JP2006283927A - Ball tap - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball tap capable of reducing size of an installation space, improving the degree of freedom of an arrangement place, and reducing width of a tank. <P>SOLUTION: This ball tap 1 is provided with a main body 20, a valve element 24, a float 40, a vertical movement regulation mechanism 30 for regulating vertical movement of the float 40, and a valve element operation mechanism 50. The vertical movement regulation mechanism 30 is a four-node link mechanism composed of a main body 20, a fixed shaft 41 fixed to the float 40, a first arm 31, and a second arm 32. The vertical movement regulation mechanism 30 operates the valve element operation mechanism 50 by operation of the first arm 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball tap.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional ball tap. This ball tap is composed of a main body having a water passage in which a valve seat is formed, a valve body that can be seated on or separated from the main body by moving relative to the main body, and a water level stored in the tank. A float that moves up and down, a vertical movement regulating mechanism that regulates the vertical movement of the float, and a valve body operating mechanism that converts the vertical movement of the float into movement of the valve body are provided.

  More specifically, the vertical movement restricting mechanism is supported by a fixed shaft fixed to the upper end of the float and a first point on the fixed shaft so that it can swing up and down, and at a second point on the main body. An arm that is pivotally supported so as to swing up and down, a guide tube that extends vertically downward from the lower side of the main body, a tether extending from the side of the float toward the guide tube, and a tip of the tether And a guide tool that is inserted through the guide tube.

  The valve body operating mechanism includes a shaft portion formed at one end of the arm on the second point side, and a hook formed integrally with the valve body so that the valve body moves in the horizontal direction by the shaft portion.

  The ball tap of patent document 1 which is such a structure is applied to a flush toilet bowl etc., for example. When the water in the tank is discharged when washing the flush toilet, a certain amount of water is supplied into the tank by the cooperation of the vertical movement restriction mechanism and the valve body operation mechanism.

  That is, when the water level stored in the tank is lowered, the float is lowered and the shaft portion of the arm is detached from the hook. Then, the valve body is separated from the valve seat by the supply water pressure. At this time, the float is restricted from swinging downward by the fixed shaft, the arm, and the main body, and is also restricted from descending as the guide tool slides downward along the guide tube. And the water channel in a main body will open, and water will be supplied in a tank.

  Thereafter, when the water level in the tank rises due to water supply, the float rises, and when the float rises to a certain position, the shaft portion of the arm engages with the hook, so that the valve body is seated on the valve seat. At this time, the float is also restricted from rising by the guide tool sliding upward along the guide tube while being restricted from swinging upward by the fixed shaft, arm and main body. And the water channel in a main body will be closed and the water supply to a tank will stop.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses another conventional ball tap. In this ball tap, a vertical movement restricting mechanism is configured by an arm fixed to a ball-shaped float and pivotally supported at a first point on the main body so as to be swingable up and down. In other words, this ball tap vertical movement restricting mechanism does not have the guide cylinder as in Patent Document 1, and is composed of one arm. Further, a lever capable of swinging up and down with a second point on the main body as a fulcrum, and a first pivotally supported so as to swing up and down between a third point on one end of the lever and a fourth point on the arm. The valve body operating mechanism is configured by the link and the valve body pivotally supported at the fifth point on the other end of the lever so as to be slidable up and down.

  The ball tap of Patent Document 2 having such a configuration also supplies a certain amount of water into the tank by the cooperation of the vertical movement restriction mechanism and the valve body operation mechanism, as in Patent Document 1.

JP-A-9-196227 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-17283

  However, in the ball taps of Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is difficult to reduce the installation space, or the degree of freedom of the arrangement location is inevitably reduced.

  That is, in the ball tap of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to reduce the installation space because the guide tube must be disposed in the tank. In addition, since the position of the guide tube is restricted, the degree of freedom of arrangement location has to be lowered.

  Moreover, although the ball tap of patent document 2 does not have a guide cylinder, it floats up and down so that a float may draw a big circular arc with the 1st point on a main body as a pivot. For this reason, when this ball tap is used, it is necessary to secure a horizontal movement space of the float in the tank, and it is difficult to reduce the installation space.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation, and can provide a ball tap capable of reducing the installation space and improving the degree of freedom of the arrangement location and contributing to the narrowing of the tank. Is a problem to be solved.

  The ball tap according to the present invention includes a main body having a water passage in which a valve seat is formed, a valve body that can be seated on or separated from the main body by moving relative to the main body, and stored in a tank. In a ball tap provided with a float that moves up and down depending on the water level, a vertical movement restriction mechanism that restricts the vertical movement of the float, and a valve body operation mechanism that converts the operation of the vertical movement restriction mechanism into movement of the valve body ,

  The vertical movement restricting mechanism is pivotally supported by the main body, a fixed shaft fixed to the float, and a first link point on the fixed shaft so as to swing up and down, and a second link on the main body. A first arm that is pivotally supported at a point so as to swing up and down, and can swing up and down to a third link point that extends parallel to the first arm and is separated downward from the first link point on the fixed shaft. And a second arm pivotally supported by a fourth link point that is spaced downward from the second link point on the main body so as to be able to swing up and down. It is a four-bar linkage mechanism that operates the valve element operating mechanism by the operation of the second arm.

  In the ball tap of the present invention, the vertical movement restricting mechanism is a four-bar linkage mechanism including a main body, a fixed shaft, a first arm, and a second arm.

  The main body has a water channel in which a valve seat is formed. A second link point and a fourth link point are provided on the main body. The fourth link point is separated downward from the second link point.

  The fixed shaft is fixed to the float. The fixed shaft is provided with a first link point and a third link point. The third link point is separated below the first link point.

  The first arm is pivotally supported at the first link point on the fixed shaft so as to be swingable up and down, and is pivotally supported at the second link point on the main body so as to be swingable up and down.

  The second arm is pivotally supported at the third link point on the fixed shaft so as to be swingable up and down, and is pivotally supported at the fourth link point on the main body so as to be swingable up and down. The second arm extends in parallel with the first arm.

  The first and second arms being parallel may be at least parallel when the first and second arms are at a specific position in the swing range, for example, a position facing the horizontal direction. When the first to fourth link points are located at the vertices of the parallelogram, the first and second arms are always parallel throughout the swing range. On the other hand, when the first and second arms are at specific positions in the swing range, and the first to fourth link points are located at the vertices of the trapezoid, the first and second arms are parallel at that position. It is not parallel in the swing range other than the position. Further, the parallelism is not required up to the geometric parallelism, and a certain degree of error is allowed.

  The first to fourth link points constitute a node of the four-bar link mechanism. The vertical movement restricting mechanism operates the valve element operating mechanism by the operation of the first arm or the second arm, and converts the operation of the vertical movement restricting mechanism into movement of the valve element.

  The ball tap of the present invention having such a configuration is applied to, for example, a flush toilet. When the water in the tank is discharged when washing the flush toilet, a certain amount of water is supplied into the tank by the cooperation of the vertical movement restriction mechanism and the valve body operation mechanism.

  That is, when the water level stored in the tank is lowered, the float is lowered, and accordingly, the first arm and the second arm are swung. And a valve body leaves | separates from a valve seat by operation | movement of a 1st arm or a 2nd arm. At this time, the float descends while being regulated by the four-bar linkage mechanism. And the water channel in a main body will open, and water will be supplied in a tank.

  Thereafter, when the water level in the tank rises due to water supply, the float rises. When the float rises to a certain position, the first arm and the second arm swing in the opposite direction. Then, the valve body is seated on the valve seat by the operation of the first arm or the second arm. Also at this time, the float rises while being regulated by the four-bar linkage mechanism. And the water channel in a main body will be closed and the water supply to a tank will stop.

  During these periods, the ball tap according to the present invention does not have a guide cylinder like the ball tap of Patent Document 1, so that it is not necessary to arrange the guide cylinder in the tank, and the installation space can be reduced accordingly. At the same time, the degree of freedom of the location is also increased.

  In the ball tap of the present invention, the vertical movement restricting mechanism includes a main body, a fixed shaft, first and second arms, and first to fourth link points, and the first and second arms include a parallel four-bar link mechanism. For this reason, in this ball tap, the lower end of the fixed shaft always faces the bottom side of the tank when the float moves up and down, even if it does not have a slider such as the ball tap of Patent Document 1 and a guide tool. The float with the fixed shaft fixed in this way moves up and down so as to draw a locus close to vertical while reducing the movable range in the horizontal direction. Further, in this ball tap, the float does not draw a large arc like the ball tap of Patent Document 2. For this reason, this ball tap can narrow the horizontal movement space of the float to be secured in the tank, and the installation space can also be reduced.

  Therefore, the ball tap of the present invention can realize a reduction in the installation space and an improvement in the degree of freedom of the arrangement location, and as a result, can contribute to a reduction in the width of the tank.

  In the ball tap of the present invention, the distance between the third link point and the fourth link point in the second arm is equal to the distance between the first link point and the second link point in the first arm. possible.

  In this case, the four-bar linkage mechanism forms a parallelogram. If the second link point and the fourth link point on the main body are in a vertical positional relationship, the first link point and the third link point on the fixed axis are also in a vertical positional relationship. When the float moves up and down, the lower end of the fixed shaft always takes the same posture toward the bottom of the tank. For this reason, the float moves up and down to draw a locus closer to the vertical while reliably reducing the movable range in the horizontal direction.

  In the ball tap of the present invention, a distance between the third link point and the fourth link point in the second arm is longer than a distance between the first link point and the second link point in the first arm. obtain.

  In this case, the four-bar linkage mechanism forms a trapezoid when the first and second arms are at specific positions in the swing range. In addition, when the float moves up and down, it is possible to easily change the posture of the fixed shaft so that the lower end of the fixed shaft draws a desired locus. For this reason, the float moves up and down so as to draw a desired locus close to the vertical while reducing the movable range in the horizontal direction. Thereby, according to this ball tap, it is also possible to employ a tank whose side surface is a slope or a curved surface, and to move the float up and down along the side surface of the tank.

  Embodiments 1 and 2 embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ball tap 1 according to the first embodiment includes a main body 20, a valve body 24, a float 40, a vertical movement restriction mechanism 30, and a valve body operation mechanism 50.

  In the main body 20, as shown in FIG. 3, the upstream water channel 21 and the downstream water channel 22 extend in one horizontal direction, and they pass through a valve seat 23 in a guide hole 25 extending in the horizontal direction. It is communicated. The guide hole 25 is formed with a stopper portion 26 that protrudes in the radially inward direction.

  On the main body 20, a second link point 31b and a fourth link point 32b are provided by pin holes, respectively. The fourth link point 32b is separated vertically downward from the second link point 31b.

  A pipe (not shown) from a tap water supply source is connected to the upstream water channel 21. A hose for supplying water into a tank (not shown) is connected to the downstream water channel 22.

  The valve body 24 can be seated on or separated from the valve seat 23 by moving in the guide hole 25 of the main body 20. If the valve body 24 is seated on the valve seat 23, the upstream water passage 21 and the downstream water passage 22 are blocked, and if the valve body 24 is separated from the valve seat 23, the upstream water passage 21 and the downstream water passage 22 is in a communication state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the float 40 is a hollow body made of a blow molded product of polypropylene resin or the like, and a fixed hole 40a is formed at the center thereof.

  The vertical movement restriction mechanism 30 includes a main body 20, a fixed shaft 41, a first arm 31, and a second arm 32.

  The fixed shaft 41 is fixed to the upper end of the float 40 by being inserted into a fixing hole 40 a formed in the float 40. Above the fixed shaft 41, a first link point 31a and a third link point 32a are provided by pin holes, respectively. The third link point 32a is separated vertically downward from the first link point 31a.

  The first arm 31 has a rod shape having pins at both ends. The first arm 31 is pivotally supported by a first link point 31a on the fixed shaft 41 by a pin on one end side so that it can swing up and down, and a second link point 31b on the main body 20 by a pin on the other end side. It is pivotally supported so that it can swing up and down.

  The second arm 32 is also a rod having pins at both ends. The second arm 32 is pivotally supported by a third link point 32a on the fixed shaft 41 by a pin on one end side so that it can swing up and down, and a fourth link point 32b on the main body 20 by a pin on the other end side. It is pivotally supported so that it can swing up and down.

  The second arm 32 extends in parallel with the first arm 31. The distance between the third link point 32a and the fourth link point 32b in the second arm 32 is equal to the distance between the first link point 31a and the second link point 31b in the first arm 31. For this reason, the 1st-4th link points 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b will be located in each vertex of a parallelogram, and comprise the node of a four-bar linkage mechanism.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the valve body operating mechanism 50 includes a guide hole 25 and a cam 31 c that extends from the second link point 31 b side of the first arm 31 toward the back surface 24 a of the valve body 24. . If the first arm 31 swings upward, the cam 31c swings so as to push the back surface 24a of the valve body 24, so that the valve body 24 moves while being regulated by the guide hole 25 and moves to the valve seat 23. Sit down. On the other hand, if the first arm 31 swings downward, the cam 31c swings away from the back surface 24a of the valve body 24. Therefore, the valve body 24 is pushed by the water supply pressure and is regulated by the guide hole 25. It moves while being moved away from the valve seat 23. Then, the valve body 24 comes into contact with the stopper portion 26 and stops. In this way, the valve body operating mechanism 50 can seat or separate the valve body 24 on the valve seat 23 by the operation of the first arm 31 constituting the vertical movement restriction mechanism 30.

  The ball tap 1 according to the first embodiment having such a configuration is applied to, for example, a flush toilet. When the water in the tank is discharged when washing the flush toilet bowl, a certain amount of water is supplied into the tank by the cooperation of the vertical movement regulating mechanism 30 and the valve body operating mechanism 50.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the level of the water stored in the tank is lowered, the float 40 is lowered, and accordingly, the first arm 31 and the second arm 32 are swung downward. Then, by the operation of the first arm 31, the cam 31 c swings away from the valve body 24, and the valve body 24 is pushed away from the valve seat 23 by the water supply pressure. At this time, the float 40 descends while being regulated by the vertical movement regulating mechanism 30 constituting the four-bar linkage mechanism. Then, the upstream water channel 21 and the downstream channel 22 in the main body 20 are brought into communication, and water is supplied into the tank.

  Thereafter, when the water level in the tank rises due to water supply, the float 40 rises, and when the float 40 rises to a certain position, the first arm 31 and the second arm 32 swing upward. Then, by the operation of the first arm 31, the cam 31 c swings so as to push the valve body 24, and the valve body 24 is seated on the valve seat 23. Also at this time, the float 40 rises while being regulated by the vertical movement regulating mechanism 30 constituting the four-bar linkage mechanism. And the upstream side water channel 21 and the downstream side water channel 22 in the main body 20 are cut off, and water supply into the tank is stopped.

  During these periods, the ball tap 1 does not have a guide cylinder like the ball tap of Patent Document 1, so that it is not necessary to arrange the guide cylinder in the tank, and the installation space can be reduced accordingly. At the same time, the degree of freedom of placement is high.

  Further, in this ball tap 1, the vertical movement restricting mechanism 30 is constituted by the main body 20, the fixed shaft 41, the first and second arms 31, 32, and the first to fourth link points 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b. The two arms 31 and 32 are formed of a parallel four-bar linkage mechanism. For this reason, in this ball tap 1, the lower end of the fixed shaft 41 is always kept at the bottom of the tank when the float 40 moves up and down, even if it does not have a slider such as the ball tap of Patent Document 1 and a guide tool. The float 40 is regulated so as to be directed to the side, and the float 40 moves up and down so as to draw a locus close to vertical while reducing the movable range L1 in the horizontal direction. Further, in this ball tap 1, the float 40 does not draw a large arc unlike the ball tap of Patent Document 2. For this reason, the ball tap 1 can narrow the horizontal movement space of the float 40 to be secured in the tank, and the installation space can also be reduced.

  Therefore, the ball tap 1 can realize a reduction in the installation space and an improvement in the degree of freedom of the arrangement location, and as a result, can contribute to a reduction in the width of the tank.

  In particular, in this ball tap 1, the second link point 31b and the fourth link point 32b are in a vertical positional relationship, and the distance between the third link point 32a and the fourth link point 32b in the second arm 32 is the first It is equal to the distance between the first link point 31a and the second link point 32a in the arm 31. Therefore, the ball tap 1 always takes the same posture when the float 40 moves up and down, with the lower end of the fixed shaft 41 toward the bottom of the tank. For this reason, the float 40 moves up and down so as to draw a locus closer to the vertical while reliably reducing the movable range L1 in the horizontal direction, and the effects of the present invention can be more reliably achieved. ing.

  Whereas the vertical movement restricting mechanism 30 of the ball tap 1 of the first embodiment constitutes a four-bar linkage mechanism having a parallelogram, the ball tap 2 of the second embodiment has a configuration as shown in FIGS. When the first and second arms 301 and 302 are at specific positions in the swing range, the vertical movement restriction mechanism 300 forms a trapezoidal four-bar linkage mechanism. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the ball tap 1 of the first embodiment, the description of the same configuration is omitted.

  In the ball tap 2, a second link point 301b and a fourth link point 302b are provided on the main body 20. The fourth link point 302b is separated vertically downward from the second link point 301b.

  The vertical movement restricting mechanism 300 includes a main body 20, a fixed shaft 401, a first arm 301, and a second arm 302.

  The fixed shaft 401 is fixed to the upper end of the float 40 by being inserted through a fixing hole 40 a formed in the float 40. Above the fixed shaft 401, a first link point 301a and a third link point 302a are provided. The third link point 302a is separated from the first link point 31a diagonally downward rather than vertically downward.

  The first arm 301 is pivotally supported by the first link point 301a on the fixed shaft 401 so as to be swingable up and down, and is pivotally supported by the second link point 301b on the main body 20 so as to be swingable up and down.

  The second arm 302 is pivotally supported by the third link point 302a on the fixed shaft 401 so as to be swingable up and down, and is pivotally supported by the fourth link point 302b on the main body 20 so as to be swingable up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the second arm 302 extends in parallel with the first arm 301 when the first arm 301 is in a horizontal state. The distance between the third link point 302a and the fourth link point 302b in the second arm 302 is longer than the distance between the first link point 31a and the second link point 31b in the first arm 31. For this reason, the first to fourth link points 301a, 301b, 302a, and 302b are positioned at the vertices of the trapezoid whose top and bottom sides are parallel to each other, and constitute a node of the four-bar link mechanism.

  The ball tap 2 having such a configuration is also applied to, for example, a flush toilet or the like and functions in the same manner as the ball tap 1 of the first embodiment. During these periods, as shown in FIG. 7, this ball tap 2 also does not have a guide tube like the ball tap of Patent Document 1, so that it is not necessary to place the guide tube in the tank, and only that much is installed. The space can be reduced, and the degree of freedom of arrangement is high.

  Further, in this ball tap 2, the vertical movement restricting mechanism 300 includes the main body 20, the fixed shaft 401, the first and second arms 301 and 302, and the first to fourth link points 301a, 301b, 302a, and 302b so that the top side and the bottom side are parallel. A four-bar linkage that forms a trapezoid. For this reason, in this ball tap 2, even when the slider such as the ball tap of Patent Document 1 does not have a slider made of a guide tube and a guide tool, the lower end of the fixed shaft 401 has a desired locus when the float 40 moves up and down. The float 40, which is regulated so as to draw a substantially vertical trajectory and the fixed shaft 41 is fixed, moves up and down so as to draw a substantially vertical trajectory while reducing the horizontal movable range L2. ing. Further, in this ball tap 2, the float 40 does not draw a large arc unlike the ball tap of Patent Document 2. For this reason, the ball tap 2 can narrow the horizontal movement space of the float 40 to be secured in the tank, and can also reduce the installation space.

  Therefore, this ball tap 2 can also realize a reduction in the installation space and an improvement in the degree of freedom of the arrangement location, and as a result, it can contribute to a reduction in the width of the tank.

  In the above, the present invention has been described with reference to the first and second embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and applied without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Needless to say.

  The ball tap of the present invention can be used for flush toilets such as Western-style flush toilets and Japanese-style flush toilets.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which concerns on the ball tap of Example 1, and has a float in an upper limit position. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which concerns on the ball tap of Example 1, and has a float in an intermediate position. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which concerns on the ball tap of Example 1, and shows a main body and a valve body operating mechanism. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which concerns on the ball tap of Example 1, and has a float in a downward position. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which concerns on the ball tap of Example 2, and has a float in an upper limit position. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which concerns on the ball tap of Example 2, and has a float in an intermediate position. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which concerns on the ball tap of Example 2, and has a float in a downward position.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 ... Ball tap 20 ... Main body 21, 22 ... Waterway (21 ... Upstream waterway, 22 ... Downstream waterway)
23 ... Valve seat 24 ... Valve body 30, 300 ... Vertical movement restricting mechanism 31, 301 ... First arm 31a, 301a ... First link point 31b, 301b ... Second link point 32, 302 ... Second arm 32a, 302a ... Third link point 32b, 302b ... Fourth link point 40 ... Float 41, 401 ... Fixed shaft 50 ... Valve element operating mechanism

Claims (3)

A main body having a water passage in which a valve seat is formed, a valve body that can be seated on or separated from the main body by moving relative to the main body, and a water level stored in the tank. In a ball tap provided with a float, a vertical movement restriction mechanism that restricts the vertical movement of the float, and a valve body operation mechanism that converts the operation of the vertical movement restriction mechanism into movement of the valve body,
The vertical movement restricting mechanism is pivotally supported by the main body, a fixed shaft fixed to the float, and a first link point on the fixed shaft so as to swing up and down, and a second link on the main body. A first arm that is pivotally supported at a point so as to swing up and down, and can swing up and down to a third link point that extends parallel to the first arm and is separated downward from the first link point on the fixed shaft. And a second arm pivotally supported by a fourth link point that is spaced downward from the second link point on the main body so as to be able to swing up and down. A ball tap, characterized in that it is a four-bar linkage mechanism that operates the valve element operating mechanism by the operation of a second arm.   The distance between the third link point and the fourth link point in the second arm is equal to the distance between the first link point and the second link point in the first arm. The ball tap described.   The distance between the third link point and the fourth link point in the second arm is longer than the distance between the first link point and the second link point in the first arm. The ball tap described.

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