JP2018145661A - Faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a faucet having both antifouling property and formability.SOLUTION: The faucet comprises: a faucet body part equipped with a rotating shaft that changes a water discharge direction and a water discharge amount or a mixing degree of hot water by rotation, and a handle unit attached to the rotating shaft, wherein the handle unit has a transmission member that is fitted to a gear portion with a tooth shape provided on an outer periphery of the rotating shaft and engaged with the rotating shaft in the rotating direction to transmit a rotating force to the rotating shaft, and a handle having a shape to cover the transmission member, that is fixed integrally with the transmission member to apply the rotating force to the transmission member, the transmission members and the handle are formed of resin, and the handle is formed of the resin having a larger flexural modulus than the transmission member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a faucet.

  As a conventional faucet, for example, one described in Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 describes a faucet that adjusts the temperature of discharged water by rotation. As a mechanism for adjustment, a handle unit is attached to a rotation shaft provided in the faucet body, and the user rotates the handle unit so that the temperature of the water discharge can be adjusted by rotating the rotation shaft. In the faucet described in Patent Document 1, the rotating shaft and the handle unit are meshed with each other via a serration portion (tooth-shaped gear portion).

JP 2012-241315 A

  The surface exposed to the outside of the handle unit is preferably excellent in antifouling property because it is easily contaminated with water stains. On the other hand, the inner part of the handle unit has a gear-shaped gear part meshing with the rotating shaft and a thin part covering the rotating shaft, and these are finer than the outer part of the handle unit. It is preferable that the moldability is excellent. Regarding the compatibility between the antifouling property and the moldability of the handle unit, it can be said that there is still room for improvement since no special contrivance has been made in the configuration described in Patent Document 1.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide a water faucet that achieves both antifouling properties and moldability.

In order to achieve the above object, the faucet of the present invention comprises:
A faucet body having a rotating shaft for changing the water discharge direction, the water discharge amount or the mixing degree of hot water by rotation,
A handle unit attached to the rotating shaft,
The handle unit is
A transmission member that engages with a tooth-shaped gear portion provided on an outer peripheral portion of the rotation shaft, engages with the rotation shaft in a rotation direction, and transmits a rotation force to the rotation shaft;
A handle that has a shape that covers the transmission member, is fixed integrally with the transmission member, and applies a rotational force to the transmission member;
The transmission member and the handle are made of resin, and the handle is made of a resin having a higher bending elastic modulus than the transmission member.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the faucet which made antifouling property and moldability compatible can be provided.

The perspective view of the faucet concerning the embodiment of the present invention. Exploded view of the faucet of FIG. Exploded view of the faucet of FIG. Sectional view of the handle unit after it has been attached to the faucet body Sectional view of the handle unit before being attached to the faucet body

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
As a result of intensive studies to achieve both the antifouling property and moldability of the faucet, the present inventors have obtained the following knowledge.

  Specifically, the handle unit is separated into a transmission member that transmits rotational force to the rotation shaft and a handle that covers the transmission member, and the material is changed according to the characteristics required for each of the transmission member and the handle. It was found that both antifouling properties and moldability were achieved. In particular, the handle is made of a hard material with a high bending elastic modulus, while improving the antifouling property, and the transmission member is made of a soft material with a low bending elastic modulus to improve the moldability. It is possible to achieve both antifouling properties and moldability.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
1 to 3 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a faucet 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the faucet 10, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded views of the faucet 10. 2 is an exploded view of the faucet unit 20 of the faucet 10, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the handle unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the faucet 10 includes a faucet unit 20 and a handle unit 30. The faucet unit 20 is a unit for discharging water. The handle unit 30 is a unit that can change the water discharge direction, the water discharge amount, and the mixing degree of hot water in the water discharged from the faucet unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the faucet unit 20 includes a faucet body 21, a top cover 22, a body cover 23, and a stay 24.

  The faucet body portion 21 is a member having a hot water flow passage therein and constitutes a body portion of the faucet unit 20. The faucet body 21 is provided with two water outlets 25a and 25b. In the present embodiment, for example, straight water discharge is performed from the water discharge port 25a, and shower water discharge is performed from the water discharge port 25b. A shower hose is connected to the water outlet 25b, but is omitted here. The top cover 22 and the body cover 23 are members that cover and protect the faucet body 21. The stay 24 is a member for fixing the body cover 23 to a wall or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the handle unit 30 includes a first handle unit 30a and a second handle unit 30b.

  In the present embodiment, the first handle unit 30a is a unit for changing the water discharge direction (straight water discharge or shower water discharge) and the water discharge amount by rotation. Specifically, the water discharge direction is changed by changing the rotation direction R from the reference position in the first handle unit 30a. For example, straight water discharge is performed from the water outlet 25a by rotating downward from the reference position, and shower water discharge is performed from the water outlet 25b by rotating upward from the reference position. Furthermore, the amount of water discharge is changed by changing the degree of rotation from the reference position.

  The second handle unit 30b is a unit for changing the mixing degree of hot and cold water by rotation. Specifically, the temperature of the discharged water is adjusted according to the degree of rotation of the second handle unit 30b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the faucet body 21 includes two rotating shafts 26 and 27.

  The rotation shaft 26 is a shaft for changing the water discharge direction and the water discharge amount by rotation, and is attached with the first handle unit 30a. A collar 35 is attached between the faucet body 21 and the first handle unit 30a. On the other hand, the rotating shaft 27 is a shaft for changing the mixing degree of hot and cold water by rotation, and the second handle unit 30b is attached thereto. A collar 35 is attached between the faucet body 21 and the second handle unit 30b.

  Since the configuration of the second handle unit 30b is similar to the configuration of the first handle unit 30a, the description regarding the second handle unit 30b will be omitted in the following description, and the description regarding the first handle unit 30a will be made.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first handle unit 30 a includes a transmission member 31, a handle 32, a cap 33, and an inner cover 34. The transmission member 31 is a member that transmits a rotational force in the rotation direction R to the rotation shaft 26. The handle 32 is a member that applies a rotational force in the rotational direction R to the transmission member 31. The cap 33 is a member that fixes the transmission member 31 and the handle 32 to the rotation shaft 26. The inner cover 34 is a member attached so as to cover the inside of the handle 32.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the first handle unit 30a will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 focusing on the rotation shaft 26, the transmission member 31, and the handle 32, which are the main parts of the invention of the present embodiment. To do. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first handle unit 30a after being attached to the rotary shaft 26, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first handle unit 30a before being attached to the rotary shaft 26.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating shaft 26 is a shaft protruding from the end of the faucet main body 21, and includes a distal end portion 28 and a base portion 29. The distal end portion 28 is a portion that engages with a thin portion 39 of the transmission member 31 to be described later in the axial direction A, and has a raised portion 28a at the center. The base 29 is a portion that engages with a transmission member 31 (described later) in the rotation direction R (FIG. 3), and has a tooth-shaped gear portion 29 a on the outer peripheral portion.

  The transmission member 31 is a member that transmits a rotational force in the rotational direction R to the rotation shaft 26. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first cylindrical portion 36 and the second cylindrical shape are provided. A portion 37, a flange portion 38, and a thin portion 39 are provided.

  The first cylindrical portion 36 is a portion that engages with the base portion 29 described above, and has a cylindrical shape. Moreover, the front-end | tip part 36b of the 1st cylindrical part 36 contact | abuts the front-end | tip part 32b in the cylindrical part 32a of the handle | steering-wheel 32 mentioned later. As shown in FIG. 5, a gear portion 36 a that fits a tooth-shaped gear portion 29 a formed on the outer peripheral portion of the base portion 29 is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion 36. The gear portion 36a of the first cylindrical portion 36 is engaged with the gear portion 29a of the base portion 29 in the rotation direction R, but an integral fixed state is not formed.

  The second cylindrical portion 37 has a cylindrical shape extending outward in the axial direction A from the first cylindrical portion 36, and is disposed so as to cover a cylindrical portion 32a of the handle 32 described later.

  The flange portion 38 is a member provided so as to protrude outwardly in the radial direction D from between the first tubular portion 36 and the second tubular portion 37. The outer peripheral portion of the flange portion 38 has the same shape as the non-circular inner shape of the handle 32 and is fitted in the rotation direction R with the inner peripheral portion of the handle 32. The flange portion 38 is a rotation prevention mechanism for integrally rotating the transmission member 31 and the handle 32.

  The thin portion 39 is a portion that engages with the tip portion 28 of the rotating shaft 26 in the axial direction A, and is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the tip portion 28. A protruding portion 39 a protruding inward is provided at the distal end portion of the thin-walled portion 39, and is engaged with the protruding portion 28 a of the distal end portion 28 in the axial direction A. A cap 33 which will be described later is disposed outside the thin portion 39. By disposing the cap 33 so as to be sandwiched between the thin portion 39 and the first cylindrical portion 36, the tip portion 28 and the thin portion 39 are integrally fixed.

  The handle 32 is a member for operating the first handle unit 30a so that the user applies a rotational force in the rotational direction R to the first handle unit 30a. The handle 32 is disposed on the outermost side in the first handle unit 30 a and covers the transmission member 31 and the rotation shaft 26.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the internal shape of the handle 32 is not a perfect circle but a shape having a plurality of corners. Since the non-circular inner shape of the handle 32 has the same shape as the outer peripheral portion of the flange portion 38, the inner peripheral portion of the handle 32 and the flange portion 38 are fitted in the rotation direction R, and the handle 32 and the flange portion 38 are integrated. Fixed. As a result, the transmission member 31 and the handle 32 can be rotated together and rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the handle 32 includes a cylindrical portion 32 a that protrudes inward from an outer end portion in the axial direction A. The cylindrical part 32a constitutes a space for arranging a cap 33 to be described later on the inside. A cap 33 is inserted inside the tubular portion 32 a, and the distal end portion 32 b of the tubular portion 32 a is engaged with the distal end portion 36 b of the first tubular portion 36 in the rotation direction R.

  The cap 33 is a member for integrally fixing the rotating shaft 26, the transmission member 31, and the handle 32. The cap 33 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 32 a of the handle 32. The distal end portion of the cap 33 is inserted into the gap between the first tubular portion 36 and the thin portion 39 of the transmission member 31. By inserting the cap 33 into the gap, the raised portion 39a of the transmission member 31 and the raised portion 28a of the rotary shaft 26 are kept in the engaged state in the axial direction A, and the transmission member 31 is prevented from falling off the rotary shaft 26. Can do. In this way, the rotary shaft 26 and the transmission member 31 are integrally fixed by the cap 33.

  The cap 33 has a step 33a. The step 33 a contacts the entrance of the cylindrical portion 32 a of the handle 32. Thereby, the cap 33 acts so as to press the cylindrical portion 32a of the handle 32 inward in the axial direction A, and the handle 32 is fixed.

  The operation of the faucet 10 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  When the user rotates the handle 32 in the rotation direction R, the transmission member 31 fixed integrally with the handle 32 rotates in the same direction. The tooth-shaped gear portion 36a provided on the inner peripheral portion of the transmission member 31 and the tooth-shaped gear portion 29a provided on the base portion 29 are engaged in the rotation direction R, so that the rotational force of the transmission member 31 is It is transmitted to the rotating shaft 26. Thereby, the rotating shaft 26 rotates in the same direction, and the water discharge direction and the water discharge amount are changed. And the controlled water discharge is performed from the water outlet 25a (FIG. 2) or the water outlet 25b.

  Here, the material of the constituent members of the first handle unit 30a will be described.

  All members of the first handle unit 30a in the present embodiment are made of resin. In particular, in this embodiment, the transmission member 31 and the handle 32 are formed of different resins. Specifically, the transmission member 31 is made of ABS resin, and the handle 32 is made of acrylic resin (PMMA resin). The bending elastic modulus of the transmission member 31 and the handle 32 is changed by selecting such a material. Specifically, the bending elastic modulus of the transmission member 31 is set small, and the bending elastic modulus of the handle 32 is set large. In this embodiment, the bending elastic modulus of the transmission member 31 is 2000 MPa, and the bending elastic modulus of the handle 32 is 3300 MPa.

  In general, since a resin having a low flexural modulus is a soft material, it has a high fluidity and excellent moldability when molded by a mold. On the other hand, since the resin having a large flexural modulus is a hard material, the surface is smooth and the antifouling property is excellent. Here, the transmission member 31 is not exposed to the outside, but has a gear portion 36 a and a thin portion 39, which are finer than the handle 32. On the other hand, the handle 32 has a rougher shape than the transmission member 31, but is exposed to the outside. For this reason, as described above, the transmission member 31 is made of a resin having a small bending elastic modulus, thereby being excellent in moldability. In addition, the handle 32 is made of a resin having a high bending elastic modulus, so that the antifouling property is excellent. Thus, in the 1st handle unit 30a, antifouling property and moldability can be made compatible by selecting an appropriate material according to each characteristic of transmission member 31 and handle 32.

  In the present embodiment, the cap 33 and the inner cover 34 are formed of ABS resin in the same manner as the transmission member 31. Since the cap 33 has a finer shape than the handle 32 and the portion exposed to the outside is smaller than the handle 32, the moldability is improved by the ABS resin. The inner cover 34 has a part smaller than the handle 32 and is not exposed to the outside, so that the moldability is improved by ABS resin.

  According to the faucet 10 of the present embodiment, the first handle unit 30 a includes the transmission member 31 and the handle 32. The transmission member 31 is engaged with a gear-shaped gear portion 29 a provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotation shaft 26, is engaged with the rotation shaft 26 in the rotation direction R, and transmits a rotational force to the rotation shaft 26. The handle 32 has a shape that covers the transmission member 31, is fixed integrally with the transmission member 31, and applies a rotational force to the transmission member 31. The transmission member 31 and the handle 32 are made of resin, and the handle 32 is made of a resin having a higher bending elastic modulus than the transmission member 31.

  According to this configuration, by forming the transmission member 31 and the handle 32 separately, a resin having a low bending elastic modulus can be used for the transmission member 31 and a resin having a high bending elastic modulus can be used for the handle 32. it can. By using a material excellent in antifouling property as the material of the handle 32, it is possible to prevent the dirt from adhering to the surface of the handle 32. Further, the transmission member 31 has a gear portion 36a and a thin portion 39, which are finer than the handle 32, but can be easily formed by using a material having excellent moldability for the transmission member 31. Therefore, the faucet 10 excellent in antifouling property and moldability can be provided.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the transmission member 31 has the flange part 38 fitted to the non-circular internal shape of the handle 32, and the handle 32 and the flange part 38 are prevented from rotating. When the flange portion 38 is not provided, the stress generated in the handle 32 due to the rotation tends to concentrate on a part. On the other hand, since the transmission member 31 has the flange portion 38, the outer peripheral portion of the transmission member 31 and the inner peripheral portion of the handle 32 are fitted, and the contact portion can be increased. Thereby, the stress which arises in the handle | steering-wheel 32 can be disperse | distributed, and the strength reduction of the twist direction of the handle | steering-wheel 32 can be prevented. Further, since the transmission member 31 and the handle 32 are integrated, rattling can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the transmission member 31 is made of ABS resin, and the handle 32 is made of acrylic resin. ABS resin is a resin with particularly excellent moldability, and acrylic resin is a resin with particularly excellent antifouling properties. According to this configuration, the transmission member 31 having a shape smaller than that of the handle 32 can be formed particularly easily, and the handle 32 can further improve the antifouling property.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement in another various aspect. For example, in the said embodiment, although the handle | steering-wheel unit 30 was set as the unit which makes it possible to change the water discharging direction in the water discharging of the faucet unit 20, the amount of water discharging, and the mixing degree of hot water, this invention is not limited to this. The handle unit 30 may be a unit that can change any of the water discharge direction, the water discharge amount, or the mixing degree of hot water. That is, the handle unit 30 may be a unit that can change only the water discharge direction, only the water discharge amount, only the mixing degree of hot water, or any combination thereof.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the handle unit 30 was provided with the 1st handle unit 30a and the 2nd handle unit 30b, this invention is not limited to this. The number of handle units 30 may be one or two or more.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the transmission member 31 was provided with the 1st cylindrical part 36, the 2nd cylindrical part 37, the flange part 38, and the thin part 39, this invention is not limited to this. . Other members may be used as long as they are members that engage with the rotation shaft 26 in the rotation direction R and transmit the rotational force to the rotation shaft 26.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flange portion 38 is a member provided so as to protrude radially outward from between the first tubular portion 36 and the second tubular portion 37. It is not limited to. Any other configuration may be used as long as it is a detent mechanism for integrally rotating the transmission member 31 and the handle 32.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the inner peripheral part of the handle | steering-wheel 32 was not a perfect circle but the shape which has several corner | angular parts, this invention is not limited to this. As long as the handle 32 and the flange portion 38 of the transmission member 31 are fitted in the rotation direction R and rotate integrally, another non-circular shape may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the transmission member 31 is made of ABS resin and the handle 32 is made of acrylic resin. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other materials may be used as long as the handle 32 is formed of a resin having a bending elastic modulus larger than that of the transmission member 31. For example, the transmission member 31 may be formed of an ASA resin having a bending elastic modulus equivalent to that of the ABS resin.

  Moreover, although it demonstrated using the bending elastic modulus in this specification, it can explain also by toughness. In general, a material having a high flexural modulus has low toughness, and a material having a low flexural modulus has high toughness. For this reason, a material with a high flexural modulus corresponds to a material with low toughness, and a material with a low flexural modulus corresponds to a material with high toughness. Therefore, by forming the handle 32 with a resin having lower toughness than the transmission member 31, the antifouling property of the handle 32 and the moldability of the transmission member 31 can be improved. The toughness comparison may be performed by a test of a general JIS standard such as JISK7110.

  Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention. Also, combinations of elements and changes in the order in the embodiments can be realized without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention improves the antifouling property of the handle and facilitates the molding of the transmission member. Therefore, the present invention is useful for manufacturing a faucet that achieves both antifouling property and moldability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Water faucet 20 Water faucet unit 21 Water faucet body part 22 Top cover 23 Body cover 24 Stay 25a Water outlet 25b Water outlet 26 Rotating shaft 27 Rotating shaft 28 Tip 28a Rotating shaft protruding portion 29 Base 29a Rotating shaft gear portion 30 Handle unit 30a First handle unit 30b Second handle unit 31 Transmission member 32 Handle 32a Cylindrical portion 32b End portion of the cylindrical portion 33 Cap 33a Step 34 Inner cover 35 Color 36 First cylindrical portion 36a First cylindrical portion 36a Gear portion 36b Tip portion of first tubular portion 37 Second tubular portion 38 Flange portion 39 Thin portion 39a Raised portion of transmission member

Claims (3)

A faucet body having a rotating shaft for changing the water discharge direction, the water discharge amount or the mixing degree of hot water by rotation,
A handle unit attached to the rotating shaft,
The handle unit is
A transmission member that engages with a tooth-shaped gear portion provided on an outer peripheral portion of the rotation shaft, engages with the rotation shaft in a rotation direction, and transmits a rotation force to the rotation shaft;
A handle that has a shape that covers the transmission member, is fixed integrally with the transmission member, and applies a rotational force to the transmission member;
The transmission member and the handle are formed of resin, and the handle is formed of a resin having a higher bending elastic modulus than the transmission member.   The faucet according to claim 1, wherein the transmission member has a flange portion that fits into a non-circular inner shape of the handle, and the handle and the flange portion are prevented from rotating.   The faucet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission member is made of ABS resin or ASA resin, and the handle is made of acrylic resin.

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