Quick-Release Water Filter Locking to Prevent Leaks and Falling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water filters face issues with filter element replacement, such as water leakage during detachment, potential falling of the filter bottle, and complex structures that can be damaged or detached unintentionally, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A water filter design featuring a filtering head, filter bottle assembly, switching device, and quick release mechanism, allowing tool-free assembly and disassembly with a handle-controlled control shaft and snap-fit mechanism for secure locking and unlocking of the filter bottle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional water filter uses a wrench to rotate the filter bottle for detachment, then the filter element can be replaced, but the filter bottle easily falls after being detached causing danger to the user
Solution Approach 1:
The detachment mechanism is segmented into multiple independent components: a cam member with cam surface, a movable module with movable member, and a limiting structure. These components work together to control the filter bottle's movement in stages, preventing uncontrolled falling while enabling easy replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable module acts as an intermediary between the cam member and the filter bottle. It translates the rotational motion of the cam member into controlled linear motion of the filter bottle, mediating the detachment process to prevent sudden falling while maintaining ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a cam sliding rail is used to mount or detach the filter bottle, then the filter bottle can be secured, but the cam sliding rail has a complicated structure and is easily hooked or torn
Solution Approach 1:
The cam sliding rail is segmented into a cam member with a cam surface and a movable module with a movable member that engages with the cam surface. This segmentation simplifies the overall structure while maintaining the securing function, as each component has a specific, simple geometry that reduces susceptibility to hooking or tearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam member is designed to rotate, transforming a static complex rail structure into a dynamic simple rotational component. This dynamic approach simplifies the structure by replacing a complex linear guide with a simple rotating cam that achieves the same securing function through controlled motion.
3Productivity
If the filter bottle is detached without shutting the water source, then the replacement process can proceed, but water easily leaks outward during replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically shutting off the water source through the switching device before the filter bottle is fully detached. This preliminary water shutoff prevents leakage during the replacement process, allowing rapid replacement without manual water shutoff while eliminating the harmful leakage effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The switching device provides feedback control by detecting the position of the filter bottle and automatically activating the water shutoff mechanism when detachment is initiated. This feedback loop ensures water stops flowing before the bottle is completely removed, preventing leakage while maintaining rapid replacement.
4Ease of operation
If a tool-free quick release mechanism is implemented, then assembly and disassembly become easy and rapid, but the locking mechanism must be sufficiently secure to prevent accidental detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The cam member features a cam surface with curved geometry that provides progressive engagement and locking. The curved surface creates a mechanical advantage that secures the filter bottle firmly during normal operation while allowing controlled release when actuated, achieving both ease of operation and locking security.
Solution Approach 2:
The quick release mechanism uses excessive action by designing the cam surface to provide more than sufficient locking force during normal operation. This over-engineered locking force ensures accidental detachment is prevented, while the same mechanism can be easily released by applying deliberate excessive force in the opposite direction through the release button.
Data Source
AI summary
A water filter includes a filtering head, a filter bottle assembly, a filter element, a switching device, and a quick release device. The filtering head has a water inlet, a water outlet, and multiple embedded slots. The filter bottle assembly includes a filter bottle removably mounted on the filtering head. The filter element is mounted in the filter bottle and provided with a flow channel. The switching device is mounted on the filtering head and includes a handle and a control shaft provided with a connecting hole. The quick release device includes multiple movable modules mounted in the embedded slots, a push member mounted on the filter bottle, and a snap-fit member mounted on the push member. In assembly, the movable modules are positioned between the push member and the snap-fit member so that the filter bottle is locked on the filtering head.