JP2019208639A - Water discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a device arrangement method that makes it easy to keep the inside of a water discharge device clean.SOLUTION: A water discharge device 4 includes: a water sucking port 6 provided to a bathtub 2; a water sucking channel 8 connected to the water sucking port 6; a pump 10 connected to the water sucking channel 8 for sucking bathtub water W from the water sucking port 6; a conduit 12 connected to the pump 10; and a water discharge port 14 connected to the conduit 12 for discharging the bathtub water W sucked by the pump 10. The pump 10 is arranged above a draft surface Ds of the bathtub water W in a vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a water discharge device installed in a bathtub.

  A water discharge device that provides a massage effect by locally discharging water on the waist, neck, shoulder, etc. of a bather is known (see Patent Document 1). The water discharging device sucks in the bathtub water with a pump and circulates the bathtub water by discharging water toward the bather in the bathtub.

JP 2010-75473 A

  Sometimes, the user may leave the bath water in the bathtub for a long time. For example, recent bathtubs can suppress the temperature drop of bathtub water to several degrees C. even after about 8 hours have passed. For this reason, there is a usage mode in which hot water is filled in at night and a bath is taken in the next morning. Moreover, in order to use as washing water, bathtub water may be stored. In addition, bathtub water may be stored for the purpose of storing water during a disaster.

  In the state where the bathtub water is accumulated in the bathtub, the bathtub water enters the inside of the water discharging device. If bath water remains in the water discharge device, dirt such as scale or biofilm is likely to occur inside the device. In addition, bacteria may be generated in the bath water in the apparatus. On the other hand, cleaning inside the water discharge device is troublesome and not easy. However, if the cleaning is neglected, not only is it unsanitary, but foreign matter may enter the pump. From such a situation, the present inventors considered that it is desirable to devise a device for keeping the inside of the water discharging device clean.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, One of the objectives is to provide the technique which makes it easy to keep the inside of a water discharging apparatus clean.

  One embodiment of the present invention is a water discharge device. The water discharge device includes: a water inlet provided in the bathtub; a water suction path connected to the water suction opening; a pump connected to the water suction path; and a water suction path connected to the pump; And a water outlet that discharges bathtub water sucked by the pump. The pump is arranged above the draft surface of the bath water in the vertical direction.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily keep the inside of the water discharge device clean.

It is a block diagram of a bathtub system provided with the water discharging apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of a water discharging apparatus. It is an enlarged view of a water inlet and a 2nd water outlet.

  The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The embodiments do not limit the invention but are exemplifications, and all features and combinations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the scale and shape of each part shown in each drawing are set for convenience in order to facilitate the explanation, and are not limitedly interpreted unless otherwise specified. In addition, when terms such as “first” and “second” are used in the present specification or claims, these terms do not represent any order or importance unless otherwise specified, and a certain configuration It is for distinguishing from other configurations. Also, in the drawings, some of the members that are not important for describing the embodiment are omitted.

  Drawing 1 is a lineblock diagram of a bathtub system provided with a discharging apparatus concerning an embodiment. The bathtub system 1 includes a bathtub 2 and a water discharge device 4 installed in the bathtub 2. The water discharge device 4 includes a water inlet 6, a water inlet 8, a pump 10, a water conduit 12, and a water outlet 14 as main components. In FIG. 1, the control device 20 is depicted as a functional block. These functional blocks are realized by elements and circuits such as a CPU and a memory of a computer as a hardware configuration, and are realized by a computer program or the like as a software configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The water inlet 6 is provided on the inner wall surface of the bathtub 2. One end side of the water absorption path 8 is connected to the water inlet 6. A pump 10 is connected to the other end side of the water absorption path 8. The pump 10 is a power source that sucks in the bathtub water W that is hot water or water accumulated in the bathtub 2 and sends it out to the spout 14 side. A known pump can be used as the pump 10. In addition, although mentioned later for details, since the pump 10 is arrange | positioned above the draft surface Ds of the bathtub water W, it is desirable that it is a self-priming pump. By driving the pump 10, the bathtub water W is sucked from the water inlet 6.

  One end side of the water conduit 12 is connected to the pump 10. A water outlet 14 is connected to the other end side of the water conduit 12. The bathtub water W sucked by the pump 10 is discharged from the water outlet 14 to the bathtub 2 via the water conduit 12. “Discharge” or “water discharge” means simply discharging the bath water W, and does not limit the method of discharging. For example, a water discharge method in which the bathtub water W is dropped in a band shape and a water discharge method such as jet injection or spraying are one type of “discharge” or “water discharge”.

  The water conduit 12 of the present embodiment includes a common water conduit 12a, a first water conduit 12d, and a second water conduit 12e. The water outlet 14 includes a first water outlet 14d and a second water outlet 14e. One end of the common water conduit 12 a is connected to the pump 10. The first water conduit 12d is branched from the other end of the common water conduit 12a and connected to the first water outlet 14d. The second water conduit 12e is branched from the other end of the common water conduit 12a and connected to the second water outlet 14e.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the water discharge device 4. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the water inlet 6 and the second water outlet 14e. The first water outlet 14 d of the present embodiment is installed in the flange portion 22 of the bathtub 2. The flange portion 22 is the upper surface of the edge of the bathtub 2. The first water discharge port 14d has a horizontally long and flat shape, and discharges a film-like horizontally long water discharge flow forward. By applying the band-like water discharged from the first water discharge port 14d to the shoulder and neck of the bather, the bather can be given a relaxing feeling similar to that of hot water.

  That is, the first water discharge port 14d is arranged so as to discharge water directly to a portion not immersed in the bath water W of the bather in the bathtub. In addition, if this arrangement | positioning condition is satisfy | filled, 14d of 1st water outlets may be arrange | positioned below the flange part 22. FIG.

  The water inlet 6 and the second water outlet 14 e are installed on the inner wall surface of the bathtub 2. Accordingly, the first water outlet 14d is disposed above the second water outlet 14e in the vertical direction. Further, the second water discharge port 14 e can be immersed in the bathtub water W in the bathtub 2. Note that “in the vertical direction” means that the positional relationship in the horizontal direction does not matter, and the first water outlet 14d and the second water outlet 14e may overlap or be displaced in the horizontal direction.

  In the present embodiment, the water inlet 6 and the second water outlet 14e are provided in the single cover 24. The cover 24 has a flat cylindrical shape, the water suction port 6 is provided on the side surface of the cover 24, and the second water discharge port 14 e is provided on the front surface of the cover 24. The 2nd spout 14e sprays bathtub water W toward a bather's waist and back vigorously. Thereby, a massage effect can be given to a bather. In addition, air may be taken in from the outside, and this air and the bath water W flowing through the second water conduit 12e may be mixed and injected from the second water outlet 14e.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water discharge device 4 includes a switching valve 18. The common water conduit 12a, the first water conduit 12d, and the second water conduit 12e are connected via a switching valve 18. That is, the switching valve 18 is provided at a branch point that branches from the common water conduit 12a to the first water conduit 12d and the second water conduit 12e. As the switching valve 18, a known valve such as a three-way valve can be used. By controlling the switching valve 18, the communication state between the common water conduit 12a, the first water conduit 12d, and the second water conduit 12e can be switched.

  In this Embodiment, the switching valve 18 is controlled by the control signal from the control apparatus 20 with which the water discharging apparatus 4 is provided. The control device 20 also controls driving of the pump 10. The bather can input to the control device 20 by a console or a remote controller (not shown). The control device 20 is connected to an external power line, and includes a valve control unit 20a and a pump control unit 20b.

  For example, when the console accepts a user operation, the console issues an instruction to the valve control unit 20a according to the operation input. The valve control unit 20 a sends a control signal to the switching valve 18 to operate the switching valve 18. The valve control unit 20a can also cause the switching valve 18 to automatically execute predetermined control according to a built-in program. Further, the valve control unit 20a transfers a part of the command from the console to the pump control unit 20b. The pump control unit 20 b controls the pump 10 by sending various control signals to the pump 10. The bather may control the switching valve 18 manually, that is, not physically, but physically. Further, the pump control unit 20b may control the pump 10 by directly receiving a command from the console without going through the valve control unit 20a.

  The bathtub water W is guided from the water inlet 6 to the common water conduit 12 a via the water suction path 8 and the pump 10. When the bather selects the first water discharge port 14d, the valve control unit 20a sets the switching valve 18 to the first open state. In the first open state, the switching valve 18 communicates the common water conduit 12a and the first water conduit 12d and blocks the common water conduit 12a and the second water conduit 12e. Therefore, the bathtub water W is discharged into the bathtub 2 only from the first water outlet 14d via the common conduit 12a through the first conduit 12d.

  When the bather selects the second water discharge port 14e, the valve control unit 20a sets the switching valve 18 to the second open state. In the second open state, the switching valve 18 communicates the common water conduit 12a and the second water conduit 12e, and shuts off the common water conduit 12a and the first water conduit 12d. Therefore, the bathtub water W is discharged into the bathtub 2 only from the second water outlet 14e via the common conduit 12a and the second conduit 12e.

  As described above, the water of the pump 10 is low by discharging the bathtub water W flowing through the common water conduit 12a from only one of the first water outlet 14d and the second water outlet 14e without diverting the water. However, it is possible to easily secure a sufficient water discharge amount.

  Subsequently, the arrangement of the pump 10 and the switching valve 18 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the pump 10 is disposed above the draft surface Ds of the bathtub water W in the vertical direction. Moreover, the pump 10 of this Embodiment is arrange | positioned in the position more than the vicinity of the flange part 22 of the bathtub 2 in a perpendicular direction. The position above the vicinity of the flange portion 22 is, for example, a position above the water level H1 when 70% of the bathtub water W enters the bathtub 2. Alternatively, the vicinity of the flange portion 22 is a region where the bracket exists in the configuration in which the pump 10 is suspended by the bracket attached to the flange portion 22. FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which the bathtub water W in an amount corresponding to 70% of the water amount when the water is full enters the bathtub 2. For this reason, the height of the draft surface Ds and the water level H1 correspond.

  70% of the amount of water when the water is full is an amount set by those skilled in the art as the maximum amount that can prevent the bathtub water W from overflowing from the bathtub 2 even if the water level rises due to the bather entering the bathtub 2. is there. That is, 70% of the water amount when the water is full is the amount of water that reaches the highest water level that is assumed in the general usage mode of the bathtub system 1 (when no bather is present).

  In addition, the first water discharge port 14d of the present embodiment is disposed above the overflow line in the vertical direction. The overflow line is a line in which the bathtub water W leaks out of the bathtub 2 when the water level rises from the line. The pump 10 is disposed above the first water outlet 14d in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the pump 10 is disposed above the flange portion 22 of the bathtub 2 in the vertical direction.

  When the overflow hole OF is provided in the bathtub 2 as in the present embodiment, the overflow line means the height position of the overflow hole OF. Further, when the bathtub is not provided with the overflow hole OF and the flange portion of the bathtub is inclined in a side view of the bathtub (that is, viewed from the Y direction in FIG. 1), the overflow line is connected to the flange portion. This corresponds to the height position of the lowermost end in a bathtub side view. For example, the flange portion has a shape in which the first region on the first water discharge port 14d side is high and becomes lower as it approaches the second region on the side opposite to the first region. In this case, the height position of the second region corresponds to the overflow line. Or a flange part has the shape where the 2nd area | region on the opposite side to the 1st area | region by the side of the 1st spout 14d is high, and becomes low as it approaches a 1st area | region. In this case, the height position of the first region corresponds to the overflow line. Or a bathtub is a long shape long in one direction of a horizontal direction, and a flange part has a shape where the one end side in the longitudinal direction of a bathtub is high and the other end side is low. In this case, the height position on the other end side corresponds to the overflow line.

  The pump 10 being “disposed above the draft surface Ds” means that the position of the portion where the bathtub water W flows in the pump 10 is located above the draft surface Ds to be compared. The same applies when the comparison target is the water level H1, the flange portion 22, or the like. Moreover, the pump 10 is “arranged above the first water discharge port 14 d” means that the portion of the pump 10 where the bathtub water W flows is located above the portion of the first water discharge port 14 d where the bathtub water W flows. It means to do.

  Further, the switching valve 18 of the present embodiment is located above the pump 10. Therefore, the switching valve 18 is disposed above the draft surface Ds in the vertical direction. Further, the switching valve 18 is disposed above the water level H1, the first water discharge port 14d, and the flange portion 22.

  While the pump 10 is being driven, the bathtub water W sucked into the water discharger 4 is pulled up to the upper side of the draft surface Ds. When the pump 10 stops from this state, a part of the bathtub water W is discharged from the water outlet 14 or the water inlet 6 to the bathtub 2 by gravity. In the state where the pump 10 is stopped and the bathtub water W is accumulated in the bathtub 2, the bathtub water W enters the inside of the water discharger 4 up to the height of the draft surface Ds of the bathtub water W accumulated in the bathtub 2. It will be in the state.

  Therefore, when the pump 10 and the switching valve 18 are arranged above the draft surface Ds, the bathtub water W in the pump 10 and the switching valve 18 is automatically discharged as the pump 10 stops. Moreover, the bath water W is automatically discharged also from the part located in the water absorption path 8 and the water conduit 12 above the draft surface Ds. As a result, most of the water discharger 4 is substantially in non-contact with the bath water W.

  As described above, the water discharge device 4 according to the present embodiment is connected to the water intake port 6 provided in the bathtub 2, the water absorption channel 8 connected to the water absorption port 6, the water absorption channel 8, and from the water absorption port 6. The pump 10 which sucks in the bathtub water W, the water conduit 12 connected to the pump 10, and the water discharge port 14 which is connected to the water conduit 12 and discharges the bathtub water W which the pump 10 sucks are provided. And the pump 10 is arrange | positioned above the draft surface Ds of the bathtub water W in a perpendicular direction.

  As described above, by disposing the pump 10 above the draft surface Ds, at least the pump 10 is substantially in contact with the bathtub water W even when the bathtub water W is accumulated in the bathtub 2. be able to. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dirt such as scale and biofilm in the pump 10 and the generation of bacteria in the remaining water. Therefore, the inside of the water discharge device 4 can be easily kept clean.

  Moreover, since the discharge of the bath water W automatically occurs when the pump 10 is stopped, it is possible to easily keep the inside of the water discharge device 4 clean without forcing the user to perform complicated operations. Therefore, the maintainability of the water discharge device 4 can be improved.

  Furthermore, the water outlet 14 of this Embodiment contains the 1st water outlet 14d and the 2nd water outlet 14e, and the water conduit 12 is from the common water conduit 12a connected to the pump 10, and the common water conduit 12a. It includes a first water conduit 12d branched and connected to the first water outlet 14d, and a second water conduit 12e branched from the common water conduit 12a and connected to the second water outlet 14e. Moreover, the water discharging apparatus 4 is provided with the switching valve 18 which switches the communication state of the common water conduit 12a, the 1st water conduit 12d, and the 2nd water conduit 12e. The switching valve 18 is disposed above the draft surface Ds in the vertical direction.

  As described above, the switching valve 18 is also disposed above the draft surface Ds, so that a wider range in the water discharge device 4 can be made substantially non-contact with the bathtub water W. Thereby, the inside of the water discharging apparatus 4 can be made easier to keep clean.

  Further, the first water discharge port 14d of the present embodiment is disposed above the overflow line in the vertical direction. That is, the water discharge device 4 is designed so that the first water discharge port 14 d is not immersed in the bathtub water W in the bathtub 2. The pump 10 is disposed above the first water outlet 14d in the vertical direction. Thereby, the bathtub water W in the pump 10 can be discharged more reliably.

  Moreover, the pump 10 of this Embodiment is arrange | positioned in the position more than the vicinity of the flange part 22 of the bathtub 2 in the perpendicular direction. Thereby, the bathtub water W without the pump 10 can be discharged | emitted more reliably. Moreover, the pump 10 is arrange | positioned upwards rather than the water level H1 when 70% of bathtub water W entered the bathtub 2. FIG. The water level H <b> 1 is the highest water level that can be taken in the general usage mode of the bathtub system 1. Therefore, the bathtub water W in the pump 10 can be more reliably discharged by arranging the pump 10 above the water level H1.

  Moreover, the pump 10 of the present embodiment is disposed above the flange portion 22 of the bathtub 2. The flange portion 22 is the upper surface of the edge of the bathtub 2. Therefore, the water level of the bathtub 2 does not come above the flange portion 22. Therefore, the bath water W in the pump 10 can be discharged more reliably by arranging the pump 10 above the flange portion 22.

  Similarly, the switching valve 18 is disposed above the water level H1, the first water discharge port 14d, and the flange portion 22. Thereby, in the wider range in the water discharging apparatus 4, the bathtub water W can be discharged | emitted more reliably.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. The above-described embodiments are merely specific examples for carrying out the present invention. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes such as changes, additions, deletions, and the like of components are made without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the claims. Is possible. In the above-described embodiment, contents that can be changed in design are emphasized with notations such as “in this embodiment” and “in this embodiment”. Design changes are allowed even if there is no content. Any combination of the above components is also effective as an aspect of the present invention. The hatching attached to the cross section of the drawing does not limit the material of the hatched object.

  In the embodiment, two second water outlets 14e and one first water outlet 14d have been described (see FIG. 2). Needless to say, the second water outlet 14e, the first water outlet 14d, and the water inlet The number 6 is arbitrary. In the embodiment, the bathtub water W flowing through the common water conduit 12a is discharged from only one of the first water outlet 14d and the second water outlet 14e without being diverted. Then, water may be discharged simultaneously from the first water outlet 14d and the second water outlet 14e.

  Furthermore, the water discharge device 4 may include only one of the first water discharge port 14d and the second water discharge port 14e. In this case, the switching valve 18 can be omitted. In the embodiment, the water inlet 6 and the second water outlet 14e are provided in the single cover 24, but the water inlet 6 and the second water outlet 14e may be arranged separately.

  2 bathtubs, 4 water discharge devices, 6 water intake ports, 8 water intake channels, 10 pumps, 12 water conduits, 12a common water conduits, 12d first water conduits, 12e second water conduits, 14 water discharge ports, 14d first water discharge ports, 14e 2nd water outlet, 18 switching valve, 22 flange part.

Claims (5)

A water inlet provided in the bathtub;
A water absorption path connected to the water inlet;
A pump connected to the water absorption path and sucking bathtub water from the water inlet;
A water conduit connected to the pump;
A water outlet that is connected to the water conduit and that discharges the bathtub water sucked by the pump;
The said pump is arrange | positioned above the draft surface of bathtub water in a perpendicular direction, The water discharging apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The water outlet includes a first water outlet and a second water outlet,
The water conduit includes a common water conduit connected to the pump, a first water conduit branched from the common water conduit and connected to the first water outlet, and a second branched from the common water conduit. A second water conduit connected to the water outlet,
The water discharge device includes a switching valve that switches a communication state between the common conduit, the first conduit, and the second conduit,
The water discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the switching valve is disposed above the draft surface in the vertical direction. The first water outlet is disposed above the overflow line in the vertical direction,
The water discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the pump is disposed above the first water discharge port in the vertical direction.   The water discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pump is disposed at a position in the vertical direction that is greater than or equal to the vicinity of the flange portion of the bathtub.   The water discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pump is disposed above the flange portion of the bathtub in the vertical direction.

Images