JP2660791B2 - Steam generator for simple steam bath - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to relates to a steam generator for easy easy steam bath.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various techniques have been proposed for using a home bathtub or the like as a simple steam bath (for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 56-2).
No. 6140, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-42829, etc.). However, these devices generate steam by heating water with a heater, or generate steam by blowing air into hot water , which requires a large amount of energy for operation and complicates the structure. And the like.

[0003] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a steam generator for a simple steam bath that can generate a sufficient amount of steam for a steam bath with simpler and less energy consumption. It is intended to provide.

[0004]

A steam generator for a simple steam bath according to the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, rotates in a device main body provided integrally with or separately from a bathtub to form hot water. And a steam supply unit for supplying the generated steam to the outside of the device main body is provided at a predetermined portion of the device main body. .

[0005] The impeller is preferably adapted to be rotated by receiving the water being subjected fed. In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of the impellers are vertically arranged on the falling path of the hot water, and the respective impellers are linked via a transmission mechanism. It is preferable that a blower fan that sends steam to the steam supply unit is provided above the inside of the apparatus main body, or that the impeller also serves as a blower fan that sends steam to the steam supply unit.

When the apparatus main body is provided separately from the bathtub, it is preferable that the steam supply section is formed in a shape to be hooked to the edge of the bathtub so as to also serve as a fixture for attaching the apparatus main body to the bathtub. On the other hand, when the apparatus main body is provided integrally with the bathtub, it is preferable to provide a storage space for winding up and storing the bath lid on the upper part of the apparatus main body. The term “steam” as used herein means a fine droplet (mis
G) are included.

[0007]

In the steam generator for a simple steam bath according to the present invention having the above-described structure, steam is generated only by diffusing hot water from the outside, for example, a hot water heater for a bathtub with the blades of a rotating impeller. Therefore, the steam generator for a simple steam bath of the present invention has a simpler structure than the conventional heater type or air blowing type, and does not require a large amount of energy as in these devices. A sufficient amount of steam can be generated for a steam bath.

[0008] impeller, when adapted to be rotated by receiving the water being subjected feeding does not require power to the rotation of the impeller, together with further possible simplify the structure of the apparatus, consumption Energy can be reduced. In addition, by arranging a plurality of impellers vertically on the hot water drop path and linking each impeller via a transmission mechanism , the hot water can be diffused more efficiently, further improving the steam generation efficiency. it can.

If a blower fan is provided above the inside of the apparatus main body, the generated steam can be efficiently supplied to the outside of the apparatus main body through the steam supply section. The blower fan may be provided independently, or an impeller close to the steam supply unit may also be used as the blower fan. When the device body is separate from the bathtub, the steam supply unit also serves as a fixture for the device body to the bathtub,
The shape that hooks on the edge of the bathtub allows the device to be easily attached to and detached from the bathtub without requiring any additional fixtures or the like.

On the other hand, when the apparatus main body is integrated with the bathtub, if a storage space for winding and storing the bath lid is provided at the upper part of the apparatus main body, the whole apparatus becomes more compact, not to mention the space.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing embodiments. First, the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described. As shown in these figures, the steam generator S of the embodiment is:
A box-shaped apparatus main body 1 separate from the bathtub B is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, a hot water supply port 10 for connecting a hose H1 for supplying hot water from a faucet J or the like is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1, and an excess A drain port 11 for discharging hot water is formed. Hot water supply 1
0 and the drain port 11 are formed at positions shifted from each other in order to prevent hot water from passing through the inside of the apparatus. Drain 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes an overflow pipe 11a having an upper end protruding to a predetermined height below the apparatus main body 1. During operation, a hot water storage surface W set by the upper end of the overflow pipe 11a (indicated by a chain line in the figure). ), Hot water is stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1. The apparatus body 1 at the base of the overflow pipe 11a
To the near the bottom position, as well as to automate the drainage at the time of stopping the apparatus, and selectively draining cooled hot water in towards the bottom, a small hole 11b in which the temperature of the hot water can be prevented from decreasing Is formed.

At the upper end of one side of the apparatus main body 1, a steam supply section 2 for supplying steam generated in the apparatus main body 1 into the bathtub B is projected. This steam supply unit 2
Is formed in an inverted L-shape as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
The recess formed between the device main body 1 and the edge B1 of the bathtub B
The dimensions are set so as to be slightly larger than the thickness of the bathtub B, and as shown in these figures, they also function as attachments for hooking the edge B1 of the bathtub B and attaching the apparatus main body 1 to the bathtub B.

An impeller 3 for diffusing hot water supplied from a hot water supply port 10 to generate steam is provided inside the apparatus main body 1.
Two upper and lower blades 30 are rotatably supported with respect to the apparatus main body 1 in a state where the blades 30 are viewed directly below the hot water supply port 10. Each of the impellers 3 has a shaft 31 whose shaft end is supported by bearings b provided on opposed inner surfaces of the apparatus main body 1.

Gears G5, G6 constituting a transmission mechanism D1 which mesh with each other to rotate the two impellers 3 in opposite directions, respectively, on the shafts 31 of the upper and lower two impellers 3.
Is attached. When the upper impeller 3 of the two impellers 3 receives hot water supplied from the hot water supply port 10 by the blades 30 and rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the transmission mechanism D1.
And transmitted to the lower impeller 3 so that the lower impeller 3 rotates in the reverse direction.

A gear G1 constituting a transmission mechanism D2 for transmitting the generated rotational force to a blower fan 4, which will be described later, is attached to the shaft 31 of the upper impeller 3.
Further, the lower impeller 3 is connected to the overflow pipe 11.
The blade 30 is disposed at a position where a part of the blade 30 can be immersed in the hot water storage surface W set by a. When rotating, the hot water stored up to the hot water storage surface W is agitated to promote the generation of steam. .

The upper and lower impellers 3 do not necessarily have to be linked by the transmission mechanism D1.
Most of the hot water supplied from the upper impeller 3 is diffused by the upper impeller 3, and therefore, when not linked, the lower impeller 3 may not rotate sufficiently. Therefore, it is desirable that the upper and lower impellers 3 are linked by the transmission mechanism D1 as shown in the embodiment of the figure.

The rotation direction of the upper and lower impellers 3 which are interlocked by the transmission mechanism D1 may be the same, but when the upper and lower impellers 3 are interlocked so as to rotate in opposite directions as in the embodiment shown in FIG. The hot water diffused by the impeller 3 of the lower impeller 3
There is an advantage that steaming of hot water is further promoted by being repelled at 0. As shown in FIG. 2, the blower fan 4 has an inlet 20 of the steam supply unit
The blade 40 is rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 1 in a state where the blades 40 face each other. The blower fan 4 includes a shaft 41 having a blade 40 attached to one end thereof, and a hanging bracket t1 with a bearing.
Thus, by being suspended in the apparatus main body 1, it is rotatably disposed at the predetermined position in the apparatus main body 1. The other end of the shaft 41 of the blower fan 4 has the impeller 3
A gear G2 constituting a transmission mechanism D2 for transmitting the rotational force from the gear is mounted.

The rotational force from the impeller 3 constitutes a transmission mechanism D2 having a gear G3 meshing with the gear G1 of the impeller 3 at the lower end and a gear G4 meshing with the gear G2 of the blower fan 4 at the upper end. Is transmitted to the blower fan 4 via the transmission shaft 5. The transmission shaft 5 is suspended in the apparatus main body 1 by a suspension fitting t2 with a bearing, and
It is rotatably arranged at a predetermined position inside.

When the position of the impeller 3 is close to the inlet 20 of the steam supply unit 2, the impeller 3 can also be used as a blower fan, in which case the blower fan may be omitted. In these figures, reference numeral 12 denotes an apron that prevents water droplets and the like that have not been vaporized when hot water is diffused by the impeller 3 from jumping into the steam supply unit 2 from the inlet 20.

In order to use the steam generator S of this embodiment comprising the above components, the steam supply unit 2 is first hooked on the edge B1 of the bathtub B and the apparatus main body 1 is set as shown in FIG. Next, the faucet J and the hot water supply port 10 are connected with the hose H1, and the end of the hose H2 connected to the drain port 11 is inserted into the drain port B2 of the bath. Next, when the hot water supply is started by twisting the curan of the faucet J, the hot water supply port 1 is passed through the hose H1.
0 is supplied to the apparatus body 1 hot water, the upper-side impeller 3
Of the upper impeller 3
Starts rotating, and the rotational force is transmitted by the transmission mechanism D1.
, And is transmitted to the lower impeller 3, and the lower impeller 3 starts to rotate in the reverse direction to the upper impeller 3. The hot water is diffused by the two impellers 3 to start generating steam. The rotational force of the impeller 3 is also transmitted to the blower fan 4 via the transfer mechanism D2, and the blower fan 4 starts rotating.

When the impeller 3 is rotated, the remaining hot water partially diffused and vaporized by the impeller 3 is partially drained from the drain port 11 through the small hole 11b of the overflow pipe 11a. However, since more hot water than the amount of water discharged from the small holes 11b is supplied from the hot water supply port 10 into the apparatus body 1,
Most of the hot water is stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1. The amount of hot water is set by the amount of protrusion of the overflow pipe 11a as described above, and more hot water is drained from the drain port 11 through the overflow pipe 11a. Also, of the hot water stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1, the cold water sinking toward the bottom is drained from the drain port 11 through the small holes 11b. That is, a certain amount of uncooled hot water is always stored in the lower portion of the apparatus main body 1 during operation. The stored hot water not only functions to maintain the temperature in the apparatus main body 1 but also is stirred by the lower impeller 3 to generate steam and heat.

The generated steam is forcibly supplied from the steam supply unit 2 into the bathtub B by the blower fan 4. As described above, in the steam generator S of the present embodiment, when the apparatus main body 1 is set on the edge B1 of the bathtub B of the bath and the predetermined piping is completed, the hot water of the faucet J is twisted to supply hot water to the apparatus main body 1. Steam is automatically generated just by starting, and the steam is automatically supplied into the bath tub B from the steam supply unit 2. Then, the user enters the bath tub B, puts out only the head, and opens the bath lid from above. It is only necessary to cover and seal the bathtub B. If a bath lid having a cutout or a hole through which the user's head passes is used, the tightness of the bathtub B can be further improved.

Next, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described. As shown in these figures, the steam generator S of this embodiment is
Is an integral type incorporated in the bathtub B. That is, a concave portion B4 is formed via a partition B3 next to a bathtub B2 of a bathtub B made of reinforced plastic or the like, and the thin plate-shaped apparatus main body 1 is fitted into the concave portion B4.

On the upper part of the apparatus main body 1, a bath cover accommodating portion 13 for accommodating a bath lid B5 covering the bathtub B2 is formed by processing a thin plate constituting the apparatus main body 1 into a U-shaped cross section. . The bath lid B5 has one end fixed to a rotary shaft B6 attached to the bath lid housing portion 13. When not normally used, the rotary shaft B6 is rotated as shown by a solid line in FIG. Wrapped around B6,
It is housed in the bath lid housing 13. In addition, this bath lid B5
Is used to cover the bathtub B2, it may be pulled out from the bath lid housing 13 as shown by the dashed line in FIG.

Above the apparatus main body 1, in the center in the width direction on the side of the bathtub B 2 from the bath lid housing portion 13, the generated steam is supplied to the bathtub B 2.
The steam supply unit 2 for supplying the inside is formed so as to get over the upper edge of the partition B3, and a hot water supply port 10 is formed on the side opposite to the bathtub B2 side. A hot water supply pipe H3 connected to a faucet J for supplying hot water to the bathtub B2 is inserted through the hot water supply port 10. The faucet J is provided with a switching lever J1, and by operating the switching lever J1, the bathtub B2 and the steam generator S are operated.
The hot water supply can be switched to any of the above.

At the bottom of the apparatus main body 1, an upper end is projected to a predetermined height below the apparatus main body 1, and a small hole 11b is formed at the base near the bottom of the apparatus main body 1. An overflow pipe 11a constituting the port 11 is arranged. The overflow pipe 11a is directly connected to a drain pipe B7 from the bathtub B2. An impeller 3 and a blower fan 4 are arranged at predetermined positions inside the apparatus main body 1.

That is, the impeller 3 is configured such that the shaft end of the shaft 31 is rotatably supported by bearings b provided on opposing inner surfaces of the apparatus main body 1. The three blades 30 fixed to the water supply pipe H3 are vertically arranged in a state where the blades 30 are viewed right under the tip of the hot water supply pipe H3. The shaft 31 of each impeller 3 is provided with a transmission mechanism D3 including three gears G7 to G9 that mesh with each other to interlock and rotate the respective impellers 3 in the forward, reverse, and forward directions. .

The rotation of the uppermost impeller 3 among the three impellers 3 is transmitted to the blower fan 4 via a transmission mechanism D2 such as a transmission shaft 5, as in the previous embodiment. Further, the lowermost impeller 3 is arranged at a position where a part of the blade 30 can be immersed in the hot water storage surface W set by the overflow pipe 11a, and agitates the hot water stored up to the hot water storage surface W during rotation. And work to promote the generation of steam.

The steam generator S of this embodiment comprising the above-described components automatically generates steam simply by twisting the curl of the faucet J and starting hot water supply to the apparatus main body 1, as in the previous embodiment. Then, the user automatically enters the bathtub B from the steam supply unit 2 into the bathtub B, and then the user enters the bathtub B as shown by the dashed line in the figure, and only the head comes out and the bath lid B5
It is only necessary to cover the bathtub B2 and seal the bathtub B2.

It is desirable to form a cutout or a hole in the bath lid B2 through which the user's head passes, in view of the tightness of the bathtub B. Note that the configuration of the steam generator for a simple steam bath of the present invention is not limited to the two embodiments described above. For example, in the above two embodiments, the hot water is received by the blades 30 of the impeller 3, thereby rotating the impeller 3, and transmitting the rotational force through the transmission mechanism D2, thereby causing the blower fan 4 to rotate. Although both are rotated, they can also be individually rotated by a motor or the like.

The overflow pipe 1 constituting the drain port 11
1a is not a fixed type and may be vertically expandable and contractible in order to adjust the height of the hot water storage surface as shown in FIG.
In the case shown in the figure, an overflow tube 11a is constituted by an outer tube 11c fixed to the apparatus main body 1 and an inner tube 11d slidably inserted into the outer tube 11c, so that the tube can expand and contract vertically. However, the expansion and contraction method is not limited to this.

The drain port 11 is not limited to an overflow pipe, but may be a system in which a certain amount of hot water is stored by plugging. Ma
Alternatively, the steam may be supplied to the bathroom. Others
Various design changes can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0034]

As described above, according to the steam generator for a simple steam bath of the present invention, steam is generated only by diffusing hot water with the blades of a rotating impeller without using a heater or the like. it can. Therefore, the steam generator for a simple steam bath of the present invention has a simpler structure than the conventional heater type or air blowing type, and does not require a large amount of energy as in these devices. It has an excellent function and effect that a sufficient amount of steam can be generated for a steam bath.

It should be noted the impeller, when assumed to be rotated by receiving the water being subjected feeding does not require power to the rotation of the impeller, together with further possible simplify the structure of the device, energy consumption Can be reduced. In addition, by arranging a plurality of impellers vertically on the hot water drop path and linking each impeller via a transmission mechanism , the hot water can be diffused more efficiently, further improving the steam generation efficiency. it can.

When a blower fan is provided above the inside of the apparatus main body, the generated steam can be efficiently supplied to the outside of the apparatus main body through the steam supply section. The blower fan may be provided independently, or an impeller close to the steam supply unit may also be used as the blower fan. Further, when the apparatus main body is separate from the bathtub, when the steam supply section is shaped to be hooked to the edge of the bathtub, which also serves as a fitting for the apparatus body to the bathtub, other fittings and the like are required. In addition, there is an advantage that the device can be easily attached to and detached from the bathtub.

On the other hand, when the apparatus main body is integrated with the bathtub, when a storage space for winding and storing the bath lid is provided above the apparatus main body, there is an advantage that the space is useless.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a steam generator that is separate from a bathtub as one embodiment of a steam generator for a simple steam bath of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the steam generator of the above embodiment, taken from another direction.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the steam generator of the embodiment is mounted on a bathtub.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing the internal structure of a steam generator integrated with a bathtub as another embodiment of the steam generator for a simple steam bath according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a modified example of an overflow pipe constituting a drain port.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S Steam generator 1 Main unit 2 Steam supply unit 3 Impeller B Bath tub

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] To 1. A bathtub and integrally or separately apparatus provided in the body, together with the impeller to generate steam is provided by diffusing by receiving the hot water being subjected sheet, a predetermined portion of the apparatus main body A steam generator for a simple steam bath, further comprising a steam supply unit for supplying generated steam to the outside of the apparatus main body . 2. The steam generator for a simple steam bath according to claim 1 , wherein the impeller is rotated by receiving the supplied hot water. 3. A simple steam bath according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of impellers are vertically arranged on a hot water drop path, and each impeller is interlocked via a transmission mechanism. Steam generator. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a blower fan for sending steam to the steam supply section is provided above the inside of the apparatus main body, or the impeller also serves as a blower fan for sending steam to the steam supply section. Steam generator for simple steam bath. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus main body is provided separately from the bathtub, and the steam supply section is formed so as to be hooked on an edge of the bathtub, and also serves as a fixture for attaching the apparatus main body to the bathtub. Steam generator for simple steam bath as described. 6. A simple steam bath according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus main body is provided integrally with the bathtub, and a storage space for winding up and storing a bath lid is provided at an upper portion of the apparatus main body. Steam generator.