JP6827647B2 - Water spouting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water spouting device, and more particularly to a water spouting device that discharges hot water (hot water or water) from a spout while reciprocally vibrating.

A shower head in which the direction of hot water discharged from a spout changes oscillatingly is known. In a water discharge device such as this shower head, the nozzle is oscillated by the water supply pressure of the supplied hot water to change the direction of the hot water discharged from the discharge port. In such a type of water spouting device, hot water can be discharged from a single spout to a wide range, so it is expected that a water spouting device capable of spouting water over a wide range can be compactly configured.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-12141 (Patent Document 1) describes a warm water washing toilet seat device. In this warm water washing toilet seat device, a fluid element nozzle is used to induce self-excited oscillation to vibrately change the direction in which the washing water is ejected. Specifically, in this warm water washing toilet seat device, as shown in FIG. 16, feedback flow paths 104 are provided on both sides of the injection nozzle 102. Each feedback flow path 104 is a loop-shaped flow path that communicates with the injection nozzle 102, and is configured so that a part of the cleaning water flowing in the injection nozzle 102 flows in and circulates. Further, the injection nozzle 102 is configured to have a shape that expands in a taper shape toward the injection port 102a having an elliptical cross section.

When the cleaning water is supplied, the cleaning water injected from the injection nozzle 102 is attracted to the wall surface on one side of the injection port 102a having an elliptical cross section by the Coanda effect so as to follow the Coanda effect. (State a in FIG. 16). When the wash water is sprayed along one of the wall surfaces, the wash water also flows into the feedback flow path 104 on the side where the wash water is sprayed, and the pressure in the feedback flow path 104 rises. Due to this pressure increase, the sprayed washing water is pushed, the washing water is attracted to the wall surface on the opposite side, and is sprayed along the wall surface on the opposite side (state a → b → c in FIG. 16). .. Further, when the washing water is poured along the wall surface on the opposite side, the pressure in the feedback flow path 104 on the opposite side rises, and the jet washing water is pushed back (state c → b → a in FIG. 16). .. By repeating this action, the jetted wash water vibrates in a direction between the states a and c in FIG.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-275985 (Patent Document 2) describes a pure fluid element. The pure fluid element is provided with a connecting duct so as to cross the fluid ejection nozzle, and the action of the connecting duct alternately increases the pressure on the upper side or the lower side in the fluid ejection nozzle. Due to the Coanda effect, the jet pushed by this pressure rise becomes a jet along the upper plate of the fluid ejection nozzle or a jet along the lower plate, and these states are repeated at regular intervals, and the injection direction oscillates. It will be a changing flow.

Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-49300 (Patent Document 3) describes a vibration spray device. This vibration spray device has the configuration shown in FIG. 17, and uses the Karman vortex generated in the anterior chamber 110 to vibrately change the direction of the jet flow injected from the outlet 112. First, the fluid flowing into the anterior chamber 110 from the inlet hole 114 collides with an obstacle 116 having a triangular cross section provided in the anterior chamber 110 in an island shape. When the fluid collides, Karman vortices are alternately generated on the upper side and the lower side of the obstacle 116 on the downstream side of the obstacle 116 to form a vortex train.

The vortex sequence of this Karman vortex reaches the outlet 112 while growing. In the vicinity of the outlet 112, the flow velocity on the side where the vortex of the vortex train exists is high, and the flow velocity on the opposite side is slow. In the example shown in FIG. 17, Karman vortices are alternately generated on the upper side and the lower side of the obstacle 116, and the vortex trains reach the outlet 112 in sequence. Therefore, in the vicinity of the outlet 112, the flow velocity on the upper side is high. The lower flow velocity is alternating. In the state where the flow velocity on the upper side is high, the fluid having a high flow velocity collides with the wall surface 110a on the upper side of the outlet 112 to change the direction, and the fluid jetted from the outlet 112 becomes a jet flow obliquely downward as a whole. On the other hand, when the flow velocity on the lower side is high, the fluid having a high flow velocity collides with the wall surface 110b on the lower side of the outlet 112, and a jet flowing diagonally upward is injected from the outlet 112. By alternately repeating such a state, the jet flow from the outlet 112 is jetted while reciprocating and vibrating.

As described above, it is conceivable to apply the fluid element described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 to a water discharge device such as a shower head to discharge hot water while reciprocating and vibrating it.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-12141 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-275985 Special Publication No. 58-49300

First, a water discharge device that vibrates to drive a watering nozzle to change the direction of hot water to be discharged needs to drive the nozzle, which complicates the structure around the nozzle and compactly discharges multiple nozzles. There is a problem that it is difficult to store in. Further, in this type of water discharge device, since the nozzle physically moves, wear is likely to occur in the moving part, and in order to avoid the wear, there is a problem that the selection of the material of the member constituting the moving part is restricted. There is. Further, since it is necessary to form the moving portion of a complicated structure with a material that is not easily worn, there is a problem that the cost is high.

On the other hand, the injection devices of the types described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 utilize the oscillation phenomenon by the fluid element, and can change the injection direction of the fluid without providing a movable member, and thus have a simple configuration. Therefore, there is an advantage that the nozzle portion can be constructed compactly.
However, the inventor of the present invention has found that when the fluid elements described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are applied to a water discharge device such as a shower head, the jetted hot water is not comfortable to bathe. Here, the good bathing comfort that the inventor aims at means a state in which large droplets of hot water are evenly discharged over a wide area. That is, when the droplets of hot water discharged from the shower head are excessively small, the hot water becomes mist-like, and even if the same amount of hot water is taken, the feeling of taking a shower cannot be obtained. Further, if the discharged hot water is not uniform within the discharge range, the portion to which the shower is intentionally applied by the user cannot be washed out uniformly, resulting in a poor usability.

Here, since the fluid elements described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 utilize the phenomenon that the ejected fluid flows along the wall surface due to the Coanda effect, the fluid ejected within the discharge range is uneven. Will be created. That is, in the warm water toilet seat device shown in FIG. 16, the injected washing water transitions between the states a, b, and c, but in reality, the jet stream is attracted to the wall surface. The period of c is long, and the period of taking a state (near state b) between them is very short. Therefore, when the fluid elements described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are applied to a water discharge device such as a shower head, the amount of water discharged in the peripheral portion of the water discharge range is large and the amount of water discharged in the vicinity of the center is small. It becomes a state and becomes uncomfortable to bathe.

On the other hand, since the fluid element described in Patent Document 3 is an application of the Karman vortex, the phenomenon that the jet flow is attracted to the wall surface and flows hardly occurs. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a substantially uniform amount of water discharged within the water discharge range formed by the vibrationally changing the water discharge direction. However, when the fluid element shown in FIG. 17 is applied to a water discharge device such as a shower head, the present invention has a problem that the range in which the injected hot water vibrates reciprocally changes strongly depending on the flow rate of the ejected hot water. Found by a person. That is, in the fluid element shown in FIG. 17, when the flow rate is increased and the flow velocity of the hot water injected from the outlet 112 is increased, the hot water collides with the wall surface 110a (or 110b) at a large speed and is largely changed in direction. Therefore, when the flow rate is large, the hot water injected from the outlet 112 spreads over a wide range, whereas when the flow rate is small, the water discharge range becomes narrow. In this way, if the water discharge range changes significantly with the change in the flow rate, the water discharge device becomes inconvenient to use.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a water discharge device which has a simple structure, can be compactly configured, and can obtain water discharge that is easy to use.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a water discharge device that discharges hot water from a water discharge port while reciprocally vibrating, and a predetermined water discharge device main body and hot water water provided and supplied to the water discharge device main body. It has a vibration generating element that discharges while reciprocating in a vibration plane, and the vibration generating element includes a water supply passage into which hot water supplied from the water discharge device main body flows in and a part of the flow path cross section of the water supply passage. This hot water collision with the hot water collision part, which is arranged at the downstream end of the water supply passage so as to be blocked, and the hot water guided by the water supply passage collides with each other to generate vortices in opposite directions alternately on the downstream side. A vortex passage provided on the downstream side of the water supply passage so as to guide the vortex formed by the portions while growing, and a vortex passage having a tapered portion tapered so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases toward the downstream side. A peeling portion provided at the downstream end of the vortex passage and suppressing the coranda effect acting on the flow of hot water along the wall surface of the vortex passage, and a peeling portion provided on the downstream side of the peeling portion and passing through the peeling portion. The first rectifying section, which is a passage for suppressing turbulence in the direction parallel to the vibration plane and turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane, and the first rectifying section provided on the downstream side of the first rectifying section are provided. It is characterized by having a second rectifying unit that suppresses turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane and does not suppress turbulence in the direction parallel to the vibration plane of the flow of hot water that has passed through.

According to the present invention configured in this way, the hot water discharged from the water spouting device can be reciprocally vibrated by the vibration generating element, so that the hot water can be spread over a wide range from one spout with a compact and simple structure. It can be discharged. Further, since the water discharge direction can be changed without moving the discharge nozzle, there is no problem such as wear of the moving portion, and a low cost and highly durable water discharge device can be configured. Further, since the vortex train passage of the vibration generating element is provided with a tapered portion tapered so as to reduce the cross-sectional area of the flow path, the discharge range does not change significantly depending on the discharge flow rate of hot water, which is convenient. A good water spouting device can be constructed. That is, since the hot water flowing in the vortex row passage flows along the wall surface of the tapered portion, the direction in which the hot water is ejected is generally defined in the direction along the wall surface of the tapered portion, and the flow rate changes. As a result, the water discharge range is less likely to change, and the water discharge range can be made almost constant.

However, although it has become possible to improve the dependence of the discharge range on the discharge flow rate by making the flow of hot water along the wall surface of the tapered portion, this configuration raises a new technical problem. That is, the spouted water thus obtained has a large amount of water in the peripheral portion of the spouting range and a small amount of spouting in the vicinity of the center, resulting in a “hollow”, which is uncomfortable to bathe. It is considered that this is because the Coanda effect is generated by the hot water flowing along the tapered wall surface, and the water discharge is concentrated around the water discharge range. Therefore, in order to solve this new technical problem, the present inventor provided a peeling portion on the downstream side of the vortex passage in order to separate the flow of hot water along the wall surface of the vortex passage, and along the wall surface. The Coanda effect acting on the flow was suppressed. In this way, by discharging the flow of hot water whose Coanda effect is suppressed in the peeling part through the rectifying part, the droplets are evenly distributed in the water discharge range while suppressing the change in the water discharge range due to the change in the flow rate. I succeeded in doing so.

The present inventor has succeeded in distributing droplets evenly in the water discharge range while suppressing the change in the water discharge range by the above configuration. However, in order to obtain a pleasant stimulus feeling by bathing in the discharged hot water, the inventor of the present invention, when the flow velocity discharged from the spout is extremely high, the discharged hot water is relatively close to the spout. We faced a new technical problem of breaking down into fine droplets. Even if the flow velocity of the discharged hot water is increased in order to obtain a comfortable stimulating feeling, if the sprayed hot water is decomposed into fine droplets, the user who has been exposed to the hot water will be given a sufficient stimulating feeling. Can't. Due to the decomposition of the hot water into droplets, the discharged hot water spreads not only in the vibration plane in which the hot water reciprocates, but also in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane, and decomposes into fine droplets.

In order to solve this new technical problem, it is conceivable to construct a long rectifying passage in order to improve the rectifying property of the hot water that has passed through the peeling portion. However, if the rectifying passage is long, the rectifying passage hinders the reciprocating vibration of hot water. Further, even if the rectifying passage does not interfere with the reciprocating vibration of the hot water, the hot water peeled at the peeling portion easily reattaches to the wall surface of the rectifying passage, which causes the Coanda effect. As described above, when the Coanda effect occurs, the flow of hot water that vibrates back and forth is biased toward the peripheral portion of the water discharge range, and the discharged hot water becomes uncomfortable to bathe. If the expansion angle of the rectifying passage is made extremely large in order to avoid the occurrence of this Coanda effect, the design of the tip of the vibration generating element becomes unreasonable, and the wall surface for forming the peeled portion or the like becomes extremely thin. It turned out that it would be a difficult form to commercialize.

As a result of diligent research and development while repeating the above-mentioned trial and error, the present inventor has reached the above-mentioned structure of the present invention. That is, according to the present invention, the hot water that has passed through the peeling portion is first guided to the first rectifying portion and then to the second rectifying portion. In the first rectifying unit, the turbulence of the inflowing hot water in the direction parallel to the vibration plane and the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane are suppressed. As a result, the inflowing hot water can be discharged evenly within a predetermined water discharge range. However, when the flow velocity of the discharged hot water is very high, the flow spreads in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane in which the hot water vibrates reciprocally just by passing through the first rectifying unit, and the hot water is fine droplets. It will be disassembled into. Therefore, the present inventor has solved the above problem by providing a second rectifying unit that suppresses turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit. Since this second rectifying unit does not suppress turbulence in the direction parallel to the vibration plane, the vibration plane of the discharged hot water without narrowing the water discharge range or causing the Coanda effect by providing the second rectifying unit. It is possible to suppress the spread in the direction orthogonal to. As described above, according to the present invention, by providing the first rectifying unit and the second rectifying unit in two stages, the droplets can be distributed almost uniformly within the water discharge range, and the flow velocity of the discharged hot water is discharged. Can be made very high to obtain a pleasant stimulating feeling.

In the present invention, preferably, the width of the second rectifying unit is wider than the width at the downstream end of the first rectifying unit.

According to the present invention configured in this way, since the width of the second rectifying section is wider than the width of the downstream end of the first rectifying section, hot water discharged while spreading from the first rectifying section due to reciprocating vibration. The second rectifying unit can suppress the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. As a result, the spread of hot water in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane can be suppressed in a wider range, and a more comfortable feeling of stimulation can be obtained.

In the present invention, preferably, the second rectifying section is composed of two flat sections arranged parallel to the vibration plane.
According to the present invention configured in this way, since the second rectifying section is composed of two flat sections parallel to the vibration plane, even when the flow from the first rectifying section spreads in the vibration plane, The flow does not collide with the wall surface constituting the second rectifying unit. Therefore, the second rectifying unit can surely suppress only the spread of hot water in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane, and does not hinder the reciprocating vibration in the vibration plane.

In the present invention, preferably, the water discharge device main body is provided with a discharge opening for inserting the second rectifying portion of the vibration generating element, and the vibration generating element is such that the second rectifying portion is in contact with the edge of the discharge opening. , Attached to the water discharge device body.

According to the present invention configured in this way, since the second rectifying unit of the vibration generating element is in contact with the edge of the discharge opening of the water discharge device main body, the reaction force acting on the vibration generating element that reciprocates the hot water. However, it is possible to vibrate the vibration generating element itself and suppress the generation of abnormal noise or the like. As a result, it is possible to provide a high-class water discharge device that does not generate abnormal noise or the like.

According to the water discharge device of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a water discharge device that has a simple structure, can be compactly configured, and is easy to use.

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the shower head by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a full sectional view of the shower head by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the vibration generating element provided in the shower head by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a plan sectional view of the vibration generating element in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the vibration generating element in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the result of the fluid simulation which analyzed the flow of hot water in the vibration generating element provided in the shower head by embodiment of this invention. As a comparative example, it is a figure which shows the result of the fluid simulation which analyzed the flow of hot water in the vibration generating element of the structure shown in FIG. This is an example of a strobe photograph showing the flow of hot water discharged from a single vibration generating element provided in the shower head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As a comparative example, it is an example of a strobe photograph showing the flow of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element having the structure shown in FIG. It is a photograph which shows the state of the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element provided in the shower head by 1st Embodiment of this invention. As a comparative example, it is a photograph which shows the state of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element which does not have a 2nd rectifying part. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the vibration generating element provided in the shower head by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top sectional view of the vibration generating element in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the vibration generating element in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the modification of the vibration generating element in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the vibration generating element in 2nd Embodiment of this invention is attached to the inside of a shower head. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the vibration generating element provided in the shower head according to 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a plane sectional view of the vibration generating element in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the vibration generating element in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation of the fluid element described in Patent Document 1. It is a figure which shows the structure of the fluid element described in Patent Document 3.

Next, a shower head, which is a water discharge device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the shower head according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a shower head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a full sectional view of the shower head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the vibration generating element provided in the shower head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 4A is a plan sectional view of the vibration generating element according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a vertical sectional view of the vibration generating element.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shower head 1 of the present embodiment includes a shower head main body 2 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and seven vibration generating elements 4 embedded in the shower head main body 2 in a straight line in the axial direction. , Have.
In the shower head 1 of the present embodiment, when hot water is supplied from a shower hose (not shown) connected to the base end portion of the shower head main body 2, the hot water vibrates reciprocally from the spout 4a of each vibration generating element 4. It is discharged while being discharged. In the present embodiment, hot water is discharged from each spout 4a so as to form a fan shape having a predetermined central angle in a vibration plane substantially orthogonal to the central axis of the shower head main body 2.

Next, the internal structure of the shower head 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a water passage forming member 6 for forming a water passage and a vibration generating element holding member 8 for holding each vibration generating element 4 are built in the shower head main body 2. In the present embodiment, the water discharge device main body is composed of the shower head main body 2, the water passage forming member 6, and the vibration generating element holding member 8.
The water passage forming member 6 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape, and is configured to form a flow path of hot water supplied to the inside of the shower head main body 2. A shower hose connecting member 6a is watertightly connected to the base end portion of the water passage forming member 6. Further, the tip portion of the water passage forming member 6 is cut out in a semicircular cross section, and the vibration generating element holding member 8 is arranged in the cutout portion.

The vibration generating element holding member 8 is a member having a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and is arranged in a notch portion of the water passage forming member 6 to form a cylindrical shape. Further, a packing 6b is arranged between the water passage forming member 6 and the vibration generating element holding member 8, and watertightness between them is ensured. Further, in the vibration generating element holding member 8, seven element insertion holes 8a for inserting and holding each vibration generating element 4 are formed in a straight line in the axial direction at substantially equal intervals. As a result, the hot water that has flowed into the water passage forming member 6 flows into the back side of each vibration generating element 4 held by the vibration generating element holding member 8 and is discharged from the spout 4a provided on the front surface. .. Further, each element insertion hole 8a is provided so as to be slightly inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the central axis of the shower head main body 2, and the hot water injected from each vibration generating element 4 is the shower head as a whole. It is discharged so as to spread slightly in the axial direction of the main body 2.

Next, the configuration of the vibration generating element 4 built in the shower head of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
As shown in FIG. 3, the vibration generating element 4 is a substantially thin rectangular parallelepiped member, and a rectangular water spout 4a is provided at the tip on the front side thereof, and a flange portion 4b is formed at the end on the back side. ing. Further, a groove 4c is provided in parallel with the flange portion 4b so as to go around the circumference of the vibration generating element 4. An O-ring (not shown) is fitted in the groove 4c to ensure watertightness between the vibration generating element holding member 8 and the element insertion hole 8a. Further, the vibration generating element 4 is positioned with respect to the vibration generating element holding member 8 by the flange portion 4b, and is prevented from falling off from the vibration generating element holding member 8 due to water pressure.

4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, a passage having a rectangular cross section is formed inside the vibration generating element 4 so as to penetrate in the longitudinal direction. This passage is formed as a water supply passage 10a, a vortex train passage 10b, a first rectifying section 10c, and a second rectifying section 10d in order from the upstream side. Each long side of the passage having a rectangular cross section is directed in a direction parallel to the vibration plane in which the discharged hot water vibrates (direction of the paper surface in FIG. 4A).

The water supply passage 10a is a straight passage having a rectangular cross section extending from the inflow port 4d on the back side of the vibration generating element 4 and having a constant cross section.
The vortex row passage 10b is a passage having a rectangular cross section provided on the downstream side of the water supply passage 10a so as to be connected to the water supply passage 10a (without a step). That is, the downstream end of the water supply passage 10a and the upstream end of the vortex street passage 10b have the same dimensions and shape. The pair of facing wall surfaces (wall surfaces on both sides) of the vortex passage 10b are configured to be tapered over the entire vortex passage 10b so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases toward the downstream side. That is, the vortex street passage 10b is configured as a tapered portion whose entire width is narrowed toward the downstream side and gradually narrows. In the present specification, the "width" means a length in a direction parallel to the vibration plane, which crosses the central axis A of each passage formed inside the vibration generating element 4.

The first rectifying unit 10c is a passage having a short rectangular cross section provided on the downstream side so as to communicate with the vortex train passage 10b, and is formed linearly with a constant cross-sectional area. The first rectifying unit 10c rectifies the hot water containing the vortex train guided by the vortex train passage 10b, and flows out to the second rectifying unit 10d. The flow path cross-sectional area of the first rectifying section 10c is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of the downstream end of the vortex column passage 10b, and there is a step between the vortex column passage 10b and the first rectifying section 10c. The part 12 is formed. The step wall surface, which is the surface of the step 12, is directed in a direction orthogonal to the central axis A of the vortex street passage 10b. Therefore, the angle formed by the tapered wall surface (tapered portion wall surface) and the stepped wall surface of the vortex row passage 10b is larger than 90 ° (90 ° + α °). Further, the length of the stepped wall surface is shorter than the length of the tapered portion wall surface.

The second rectifying unit 10d is provided on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit 10c so as to be connected to the first rectifying unit 10c. Further, the second rectifying unit 10d is composed of two flat surface portions 13 formed in the same width as the width of the flow path of the first rectifying unit 10c and arranged in parallel with each other. That is, the hot water discharged from the flow path of the rectangular cross section of the first rectifying unit 10c flows into the two parallel flat surface portions 13 having the same width as the first rectifying unit 10c, which constitute the second rectifying unit 10d. To do. As shown in FIG. 3, these flat surface portions 13 are provided so as to project from the tip surface 4e of the vibration generating element 4 which is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In other words, each flat surface portion 13 of the second rectifying unit 10d is connected to the floor surface and ceiling surface (wall surface parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 4A) of the flow path of the first rectifying unit 10c on the same plane, while the first 2 The rectifying unit 10d does not have a side wall surface (a wall surface perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4A).

That is, the side wall surface of the first rectifying unit 10c is connected to the tip surface 4e of the vibration generating element 4 at a bending angle β of 270 ° over the second rectifying unit 10d. In other words, the flow path of hot water is connected from the first rectifying section 10c having a parallel side wall surface (spread angle = 0 °) to the second rectifying section 10d spreading at a spreading angle θ = 180 ° in the vibration plane. To. In this way, the flow paths connecting the first rectifying unit 10c to the second rectifying unit 10d are continuous at the same height in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4A), but in the vibration plane. It widens rapidly in steps. Therefore, there is no wall surface that regulates the flow of hot water flowing out from the first rectifying unit 10c in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 4A) in the second rectifying unit 10d, and the hot water flowing out from the first rectifying unit 10c is the first. 2 In the rectifying unit 10d, it can spread indefinitely in the width direction.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the water supply passage 10a, the vortex passage 10b, the first rectifying section 10c, and the wall surface (ceiling surface and floor surface) facing the second rectifying section 10d in the height direction are all the same. It is provided on a flat surface. That is, the heights of the water supply passage 10a, the vortex street passage 10b, the first rectifying unit 10c, and the second rectifying unit 10d are all the same and constant.
In the present embodiment, the length of the second rectifying unit 10d (the length of the vibration generating element 4 in the central axis A direction) is the length of the passage of the first rectifying unit 10c (the central axis of the vibration generating element 4). It is formed to be about 1.5 times the length in the A direction). Preferably, the length of the second rectifying unit 10d is formed to be about 0.25 to about 10 times the length of the passage of the first rectifying unit 10c.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4A, a hot water collision portion 14 is formed at the downstream end portion of the water supply passage 10a (near the connection portion between the water supply passage 10a and the vortex train passage 10b), and the hot water collision portion 14 is used for supplying water. It is provided so as to block a part of the flow path cross section of the passage 10a. The hot water collision portion 14 is a triangular columnar portion extending so as to connect the wall surfaces (ceiling surface and floor surface) facing each other in the height direction of the water supply passage 10a, and has an island shape in the center of the water supply passage 10a in the width direction. Is located in. The cross section of the hot water collision portion 14 is formed in a right-angled isosceles triangle shape, and its hypotenuse is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the central axis A of the water supply passage 10a, and the right-angled portion of the right-angled isosceles triangle is on the downstream side. It is arranged so that it faces. By providing the hot water collision portion 14, a Karman vortex is generated on the downstream side thereof, and the hot water discharged from the spout 4a is reciprocally vibrated. Further, in the present embodiment, the hot water collision portion 14 is arranged so that the hypotenuse portion (upstream end of the hot water collision portion 14) of the right-angled isosceles triangle is located on the boundary line between the water supply passage 10a and the vortex passage passage 10b. Has been done.

In the present embodiment, the angle formed by the side wall surface of the vortex street passage 10b and the central axis A (angle α in FIG. 4A) is about 7 °. Preferably, the angle formed by the side wall surface and the central axis A is set to about 3 ° to about 25 °. By setting the angle in this way, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the Coanda effect while suppressing the change in the water discharge range due to the change in the discharge flow rate.

Next, the operation of the shower head 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the results of a fluid simulation that analyzes the flow of hot water in the vibration generating element 4 provided in the shower head 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As a comparative example, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the result of a fluid simulation in which the flow of hot water in the vibration generating element having the structure shown in FIG. 17 is analyzed. FIG. 7A is an example of a strobe photograph showing the flow of hot water discharged from a single vibration generating element 4 provided in the shower head 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is an example of a strobe photograph showing the flow of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element having the structure shown in FIG. 17 as a comparative example.

First, the hot water supplied from the shower hose (not shown) flows into the water passage forming member 6 (FIG. 2) in the shower head main body 2, and further, each vibration generated held by the vibration generating element holding member 8. It flows into the inflow port 4d (FIG. 4) of the element 4. The hot water flowing into the water supply passage 10a from the inflow port 4d of each vibration generating element 4 collides with the hot water collision portion 14 provided so as to block a part of the flow path. As a result, a series of Karman vortices in opposite directions are alternately formed on the downstream side of the hot water collision portion 14. The Karman vortex formed by the hot water collision portion 14 grows while being guided by the vortex train passage 10b having a tapered shape, and reaches the first rectifying portion 10c.

The results of analyzing the flow of hot water in the vortex passage 10b by fluid simulation are shown in columns (a) to (c) of FIG. As shown in this fluid simulation, a vortex is generated on the downstream side of the hot water collision portion 14, and the flow velocity is high in that portion. The high flow velocity portions (dark colored portions in FIG. 5) appear alternately on both sides of the hot water collision portion 14, and the vortex train advances along the wall surface of the vortex train passage 10b toward the spout 4a. The hot water that has flowed into the first rectifying section 10c on the downstream side of the spiral passage 10b has turbulence in the direction parallel to the vibration plane (plane parallel to the paper surface in FIG. 5) and turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. Suppressed and rectified. The hot water that has passed through the first rectifying unit 10c is rectified by the second rectifying unit 10d by suppressing only the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane.

The hot water discharged from the spout 4a via the second rectifying unit 10d is bent based on the flow velocity distribution at the spout 4a, and the discharge direction changes as the high flow velocity portion moves in the vertical direction in FIG. That is, when the portion having a high flow velocity of the hot water is located at the upper end of the spout 4a in FIG. 5, the hot water is jetted downward, and when the portion having a high flow velocity is located at the lower end of the spout 4a, the hot water is sprayed. It is ejected upward. In this way, by alternately generating Karman vortices on the downstream side of the hot water collision portion 14, a flow velocity distribution is generated at the spout 4a, and the jet flow is deflected. Further, since the position of the portion having a high flow velocity reciprocates due to the progress of the vortex train, the injected hot water also reciprocates in the vibration plane (the plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 5). At this time, since the second rectifying unit 10d is composed of only two plane portions 13 arranged parallel to the vibration plane (the side wall surface is not provided as shown in FIG. 3), it is orthogonal to the vibration plane. It suppresses only the turbulence in the direction of vibration, and has almost no effect on the reciprocating vibration of hot water in the vibration plane.

Further, since the step portion 12 is provided between the vortex passage passage 10b and the first rectifying portion 10c, the flow along the tapered wall surface (tapered portion wall surface) of the vortex passage passage 10b is peeled off here. 1 Flows into the rectifying unit 10c. Since the flow is separated from the wall surface by the step portion 12, the Coanda effect generated on the side wall surface of the first rectifying portion 10c is suppressed. Further, since the second rectifying unit 10d on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit 10c is not provided with a side wall surface and rapidly expands (spread angle θ = 180 °), the second rectifying unit 10d has a Coanda. No effect occurs. Therefore, the hot water discharged from the spout 4a is hardly affected by the Coanda effect and is smoothly reciprocated. Therefore, the step portion 12 acts as a peeling portion that separates the flow along the wall surface of the vortex street passage 10b and suppresses the Coanda effect. Further, the stepped wall surface, which is the surface of the stepped portion 12, functions as a peeling portion wall surface.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6 as a comparative example, in the vibration generating element having the structure shown in FIG. 17, although a Karman vortex train is generated on the downstream side of the collision portion, it is injected at the spout portion. The hot water is greatly deflected, and the spouting range of the sprayed hot water is too wide. Further, when the simulation was performed by reducing the flow rate of the hot water to be discharged, it was confirmed that the hot water to be ejected was not so deflected and the discharge range was narrowed. On the other hand, in the vibration generating element 4 of the present embodiment, it has been confirmed that a water discharge range having an appropriate size can be obtained with a flow rate in a relatively wide range.

Next, in the strobe photograph showing the flow of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element 4 in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7A, since the water discharge direction smoothly reciprocates, a neat sinusoidal flow can be obtained. ing. On the other hand, the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element having the structure of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7B reciprocates, but is curved in a bow shape. This is because the change in the discharge direction of hot water is not smooth, the time when the deflection angle is maximum is long, and the time when the jet stream moves between the maximum deflection angles is short. As described above, according to the vibration generating element 4 in the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a comfortable shower water discharge in which large droplets are evenly discharged over a wide range.

Next, the effect of the second rectifying unit 10d provided on the vibration generating element 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.
FIG. 8 is a photograph showing a state of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element 4 provided in the shower head 1 of the present embodiment. As a comparative example, FIG. 9 is a photograph showing a state of hot water discharged from a vibration generating element not provided with the second rectifying unit 10d. The vibration generating element in FIG. 8 and the vibration generating element in FIG. 9 have the same configuration except for the presence / absence of the second rectifying unit 10d. Further, in FIGS. 8 and 9, the two photographs on the left side show the state of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element at a flow velocity of 4 m / sec, and the two photographs on the right side show the state of hot water discharged from the vibration generating element at a flow velocity of 8 m / sec. It shows the state of hot water. Further, in FIGS. 8 and 9, the upper photograph is taken from the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane of the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element, and the lower photograph is taken from the direction parallel to the vibration plane. Is.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element at a flow velocity of 4 m / sec is vibrated in a beautiful sinusoidal shape in the vibration plane (upper left in FIG. 8) and in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. Is discharged in a straight line with almost no spread (lower left in FIG. 8). On the other hand, when the flow velocity of the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element is set to 8 m / sec, the vibration of the sinusoidal hot water in the vibration plane is disturbed (upper right in FIG. 8), but the vibration plane. The spread of hot water in the direction orthogonal to is suppressed (lower right in FIG. 8). Therefore, a comfortable stimulus can be given to the user who has been exposed to the hot water discharged at a flow rate of 8 m / sec.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, as a comparative example, the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element not provided with the second rectifying unit 10d has the second rectifying unit of the present embodiment when the flow velocity is 4 m / sec. The flow is sinusoidal, which is almost the same as the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element provided with 10d (upper left and lower left in FIG. 9). On the other hand, when the flow velocity is set to 8 m / sec, the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element does not remain in the form of a sine wave (upper right in FIG. 9), and the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. It can be seen that the flow has spread significantly (lower right of Fig. 9). This is because the hot water discharged from the vibration generating element is decomposed into fine droplets relatively near the spout. In this way, if the flow of the discharged hot water is decomposed into fine droplets, even if the flow velocity is increased to 8 m / sec, it is not possible to give a comfortable stimulus to the user who has been exposed to the hot water. .. Since the vibration generating element (FIG. 8) of the present embodiment includes the second rectifying unit 10d, the flow of hot water spreads in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane even when the flow velocity of the discharged hot water is extremely high. Is suppressed (lower right in FIG. 8), and a pleasant stimulus can be given to the user.

According to the shower head 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the vibration generating element 4 is provided with the first rectifying unit 10c and the second rectifying unit 10d in two stages (FIG. 4A), so that the water discharge range is substantially constant. The droplets can be distributed in the shower, and the flow velocity of the discharged hot water can be made very high to obtain a comfortable stimulating feeling.

Further, according to the shower head 1 of the present embodiment, since the second rectifying unit 10d is composed of two flat surfaces 13 parallel to the vibration plane (plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 4A), the first rectifying unit 10d is formed. Even when the flow from 10c spreads in the vibration plane, the flow does not collide with the wall surface constituting the second rectifying unit 10d. Therefore, the second rectifying unit can surely suppress only the spread of hot water in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane, and does not hinder the reciprocating vibration in the vibration plane.

Next, the shower head according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
The shower head of the present embodiment differs from the above-described first embodiment only in the configuration of the built-in vibration generating element. Therefore, here, only the points different from the first embodiment of the present embodiment will be described, and the description of the same configuration, operation, and effect will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the vibration generating element according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 11A is a plan sectional view of the vibration generating element according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 11B is a vertical sectional view of the vibration generating element.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the vibration generating element 30 in the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the vortex street passage and the configuration of the second rectifying unit. That is, in the present embodiment, the upstream side of the vortex train passage is configured by a passage having a constant cross-sectional area, and the width of the second rectifying section is wider than that of the first rectifying section.

As shown in FIG. 10, the vibration generating element 30 is a generally thin rectangular parallelepiped member, a rectangular parallelepiped member 30a is provided at the tip on the front side thereof, and a flange portion 30b is formed at the end on the back side. ing. Further, a groove 30c is provided in parallel with the flange portion 30b so as to go around the vibration generating element 30.
As shown in FIG. 11A, as in the first embodiment, a passage having a rectangular cross section is formed inside the vibration generating element 30 so as to penetrate in the longitudinal direction. This passage is formed as a water supply passage 32a, a vortex train passage 32b, a first rectifying unit 32c, and a second rectifying unit 32d in this order from the upstream side.

The water supply passage 32a is a straight passage having a rectangular cross section extending from the inflow port 30d on the back side of the vibration generating element 30 and having a constant cross section.
The vortex row passage 32b is a passage having a rectangular cross section provided on the downstream side of the water supply passage 32a so as to be connected to the water supply passage 32a. That is, the downstream end of the water supply passage 32a and the upstream end of the vortex street passage 32b have the same dimensions and shape. The pair of facing wall surfaces (both side surfaces) of the vortex column passage 32b are formed in parallel on the upstream side thereof, and are tapered on the downstream side so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases toward the downstream end. A tapered portion 32e is provided. That is, the vortex street passage 32b is configured so as to extend from the upstream end with a constant cross-sectional area and then gradually narrow toward the downstream side.

The first rectifying unit 32c is a passage having a rectangular cross section provided on the downstream side so as to communicate with the vortex train passage 32b (tapered portion 32e), and is formed in a straight line with a constant cross-sectional area. The first rectifying unit 32c rectifies the hot water containing the vortex train guided by the vortex train passage 32b, and flows out to the second rectifying unit 32d. The flow path cross-sectional area of the first rectifying section 32c is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of the downstream end of the vortex row passage 32b (tapered portion 32e), and the vortex row passage 32b and the first rectifying section 32c A step portion 36, which is a peeling portion, is formed between the two. The step wall surface, which is the surface of the step 36, is oriented in a direction orthogonal to the central axis A of the vortex street passage 32b. Therefore, the angle formed by the tapered wall surface (tapered portion wall surface) and the stepped wall surface of the vortex row passage 32b is larger than 90 ° (90 ° + α °). Further, the length of the stepped wall surface is shorter than the length of the tapered portion wall surface.

The second rectifying unit 32d is provided on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit 32c so as to be connected to the first rectifying unit 32c. Further, the second rectifying unit 32d is composed of two flat surface portions 33 arranged in parallel with each other and having a width wider than the width of the flow path of the first rectifying unit 32c. That is, the hot water discharged from the flow path of the rectangular cross section of the first rectifying unit 32c flows into the two parallel flat surface portions 33 which are wider than the first rectifying unit 32c and constitute the second rectifying unit 32d. To do. As shown in FIG. 10, these flat surface portions 33 are provided so as to project from the tip surface 30e of the vibration generating element 30 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In other words, each flat surface portion 33 of the second rectifying unit 32d is connected to the floor surface and ceiling surface (wall surface parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 11A) of the flow path of the first rectifying unit 32c on the same plane, while the first 2 The rectifying unit 32d does not have a side wall surface (a wall surface perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 11A).

That is, the side wall surface of the first rectifying unit 32c is connected to the tip surface 30e of the vibration generating element 30 at a bending angle β of 270 ° over the second rectifying unit 32d. In other words, the flow path of hot water is connected from the first rectifying unit 32c having a parallel side wall surface (spread angle = 0 °) to the second rectifying unit 32d spreading at a spreading angle θ = 180 ° in the vibration plane. To. In this way, the flow paths connecting the first rectifying unit 32c to the second rectifying unit 32d are continuous at the same height in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 11A), but in the vibration plane. It widens rapidly in steps. Therefore, there is no wall surface that regulates the flow of hot water flowing out of the first rectifying unit 32c in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 11A) in the second rectifying unit 32d, and the hot water flowing out of the first rectifying unit 32c is the first. In the 2 rectifying unit 32d, it can spread indefinitely in the width direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, also in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the water supply passage 32a, the vortex street passage 32b, the first rectifying unit 32c, and the second rectifying unit 32d face each other in the height direction. The wall surfaces (ceiling surface and floor surface) are all provided on the same plane. That is, the heights of the water supply passage 32a, the vortex street passage 32b, the first rectifying unit 32c, and the second rectifying unit 32d are all the same and constant.
In the present embodiment, the length of the second rectifying unit 32d (the length of the vibration generating element 30 in the central axis A direction) is the length of the passage of the first rectifying unit 32c (the central axis of the vibration generating element 30). It is formed to be about 1.5 times the length in the A direction). Preferably, the length of the second rectifying unit 32d is formed to be about 0.25 to about 10 times the length of the passage of the first rectifying unit 32c. Further, in the present embodiment, the width of the second rectifying unit 32d is formed to be about twice the width of the passage of the first rectifying unit 32c. Preferably, the width of the second rectifying unit 32d is formed to be about 1 to about 3 times the width of the passage of the first rectifying unit 32c.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11A, a part of the flow path cross section of the water supply passage 32a is blocked at the downstream end portion of the water supply passage 32a (near the connection portion between the water supply passage 32a and the vortex row passage 32b). A hot water collision portion 34 is provided. Since the configuration of the hot water collision portion 34 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

Further, by forming the length of the tapered portion 32e of the vortex passage 32b in the axial direction longer than the length of the first rectifying unit 32c in the axial direction, the change in the discharge range due to the flow rate of the discharged hot water can be changed. It has been confirmed that it can be sufficiently suppressed. Preferably, the length of the tapered portion 32e in the central axis A direction is formed to be four times or more the length of the first rectifying unit 32c in the central axis A direction. Further, the angle (angle α in FIG. 11A) formed by the side wall surface of the tapered portion 32e of the vortex passage 32b and the central axis A is about 7 °. Preferably, the angle formed by the side wall surface and the central axis A is set to about 3 ° to about 25 °. By setting the angle in this way, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the Coanda effect while suppressing the change in the water discharge range due to the change in the discharge flow rate. Further, the flow path cross-sectional area of the portion partially blocked by the hot water collision portion 34 at the downstream end of the water supply passage 32a (the area obtained by subtracting the projected area of the hot water collision portion 34 from the flow path cross-sectional area of the water supply passage 32a) is , It is configured to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the first rectifying unit 32c.

Further, the hot water that has flowed into the first rectifying section 32c on the downstream side of the spiral passage 32b is turbulent in the direction parallel to the vibration plane (the plane parallel to the paper surface in FIG. 11A) and in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. Disturbance is suppressed and rectified. The hot water that has passed through the first rectifying unit 32c is rectified in the second rectifying unit 32d by suppressing only the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane.

The hot water discharged from the spout 30a via the second rectifying unit 32d is bent based on the flow velocity distribution at the spout 30a, and the discharge direction changes as the portion having a high flow velocity moves. At this time, since the second rectifying unit 32d is composed of only two plane portions 33 arranged parallel to the vibration plane (the side wall surface is not provided as shown in FIG. 10), it is orthogonal to the vibration plane. It suppresses only the turbulence in the direction of vibration, and has almost no effect on the reciprocating vibration of hot water in the vibration plane. Further, the width of the second rectifying unit 32d (the width of the flat surface portion 33) is formed to be wider than the width of the flow path cross section of the first rectifying unit 32c. Therefore, the hot water discharged from the first rectifying unit 32c while reciprocating and vibrating, and the hot water discharged outward from the first rectifying unit 32c in the width direction also passes between the two flat surface portions 33. However, the second rectifying unit 32d can suppress turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. As a result, the spread of the discharged hot water in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane can be suppressed more effectively.

The vibration generating element 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a vortex passage 32b and a second rectifying unit 32d, although the configurations are different from those of the first embodiment described above, but the vortex passage 32b or the second Either one of the configurations of the rectifying unit 32d can be applied to the vibration generating element in the first embodiment.

According to the shower head of the second embodiment of the present invention, the width in the direction parallel to the vibration plane (plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 11A) of the second rectifying unit 32d is wider than the width of the downstream end of the first rectifying unit 32c. Is also widely configured, the second rectifying unit 32d can suppress turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane even with respect to the flow of hot water discharged while spreading from the first rectifying unit 32c due to reciprocating vibration. As a result, the spread of hot water in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane can be suppressed in a wider range, and a more comfortable feeling of stimulation can be obtained.

Next, a modified example of the vibration generating element according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 12 is a plan sectional view of the vibration generating element according to this modification.
The vibration generating element 38 according to this modification differs from the second embodiment described above only in the configuration of the second rectifying unit 39.

In the second embodiment described above, the second rectifying unit 32d is composed of two flat surface portions 33 (FIG. 10), and the second rectifying unit 32d is not provided with a side wall surface. On the other hand, in this modification, the second rectifying unit 39 is composed of a passage having a wide rectangular cross section and is provided with a side wall surface 39a. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the second rectifying unit 39 is a passage having a rectangular cross section provided on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit 32c, and its height is the same as the height of the first rectifying unit 32c. The width is wider than the width of the first rectifying unit 32c. That is, the flow path of the hot water suddenly widens stepwise at a spread angle θ = 180 ° in the vibration plane from the first rectifying section 32c to the second rectifying section 39, and then has a constant width (spread angle = 0 °). ). As described above, in this modification, although the side wall surface 39a is provided in the second rectifying unit 39, the width thereof is sufficiently wider than the width of the first rectifying unit 32c, so that the second rectifying unit 39 reciprocates from the first rectifying unit 32c. The hot water discharged while vibrating does not interfere with the side wall surface 39a, and the discharged hot water does not directly hit the side wall surface 39a.

Therefore, even in this modification, the second rectifying unit 39 suppresses only the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane, and has almost no effect on the reciprocating vibration of hot water in the vibration plane. In this modification, the width of the second rectifying section 39 (distance between the side wall surfaces 39a on both sides) is formed to be twice the width of the first rectifying section 32c. Therefore, the vibration generating element 38 according to the present modification has substantially the same action and effect as the vibration generating element in the second embodiment.

In this modification, the base end wall surface 39b forming the base end of the second rectifying unit 39 is directed in a direction orthogonal to the central axis A of the vibration generating element 38. That is, the inner wall surface forming the passage of the first rectifying unit 32c and the base end wall surface 39b of the second rectifying unit 39 are bent at 90 °. In other words, the side wall surface of the first rectifying section 32c extends toward the second rectifying section 39 at a bending angle β of 270 °, and this bending angle β includes the discharged hot water and the base end wall surface 39b. It can be changed arbitrarily as long as it does not interfere or cause the Coanda effect. For example, by forming the bending angle β smaller than 270 °, the wall thickness of the portion constituting the first rectifying unit 32c of the vibration generating element 38 can be increased, and the strength can be increased. Further, the side wall surface 39a of the second rectifying unit 39 can also be oriented at an arbitrary angle as long as it does not interfere with the discharged hot water.
Similarly, the bending angle β in the first and second embodiments can be changed.

Further, in the modified example shown in FIG. 12, the second rectifying unit 39 itself has the side wall surface 39a, but the configuration of the shower head main body 2 to which the vibration generating element is attached also has a configuration in which the side wall surface is substantially provided. Become.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the vibration generating element 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is mounted inside the shower head.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the vibration generating element is fixed in the shower head main body 2 by being inserted into the element insertion hole 8a provided in the vibration generating element holding member 8, and the tip portion thereof is fixed. It is exposed from the opening provided in the shower head main body 2. That is, as shown enlarged in FIG. 13, the flat surface portion 33 of the vibration generating element 30 inserted into the element insertion hole 8a of the vibration generating element holding member 8 is formed in the discharge opening 2a formed in the shower head main body 2. Will be inserted. As a result, the edge of the discharge opening 2a of the shower head main body 2 is located on the side of the two flat surface portions 33 constituting the second rectifying unit 32d, and substantially functions as a side wall surface of the second rectifying unit 32d. .. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the vibration generating element 30 is attached so that the tip portion thereof is in contact with the edge of the discharge opening 2a of the shower head main body 2, so that the vibration generating element at the time of discharging hot water that reciprocates is discharged. It is possible to suppress the vibration of the 30 itself and suppress the generation of abnormal noise and the like.

As described above, even when the second rectifying unit 32d of the vibration generating element 30 in the second embodiment is inserted into the discharge opening 2a of the shower head main body 2, the width of the flat surface portion 33 constituting the second rectifying unit 32d is still large. Since it is sufficiently wide, the hot water discharged while reciprocating and vibrating does not interfere with the edge of the discharge opening 2a.

On the other hand, in the vibration generating element 4 of the first embodiment, since the width of the second rectifying unit 10d is the same as the width of the first rectifying unit 10c, the side surface of the second rectifying unit 10d comes into contact with the edge of the discharge opening 2a. When the vibration generating element 4 is arranged in this way, the hot water discharged from the first rectifying unit 10c tends to interfere with the edge of the discharge opening 2a. Therefore, preferably, the width of the discharge opening 2a is set to be sufficiently wider than the width of the second rectifying unit 10d, or the second rectifying unit 10d vibrates so as to protrude from the outer surface of the shower head main body 2. The generating element 4 is arranged.

Next, the shower head according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.
The shower head of the present embodiment differs from the above-described first embodiment only in the configuration of the built-in vibration generating element. Therefore, here, only the points different from the first embodiment of the present embodiment will be described, and the description of the same configuration, operation, and effect will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the vibration generating element according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 15A is a plan sectional view of the vibration generating element according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 15B is a vertical sectional view of the vibration generating element.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the vibration generating element 60 in the present embodiment has a different configuration of the first rectifying unit and the second rectifying unit from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, the vibration generating element 60 is a generally thin rectangular parallelepiped member, a rectangular parallelepiped member 60a is provided at the tip on the front side thereof, and a flange portion 60b is formed at the end on the back side. ing. Further, a groove 60c is provided in parallel with the flange portion 60b so as to go around the vibration generating element 60.

As shown in FIG. 15A, as in the first embodiment, a passage having a rectangular cross section is formed inside the vibration generating element 60 so as to penetrate in the longitudinal direction. This passage is formed as a water supply passage 62a, a vortex train passage 62b, a first rectifying section 62c, and a second rectifying section 62d in order from the upstream side.
Of these, the configurations of the water supply passage 62a and the vortex train passage 62b are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. Further, a step portion 66, which is a peeling portion, is formed between the vortex street passage 62b and the first rectifying portion 62c. Since the configuration of the step portion 66 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

The first rectifying unit 62c is a passage having a rectangular cross section provided on the downstream side of the vortex train passage 62b so as to be connected to the vortex train passage 62b. Further, the pair of facing wall surfaces (both side wall surfaces) of the first rectifying unit 62c are tapered so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path expands toward the downstream side. That is, the width of the first rectifying unit 62c is configured to widen toward the downstream side. As described above, since the first rectifying portion 62c tapered so as to expand the cross-sectional area of the flow path is provided on the downstream side of the step portion 66 that separates the flow along the side wall surface of the vortex train passage 62b, the first The hot water flowing in the rectifying portion 62c easily separates from the side wall surface thereof. However, the first rectifying unit 62c formed in this way also has an effect of suppressing the spread of the flow of hot water in the vibration plane to be less than the spread of the first rectifying unit 62c. Therefore, the first rectifying unit 62c in the present embodiment also suppresses the turbulence of the flow of hot water passing through the spiral passage 62b in the direction parallel to the vibration plane and the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. Functions as. Further, since the taper angle of the first rectifying unit 62c is relatively small, the wall thickness of the members constituting the first rectifying unit 62c does not become extremely thin.

The second rectifying unit 62d is provided on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit 62c so as to be connected to the first rectifying unit 62c. Further, the second rectifying unit 62d is composed of two flat surfaces 63 arranged in parallel with each other, which are wider than the downstream end of the flow path of the first rectifying unit 62c. That is, the second rectifying unit 62d is provided so as to project from the tip surface 60e of the vibration generating element 60. The side wall surface of the first rectifying section 62c is connected to the tip surface 60e at a bending angle β of about 250 ° over the second rectifying section 62d, and the flow path of hot water vibrates from the first rectifying section 62c having a spreading angle of 40 °. It is connected to the second rectifying unit 62d that spreads in a plane with a spreading angle θ = 180 °. Since the configuration of the second rectifying unit 62d is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the length of the second rectifying unit 62d (the length of the vibration generating element 60 in the central axis A direction) is the length of the passage of the first rectifying unit 62c (the central axis of the vibration generating element 60). It is formed to be about 1.5 times the length in the A direction). Preferably, the length of the second rectifying unit 62d is formed to be about 0.25 to about 10 times the length of the passage of the first rectifying unit 62c. Further, in the present embodiment, the width of the second rectifying unit 62d is formed to be about twice the width of the passage at the upstream end of the first rectifying unit 62c. Preferably, the width of the second rectifying unit 62d is formed to be about 1 to about 3 times the width of the passage of the first rectifying unit 62c.

Further, at the downstream end of the water supply passage 62a (near the connection portion between the water supply passage 62a and the vortex passage 62b), a hot water collision portion 64 is provided so as to block a part of the flow path cross section of the water supply passage 62a. ing. Since the configuration of the hot water collision portion 64 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

In the vibration generating element 60, the hot water that has flowed into the first rectifying section 62c on the downstream side of the spiral passage 62b is turbulent in the direction parallel to the vibration plane (the plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 15A) and becomes the vibration plane. Disturbance in the orthogonal direction is suppressed and rectified. The hot water that has passed through the second rectifying unit 62c is rectified by the second rectifying unit 62d by suppressing only the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. Further, the width of the second rectifying unit 62d (the width of the flat surface portion 63) is formed to be wider than the width of the flow path cross section at the downstream end of the first rectifying unit 62c. Therefore, hot water discharged from the first rectifying unit 62c while reciprocating and vibrating, and discharged outward from the first rectifying unit 62c in the width direction also passes between the two flat surface portions 63, and thus such hot water. However, the second rectifying unit 62d can suppress turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. As a result, the spread of the discharged hot water in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane can be suppressed more effectively.

Further, the vibration generating element 60 in the present embodiment can be changed in the same manner as the modified examples shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. That is, also for the vibration generating element 60 in the present embodiment, a side wall surface (not shown) is provided on the second rectifying unit 62d, or the flat surface portion 63 is in contact with the edge of the discharge opening 2a of the shower head main body 2. The vibration generating element 60 can be arranged in. That is, since the width of the second rectifying unit 62d is sufficiently wide, the hot water discharged from the first rectifying unit 62c while vibrating reciprocatingly does not interfere with the side wall surface (not shown), and the discharged hot water is sent to the side wall surface. There is no direct hit.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. In particular, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been applied to a shower head, but any water spouting device such as a faucet device used in a kitchen sink or a wash basin, a hot water washing device provided in a toilet seat, or the like. The present invention can be applied to. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the shower head is provided with a plurality of vibration generating elements, but the water discharge device can be provided with an arbitrary number of vibration generating elements depending on the application, and a single vibration generating element can be provided. A water discharge device including an element can also be configured.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the passage in the vibration generating element has been described using terms such as "width" and "height" for convenience, but these terms refer to the vibration generating element. The vibration generating element can be used in any direction without defining the direction in which it is provided. For example, a vibration generating element can be used with the "height" direction in the above-described embodiment oriented horizontally.

1 Shower head which is a water discharge device according to the first embodiment of the present invention 2 Shower head main body 4 Vibration generator 4a Water discharge port 4b Flange 4c Groove 4d Inflow port 4e Tip surface 6 Water passage forming member 6a Shower hose connection member 6b Packing 8 Vibration generating element holding member 8a Element insertion hole 10a Water supply passage 10b Swirl passage 10c 1st rectifying part 10d 2nd rectifying part 12 steps (peeling part)
13 Flat surface 14 Hot water collision part 30 Vibration generating element 30a Spout 30b Border 30c Groove 30d Inflow port 30e Tip surface 32a Water supply passage 32b Vortex passage 32c 1st rectifying part 32d 2nd rectifying part 32e Tapered part 34 Hot water collision part 36 Step part (peeling part)
38 Vibration generating element 39 Second rectifying part 39a Side wall surface 39b Base end wall surface 60 Vibration generating element 60a Spout 60b Brim part 60c Groove 60d Inflow port 60e Tip surface 62a Water supply passage 62b Swirl passage 62c First rectifying part 62d Second rectifying Part 63 Flat part 64 Hot water collision part 66 Step part (peeling part)
102 Injection nozzle 102a Injection port 104 Feedback flow path 110 Front chamber 110a Wall surface 110b Wall surface 112 Outlet 114 Inlet hole 116 Obstacle

Claims (5)

It is a water spouting device that discharges hot water from the spout while reciprocating and vibrating.
Water spouting device body and
It has a vibration generating element provided in the main body of the water discharge device and discharging the supplied hot water while reciprocally vibrating in a predetermined vibration plane.
The vibration generating element is
The water supply passage into which the hot water supplied from the water discharge device main body flows in, and
It is arranged at the downstream end of the water supply passage so as to block a part of the cross section of the flow path of the water supply passage, and when the hot water guided by the water supply passage collides with the water, it alternately turns in the opposite direction to the downstream side. The hot and cold water collision part that generates the vortex of
A vortex train provided on the downstream side of the water supply passage so as to guide the vortex formed by the hot water collision portion while growing, and provided with a tapered portion tapered so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases toward the downstream side. Aisle and
A peeling portion provided at the downstream end of the vortex passage and suppressing the Coanda effect acting on the flow of hot water along the wall surface of the vortex passage.
The first rectification is provided on the downstream side of the peeling portion and is a passage for suppressing the turbulence of the flow of hot water passing through the peeling portion in the direction parallel to the vibration plane and the turbulence in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane. Department and
It is provided on the downstream side of the first rectifying unit and does not suppress the turbulence of the flow of hot water passing through the first rectifying unit in the direction orthogonal to the vibration plane and does not suppress the turbulence in the direction parallel to the vibration plane. With the second rectifier
A water spouting device characterized by having. The water discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the width of the second rectifying unit is wider than the width at the downstream end of the first rectifying unit. The water discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the second rectifying unit is composed of two plane units arranged in parallel to the vibration plane. The water discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the second rectifying unit is composed of two plane units arranged in parallel to the vibration plane. The water discharge device main body includes a discharge opening for inserting the second rectifying portion of the vibration generating element, and the vibration generating element is such that the second rectifying portion is in contact with the edge of the discharge opening. The water discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is attached to the water discharge device main body.