EP4163448A1

EP4163448A1 - Wall tap

Info

Publication number: EP4163448A1
Application number: EP22189378.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniel Tres Casas
Original assignee: Caspro SA
Current assignee: Caspro SA
Priority date: 2021-10-05
Filing date: 2022-08-09
Publication date: 2023-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2042-08-09
Also published as: ES1281156Y; EP4163448B1; ES1281156U

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wall tap (1) comprising: an escutcheon (2); a piston (13) that can be fixed to a wall installation (18) for the water inlet (8); a spout (3), which can be fixed to the piston (13) at one end of the spout (3) where the water inlet (8) is housed; a solenoid valve (4); a proximity sensor (5); a battery (6); a microcontroller (7) connected to the proximity sensor (5); and, a cover (14). As a novelty, the proximity sensor (5) and the microcontroller (7) are located in the escutcheon (2), and the solenoid valve (4) and the battery (6) are in the spout (3). Moreover, the battery (6) is located at another end of the spout (3), which is closed by the cover (14).

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of a wall tap with a presence sensor in the escutcheon and a battery in the spout. The wall tap of the present invention is controlled by a presence sensor, which allows the tap to be controlled without the user making physical contact with the wall tap.
The field of application of the present invention falls within the sector of plumbing installations for supplying water, and more specifically, contactless taps controlled by proximity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, in the industry of domestic plumbing installations, electronically operated taps can already be found, i.e., taps comprising presence, movement or proximity sensors, so that when activated, water can be expelled or released therethrough without the need to rotate or move mechanical means. In other words, they reduce or avoid contact between the user and the tap to operate it.
Among taps with sensors, there are taps formed by an escutcheon and a spout. Taps of this type have both the control electronics and the proximity sensor (proximity or movement, all of them being equivalent) in the spout, or they require a specific installation for the tap on the supporting wall where all the electronics are located, leaving only the proximity sensor in the tap spout.
All of them require an installation of a certain complexity, conditioned by the location of their components, and this is a very significant detriment when it comes to installing them. They usually cannot be assembled directly on a conventional water outlet and require further adaptations.
Another equally important disadvantage of these taps is that when the sensor is in the spout pointing towards the sink, whose colour and degree of reflection are unknown, erratic operations may occur, i.e., opening or closing of the water outlet that is out of sync with user needs.
Additionally, any type of tap described in the previous paragraph is powered by batteries that have to be changed/recharged from time to time. The taps, which have both the control electronics and the proximity sensor in the spout, have the problem that their components are too complex to assemble/disassemble for a conventional user to replace or recharge the batteries. The taps that must be installed have the problem that they require prior installation on the wall which must be carried out by professionals, and they also have the problem of previous taps, since it is difficult for a user to disassemble a tap from the wall supporting it until they reach the batteries housed inside the specific installation on the wall. The installation of these taps requires, in most cases, additional work on the wall itself or even under the sink, such as the passage of pipes or embedded ducts towards the activation sensor. These additional ducts are usually made to carry the water and the electrical signal.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a wall tap that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. In other words, a wall tap whose batteries are easy to replace by a user without technical knowledge, and moreover, most importantly, where the wall tap can be easily installed without requiring a specific installation for the same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, the present invention discloses a wall tap with a new configuration consisting of placing the electronic components (microcontroller and presence sensor) in the escutcheon, and the power supply of the electronic components and the water opening solenoid valve in the spout. The main advantage of this new configuration is that assembly is extremely simple for any type of user, which leads to not only the ease of initial installation, but also to periodic maintenance required by these automated wall taps (battery change, filter cleaning, etc.). Additionally, the new configuration of the tap of the present invention achieves high operational accuracy, since the location of the proximity sensor in the escutcheon and not in the spout prevents erratic opening/closing in its entirety. In other words, the tap of the present invention activates/deactivates the water outlet when the user's hands are placed under the spout and not randomly when reflections of light on the sink cause the accidental opening thereof.
Therefore, in a first aspect of the invention, a wall tap is disclosed comprising: an escutcheon; a piston that can be fixed to a wall installation for the water inlet; a spout that can be fixed to the piston at one end of the spout where the water inlet is housed; a solenoid valve; a proximity sensor; a battery; a microcontroller connected to the proximity sensor; and, a cover. The proximity sensor and the microcontroller are located in the escutcheon, and the solenoid valve and the battery are located in the spout. Additionally, the battery is located at the other end of the spout, which is closed by the cover, such that the removal of the cover allows direct access to the battery for replacement/recharging.
In an embodiment of the invention, the wall tap of the present invention comprises power connectors and activation/deactivation connectors, such that the microcontroller is connected to the battery by the power connectors, and also connected to the solenoid valve by the activation/deactivation connectors. The activation/deactivation connectors and the power connectors can be divided into male and female for their connection/disconnection, allowing the battery and the solenoid valve to be disconnected from the microcontroller in order to assemble/disassemble the spout with respect to the escutcheon.
Regarding the battery, the battery may be a non-rechargeable battery, a rechargeable battery, or several interconnected batteries.
In an embodiment of the invention, the wall tap of the present invention comprises the water inlet connected to the solenoid valve and a water outlet connected to the solenoid valve by a conduit. The solenoid valve is configured to allow water to pass between the water inlet and the water outlet when the proximity sensor, having detected a presence (e.g., the user's hands under the spout), sends an activation signal to the microcontroller. By default, the solenoid valve closes the flow of fluid. Additionally, the wall tap of the present invention comprises a filter inside the piston at the water inlet, and an aerator in the spout at the water outlet.
In an embodiment of the invention, the piston comprises a threaded end on a portion of the piston configured to be threaded into the wall installation. The remaining portion of the piston is non-threaded, and it is where the spout is fixed.
In an embodiment of the invention, the wall tap additionally comprises threaded pins for fixing the spout to the piston and for vertical adjustment of the escutcheon. Regarding the fixing of the spout to the piston, the piston additionally comprises fixing grooves, such that the threaded pins perpendicularly cross the end of the spout where the water inlet is located until they are housed in the fixing grooves.
In an embodiment of the invention, the escutcheon additionally comprises an elastic and adhesive perimeter profile, which allows the escutcheon to be fixed to the wall installation. The perimeter profile has a perimeter relief or projection that is generated by the difference in thickness between the escutcheon and the perimeter profile and which allows the wall tap to adapt to the irregularities of the wall installation. The perimeter profile has a discharge hole that allows the liquid that could slide down the wall when showering to be discharged.
Finally, in an embodiment of the invention, the wall tap of the present invention additionally comprises a screw for fixing the cover to the spout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

To complete the description of the invention and make the features thereof more readily understandable, the following figures are attached:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the wall tap of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the wall tap of the present invention in a wall installation (wall) together with the hands of a user receiving water.
FIG. 3A shows a rear view of the tap of the present invention.
FIG. 3B shows a sectional view along the AA' line of Figure 3A of the tap of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the wall tap of the present invention wherein the piston is installed in the wall installation, and the spout together with the escutcheon are aligned to be fixed to the piston.
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the wall tap of the present invention wherein the spout is fixed to the piston by threaded pins.
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the wall tap of the present invention showing the removal of the cover in order to access the inside of the spout where the battery is located.
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the wall tap of the present invention showing the removal of the battery in order to recharge/replace the battery.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A list of the references used in the figures is provided below:

1) wall tap;
2) escutcheon;
3) spout;
4) solenoid valve;
5) proximity sensor;
6) rechargeable batteries;
7) microcontroller;
8) water inlet;
9) water outlet;
10) filter;
11) aerator;
12) water conduit;
13) piston: 13A threaded; 13B fixing grooves; 13C non-threaded portion;
14) cover;
15) power connector: 15A male connector, 15B female connector;
16) solenoid valve activation/deactivation connector: 16A male connector, 16B female connector;
17) threaded pin;
18) wall installation;
19) water;
20) user's hands;
21) fastening screw of the cover;
22) escutcheon grooves;
23) elastic and adhesive perimeter profile;
24) perimeter relief;
25) discharge hole.

An embodiment of the invention based on Figures 1 to 7 is shown below.
Specifically, FIG. 1 shows the wall tap (1) of the present invention which comprises, as visible elements during use, the escutcheon (2), the proximity sensor (5) located in the escutcheon (2), the spout (3) and the aerator (11) threaded to the spout (3). The spout (3) has a cylindrical shape, wherein one of the ends thereof is connected to the water inlet (8) and the cover (14) is located on the other. The escutcheon (2) has an oblong shape, such that the spout is located on one half of the escutcheon, and the proximity sensor (5) with the microcontroller (7) is on the other half of the escutcheon (2).
FIG. 2 shows the same wall tap (1) of FIG. 1, wherein the wall tap (1) is fixed to a wall installation (18) such as a wall, such that when the user's hands (20) are placed under the aerator (11), the proximity sensor (5) detects the presence of the user's hands (20) and sends an activation signal to the microcontroller (7), which activates the solenoid valve (4) to let the water (19) pass from the water inlet (8) to the water outlet (9) (see FIG. 3).
FIGs. 3A and 3B show all the components, both internal and external, of the wall tap (1) of the present invention. FIG. 3A shows the rear portion of the escutcheon (2) wherein the fixing of the spout (3) to the piston (13) is also shown. The threaded pins (17) that protrude slightly from the body of the spout (3) allow the verticality of the escutcheon (2) to be controlled with great accuracy, constituting excellent "anti-rotation" means of the escutcheon (2), as explained later. Moreover, the threaded pins (17) contribute to solidly blocking the spout (3) to prevent the spout (3) from generating any misalignment in its connection with the water outlet (9) due to the pressure of the water.
Figure 3A also shows the power connectors (15A, 15B) and the activation/deactivation connectors (16A,16B). The power connectors (15A, 15B) allow the battery (6) to be connected to the microcontroller (7) to power the microcontroller (7), which, in turn, powers the solenoid valve (4) and the proximity sensor (5). In other words, the solenoid valve (4) remains closed by default (when it is not powered), until it receives power from the microcontroller (7), in which case it opens to allow water to pass.
FIG. 3B shows a view of the wall tap (1) in a section (or cut) along the AA' line shown in FIG. 3A. The wall tap (1) shown in FIG. 3B comprises the spout (3) that internally houses, among others, the piston (13) with the water inlet (8), the solenoid valve (4), the battery (6), the aerator (11), the cover (14) and the water conduit (12), which is located below both the solenoid valve (4) and the battery (6). The aerator (11) for the water outlet (9) is located at the end of the spout (3) where the cover (14) is located and in the bottom of the spout (3). The aerator (11) communicates with the solenoid valve (4) via the water conduit (12). In this way, it is possible to carry the water from the water inlet (8) to the water outlet (9) through the water conduit (12), and allow access to the battery (6) located above the water conduit (12) to recharge or replace the battery (6) (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 7).
Continuing with FIG. 3B, the piston (13) has a threaded area (13A) that is inserted into the wall installation (18) (see FIGs. 2, 4 and 5), and it also has an inner gap for the water inlet (8) in which the filter (10) that receives and filters the water (19) is located. The piston (13) communicates with the water conduit (12) via the solenoid valve (4) which, controlled by the microcontroller (7), allows the water to pass when it receives an activation signal from the microcontroller (7); on the other hand, it closes the passage of water when it does not receive the activation signal (power).
FIG. 3B also shows the fixing between the piston (13) and the spout (3). Specifically, the piston (13) has fixing grooves (13B) that house the end of the threaded pins (17), which perpendicularly cross the outer surface of the spout (3). As described above, these same threaded pins (17) are the ones that favour the correct vertical positioning of the escutcheon (2), such that when they are slightly inserted in the slots (22) of the escutcheon (2), it is possible to use the escutcheon (2) as a crank or turning key to correctly position the wall tap (1).
Regarding the escutcheon (2), FIG. 3B shows that the oblong escutcheon (2) is arranged vertically, such that the spout is fixed perpendicular to the surface of the escutcheon at the top. The proximity sensor (5) and the microcontroller (7) are housed in the bottom of the escutcheon (2), and between these elements and the spout base are the power connectors (15A, 15B) and the activation/ deactivation connectors (16A,16B).
In this embodiment shown in FIGs. 3A and 3B, the escutcheon (2) comprises an elastic and adhesive perimeter seal (23). The perimeter seal (23) is located on the inner contour of the escutcheon (2). The perimeter seal (23) is slightly thicker than the maximum width of the escutcheon (2), which generates a small perimeter relief (24) of approximately 2-3 mm that, when the escutcheon (2) rests on the wall installation (18), the perimeter seal (23) compensates and it hides any irregularity on the surface of the wall installation (18), which is normally comprised of a tile cladding, very susceptible to having said irregularities that, under normal conditions, interfere with the correct assembly of the wall tap (1).
The perimeter seal (23) comprises, in the lower assembly area thereof, at least one discharge hole (25), specifically arranged to discharge any remaining liquid that may be generated inside the escutcheon (2). The perimeter seal (23) is also fixed to the escutcheon (2) by gluing, since the perimeter seal (23) comprises adhesive on two opposite faces, an inner face for attachment to the escutcheon and an outer face, which is protected by a protective film that the installer removes when he or she is going to proceed with the installation. The adhesive on the outer face is that which adheres and securely fixes the wall tap (1) to the wall installation (18), stabilising the position of the wall tap (1) and preventing any vandalism that could cause movement or rotation of the wall tap (1) in its entirety.
FIGs. 4 and 5 show both the electrical connections between the spout (3) and the escutcheon (2), as well as the mechanical connection of the wall tap (1) to the wall installation through which the wall tap (1) receives the water from the wall installation (18).
As shown in FIG. 4, the threading of the piston (13) is hidden in the wall installation (18), leaving the non-threaded portion of the piston (13C) visible for fixing the spout (3). The escutcheon (2) has a circular opening through which the spout (3) slides. Said circular opening has a housing for a rubber gasket (21), which allows the escutcheon (2) to slide with respect to the spout (3) without them coming into direct contact, thus ensuring that the surface of said spout (3) does not deteriorate or scratch as a result of rubbing.
This movement of the escutcheon (2) allows equal access to the male (15A) and female (15B) power connectors and to the male (16A) and female (16B) activation/deactivation connectors for their connection.
FIG. 5 shows that the spout (3) is fixed to the piston (13), which is hidden inside the spout (3), by the threaded pins (17). The power connectors (15) and the activation/deactivation connectors (16), already connected, are also shown.
FIGs. 6 and 7 shows how to access the battery (6) to recharge or replace it. The screw (21) that fixes the cover (14) to the spout (3) is removed. Then the cover (14) is removed, allowing free access to the battery (6) which, by sliding, can be easily removed for replacement/recharging.

Claims

A wall tap (1) comprising:
• an escutcheon (2);

• a piston (13), which is fixable to a wall installation (18) for the water inlet (8);

• a spout (3), which is fixable to the piston (13) at one end of the spout (3) where the water inlet (8) is housed;

• a solenoid valve (4);

• a proximity sensor (5);

• a battery (6);

• a microcontroller (7) connected to the proximity sensor (5);

• a cover (14);
characterised in that it comprises the proximity sensor (5) and the microcontroller (7) in the escutcheon (2), and the solenoid valve (4) and the battery (6) in the spout (3); wherein the battery (6) is located at another end of the spout (3), which is closed by the cover (14).
The wall tap, according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises power connectors (15A, 15B) and activation/deactivation connectors (16A, 16B), wherein the microcontroller (7) is connected to the battery (6) by the power connectors (15A, 15B) and connected to the solenoid valve (4) by the activation/deactivation connectors, wherein the activation/deactivation connectors (16A,16B) and the power connectors (15A, 15B) can be divided into male and female for connection/disconnection thereof.
The wall tap, according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the battery (6) is selected from a battery and a rechargeable battery.
The wall tap, according to claim 1 or 2, it further comprises the water inlet (8) connected to the solenoid valve (4), a water outlet (9) connected to the solenoid valve (4) by a conduit (12), wherein the solenoid valve (4) is configured to allow water to pass between the water inlet (8) and the water outlet (9) when the proximity sensor (5) sends an activation signal to the microcontroller (7).
The wall tap, according to claim 4, wherein it further comprises a filter (10) inside the piston (13) at the water inlet (8), and an aerator (11) in the spout (3) at the water outlet (9).
The wall tap, according to claim 4, wherein the piston (13) comprises a threaded end (13A) configured to be threaded into the wall installation (18).
The wall tap, according to claim 6, wherein it further comprises threaded pins (17) for fixing the spout (3) to the piston (13) and for vertical adjustment of the escutcheon (2), and wherein the piston (13) further comprises fixing grooves (13B), such that the threaded pins (17) perpendicularly cross the end of the spout (3) where the water inlet (8) is located until they are housed in the fixing grooves (13B).
The wall tap, according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises a screw (21) for fixing the cover (14) to the spout (3).
The wall tap, according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the escutcheon (2) further comprises an elastic and adhesive perimeter profile (23) for fixing the escutcheon (2) to the wall installation (18).
The wall tap, according to claim 9, wherein the perimeter profile (23) has a perimeter relief (24).
The wall tap, according to claim 9, wherein the perimeter profile (23) has a discharge hole (25).