JP6496118B2 - Rotating handle and faucet attached to it - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary handle attached to a faucet.

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

  In Patent Document 1, a rotary handle is attached near the water outlet of the faucet, that is, not at the root but at the tip. According to such a configuration, since the operator can operate from the front, the possibility that the hand will get wet during the operation of the handle is reduced. However, since the handle is provided with a lever (knob), unintentional water discharge that happens to hit the lever by hand, clothes, or tableware (hereinafter referred to as “unintentional water discharge”) May be made).

  The rotating handle that is operated by grasping the handle itself as shown in Patent Document 2 is operated by hooking a finger instead of holding the lever, so that there is no “smooth” like the lever and erroneous spitting water It is hard to produce. On the other hand, in the case of such a rotary handle, it is difficult to know which position is appropriate to operate, and the operator may hold the handle deeply. When the operator grasps the rotary handle deeply, there is a possibility that water discharge or splashed water may get on the operator's hand. From the viewpoint of hygiene, it is not preferable to hold the rotary handle deeply and strongly. In addition, when the water temperature is set high, the faucet body may become hot particularly in the case of a faucet dedicated to hot water that is often introduced mainly in the office. From this point as well, the operator wants to keep the operator's hand from touching the faucet body as much as possible by holding the rotary handle shallowly.

JP 2001-200559 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-050877

  The present inventors consider that a handle without a “bulk” like a lever is preferable in order to make the handle and the faucet as clean as possible and to make it difficult to accidentally discharge water. At the same time, it is also important that the operator can operate easily and is safe.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object thereof is to propose a new rotary handle in which a balance of design, operability, and safety is considered.

The rotating handle according to an aspect of the present invention is a handle that is attached to a water faucet and that controls water discharge by being rotated by an operator.
In order to guide the operator's finger to the operation surface formed on a part of the outer surface of the handle when the operator grasps the handle, the friction coefficient of the operation surface is changed to the friction coefficient of other regions on the outer surface. It is set larger than.

  There is no "bump" such as a lever on the rotating handle, and an "operation surface" is formed along the outer surface of the handle. It becomes easy to reduce the property. Moreover, since there is no protruding part like a lever, it is easy to make the external appearance of the faucet clear. Furthermore, because the operating surface has a higher coefficient of friction than other areas on the outer surface, the operator can intuitively determine where the operating surface is due to the difference in tactile sensation. Easy to recognize. For this reason, it becomes easy to guide the operator naturally so as to correctly hold the rotary handle.

The operation surface may be formed as a line-shaped surface extending along the outer surface in the rotation axis direction.
According to such an aspect, since the line-shaped operation surface indicates the rotation angle of the rotary handle depending on the position, the operator can easily recognize the water discharge state from the position of the operation surface. In other words, the line-like operation surface can be easily operated as an indicator.

The operation surface may extend to a position that does not reach the joining position of the handle and the faucet on the outer surface.
According to such an aspect, it becomes easy for the operator to visually recognize that it is not necessary to hold the rotary handle deep enough to touch the faucet. For this reason, it is easy to further reduce the possibility that the operator's finger touches the faucet body or the water outlet.

The operation surface may be formed on an operation member assembled to the handle. The operating member may extend to the upper end surface of the handle.
According to such an aspect, since the operation member formed also in a part of the upper end surface can indicate the rotation angle of the rotary handle, the operator can easily visually recognize the water discharge state from the upper end surface side. . In other words, it is easy to provide visibility as an indicator on the upper end surface. In addition, if a note or instruction to the operator is described in a portion formed on the upper end surface, it becomes easier for the operator to recognize the safe and correct operation method more reliably.

A plurality of protrusions may be arranged on the operation surface in order to increase the friction coefficient.
According to such an embodiment, not only the operability is easily improved by increasing the coefficient of friction of the operation surface, but also the projections give a clear tactile sensation to the finger that touches the operation surface, so that the operator is tactile. It is easy to recognize where to put a finger and how much power to apply. Further, by providing the protrusions, it is easy to visually recognize the location of the operation surface.

The faucet in an aspect of the present invention may include a water discharge pipe having a distal end portion terminated and a water discharge port formed on a side surface thereof. And the above-mentioned rotation type handle may be installed in the tip part of the water discharge pipe.
According to such an aspect, since the handle is located on the tip side from the water outlet of the faucet, it is difficult for the operator's hand to get water when the handle is operated.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the new rotational handle which considered the balance of design property, operativity, and safety can be provided.

It is a perspective view of the kitchen installed in the hot water supply room of an office. It is an external appearance perspective view of a hot water single faucet. It is a sectional side view of a hot water single faucet. It is an expanded sectional side view of the periphery of the water discharge part in a hot water single faucet. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of a rotary handle. It is the front view and side view of a rotary handle. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the length of the index finger belly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  Since the grip member 132 is formed along the outer side surface 134, even if something hits the rotary handle 122, there is almost no possibility of accidental water discharge. The hot water single faucet 100 according to the present embodiment has a clean design and is configured with consideration for safety and operability.

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

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

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

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

  There is a slight groove 172 at the joint between the water discharge pipe 128 and the rotary handle 122. When the rotary handle 122 is rotated and the rotary handle 122 moves in parallel, the width of the groove 172 also increases. When the groove 172 is deep, the groove 172 is particularly noticeable during water discharge. This is not desirable from an aesthetic point of view. Further, when the groove 172 becomes large and deep, the steam easily enters from the groove 172. The steam that has entered the rotary handle 122 and the water discharge pipe 128 may eventually cool and become water droplets, and may drop from the grooves 172 and hang down. Thus, it is desired to make the groove 172 as small as possible and particularly shallow from the viewpoint of beauty and hygiene.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cover member 160 is slightly protruded from the water discharge pipe 128. The protruding outer surface of the cover member 160 and the inner surface of the rotary handle 122 are aligned. Ideally, the gap between the cover member 160 and the rotary handle 122 is zero, but is structurally at least 0.5 millimeters or less, preferably 0.25 millimeters or less. In this way, the cover member 160 is slightly protruded from the water discharge pipe 128, and the inner surface of the rotary handle 122 is aligned with the outer surface of the protruding portion of the cover member 160. The groove 172 at the junction is shallow.

  As described above, the cover member 160 is a heat insulating material and also serves to stabilize the fixing member 156 in the water discharge pipe 128. In the present embodiment, since the rotary handle 122 and the spindle 154 connected thereto are inserted into the fixed member 156, if the fixing of the fixed member 156 is unstable, the rotary handle 122 will rattle. On the other hand, when the screw is passed through the cover member 160 from the outside of the water discharge pipe 128 to stabilize the cover member 160 and the fixing member 156, the screw is visible from the outside of the water discharge pipe 128, which is not aesthetically preferable. Moreover, in order to fix the cover member 160 and the water discharge pipe 128 firmly, it is necessary to provide a screw in multiple places.

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

FIG. 5 is a view showing the internal structure of the rotary handle 122.
The grip member 132 is an L-shaped member that is fitted along the outer side surface 134 and the upper end surface 138 of the rotary handle 122. The grip member 132 is made of resin, and the friction coefficient is increased by arranging a plurality of protrusions on the surface. These protrusions visually indicate that the grip member 132 is a place (operation surface) where the finger should be placed.

FIG. 6 is a front view and a side view of the rotary handle 122.
First, in the grip member 132, the upper surface portion 176 that is a portion installed on the upper end surface 138 of the rotary handle 122 extends to the center of the upper end surface 138. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface portion 176 shows a water stop state when facing the horizontal direction, and shows a state where the water discharge is fully open when turning left about 90 degrees and facing the vertical direction. Thus, since the water discharge / water stopping state is indicated by the direction of the line-shaped upper surface portion 176, the upper surface portion 176 functions as an indicator. On the upper surface portion 176, a caution note “MAX 95 ° C.” is also written to alert the operator. The upper surface portion 176 is not limited to precautions, and various operation instructions may be described. For example, there may be a description indicating the rotation direction of the rotary handle 122 or a description instructing to attach a finger to the side surface portion 178 of the grip member 132.

  Of the grip member 132, a side surface portion 178 that is a portion installed on the outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 extends along the rotation axis direction of the rotary handle 122. The side surface portion 178 functions as an operation surface and an indicator.

  As described above, a plurality of protrusions are arranged on the surface of the side surface portion 178. As a result, the operator can intuitively recognize that the side surface portion 178 of the grip member 132 is a place where a finger should be attached in the rotary handle 122 by tactile sense and vision.

  When the length of the outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 is W2, the length W1 of the side surface portion 178 is smaller than W2. That is, the outer side surface 134 of the grip member 132 forms a line-shaped region having a length that does not reach the position where the rotary handle 122 is joined to the hot water single faucet 100. Insulation layers such as the air layer 152 and the cover member 160 are provided so that the water discharge pipe 128 does not become too hot. In particular, it is desirable to keep the operator's finger away from the water discharger 130 as much as possible. Therefore, by setting W1 <W2, the operator does not touch the water discharge pipe 128 or the water discharge unit 130 by deeply grasping the rotary handle 122.

  More specifically, W1 is preferably 1/2 or more and less than 3/4 of W2. According to the investigation by the present inventors, the size W3 (see FIG. 7) of the portion of the first joint of the adult index finger or thumb that hits the belly of the finger is generally distributed between 20 mm and 25 mm. Therefore, considering not only safety but also operability, W1 is preferably not less than 20 millimeters and less than 30 millimeters.

  The grip member 132 may have a friction coefficient increased by a protrusion as shown in FIG. 6, and the friction coefficient may be increased by embossing the whole, or an elastic body such as rubber or a synthetic resin having a rough surface, etc. The friction coefficient may be increased by adopting a material having a larger friction coefficient than the rotary handle 122 main body. Further, as in the present embodiment, an operation surface may be formed by separately attaching an L-shaped grip member 132 along the outer side surface 134 and the upper end surface 138 of the rotary handle 122. An operation surface (operation region) having a large friction coefficient may be formed on the outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 itself by performing uneven processing on a part of the outer side surface 134 of the handle 122. Alternatively, an operation surface having a large friction coefficient may be formed by attaching a sealing member such as a plastic film to the outer surface 134. In any case, a region having a larger coefficient of friction than the other portion may be formed as a control surface on a part of the outer surface 134 of the rotary handle 122.

In the above, based on the embodiment, the hot water single faucet 100, in particular, the rotary handle 122 has been described.
First, the rotary handle 122 is attached not to the base of the hot water single tap 100 but to the tip. For this reason, it is easy to operate and it is possible to reduce the possibility that the hot water discharged from the water discharger 130 touches the hand. Further, since the rotary handle 122 is located at a position before and higher than the water outlet, it is arranged such that water is not easily applied to the hand when the handle is operated. Further, since the outer surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 and the outer surface 136 of the water discharge pipe 128 are connected in a flat manner, a simple design in which the rotary handle 122 is integrated with the single hot water tap 100 in appearance can be realized.

  By forming the operation surface with the grip member 132 that can be distinguished in color and shape, the operator's finger can be naturally guided to the operation surface. In other words, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the possibility that the operator grips a part other than the operation surface. From the size and shape of the grip member 132, the operator can intuitively understand that it can be operated simply by pinching the rotary handle 122 shallowly. Further, since the rotation angle of the rotary handle 122 is clearly indicated by the inclination of the grip member 132, it is easy to visually recognize the water stop / water discharge state by the inclination of the grip member 132.

  Further, since the rotary handle 122 does not have a “bump” like a lever, it is difficult to cause erroneous water discharge. Since the side surface portion 178 of the grip member 132 installed along the outer side surface 134 is large enough to attach the abdominal portion of the index finger or the first joint of the thumb, it is large enough to apply the finger force. Has been secured. With such a configuration, the possibility that an operator's finger touches the water discharge pipe 128 is reduced as much as possible while maintaining operability. Further, the air layer 152 and the cover member 160 make it difficult for the heat energy of the hot water passing through the hose 150 to be transmitted to the water discharge pipe 128.

  In this way, by forming a control surface large enough to transmit the force of the index finger or thumb to the rotary handle 122 while tactilely and visually guiding the correct operating method to the operator, the operability is improved. And safety. In addition, by forming an operation surface with a large friction coefficient along the outer side surface 134 of the rotary handle 122 instead of a lever like a lever, the overall design is made clear while ensuring a sufficient grip force. Can do.

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

In the present embodiment, the hot water single faucet 100 has been described as an object. However, the rotary handle 122 in the present embodiment can also be applied to a mixed faucet such as a two handle or a cold water faucet. Further, the position of the handle does not have to be at the tip of the faucet, it may be at the base of the faucet, or it can be applied to the one attached to the faucet with a cover or counter interposed therebetween. Moreover, it is applicable not only to a faucet for kitchens but also to a faucet for bathrooms and vanities.

  100 hot water faucet, 102 kitchen, 104 mixing faucet, 106 first water supply pipe, 108 electric water heater, 110 second water supply pipe, 112 third water supply pipe, 114 fourth water supply pipe, 116 lever type handle, 120 drainage Pipe, 122 Rotating handle, 124 Pedestal, 126 Washer, 128 Water discharging pipe, 130 Water discharging part, 132 Grip member, 134,136 Outer surface, 138 Upper end surface, 142 Clamping nut, 144 Rotating socket, 148 Joint, 150 hose , 152 Air layer, 154 Spindle, 156 Fixing member, 158 Joint, 160 Cover member, 162 Handle body part, 166 Fixing screw, 168 Outlet, 170 Rectification cap, 172 Groove, 174 Packing, 176 Top face part, 178 Side face .

Claims (4)

A handle attached to the faucet for controlling water discharge by being rotated by an operator,
The handle has a cylindrical shape,
A coefficient of friction of an operation surface formed along a part of the outer surface of the handle along the outer surface is set to be larger than a coefficient of friction of other regions on the outer surface ;
The operation surface extends to a position at which the handle and the faucet are not reached on the outer surface,
The operation handle is formed on an operation member assembled to a handle, and the operation member extends to an upper end surface of the handle. A handle attached to the faucet for controlling water discharge by being rotated by an operator,
The handle has a cylindrical shape,
A coefficient of friction of an operation surface formed along a part of the outer surface of the handle along the outer surface is set to be larger than a coefficient of friction of other regions on the outer surface;
The operation surface is formed as a line-shaped surface extending along the outer surface in the rotation axis direction,
The operation handle is formed on an operation member assembled to a handle, and the operation member extends to an upper end surface of the handle. Wherein the operation surface, pivoting handlebar according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of protrusions are arranged. The tip end is terminated and has a water discharge pipe with a water discharge port formed on its side surface,
Faucet, characterized in that the pivoting handlebar according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to the tip portion of the water discharge pipe is installed.