JP2011067374A - Shower head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shower head capable of improving drainage by easily suppressing dripping of droplets after the water stop. <P>SOLUTION: The shower head 1 has a strainer 23 disposed on the upstream side of a spray plate 17 with a plurality of spray holes formed to penetrate the front/rear of the spray plate in the water flowing direction and close to the spray plate 17 at an outlet of a water discharge pathway disposed at the downstream end in a spout part 6 of the shower head 1. The strainer 23 is hydrophilic, and further, the spray plate 17 is preferably made of a hydrophobic material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a shower head.

  Conventionally, there has been a problem that water remaining in the shower head after water stoppage is dropped as water droplets. In particular, with regard to water spray plates and strainers installed in the middle of water discharge pipes, etc., it is likely to occur when the diameter of the holes formed in them is small. Ingenuity to improve is being studied.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a photocatalytic material containing titanium oxide or the like is coated inside the holes of the watering plate, and a means for irradiating ultraviolet rays is disposed in the shower head. A strainer is produced by knitting a metal wire formed in the above, and an ultraviolet irradiation means is installed outside. By irradiation with ultraviolet rays, the inner surface of the hole is made hydrophilic in the watering plate, and the filament is made hydrophilic in the strainer, the contact angle of water becomes very small, the water spreads immediately after the water stops, the water flows out from the hole and the mesh, Water drainage is improved.

JP-A-10-76185

  However, in the watering plate and the strainer, irradiation with ultraviolet rays is indispensable for hydrophilic treatment, and it is necessary to incorporate ultraviolet irradiation means inside the shower head or install it outside. As a result, it is difficult to improve the drainage easily because the structure of the shower head and its surroundings needs to be complicated or redesigned.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above situations, and makes it a subject to provide the shower head which can suppress dripping of the water drop after water stop simply, and can make a water drainage favorable.

 The present invention has the following features in order to solve the above problems.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a water discharge section having a main body portion in which a water flow path is formed, and a water discharge path that is disposed at a downstream end portion that is located downstream in the flow direction in the main body section and communicates with the water flow path. And a shower head in which a water spray plate having a plurality of water spray holes penetrating the front and back is disposed at the outlet of the water discharge channel in the water discharge unit. A strainer is disposed on the upstream side and in the vicinity of the watering plate, and the strainer is hydrophilic.

  The second invention is characterized in that, in the feature of the first invention, the watering plate is formed of a hydrophobic material.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, since the strainer disposed in the water discharge path of the water discharge portion on the upstream side of the water spray plate and in the vicinity of the water spray plate in the direction of water flow has hydrophilicity, the surface tension in the strainer. Is small enough. The water remaining in the water discharge channel of the water discharger after the water stop spreads in a thin layer or film at the portion in contact with the strainer and is held by the strainer. As a result, dripping as water droplets from the water spray holes is suppressed. There is no need to coat the photocatalytic material on the inside of the watering holes of the watering plate for hydrophilic treatment, and therefore there is no need to incorporate ultraviolet irradiation means inside the shower head or to install it outside. Suppression of dripping of water droplets after water stoppage is easily realized, and water breakage is good.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the invention, since the water spray plate is formed of a hydrophobic material, the spread of water in the strainer is promoted, and the water discharge path of the water discharge portion is stopped after the water stops. The remaining water can be more reliably held by the strainer. Dropping of water droplets from the water spray holes is more sufficiently suppressed.

It is the perspective view which showed one Embodiment of the shower head of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the shower head shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the watering cap in the water discharging part of the shower head shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed the water spray cap periphery in the water discharging part of the shower head shown in FIG.

  As described above, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the shower head of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shower head shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a watering cap in the water discharge portion of the shower head shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the watering cap.

  The shower head 1 is disposed in a hollow main body 3 having a flow channel 2 formed therein, and a downstream end 4 located on the downstream side of the main body 3 with respect to the flow direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. The water discharge part 6 which has the water discharge path 5a, 5b connected with the flowing water path 2 was provided.

  With respect to the direction of water flow in the main body 3, the upstream end portion 7 located on the upstream side can be connected to the end of the water supply pipe A, and can supply water flowing through the water pipe to the water flow path 2 through the water supply pipe A. I can do it.

  The downstream end 4 of the main body 3 extends obliquely downward so as to change the flowing water direction from the horizontal direction to the obliquely downward direction. The downstream end 4 extending obliquely downward in this manner directs the shower spouted from the water discharger 6 to the front of the bathroom vanity, etc. so that hand washing and the like can be performed easily. It is possible to suppress the scattering of.

  A receiving part 8 for connecting the water discharge part 6 to the main body part 3 is disposed at the downstream end part 4 of the main body part 3. The receiving portion 8 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is fitted inside the downstream end portion 4 with packing or the like interposed therebetween. The outer peripheral portion of the receiving portion 8 is disposed slightly apart from the inner peripheral portion of the downstream end portion 4, and an annular groove 9 is formed between the outer peripheral portion of the receiving portion 8 and the inner peripheral portion of the downstream end portion 4. .

  A substantially cylindrical water discharge socket 10 extending in the water flow direction is attached to the downstream end located on the downstream side with respect to the water flow direction in the receiving portion 8, and the water discharge socket 10 extends from the downstream end portion 4 of the main body 3 in the water flow direction. Protruding. The water discharge part 6 is connected to the inside and the outside of the water discharge socket 10, and the water discharge part 6 is disposed at the downstream end 4 of the main body part 3.

  The water discharger 6 includes a water spray cap 11 disposed on the outer periphery of the water discharge socket 10 and a water discharge plug 12 attached to the inside of the water discharge socket 10. The watering cap 11 is connected to the downstream end 4 of the main body 3 via the bush 13.

  The bush 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and includes a thin leg portion 14 at an end portion on the main body portion 3 side. In such a bush 13, the leg portion 14 is inserted into the annular groove 9, is attached to the downstream end portion 4 of the main body portion 3, and is disposed outside the water discharge socket 10. In addition, an annular groove 15 that is recessed from the outside toward the inside is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the bush 13 at the downstream end portion located on the downstream side in the flowing water direction.

  The watering cap 11 has a cap-like shape, and an annular watering plate 17 is integrally disposed at one end of a cylindrical tube portion 16. The water spray plate 17 is formed with a plurality of water spray holes 18 penetrating the front and back. The water spray holes 18 are arranged in three rows concentrically with the annular water spray plate 17. The watering cap 11 is fitted around the bush 13 so that the packing 19 is inserted into the annular groove 15 of the bush 13, and is arranged on the outer periphery of the water discharge socket 10. Thus, the water spray plate 17 is disposed at the outlet of the water discharge channel 5 a located inside the water spray cap 11.

  The water discharge channel 5 a communicates with the water flow channel 2 of the main body 3 through the inside of the water discharge socket 10.

  The water discharge plug 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is fitted into the water discharge socket 10 and attached thereto. The water discharge path 5 b located inside the water discharge plug 12 is also communicated with the water flow path 2 of the main body 3 through the water discharge socket 10.

  Moreover, in the water discharge plug 12, the flange part 20 extended outside is arrange | positioned in the edge part by the side of the outlet of the water discharge path 5b. By inserting the water discharge plug 12 into the water discharge socket 10, the flange portion 20 comes into contact with the inner peripheral edge portion of the surface 21 located farther from the main body portion 3 in the water spray plate 17, and prevents the water spray cap 11 from coming off. The watering cap 11 is connected to the water discharge socket 10.

  The watering cap 11 is provided with a lever 22 protruding outward on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 16. The lever 22 facilitates the turning operation of the watering cap 11, and the water discharger 6 can select the water discharge from the water discharge paths 5 a and 5 b by the rotation of the watering cap 11 by operating the lever 22. It is said that. That is, when the water discharge socket 10 connected to the water spray cap 11 is rotated by the rotation operation of the water spray cap 11 and the flow path is switched, water is ejected from the water discharge path 5b located inside the water discharge plug 12, The shower head 1 realizes water discharge as a currant. On the other hand, when the communication between the water discharge channel 5b and the water flow channel 2 is interrupted along with the rotation of the water discharge socket 10, water is ejected from the water spray hole 18 through the water discharge channel 5a and a shower is realized.

  In such a shower head 1, the water spray plate 17 is formed of a hydrophobic material that repels water. The hydrophobic material referred to in the present application includes a case where the material itself has a hydrophobicity with low wettability to water and an additive for hydrophobization, and the hydrophobicity is expressed in the entire material. Is included. In the present application, a material that is only partially hydrophobic by coating or the like is not included in the hydrophobic material. Such a hydrophobic material can be appropriately selected from materials that can be easily molded such as metals and resins in consideration of hydrophobicity. In the hydrophobic material, when water adheres, water droplets are formed in a spherical shape.

  Further, in the shower head 1, a strainer 23 is disposed on the upstream side of the water spray plate 17 and in the vicinity of the water spray plate 17 in the water discharge path 5 a located inside the water spray cap 11. The strainer 23 is a net-like member. For example, the strainer 23 has a net-like pore 24 formed by knitting a thin wire rod vertically and horizontally, or a large number of pores 24 penetrating the front and back, such as punching metal. And the like.

  Such a strainer 23 is also hydrophilic. Since it has hydrophilicity, surface tension is reduced, and the strainer 23 is easily wetted with water. The water that comes into contact with the strainer 23 is unlikely to form water droplets, and tends to spread in layers or films at the contact portion.

  The hydrophilicity of the strainer 23 can be realized by forming the strainer 23 from a material such as a resin that is inherently hydrophilic, and is formed from a material that is inherently hydrophobic such as a metal or a resin. If so, it can be realized by subjecting the strainer 23 to a hydrophilic treatment. Examples of the hydrophilic treatment include simple application of a paint capable of forming a coating film having a contact angle with water of 50 ° or less. Examples of paints include inorganic paints containing alkali silicates, inorganic paints containing metal alkoxides, organic-inorganic composite paints, surface-hydrophilized paints, and the like. There is no. Various conventionally known hydrophilic paints can be appropriately selected.

  In addition, as long as the strainer 23 is positioned upstream of the water spray plate 17 and in the vicinity of the water spray plate 17 in the water discharge channel 5a in the water discharge direction, the strainer 23 may be fixed at that position in the water discharge unit 6 or may be discharged from the shower. In this case, a free state is formed between the bush 13 and the water spray plate 17 in the water discharge path 5a so as to contact the back surface 25 of the water spray plate 17 (the surface located farther from the main body 3 in the water spray plate 17). It does not matter which is arranged.

  As described above, in the shower head 1, the strainer 23 is disposed in the water discharge path 5 a of the water discharge unit 6 on the upstream side of the water spray plate 17 and in the vicinity of the water spray plate 17 in the direction of water flow, and the strainer 23 has hydrophilicity. Therefore, the surface tension in the strainer 23 is sufficiently small. The water remaining in the water discharge channel 5 a of the water discharge unit 6 after the water stop is spread in a thin layer or film at a portion in contact with the strainer 23 and is held by the strainer 23. As a result, dripping as water droplets from the water spray hole 18 is suppressed. The photocatalytic material does not need to be coated on the inside of the water spray holes 18 of the water spray plate 17 and subjected to a hydrophilic treatment. Therefore, it is not necessary to incorporate ultraviolet irradiation means inside the shower head or to install it outside. Suppression of dripping of water droplets after water stoppage is easily realized, and water breakage is good.

  Further, the strainer 23 can remove dust contained in the water, and in addition to the watering plate 17, the water flow can be adjusted better, and a water flow more suitable for the shower can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the shower head 1, since the water spray plate 17 is formed from a hydrophobic material, the spread of water in the strainer 23 is promoted, and the water remaining in the water discharge passage 5a of the water discharger 6 after water stoppage is more reliably detected. Can be held in. The dripping of water droplets from the water spray holes 18 is more sufficiently suppressed.

  In addition, the shower head of this invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various forms are possible for the shapes and structures of various members forming the main body and the water discharger, as well as the configuration and structure of the main body and the water discharger. Moreover, although only the discharge of water was described in the said description, it cannot be overemphasized that the shower head of this invention can also discharge hot water and other liquids.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shower head 2 Flowing water channel 3 Main-body part 4 Downstream end part 5a, 5b Water discharging path 6 Water discharging part 17 Watering board 18 Watering hole 23 Strainer

Claims (2)

  A main body portion having a water flow passage formed therein, and a water discharge portion having a water discharge passage disposed at a downstream end located on the downstream side in the water flow direction in the main body portion and communicating with the water flow passage. In a shower head in which a water spray plate having a plurality of water spray holes penetrating the front and back is disposed at the outlet of the water discharge channel in the water discharge channel, the water discharge channel of the water discharge unit is upstream of the water spray plate in the direction of water flow and the water spray plate. A shower head, characterized in that a strainer is disposed near the strainer, and the strainer is hydrophilic.   The shower head according to claim 1, wherein the watering plate is formed of a hydrophobic material.

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