EP3736388B1 - Filling valve with contamination protection - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a filling valve for a cistern according to the preamble of claim 1 and a cistern with such a filling valve.

The use of filling valves in cisterns is well known and common in the prior art. A generic cistern has a cistern housing that is suitable for storing flushing water. The cistern housing has a connection opening and a drain opening. A connection piece to which a filling valve is connected is usually provided in the connection opening, or the filling valve is arranged directly in the connection opening. The drain valve is designed to close the drain opening and can be actuated via a separate actuating element, for example a flush button. As intended, a drain pipe is connected to the drain opening, via which flushing water can be fed to a toilet body for flushing the toilet. The cistern is supplied with flushing water via the connection opening using the filling valve. For this purpose, a generic filling valve has an access that is suitable for connecting to a water pipe, the connection preferably being carried out by means of the connecting piece. The access can be designed in a manner known in the art, for example the access can have an external thread or an internal thread or others Clamping devices known from the prior art. A generic filling valve further has a channel which connects the access of the filling valve to an outlet opening of the filling valve. The channel thus forms the access with its first channel end and the exit opening with its second channel end. In the case of generic filling valves, a valve is usually arranged in the channel and can be actuated via a float. As intended, the valve closes the channel in a closed position and prevents water from getting from the access to the outlet opening in the closed position. In the open position, the valve allows water entering the fill valve via the access to be discharged in the form of a water jet at the outlet opening of the fill valve. Generic filling valves should have various properties. On the one hand, they should be as compact as possible so that they take up as little space as possible in a cistern. On the other hand, the most reliable functioning of the valve should be ensured in the simplest possible way. In addition, the filling valve should be suitable for enabling the quietest possible filling of a cistern with flushing water. In the case of generic valves, this is achieved in that a dip tube is arranged at the outlet opening of the filling valve, which extends downwards from the outlet opening along a vertical direction and which, with its dip tube wall, encloses a clear cross section which runs perpendicular to the vertical direction, perpendicular to the vertical direction . The immersion pipe thus makes it possible for water not to free fall downwards at a high height before it hits a wall of the cistern housing or the water level in the cistern housing, but rather the immersion pipe guides the flushing water over the extension of the immersion pipe starting from the exit opening of the channel up to the vertical lower end of the immersion pipe into the cistern. In addition, it is known in the prior art to provide a flow regulator in the filling valve, ie in the channel of the filling valve, to minimize noise, which ensures that, regardless of the water pressure applied to the access, there is always a uniform flow rate of water per unit of time through the channel flows. This is intended in particular to prevent unpleasant background noises, which can arise when the flow rate is particularly high over time, and technically problematic flow speeds.

The basic principle of generic filling valves is well known in the prior art, and various efforts have been made in the prior art to realize filling valves that are as compact as possible and which function in the manner described above. As an example, please refer to the documents at this point to explain the functionality of known generic filling valves EP 1 862 604 A2 , EP 2 871 294 A1 , EP 3 204 561 B1 and DE 20 2011 109 017 U1 pointed out. These documents give examples of various options for implementing filling valves with a valve that can be actuated via a float, which is designed to be as compact as possible, functions as reliably as possible and works as quietly as possible. However, recent studies have shown that the filling valves known in the prior art all have the disadvantage that these filling valves protect the water pipe, which is connected to the access to the filling valve, against contamination by impurities in the flushing water arranged in the cistern can be included, can only be inadequately guaranteed. This is because the requirement placed on generic filling valves is that these filling valves must be as compact as possible, but at the same time as quiet and robust as possible have to function, requires the dip tube typically provided in generic filling valves, which connects the outlet opening of the channel and thus the channel with the flushing water that is arranged in the cistern. The immersion pipe, with its intended purpose of minimizing noise, namely to enable a closed flow of water starting from the access of the filling valve to the water surface of the water arranged in the cistern, represents a particular source of risk. This connection can result in water in the flushing water the cistern is arranged, existing contaminants reach the access to the filling valve and via this to the water pipe connected to the access, especially when suction effects occur, for example due to pressure fluctuations in the water pipe. Since a cistern and thus also the filling valve of the cistern is generally connected to a drinking water pipe to supply the cistern with flushing water, such contamination of the water pipe with impurities must be urgently avoided. While in the past it was assumed that there were no highly harmful contaminants in the flushing water arranged in a cistern, the latest findings have shown that such contaminants are definitely to be expected, in particular contaminants based on faeces that are inevitably present in the toilet body . The problem in the prior art is that although the known designs of generic filling valves enable a compact, robust and noise-reducing property of the filling valve, enabling this property entails hygienic disadvantages. To eliminate this hygienic disadvantage, the only solution known in the prior art is to design the filling valve with a large volume and with a complicated water flow or to do without the dip tube, which, however, results in a lot of noise during filling a cistern and with a more complicated structure of the filling valve, in particular due to the required guidance of the float of the filling valve. In the document EP 0 084 082 A2 a filling valve is disclosed in which a suction opening is provided between the dip tube and the outlet opening of the channel of the valve.

The present invention is based on the object of providing a filling valve and in particular a cistern with a filling valve, with which at least one of the disadvantages of known filling valves, in particular known cisterns, can be at least partially eliminated.

As a solution to the described problem on which the invention is based, the invention proposes a filling valve with the features of claim 1. The filling valve according to the invention has a channel which has an access at its first channel end for connecting to a water pipe and which has an outlet opening at its second channel end for emitting a water jet. The filling valve according to the invention is therefore suitable for being connected to a water pipe via its access, with a jet of water being emitted through the outlet opening, which is formed from the water that has flowed into the access of the filling valve. A valve which can be actuated by means of a float and which functions in a known manner is arranged in the channel of the filling valve, with reference being made to the above-mentioned documents as an example to explain the generally known functioning of the valve EP 1 862 604 A2 , EP 2 871 294 A1 , EP 3 204 561 B1 and DE 20 2011 109 017 U1 , the disclosure content of which is included in the present application in this regard. At the outlet opening of the filling valve, which is formed by the channel of the filling valve, a dip tube is arranged, which extends away from the outlet opening along a vertical direction and has a dip tube wall clear cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction. The cross section is therefore perpendicular to the Vertical direction, and the dip tube wall revolves around the cross section with a direction of rotation perpendicular to the vertical direction. The filling valve according to the invention can have further features that are explained above in connection with generic filling valves. Particularly preferably, the dip tube extends vertically downwards starting from the outlet opening, and particularly preferably the dip tube is connected directly or indirectly to the channel. The immersion tube can preferably be designed as a tube which has the same cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction over its vertical extent. However, it is also conceivable that the dip tube has different diameters at different vertical sections, in particular is composed of different dip tube elements. According to the invention, the immersion tube has a wall opening in its immersion tube wall in the vertical direction below the outlet opening of the channel, which extends over at least 2 cm along the vertical direction and which has an area of at least 100 mm ² , in particular at least 150 mm ² , in particular 200 mm ² . The wall opening preferably has a surface extent of at least 30%, in particular at least 70%, in particular at least 100% of the surface extent that the outside of the dip tube wall has within the vertical section which is defined by the vertical extent of the wall opening, ie its upper and lower vertical end corresponds to the upper and lower vertical ends of the wall opening. Of course, the extent of the dip tube wall as such, which is offset horizontally from the wall opening, is taken into account. The wall opening preferably has a plurality of wall opening sections which extend over the same section of the immersion tube and which are separated from one another by immersion tube wall sections extending over the same vertical section. Between 2 and 10 are preferred, in particular between 2 and 6 such wall opening sections are provided, the wall opening preferably being formed by these wall opening sections. The vertical section preferably has a vertical extension of at least 2 cm. Each wall opening section preferably has a surface extent of at least 50 mm ² , in particular at least 70 mm ² . The provision of several wall opening sections and several immersion tube wall sections can simultaneously enable a robust mounting of the immersion tube via the immersion tube wall sections and good visibility into the immersion tube from different directions through the wall opening. The exit opening opens into the immersion tube and is therefore aligned with the immersion tube in such a way that the horizontal extent of the exit opening is preferably located completely within the horizontal extent of the vertical immersion tube end that points to the exit opening. The diameter of the outlet opening is therefore smaller than the diameter of the dip tube at the vertical end of the dip tube facing the outlet opening or than the diameter of the dip tube at the level of the outlet opening. In particular, the diameter of the outlet opening is less than 80% of the diameter of the dip tube at its vertical end facing the outlet opening. The design according to the invention ensures that water, which is released from the outlet opening in the form of a water jet, reaches the immersion tube, but at the same time a sufficiently large free path is provided through the wall opening along the vertical extent of the immersion tube so that contamination of the water pipe connected to the access of the filling valve is effectively prevented by impurities contained in the flushing water in which the dip tube is immersed. It must be taken into account that the wall opening has both a sufficient length along the vertical direction and a sufficient Cross section, ie a sufficient area of the opening so that contamination, for example due to suction effects, is effectively prevented. In addition, the wall opening preferably has the further advantage that the correct function of the filling valve can be checked through it when installing the filling valve in a cistern. The dip tube is preferably mechanically connected to the channel of the filling valve in such a way that it is held stable thereby, in particular exclusively thereby. The section of the dip tube in which the wall opening is provided is therefore preferably designed to be mechanically robust so that the dip tube is held robustly on the channel of the filling valve via this section. For example, this section can be designed in that the immersion tube has a greater wall thickness in its immersion tube wall sections surrounding the wall opening than in other vertical sections of the immersion tube, in particular a greater wall thickness than the wall thickness averaged over its vertical extent. Particularly preferably, this vertical section of the immersion tube can comprise struts via which the immersion tube is mechanically connected to the channel and is held thereon. Particularly preferably, the exit opening is arranged relative to the immersion tube in such a way that it opens centrally into the immersion tube, that is to say that the exit opening is located in a horizontal plane that runs perpendicular to the vertical direction, in the middle of the horizontal extent of the clear cross section of the immersion tube, with which the immersion tube points towards the exit opening. The exit opening is preferably arranged centrally with respect to the diameter of the clear cross section of the dip tube, which the dip tube has immediately below the wall opening. By providing a correspondingly smaller diameter of the outlet opening relative to the diameter of the immersion tube, in particular in conjunction with the central arrangement of the outlet opening relative to the clear cross section of the Immersion tube can be particularly effectively prevented from parts of the water jet emerging from the outlet opening reaching the outside through the wall opening, so that the majority of the water jet emerging from the outlet opening, in particular more than 95%, in particular more than 99%, over the entire vertical extension length of the immersion pipe can be guided into the cistern. Particularly preferably, means are provided at the second channel end of the channel which determine the properties of the water jet to be released from the outlet opening in such a way that the water jet has a cross section over the entire vertical extent of the wall opening which is smaller than the diameter of the dip tube at the height of the vertical extent of the wall opening. Particularly preferably, this can be achieved by providing lamination devices at the second end of the channel, via which an adequate laminar property of the water jet emerging from the outlet opening can be made possible. The aim here is that the filling valve usually has to be designed in such a way that it can be connected to water pipes in which there is a water pressure between 0.1 bar and 10 bar, in particular between 2 bar and 6 bar, and is preferred across this pressure range has the properties mentioned.

In one embodiment, the channel forms a nozzle at its second channel end, which forms the outlet opening and which opens into the dip tube with the outlet opening. Particularly preferably, the nozzle with the exit opening opens into the center of the immersion tube, with the center of the clear cross section of the exit opening formed by the nozzle preferably coinciding with the center of the clear cross section of the vertical end of the dip tube facing the exit opening. The nozzle course preferably runs along the vertical direction. The Nozzle is generally a tubular section of the channel with which the channel terminates at its second channel end. The nozzle can have a constant cross section over its vertical extent. Particularly preferably, the nozzle tapers towards the second channel end in such a way that its clear cross section decreases along the vertical direction towards the exit opening. The nozzle preferably has an extension along the vertical direction of at least 3 mm, in particular at least 5 mm. By providing the nozzle, splash water escaping from the wall opening can be prevented to a particular extent; in particular, such a nozzle can particularly preferably contribute to concentrating the water in the channel and thus to determining the smallest possible and predictable cross section of the water jet emerging from the outlet opening . At this point it should be noted that the water jet generally preferably emerges from the outlet opening along the vertical direction, and that the nozzle extends along the vertical direction with its nozzle course. In general, it is particularly preferred to install the filling valve as intended in a cistern in such a way that the immersion pipe runs along the vertical direction, the float for actuating the valve of the filling valve is movable along the immersion pipe and thereby along the vertical direction and opens and closes in the course of its vertical movement of the valve is ensured, with the vertical direction generally preferably running in the direction of the gravitational force acting on the earth when the filling valve according to the invention is installed as intended in a cistern.

In one embodiment, a laminating device for laminating the water jet in the vertical direction above the wall opening is arranged at the second channel end, particularly preferably in the vertical direction above the Exit opening in the channel. The lamination device is particularly preferably arranged in the channel and in the vertical direction above the nozzle. The lamination device serves to at least partially convert a turbulent flow of water in the channel into a laminar flow, so that the turbulence is reduced or avoided as far as possible and thus a water jet that flows as laminarly as possible emerges from the outlet opening, in particular a completely laminar flowing water jet from the exit opening. A wide variety of measures for implementing a lamination device are known in the prior art. For example, it is known to design the lamination device in the manner of a network or a grid, the grid or the network preferably extending with its flat extent perpendicular to the vertical direction. As a further example, it is known to provide as a laminating means a bundle of small tubes extending along the vertical direction. The person skilled in the art is familiar with the implementation of a wide variety of lamination devices. Known laminating devices are usually designed in such a way that they divide the water flow in such a way that the water flows along as large a surface as possible, with a laminar disturbance of the water preferably occurring on the surface of the laminating device. By providing a large surface area for the water to flow in a laminar manner, the overall water jet is laminated. The lamination device of the filling valve preferably enables lamination of the water jet at a pressure range between 0.1 bar and 10 bar, especially between 2 bar and 6 bar of water pressure applied to the filling valve inlet.

In one embodiment, a flow regulator is arranged in the channel to ensure a uniform flow rate through the channel when the valve is open, regardless of the water pressure applied to the access. This depends on the flow rate of water per time. In the prior art, in particular from the publications mentioned above EP 1 862 604 A2 , EP 2 871 294 A1 , EP 3 204 561 B1 and DE 20 2011 109 017 U1 Various embodiments of flow regulators are known. The basic principle of these regulators is that the clear cross section in a channel section is reduced when the water pressure at the inlet to the filling valve increases. For example, this can be ensured by an elastic membrane which is arranged in the channel and in front of a narrowing of the channel. The four publications mentioned above are included in the present application with reference to the explanation of examples of known flow controllers with their disclosure content. Preferably, the flow regulator is designed so that when the water pressure applied at the access to the filling valve varies within a range of 2 bar to 6 bar, in particular 1 bar to 8 bar, with the filling valve open, it varies the flow rate of water per time limited to less than 30%, in particular less than 20%, based on the maximum value. The inventors have recognized that the provision of a flow regulator in the filling valve according to the invention is of particular advantage, since this prevents the water jet from expanding at the level of the wall opening in the immersion tube in such a way that a non-negligible proportion of the water jet emerges laterally from the wall opening , for example through the creation of turbulence caused by flow rate or impact effects caused by flow rate.

In one embodiment, reference is made to the dip tube A splash guard is arranged in the vertical direction below the wall opening. The splash guard covers a section of the clear cross section of the dip tube near the dip tube wall and has a passage opening in the middle, based on its horizontal extent and / or the horizontal extent of the clear cross section. The splash guard preferably extends from the dip tube wall, ie from the inside of the dip tube wall, which limits the clear cross section of the dip tube, to the center of the dip tube and forms a passage opening in its center, so that the splash guard has a passage opening. The passage opening is arranged in alignment with the exit opening, and its diameter is larger than the diameter of the exit opening, preferably at least 5%, in particular at least 10% larger. Of course, the diameter perpendicular to the vertical direction is taken into account. The splash guard has the particular advantage that it prevents, if possible, water that splashes vertically upwards below the wall opening due to splash effects from getting out of the wall opening and/or getting to the exit opening. This is particularly preferred

Splash guard panel is spaced apart from the wall opening by less than 2 cm, in particular by less than 1 cm, preferably less than 0.5 cm, along the vertical direction, ie from the vertically lower end of the wall opening. Particularly preferably, the splash guard is spaced apart from the exit opening by less than 5 cm, preferably less than 3 cm, along the vertical direction. The correspondingly small distance can ensure that the water jet emerging from the outlet opening passes completely downwards in the vertical direction through the passage opening of the splash guard. The filling valve is particularly preferably designed so that in an operating state in which the valve is open and the water with a Water pressure enters the channel at the access and the water jet emerges from the exit opening, the water jet has a diameter vertically immediately below the exit opening that is between 50% and 95%, in particular between 70% and 90% of the diameter of the passage opening.

According to the invention, the filling valve is designed as a hydraulic filling valve, also called a servo valve. In such a filling valve, a pressure chamber is provided which has an access opening for supplying water that has entered the filling valve through the access into the pressure chamber, as well as a first and a second outlet opening. A valve element connected to the float is arranged at the first outlet opening. A main valve element is arranged at the second outlet opening. The basic principle of such a hydraulic filling valve is that the float does not directly close the clear cross section of the channel with its buoyancy force, but that the float acts with its buoyancy force on the valve element arranged at the first outlet opening, so that to close the valve only the valve element acts against the The first outlet opening must be pressed, whereby the pressure chamber is closed at this end and when operated as intended, i.e. when a water pressure is built up at the access to the pressure chamber by means of a water pipe connected to the access, through which the main valve element against one in the Channel provided valve seat is pressed and thereby closes the channel at the level of the valve seat, so that in the closed position of the valve at the level of the valve seat the channel has no clear cross section. Preferably, in an open position of the valve, the valve element connected to the float is spaced from the first outlet opening, wherein in a closed position of the valve, the valve element connected to the float is through the Float is pressed against an edge surrounding the first outlet opening and closes the first outlet opening, wherein in the closed position a water pressure built up in the pressure chamber presses the main valve element against a valve seat provided in the channel and thereby closes the channel at the level of the valve seat. Particularly preferably, the diameter of the first outlet opening is less than 10%, in particular less than 5%, of the diameter of the channel at the level of the valve seat, ie the clear cross section of the channel at the level of the valve seat in an open position of the valve in which the valve does not cover the channel closed. The design of the filling valve as a hydraulic filling valve with the properties explained has proven to be particularly advantageous in the filling valve according to the invention, since this means that the filling level in a cistern can always be set very precisely, regardless of the water pressure applied at the access, at which the filling valve is in its position Closed position so that the access is separated from the exit opening and no water can get from the access to the exit opening. With a hydraulic valve, the float only has to close a very small first outlet opening, which is why, even with high water pressure at the access, only a slight force needs to be exerted by the float on the valve element so that the first outlet opening is reliably closed. In the case of direct-acting filling valves, such a reliable function of the valve is only possible if a sufficiently large float is provided, with which a sufficiently large force is applied so that the clear cross section of the channel can be closed in the closed position of the valve, thereby increasing the filling valve's compactness loses.

The float is particularly preferably designed to actuate the valve by moving in the vertical direction moved along the dip tube. Particularly preferably, the float is movably guided on the dip tube along the vertical direction, in particular movably guided along the vertical direction exclusively via the dip tube. Particularly preferably, the float has a vertical underside for resting on flushing water arranged in the cistern, ie an underside which floats as intended on the surface of the flushing water arranged in the cistern. Particularly preferably, the float and the valve are designed to correspond to the wall opening in such a way that the float closes the valve when it is in a closed position in which its vertical underside is located vertically below the wall opening, and that the float closes the valve starting from the closed position opens when it moves vertically downwards from its closed position and thus in the vertical direction away from the wall opening. Particularly preferably, the float, valve and wall opening are designed to correspond to one another in such a way that in its closed position the float is vertically spaced at least 5 mm, in particular at least 10 mm, with its underside from the vertically lower end of the wall opening. Particularly preferably, the position of the float relative to the immersion tube can be adjusted along the vertical direction via a vertical adjustment range, with the float at the vertical end of the adjustment range, at which it is closest to the wall opening in the closed position along the vertical direction, with its underside in the Closing position is arranged below the wall opening, in particular is spaced apart from the vertically lower end of the wall opening by the stated distance. This can be particularly reliably ensured that the float closes the valve and thus the filling valve and thus effectively prevents water from flowing into a cistern when the level of the flushing water in the cistern is still below the vertical level Height of the lower end of the wall opening is so that it is reliably ensured that flushing water arranged in the cistern does not flow unhindered and enters the immersion pipe via the wall opening and flows out from there.

In one embodiment, a splash protection element is arranged on an outside of the dip tube, in particular outside the dip tube wall, which has a protective surface section which is opposite the wall opening at every location of its flat extent in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and is spaced from it along this direction. Particularly preferably, the protective surface section has at least 50%, in particular at least 70%, in particular at least 90%, in particular 100% of the surface extent of the wall opening. Since the splash protection element has a protective surface section which is spaced from the wall opening at each location of its surface extension via a direction assigned to the respective location and running perpendicular to the vertical direction, the splash protection element can, on the one hand, contribute to minimizing noise, since the injection molded element with the protective surface section covers the wall opening at least partially covered. On the other hand, by spacing the protective surface section from the wall opening, the splash protection element can further ensure that the wall opening fulfills the function of a free outlet. For example, if a negative pressure occurs in the water pipe, the distance between the protective surface section and the wall opening can ensure that air is sucked from the filling valve to the water pipe, which is connected to the access, instead of water in the cistern. In one embodiment, the protective surface section is designed to be uninterrupted. In another embodiment, the protective surface section has several, protective surface section areas spaced apart from one another. Particularly preferably, the surface area of the splash protection element extends beyond the wall opening and is also spaced from the immersion tube wall outside the wall opening, particularly preferably the splash protection element also overlaps with the immersion tube outside the wall opening. In this way, splash protection can be guaranteed to be particularly effective. At this point it should be noted that the provision of a free outlet is ensured by the provision of the wall opening according to the invention in the dip tube. Accordingly, in particularly advantageous embodiments, the filling valve is generally suitable for meeting the European standard DIN EN 1717, even if the flushing water in the cistern in which the filling valve is to be used is a liquid of category 5 (health hazard due to microbial or viral pathogens) is classified according to the DIN EN 1717 standard. In particularly preferred embodiments, the filling valve is therefore designed as a filling valve with a safety device in accordance with the DIN EN 1717 standard for category 5 liquids, so that the filling valve meets the DIN EN 1717 standard when it is used in a cistern in which flushing water is arranged is classified as a category 5 liquid according to the DIN EN 1717 standard. In general, the design of the filling valve according to the invention ensures that the filling valve is designed as a filling valve with a safety device against contamination of a drinking water pipe that is connected to the access to the filling valve, with contamination of the drinking water pipe connected to the access to the filling valve caused by the rinsing water a cistern in which the filling valve is arranged is switched off. Particularly preferably, the splash protection element is designed to be transparent at least in sections. This means that despite what is provided of the splash protection element, it must be ensured that external inspection through the wall opening of the immersion pipe can be used to check whether the filling valve is installed correctly or is functioning. It should be noted at this point that the provision of a wall opening with a sufficiently large cross-section, as explained at the beginning as an example, is of particular advantage for checking the correct installation of the filling valve, since an assessment of the installation of the filling valve can be carried out through the wall opening.

In one embodiment, a water deflection device is provided in the immersion tube vertically below the wall opening, which is designed to direct the water jet that has entered the immersion tube from the inside to the immersion tube wall below the wall opening. Such a water deflection device can, for example, have struts running obliquely from the center of the dip tube to the inside of the dip tube wall and/or have oblique surfaces that extend obliquely along the vertical direction downwards from the center of the dip tube to the inside of the dip tube wall, and/or through curved ones Surface sections in the dip tube, which protrude into the clear cross section of the dip tube in such a way that the water jet in the dip tube is directed towards the inside of the dip tube wall. The provision of such a water diverting device in the immersion pipe can also contribute to minimizing noise when the filling valve is used as intended to fill a cistern.

In general, the wall opening preferably has a width in a transverse direction running perpendicular to the vertical direction, which is at least 20%, in particular at least 30%, in particular at least 50% of the extension of the dip tube in the transverse direction. By providing such a large wall opening Particularly preferably it can be ensured that a check of the correct installation of the filling valve can be carried out through the wall opening and that at the same time it can be particularly reliably prevented that flushing water arranged in the cistern can reach the access to the filling valve through the immersion pipe in the event of suction effects. In general, it is particularly preferred that the wall opening is spaced from the exit opening by less than 2 cm, in particular by less than 1 cm, preferably less than 0.5 cm, along the vertical direction. Arranging the wall opening as close as possible to the exit opening has the particular advantage that it can be particularly effectively prevented that water emerging from the exit opening can get out through the wall opening, since this bundling occurs when the water is bundled appropriately at the level of the exit opening can be particularly easily ensured to a sufficient extent over the vertical extent of the wall opening. Particularly preferably, the immersion tube extends downwards over a vertical extension starting from the exit opening to its vertically lower end, the wall opening being arranged exclusively within the uppermost quarter of this vertical extension of the immersion tube.

The invention further relates to a cistern with a cistern housing that has a connection opening and a drain opening. A filling valve according to the invention is connected to the connection opening; the filling valve is preferably connected to a connecting piece arranged in the connection opening. The cistern also has a drain valve which is designed to close the drain opening. The drain opening is arranged vertically below the filling valve. When the drain valve is in a closed position, the drain valve ensures that flushing water arranged in the cistern cannot escape from the drain opening, so that the flushing water is in can collect in the cistern. The filling valve according to the invention generally preferably has the float explained above, which floats on the flushing water arranged in the cistern, so that by collecting the flushing water in the cistern, the float changes its vertical position and opens and closes the filling valve in accordance with its vertical position, so that the filling valve ensures that water always flows into the cistern exactly when the level of the flushing water is below its target level, which is determined by the position of the float in the closed position of the valve, in which the float ensures that the valve closes the channel so that in the closed position there is no fluid-carrying connection between the access and the outlet opening through the valve. Particularly preferably, the immersion pipe in the cistern according to the invention opens into the cistern with its vertically lower end in the lower half, in particular in the lower third of the vertical extent of the cistern. This makes it possible to fill the cistern with flushing water in a particularly low-noise manner using the filling valve. Particularly preferably, the wall opening of the filling valve is arranged exclusively within the uppermost fifth of the vertical extent of the cistern. This can be particularly effectively ensured that the wall opening is always sufficiently spaced from the maximum filling height of the flushing water in the cistern.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a figure using an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a filling valve according to the invention. In the schematic representation of the principle only such components are shown Filling valve 1 according to the invention is shown, which are important for explaining the special functionality according to the invention of the described embodiment of the filling valve 1 according to the invention.

In Figure 1 the access 2 and the exit opening 3 of the channel of the filling valve 1 as well as the dip tube 4 and the float 9 of the filling valve 1 are shown according to the illustrated embodiment. The access 2 is designed as the first channel end of the channel of the filling valve 1 and has an external thread for connection to a water pipe. The outlet opening 3 is designed as the second channel end of the filling valve 1. In the channel that is in Figure 1 is only shown in sections due to the sectional view, a valve is arranged which comprises a valve element 10, a main valve element 11 and a pressure chamber 12. The valve element 10 is operable and connected to the float 9 in a known manner, the connection between the float 9 and the valve element 10 being in Figure 1 is not shown. The pressure chamber 12 is connected to the channel of the filling valve 1 and has a first outlet opening, which can be closed by the main valve element 10, and a second outlet opening in which the main valve element 11 is arranged and relative to which the main valve element 11 is movable. The filling valve 1 is in its open position when the float 9 is below its closed position along the vertical direction 2. The connection between float 9 and valve element 10 is designed such that the valve element 10 is spaced from the first outlet opening of the pressure chamber 12 as long as the float 9 is below its closed position. When it reaches its closed position, which corresponds to the vertical upper end position of the float 9, the float 9 presses over the in Figure 1 Connection, not shown, the valve element 10 against the first The edge surrounding the outlet opening, whereby a pressure is built up in the pressure chamber 12 and the main valve element 11 is displaced so that it presses against a valve seat of the filling valve 1 and thereby closes the channel at the level of the valve seat. In this closed position of the valve and thus of the filling valve 1, no fluid-carrying connection between access 2 and outlet opening 3 is guaranteed.

A flow regulator 8 is also arranged in the channel. The flow regulator 8 has an elastic membrane which, with respect to the flow direction, is arranged in front of a through opening which forms a portion of the channel of the filling valve 1. With increasing water pressure, the membrane of the flow regulator 8 approaches, at least in sections, the edge surrounding this passage opening, so that the clear cross section of the channel at the level of the flow regulator 8 decreases with increasing water pressure applied to the access 2, so that the flow regulator 8 ensures that, regardless of the water pressure at the access, there is always a substantially uniform flow rate, i.e. H. Flow rate of water per time that runs through the channel when the valve and thus the filling valve 1 is in its open position, in which the access 2 is connected to the outlet opening 3 in a fluid-carrying manner.

The channel forms a nozzle 5 at its second channel end. At the in Figure 1 In the embodiment described, the nozzle 5 extends with its nozzle extension along the vertical direction 2, with the diameter and thus the clear cross section of the nozzle 5 decreasing along the vertical direction 2 towards the outlet opening 3, which is formed by the nozzle 5. A lamination device 7 is arranged vertically above the nozzle 5 in the channel, which in the present case is designed in the manner of a network is. The interaction of the laminating device 7 and nozzle 5 ensures that an at least essentially laminar water jet emerges from the outlet opening, the diameter of which is determined by the diameter of the outlet opening 3, which is formed by the nozzle 5. Vertically below the nozzle 5, a wall opening 40 is formed in the immersion tube wall of the immersion tube 4, which is in Figure 1 is shown schematically. This wall opening 40 is spaced along the vertical direction 2 by less than 3 mm from the exit opening 3, which is generally advantageous according to the invention. In other embodiments, not shown, the wall opening 40 extending under the nozzle can also be arranged to overlap with the nozzle 5 with respect to the vertical direction 2. Below the wall opening 40, a splash guard 6 is provided in the dip tube 4. The splash guard 6 extends from the immersion tube wall to the center of the immersion tube and forms a passage opening in its center, which of course means the center with respect to the horizontal extent of the splash guard 6 with respect to the horizontal, which runs perpendicular to the vertical direction 2 is. Due to the special relative arrangement of the laminating device 7, nozzle 5, wall opening 40 and splash guard 6 with passage opening 60 with respect to the design of the dip tube 4, a particularly advantageous functioning of the in Figure 1 illustrated embodiment of the invention is guaranteed. This interaction ensures, on the one hand, that when the filling valve 1 is used as intended, in which the filling valve 1 is in its open position and water flows from the access 2 through the outlet opening 3 and the dip pipe 4 into the cistern, there is practically no splashing water passes through the wall opening 40 from the filling valve 1. Because the interaction of the mentioned components of the filling valve 1 ensures that a jet that is as laminar as possible from the exit opening 3 extends downwards along the vertical direction 2, which passes through the passage opening 60, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the exit opening 3, the splash guard cover 6 additionally ensuring that, if possible, there is no splashing back splash water with impurities can reach the exit opening 3 and then, if possible, no splash water, which is generated in the vertical direction 2 below the splash guard 6 in the dip tube 4, can splash out laterally out of the wall opening 40. Such splash water can occur, for example, when incoming water in the immersion pipe 4 hits the water level in a cistern. The maximum possible avoidance of splash water escaping through the wall opening 40 to the outside enables, on the one hand, the quietest possible filling of a cistern with the filling valve 1 according to the invention, and on the other hand, uncontrolled release of water into the cistern is prevented, depending on the elements of the cistern arranged in the cistern can be problematic. The wall opening 40, which in the present case extends over a vertical length of over 2 cm and which extends over a width along a transverse direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction 2 of over 1.5 cm, ensures that contamination of the access 2 with impurities that are in the rinsing water, which is arranged below the wall opening 40 on the dip tube 4, is effectively prevented. This is because the wall opening 40 ensures a free outlet in accordance with DIN EN 1717, which prevents contaminated flushing water located in the immersion pipe 4 below the splash guard 6 from reaching access 2 in any conceivable situation, especially when a negative pressure is provided at the access 2 of the filling valve 1 can. In the exemplary embodiment described, the provision also contributes to this, as is generally advantageous according to the invention Splash guard panel 6 in combination with the nozzle 5, since the splash guard panel 6, in conjunction with the water jet bundled through the nozzle 5, effectively prevents flushing water, which is in a cistern, from splashing back to the nozzle 5 and thus the outlet opening 3 and from there can get to access 2.

Reference symbol list

1

filling valve

2

Access

3

Exit opening

4

Dip tube

5

jet

6

Splash guard

7

Lamination facility

8th

Flow regulator

9

swimmer

10

Valve element

11

Main valve element

12

Pressure chamber

40

Wall opening

60

Passage opening

Z

Vertical direction

Claims (13)

1. Filling valve (1) for a flushing cistern, the filling valve (1) comprising a channel which has an access (2) at its first channel end for connection to a water line and which has an outlet opening (3) at its second channel end for discharging a water jet, a valve being arranged in the channel which can be actuated by means of a float (9), an immersion tube (4) being arranged at the outlet opening (3), which immersion tube (4) extends downwards from the outlet opening (3) along a vertical direction (Z) and which encloses, with its immersion tube wall, a clear cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z),

   wherein the immersion tube (4) has a wall opening (40) in its immersion tube wall in the vertical direction (Z) below the outlet opening (3) of the channel, which wall opening (40) extends along the vertical direction (Z) over at least 2 cm and has an area of at least 100 mm², wherein the outlet opening (3) opens into the immersion tube (4) and the diameter of the outlet opening (3) is less

   than the diameter, in particular less than 80 % of the diameter of the immersion tube (4) at its vertical end facing the outlet opening (3), the filling valve (1) having a pressure chamber (12) which has an access opening for feeding water which has entered the filling valve (1) through the access (2) into the pressure chamber (12) and which has a first and a second outlet opening, wherein a valve element (10) connected to the float (9) is arranged at the first outlet opening and wherein a main valve element (11) is arranged at the second outlet opening, wherein in an open position of the valve the valve element (10) connected to the float (9) is spaced from the first outlet opening and in a closed position of the valve the valve element (10) connected to the float (9) is pressed by the float (9) against an edge surrounding the first outlet opening and closes off the first outlet opening, wherein in the closed position, a water pressure built up in the pressure chamber (12) presses the main valve element (11) against a valve seat provided in the channel and thereby closes the channel at the level of the valve seat, wherein in particular the diameter of the first outlet opening is less than 10% of the diameter of the channel at the level of the valve seat.
2. Filling valve (1) according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the channel forms at its second channel end a nozzle (5) which forms the outlet opening (3) and which opens with the outlet opening (3) into the immersion tube (4), in particular opens centrally into the immersion tube (4).
3. Filling valve (1) according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a laminating device (7) for laminating the water jet in the vertical direction (Z) is arranged above the wall opening (40) at the second channel end.
4. Filling valve (1) according to claim 2 or according to claim 3, if dependent on claim 2,
   characterized in that
   the laminating device (7) is arranged in the channel and in the vertical direction (Z) above the nozzle (5).
5. Filling valve (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
   a flow regulator (8) is arranged in the channel for ensuring a uniform flow rate through the channel when the valve is open, irrespective of a water pressure applied to the inlet (2) .
6. Filling valve (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   in the immersion tube (4), in particular in the vertical direction (Z) below the wall opening (40), there is arranged a splash guard (6) which extends in particular starting from the immersion tube wall to the center of the immersion tube (4) and which has a passage opening which is arranged in alignment with the outlet opening (3) and the diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the outlet opening (3), the filling valve (1) in particular being designed in such a manner that in an operating state in which the valve is open and water enters the channel with a water pressure at the access (2) and the water jet exits from the outlet opening (3), the water jet has a diameter vertically directly below the outlet opening (3) which is between 50% and 95%, in particular between 70% and 90% of the diameter of the passage opening.
7. Filling valve (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the float (9) is adapted to actuate the valve by moving in the vertical direction (Z) along the immersion tube (4), the float (9) having a vertical underside for resting on flushing water arranged in the in the cistern, the float (9) and the valve being configured in correspondence with the wall opening (40) such that the float (9) closes the valve when it is in a closed position in which its vertical underside is vertically below the wall opening (40) and that the float (9) opens the valve from the closed position when it moves vertically downwards from its closed position and thus in the vertical direction (Z) away from the wall opening (40).
8. Filling valve (1) according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a splash protection element is arranged on an outer side of the immersion tube (4), which splash protection element has a protection surface section which, at each location of its planar extension, is opposite the wall opening (40) in a direction running perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z) and is spaced apart from it along this direction, the protection surface section having at least 50%, in particular at least 70%, in particular at least 90%, of the planar extension of the wall opening (40), and the splash protection element extending in particular with its planar extent beyond the wall opening (40) and is also spaced from the immersion tube wall outside the wall opening (40).
9. Filling valve (1) according to claim 8,
   characterized in that
   the splash protection element is transparent at least in sections.
10. Filling valve (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    a water direction device is provided in the immersion tube (4) vertically below the wall opening (40), which is designed to direct the water jet entering the immersion tube (4) below the wall opening (40) from the inside to the immersion tube wall.
11. Filling valve (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the wall opening (40) has, in a transverse direction running perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z), a width which is at least 20%, in particular at least 30%, in particular at least 50%, of the extent of the immersion tube (4) in the transverse direction.
12. Filling valve (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the wall opening (40) is spaced less than 2 cm, in particular less than 1 cm along the vertical direction (Z) from the outlet opening (3), wherein in particular the immersion tube (4) extends downwardly over a vertical extent starting from the outlet opening (3) to its vertically lower end and the wall opening (40) is arranged exclusively within the uppermost quarter of this vertical extent of the immersion tube (4).
13. Flushing cistern having a cistern housing which has a connection opening and a discharge opening, a filling valve (1) according to one of the preceding claims being connected to the connection opening, and the cistern having a discharge valve which is designed to close the discharge opening, the discharge opening being arranged below the filling valve (1) in the vertical direction (Z), in particular the immersion tube (4) opening into the cistern with its vertically lower end in the lower half, in particular in the lower third, of the vertical extent of the cistern, in particular the wall opening (40) of the filling valve (1) being arranged exclusively within the uppermost fifth of the vertical extent of the cistern.

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