JP2016075106A - Faucet equipped with a rotary handle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a clearance formed at a joint part between a rotary handle and a faucet body invisible.SOLUTION: A body part of a hot water single faucet 100 has a water discharge pipe 128. A rotary handle 122 is installed on the body part and controls the water discharge when being rotated by an operator. A protrusion is formed by making a cover member 160 protrude in a prescribed length from inside of an outer shell of the water discharge pipe 128 of the body part. The outer shell of the rotary handle 122 is constructed to fit an outside surface of the protrusion. The body part and the rotary handle 122 are constructed to be flat at each other's outer surfaces. The cover member 160 covers a fixing member 156 that controls water discharge. The cover member 160 fixes the fixing member 156 to the water discharge pipe 128 and functions as a heat insulation member placed between the fixing member 156 and the water discharge pipe 128.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a faucet to which a rotary handle is attached, and more particularly, to a joint structure between a rotary handle and a faucet body.

  Many faucets installed in a kitchen or the like are controlled to discharge water by a handle. The handle includes a rotary handle that controls the amount of water discharged by the amount of rotation of the handle body.

  Some rotary handles are equipped with a spindle that functions as a “plug” of the faucet body, and when the handle is rotated, the spindle moves linearly. For example, in the rotary handle described in Patent Document 1, the spindle 24 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 20 protruding from the faucet body 10.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-069547

  In the case of the rotary handle of Patent Document 1, there is a relatively large gap between the handle 34 and the cylindrical portion 20. When such a rotating handle is attached sideways, a gap formed between the handle 34 and the cylindrical portion 20 may be particularly noticeable. The present inventor has conceived that such a gap needs to be made inconspicuous in order to refine the design of the faucet provided with a pivoting handle.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The main objective is to propose the structure for making the clearance gap made in the junction part of a rotary handle and a faucet main body inconspicuous.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a water faucet according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body portion, and a rotary handle that is attached to the main body portion and controls water discharge by being rotated by an operator. .
A protrusion that protrudes a predetermined length from the outer shell is provided inside one outer shell of the main body and the rotary handle, and the other outer shell of the main body and the rotary handle is provided on the outer surface of the protrusion. Constructed along.

  A gap (groove) is formed at the joint between the main body and the rotary handle. Such a gap may impair the sense of unity between the main body and the rotary handle. Therefore, for example, if a protrusion is provided that protrudes by a predetermined length from the inside of the outer shell of the main body, and the outer shell of the rotary handle is made to follow this protrusion, the groove is made inconspicuous. In addition, it is preferable in terms of hygiene to make the groove shallow because foreign matter, steam, and the like are difficult to enter from the groove. The same applies to the case where the protruding portion is provided inside the outer shell of the rotary handle instead of the main body portion.

The main body and the rotary handle may be configured such that the outer surfaces of each other are flat.
By making the outer surface of the main body portion and the rotary handle flat (on the same plane), it becomes easy to enhance the sense of unity in appearance of the main body portion and the rotary handle.

The main body may include a functional component for water discharge control and a cover member that covers the functional component. The projecting portion may be formed by projecting the cover member by a predetermined length from the inside of the outer shell of the main body.
By slightly projecting the cover member that protects the functional component, it becomes easy to form the projecting portion.

The cover member may function as a heat insulating member interposed between the functional component and the main body while fixing the functional component to the main body.
Not only the cover member functions as a protruding portion but also has a fixing function and a heat insulating function, so that the internal space of the main body can be effectively used.

The “predetermined length” of the protrusion may be set larger than the maximum width of the groove formed between the main body and the rotary handle.
By the movement of the rotary handle, the width of the gap (groove) between the main body and the rotary handle increases or decreases. According to such an aspect, even when the groove width becomes maximum, the bottom of the groove can be covered by the protruding portion, so that the internal shielding by the protruding portion can be brought closer to perfection.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a faucet device in which the gap between the joint portion of the rotary handle and the faucet body is not noticeable.

It is a perspective view of the kitchen installed in the hot water supply room of an office. It is an external appearance perspective view of a hot water single faucet. It is a sectional side view of a hot water single faucet. It is an expanded sectional side view of the water discharge part periphery in a hot water single tap. It is a sectional side view of a general rotation type handle. It is an expansion schematic diagram of the circumference of a groove. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are schematic views showing modifications of the connection structure between the rotary handle and the water discharge pipe.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a kitchen 102 installed in a hot water supply room of an office.
The kitchen 102 includes a hot water single tap 100 and a mixing tap 104. The hot water single faucet 100 is a faucet dedicated to hot water at a maximum of 95 ° C. The mixing faucet 104 is a faucet capable of adjusting the temperature up to about 60 ° C. When making tea or coffee, hot water can be immediately supplied by the hot water single tap 100.

  The water supplied from the first water supply pipe 106 is once supplied to the electric water heater 108. The electric water heater 108 heats the supplied water to make hot water. Hot water is supplied from the second water supply pipe 110 of the electric water heater 108 and cold water is supplied from the third water supply pipe 112 to the mixing faucet 104. By operating a lever-type handle 116 attached to the base of the mixing faucet 104, the water discharge amount and temperature (mixing ratio of hot water and cold water) can be adjusted. The water discharged from the mixing faucet 104 is discharged from the drain pipe 120 through the drain port 118.

  On the other hand, hot water is supplied from the fourth water supply pipe 114 of the electric water heater 108 to the hot water single tap 100. The amount of water discharged can be adjusted by operating the rotary handle 122 attached to the tip of the hot water single water tap 100. The hot water single faucet 100 cannot adjust the water discharge temperature. The hot water discharged from the hot water single water tap 100 is also discharged from the drain pipe 120 through the drain port 118.

Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it demonstrates centering on the hot water single tap 100 and the rotation type handle | steering-wheel 122 attached to it.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the hot water single tap 100.
The hot water faucet 100 is fixed to the kitchen 102 by a pedestal 124 and a washer 126. The water discharge pipe 128 can rotate about 150 degrees in the pedestal 124 with the z axis as the rotation axis. A hose (not shown) is inserted through the water discharge pipe 128. This hose is connected to the fourth water supply pipe 114 through a pedestal 124 and a joint 148 (not shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later). Although details will be described later, the gap between the hose and the water discharge pipe 128 serves as a heat insulating layer, and the heat energy of the hot water passing through the hose is difficult to be transmitted to the water discharge pipe 128.

  The water discharge pipe 128 has an L-shape that extends in the z-axis direction (vertical direction) and then bends in the y-axis direction. A rotating handle 122 is attached to the tip of the water discharge pipe 128. Since the rotary handle 122 is installed not at the base side of the water discharge pipe 128 but at the tip side, the operator can hold the single hot water faucet 100 in front of the water discharge unit 130 without inserting a hand deeply into the vicinity of the base 124. Can be operated. For this reason, it has a safe configuration in which hot water discharged from the water discharger 130 or its splashed water or steam is not easily applied to the hand.

  The outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and the outer side surface 134 of the water discharge pipe 128 are flat. For this reason, the rotary handle 122 has a simple design in which the water discharge pipe 128 is integrated.

  The operator attaches a finger to the grip member 132 attached to the rotary handle 122 and rotates the rotary handle 122 about the y axis. The grip member 132 is an L-shaped member that extends in a line shape on the outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and is also formed on a part of the upper end surface 138. As shown in FIG. 2, when the grip member 132 is in the horizontal position, the water stops. When the rotary handle 122 is rotated from there, water discharge starts and the flow rate gradually increases. When the grip member 132 is in the vertical position by rotating to about 90 degrees, the water discharge is fully opened.

  The colors of the water discharge pipe 128 and the rotary handle 122 are preferably the same or similar. In the present embodiment, the water discharge pipe 128 and the rotary handle 122 are formed of a metal such as brass or zinc. On the other hand, the grip member 132 is a red resin member having a plurality of protrusions arranged on the surface, and forms an “operation surface”. Note that the operation surface may be formed by processing a part of the outer surface 134 instead of a separate member such as the grip member 132.

  The primary difference between the outer surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and the operation surface (grip member 132) formed on the outer surface 134 is the difference in the difficulty of sliding (friction coefficient). In the present embodiment, the friction coefficient of the grip member 132 is increased by arranging a plurality of protrusions on the surface of the grip member 132. From the tactile sensation and visual sense, the operator can intuitively recognize the place to be operated on the rotary handle 122, that is, the place and range of the operation surface. Therefore, the operator does not need to grasp the entire rotary handle 122 deeply, and can intuitively understand that the rotary handle 122 can be operated by gripping the grip member 132 to the extent that a finger is attached. In this way, by forming the operation surface along the outer surface 134 that is easily identifiable in tactile sense, preferably visually, the operator's finger can be naturally guided to the operation surface.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the hot water single faucet 100.
The pedestal 124 of the hot water single faucet 100 is inserted into the installation surface of the kitchen 102 through the packing 140 and fixed by a washer 126 and a tightening nut 142. The upper part of the pedestal 124 is inserted into the rotary socket 144, and the pedestal 124 and the rotary socket 144 are further held by two O-rings 146. The fourth water supply pipe 114 is connected to the hose 150 via the pedestal 124 and the joint 148. The hose 150 is bent along the water discharge pipe 128. Hot water supplied from the fourth water supply pipe 114 passes through the hose 150. Since the air layer 152 formed between the water discharge pipe 128 and the hose 150 serves as a heat insulating layer, the heat energy of the hose 150 is not easily transmitted to the water discharge pipe 128. With such a configuration, the temperature rise of the water discharge pipe 128 is suppressed.

  The hose 150 is connected to the fixing member 156 (functional component) via the joint 158. The fixing member 156 is fixed to the water discharge pipe 128 via the cover member 160. The outlet of the hose 150 is blocked by the spindle 154. When the rotary handle 122 is rotated, the spindle 154 moves in the y-axis negative direction, the outlet of the hose 150 is opened, and hot water in the hose 150 is discharged from the water discharger 130.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side sectional view of the vicinity of the water discharge part 130 in the hot water single tap 100.
The hose 150 is connected to the fixing member 156 via a joint 158. Since hot water flows into the fixing member 156 from the hose 150, the fixing member 156 is also likely to become hot. The fixing member 156 is fitted into the water discharge pipe 128 via the resin cover member 160. The cover member 160 is a heat insulating material that prevents the heat of the fixing member 156 from being transmitted to the water discharge pipe 128, and also plays a role of fixing the fixing member 156 to the water discharge pipe 128.

  A handle main body 162 is installed inside the rotary handle 122 via an O-ring 164. The handle main body 162 is connected to the spindle 154 by a fixing screw 166. When the water is stopped, the outlet 168 of the hose 150 is blocked by the spindle 154. When the rotary handle 122 is rotated, the spindle 154 moves to the right in FIG. 4, the outlet 168 is opened, and the hose 150 and the water discharger 130 are opened. When the outlet 168 is opened, the hot water that has flowed into the hose 150 flows into the water discharger 130 through the outlet 168, passes through the rectifying cap 170 inside the water discharger 130, and discharges water downward in the drawing of FIG. Is done.

  There is a slight groove 172 at the joint of the main body (water discharge pipe 128 side) of the hot water faucet 100 and the rotary handle 122. When the rotary handle 122 is rotated and the rotary handle 122 moves linearly in the right direction on the paper surface, the width of the groove 172 also increases. When the groove 172 is deep, the groove 172 is particularly noticeable during water discharge. This is not desirable from an aesthetic point of view. Further, when the groove 172 becomes large and deep, the steam easily enters from the groove 172. The steam that has entered the rotary handle 122 and the water discharge pipe 128 may eventually cool and become water droplets, and may drop from the grooves 172 and hang down. Thus, it is desired to make the groove 172 as small as possible and particularly shallow from the viewpoint of beauty and hygiene. Details of the structure for making the groove 172 shallow will be described later.

  Further, as described above, the cover member 160 is a heat insulating material and also plays a role of stabilizing the fixing member 156 in the water discharge pipe 128. In this embodiment, since the rotary handle 122 and the spindle 154 connected thereto are inserted into the fixed member 156, the rotary handle 122 rattles if the fixed member 156 is unstable. As a method for further strongly and stabilizing the fixing member 156 by the cover member 160, a method of fixing the cover member 160 and the fixing member 156 to the water discharge pipe 128 by allowing a screw to pass through the cover member 160 from the outside of the water discharge pipe 128 can be considered. . However, in this case, since the screw is visible from the outside of the water discharge pipe 128, it is not aesthetically preferable. Moreover, in order to fix the cover member 160 and the water discharge pipe 128 firmly, it is necessary to provide a screw in multiple places.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the rectifying cap 170 is screwed into the water discharger 130, and the rectifying cap 170 presses the fixing member 156 and the cover member 160 against the water discharge pipe 128 via the packing 174, whereby the fixing member 156 and the cover member 160 are pressed. Is fixed to the water discharge pipe 128. The rectifying member is an essential component for rectifying discharged water. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a rectifying cap 170 as a rectifying member inserted into the water discharger 130 like a screw also plays a role of stabilizing the fixing member 156 and the cover member 160.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a general rotary handle.
Before describing a structure for making the groove 172 inconspicuous in the present embodiment, a general gap structure between the handle and the main body will be described. In general, the rotary handle 176 includes a spindle 178, and the spindle 178 is inserted into a cylindrical portion 180 protruding from the main body portion 182 of the faucet. The rotary handle 176 is often formed so as to largely cover the cylindrical portion 180 in order to hide internal structures such as the cylindrical portion 180 and the spindle 178 from the outside.

  On the other hand, in the structure shown in FIG. 5, a large gap is formed between the cylindrical portion 180 and the rotary handle 176. For this reason, foreign matters such as dust are likely to enter the rotary handle 176 from the gap. Further, in the case of the single hot water faucet 100, steam enters, and when this steam cools down inside the rotary handle 176, water drops may be dropped or dropped from the inside of the rotary handle 176.

  In the present embodiment, by reducing the gap (groove 172), the design of the hot water single faucet 100 is further refined, and dust, steam, etc. are contained inside the hot water single faucet 100 and the rotary handle 122. We consider hygiene by making it hard to enter.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view around the groove 172.
As described with reference to FIG. 2, the outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and the outer side surface 136 of the water discharge pipe 128 are flat. Here, “flat” means that the outer diameter of the water discharge pipe 128 and the outer diameter of the rotary handle 122 are substantially the same, and are shifted by at least 3%. By flattening, a simple design with a sense of unity can be realized between the rotary handle 122 and the main body of the hot water faucet 100 (such as the water discharge pipe 128). When the rotary handle 122 is rotated in the opening direction, the rotary handle 122 moves straight in the right direction in FIG. 6 and the width T1 of the groove 172 increases.

  In the present embodiment, the cover member 160 is slightly protruded from the inside of the outer surface 136. The protruding portion of the cover member 160 becomes a “projection 184”. The outer shell of the pivoting handle 122 moves along the protrusion 184. Ideally, the width W1 between the inner surface of the pivotable handle 122 and the outer surface of the cover member 160 is zero, but is preferably within 0.25 millimeters and at least within 0.5 millimeters. Here, “along” means that the rotary handle 122 goes straight outside the protrusion 184 while the width W1 is substantially maintained between the protrusion 184 and the rotary handle 122. To do.

  Even when the rotary handle 122 moves and the width T1 of the groove 172 increases, only the protrusion 184 can be seen from the groove 172. In other words, the protrusion 184 shields the inside of the hot water single water tap 100 and makes the groove 172 shallow. For this purpose, it is preferable that the projection 184 can be internally shielded even when the rotary handle 122 moves and the width T1 of the groove 172 reaches the maximum value. Therefore, it is desirable that the length V1 of the protrusion 184 is equal to or greater than the maximum value of the width T1.

  The width W1 is much smaller than the thickness W3 of the water discharge pipe 128 and the thickness W2 of the rotary handle 122. In order to make the groove 172 shallow, it is preferable that the outer shell thickness W2 of the outer surface 136 and the outer shell thickness W3 of the rotary handle 122 be as thin as possible. W1 is preferably formed to be at least 1/4 or less of W2 and W3.

  In summary, the hot water single faucet 100 in the present embodiment realizes a simple and integrated design by flattening the outer surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and the outer surface 136 of the water discharge pipe 128. . However, when the rotary handle 122 moves in parallel, the width T1 of the groove 172 increases and the groove 172 becomes conspicuous, and this “sense of unity” is slightly impaired. In particular, when the groove 172 is deep, the design integrity that the rotary handle 122 and the water discharge pipe 128 are flattened easily breaks down. In order to prevent this, it is preferable to make the groove 172 as shallow as possible. Therefore, the projecting portion 184 is formed by projecting the cover member 160 from the inside of the water discharge pipe 128 (outer shell) by a predetermined length, and the rotary handle 122 (outer shell thereof) extends along the outer wall surface of the projecting portion 184. It is configured to move. With such a structure, the groove 172 is made as inconspicuous as possible, and the integrity of the rotary handle 122 and the water discharge pipe 128 is maintained.

  Further, making the groove 172 shallow and making the width W1 very small have not only a design advantage, but also a hygiene advantage that foreign matter such as dust and steam are difficult to enter from the groove 172. .

  In addition, the cover member 160 has a first role for fixing the fixing member 156 inside the water discharge pipe 128, a second role for suppressing the heat of the fixing member 156 from being transmitted to the water discharge pipe 128, and the protruding portion 184. The third role of forming and shallowing the groove 172 plays three roles. For this reason, the limited space at the tip of the water discharge pipe 128 can be effectively utilized by the cover member 160.

FIG. 7A shows a modification in which a protruding portion 184 is formed on the outer shell of the water discharge pipe 128.
The protrusion 184 may be formed by another member such as the cover member 160 or may be formed by processing the outer shell of the water discharge pipe 128. In FIG. 7A, a protruding portion 184 is formed by protruding the inner wall of the water discharge pipe 128, and a cover portion 186 for covering the protruding portion 184 is formed by protruding the outer wall of the rotary handle 122. ing.

FIG. 7B is a modification in which a protrusion 184 is formed on the outer shell of the rotary handle 122.
In FIG. 7B, the protruding portion 184 is formed by protruding the inner wall of the rotary handle 122, and the cover portion 186 for covering the protruding portion 184 is formed by protruding the outer wall of the water discharge pipe 128. ing. In either case, the interior is shielded by the protrusion 184. Since it is necessary to process the outer shells of the rotary handle 122 and the water discharge pipe 128 rather than projecting the cover member 160, the manufacturing difficulty is slightly increased. On the other hand, since the protruding portion 184 and the cover portion 186 are formed by the water discharge pipe 128 and a part of the water discharge pipe 128, there is an advantage that the groove 172 can be made particularly shallow.

As mentioned above, based on the embodiment, the hot water single faucet 100, particularly, the joint structure of the rotary handle 122 and the water discharge pipe 128 has been mainly described.
First, the rotary handle 122 is attached not to the base of the hot water single tap 100 but to the tip. Since the outer surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and the outer surface 136 of the water discharge pipe 128 are connected in a flat manner, a simple design can be realized in which the rotary handle 122 is integrated with the single hot water tap 100 in appearance.

  A groove 172 is formed at the joint between the rotary handle 122 and the hot water single tap 100 (water faucet body). When the rotary handle 122 moves, the width T1 of the groove 172 increases. Here, by projecting the cover member 160 by a predetermined length from the inside of the water discharge pipe 128, the depth of the groove 172 is suppressed to the same level as the thickness W 1 of the water discharge pipe 128 and the thickness W 2 of the rotary handle 122. By making the groove 172 shallow by the protrusion 184, it is easy to maintain the integrity of the appearance of the rotary handle 122 and the hot water faucet 100, and it is difficult for foreign matter and steam to enter from the groove 172. it makes sense.

  The present invention has been described based on some embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments are examples, and that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and that such modifications and changes are also within the scope of the claims of the present invention. It is where it is done. Accordingly, the description and drawings herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water single faucet 100 has been described as an object. However, the joint structure of the rotary handle 122 and the rotary handle 122 in the present embodiment is a mixed faucet such as two handles or water for cold water. Applicable to stoppers. The position of the handle is not limited to the tip of the faucet, it may be at the base of the faucet, and the main body is not limited to the water discharge pipe. Moreover, it is applicable not only to a faucet for kitchens but also to a faucet for bathrooms and vanities.

  100 hot water single faucet, 102 kitchen, 104 mixing faucet, 106 first water supply pipe, 108 electric water heater, 110 second water supply pipe, 112 third water supply pipe, 114 fourth water supply pipe, 116 lever type handle, 118 drainage Mouth, 120 Drain pipe, 122 Rotating handle, 128 Water discharge pipe, 130 Water discharge part, 132 Grip member, 134,136 Outer side surface, 148 Joint, 150 Hose, 152 Air layer, 154 Spindle, 156 Fixing member, 158 Joint, 160 Cover member, 162 Handle body part, 168 outlet, 170 Rectification cap, 172 Groove, 176 Rotating handle, 178 Spindle, 180 Cylinder part, 182 Body part, 184 Projection part, 186 Cover part

Claims (5)

The main body,
A rotating handle attached to the main body for controlling water discharge by being rotated by an operator;
A protrusion that protrudes a predetermined length from the outer shell is provided inside one outer shell of the main body and the rotary handle, and the other outer shell of the main body and the rotary handle protrudes from the outer shell. A faucet characterized by being configured along the outer surface of the section.   The faucet according to claim 1, wherein the main body and the rotary handle are configured such that the outer surfaces of the main body and the rotary handle are flat. The main body includes a functional component for water discharge control, and a cover member that covers the functional component,
The faucet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protrusion is formed by projecting the cover member from the inner side of the outer shell of the main body by a predetermined length.   The faucet according to claim 3, wherein the cover member functions as a heat insulating member interposed between the functional component and the main body while fixing the functional component to the main body.   The faucet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined length of the protruding portion is larger than a maximum width of a groove formed between the main body portion and the rotary handle.