Touchless Foam Soap Dispenser With Remote Air-Liquid Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sink side soap dispensers do not provide a touchless arrangement for dispensing foamed soap, limiting the convenience and hygiene in hand washing stations.
Innovation Solution
A counter-mounted soap dispenser system that incorporates a foaming device with separate air and liquid pumps, remotely located from the nozzle, which mixes air and liquid to create foam, and can be activated manually or automatically through a touchless sensor system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional manual or sensor-activated soap dispenser is used, then the dispensing mechanism is simple, but it cannot provide foamed soap and requires direct contact or proximity sensing
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the dispensing function into separate components: a liquid pump for soap, an air pump for aeration, and a mixing chamber for foam generation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while achieving the complex function of touchless foamed soap dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated system: the liquid pump, air pump, and mixing chamber work together as a unified foaming device. This merging enables the system to deliver both liquid and air simultaneously to create foam, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and functional complexity.
2Shape
If the pump mechanisms are located remote from the nozzle, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the fluid delivery system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanisms are extracted from the visible nozzle area and relocated to a remote position. This extraction improves the aesthetic appearance by hiding the mechanical components, while feed tubes are used to deliver fluids from the remote pumps to the nozzle, maintaining functionality despite the increased spatial separation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If automatic sensor activation is implemented, then hygiene is improved, but the device requires additional sensing components
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor acts as an intermediary between the user and the dispensing mechanism. The sensor detects the user's presence or hand proximity and triggers the pump system accordingly, enabling touchless operation that improves hygiene while keeping the control system relatively simple through the use of conventional sensing technology.
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
Enables convenient and hygienic touchless dispensing of foamed soap, suitable for various liquids, including soaps, cleaners, and food products, improving user experience and hygiene in hand washing stations.
Implementation Method 1
an air pump remote from the nozzle operative to deliver air from the pump into an inlet to the air input tube through the outlet of the tube and into the foaming device
Implementation Method 2
a liquid pump operative to deliver fluid from the reservoir into the inlet to the liquid inlet tube through the tube to the outlet and into the foaming device
Implementation Method 3
a foam generator to receive air and liquid and mix the same for dispensing of foam
Data Source
AI summary
A soap dispenser, preferably a sink side counter mounted dispenser, to dispense foamed liquid soap by mixing in an outlet of a soap spout liquid, soap and air preferably provided from a liquid soap pump and a air pump located remote from the faucet.