JP2003024232A - Shower apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the convenience of a shower apparatus having a mechanism for allowing unsuitable hot water to escape. SOLUTION: This shower apparatus 10 comprises a fixed type top shower 12, a mechanism 40 for allowing unsuitable hot water to escape for discharging unsuitable hot water to the outside of a supply path 34 to the top shower 12, a bypass channel 44 for bypassing the mechanism 40 for allowing unsuitable hot water to escape, and an opening/closing valve 46 for opening or closing the bypass channel 44 being provided at the bypass channel 44. Unsuitable hot water from the top shower 12 is excluded or discharged by selection by the operation of the opening/closing valve 46.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shower device provided with a shower and an unsuitable hot water release mechanism for discharging unsuitable hot water to the outside of a supply path to the shower.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When water is discharged from a water discharge part of a shower connected to a hot and cold water mixing faucet or the like, the temperature of the hot water is not raised to an appropriate temperature or the hot water remaining in the supply path to the water discharge part is cooled. In such a case, even in a shower device including a mechanism for adjusting the temperature of hot water such as a thermo mechanism, there is a possibility that cold water will be suddenly discharged from the water discharge portion immediately after the start of water discharge. Further, when hot water is supplied or hot water remaining in the supply path to the water discharge portion is heated by steam in the sauna, hot water may be suddenly discharged from the water discharge portion. Therefore, conventionally, hot water such as low-temperature water or high-temperature hot water that is not suitable for use as such a normal shower sprinkler is referred to as "unsuitable hot water" in the present specification. There is known a shower device provided with an "unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism" for discharging the water to the outside of a supply path to.

As the "unsuitable warm water releasing mechanism", for example, one using a thermoelement using a shape memory alloy or wax is known. With those thermoelements that change shape at a predetermined temperature, these elements switch the supply passage and discharge passage leading to the shower, and hot and cold water of a predetermined temperature passes to the shower supply passage,
Hot and cold water outside the predetermined temperature is discharged to the discharge passage. By using such an "inappropriate warm water escape mechanism", cold water outside the prescribed temperature or unsuitable warm water that is high temperature water is not sprinkled from the shower, and cold water is accidentally bathed or burned by high temperature water. We are trying to prevent this.

[0004]

However, the conventional shower device described above has the following problems. In the conventional shower device, when unsuitable warm water outside the predetermined temperature flows, hot water is discharged to the drain passage by the unsuitable warm water escape mechanism. Therefore, in such a shower device,
It was not possible to spit hot water out of the prescribed temperature from the shower. Therefore, for example, if you try to take a cold water shower in the hot season such as summer, you cannot discharge cold water from the shower, and if you need high temperature water for sterilizing the bathroom, you can also discharge high temperature water. I couldn't.

As described above, although the conventional shower device is provided with the unsuitable warm water escape mechanism, it is possible to prevent the accidental invasion of cold water and burns due to high temperature water.
Even if necessary, cold water or high-temperature water cannot be discharged, and the convenience of the shower device is impaired.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional shower device, and an object of the present invention is to improve the convenience of a shower device having an unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the means adopted by the respective inventions will be described below. The shower device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes: "a shower, an unsuitable hot water escape mechanism for discharging unsuitable hot water to the outside of a supply path to the shower, a bypass flow path bypassing the unsuitable hot water escape mechanism, And a shutoff valve provided in the bypass channel to open and close the bypass channel ".

Here, the "inappropriate-temperature water release mechanism" refers to a mechanism for discharging the inappropriate-temperature water to the outside of the supply passage, and its structure is not limited. Specifically, it is "shape memory alloy. "A thermo element that deforms due to temperature changes such as elements and wax elements is used to move the valve body according to the temperature of hot and cold water to open and close the valve port to the water discharge part and the valve port to the discharge path", "temperature sensor and electromagnetic And a valve for driving the solenoid valve according to the temperature of the hot water detected by the temperature sensor to open and close the valve port to the water discharge part and the valve port to the discharge path ". . In addition, as described above, the "unsuitable warm water" refers to high temperature water or low temperature water outside the predetermined temperature range, or only high temperature water above a predetermined temperature or low temperature water below a predetermined temperature.

According to the present invention, a "bypass flow path" for bypassing such an "inappropriate temperature water release mechanism" is provided, and an "open / close valve" for opening / closing the bypass flow path is provided.
By operating the, desired water discharge can be obtained as follows. In the state in which the bypass flow path is closed, hot water is supplied to the shower through the supply path provided with the unsuitable-temperature water escape mechanism, so that the “unsuitable-temperature water” is discharged by the unsuitable-temperature water escape mechanism. On the other hand, when it is desired to discharge cold water or the like, which is regarded as "unsuitable hot water", the "open / close valve" is opened and hot water is supplied to the shower from the bypass passage side.

The above-mentioned "open / close valve provided in the bypass flow passage" may be provided in the middle of the bypass flow passage or at the end of the bypass flow passage. When the "open / close valve" is provided at the end of the bypass flow passage, the "open / close valve" may be a switching valve that switches between the supply passage leading to the unsuitable temperature water release mechanism and the bypass flow passage. The "open / close valve" may be mechanically driven according to the operation of the operation handle,
A solenoid valve or the like that is electrically controlled according to the operation of the operation switch or the like may be used. In addition, "unsuitable temperature water" is often discharged exceptionally only when necessary as described above. Therefore, after opening the "open / close valve" and discharging water through the bypass flow path, When the water sprinkling is stopped, it is preferable that the “open / close valve” is in a state in which the flow passage is closed so that the unsuitable temperature water is not sprinkled in the next normal water sprinkling. For this purpose, it is preferable that the "open / close valve" is configured by an "automatic return type valve" that automatically returns to the closed state when the water is stopped.

A shower device according to a second aspect of the present invention is "the shower device according to the first aspect, wherein the shower is a fixed shower".

"Fixed shower" means a shower in which the water discharge portion of the shower is fixed. For showers, there is also a hand shower, etc., where the water discharge part is routed together with the shower hose to a free position so that water can be sprayed at a desired location.However, in the case of a "fixed shower", unlike the hand shower, Since it is fixed, there is a great risk that it will be exposed to unsuitable warm water. Therefore, in the "fixed shower", it is particularly effective to provide an "inappropriate-temperature water release mechanism" so as to prevent the inappropriate-temperature water from being discharged, and further, the bypass flow passage as described above is provided. It is also effective to apply the invention described in 1.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of a shower device to which the inventions of claims 1 and 2 are applied will be described. The shower device 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a top shower 12 that performs normal shower water discharge, and is installed in a bathroom (not shown). The water discharger 13 of the top shower 12 is fixed to the ceiling of the bathroom and is a "fixed shower". Also, this shower device 10
In addition to the water spouting section 13, the water jetting section 13 includes a currant 14 that spouts water in the washing area, and a hand shower 18 attached to the tip of the hose 16. Furthermore, this shower device 1
0 is equipped with a mixing valve 20. Hot water and water supplied from the hot water supply source 22 and the water supply source 23 through the flow paths 24, 24 are mixed by the mixing valve 20 to be hot water having an appropriate temperature, and the water discharge part 13, the currant 14, and the hand shower 18 are mixed. It is configured to be appropriately discharged from.

A supply passage 30 is connected to the mixing valve 20, and the supply passage 30 is branched into a supply passage 32 on the side of the calan 14 and the hand shower 18 and a supply passage 34 on the side of the water discharger 13. There is. Here, a switching valve 36 with a water stop function is provided in the supply passage 32, and the curran 14 and the hand shower 18 are connected to this switching valve 36.
Although not shown, a handle is attached to the switching valve 36. By operating this handle, it is possible to switch the water discharge between the calan 14 and the hand shower 18. In addition, the supply passage 32 is not provided with an unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism 40, which will be described later.
Also, unsuitable temperature water can be discharged from the hand shower 18.

In the supply passage 34, a water shutoff valve 38 for discharging and stopping the water of the top shower 12 and a top shower 12 are provided.
An unsuitable warm water release mechanism 40 for preventing the unsuitable warm water from being discharged is sequentially provided from the upstream side thereof, and the supply path 34 is further extended to the water discharge unit 13. Stop valve 38
Although not shown in the drawing, a handle for opening and closing the water shutoff valve 38 is attached to the
In addition to the switching valve 36 to which the hand shower 18 is connected, the operation of discharging water from the top shower 12 is possible. Further, a discharge path 42 for discharging the unsuitable warm water is connected to the unsuitable warm water release mechanism 40.

In this example, as the mixing valve 20, an automatic temperature control type mixing valve 20 which automatically adjusts the mixing degree of hot water and water by using a shape memory alloy element or a wax element is adopted. Hot water having a temperature higher than the set value does not flow out to the secondary side of the mixing valve 20. Therefore,
The unsuitable temperature water release mechanism 40 employs hot water having a predetermined temperature or higher to flow through the supply passage 34, and discharges low-temperature hot water that does not reach the predetermined temperature to the outside of the supply passage 34 (exhaust passage 42). . On the other hand, in a shower device that is installed in a steam sauna or the like and hot water that accumulates in the supply path 34 may be heated to a high temperature, hot water flows out even if the mixing valve 20 is provided. Because there is a possibility
It is preferable to employ an unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism provided so as to discharge hot and cold water having a predetermined temperature or higher to the outside of the supply passage 34.

Next, the bypass passage 44 will be described. The bypass flow passage 44 has one end connected between the water shutoff valve 38 and the inappropriate temperature water release mechanism 40 in the supply passage 34, and the other end connected to the downstream side of the inappropriate temperature water release mechanism 40. It is provided so as to bypass the mechanism 40. Further, an opening / closing valve 46 for opening / closing the bypass passage 44 is provided in the middle of the bypass passage 44.

In the present shower device 10, when water is discharged from the top shower 12, water discharge from the top shower 12 is normally started by operating the handle of the water stop valve 38 while keeping the open / close valve 46 closed. At this time, since the bypass flow path 44 is closed, the hot and cold water passes through the inappropriate temperature water escape mechanism 40, and the inappropriate temperature water is discharged from the discharge path 42. Therefore, there is no possibility that cold water or the like will be unexpectedly taken from the top shower 12. On the other hand, when unsuitable temperature water such as cold water is required, the water shutoff valve 38 is opened, and the handle (not shown) attached to the open / close valve 46 is operated to open the bypass flow passage 44, and the top shower is shown. 1
Water is discharged from 2. In this way, unsuitable warm water can be discharged from the top shower 12 only when necessary.

Here, when the on-off valve 46 is switched to the open state and water is discharged, the unsuitable warm water releasing mechanism 40 is interlocked with the opening operation of the on-off valve 46 so that the unsuitable warm water releasing mechanism 40 is not discharged. It is desirable to configure so as to close the flow path to or to close the discharge path 42. Specifically, via a link connected to the handle of the on-off valve 46, the flow path to the unsuitable warm water escape mechanism 40 and the discharge path 42 are closed at the time of opening operation of the on-off valve 46, and the unsuitable warm water escape mechanism 40 is closed. A solenoid valve that is electrically controlled is used as the valve, and the discharge passage 42 is used when the opening / closing valve 46 is opened.
An example can be given in which control is performed so as to be closed.

As the on-off valve 46, an automatic-return type on-off valve that automatically switches to the closing side when the water shut-off valve 38 is stopped after the top shower 12 has been used is used. The bypass flow path 44 is provided so as to be closed when the water shutoff valve 38 is opened. Therefore,
At the next time of water discharge, hot water will pass through the unsuitable-temperature water escape mechanism 40, and the unsuitable-temperature water is always discharged to the discharge path 42 by the unsuitable-temperature water escape mechanism 40. As described above, even when the top shower 12 is used by opening the opening / closing valve 46 the previous time when the water shutoff valve 38 is opened, the opening / closing valve 46 will be used next time.
Is always in a closed state, and the top shower 12 does not inadvertently discharge unsuitable hot water when the water stop valve 38 is operated. As an "automatic return-type on-off valve", "mechanically by the water supply pressure that maintains the open state of the flow path by the water supply pressure at the time of water flow and closes the flow path at the time of water stop by decreasing the water supply pressure" In addition to the above, various things such as "the one that is electrically driven by an electromagnetic valve or an electrically operated valve or the like to be electrically controlled to an initial state in which the flow path is closed when the water is stopped" can be exemplified.

The present embodiment is configured as described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. Next, a shower device 50, which is another embodiment of the shower device to which the inventions of claims 1 and 2 are applied, will be described with reference to FIG. Unlike the above-described shower device 10, this shower device 50 is provided so that, in addition to the top shower 12, not only the hand shower 18 but also the unsuitable hot water can be eliminated and the unsuitable hot water can be discharged as desired. It should be noted that, in the following, configurations common to the above-described first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this shower device 50, the supply passage 34 is provided downstream of the bypass passage 44 in the supply passage 34.
The supply path 52 branched from the
A hose 16 of a hand shower 18 is connected to the. A water shutoff valve 54 is provided in the supply passage 52. A water shutoff valve 56 is also provided on the downstream side of the branch portion of the supply passage 34 with the supply passage 52. on the other hand,
The curran 14 is connected to the supply passage 32 branched from the supply passage 34 on the upstream side of the bypass passage 44, and the water supply valve 32 is provided in the supply passage 32. With such a configuration, the water shutoff valves 54, 56, 58 can perform the water shutoff operation from the hand shower 18, the top shower 12, and the calan 14, respectively. In this example, since the unsuitable-temperature water release mechanism 40 and the bypass channel 44 are also provided in the flow path to the hand shower 18, when the water is discharged from the hand shower 18, the inappropriate-temperature water is removed and the opening / closing valve 46 is also used. The unsuitable temperature water is discharged by the operation of.

Next, a shower device 60 which is still another embodiment of the shower device to which the inventions of claims 1 and 2 are applied will be described with reference to FIG. The shower device 60 is different from the above-described shower device 10 in that a water shutoff valve 62 is provided in the supply passage 34 between the branched portion of the bypass passage 44 and the unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism 40. By providing such a water shutoff valve 62,
Switching between the appropriate temperature water discharge and the inappropriate temperature water discharge can be performed by operating the water stop valve 62 and the opening / closing valve 46, respectively. Accordingly, like the shower device 10, by operating the open / close valve 46 without operating the two valve devices of the water shutoff valve 38 and the open / close valve 46, it is possible to obtain the discharge of unsuitable hot water and to open / close the water. Opening operation of valve 46 and unsuitable temperature water release mechanism 4
No special means for interlocking the closing operation of 0 can be made unnecessary.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the bypass passage 44 is provided at a branch portion from the supply passage 34, and
A switching valve 64 with a water stop function capable of switching the flow path between the supply path 34 and the bypass flow path 44 (also referred to as an “open / close valve” for opening / closing the bypass flow path 44) may be used. . In this case, the single valve device can switch between the appropriate temperature water and the inadequate temperature water, and the discharge and stop water operation, and the installation space of the valve device can be reduced.

[0025]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the present invention, since the bypass passage for bypassing the unsuitable warm water releasing mechanism is provided and the opening / closing valve for opening / closing the bypass passage is provided, not only suitable water but also unsuitable if desired. Hot water can also be discharged. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience of the shower device including the unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow path diagram of a shower device.

FIG. 2 is a flow path diagram of a second shower device.

FIG. 3 is a flow path diagram of a third shower device.

FIG. 4 is a flow path diagram of a main part of still another shower device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10; Shower device, 12; Top shower, 13; Water discharge part, 14; Karan, 16; Hose, 18; Hand shower, 20; Mixing valve, 22; Hot water supply source, 23; Water supply source, 2
4; flow passage, 30; supply passage, 32; supply passage, 34; supply passage, 36; switching valve, 38; water shutoff valve, 40; unsuitable temperature water escape mechanism, 42; discharge passage, 44; bypass passage, 46 Open / close valve, 50; shower device, 52; supply channel, 54; water stop valve, 56; water stop valve, 58; water stop valve, 60; shower device, 62; water stop valve, 64; switching valve.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A shower, an unsuitable-temperature water release mechanism for discharging unsuitable-temperature water to the outside of a supply path to the shower, a bypass flow path bypassing the unsuitable-temperature water release mechanism, and the bypass provided in the bypass flow path. A shower device having an on-off valve for opening and closing a flow path. 2. The shower device according to claim 1, wherein the shower is a fixed shower.