JP2000152890A - Shower device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate labor of bending the body to pull a nozzle arm of a shower device by hand by automatically moving the nozzle arm. SOLUTION: This device is composed of a shower nozzle 12 capable of spouting hot water, a seat part 11 on which a bathing person is seated in taking shower, a nozzle arm 13 having a shower nozzle 12 supported by the seat part 11 to surround the bathing person, a drive means 14 to move the nozzle arm 13 vertically, and a control part 15 to control operation of the drive means 14. By controlling the drive means 14 by the control part 15, the nozzle arm 13 can be automatically moved, and need of bending the body to move the nozzle arm 13 by hand is eliminated, thereby bathing with shower can be easily conducted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shower device that allows a user to take a shower while sitting down.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional shower apparatus of this kind,
The one shown in FIG. 6 can be seen (for example, see
22034). This is advantageous in that, when taking a bath, there is no increase in heart rate due to straddling the bathtub, or muscle fatigue of the legs and hips due to taking a shower in a standing position, and the physical burden can be reduced. That is, this shower device does not use a bathroom wall surface 1, a hot water jetting means 2 arranged along the bathroom wall surface 1 to jet hot water, a chair 3 to be seated when bathing hot water from the hot water jetting means 2, and not used. Sometimes, there are a storage means 4 which can slide and store the chair 3 in the bathroom wall surface 1 and a plurality of shower nozzles 5 supported on the bathroom wall surface 1 and arranged on both sides of the bather to wrap the bather. Nozzle supporting means 6, supporting movable means 7 for moving and retracting nozzle supporting means 6 to the bathroom wall 1 when not taking a shower, and nozzle variable means 8 for adjusting the direction of shower nozzle 5 according to the physique of the bather It is composed of Then, the bather sits on the chair 3 and the hot water jetting means 2
And the warm water spouted from the shower nozzle 5 is evenly applied to the whole body, so that a thermal effect equivalent to bathing is obtained.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional shower apparatus has the following problems.

(1) When sitting down with the nozzle support means 6 stored in the bathroom wall 1, the bather twists his body and holds the nozzle support means 6 on the right side with his left hand, or the nozzle support means 6 on the left side. It was necessary to hold the right hand and lift it to the chest.

[0005] (2) If the person is bathed with hot water spouted from the hot water jetting means 2 or the shower nozzle 5 at the same time as opening the plug, the user will be exposed to the cold water staying in the pipes before bathing in the hot water, which causes discomfort. I came to feel.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a shower nozzle capable of ejecting hot water, a seating portion to be seated when taking a shower, and a bathing device supported by the seating portion and enclosing a bather. It comprises a nozzle arm with a shower nozzle, a driving unit for moving the nozzle arm to a predetermined position, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving unit.

[0007] According to the above invention, by controlling the driving means by the control unit, the nozzle arm can be automatically moved, and the trouble of lifting the body with a bent hand can be eliminated.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is directed to a shower nozzle capable of jetting hot and cold water, a seating portion to be seated when taking a shower, a nozzle arm with the shower nozzle supported by the seating portion and wrapping a bather. It comprises a driving unit for moving the nozzle arm to a predetermined position, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving unit.

By controlling the driving means by the control unit, the nozzle arm can be automatically moved, and a troublesome shower bath such as bending the body and moving the nozzle arm by hand can be performed. .

[0010] Further, a seating confirmation device is provided which activates the control unit by sitting down and stops the control unit by unseatment. The nozzle arm can be moved after the shower bather sits down, so that the shower can be moved. The bather is standing,
When the control unit is activated, the nozzle arm does not hit the body such as the waist, and it is possible to safely take a shower.

[0011] Further, there is provided a structure in which a seating confirmation device is provided at two places of a buttocks holding portion and a back holding portion of the seating portion. It becomes movable, and the problem that the shower does not sufficiently contact the body due to a shallow waist is eliminated, and it is possible to perform a comfortable shower bath in which the shower is always applied to the entire body.

Further, a plurality of seating confirmation devices for covering the entire seating surface are provided at two places of the buttocks holding portion and the back holding portion of the seating portion, and the whole body is brought into close contact with the seating portion, and the body is moved from the seating portion. The nozzle arm can be moved only when it does not protrude, so that the nozzle arm does not move when it protrudes from the seating part, so that the buttocks, waist and other bodies do not hit the nozzle arm, which is more secure. You can take a shower.

Further, the control unit includes a timer for moving and returning the nozzle arm to the predetermined position after a predetermined time. When the shower bather is sufficiently away from the seating part, the nozzle arm is returned to the original position. When the shower bather stands up, the shower bather does not overlap with the nozzle arm that moves to the initial position by its own weight and does not hit the nozzle arm, so that a safer shower bath can be performed.

The apparatus further includes a nozzle temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of hot and cold water discharged from the shower nozzle, and a temperature control section for activating the driving means when the nozzle temperature detecting means detects hot water having a predetermined temperature or higher. After the hot water is discharged from the shower nozzle, the driving means starts and the nozzle arm rises, so that the cold water staying in the pipe from the automatically raised nozzle arm does not bathe in the whole body , More comfortable shower bath becomes possible.

Further, a switching valve that enables water to be supplied to the shower nozzle or to a portion other than the shower nozzle, temperature detection means provided on the water supply side of the switching valve for detecting the water supply temperature in the piping, and a signal from the temperature detection means. In the case of cold water, water is supplied to other than the shower nozzle, and in the case of hot water, water is supplied to the shower nozzle, which is provided with a valve control unit that controls the switching valve, and when hot water supplied to the switching valve is cold water, Water is sent to pipes other than the shower nozzle, and the discharge of cold water from the shower nozzle is eliminated, so that a more comfortable shower bath is possible.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a shower apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The figure is a view of the shower device viewed from the side. The shower device has a seating portion 11 composed of a buttocks holding portion 9 for holding the buttocks of a shower bather and a backrest 10 for holding the back surface when sitting. ,
A shower nozzle 12 for spraying hot water, and a shower nozzle 1 supporting the shower nozzle 12 so that hot water sprayed from the shower nozzle 12 envelops a shower bather.
And a nozzle arm 13 for moving the nozzle arm 2. The nozzle arm 13 is moved up or down by using a driving unit 14 as a fulcrum by a driving unit 14 including a motor, gears and the like disposed on the backrest 10. The operation of the driving unit 14 is controlled by a control unit 15 including a switch and the like provided at the tip of the nozzle arm. The control unit 15 also controls a solenoid valve 16 that opens and closes a pipe connected to the shower nozzle 12.

The shower nozzle 12 is provided with a temperature detecting means 17 composed of a thermocouple or a thermistor.
If the signal from 7 is hot water of 40 ° C. or more, the control unit 1
5 is provided with a temperature control unit 19 for supplying a current from the power supply 18 to the driving unit 14. In addition, the buttocks holding unit 9 and the backrest 10 are provided with a seating confirmation device 20 that performs an on / off switch of a current from the power supply 18 to the control unit 15 according to the pressure of a shower bather when sitting. FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of the seating confirmation device 20 on the buttocks holding portion 9 and the backrest 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the seating confirmation device 20 includes a power supply lead 21 for passing a current from the power supply 18, a control lead 22 for passing a current to the control unit 15, a spring 23 as an insulator, the power supply lead 21, and the control lead. In the steady state, the conductor 24 is separated from the power supply conductor 21 and the control conductor 22, but the power supply conductor 21 and the control conductor 22 are separated by pressure when the shower bather is seated. The conductor 24 and the control conductor 22 are connected, and power is supplied from the power supply 18 to the control unit 15.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship among the driving means 14, the control unit 15, and the temperature control unit 19. The driving means 14 includes a first motor 25 and a gear 2 connected to a shaft of the first motor 25.
6, a large gear 27 connected to and supported by the nozzle arm 13 and meshing with the gear 26, a stopper 28 for preventing the gear 26 from rotating in the direction opposite to the arrow, and a thread connected to the tip of the stopper 28 is pulled. , And a second motor 29 for removing the stopper 28 from the gear 26. In addition, as the power of the driving means 14, a mainspring spring, flowing water pressure, expansion and contraction by a shape memory alloy, and the like can be considered. The control unit 15 supplies an electric current from the power supply 18 to the first motor 25 via the temperature control unit 19 to turn off the electric power, and supplies an electric current from the power supply 18 to the second motor 29 via the timer 31. , An operation panel 33 having an OFF switch 32 for power failure. When a current is supplied from the power supply 18 by the OFF switch 32, the timer 31 stops the current for a predetermined time and then supplies the second motor 29 with power.

In the above configuration, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. When the shower bather is seated on the seating portion 11, the seating confirmation device 20 is pushed and the power supply wire 21, the conductor 24, and the control wire 22 are connected, and the power supply 18 to the control unit 15 are connected.
Is energized. Then, the ON switch 30 of the control unit 15
When the button is pressed, the electromagnetic valve 16 opens, and hot water is discharged from the shower nozzle 12 through the pipe. The temperature control unit 19
When it is recognized from the signal of the nozzle temperature detecting means 17 that the temperature of the discharge water is 40 ° C. or higher, the control section 15 allows the drive means 14 to be energized. When the ON switch 30 of the control unit 15 is kept pressed, the first motor 25 is started, and the gear 26 is rotated in the direction of the arrow. Gear 26
Rotates the large gear 27 and the nozzle arm 13 connected and fixed to the large gear 27 rises. The stopper arm 28 prevents the gear 26 and the large gear 27 from rotating in reverse even when the power supply to the first motor 25 is cut off by releasing the ON switch 30 of the control unit 15 halfway, so that the nozzle arm descends halfway. Disappears. Further, the ON switch 30 of the control unit 15 is kept pressed until the nozzle arm 13 moves up to an appropriate position,
When it is in the appropriate position, release the ON switch 30.

When the OFF switch 32 of the control unit 15 is pressed while taking a shower for a predetermined time, the electromagnetic valve 18 is closed and the hot water jet from the shower nozzle 12 is stopped. Further, the timer 31 is activated, and the shower bather moves to the seating section 1.
When the shower bather has sufficiently left the seating portion 11, the second motor 29 is turned off.
The motor 29 is energized. The second motor 29 winds the thread connected to the tip of the clasp 28 so that the clasp 28 is disengaged from the gear 26, and the gear 26 and the large gear 27 can rotate in the reverse direction. The fixed nozzle arm 13 descends to its original position by its own weight.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) By activating and controlling the driving means 14 by the control unit 15, the nozzle arm 13 can be automatically raised and lowered, and unnecessary shower bathing such as bending the body and moving the nozzle arm with a hand can be performed. It becomes possible.

(2) When the shower bather sits on the seating section 11 and presses the seating confirmation device 20, the power supply conductor 21, the conductor 24 and the control conductor 22 are connected, and the power supply 18 controls the control section 15, the control section 15 Can be supplied to the driving means 14. Therefore, it is possible to move the nozzle arm after the shower bather is seated, so that the nozzle arm does not hit the waist of the shower bather or the like when standing, and it is possible to safely take a shower bath.

(3) Sit down deeply on the seating portion 11, and place the seating confirmation device 20 provided on the buttocks holding portion 9 and the backrest 10.
You have to press the lower part of the waist so that the shower does not hit your body enough, so you can always take a shower
It becomes possible to perform a comfortable shower bath.

(4) The whole body is brought into close contact with the seating portion 11, the body is seated so as not to protrude from the seating portion 11, and a plurality of seating confirmation devices provided at two locations, the buttocks holding portion 9 and the backrest 10. Since the user has to push the body 20, the body such as the buttocks and the waist that protrudes from the seating portion does not hit the nozzle arm, and a safer shower bath can be performed.

(5) The timer 31 stops energizing the second motor 29 while the shower bather leaves the seating section 11, and stops the second motor 29 when the shower bather fully leaves the seating section 11. By energizing the nozzle arm, the nozzle arm descends in a state where the shower bather is sufficiently away from the seating portion, and the nozzle arm does not overlap with the descending nozzle arm and does not collide with the nozzle arm, and it is safer. You can take a shower.

(6) Only when the temperature of the hot and cold water discharged from the shower nozzle 12 is 40 ° C. or higher by the temperature control unit 19, the control unit 15 can supply power to the drive unit 14 and the nozzle arm 13 Rises to a predetermined position, from the nozzle arm 13 that has automatically risen,
Cold water staying in the piping is not bathed in the whole body, and a more comfortable shower bath is possible.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment 2 is provided on the shower nozzle side of the electromagnetic valve 16 and by switching the valve,
The hot and cold water supplied from the pipe 34 is supplied to the shower nozzle 12.
A switching valve 37 composed of a three-way valve or the like for switching between a first pipe 35 communicating with the first pipe 35 and a second pipe 36 communicating with a part other than the shower nozzle, and detecting the temperature of hot and cold water in the pipe 34 provided on the solenoid valve 16 side of the switching valve 37. If the detection signal from the temperature detecting means 38 is less than 40 ° C. and the temperature is lower than 40 ° C., the hot water is supplied to the second pipe 36. And the detection signal from the temperature detecting means 38 is 40
When the temperature of the hot water is higher than or equal to ° C., a valve control unit 39 that controls the switching valve 37 so as to feed hot water to the first pipe 35 is added to the shower device shown in FIG.

The operation of the second embodiment will be described. The solenoid valve 16 opens and the piping 34
Then, hot water is sent to the switching valve 37. The temperature of the supplied hot water is detected by the temperature detecting means 38. If the detected hot water temperature is lower than 40 ° C., the valve control section 39 controls the valve control section 39 so that the hot water is supplied to the second pipe 36. And when the hot and cold water temperature reaches 40 ° C. or more, the valve control unit 39
Controls the valve control unit 39 so that hot water is supplied to the first pipe 35.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the temperature of the hot water supplied to the switching valve 37 is lower than 40 ° C., the hot water is supplied to the second pipe 36.
And no cold water below 40 ° C. is discharged, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the bathing of cold water, and a more comfortable shower bath becomes possible.

[0031]

As apparent from the above description, the following effects can be obtained according to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention.

(1) The shower apparatus of claim 1 can automatically move the nozzle arm, and can perform a troublesome shower bath such as bending the body and moving the nozzle arm with a hand.

(2) The shower apparatus according to the second aspect does not hit the nozzle arm against the waist of the shower bather in the standing position, and realizes a safe shower bath.

(3) The shower device according to the third aspect eliminates the drawback that the shower does not sufficiently contact the body due to a shallow waist, and provides a comfortable shower bath by always taking a shower over the entire body. To achieve.

(4) According to the shower apparatus of the fourth aspect, the body such as the buttocks and the waist protruding from the seating portion does not hit the nozzle arm and the like, and a safer shower bath is realized.

(5) In the shower apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the nozzle arm will return and move when the shower occupant is sufficiently away from the seating portion, and will overlap with and hit the nozzle arm which has returned and moved. No more realizing a safer shower bath.

(6) According to the shower device of the sixth aspect, the cold water staying in the pipe is not poured on the whole body,
Realize a more comfortable shower bath.

(7) The shower device according to claim 7 does not discharge cold water from the shower nozzle, can reliably prevent the bathing of cold water, and realizes a more comfortable shower bath.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a shower device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a seating portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a seating confirmation device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a driving unit and a control unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a shower device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a conventional shower device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Seating part 12 Shower nozzle 13 Nozzle arm 14 Driving means 15 Control part 17 Nozzle temperature detecting means 19 Temperature control part 20 Seating confirmation device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Kawaguri 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor ▲ Yoshi ▼ Hiroaki Ta 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Pref. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazunari Kawahara 1006 Oji Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Pref. Person Toyohei Harada 1006 Kazuma, Kazuma, Osaka Prefecture F-term in Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A shower nozzle capable of ejecting hot and cold water, a seating portion to be seated when taking a shower, a nozzle arm with the shower nozzle supported by the seating portion and enclosing a bather, A shower device comprising a driving unit for moving to a position, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving unit. 2. The shower apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a seating confirmation device for activating the control unit by sitting down and stopping the control unit by unseatment. 3. The shower device according to claim 2, wherein a seating confirmation device is provided at two locations of a buttocks holding portion and a back holding portion of the seating portion. 4. A plurality of seating confirmation devices which cover the entire seating surface are provided at two locations of a buttocks holding portion and a back holding portion of the seating portion.
Or the shower device of 3. 5. The shower apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller has a timer for moving and returning the nozzle arm to a predetermined position after a predetermined time. 6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising: a nozzle temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of hot and cold water discharged from the shower nozzle; and a temperature control section for activating the driving means when the nozzle temperature detecting means detects hot water having a predetermined temperature or higher. The shower device as described. 7. A switching valve capable of supplying water to a shower nozzle or other than a shower nozzle, and a temperature detecting means provided on a water supply side of the switching valve for detecting a water supply temperature;
If the signal of the temperature detection means is to send water to other than the shower nozzle in the case of cold water and to the shower nozzle in the case of hot water,
2. A valve control unit for controlling the switching valve.
Or the shower apparatus of 6.