JP4480497B2 - Spout support mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support mechanism for spouts (spouts) installed in a system kitchen, a bathroom vanity, etc., and more particularly to a spout support mechanism in which the height of the spout is variable.

  FIG. 9 shows a spout support mechanism (a faucet height adjusting device) disclosed in Patent Document 1. This spout support mechanism includes a holder 91 for attaching and detaching the water discharge head 90, a support pipe 92 connected to the lower end of the holder 91 and guiding the liquid transfer hose 99 from the lower side to the holder 91 and further to the water discharge head 90 side, A cylindrical member 93 that is attached to an installation part such as a wash basin via a base 94 or the like and holds the support pipe 92 so as to be movable up and down, and the support pipe 92 is releasably locked to the cylindrical member 93 or the base 94 side. Locking means 95. The lock means 95 includes a ring-shaped stopper member 96 disposed on the holding ring on the base 94 side, an operation button 97 for pressing the stopper member 96 to switch from the locked state to the locked state, and the operation button 97 upward. And the operation button 97 is pressed against the bias of the spring member 98 so that the stopper member 96 is tilted, that is, the support tube 92 is moved to the stopper member. By 96, the locked state in which the position is fixed is switched to the unlocked state that is substantially horizontal. And in this spout support mechanism, the user lowered the use position of the water discharge head 90 as shown in the figure, the mode in which the water discharge head 90 is pulled out from the holder 91 and used, and the holder 91 is lifted together with the support pipe 92 to discharge water. A mode in which the use position of the head 90 is increased can be selected. When the operation button 97 is pushed down with the water discharge head 90 raised, the lock means 95 releases the locking member 96 from the support tube 92 and the support tube 92 is moved downward by its own weight. However, when the pressing of the operation button 97 is released, the support tube 92 is locked again at that time, and the support tube 92 can be adjusted to an arbitrary height.

JP-A-11-81402

  The spout support mechanism as described above is convenient because the height of the water discharge head 90 can be varied according to the amount of insertion of the support pipe 92 into the cylindrical member 93. By the way, the water discharge head 90 is not necessarily switched to a high position at the time of use, but is switched to a high position only in a case where it is preferable to increase the height, and after use, the position is lowered again so that the appearance is not maintained or disturbed. To be processed. Further, the water discharge head 90 often wants to be switched to a high position during use. However, in the conventional support mechanism, when the water discharge head 90 is switched to a high position, the holder 91 must be grasped with one hand and pulled up, so that the operability is lacking and it cannot be changed quickly. This is because, for example, when the user is a weak old man or a short child, even if it seems that it is clearly preferable to raise the water discharge head 90, the user remains in the low position without switching to the high position because it is cumbersome. It was a factor that would be used in.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, improve usability with a relatively simple configuration, and improve the reliability of the mechanism.

In order to achieve the above object, the spout support mechanism of the present invention includes a support pipe that leads the liquid transfer hose from the lower end through the pipe to the water discharge head on the upper end side, and is attached to the installation section side to move the support pipe up and down. In a spout support mechanism comprising a cylinder member that is movably held and a lock means that releasably locks the vertical movement of the support pipe, the lock means is provided on an outer periphery on the upper end side of the support pipe. A mating groove, a first lock member that is provided on the upper end side of the cylindrical member, passes through the support tube inward and engages / disengages with the engagement groove, and is opposed to the first lock member when pressed. And an operation button for releasing the engagement with the engagement groove, and the cylinder member has urging means disposed in the cylinder, and the support tube is A state where it is deeply inserted into the cylindrical member and is in a relatively low position. Is characterized by being urged moved upward by the urging means when releasing the locking by the locking means.

  The main part of the invention described above is that when the water discharge head is in a low position, when the locking of the support pipe is released by the locking means, the support pipe moves upward together with the water discharge head by the urging force of the urging means, that is, automatically rises. It is possible. For example, if the support tube is gripped by hand and pulled up as in the past, it is difficult to switch the water discharge head to a higher position for elderly people with weak strength or short children, etc. Make good.

The spout support mechanism of the present invention has the following advantages.
In the first aspect of the invention, when the locking of the support pipe is released by the locking means, the support pipe is moved upward by the urging force of the urging means together with the water discharging head. It can be switched, so that it is particularly easy for older people who are weak and short children. In addition, as the locking means, an engagement groove provided on the outer periphery on the upper end side of the support tube, and an engagement groove provided on the upper end side of the cylindrical member to pass through the support tube inward and engage / disengage with the engagement groove. A first lock member that operates, and an operation button that, when pressed down, expands between the opposing portions of the first lock member to release the engagement with the engagement groove. Thus, a stable and reliable locking state can be obtained with a small number of members.

-In invention of Claim 2, since it has the holding means which hold | maintains the said support pipe in the fixed position of the upper direction when the said support pipe is moved to the upper direction, a water discharge head is in a high position. A stable state is maintained through the holding means.
In the invention of claim 3, the holding means includes an engagement groove provided on an inner periphery of the cylindrical member and a second lock member provided on an outer periphery on the lower end side of the support tube, and the support When the tube is moved upward, the second lock member is locked in the engagement groove, and when the support tube is moved downward again, the lock of the second lock member is elastically released. Therefore, the holding means can also be implemented with a simple configuration.
In the invention of claim 4, the cylindrical member has a plurality of the engaging grooves formed in the vertical direction, and the height of the support tube is selected by selecting the engaging groove that engages and disengages with the second lock member. Since the height of the water discharge head can be changed according to the number of the engaging grooves via the support pipe, the usability can be further improved.
In a fifth aspect of the invention, there is a groove portion provided on the outer periphery of the lower end side of the support pipe and provided below the second lock member, and a pressure contact ring for preventing rattling and attached to the groove portion. Therefore, the water discharge head and the support pipe which are switched to a high position can be kept stable even by the action of the pressure contact ring.

  The best mode of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this description, the outline, structure, and operation of the main part of the present invention will be described in detail.

(Summary) The spout support mechanism of the embodiment has a support pipe 1 that leads the liquid transfer hose 8 from the lower end through the pipe to the water discharge head 9 on the upper end side, and an installation part side such as a system kitchen or a bathroom vanity. It is intended to be provided with a cylindrical member 2 that is attached and holds the support tube 1 so as to be movable up and down, and a lock means 3 that locks the support tube 1 so that the vertical movement of the support tube 1 can be released. In particular, the device has the biasing means 4 arranged on the cylindrical member 2 and is locked by the locking means 3 in a state where the support tube 1 is deeply inserted into the cylindrical member 2 and is at a relatively low position. When released, it is urged and moved upward by the urging means 4. Note that the above spout support mechanism may be regarded as a device. In this case, for example, the support pipe 1 having the water discharge head 9 at the upper end and leading the liquid transfer hose 8 from the lower end through the pipe to the water discharge head 9 and the support pipe 1 attached to the installation portion are moved up and down. A cylindrical member 2 that is movably held, a lock means 3 that is provided on the upper end side of the cylindrical member 2 and that removably locks the vertical movement of the support tube 1, and a support tube 1 that is provided in the cylindrical member 2 and is provided inside Spout support provided with urging means 4 that is urged and moved upward when the locking by the lock means 3 is released in a state where it is deeply inserted into the cylindrical member 2 and is in a relatively low position. Identified as a device.

(Structure) The support tube 1 guides the hose 8 to the water discharge head 9 connected to the upper end side, and is arranged to be movable up and down with respect to the cylindrical member 2. A male screw 1a is provided on the upper end side of the pipe. A ring-shaped mounting member 5 is screwed to the male screw 1 a via an inner peripheral female screw 5 a, and a water discharge head 9 is screwed to the upper side of the mounting member 5. The mounting member 5 has an engagement groove 5b that is formed on the outer periphery and engages / disengages with a first lock member 6 described later. The water discharge head 9 is directly coupled to the upper end side of the support tube 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a holder is coupled to the upper end of the support tube 1 and is detachably connected to the holder. But you can. The mounting member 5 may be formed integrally with the support tube 1.

  A holding member 10 is connected to the lower end side of the support tube 1, and the second lock member 7 and the pressure ring 15 are attached using the holding member 10. That is, as schematically shown in FIG. 8, the holding member 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided with an elastic claw 11 provided in a peripheral portion and partitioned by a substantially U-shaped slit, and a lower periphery from the middle of the upper and lower sides. A holding step 14 provided in the portion, a circumferential groove 13 provided around the lower side thereof, and a receiving groove 14 provided on the lower end surface for engaging the upper end portion of a coil spring which is an urging means 4 described later. Etc. When the upper side of the holding member 10 is pushed into the lower end inner diameter of the support tube with respect to the support tube 1, the elastic claw 11 engages with a corresponding hole 1 b provided around the support tube 1 while being elastically reduced in diameter. And it is connected by this engagement. The step 12 is provided with a plurality of slits leading to the inside of the holding member 10. The second lock member 7 is generally U-shaped, and is held by the step 12 in a state where the holding member 10 is disposed on the inner side and the corresponding portion is fitted to the slit. The circumferential groove 13 is provided with a pressure contact ring 15 for preventing rattling and for sealing.

  The cylindrical member 2 includes a lock means 3 for inserting and guiding the support tube 1 and releasably engaging the support tube 1 and a biasing means 4 for biasing the support tube 1 upward. ing. On the upper end side of the cylinder, a male screw 2a is provided on the outer periphery, and on the inner periphery, the upper end side is set to be slightly smaller in diameter. The engaging groove 2b is provided around the small diameter portion, the small diameter portion and the diameter. An inclined surface 2c is provided around the most boundary portion. An opening through which the hose 8 is inserted with a margin is provided in the lower end surface 2d. Then, when the support tube 1 is inserted into the cylindrical member 2, the spring member that is the urging means 4 is engaged with the receiving groove 14 at the lower end of the support tube. The holding means of the present invention is composed of the engagement groove 2b and the second lock member 7, and the lock means 3 is composed of the first lock member 6, the engagement groove 5b of the mounting member 5, and the operation button 35. .

   A receiving member 20 is connected to the upper end of the cylindrical member 2 using a male screw 2a. The receiving member 20 has a lock base 30 disposed therein, a first lock member 6 and an operation button 35 disposed in the lock base 30, a cover member 38 for closing the lock base 30, and a cover member 38 fixed thereto. A stop member 39 is assembled.

  That is, the receiving member 20 includes an upper large diameter cylindrical portion 21 and a lower large diameter cylindrical portion 22. The large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 has an outer diameter formed on the male screw 21 a and an inner diameter 23 that can receive and mount the lock base 30. The small-diameter cylindrical portion 22 has an outer diameter formed on the male screw 22 a, an inner diameter formed the inner peripheral groove 24 on the upper side, and a female screw 22 b formed on the lower side of the inner peripheral groove 24. The receiving member 20 is coupled to the upper end side of the cylindrical member 2 through screwing of the male and female screws 2a and 22b after the seal member 16 is mounted in the inner circumferential groove 24. In this case, the guide cylinder 26 is mounted on the outer periphery of the cylinder member 2.

  The lock base 30 has a concave portion 31 formed on the upper side, a lower hole through which the support tube 1 is slidably inserted as a central hole, and an upper portion on which the mounting member 5 can be inserted above the lower hole. A hole is formed and attached to the inner diameter of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21. The concave portion 31 includes a portion 31a in which a part of the outer peripheral standing wall is notched, a plurality of button guide pieces 33 positioned on the side of the portion 31a, and a plurality of portions that stand up from the periphery of the upper hole and position the first lock member 6. Between the guide piece 34 and the guide piece 34, a holding piece 34a for sandwiching the corresponding portion of the first lock member 6 is provided. Here, the first lock member 6 has a substantially U shape having an intermediate piece portion and a counter piece portion. When the first locking member 6 is arranged in a state where the intermediate piece portion is sandwiched between the holding piece 34a and the corresponding guide piece 34 in the concave portion 31, the opposing piece portions on both sides are the button guide pieces. The outer side surfaces of the corresponding guide pieces 34 and 34 facing each other on the 33 side are pressed against each other. Then, when the support tube 1 is lowered against the urging force of the urging means 4 and the engagement grooves 5b of the mounting member 5 coincide with the opposing piece portions on both sides, the first lock member 6 is moved into the engagement groove 5b. It engages elastically and locks the vertical movement of the support tube 1.

  The operation button 35 includes a main body 36 and a cover 37. A cover 37 is attached to the main body 36 by engaging the concave / convex portions 36a and 37a. The operation button 35 is arranged between the button guide pieces 33 and is assembled so as to be movable up and down along a guide groove provided in the button guide piece 33. At that time, as shown in FIG. 5, the urging spring 32 is disposed in the lower surface side recess of the main body 36. The urging spring 32 always urges the operation button 35 upward, and when the pressing force on the operation button 35 is released, the operation button 35 is returned to the initial position.

  The cover member 38 is associated with a center hole through which the mounting member 5 can be inserted, a step 38 a having a lower upper surface on the outer peripheral side, a guide hole 38 b through which the operation button 35 is slidably passed, and a cutout portion 31 a of the lock base 30. A mating engagement piece 38c is integrally formed. The stop member 39 has a cylindrical shape corresponding to the large diameter cylindrical portion 21. The stop member 39 is provided with an upper end surface portion 39 a that presses the step 38 a of the cover member 38 and an internal thread 39 b having an inner diameter that is screwed with the external thread 21 a of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21. The cover member 38 is positioned relative to the lock base 30 in the concave portion 31 with the engagement piece 38c engaged with the cutout portion 31a, and then the male / female screws 21a, 39b with respect to the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21. It is fixed by the stop member 39 screwed through. In this state, the operation button 35 protrudes from the guide hole 38 b and the inner diameter of the stopper member 39.

  The spout support mechanism or the support device described above is attached in a state in which the cylindrical member 2 is embedded in the installation unit 40 such as a system kitchen as inferred from FIG. In terms of the mounting procedure, after inserting and positioning the small-diameter cylindrical portion 22 of the receiving member 20 coupled to the cylindrical member 2 into the mounting hole 41 provided in the installation portion 40 and penetrating vertically, the installation portion 40 is positioned. The nut 42 is screwed and joined to the male screw 22a of the small diameter cylindrical portion 22 from below. However, the mounting structure itself can be modified according to the specific form of the installation portion.

(Operation) FIGS. 2 and 3 show a state in which the support tube 1 is inserted deepest into the cylindrical member 2 so that the water discharge head 9 is positioned relatively low. In this embodiment, the support tube 1 is lowered against the urging force of the urging means 4. The vertical movement of the support tube 1 is locked by the lock means 3, that is, locked by engaging the first lock member 6 (opposite piece) with the engagement groove 5 b of the mounting member 5. In terms of design, the water discharge head 9 is used in a low position in this manner, and the appearance characteristics when not in use are maintained in a compact or clean posture so as not to get in the way.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when the operation button 35 is pressed (pressed) to release the locking means 3, the position of the water discharge head 9 is automatically moved upward and the support tube 1 is moved upward. 4 is switched to the raised position. In other words, when the operation button 35 is pressed, the locking means 3 expands between the opposing piece portions of the lock member 6 engaged with the engagement groove 5b by the lower tapered portion of the operation button 35. Then, the engagement is released by releasing from the engagement groove 5b. When the lock means 3 is released from the locking state, the support tube 1 is urged and moved upward by the urging force of the urging means 4. At the time of this upward movement, first, when the second lock member 7 that is the holding means moves in the cylindrical member 2 while reducing the diameter from the large diameter portion to the small diameter portion on the upper side and faces the engagement groove 2b. And is elastically engaged with the engagement groove 2b. The engagement is released by pressing the support pipe 1 moved upward in a stable position at the upper position and pressing the water discharge head 9 downward with a predetermined force in order to lower the discharge head 9 again. The In the cylindrical member 2, the pressure ring 15 is smoothly transferred from the large diameter portion through the inclined surface 2c to the small diameter portion on the upper side while increasing the pressure contact force, and the support tube 1 moved upward together with the sealing action. Also serves to prevent rattling.

(Modification) In the above embodiment, there is one engagement groove 5b, but a plurality of, for example, three engagement grooves 5b, 5b, 5b are formed in the vertical direction on the inner periphery of the cylindrical member 2. The second lock member 7 may be configured to engage / disengage with an arbitrary engagement groove 5b. In this case, for example, when the locking means 3 is released, the support tube 1 is urged and moved upward by the urging force of the urging means 4 and is at the lowest side among the plurality of engaging grooves. It is elastically locked with the engaging groove 5b. When the user wants to raise the position of the water discharge head 9 further, the user pushes up the support pipe 1 or the water discharge head 9 upward to lock the second lock member 7 in the next engagement groove 5b. Can be adjusted to height.

  In addition, the spout support mechanism of this invention should just have the requirements of Claim 1, and can change variously in detail. One example thereof is to provide the water discharge head so as to be detachable from the support tube via a holder.

It is the upper side figure and bottom view which looked at the spout support mechanism of the present invention from the upper and lower sides. It is sectional drawing along the AA line of Fig.1 (a). It is sectional drawing along the BB line of Fig.1 (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the said spout support mechanism corresponding to FIG. 2 in the state which switched the water discharging head to the high position. It is sectional drawing along CC line of Fig.1 (a). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing along the EE line of FIG. It is the schematic block diagram which decomposed | disassembled the principal part of the said spout support mechanism. It is a reference figure for demonstrating the conventional spout support mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Support pipe (1a is external thread)
2 ... Cylinder member (2c is an inclined surface)
2b ... engaging groove (holding means)
3... Locking means (35 is an operation button, 6 is a first lock member, 30 is a lock base)
4 ... biasing means 5 ... mounting member (5a is a female screw, 5b is an engaging groove)
7: Second locking member (holding means)
8 ... Hose for liquid transfer 9 ... Water discharge head 10 ... Holding member (12 is a step, 13 is a circumferential groove, 14 is a receiving groove)
15 ... Pressing ring that prevents rattling and also serves as a seal

Claims (5)

A support pipe that guides the liquid transfer hose from the lower end through the pipe to the water discharge head on the upper end side, a cylindrical member that is attached to the installation section side and holds the support pipe in a vertically movable manner, and the upper and lower sides of the support pipe A spout support mechanism having a locking means for releasably locking the movement,
The locking means is a first engaging groove provided on the outer periphery of the upper end side of the support tube, and a first member provided on the upper end side of the cylindrical member for inserting the support tube inward and engaging / disengaging with the engagement groove. A lock member, and an operation button that, when pressed down, expands a portion between the opposing portions of the first lock member to release the engagement with the engagement groove,
The cylinder member has biasing means disposed in the cylinder, and when the support pipe is deeply inserted into the cylinder member and is in a relatively low position, the locking by the locking means is released. The spout support mechanism is urged and moved upward by the urging means. The spout support mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising holding means for holding the support tube in a fixed position in the upward direction when the support tube is moved upward. The holding means includes an engagement groove provided on an inner periphery of the cylindrical member and a second lock member provided on an outer periphery on the lower end side of the support tube, and the support tube is moved upward. the engagement of the second locking member engages the groove, the spout according to claim 2, the locking of the second locking member releases elastically when the support tube is moved downward again when Support mechanism. The cylindrical member is formed with a plurality of the engaging grooves in the vertical direction, and the height of the support tube can be changed by selecting the engaging groove that engages and disengages with the second lock member. Item 4. The spout support mechanism according to Item 3 . Wherein In the lower end outer periphery of the support tube, the second locking member is mounted in the groove portion and a groove portion provided around the lower side of the claim has a pressure ring rattle preventing and seal combined 3 spout support mechanism according to.

Images