor can be supported by the housing and can drive the pump, the electric motor being powered by the power supply
Implementation Method 3
A trigger sensor can be configured to detect the presence of an object
Data Source
AI summary
An electric soap dispenser that includes sensors for detecting the presence of an object. The dispenser can be configured to dispense an amount of liquid soap, for example, upon detecting the presence of an object. The dispenser can include various features for enhancing the performance thereof. For example, the dispenser can include an additional button for manual operation of the pump. Additionally, the dispenser can detect the voltage of a power supply and compensate for a drop in voltage of the power supply so as to produce more uniform dispensations of the liquid product.