DK2778298T3 - Installations for connecting sanitary fittings - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a connector system for connecting sanitary fittings to wall-side installation lines. The invention relates specifically to a sanitary fitting connector system having an S-pipe connector piece which has a centre portion and two connector stubs which adjoin the centre portion on both sides with parallel longitudinal axes which are offset with respect to one another, and of which a wall connector stub has a wall connector contour for attaching to a wall-side installation line and a fitting connector stub has a fitting connector contour for attaching to a sanitary fitting which has a connector contour of a first connecting type which fits with respect to the fitting connector contour of the fitting connector stub.

Connector systems of this type are used, for example, for the wall-side installation of mixer taps for shower and bathtub systems. The S-pipe connector piece, also called S-connector for short, serves by way of its S-shape to be able to compensate for certain installation tolerances. Its wall connector contour is usually a thread and, during screwing of the S-connector to the wall-side installation line by way of its wall connector stub, that is to say its wall-side connector stub, its fitting connector stub, that is to say its fitting-side connector stub, describes a circular line, by way of which a height offset and a transverse offset of the installation line can be compensated for to a corresponding extent during the subsequent attachment of the associated sanitary fitting. A conventional sanitary fitting with a connector contour of a screw connection type is mounted on the S-pipe connector piece by virtue of the fact that it is fastened with its connector contour to the fitting connector contour of the fitting connector stub, which fitting connector contour is configured as a thread. This connector contour can be, in particular, a union nut with an internal thread which is screwed onto an external thread of the fitting connector stub.

As an alternative to these sanitary fittings with a screw connection connector contour, sanitary fittings having a connector contour of a plug-in connection type have also already been proposed. These sanitary fittings are mounted on an S-connector which has been pre-installed on the wall side, by virtue of the fact that they are plugged onto its fitting connector stub which is provided in this case with a plug-in connection contour and are fixed or secured against release in this plugged-in position in a suitable way. Accordingly, a modified S-pipe connector piece is conventionally used for this plug-in connection type of sanitary fittings, the fitting connector stub of which S-pipe connector piece does not have a thread, but rather has a plug-in connection contour which fits as mating connector contour with respect to the plug-in connection connector contour of the sanitary fitting. The fixing of the plug-in connection takes place, for example, by way of a radially or transversely arranged fastening screw.

Sanitary fittings of this plug-in connection type and associated connector systems are disclosed, for example, in Patent Document DE 41 02 048 C2. As a rule, these systems are used for mounting sanitary fittings which are covered by a housing which reaches as far as the wall, or in which the fitting housing itself is configured in such a way that it is suitable for bearing against the wall. In contrast, the sanitary fittings with a connection contour of the screw connection type are usually used for systems in which the sanitary fitting protrudes to a relatively far extent from the wall and the wall opening with the S-connector is covered only by a collar and not by a fitting housing overall.

Patent Document EP 0 757 133 B1 discloses a connector system for a sanitary fitting with a connector contour of the plug-in connection type, which connector system comprises an S-connector, in which both connector stubs are provided with an external thread. In the installed state, a guide and holding nut is screwed onto the external thread of the fitting-side connector stub, which guide and holding nut has, on its outer side, a bearing face which tapers conically towards the wall for a radial fastening screw which is provided on the sanitary fitting. A connecting sleeve is held in an axially movable manner in the fitting-side connector stub, which connecting sleeve, when the sanitary fitting is mounted, engages on the other side into a cylindrical guide on the fitting housing. By way of the axially movable connecting sleeve, it is to be possible to compensate for any angular faulty position of the wall-side installation line and therefore of the S-connector which is screwed to it. For mounting, the sanitary fitting is plugged with its housing as far as the wall onto the respective S-connector or the connecting sleeve which protrudes from the latter, and is then secured in this position by way of the radial fastening screw. Since the fitting-side connector stub of the S-connector is designed to receive the connecting sleeve and, to this end, has an internal diameter which is greater than the wall-side connector stub and the connecting sleeve, this connector system cannot be used without the connecting sleeve and can therefore also not be used for sanitary fittings which do not have a corresponding guide for the axially movable connecting sleeve.

The laid-open publication DE 2 014 057 discloses a connection of a two-hole mixing faucet having wall connectors, wherein said connection includes connector stubs which reach into bores of the wall connectors, are screwed into a battery housing of the mixing faucet, and comprise a sealing pack behind a flange-type collar provided on a free end thereof, said pack fitting into the bore of the respective wall connector and being held between pressure rings each composed of at least two annular sectors, and a screwable clamping sleeve to be tightened against said rings. The clamping sleeve intermeshes, in an axially displaceable manner, with a driver ring overlapping the wall connector on the exterior and being accessible for a tightening tool. This connecting system allows compensating of different lengths of wall connectors protruding from a respective wall.

Patent document US 6.175.972 B1 discloses an installation kit for a sanitary fitting, which kit is intended to permit connecting of a sanitary fitting that is provided with a screw connector selectively to different connector types of wall-sided installation lines, for example, to screw connectors of different diameters, or to a non-threaded wall line connector, and the kit includes convenient adapter pieces therefor.

The laid-open publication GB 2 480 508 A discloses a pipework which has a connector end configured such that another line can selectively be attached thereto by screwing or by plug-in connection. For that purpose, the connector end is provided with an external thread for direct screwing on of the other line and provided with an internal thread to allow one end of an adapter piece to be screwed therein, wherein the remaining part of the adapter piece is configured as a plug-on sleeve for sliding the other line thereon.

The invention is based on the technical problem of providing a connector system of the type mentioned at the outset which can be realized with low outlay and which can be used in a flexible manner for sanitary fittings of different connector or connection types.

The invention solves this problem by way of the provision of a connector system having the features of Claim 1. In this connector system, the S-pipe connector piece is configured with its two connector stubs in such a way that it is suitable firstly with its wall connector contour for connection to a wall-side installation line and secondly with its fitting connector contour in the form of a thread directly for connecting a sanitary fitting of a screw connector type as a first connector type. In addition, the connector system comprises an adapter piece with an adapter connector contour for attaching to the fitting connector contour of the fitting-side connector stub of the S-pipe connector piece and with a mating connector contour for attaching a sanitary fitting which has a corresponding connector contour of a plug-in connector type as a second connector type which is different from the first type.

The connector system is therefore suitable in a simple way for connecting sanitary fittings of two different connecting types, for which purpose optionally the adapter piece is attached to the fitting connector stub of the S-pipe connector piece or not. It is possible here by way of the connector system to replace a sanitary fitting of the type with a screw connection connector contour with one of the type with a plug-in connection connector contour, without it being necessary to this end for the S-pipe connector piece to be screwed out of the wall-side installation line and replaced by another S-pipe connector piece. Rather, the S-pipe connector piece can remain in the installation line, and only the adapter piece, with its adapter connector contour which is configured as a thread in this case, has to be screwed to the fitting connector contour of the S-pipe connector piece, which fitting connector contour is configured as a thread in this case. Then the sanitary fitting with a plug-in connecting connector contour can be fixed on the adapter piece, specifically on its matching plug-in connection mating connector contour.

In one development of the invention, the wall connector contour of the wall connector stub can be, in particular, a thread or a plug-in connecting contour.

In one development of the invention, the adapter piece is an adapter sleeve, the adapter connector contour of which is formed on its sleeve inner side and the mating connector contour of which is formed on its sleeve circumferential face. In one refinement of this structurally advantageous realization of the adapter piece, the sleeve circumferential face has a fastening region in the form of a bearing face for a fastening screw which is provided on the corresponding sanitary fitting connector contour. The plug-in connection of the sanitary fitting can be secured or fixed on the adapter piece by way of the fastening screw. In a further refinement of this measure, the fastening region is formed by a conical portion of the sleeve circumferential face, the diameter of which increases towards the fitting side. This secures the fastening of the sanitary fitting to the adapter piece and therefore to the S-pipe connector piece in a structurally advantageous way against unintentional release and holds the fitting or housing thereof securely and without play, for example in contact with the wall without play.

In one refinement of the invention, the circumferential face of the adapter sleeve has an annular sealing groove. A sealing function for the outer side of the adapter sleeve is therefore provided by way of the insertion of a corresponding seal. In a further refinement, the sleeve circumferential face has a greater external diameter adjacently to the annular sealing groove than in the fastening region for the fitting-side fastening screw. The seal function therefore lies radially outside the fastening region, with the result that it can be kept uninfluenced by the fastening region.

In one refinement of the invention, the annular sealing groove is at a smaller spacing from a fitting-side end side of the adapter sleeve than the fastening region for the fastening screw of the sanitary fitting, that is to say the fastening region is protected against water penetrating by way of the seal region which lies in front of the fitting in the direction thereof on the outer side of the adapter sleeve.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and will be described in the following text. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a mixer tap with a plug-in connection connector contour which is connected via a connector system according to the invention to wall-side installation lines,

Fig. 2 shows a side view of an adapter sleeve which is used in the connector system from Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the adapter sleeve from Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view along the line IV-IV from Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 shows a sectional view along the line V-V from Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 shows a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 1 for a mixer tap with a screw connection connector contour, which mixer tap is connected to wall-side installation lines by way of S-connectors as in the connector system from Fig. 1. A mixer tap 1 which is shown in Fig. 1 is of a type with a plug-in connection connector contour and has a construction which is known per se and which, as a result, does not need to be described in greater detail here. It can be used, for example, for a shower system or bathtub system and comprises, in a housing 2, two user-actuatable control valves 3, 4, such as a mixer valve and a quantity regulating valve, in order to guide supplied cold water and warm water controlla-bly into a mixing chamber and to feed it from there to an outlet which leads, for example, to a shower head or a bathtub inlet. Fig. 1 shows the mixer tap 1 in its mounted state, in which it bears with its housing 2 against a building-side wall 5 and in the process covers two wall openings 6, 7. The connector ends of in each case one wall-side installation line 8, 9 for feeding cold water and warm water, respectively, are situated in the two wall openings 6, 7.

The mixer tap 1 is connected to the two installation lines 8, 9 via a connector system according to the invention which comprises in each case one S-pipe connector piece 10, 11 for the connection to each of the two installation lines 8, 9. The two S-pipe connector pieces 10, 11 are structurally identical of a known design with a centre portion 12 which is angled in an S-shape and is adjoined on one side by a wall-side connector stub 13 and on the other side by a fitting-side connector stub 14. The wall connector stub 13 has a longitudinal centre axis 13a which is parallel to a longitudinal centre axis 14a of the fitting connector stub 14 and offset laterally with respect thereto, as results from the S-shaped angled portion of the centre portion 12. The wall-side connector stub 13 has a wall connector contour 13b in the form of an external thread, with which it is screwed in a fluid-tight manner into the free end of the respective wall-side installation line 8, 9, for which purpose the said installation line 8, 9 has a corresponding internal thread. The view of Fig. 1 shows the left-hand installation line 8 including associated S-connector 10 in a longitudinal centre section, in order for it to be possible to see the stated details in an improved manner, whereas the right-hand installation line 9 including the screwed-in S-connector 11 is shown in a non-sectioned illustration.

For the respective S-connector 10, 11, the connector system according to the invention has an adapter piece 15 which is configured as an adapter sleeve in the example which is shown here and is shown separately in Figs 2 and 3 in a side view and a longitudinal sectional view, respectively. The adapter sleeve 15 has, as adapter connector contour, an internal thread 16, by way of which it can be screwed onto a fitting connector contour, realized as an external thread, of the fitting-side connector stub 14 of the S-pipe connector piece 10,11. On its circumferential outer face, the adapter sleeve 15 is provided with an annular sealing groove 17, into which a sealing O-ring can be inserted. As viewed from a fitting-side end 18 which, in the mounted state of Fig. 1, faces the sanitary fitting 1 and faces away from the wall 5, the adapter sleeve 15 has a fastening region behind the annular sealing groove 17 in the form of a bearing face 19 which is formed by a circumferential face section which runs slightly conically in the axial direction. Specifically, the sleeve external diameter decreases in this conical fastening region 19 in the direction away from the annular sealing groove 17, that is to say in the direction of a wall-side end 20 of the adapter sleeve 15. Here, adjoining the annular sealing groove 17, the sleeve circumferential face has a greater external diameter than in the fastening region 19. This brings about an advantageous sealing function for the adapter sleeve 15.

The mixer tap 1 has in each case one cylindrical receptacle 21,22 for receiving the associated fitting connector stub 14 of the relevant S-connector 10,11, which fitting connector stub 14 is provided with the screwed-on adapter sleeve 15. For mounting, after the two S-connectors 10, 11 have previously been screwed with their wall-side connector stub 13 into the associated, wall-side installation line 8, 9, the mixer tap 1 is placed with its housing 2 until in contact with the wall 5 and in the process is plugged onto the fitting connector stubs 14 of the S-connectors 10,11, which fitting connector stubs 14 are provided with the screwed-on adapter sleeves 15, with the result that the fitting connector stubs 14 with the adapter sleeve 15 which surrounds them in each case are received in the respectively associated, cylindrical receptacle 21,22 of the mixer tap 1. This plug-in connection of the mixer tap 1 to the two S-connectors 10, 11 is then secured by in each case one associated fastening screw 23, 24 being screwed in, which fastening screws 23, 24 can be seen in the sectional views of Figs 4 and 5, in which the installation lines 8, 9 are omitted for the sake of simplicity.

As can be seen from Figs 4 and 5, the respective fastening screw 23, 24 is arranged radially, that is to say transversely with respect to the longitudinal centre axis 25 of the adapter sleeve 15 and therefore also of the fitting connector stub 14 of the S-connectors 10, 11 which supports it, and presses against the conical fastening region 19 of the adapter sleeve 15. As a result, the mixer tap 1 is fixed securely and without play on the two fitting connector stubs 14, received in a plugged manner, of the S-connectors 10, 11 and is secured against release or pulling off from the S-connectors 10, 11 and therefore from the wall 5. Since the fastening region 19 and the respective radial fastening screw 23, 24 are situated axially behind the annular sealing groove region 17, that is to say in the direction towards the wall 5, they remain free of penetrating water. By way of its outer contour, the adapter sleeve 15 therefore provides a mating connector contour which fits with respect to the plug-in connection connector contour of the mixer tap 1 which is formed by the respective cylindrical receptacle 21,22.

The connector system according to the invention permits not only the connection of sanitary fittings with a plug-in connection connector contour, as shown in Figs 1 to 5, but also the connection of sanitary fittings of the conventional type with a screw connection connector contour. One example for this is shown in Fig. 6 in a sectional view in accordance with Fig. 1. In this example, the sanitary fitting is a conventional, rod-shaped mixer tap 26 with analogue, user-actuatable control valves 3, 4 as in the example of Fig. 1. With the use of the two identical S-pipe connector pieces 10, 11, as in the example of Fig. 1, the mixer tap 26 can be connected to the two wall-side installation lines 8, 9 in the wall openings 6, 7, for which purpose the two S-connectors 10, 11 are screwed in the same way with their wall connector stub 13 into the associated installation line 8, 9.

For the mixer tap 26 in Fig. 6, the external thread of the fitting-side connector stub 14 of the respective S-connector 10,11 acts directly as mating connector contour, with which in each case one associated connector contour of the screw connection type interacts which is provided on the mixer tap 26 and, in the example which is shown, is formed by a union nut 27 which is provided with an internal thread. For mounting on the S-connectors 10, 11 which have previously been screwed into the installation lines 8, 9, the mixer tap 26 is placed with its projections, which support the union nuts 27, onto the ends of the fitting connector stubs 14 of the S-connectors 10, 11, and the two union nuts 27 are then screwed onto the fitting connector stubs 14 of the S-connectors 10,11. During the mounting of this mixer tap 26 with the screw connection connector contour, the adapter sleeve 15 remains unutilized. The mixer tap 26 does not have a housing which bears against a wall 5 and covers the wall openings 6, 7. Instead, the wall openings 6, 7 are covered by customary covering collars 28, 29.

It goes without saying that the S-connectors 10, 11 fulfil their customary function in all applications with and without an adapter piece, of ensuring installation tolerance compensation parallel to the plane of the building-side wall 5 depending on the rotational position, that is to say in the vertical and lateral directions, by the fitting connector stub 14 as it were describing a circular line in this plane during screwing of the S-connector 10, 11 into the installation line 8, 9.

As the exemplary embodiments which are shown and described above make clear, sanitary fittings both of the plug-in connection type and of the screw connection type can be connected to wall-side installation lines by way of the connector system according to the invention, without different S-connectors being required for this purpose. Sanitary fittings of the screw connection type can be attached in a customary way directly, for example by way of union nuts, to the S-connectors which are provided with suitable threads. For mounting sanitary fittings of the plug-in connection type, the same S-connectors are used, the fitting connector stub thereof being provided additionally merely with the adapter piece which has the matching mating connector contour for the plug-in connection connector contour of the sanitary fitting. Only one additional component in the form of the adapter piece is therefore required for a change between the two sanitary fitting types. During a fitting change, the S-connector, which is screwed into the wall-side installation line, does not need to be unscrewed, but rather can remain therein. Merely the adapter piece then has to be attached or removed.

It goes without saying that, in addition to the examples which are shown, the invention comprises further alternative embodiments with different connector contours in the same way. For example, the wall connector contour of the S-pipe connector piece can be a plug-in connection contour, by way of which the S-pipe connector piece is plugged onto a wall-side installation line. The adapter piece has in each case the adapter connector contour which fits with respect to the fitting connector contour of the S-pipe connector piece, the fitting connector contour of the S-pipe connector piece corresponding with the first sanitary fitting connection type. Here, the adapter piece can be realized as a sleeve or, as an alternative, as a component of a different shape, on which the said connector contour is formed.

Claims (8)

A connection system for connecting different types of sanitary fittings to a wall installation piping, comprising: - an S-pipe connection piece (10,11) with a center section (12) and two connection sockets, as with parallel, longitudinally displaced axes. (13a, 14a) are connected at the center section, of which a wall connection nozzle (13) has a wall connection contour for placement on a wall pipe installation (8, 9) and a luminaire connection nozzle (14) has a luminaire connection contour in the form a thread for mounting a first sanitary fixture (26) having a fitting contour of the fixture connection stud of the screw connection type (27) as a first connection type, and - an adapter piece (15) having an adapter piece contour (16) for mounting at the luminaire connection contour of the luminaire connector (14) and a counter-connection contour for mounting the a second sanitary fixture (1) having an appropriate connection contour of the connector type which differs, as a second connection type, from the first connection type. Connection system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the wall connection contour of the wall connection connector has a thread or plug connection contour. Connection system according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the adapter piece (15) is an adapter sleeve, whose adapter connection contour (16) is formed at the inside of the adapter sleeve and whose counter-connector contour is formed by the adapter sleeve. hylsekappeflade. Connection system according to claim 3, further characterized in that the sleeve-socket surface has a fastening region (19) which is formed as a contact surface for a fastening screw (23, 24) provided by a corresponding sanitary luminaire contour. Connection system according to claim 4, further characterized in that the fastening area (19) is constituted by a conical section of the sleeve cap surface, the diameter of the conical section increasing towards the luminaire side. Connection system according to claims 3 to 5, further characterized in that the sleeve cap surface has a sealing ring groove (17). Connection system according to claim 6, further characterized in that the sleeve cap surface, which adjoins the sealing ring groove (17), has a larger outer diameter here than in the attachment area. Connection system according to claim 6 or 7, further characterized in that the sealing ring groove (17) has a smaller distance from the end of the fitting sleeve at the armature side than the fastening region (19).