Tap Water Turbidity and Foreign Material Detection System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Despite efforts to provide clean and safe tap water, public distrust remains high due to concerns about water quality, leading to low consumption rates and issues with water purifiers, with many bottled water sellers violating quality standards.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that measures turbidity and inspects for foreign materials using a camera, displaying results to ensure water quality meets standards before releasing UV-sterilized tap water, enhancing transparency and confidence in tap water safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tap water is treated and supplied by the government, then water quality is improved, but public trust and drinking rate remain low due to lack of transparency
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements real-time feedback by continuously measuring turbidity and capturing images of tap water, then displaying these measurements publicly. This transparent feedback loop allows citizens to see actual water quality data, building trust while maintaining high treatment standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary display system that acts as a mediator between the water treatment process and the public. This intermediary component visually presents water quality information (turbidity measurements and images) to citizens, bridging the information gap without compromising treatment quality.
2Reliability
If water purifiers are used by consumers, then drinking water safety is improved, but device complexity and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically measuring turbidity, capturing water images, and displaying quality information without requiring consumer intervention. This eliminates the need for consumers to manually test or monitor water quality, reducing complexity while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the water quality monitoring function from the consumer's home environment and places it in a centralized, professionally maintained system. This extraction removes the burden of consumer maintenance while preserving the safety benefit of continuous quality monitoring.
3Reliability
If bottled water is used instead of tap water, then drinking water safety is improved, but cost and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
By providing transparent real-time feedback on tap water quality through visual displays and measurements, the system convinces consumers that treated tap water is safe to drink, eliminating the need for bottled water and the associated resource consumption and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy or representation of the actual tap water through imaging, allowing consumers to inspect water quality without physically consuming or disposing of bottled water alternatives, thereby reducing resource waste.
4Device complexity
If simple water quality numbers are displayed, then device complexity is reduced, but public trust and understanding of water safety remain insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a visual dimension to water quality information by capturing and displaying images of the tap water itself, in addition to numerical turbidity measurements. This multi-dimensional presentation (visual + numerical) enhances public understanding and trust without significantly increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes visual properties of water, including color and transparency changes, as indicators of quality. By displaying actual water images, the system leverages natural visual cues that are easily understood by the public, building confidence without complex technical displays.
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
Improves tap water reliability by providing clear quality information and sterilizing water upon request, reducing the need for separate air vents and minimizing measurement errors, thus increasing public trust and reducing reliance on external purification methods.
Implementation Method 1
sterilizing the tap water which is to be released upon release request by the drinker with UV
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment relates to an apparatus and method for supplying safe potable water, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for supplying safe potable water that permits release of tap water only when turbidity of tap water satisfies a preset standard value by measuring the turbidity, and only when there are no foreign materials by inspecting whether foreign materials exist in water based on a water image taken with a camera of tap water to be supplied, and displays foreign material identification information including the measured turbidity and water image, to make a drinker aware that the tap water is clean, and releases tap water after sterilizing the tap water which is to be released upon release request by the drinker with UV.