Urinal Water Sprinkling Control Using Electrolytic Sterilizing Water
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing urinal systems fail to effectively suppress odors and discomfort caused by water sprinkling during urination, and are prone to biofilm clogging due to the use of miscellaneous water, leading to unstable water direction and decreased odor suppression.
Innovation Solution
A urinal apparatus with a water supplying device, a water sprinkling device, and a human body sensing device that controls water sprinkling based on user presence, using sterilizing water produced by an electrolytic bath to deodorize and prevent biofilm formation, while avoiding unnecessary sprinkling during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If water is sprinkled to the space in the bowl section to suppress odor, then odor suppression is improved, but shower sound or drop sound is generated causing user discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit activates the water sprinkling device before the user completes urination, based on detection from the human body sensing device. This timing ensures odor suppression during the urination process while avoiding sprinkling that would create shower sounds during or after urination when the user is most sensitive to noise.
2Loss of substance
If miscellaneous water is used for sprinkling to reduce water quality management, then water cost is reduced, but biofilm production clogs the water jetting hole
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the chemical parameters of miscellaneous water by adding chlorine through the electrolytic bath, transforming it into sterilizing water. This parameter change prevents biofilm formation while still using cost-effective miscellaneous water as the base, maintaining both economic efficiency and system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolytic bath generates chlorine, a strong oxidant, which is added to the miscellaneous water. This oxidation process sterilizes the water, preventing biofilm production that would otherwise clog the water jetting hole, thereby maintaining system reliability.
3Productivity
If water is sprinkled at fixed pressure from small diameter sprinkling hole, then sprinkling effect is improved, but flow velocity change induces shower sound
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the sprinkling timing based on real-time detection of user presence and urination status. By controlling when water is sprinkled rather than changing physical parameters of the sprinkling mechanism itself, the system maintains effective sprinkling while avoiding conditions that generate shower sounds.
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 system effectively suppresses odors and prevents biofilm clogging, ensuring comfortable user experience and efficient water usage by sprinkling fresh or sterilizing water only when needed, maintaining effective odor suppression with minimal water consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a sterilizing water producing device provided on an upstream side of the water sprinkling device and configured to produce sterilizing water
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a urinal apparatus including: a water supplying device configured to supply water to a bowl section of a urinal; a water sprinkling device including a sprinkling hole configured to sprinkle water to a space inside the bowl section; and a human body sensing device configured to sense use of the urinal. The water sprinkling device not sprinkling the water from the sprinkling hole when the human body sensing device has transitioned from a human body non-sensing state to a human body sensing state.