JP7029638B2 - Water faucet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a faucet having an outer member that is rotatable relative to an inner member.

Conventionally, a faucet having a cover body which is an outer member that can rotate with respect to a faucet main body which is an inner member has been known to limit the rotation of the cover body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this faucet, a regulating member separate from the faucet main body and the cover body is detachably provided to regulate the rotation of the cover body.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-23470

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, since a regulation member separate from the inner member and the outer member is used, there is a problem from the viewpoint of assembling property and cost.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a faucet that has an outer member that can rotate with respect to the inner member and that regulates the rotation of the outer member without using a separate regulating member.

The faucet according to the present invention has a cylindrical inner member having an opening on the side surface and a tubular inner member.
It is provided so as to surround a part of the inner member, and is arranged at a position corresponding to the opening of the inner member, which is a tubular trunk portion coaxial with the inner member and branches outward from the side surface of the trunk portion. An outer member having a cylindrically shaped branch portion, and having the trunk portion and the branch portion communicating with each other.
A discharge portion connected to the branch portion of the outer member, and a discharge portion.
A pipe that is inserted from the inside of the inner member through the opening through the internal space of the branch portion of the outer member and is connected to the discharge portion.
Equipped with
The outer member is rotatable with respect to the inner member with the trunk as a core.
The outer member is provided integrally with the outer member so as to project toward the inner surface side from the trunk portion to the branch portion, and the opening of the inner member is caused by rotation of the outer member with respect to the inner member. It has a rib that abuts on the end of the outer member and regulates the rotation of the outer member.

According to the faucet according to the present invention, the rotation of the outer member can be regulated by the rib provided integrally with the outer member without using a separate regulating member.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the faucet which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which the outer member is rotatably joined to the inner member of the faucet of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which the branch part of the outer member faces the front side of a paper surface. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which the branch part of the outer member is directed to the left side of a paper surface. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the yz plane showing the cross-sectional configuration of the inner member and the outer member of FIG. 2C. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the opening of the inner member. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the side opposite to the opening of the inner member. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the appearance of the outer member. It is a schematic cross-sectional view about the yz plane which shows the cross-sectional structure of an outer member. It is a schematic cross-sectional view about the zx plane which shows the cross-sectional structure of an outer member. It is schematic cross-sectional view about the plane perpendicular to the z-axis at the branch part from the trunk part to the branch part of an outer member. It is schematic cross-sectional view about the yz plane which shows the relationship between the mold and the rib inside the outer member when manufacturing the outer member using two molds. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an yz plane showing one step of a manufacturing method in which a mold 34b is extracted from the state of FIG. 6A and then the mold 34a is moved in the direction of an arrow to be extracted. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the plane perpendicular to the z-axis of the inner member and the outer member as seen from the direction AA of FIG. 2D. FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the z-axis of the outer member of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inner member of FIG. 7A with respect to a plane perpendicular to the z-axis. It is a partial view which shows the receiving surface of the end part of an inner member. It is a schematic diagram which shows the surface contact between the receiving surface of the end portion of an inner member, and the contact surface of the rib of an outer member. It is a schematic diagram which shows the surface contact between the receiving surface of the end portion of an inner member, and the contact surface of the rib of an outer member when the inclination of the receiving surface of the end portion of an inner member is different from FIG. 9A. It is a schematic diagram which shows the case where the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface of the rib of an outer member is an acute angle of less than 60 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which shows the case where the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface of the rib of an outer member is substantially a right angle. It is a schematic diagram which shows the case where the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface of the rib of an outer member is an obtuse angle exceeding 120 degrees.

The faucet according to the first aspect has a cylindrical inner member having an opening on the side surface and a tubular inner member.
It is provided so as to surround a part of the inner member, and is arranged at a position corresponding to the opening of the inner member, which is a tubular trunk portion coaxial with the inner member and branches outward from the side surface of the trunk portion. An outer member having a cylindrically shaped branch portion, and having the trunk portion and the branch portion communicating with each other.
A discharge portion connected to the branch portion of the outer member, and a discharge portion.
A pipe that is inserted from the inside of the inner member through the opening through the internal space of the branch portion of the outer member and is connected to the discharge portion.
Equipped with
The outer member is rotatable with respect to the inner member with the trunk as a core.
The outer member is provided integrally with the outer member so as to project toward the inner surface side from the trunk portion to the branch portion, and the opening of the inner member is caused by rotation of the outer member with respect to the inner member. It has a rib that abuts on the end of the outer member and regulates the rotation of the outer member.

In the first aspect, the faucet according to the second aspect is provided with two ribs on both sides of the outer member in the branching direction from the trunk portion to the branch portion, and the pipe is the pipe. It may be provided so as to pass between the two ribs.

In the first or second aspect of the faucet according to the third aspect, the rib is
A front end portion that is on the outer surface side of the trunk portion and projects toward the inner surface side of the branch portion from the virtual inner surface that virtually extends the inner surface of the trunk portion over the branch portion to the branch portion.
The rear end portion protruding from the virtual inner surface to the inner surface side,
May have.

In the third aspect of the faucet according to the fourth aspect, the rib may have the front end portion longer than the rear end portion in the branching direction from the trunk portion to the branch portion.

In the third or fourth aspect of the faucet according to the fifth aspect, in the rib, a straight line connecting the rear end portion to the front end portion intersects with the branching direction from the trunk portion to the branch portion. It may be provided so as to be inclined with respect to the branching direction.

In any of the third to fifth aspects, the faucet according to the sixth aspect has the rear end portion of the rib inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the branching direction from the trunk portion to the branch portion. The surface may be in contact with the end of the opening of the inner member.

In any one of the first to sixth aspects, the faucet according to the seventh aspect has a receiving surface in which the end portion of the opening of the inner member comes into contact with the rib of the outer member in surface contact. May have.

According to the above configuration, since the end portion of the opening of the inner member and the rib of the outer member come into contact with each other by surface contact, the rotation of the outer member with respect to the inner member can be stably regulated. Further, the rotation angle of the outer member can be finely adjusted by changing the angle of the receiving surface at the end of the opening of the inner member.

Hereinafter, the faucet according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, substantially the same members are designated by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the faucet 40 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the outer member 20 is rotatably joined to the inner member 10 of the faucet 40 of FIG. FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20 is directed toward the front side of the paper surface. FIG. 2C is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20 is directed to the left side of the paper surface. FIG. 2D is a schematic cross-sectional view of the yz plane showing the cross-sectional configuration of the inner member 10 and the outer member 20 of FIG. 2C. In the drawings, for convenience, the rotation axis of the outer member 20 with respect to the inner member 10 is the z-axis direction. Further, the branching direction from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20 is the y-axis direction, and the x-axis direction is shown as the orthogonal coordinate system of the right-handed system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the faucet 40 according to the first embodiment is a single lever type faucet. The faucet 40 includes a lever 1, a cylindrical inner member 10, an outer member 20 that covers a part of the inner member 10, a pipe 32 through which mixed water of water and hot water passes, and a pipe 32. A connected discharge unit 30 is provided. The lever 1 adjusts the mixing ratio of water and hot water and the amount of mixed water of water and hot water. The inner member 10 has an opening 12 on the side surface, and has ends 14a and 14b on both sides of the opening 12. The outer member 20 is provided so as to surround a part of the inner member 10, and corresponds to the tubular trunk portion 21 coaxial with the inner member 10 and the opening portion 12 of the inner member 10 branching from the side surface of the trunk portion 21. It has a tubular branch portion 23, which is arranged at a location where the lumber is to be formed. The trunk portion 21 and the branch portion 23 communicate with each other. Further, the discharge portion 30 is connected to the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20. Further, the pipe 32 is inserted from the inside of the inner member 10 through the opening 12 over the internal space of the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20, and is connected to the discharge portion 30. The outer member 20 is rotatable with respect to the inner member 10 with the trunk portion 21 as the core. The outer member 20 has a rib 25 provided integrally with the outer member 20 so as to project toward the inner surface side over the branch portion 24 from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23. The rib 25 abuts on the ends 14a and 14b of the opening 12 of the inner member 10 by the rotation of the outer member 20 with respect to the inner member 10, and regulates the rotation of the outer member 20.
According to the faucet 40, the rotation of the outer member 20 can be regulated by the rib 25 provided integrally with the outer member 20 without using a separate regulating member.

Hereinafter, each component constituting the faucet 40 will be described.

<Lever>
As shown in FIG. 1, the faucet 40 is provided with a lever 1 on the top of the outer member 20. The lever 1 adjusts the mixing ratio of water and hot water and the amount of mixed water of water and hot water.

<Inner member>
FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view showing the opening 12 of the inner member 10. FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view showing the side of the inner member 10 opposite to the opening 12.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the inner member 10 has a cylindrical shape having an opening 12 on the side surface. The opening 12 corresponds to a branch 23 of the outer member 20, which will be described later. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the opening 12 opens approximately half of the entire circumference of the inner member 10. Both sides of the opening 12 have ends 14a and 14b. The ends 14a and 14b project to the outer surface side when viewed from the back surface side of the opening 12 in FIG. 3B, and are provided to be thick. As shown in FIG. 7A, the ends 14a and 14b come into contact with the ribs 25a and 25b provided inside the outer member 20 by the rotation of the outer member 20, and restrict the rotation of the outer member 20.
Further, the inner member 10 inserts the pipe 32 inside and rotatably supports the trunk portion 21 of the outer member 20 surrounding the inner member 10. The inner member 10 may be made of resin, for example. Further, the inner member 10 is fixed to, for example, a table on which the faucet 40 is installed to support the whole.

<Outer member>
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the outer member 20. FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the yz plane showing the cross-sectional structure of the outer member 20. FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the zx plane showing the cross-sectional configuration of the outer member 20. FIG. 5C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the z-axis at the branch portion of the outer member 20 from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23.
The outer member 20 has a trunk portion 21 and a branch portion 23. The trunk portion 21 is provided so as to surround a part of the inner member 10, and has a tubular shape coaxial with the inner member 10. The trunk portion 21 may be fitted to the upper portion of the inner member 10 so as to be rotatable about the inner member 10. The branch portion 23 has a tubular shape that branches from the side surface of the trunk portion 21 and is arranged at a position corresponding to the opening 12 of the inner member 10. The branching direction from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23 has an angle of, for example, 45 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less with respect to the z-axis direction. Further, the trunk portion 21 and the branch portion 23 communicate with each other. As shown in FIG. 2A, the outer member 20 is rotatable with respect to the inner member 10 with the trunk portion 21 as the core. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the outer member 20 has a rib 25 integrally provided with the outer member 20 so as to project toward the inner surface side over the branch portion 24 from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23. .. The rib 25 abuts on the end portion 14a of the opening 12 of the inner member 10 by the rotation of the outer member 20 with respect to the inner member 10, and restricts the rotation of the outer member 20.
The outer member 20 is made of, for example, a resin. As the resin, for example, PMMA may be used.

The rib 25 is integrally formed with the outer member 20. The rib 25 may be made of, for example, a resin. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, two ribs 25 may be provided on both sides of the outer member 20 in the branching direction from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23. The two ribs 25a and 25b can individually control the rotation regulation of the outer member 20 for each rotation direction. Further, the pipe 32 may be provided so as to pass between the two ribs 25a and 25b. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 7B, the rib 25 has a front end portion 26a projecting from the virtual inner surface 22 toward the outer surface side of the trunk portion 21, and a rear end portion 26b projecting from the virtual inner surface 22 toward the inner surface side. You may. The virtual inner surface 22 is a virtual extension of the inner surface of the trunk 21 over the branch portion 24 to the branch portion 23. The front end portion 26a protrudes from the virtual inner surface 22 toward the outer surface side of the trunk portion 21 and also protrudes toward the inner surface side of the branch portion 23. Further, the rib 25 may have the front end portion 26a longer than the rear end portion 26b in the branching direction (y-axis direction) from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23. As a result, since the rear end portion 26b of the rib 25 is shorter than the front end portion 26a, the force received by the rear end portion 26b can be suppressed to be relatively small. Therefore, the rib 25 is less likely to be peeled off from the inner surface of the outer member 20. Further, the rib 25 is provided so as to be inclined in the branching direction (y-axis direction) so that the straight line connecting the rear end portion 26b to the front end portion 26a intersects the branching direction (y-axis direction) from the trunk portion 21 to the branch portion 23. It may have been. In this case, for example, the location where the straight line connecting the rear end portion 26b to the front end portion 26a intersects the branching direction (y direction) may be substantially the same for the two ribs 25a and 25b.

<Regulation of rotation of outer members by ribs>
FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the planes of the inner member 10 and the outer member 20 viewed from the direction AA of FIG. 2D and which are perpendicular to the z-axis. FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the outer member 20 of FIG. 7A with respect to a plane perpendicular to the z-axis. FIG. 7C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inner member 10 of FIG. 7A with respect to a plane perpendicular to the z-axis. FIG. 8 is a partial view showing a receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10. FIG. 9A is a schematic view showing surface contact between the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 and the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a of the outer member 20. 9B shows a surface between the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 and the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a of the outer member 20 when the inclination of the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 is different from that of FIG. 9A. It is a schematic diagram which shows the contact.

Conventionally, as described above, the rotation of the outer member is regulated by using a separate regulating member, but there is a problem of assembleability including the separate member and a problem of cost. The present inventor has found that the rotation of the outer member 20 can be restricted by providing the rib 25 projecting inside the outer member 20 and bringing it into contact with the ends 14a and 14b of the opening 12 of the inner member 10. It came to.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the rib 25a of the outer member 20 rotates clockwise, it comes into contact with the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10, and the clockwise rotation of the outer member 20 is restricted. Further, when the rib 25b of the outer member 20 is rotated counterclockwise, it comes into contact with the receiving surface 16b of the end portion 14b of the inner member 10, and the left rotation of the outer member 20 is restricted. The two ribs 25a and 25b can regulate the right rotation and the left rotation of the outer member, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 7C, 8 and 9A, the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 has an inclination with respect to the surface along the radial direction of the end portion 14a. The inclination of the receiving surface 16a is provided so as to make surface contact with the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a. By bringing the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 into surface contact with the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a, the rotation of the outer member 20 can be stably regulated. Further, since the rotation is restricted by the surface contact, the durability of each member of the end portion 14a and the rib 25a can be improved. When the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 and the rib 25a of the outer member 20 come into point contact with each other, for example, the load received at each tip increases, so that each member of the end portion 14a and the rib 25a It may not be possible to ensure sufficient durability.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, by changing the inclination of the receiving surface 16a as compared with FIG. 9A, the contact position between the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 and the rib 25a is slightly changed. Therefore, the range of the restricted rotation angle can be finely adjusted by the inclination of the receiving surface 16a of the end portion 14a of the inner member 10.

<About the shape of the tip of the rib>
FIG. 10A is a schematic view showing a case where the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a of the outer member 20 is an acute angle α1 of less than 60 degrees. FIG. 10B is a schematic view showing a case where the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a of the outer member 20 is a substantially right angle α2. FIG. 10C is a schematic view showing a case where the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a of the outer member 20 is an obtuse angle α3 exceeding 120 degrees.
As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, when the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a is an acute angle α1 of less than 60 degrees, the tip portion is easily damaged. On the other hand, when the tip portion of the rib 25a has an obtuse angle α3 exceeding 120 degrees, the contact due to the surface contact with the end portion 14a of the inner member 10 is not sufficient, and the outer member 20 rotates as it is, and the rotation cannot be regulated. In some cases. Therefore, the angle of the tip portion forming the contact surface 27a of the rib 25a is preferably in the range of, for example, 60 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less.

<Manufacturing method of outer member with rib>
FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the yz plane showing the relationship between the molds 34a and 34b and the rib 25 inside the outer member 20 when the outer member 20 is manufactured using the two molds 34a and 34b. .. FIG. 6B shows a yz plane showing one step of a manufacturing method in which the mold 34b is extracted from the state of FIG. 6A and then the mold 34a is moved in the arrow directions (−y direction and −z direction) to extract the mold 34a. It is a schematic cross-sectional view about.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the rib 25 projects inward of the outer member 20. Therefore, for the purpose of forming the outer member 20 by injection molding or the like, for example, when the inner mold is integrally installed, the formed rib 25 makes it impossible to pull out the mold. Therefore, in FIG. 6A, the inner molds 34a and 34b are provided in two. That is, the mold 34b that can be pulled out as it is in the −z direction and the mold 34a for forming the rib 25 are combined. First, by using the two molds 34a and 34b, the rib 25 protruding inward of the outer member 20 is formed. Then, after the mold 34b is pulled out as it is in the −z direction, the mold 34a can be once moved in the −y direction and then pulled out in the −z direction as shown in FIG. 6B.
At the time of injection molding of the outer member 20, not only the molds 34a and 34b described above, but also a mold covering the periphery, a mold on the inner upper part of the trunk 21, a mold on the inner side of the branch portion 23, and the like are used. The explanation of these molds is omitted for the sake of conversion.

<Discharge section>
As shown in FIG. 1, the discharge portion 30 is connected to the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20. Further, the discharge unit 30 is connected to the pipe 32, and discharges mixed water of water and hot water from the discharge port 2. The discharge portion 30 may be provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the connection portion with the branch portion 23 in a state of being connected to the pipe 32.

<Tube>
The pipe 32 is inserted from the inside of the inner member 10 through the opening 12 over the internal space of the branch portion 23 of the outer member 20, and is connected to the discharge portion 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the pipe 32 may have a routing portion in the lower part of the inner member 10 so as to be drawn out from the connecting portion with the branch portion of the outer member 20 together with the discharged portion 30 connected.
The pipe 32 may be made of resin or metal as long as it can pass mixed water of water and hot water and has flexibility.

It should be noted that the present disclosure includes appropriately combining any of the various embodiments and / or embodiments described above, and the respective embodiments and / or embodiments. The effects of the examples can be achieved.

According to the faucet according to the present invention, the rotation of the outer member can be regulated by the rib provided integrally with the outer member without using a separate regulating member. Therefore, it is possible to provide a faucet having excellent assembleability and cost.

1 Lever 2 Discharge port 10 Inner member 12 Opening 14, 14a, 14b End 16a, 16b Receiving surface 20 Outer member 21 Trunk 22 Virtual inner surface 23 Branch 24 Branch 25, 25a, 25b Rib 26a Front end 26b Rear end 27a Contact surface 30 Discharge part 32 Pipe 34a, 34b Mold 40 Faucet

Claims (7)

A cylindrical inner member with an opening on the side surface,
It is provided so as to surround a part of the inner member, and is arranged at a position corresponding to the opening of the inner member, which is a tubular trunk portion coaxial with the inner member and branches outward from the side surface of the trunk portion. An outer member having a cylindrically shaped branch portion, and having the trunk portion and the branch portion communicating with each other.
A discharge portion connected to the branch portion of the outer member, and a discharge portion.
A pipe that is inserted from the inside of the inner member through the opening through the internal space of the branch portion of the outer member and is connected to the discharge portion.
Equipped with
The outer member is rotatable with respect to the inner member with the trunk as a core.
The outer member is provided integrally with the outer member so as to project toward the inner surface side from the trunk portion to the branch portion, and the opening of the inner member is caused by rotation of the outer member with respect to the inner member. A faucet having a rib that is in contact with the end of the outer member to regulate the rotation of the outer member. 2. The rib is provided on both sides of the outer member in the branching direction from the trunk portion to the branch portion, and the pipe is provided so as to pass between the two ribs. Faucet described in. The rib is
A front end portion that is on the outer surface side of the trunk portion and projects toward the inner surface side of the branch portion from the virtual inner surface that virtually extends the inner surface of the trunk portion over the branch portion to the branch portion.
The rear end portion protruding from the virtual inner surface to the inner surface side,
The faucet according to claim 1 or 2. The faucet according to claim 3, wherein the rib has a front end longer than a rear end in a branching direction from the trunk to the branch. 3. Faucet described in. Claims 3 to 5, wherein the rear end portion of the rib abuts on the end portion of the opening portion of the inner member on a surface inclined with respect to a surface perpendicular to the branching direction from the trunk portion to the branch portion. The faucet according to any one item. The faucet according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the end of the opening of the inner member has a receiving surface that comes into contact with the rib of the outer member in surface contact.

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