JP2007169978A - Faucet handle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a faucet handle which is further improved in operability compared with a conventional one. <P>SOLUTION: The faucet handle 22 has a handle base 24 formed like a large-diameter circle in a plane shape, and a lever 26 protruding from the handle base 24. The handle base 24 has recesses 28 formed on both right and left sides of the lever 26. Each recess 28 has a curved shape. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a faucet handle suitable as a faucet handle of a single lever type mixing faucet, and more particularly to a handle having a feature in a handle shape.

  Conventionally, a single lever type mixing faucet has been widely used as a kind of faucet. The faucet handle of this single lever type mixing faucet is, for example, a handle holding portion as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. A handle base having a large diameter in plan view and a lever portion protruding from the handle base in a direction intersecting the axis of the handle base. Is made.

FIG. 12 shows an example (disclosed in Patent Document 1), in which 200 is a faucet handle, 202 is a handle base portion, and 204 is a lever portion protruding from the handle base portion 202.
Here, the lever portion 204 protrudes from the handle base portion 202 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the handle base portion 202.
In this faucet handle 200, the lever portion 204 is grasped by a hand and the faucet handle 200 is rotated to the left and right to adjust the temperature of the water discharged, and the lever portion 204 is rotated up and down. Operate to adjust the flow rate of water discharge and water discharge.

  As represented by the faucet handle 200, the faucet handle of the conventional single lever type mixed faucet has a configuration in which the lever portion 204 simply protrudes from the handle base portion 202 having a large planar shape. For this reason, the handle operation has to be uniform, and the faucet handle is not sufficient in terms of operability.

  A single lever type mixer tap handle that adjusts temperature and flow rate with a single handle has been described above, but other types of tap handles, for example, simply handle the shaft around its axis. In addition, there is a problem that the operability is insufficient even in a faucet handle that can be rotated only in the left-right direction, or a faucet handle that is rotated only so that the lever portion is raised and lowered in the plane including the axis. there were.

JP 2004-308212 A

  The present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a faucet handle having better operability than the conventional one against the background described above.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a handle base portion having a large diameter in plan view, which is a connecting portion to the handle holding portion side of the faucet, and an axis center of the handle base portion. In the faucet handle having a lever portion protruding from the handle base in a direction intersecting with the handle portion, recesses are provided on both left and right sides of the handle base as viewed from the lever portion side.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the recess is provided in a shape that forms a continuous surface with respect to a side surface of the lever portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the dent has a curved shape.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the handle base is a connecting portion to the handle holding portion side of the water faucet, the handle base having a large diameter in plan view, the upper side of the handle base, and the axis of the handle base intersecting A faucet handle having a lever portion protruding in a direction from the handle base portion, wherein the lever portion protrudes from the handle base portion and an auxiliary member protruding from the handle base portion in a direction opposite to the lever main portion. It is comprised with the form provided with the lever part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the lever portion includes a lever main portion protruding from the handle base portion, and an auxiliary lever protruding from the handle base portion in a direction opposite to the lever main portion. It is comprised with the form provided with the part.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the protruding length of the lever main portion is relatively larger than the protruding length of the auxiliary lever portion.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the upper surface of the lever portion is formed as a concave surface as it proceeds from both ends in the width direction to the central portion.

Effects and effects of the invention

As described above, according to the present invention, in the faucet handle having the handle base and the lever portion, the left and right side portions of the handle base are provided with dents when viewed from the lever portion side.
According to the present invention, in the case of rotating the faucet handle to the left and right around the axis of the handle base, or in the case of rotating up and down in the direction of raising and lowering the lever portion within the operation surface including the axis. However, as an aspect of the operation, it is possible to put a finger on the recess, put a finger on it, or pick the lever itself at the recesses on both sides and rotate it, etc. In other words, the number of possible operation modes increases, and the operability and usability of the faucet handle become better than before.

In this case, the recess can be provided in a shape that forms a continuous surface with respect to the side surface of the lever portion.
Furthermore, in this case, the dent can be a curved shape (claim 3).
In the case of claim 2, there is no step between the side surface of the lever portion and the recess, and the operability is good, and according to claim 3, the side surface of the lever portion constitutes a part of the curved recess. Thus, that is, since the curved recess is formed including the side surface of the lever portion, the finger can be hung over the side surface of the lever portion from the recess, and the operability is further improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the lever portion is constituted by a lever main portion protruding from the handle base portion and an auxiliary lever portion protruding from the handle base portion in the opposite direction. In this case, the faucet handle As one aspect of this operation, it is possible to place the hand on or put the hand on the auxiliary lever portion to operate the handle, and the operability of the faucet handle is further improved.

  Next, a fifth aspect of the present invention is a combination of the first and fourth aspects of the faucet handle, that is, the faucet handle in the form of providing the recess and the auxiliary lever portion. In this case, as one aspect of the operation, it is possible to operate the faucet handle by placing a finger on or placing the finger on both the recess and the auxiliary lever portion, and the operability is further improved.

  Next, the protrusion length of the lever main portion is made relatively larger than the protrusion length of the auxiliary lever portion. When the lever main portion is used preferentially, the lever main portion is more relative to the auxiliary lever portion. Therefore, the main part of the lever is highly visible and easy to operate.

  The seventh aspect of the present invention is such that the upper surface of the lever portion becomes concave as it goes from the both ends in the width direction to the center portion. In this case, the operability when placing the finger on the upper surface of the lever portion and operating the faucet handle Becomes better.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a hand wash basin provided in a bathroom vanity or the like, and includes a ball portion 12 and a vertical wall 14 rising from the rear end.
As shown in FIG. 2, a water discharge portion 16 of a single lever type mixed water faucet and a faucet body 18 are attached to the wall 14 so as to protrude forward.
The water discharger 16 has a water discharge port 20 at its tip, and discharges water from the water discharge port 20.
On the other hand, a faucet handle 22 is attached to and held by the faucet body 18.
The faucet handle 22 is operatively connected to a valve mechanism built in the faucet body 18.

FIG. 3 shows a specific configuration of the faucet handle 22.
As shown in the figure, the faucet handle 22 is a connecting portion to the faucet body (handle holding portion) 18 side, and has a handle base portion 24 having a circular shape with an inverted cup shape in cross section and a large diameter in plan view. And a lever portion 26 provided on the upper side of the handle base portion 24.
Here, the lever portion 26 protrudes from the handle base portion 24 in a direction intersecting with its axis from the handle base portion 24, here, in a substantially perpendicular direction.

The handle base 24 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3C, the handle base 24 is provided with dents 28 on both the left and right sides when viewed from the lever 26 side.

The lever portion 26 has a lever main portion 26A that protrudes greatly downward from the handle base portion 24 in the figure, and an auxiliary lever portion that protrudes upward from the handle base portion 24 in the opposite direction and smaller than the lever main portion 26A. 26B.
Here, the entire upper surface of the lever portion 26 is formed as a concave surface 32 as it proceeds from the both ends in the width direction to the central portion over the entire length.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the entire upper surface of the lever portion 26 has a continuous curved surface shape that protrudes leftward in FIG. 3B.

In this embodiment, the faucet handle 22 adjusts the temperature of water discharged from the water outlet 20 by rotating around the axis of the handle base 24 as shown in FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the flow rate adjustment of the water discharge and water discharge is performed by rotating the lever portion 26 in the direction of raising and lowering within the vertical operation surface including the axis of the handle base 24. .
Here, the flow rate of water discharge or water discharge is increased by rotating the lever main portion 26A away from the wall 14, and conversely, the flow rate of water discharge is increased by pushing the lever main portion 26A toward the wall 14 side. Squeezed or stopped.

FIG. 5A shows an example of the operation of the faucet handle 22.
As shown in the figure, the faucet handle 22 can be rotated in both the horizontal direction of FIG. 4B and the undulation direction of FIG. 4A by grasping the lever main portion 26A by hand.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the upper part of the faucet handle 22 including the lever portion 26 is held by the hand in the recess 28, and the faucet handle 22 is rotated in the left-right direction in FIG. 4 (B). It can also be operated.
In this case, since the portion gripped by the hand is close to the axial center, the rotation operation is easy.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the faucet handle 22 grips the upper portion of the handle 22 including the lever portion 26 in a pair of recesses 28, and other lever main portion 26A protruding downward from the handle base portion 24 in the figure. In this state, a finger can be put on and rotated in the left-right direction in FIG. 4B, or rotated in the undulation direction in FIG. 4A.

By providing the recess 28 in the faucet handle 22 as described above, various operations can be performed on the faucet handle 22, and fingers are placed on both the recess 28 and the lever main portion 26A as shown in FIG. By hooking, it is possible to apply a rotational force to the faucet handle 22 across a plurality of locations, thereby making it possible to effectively apply an operating force to the faucet handle 22. 22 can be rotated lightly.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the faucet handle 22 can be operated by various operation methods, and the faucet handle 22 can be easily rotated with a slight force. Improves.

The above is an example of the operation using the recess 28 and the lever main portion 26A, but the faucet handle 22 of the present embodiment has an auxiliary lever in which the lever portion 26 protrudes upward in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B). A portion 26B is provided, and various operations using the auxiliary lever portion 26B are possible.
7 to 9 show an example thereof.

As an example of the operation using the auxiliary lever portion 26B, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the thumb is placed on the upper surface (top surface) of the auxiliary lever portion 26B, and the remaining main fingers are used to move the lever main. By grasping the portion 26A, the faucet handle 22 can be rotated in the undulation direction of FIG. 4A, or can be rotated in the left-right direction shown in FIG. 4B.
At this time, since the entire upper surface of the lever portion 26 including the upper surface of the auxiliary lever portion 26B is concave, the contact surface of the finger with respect to the upper surface of the auxiliary lever portion 26B is widened. Because it is easy to get used to it, it has good operability and good operation feeling.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7B, for example, the index finger is hung on the side surface of the auxiliary lever portion 26B protruding upward in the figure, and the lever main portion 26A is gripped by another finger, or the thumb is held in this case. The faucet handle 22 can be rotated in the direction shown in FIG. 4A or the direction shown in FIG.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, the thumb is placed on the side surface of the protruding auxiliary lever portion 26B, the lever main portion 26A is gripped by another finger, and the faucet handle 22 is moved in the direction shown in FIG. It can be rotated in the direction shown in (B).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the faucet handle 22 is closed by placing an index finger or other finger on the back side of the auxiliary lever portion 26B and pulling it toward the user side (front side). In addition, as shown in FIG. 9 (B), the auxiliary lever portion 26B is pressed against the wall 14 side from its upper surface (top surface) side to The plug handle 22 can also be operated in the opening direction.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the faucet handle 22 is opened by pressing the entire palm over almost the entire length of the lever portion 26 and applying a strong pressing force to the auxiliary lever portion 26B in this state. Or, conversely, the faucet handle 22 can be closed by applying a strong force to the lever main portion 26A side.
That is, by providing the lever portion 26 with the auxiliary lever portion 26B having such a protruding shape, ie, protruding in the direction opposite to the lever main portion 26A, the faucet handle 22 can be opened and closed without grasping the lever main portion 26A. It becomes possible to operate.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the faucet handle 22 can be operated in various modes, and by changing the grip on the faucet handle 22 according to the rotational operation direction of the faucet handle 22, A rotation operation force can be efficiently applied to the faucet handle 22, and the faucet handle 22 can be rotated and operated with a small operation force.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
This example is an example in which only the auxiliary lever portion 26B is provided in the lever portion 26 without providing the recess 28 in the handle base portion 24 as in the above embodiment.
In this example, the entire lever portion 26 is formed in a flat plate shape, and its upper surface (top surface) is a substantially flat surface.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples.
For example, in the above embodiment, the bottom surface 30 of the recess 28 is formed in a completely curved shape, but the bottom surface 30 may be a partial polygonal surface that is substantially close to a curved surface shape.
Moreover, although the said embodiment is an example at the time of applying this invention to the faucet handle of a single lever type mixing faucet, this invention is a faucet handle which operates only in the rotation direction of FIG. 4 (B), or The present invention can also be applied to a faucet handle or the like that performs a rotation operation only in the direction shown in FIG. 4A. Even in this case, variations in the operation pattern of the handle are widened and the operability of the handle is improved. An effect is obtained.
In addition, the present invention can be applied to a faucet handle provided on a horizontal mounting surface or a slanting mounting surface other than the vertical wall as in the above-described embodiment, and within a range not departing from the gist thereof. It can be configured in various modified forms.

It is a figure which shows the faucet handle which is one Embodiment of this invention with a hand-washing machine. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a figure which shows a faucet handle. It is a figure which shows the rotation operation direction of a faucet handle. It is a figure which shows an example of operation of a faucet handle. It is a figure which shows an example of operation of the faucet handle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of operation of the faucet handle different from FIG. 5, FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of operation of the faucet handle different from FIGS. It is a figure which shows an example of operation of the faucet handle different from FIGS. It is a figure which shows an example of operation of the faucet handle different from FIGS. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional faucet handle.

Explanation of symbols

18 Water faucet body (handle holding part)
22 faucet handle 24 handle base portion 26 lever portion 26A lever main portion 26B auxiliary lever portion 28 dent 30 bottom surface 30a side surface 32 concave surface

Claims (7)

A handle base having a large planar shape, which serves as a connecting part to the handle holding part side of the faucet, and is provided above the handle base and protrudes from the handle base in a direction intersecting the axis of the handle base In a faucet handle having a lever portion,
A faucet handle characterized in that dents are provided on both left and right sides of the handle base as viewed from the lever part side.   The faucet handle according to claim 1, wherein the recess is provided in a shape that forms a continuous surface with respect to a side surface of the lever portion.   The faucet handle according to claim 2, wherein the recess has a curved shape. A handle base having a large planar shape, which serves as a connecting part to the handle holding part side of the faucet, and is provided above the handle base and protrudes from the handle base in a direction intersecting the axis of the handle base In a faucet handle having a lever portion,
The lever portion includes a lever main portion protruding from the handle base and an auxiliary lever portion protruding from the handle base in a direction opposite to the lever main portion. Stopper handle.   The lever portion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lever portion includes a lever main portion protruding from the handle base portion and an auxiliary lever portion protruding from the handle base portion in a direction opposite to the lever main portion. A faucet handle characterized by being configured.   6. The faucet handle according to claim 4, wherein a protruding length of the lever main portion is relatively larger than a protruding length of the auxiliary lever portion.   The faucet handle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an upper surface of the lever portion is formed as a concave surface as it proceeds from both ends in the width direction to the central portion.

Images