Water purifier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water purifiers face challenges in efficiently controlling the temperature of cold and hot water streams, often requiring separate tanks that can lead to sanitary issues due to residual water and a larger, less compact design.
Innovation Solution
A water purifier design featuring a main body with integrated cold and hot water tubes, utilizing an induction heater to heat purified water without a separate hot water tank, and a refrigeration device for cooling, allowing for separate discharge of purified, cold, and hot water streams without mixing, thus eliminating the need for storage tanks and enhancing compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If separate hot water tank and cooling device are used, then water temperature control function is improved, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hot water discharge function and cold water discharge function into a single water discharge cock. The cock body integrates multiple discharge ports (hot water port and cold water port) and valve mechanisms in one unified structure, eliminating the need for separate discharge devices. This merging approach maintains the temperature control function while reducing device complexity and size.
2Temperature
If separate hot water tank is used, then hot water supply function is improved, but volume and weight of the device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the separate hot water tank from the system. Instead of storing hot water in a dedicated tank, the system supplies hot water on-demand through the water discharge cock integrated with the filtration system. This extraction approach maintains the hot water supply function while significantly reducing the device volume and weight.
3Temperature
If separate tanks for cold and hot water are used, then water temperature control is improved, but sanitary issues arise due to residual water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the separate hot water storage tank that causes sanitary issues. By removing the tank entirely and implementing on-demand hot water supply through the integrated discharge cock, the system eliminates the residual water problem while maintaining temperature control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The water discharge cock is designed to automatically control the discharge of hot and cold water through integrated valve mechanisms responsive to user input. The system self-regulates the water mixture and discharge without requiring manual intervention or storage, preventing residual water accumulation and associated sanitary issues.
4Ease of operation
If multiple separate discharge devices are used, then water discharge function is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discharge functions into a single water discharge cock that handles both hot and cold water discharge. The integrated design includes unified valve controls and a single discharge mechanism, simplifying the user interface and operation while maintaining the ability to selectively discharge different water temperatures. This reduces the number of separate devices users must interact with, improving ease of operation.
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 efficiently controls the temperature of cold and hot water streams, prevents sanitary issues by avoiding residual water, and achieves a slim-sized body format by integrating discharge ports and eliminating the need for storage tanks.
Implementation Method 1
an induction heater that is configured to induction-heat water
Implementation Method 2
an induction heater that is configured to induction-heat water
Implementation Method 3
a cooling unit that is configured to cool water
Data Source
AI summary
A water purifier that includes: a main body including: a filter unit, a cooling unit, and a heating unit; a first water tube through which water purified by the filter unit or water cooled by the cooling unit passes; a second water tube through which water heated by the heating unit passes; a water discharge unit that protrudes from a portion of the main body; and a water discharge cock (i) that downwardly protrudes from the water discharge unit, (ii) that is coupled to the first water tube and the second water tube, and (iii) that is configured to discharge water purified by the filter unit or water cooled by the cooling unit in a first stream and discharge water heated by the heating unit in a second stream, wherein the first stream is separated from the second stream is disclosed.