DK2479138T3

DK2479138T3 - DEVICE FOR DRAINING A LIQUID

Info

Publication number: DK2479138T3
Application number: DK12150536.6T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Oliver Schmidt
Original assignee: Waterhouse Att Atlas Technique & Trade Gmbh
Priority date: 2011-01-22
Filing date: 2012-01-10
Publication date: 2018-02-05
Also published as: EP2479138B1; PL2479138T3; EP2479138A3; DE202011001837U1; EP2479138A2; ES2657888T3

Description

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a device for tapping a liquid, in particular drinking water, with at least one directional control valve, at least one liquid feed, at least one tapping outlet assigned to the liquid feed and at least one liquid drain assigned to the tapping outlet, wherein the liquid feed, the tapping outlet and the liquid drain each form a valve port, and the valve ports are connected to each other in switchable manner via the directional control valve.

In known devices, the liquid feed is connected to a liquid source, for example a liquid supply network or a liquid reservoir. On the other hand, the liquid flow is connected to a sewer system or an effluent tank. A pumping station is typically associated with the liquid source to transport the liquid from the liquid feed to the tapping outlet. The directional control valve is preferably used in a flushing position to introduce liquid to which has been added an additive, particularly a disinfectant, from the liquid feed directly into the liquid drain via the tapping outlet. In a tapping position, the directional control valve preferably serves to guide a ready-to-use liquid, particularly drinking water, directly to the outside atmosphere from the liquid feed via through the tapping outlet. A species-related apparatus is known from German patent application DE 10 2004 023 968 A1. However, the table water system described in this document is not suitable for use in commercially available sanitary facilities such as washbasins, sinks, bathtubs or shower stalls because installation of this table water system requires a construction space which is not available in commercially available sanitary facilities or is associated with considerable expense.

The object underlying the invention is therefore to disclose a device of the type described in the introduction, which is suitable in particular for use in commercially available sanitary facilites.

This object is solved according to the invention with a device having the features of protective Claim 1. Advantageous refinements of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

The inventive device is characterized in that the directional control valve is equipped with at least one pressure switch which is disposed at the liquid feed and switches the directional control valve depending on the liquid pressure present at the liquid feed. In this way, the liquid to be tapped acts as the working medium for actuating the directional control valve. Actuation of the directional control valve by means of separate control lines can advantageously be dispensed with. To prevent pressures prevailing in an intermediate region from causing the directional control valve to flutter, the upper switching point and the reset point of the directional control valve are located at a distance from each other.

According to a first development of the invention, the tapping outlet has at least one jet nozzle. If the tapping outlet has a plurality of jet nozzles, these together form a jet regulator, which serves to mix the liquid exiting the tapping outlet with the ambient air to form a full-bodied, soft, non-spraying mixed stream. However, it is also conceivable that the tapping outlet forms a jet regulator referred to as an aerator or mixer jet.

According to a further development of the invention, the control member of the directional control valve has an actuating path which extends transversely to the flow cross-section of the tapping outlet. If the actuating path of the control member extends transversely to the flow cross-section of the tapping outlet, relatively large flow cross-sections can be switched by means of extremely small actuating paths. Thus, the device according to the invention has a particularly compact design, which allows it to be accommodated easily in commercially available sanitary facilities. For this accommodation, the device according to the invention is embodied either as an integral part of a tap fitting or as a retrofit kit, which can be added to commercially available tap fittings in the area of their tapping outlets.

According to a particularly preferred development of the invention, it is provided that the tapping outlet is conformed on the control member of the directional control valve, and that the housing of the directional control valve has at least one closing body which cooperates with the tapping outlet. In order to be able to disinfect the directional control valve particularly thoroughly, the housing has a housing opening which encloses the outside of the tapping outlet and a closing body arranged upstream and on the inside of the tapping outlet, wherein the actuating path of the control member is delimited on one side by the boundary surfaces of the housing opening and the other side by the closure surface of the closing body.

According to a particularly practical further development of the invention, the housing has at least one housing part made of a soft elastic material which forms the housing opening. The flexible material provides the ability to form a housing opening, which opens or closes depending on mechanical loads acting on the material. In this way, each jet nozzle which forms the tapping outlet may be moved from the atmosphere into a flushing position in the middle of the flow path connecting the liquid feed to the liquid drain. In the flush position, liquid to which a disinfectant has been added may be introduced from the liquid feed directly into the liquid outlet via the tapping outlet, and all line parts which previously came into contact with the a liquid to be tapped are disinfected. It is particularly preferably provided that each housing opening is in the form of a slot, the adjacent intrados surfaces of which lie flush against each other in the unloaded state. When mechanical load is applied by the jet nozzle, the flexible material of the jet that delimits the slot yields until the nozzle is able to pass through the flexible material as the slot therein opens up.

Of course, instead of forming a slot each passthrough opening may also have the form of any other passthrough which has adjacent, close fitting sealing surfaces in the unloaded state.

According to another further development of the invention, the control member of the directional control valve has an actuating path which extends parallel to the flow cross-section of the tapping outlet. This embodiment is preferably used in drinking water fittings in sanitary facilities which do not require a classic tap fitting in the sense of a conventional faucet. If the actuating path of the control member extends parallel to the flow cross-section of the tapping outlet, this is preferably arranged in a housing wall which has a running surface that bears on the control member. In this case, the actuating path has a length at least corresponding to the diameter of the smallest flow cross-section formed on the control member.

In order to arrange the upper switching point and the reset point of the directional control valve at a distance from each other by means of a hystaeresis, it is suggested that the pressure switch has at least one bistable return spring which acts on the control member of the directional control valve. This advantageously prevents the formation of unstable switching states.

To prevent disinfectant from escaping into the atmosphere from the tapping outlet due to inadvertent switching of the directional control valve, according to another further development of the invention at least one pressure limiter which can be arranged in the liquid feed is assigned to the pressure switch. This pressure limiter serves to adjust fluid pressures in the liquid feed which are below the switching point of the directional control valve at which disinfecting operations can be carried out. The pressure limiter is preferably coupled to the performance of a flushing operation which terminates the disinfection via a separate safety circuit.

In order to disinfect the device according to the invention, according to another further development of the present invention the liquid feed may be connected to a disinfectant feed via at least a shutoff valve. In this case, it is not important for the purposes of the invention if the line parts connecting the liquid feed and the disinfectant feed to each other are part of the inventive device or not. The disinfectant feed described within the scope of this invention explicitly represents a preferred further development, which is however essential in order for the device according to demonstrate its advantages.

Embodiments from which further inventive features may be deduced are represented in the drawings. In the drawing:

Fig. 1a shows a perspective sectional view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention with the control member in the flush position;

Fig. 1b shows a perspective sectional view according to Fig. 1a with the control member in the tapping position;

Fig. 2a shows a perspective sectional view of a second embodiment of the device with the control member in the flush position;

Fig. 2b shows a perspective sectional view according to Fig. 2a with the control member in the tapping position;

Fig. 3a shows a perspective sectional view of a third embodiment of the device with the control member in the flush position;

Fig. 3b shows a perspective sectional view according to Fig. 3a with the control member in the tapping position;

Fig. 4a shows a perspective sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the device with the control member in the flush position; and

Fig. 4b shows a perspective sectional view according to Fig. 4a with the control member in the tapping position;

Fig. 5a shows a perspective sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the device with the control member in the flush position;

Fig. 5b shows a perspective sectional view according to Fig. 5a with the control member in the tapping position.

Fig. 1a shows a perspective sectional view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention for tapping a liquid. For this purpose, the device has a liquid feed 1, a tapping outlet 2 assigned to liquid feed 1, a liquid drain 3 assigned to tapping outlet 2, and a directional control valve 4 via which the liquid feed 1, the tapping outlet 2 and the liquid drain 3 are connected to each other. Directional control valve 4 has a pressure switch 5 which is arranged on liquid feed 1. Tapping outlet 2 is composed of a plurality of individual jet nozzles 6, which are constructed on control member 7 of directional control valve 4. Control member 7 has an actuating path extending transversely to the flow cross-section of tapping outlet 2, wherein housing 8 of directional control valve 4 has the running surfaces 9 which form the actuating path of control member 7. On one side, housing 8 of directional control valve 4 has a housing opening which surrounds the outside of jet nozzles 6 in contactless manner and on the other side closing bodies 11 arranged upstream and on the inside of the jet nozzles 6. Pressure switch 5 has a return spring 12 arranged between housing 8 and control member 7 of directional control valve 4, which spring counteracts a liquid pressure which is present at liquid feed 1. In addition, control member 7 has a throughflow opening 13 which cooperates with liquid drain 3, and housing 8 has a sealing surface 14 which cooperates with throughflow opening 13. The actuating path of control member 7 is delimited on the one hand by housing opening 10 and the other by the sealing surfaces 15 of closure bodies 11. In the illustrated flushing position, control member 7 opens the path to liquid drain 3, so that a liquid to which disinfectant has been added may be introduced from liquid feed 1 into the liquid drain 3 via pressure switch 5. In this process, tapping outlet 2 of control member 7 is closed off by the closure bodies 11 of housing 8.

Fig. 1b shows a perspective sectional view of the device according to Fig. 1a. This sectional view shows control member 7 in its tapping position, in which a ready-to-use liquid may be conducted in the atmosphere from liquid feed 1 via pressure switch 5 and jet nozzles 6. Throughflow opening 13 of control member 7 is in this case closed by the sealing surface 14 of housing 8. The same components are referenced with the same numerals.

Fig. 2a shows a perspective sectional view of a second embodiment of the device, in which tapping outlet 2 is assembled from a plurality of individual jet nozzles 16, the jet nozzles 16 are arranged on a control member 17 of directional control valve 4, and a plurality of housing openings 18 cooperating with the jet nozzles 16 are conformed on the housing 8 of directional control valve 4. For this purpose, housing 8 has a housing part 19 made of a soft elastic material which supports housing openings 18. In the illustrated flush position, the tapping outlet 2 formed by jet nozzles 16 is located in the middle of the flow path inside housing 8 which connects liquid feed 1 with liquid drain 3. Housing openings 18 are designed as slots, and in the illustrated unloaded state the intrados surfaces thereof bear on each other. Thus, in the flush position a liquid with added disinfectant may be displaced from the liquid feed directly into liquid drain 3 via pressure switch 5 and the jet nozzles 16 which form tapping outlet 2. Components with equivalent function are referenced with the same numerals.

Fig. 2b shows a perspective sectional view of the device according to Fig. 2a with control member 17 in the tapping position. The jet nozzles 16 formed on control member 17 are elongated in the manner of pins, so that in the illustrated tapping position housing part 19 is penetrated by the pin-like jet nozzles 16 causing the housing openings 18 thereof to open elastically. In this way, a ready-to-use liquid may be passed from liquid feed 1 into the atmosphere via pressure switch 5 and the pin-like jet nozzles 16. Components with equivalent function are referenced with the same numerals.

Fig. 3a shows a perspective sectional view of a third embodiment of the device in which a plurality of housing openings 20 cooperating with jet nozzles 16 are formed on housing 8 of directional control valve 4. For this purpose, housing 8 is furnished with a housing part 21, also made from a soft elastic material, which supports housing slots 20. In the illustrated flush position, the tapping outlet 2 formed by jet nozzles 16 is located in the middle of the flow path inside housing 8 which connects liquid feed 1 with liquid drain 3. Housing openings 20 are designed as passthroughs, which in the unloaded state have sealing surfaces that lie flush against each other. Thus, in the flush position a liquid with added disinfectant may also be displaced from the liquid feed directly into liquid drain 3 via pressure switch 5 and the jet nozzles 16 which form tapping outlet 2. Components with equivalent function are referenced with the same numerals.

Fig. 3b shows a perspective sectional view of the device according to Fig. 3a with control member 17 in the tapping position. In the tapping position, housing part 21 is also penetrated by the jet nozzles 16 of control member 17, causing the housing openings 20 thereof to open elastically. Thus in this example too, a ready-to-use liquid may be passed from liquid feed 1 into the atmosphere via pressure switch 5 and the pin-like jet nozzles 16. In this case as well, components with equivalent function are referenced with the same numerals.

Fig. 4a shows a perspective sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the device for tapping a liquid. For this purpose, the device has a liquid feed 22, a tapping outlet 23 associated with liquid feed 22, a liquid drain 24 associated with tapping outlet 23, and a directional control valve 25 via which the liquid feed 22, the tapping outlet 23 and the liquid drain 24 are connected to each other. Directional control valve 25 has a pressure switch 26, which is arranged on the liquid feed 22. Control member 27 of directional control valve 25 has an actuating path which extends parallel to the flow cross-section of tapping outlet 23, wherein housing 28 of directional control valve 25 includes running surfaces 29 which form the actuating path of control member 27. Tapping outlet 23 is formed on the control member 27 of directional control valve 25. Housing 28 of the directional control valve has a housing opening 30 which surrounds tapping outlet 23 in contactless manner. Pressure switch 26 has a return spring 31 which is arranged between housing 28 and control member 27 of directional control valve 25, which spring counteracts a liquid pressure which is present at liquid feed 22. In addition, control member 27 has a sealing surface 32 which cooperates with liquid drain 24. On the other hand, housing 28 has a sealing surface 33 which cooperates with the tapping drain 23. The actuating path of control member 27 is delimited by the stop surfaces 34, 35 formed on housing 28.

In the illustrated tapping position, sealing surface 33 of control member 27 opens the path to tapping outlet 23, so that a ready-to-use liquid may be passed from liquid feed 22 through tapping outlet 23 via pressure switch 26 and into the atmosphere. In this case, the liquid drain 24 is closed by the sealing surface 32 of control member 27.

Fig. 4b shows a perspective sectional view of the device according to Fig. 4a. This sectional view shows control member 27 in the flush position thereof, in which sealing surface 32 of control member 27 opens the path to liquid drain 24 so that a liquid to which a disinfectant has been added may be introduced directly into liquid drain 24 from liquid feed 22 via pressure switch 26. In this case, tapping outlet 23 is closed by the sealing surface 33 of control member 27. The same components are referenced with the same numerals.

Fig. 5a shows a perspective sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the device, in which tapping outlet 2 has a single jet nozzle 36 which is formed on the control member 37 of a directional control valve 38. In this case too, control member 37 has an actuating path which extends transversely to the flow cross-section of tapping outlet 2, wherein housing 39 of directional control valve 38 includes running surfaces 40 which form the actuating path of control member 37. Housing 39 of directional control valve 38 has a housing opening 41 which surrounds jet nozzle 36 on the one hand, and on the other hand a closing body 42 arranged upstream and on the inside of jet nozzle 36. Directional control valve 38 has a pressure switch 43 which is also arranged on liquid feed 1. In addition, housing 39 has an inner housing part 44 , wherein pressure switch 43 is equipped with a return spring 45 arranged between inner housing part 44 and control member 37, which spring counteracts a liquid pressure which is present at liquid feed 1. Housing part 44 supports a jet regulator 46 arranged between tapping outlet 2 and liquid feed 1. Inner housing part 44 and closing body 42 are connected to each other via a perforated rim 47. Control member 37 has a throughflow opening 48 which cooperates with liquid drain 3, and housing 39 has a sealing surface 49 which cooperates with throughflow opening 48. In the illustrated flush position, a liquid to which disinfectant has been added may be introduced from liquid feed 1 into the liquid drain 3 via pressure switch 43, jet regulator 46 and perforated rim 47. In this case, jet nozzle 36 of tapping outlet 2 is closed by the closing body 42 of housing 39.

Fig. 5b shows a perspective sectional view of the device according to Fig. 5a. This sectional view shows the control member in its tapping position, in which the control member 37 opens the path to tapping outlet 2 releases so that a ready-to-use liquid may be displaced from liquid feed 1 into the atmosphere via pressure switch 43, jet regulator 46, perforated rim 47 and jet nozzle 36. In this case, flowthrough opening 48 in control member 37 is closed by the sealing surface 49 of housing 39. The same components are referenced with the same numerals.

Claims

Device for draining a liquid, especially drinking water, with at least one directional valve, at least one liquid feed stream, at least one drain outlet associated with the liquid feed stream, and at least one liquid drain assigned to the drain outlet, which liquid feed stream, drain outlet and liquid outlet a valve port and said valve ports are interchangeable via the directional valve, characterized in that said directional valve (4, 25, 38) is provided with at least one pressure switch (5, 26, 43) arranged at the liquid feed stream (1, 22) and the directional valve (4, 25, 38) change depending on the liquid pressure present at the liquid feed stream (1).

The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tapping outlet (2, 23) has at least one jet nozzle (6,16, 36).

Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control element (7, 17, 37) of the directional valve (4, 25, 38) has an activation path extending across the flow cross-section of the drain outlet (2, 23). .

Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drain outlet (2, 23) is adapted to the control element (7, 17, 37) of the directional valve (4, 25, 38) and that the housing ( 8, 28, 39) of the directional valve (4, 25, 38) have at least one closing member (11, 42) which cooperates with the drain outlet (2, 23).

The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the housing (8, 28) has at least one housing part (19, 21) made of a soft elastic material which forms the opening (18, 20) for the housing.

The device according to claim 5, characterized in that each opening (18) in the housing is in the form of a slot whose adjacent intrados surfaces lie close to each other in the load-free state.

Device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that each opening (20) in the housing is in the form of a passage which has sealing surfaces which are close to one another in the load-free state.

Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control element (27) of the directional valve (25) has a setting direction extending parallel to the flow cross-section of the drain outlet (23).

Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the pressure switch (5, 26, 43) has at least one bistable return spring (12, 31, 45) acting on the control element (7, 17, 27). 37) of the directional valve (4, 25, 38).

Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the pressure switch (5, 26, 43) is provided for at least one pressure limiter which can be arranged in the liquid feed stream (1,22).

Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the liquid feed stream (1, 22) is connected to a disinfection feed stream via at least one closing valve.