Water Filter Assembly with Elastic Inner for Rapid Reconnection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing filter assemblies, if the inner is inadvertently pushed into the filter head when the filter body is separated, it becomes difficult to reconnect the filter body to the filter head, including the inner, due to the lack of a mechanism to easily restore the inner to its original position.
Innovation Solution
The filter assembly includes a movable inner within the filter head, with an elastic member between the filter head and the inner, allowing the inner to be pushed back to its original position when separated, enabling rapid reconnection of the filter body to the filter head, and features such as head and inner key guides, vertical guide holes, and an undercut unit to facilitate movement and secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the inner is pushed into the filter head when the filter body is separated, then the inner cannot be pushed back out, but this causes difficulty in reconnecting the filter body to the filter head
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member is pre-installed between the filter head and the inner to automatically push the inner back to its original position when the filter body is separated, preventing the inner from being inadvertently pushed into the filter head and stuck inside
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member provides self-service by automatically restoring the inner to its correct position without requiring user intervention, ensuring the inner is always in the proper position for reconnection
2Reliability
If a check valve with metal spring is used to prevent water leakage, then the bypass function is secured, but the metal spring becomes polluted by corrosion and loses elastic force over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the metal spring with a disposable inner component that can be easily replaced, eliminating the corrosion and elastic force degradation issues associated with metal springs while maintaining the bypass function
Solution Approach 2:
The metal spring is completely removed from the system and replaced with an alternative mechanism using the elastic member and movable inner, eliminating the source of corrosion and elastic force degradation
3Device complexity
If the inner is made movable within the filter head to enable automatic flow path conversion, then the assembly is simplified, but the inner may be inadvertently pushed in and become difficult to reconnect
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member is pre-installed to automatically push the inner back to its original position when the filter body is separated, preventing the inner from being inadvertently pushed into the filter head and stuck inside, thus maintaining ease of operation while preserving the movable inner design
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
This design allows for automatic conversion of the fluid flow path between bypass and purified water paths and ensures easy reassembly by allowing the inner to be pushed back to its original position, ensuring the filter body can be rapidly connected to the filter head, thereby simplifying the assembly process and maintaining flow path functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member being positioned between the filter and the inner, the elastic member moving downwardly to keep the elasticity, wherein the elastic member is a coil spring
Data Source
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AI summary
In the water filter assembly, the flow path could be changed to the bypass flow path or the purified water flow path, when the inner moves upwardly and downwardly in the filter head by combining or separating of the filter body and filter head. The inner is movably inserted to the filter head. The elastic member changes the flow path to bypass flow path when the filter body is separated by elastic biasing the inner between the filter head and the inner to downward direction of the filter head. If the user pushes the inner to the inside of the filter head by mistake when the filter body is separated from the filter head, the inner is pushed out to be the original position, so that the filter body can be rapidly combined to the filter head including the inner.