JP7108242B2 - bathtub equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a bathtub apparatus, and more particularly to a bathtub apparatus provided in a bathtub that stores hot water.

Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, bathtub water is pumped up by a single pump from a water suction port that is attached to a bathtub and located inside the bathtub, and is discharged from an upper water outlet and a lower water outlet. There is known a water discharging device that circulates bathtub water by
In such a water discharger, bathtub water is led from a water supply port to a common water channel through a water supply channel and one pump, and this common water channel branches into an upper water channel and a lower water channel. The upper spout is adapted to change bathwater supplied from the upper conduit into band-shaped water and spout it, and the lower spout is adapted to bubble-spray the bathtub water supplied from the lower conduit. there is

JP 2016-7344 A

However, in the water discharger as described above, it is attempted to spout water at a low speed and a large flow rate from the upper spout to around the user's shoulders and to spout water at a high speed and a small flow rate from the lower spout to around the waist of the user. In this case, the pressure loss in the flow passage on the side of the lower water outlet, which spouts water at high speed and small flow rate, is much larger than the pressure loss in the flow path on the side of the upper water outlet, which spouts water at low speed and at a large flow rate. Therefore, when water is spouted from both spouts at the same time, the supply of bathtub water to both spouts is greatly biased, and the flow rate of water spouted on the side of the upper spout increases, while the flow rate of water spouted on the side of the lower spout is insufficient. There is a problem that the massage effect of high-speed, low-flow water discharge is very weak.
For this reason, conventionally, water spouting from the upper spout, which spouts water at a low speed and a large flow rate, and water spouting from the lower spout, which spouts water at a high speed and a small flow rate, are not spouted at the same time, but only one of them is switched. As a result, it is possible to prevent water from being discharged with a weak massage effect due to an insufficient water discharge flow rate on the side of the lower water discharge port.

Therefore, in the present invention, the hot and cold water supplied from the common pump is arranged so that the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge section is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the second water discharge section. To provide a bathtub device capable of simultaneously spouting water from a second water spouting part and a second water spouting part.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a bathtub apparatus installed in a bathtub for storing hot water, comprising a pump that sucks hot water from the bathtub and supplies the hot water to a pump downstream channel on the downstream side. a first flow path branched from the pump downstream side flow path, a second flow path branched from the pump downstream side flow path, and a first water spout for spouting hot water supplied from the first flow path into the bathtub a second water discharger for discharging hot water supplied from the second flow path into the bathtub from above the first water discharger ; a control unit for controlling the pump; and a jet pump unit; The pump unit includes a jet pump water storage part that stores hot water drawn by the jet pump action, and an injection part that injects the hot water supplied to the second flow path through the jet pump water storage part. , the jet pump unit supplies hot water at a flow rate larger than the flow rate of hot water injected from the injection part to the second water discharge part by a jet pump action of drawing hot water in the jet pump water storage part by the hot water injected from the injection part. The first water discharge part and the second water discharge part are configured to supply hot water from the pump so that the flow velocity of hot water discharged from the first water discharge part is higher than the flow velocity of hot water discharged from the second water discharge part. It is characterized in that water is discharged simultaneously from two water discharge parts.
In the present invention configured as described above, by providing the jet pump unit on the second flow path, the pressure loss in the flow path from the first flow path to the first water discharge section and the second water discharge from the second flow path Since the difference between the pressure loss in the flow path leading to the part and the pressure loss in the flow path can be made relatively small, the hot water supplied from the common pump is largely disproportionately supplied to either the first flow path or the second flow path. The flow rate of hot water supplied from the common pump is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge section than that discharged from the second water discharge section. and the second water discharging portion can be discharged at the same time.

In the present invention, preferably, the jet pump unit further includes a bathtub water communication passage formed between the jet pump water reservoir and the bathtub for introducing hot water from the bathtub into the jet pump water reservoir. .
In the present invention configured as described above, hot and cold water in the bathtub is supplied from the bathtub water communication channel to the jet pump without separately providing a dedicated water supply source for supplying hot water to the jet pump water reservoir of the jet pump unit. It can be introduced into the water reservoir, and the overall structure of the bathtub apparatus can be simplified. In addition, since a dedicated water supply source for supplying hot water from outside the bathtub to the jet pump water reservoir of the jet pump unit is not separately provided, the flow rate of the jet pump unit is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge portion. It is possible to prevent the water level in the bathtub, that is, the amount of water, from increasing even when a large flow rate of water is discharged into the bathtub from the second water discharge part.

In the present invention, preferably, the communication channel inlet of the bathtub water communication channel is formed independently of the pump channel inlet of the pump upstream channel for sucking hot water in the bathtub into the pump. It is
In the present invention configured as described above, the flow of hot water flowing from the bathtub into the inlet of the communication channel and the flow of hot water flowing into the inlet of the pump channel from the bathtub are directed to independent inlets. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the flows to affect each other, and to prevent the hot water flowing from the communication channel inlet portion toward the bathtub communication portion from being affected by being sucked into the pump channel inlet portion by the pump. Therefore, hot water can be stably supplied to the jet pump unit.

In the present invention, preferably, the bathtub forms a single inlet channel portion, to which the communicating channel inlet portion and the pump channel inlet portion are connected, and furthermore, the inlet channel portion The channel cross-sectional area of the portion is formed to be larger than the sum of the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet.
In the present invention configured as described above, the channel cross-sectional area of the inlet channel portion is larger than the sum of the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet portion and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet portion. Therefore, the flow of hot water that flows from the bathtub into the inlet of the communication flow channel and the flow of hot water that flows into the inlet of the pump flow channel from the bathtub, which are branched in the inlet flow channel, Since they are formed independently and relatively stably, it is possible to make it difficult for the flows to affect each other. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the hot water flowing toward the bathtub communication portion from being affected by being sucked by the pump, and the hot water can be stably supplied by the jet pump unit.
Further, on the bathtub side, one inlet channel can be formed without forming the two openings of the communication channel inlet and the pump channel inlet. In addition, by reducing the sealing portion between the bathtub and the inlet channel, manufacturing and management work can be reduced, and the risk of water leakage can be reduced. can.

In the present invention, preferably, the jet pump unit further comprises an opening adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the opening area of the communication channel inlet of the bathtub water communication channel.
In the present invention configured as described above, the hot water supplied from the common pump is arranged so that the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge section is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the second water discharge section. , in a bathtub apparatus capable of simultaneously spouting water from the first water spouting part and the second water spouting part, the setting of the pump and/or the pump itself is accompanied by a change in the flow rate and flow rate of the hot water spouted from the first water spouting part. It is possible to change the flow velocity and flow rate of hot water discharged from the second water discharge section by using the opening degree adjustment mechanism without making any changes, with a relatively simple configuration.

In the present invention, preferably, the second water discharge part discharges bathtub water supplied from the pump from a position near the upper end of the bathtub above the water surface in the bathtub to a space near the shoulders of the user sitting in the bathtub and taking a bath. It is arranged above the first water discharge part in order to discharge water toward.
In the present invention configured as described above, the hot water supplied from the common pump is arranged so that the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge section is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the second water discharge section. , from the second water discharger disposed above the first water discharger, water can be discharged to the upper part of the user's body, such as the neck and shoulders, above the first water discharger.

According to the bathtub apparatus of the present invention, the hot water supplied from the common pump is controlled so that the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge section is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the second water discharge section. Water can be discharged simultaneously from the first water discharge section and the second water discharge section.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the bathtub apparatus as viewed along line III-III in FIG. 2 with a user sitting in the bathtub of the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view showing a jet pump unit and a spout of a spout of a bathtub apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the jet pump unit and the spout of the spouting section viewed along line III-III in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the jet pump action in the jet pump unit of the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a user is sitting in the bathtub of the bathtub apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and water is being discharged only from the water discharging portion. The internal structure of the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown along the line III-III in FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining how the water discharging operation is performed. 2 schematically shows the internal structure of the bathtub apparatus as viewed along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining how water discharge operations performed simultaneously from the parts are performed; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bathtub taken along line XX of Figure 3; A state in which the opening adjustment mechanism of the jet pump unit of the bathtub apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided near the inlet of the communication flow path, and the opening adjustment mechanism is adjusted to an open state in which the inlet of the communication flow path is opened. It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the. The opening adjustment mechanism of the jet pump unit of the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided so as to cover a part of the inlet of the communication channel, and the opening adjustment mechanism covers a part of the inlet of the communication channel. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state adjusted to a closed state; FIG. 4 is a top view showing the installation position of the pump in the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side view showing the installation position of the pump in the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

A bathtub apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a schematic perspective view showing a bathtub apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a bathtub apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a bathtub according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the bathtub apparatus as seen along line III-III of FIG. 2, with a user sitting in the bathtub of the apparatus; FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a jet pump unit and a spout of a spout of a bathtub apparatus according to a form, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the jet pump unit and spout of a spout viewed along line III-III in FIG. 2; .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a bathtub apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a bathtub apparatus provided in a bathhouse, a bathroom, a bathroom, or the like in a facility, a home, or the like.
A bathtub apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a bathtub apparatus 1 provided in a bathtub 2 that stores hot water (bathtub water).
A bathtub apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a pump 4 that sucks hot water from a bathtub 2 and supplies it downstream, and discharges the hot water supplied from the pump 4 into the bathtub 2 from near the upper end of the bathtub 2. A water discharger 6 (second water discharger), a control unit 8 that controls the pump 4, a jet pump unit 10 that is provided on the jetting-side flow path 32 between the pump 4 and the water discharger 6, and the bathtub 2. A circulating flow path 14 from a bathtub communication port 12 formed in a vertical wall to a water discharger 6 or a blow water discharger 16 to be described later, and hot water supplied from a pump 4 flows into the bathtub 2 from near the center in the vertical direction of the bathtub 2. and the flow path on the downstream side of the pump 4 in the circulation flow path 14 is divided into the flow path on the side of the jet pump unit 10 and the flow path on the side of the blow water discharge part 16. and a switching valve 18 for switching. The bathtub device 1 may include a bathtub 2 that stores hot water (bathtub water).
Here, the hot water stored in the bathtub 2 is the bath water stored in the bathtub 2, and the term "hot water" used in the present invention is temperature-controlled in the water supply device of the bathtub device or the water supply device of the external facility. The temperature is adjusted not only by mixing hot and cold water, but also by heating the water supplied from an external water supply whose temperature has already been adjusted, and the water from the water supply source to an appropriate temperature and mixing it with new water. It is used in the sense of including hot water that does not exist. "Hot water" can also be expressed as "water" with different temperatures. For example, hot water is hot water having a temperature of 40 degrees or the like set by the user through the operation unit 38 .

In this embodiment, the bathtub 2 is a rectangular bathtub 2 of relatively small size, for example, for an adult user (bather) to take a bath alone. In addition to the shape, it may be a relatively large size bathtub that can be used by multiple people in a facility, etc., and may have other shapes such as a polygonal shape, a circular shape, and a curved shape. may Moreover, the bathtub 2 can be used not only as a bathtub for normal bathing, but also as a bathtub for half-body bathing, and a bathtub for medical purposes such as massage. In the case where the bathtub 2 is, for example, a bathtub that is used in a unit bath for home use, and is designed so that an adult user (bather) can take a bath by himself, the back and head of the user are close to the short side. Assuming that the user sits down and takes a bath in this way, the water discharge part 6 is arranged on the short side. Depending on the size of the user's body, the bathtub 2 may be in a sitting state, a sitting state with the upper body tilted toward the back, a state in which the user is lying down with the upper body tilted toward the back, or This bath tub allows a user to take a bath in a state in which the upper half of the body is greatly tilted toward the back and the user is lying on his or her back.
The bathtub 2 includes a bottom portion 2a with which the buttocks or feet of the user in the bath come into contact, a vertical wall 2b with which the back of the user in the bath often comes into contact, and an upper portion of the vertical wall 2b. and an upper end portion 2c forming the upper surface of the.
The upper end 2c is formed at a height position relatively close to the upper body of the user (bather) H taking a bath, for example, the head, neck, or shoulders. For example, the upper end portion 2c is arranged so that the user H who is taking a bath can sit on the bottom portion 2a with his buttocks pressed against the bottom portion 2a and sit in a relaxed state with the back of the head of the user H resting on the upper end portion 2c. It is formed at a high height position. The upper end portion 2c may be formed as a substantially flat surface, or may be formed as a curved surface so as to easily match the curved shape of the head or neck.

The bathtub 2 is supplied with hot water in a state where the temperature is not adjusted from a water heater or the like and/or in a state where the temperature is not adjusted from the water supply source based on the operation of the operation unit 38 by the user H. A water supply device (not shown) is provided to supply the bathtub 2 with water to be supplied and/or hot and cold water whose temperature is adjusted by adjusting the mixing ratio of the hot and cold water.

The bathtub 2 has a casing 20 attached to its outside. By attaching the casing to the bathtub 2, it is possible to maintain the aesthetic feeling of the entire bathtub apparatus 1 and to protect internal electric parts and the like. The pump 4 , the jet pump unit 10 , each channel, etc., which will be described later, need to be arranged in a very limited space between the casing 20 (or the wall surface W of the bathroom) and the bathtub 2 .

The pump 4 can suck hot water in the bathtub 2 and supply it to the downstream side. The pump 4 is a pump having a function of applying pressure to the sucked hot water and pumping it. The pump 4 sucks hot water from the bathtub 2 and pumps it downstream as an impeller (not shown) directly connected to an electrically driven electric motor (not shown) rotates. The pump 4 is provided outside the bathtub 2 and inside the casing 20 (or inside the wall surface). In the space between the casing 20 (or the wall surface W) and the bathtub 2, the pump 4, each channel, the jet pump unit 10, etc. are arranged. ), there are many restrictions, and the environment is such that it is difficult to easily increase the size of the pump 4 . In addition, since the space between the bathtub 2 and the casing 20 (or the wall surface W) is often relatively narrow in the upper area, if the pump 4 were to be enlarged, the pump 4 would be The need to install it at the bottom creates the problem of residual water remaining in the pump after use (residual water that has become relatively cold cold water).

As indicated by an arrow F7 in FIG. 3, the water discharger 6 in this embodiment discharges hot water into the bathtub 2 from near the upper end 2c of the bathtub 2. As shown in FIG. The water discharger 6 is arranged near the upper end 2c of the bathtub 2 . The water discharger 6 is arranged above the blow water discharger 16 . The water discharger 6 is arranged above the central portion in the vertical direction of the vertical wall 2b, for example, on the upper end portion 2c of the central portion. The water discharge unit 6 is a water surface of a predetermined water level of hot water stored in the bathtub 2, for example, a water surface of a preset bathing water supply water level WL0 (see FIG. 3) in normal use, or a physical level of the bathtub 2 is located above the water surface of the typical full water level WL1. Therefore, the water discharger 6 forms an aerial water discharger that discharges hot water into the air (into the atmosphere). More specifically, the water discharger 6 directs the bathtub water from a position above the normal water supply water level WL0 in the bathtub 2 to the space near the shoulders of the user H who is sitting and taking a bath. Water is spouted into the bathtub 2 from near the upper end portion 2c of the bathtub 2 so as to spout water. The water discharger 6 is arranged at a height above the upper end 2c of the bathtub 2 or at a height within 200 mm downward from the upper end 2c. The water discharger 6 may be arranged at a height above the headrest provided at the upper end 2c of the bathtub 2 or at a height within 200 mm downward from the upper end.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the water discharger 6 forms a wide water discharge port 22 that is relatively long in the lateral direction. The water discharge part 6 discharges hot water like a waterfall toward the front side (inner side of the bathtub 2) from a water discharge port 22 which is formed to expand in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction with respect to the height direction) with respect to the center of the bathtub 2. spit water. Specifically, such a water discharge portion 6 is formed such that the length l of the water discharge port 22 in the horizontal direction is greater than the height h of the water discharge port 22 of the water discharge portion 6 in the vertical direction. The length l of the spout 22 in the left-right direction is approximately equal to the average shoulder width of an adult. For example, the length l of the spout 22 in the left-right direction is half the length of the short side of the bathtub 2, or two-thirds the length of the short side of the bathtub 2. may Further, for example, the length 1 in the left-right direction of the spout 22 can be formed in the range of 300 mm to 500 mm.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the water discharger 6 forms a water discharge port 22 that opens sideways toward the front side (inside the bathtub 2). The spout 22 forms a rectangular spout 22 extending substantially parallel to the upper surface of the bathtub 2 . In addition, the water discharger 6 has a water discharger internal channel bottom surface 22a connected to the water discharge port 22 formed substantially flat. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the hot and cold water discharged sideways draws a parabola in the air and flows downward as a stable band-like (water film-like) running water flow with a substantially constant width and thickness.

The water discharge portion upper surface 6a of the water discharge portion 6 has a posture in which the user H puts the head (for example, the back of the head) on the water discharge portion upper surface 6a and relaxes (for example, the head of the body is placed on the top surface of the water discharge portion 6, and the back is placed on the vertical wall. 2b and sits on the bottom 2a). The water discharge portion upper surface 6a can function as a headrest that supports the user's H head. When the user H puts his/her head on the top surface 6a of the spouting part 6a and takes a relaxed posture, hot water spouted from the spouting part 6 hits the neck and shoulders. Furthermore, when the user H takes a relaxed posture with his/her head placed on the top surface 6a of the spouting part 6a, the hot water spouted from the spouting part 6 spreads from the shoulders to the front side (chest side) of the user H. and/or spread from the shoulders to the back side (back side) of the user H. Therefore, hot water can warm not only the neck and shoulders, but also the chest, abdomen, back, waist, and the like. For example, the spouting state of hot water to the shoulders is a spouting state in which part of the hot water spouted from the spouting portion 6 is spouted toward the user's shoulder as described above.

The circulation flow path 14 includes an inlet flow path 24 (inlet flow path portion) extending from the bathtub communication port portion 12 , and an inlet flow path 24 connected to the inlet flow path 24 and obliquely upward from the inlet flow path 24 toward the bathtub communication portion 42 . a communication channel 26 extending over a short distance; a pump upstream channel 28 connected to the inlet channel 24 and extending downward from the inlet channel 24 toward the pump 4; a pump downstream channel 30 extending to the jet pump unit 18; an injection part side channel 32 (second channel) branched from the pump downstream channel 30 and extending from the switching valve 18 toward the jet pump unit; a bathtub water introduction passage 34 (second passage) extending from the pump downstream side passage 30 and extending from the switching valve 18 toward the blow water discharge portion 16; 36 (first channel).

The control unit 8 is connected to an operation unit 38 operated by the user H. As shown in FIG. In addition, the control unit 8 is electrically connected to the pump 4, the switching valve 18, the operation unit 38, the air introduction switching valve 58, the pressure sensor 40, etc., and is capable of transmitting and receiving electrical signals to and from each other. parts can be operated electrically. The control unit 8 is attached to the wall surface W in the bathroom. Further, the operation unit 38 is an operation unit such as an operation panel that allows the user H to perform desired operations, and is attached to the wall surface W in the bathroom. Information that the user H has operated the operation unit 38 is sent to the control unit 8 by an electrical signal. Such control unit 8 and operation unit 38 can also be provided on a wall surface or the like outside the bathroom. The control unit 8 includes a storage device (not shown) such as a memory and an arithmetic device (not shown) that can appropriately control the bathtub apparatus 1 .

When the controller 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is lower than a predetermined water level WL2 at which air may be introduced from the bathtub communication port 12, it controls the pump 4 not to operate. This predetermined water level WL2 is, for example, the water level at the height of the upper end of the bathtub communication port 12 . When the water level in the bathtub 2 is WL2 or less, if a relatively large amount of air is introduced from the bathtub communication port 12 into the bathtub communication part 42 without restriction, the temperature of the hot water discharged from the water discharge part 6 may drop. The pump 4 is not operated when it is determined that the water level in the bathtub 2 is below WL2, in order to cause cracks in the flow of hot water or the like.
Further, when the control unit 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is equal to or lower than the water level WL3 of the blow water discharge unit 16, the blow water discharge unit 16 blows water at high speed underwater. Therefore, the pump 4 is controlled not to operate (see FIG. 8).

A pressure sensor 40 that detects the water pressure is provided in the inlet channel 24 . The water pressure detected by the pressure sensor 40 is transmitted to the control unit 8 , and the control unit 8 can determine the water level (water volume) of the hot water in the bathtub 2 based on the water pressure detected by the pressure sensor 40 . Note that the pressure sensor 40 is not limited to the inlet channel 24, and may be installed at other positions such as the communication channel 26 and the pump upstream channel 28 that receive the water pressure according to the water level in the bathtub 2. In still another embodiment, the water level (volume) of hot water in the bathtub 2 may be measured by a water level sensor instead of the pressure sensor 40 . In still another embodiment, the arrangement of the pressure sensor 40 is omitted, and the hot water in the bathtub 2 is measured by measuring the load of the electric motor of the pump 4 (variation in the amount of current flowing to the electric motor according to the load). You may measure the water level (water volume) of Fluctuations in the amount of current flowing through the electric motor are measured by a current sensor or the like, and measurement information is sent to the controller 8 from the current sensor.

The blow water discharge part 16 is provided at a height position near the center of the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, two blow water dischargers 16 are provided on the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2 on the water discharger 6 side. In addition, the number of blow water discharge units 16 is not limited to two, but may be one, or may be three or more. For example, the two blow water discharge parts 16 are arranged at symmetrical positions shifted to both the left and right sides with respect to the bathtub communication port part 12 in the left-right direction of the bathtub 2 (the left-right direction toward the vertical wall 2b).
The blow water discharger 16 is formed so that the diameter of the internal flow path is narrower than the diameter of the blow water discharger side flow path 36 on the upstream side of the blow water discharger 16 . The blow water discharge part 16 is mounted horizontally (for example, horizontally close to horizontal) on the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2, and blows high-speed water horizontally from the blow water discharge part 16. - 特許庁The blow water discharger 16 is connected to a blow water discharger side channel 36 on the downstream side of the pump 4 so as to directly jet the water flow pressure-fed from the pump 4 . Therefore, the blow water spouting part 16 forms a relatively small flow rate and high speed spouting water flow according to the amount of water pumped by the pump.

The blow water discharge part 16 is arranged at a height position near the center in the vertical direction of the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2, that is, at a height position corresponding to the waist and back of a general user H. The blow water sprayed from 16 toward the user H collides with the waist and back of the user H, thereby pressing the waist and back of the user H and providing a massage effect. The blow water discharge unit 16 can blow water when the control unit 8 determines that the blow water discharge unit 16 is under the water surface of the bathtub 2, and the underwater water discharge unit for discharging water underwater is used. Configure. In this way, the blow water discharge part 16 discharges water into the hot water of the bathtub 2 and causes the water flow to act on the user H, so that the relatively cold remaining water in the pump 4 or the like from the previous use is discharged from the blow water discharge part 16. Even in the case that the blow water is mixed with the hot water of the bathtub 2 and collides with the user H, there is less fear that the user H will feel the gap between the cold water.

The blow water discharging part 16 also functions as a stirring water discharging part for discharging hot water at a flow rate higher than that discharged from the water discharging part 6 and stirring the bathtub water stored in the bathtub 2.例文帳に追加The blow water spouting part 16 blows water at high speed into the water, so that hot water in the bathtub can be strongly agitated. The blow water discharger 16 is arranged in the vicinity of the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2 to which the communication channel 26 of the bathtub water communication channel 47 is connected. The blow water discharge portion 16 is arranged on the vertical wall 2b on the upper side near the bathtub communication port portion 12 of the bathtub water communication passage portion 47. As shown in FIG. In this way, the blow water discharge part 16 and the bathtub communication port part 12 communicating with the communication channel 26 are arranged relatively close along the same vertical wall 2b. Therefore, the hot water agitation effect by the water jetted from the blow water jetting portion 16 can be efficiently generated in the vicinity of the bathtub communication port portion 12, and relatively high-temperature hot water can be circulated through the bathtub water communicating passage portion 47 and the bathtub communicating portion. 42.

The switching valve 18 can selectively open and close either or both of the injection section side flow path 32 and the blow water discharge section side flow path 36 . Therefore, the switching valve 18 directs the hot water supplied from the pump downstream channel 30 on the downstream side of the pump 4 to either or both of the injection part channel 32 and the blow water discharge channel 36. Can be supplied selectively. At the same time, when the injection section side flow path 32 and the blow water discharge section side flow path 36 are opened, the switching valve 18 can freely change the distribution ratio of the flow rate. The switching valve 18 is electrically connected to the control unit 8 and can be electrically opened and closed in response to the operation of the operation unit 38 by the user H. Therefore, the user H can selectively cause either or both of water discharge from the water discharge unit 6 and water discharge from the blow water discharge unit 16 via the jet pump unit 10 .

Next, the jet pump unit 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, 13 and 14. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the jet pump action in the jet pump unit of the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a top view showing the installation position of the pump in the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. 14 is a side view showing the installation position of the pump in the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The jet pump unit 10 includes a jet pump water storage part 41 in which hot water drawn by the jet pump action is stored, and a bathtub communication part 42 which is arranged downstream of the pump 4 and allows the hot water supplied from the pump 4 to pass through the bathtub communication part 42 . a jet nozzle 44 (injection portion) that injects water into the jet nozzle 44, an air introduction port portion 45 that is arranged on the water discharge direction side of the jet nozzle 44 and introduces air into the flow of hot water and water jetted from the jet nozzle 44, and a bathtub communication portion 42. and a bathtub water communication channel 47 formed between the jet pump water reservoir 41 and the bathtub 2 for introducing the bathtub water of the bathtub 2 into the jet pump water reservoir 41. and have.
The jet pump unit 10 can be formed with a relatively simple configuration and a relatively small structure even when a large amount of water is to be supplied to the water discharger 6. It can be placed in a small, constrained space between

In this embodiment, the jet pump water reservoir 41 is a bathtub communication part 42 that communicates with the bathtub 2 and into which hot water from the bathtub 2 flows. The jet pump water reservoir 41 may be communicated with a water supply source or a water supply device or the like separate from the bathtub 2, and hot water supplied from the water supply source or the like may flow into the jet pump water reservoir 41 to form a reservoir. That is, the jet pump water reservoir 41 may be formed so that hot water is not supplied from the bathtub 2 and hot water is supplied to the jet pump unit 10 from another external water supply source or the like.

The bathtub communication part 42 forms a box-shaped water storage chamber and is connected to the downstream end of the communication channel 26 . The bathtub communication portion 42 is arranged in a region near the back side of the bathtub communication port portion 12 formed in the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2 and the back side of the vertical wall 2b. The bathtub communication part 42 is arranged in a relatively narrow area between the vertical wall 2b and the wall surface W. As shown in FIG. Further, the bathtub communication part 42 is provided at the end of the communication channel 26 that extends straight to the far side of the bathtub communication port part 12, and is arranged so that the distance from the bathtub communication port part 12 to the bathtub communication part 42 is as short as possible. It is The bathtub communicating part 42 is communicated with the bathtub 2, and the hot water of the bathtub 2 flows into it. A jet nozzle 44 is attached so as to pass through the bottom surface 42a of the bathtub communication portion 42. An opening is formed in the upper surface 42b of the bathtub communication portion 42 facing the jet nozzle 44, and a bathtub water introduction portion 46 is formed from this opening. extends upwards. The bathtub communication portion 42 communicates with the water storage area (the area where the user H bathes) in the bathtub 2 via the inlet channel 24 and the communication channel 26 extending from the bathtub communication port portion 12 . Therefore, when hot water is stored in the bathtub 2, the hot water also flows into the bathtub communication portion 42 and is stored therein. In a state in which hot water is not jetted from the jet nozzle 44 , hot water can move back and forth between the bathtub communicating portion 42 and the water storage area in the bathtub 2 . The temperature of hot water in the bathtub communication part 42 and the temperature of hot water in the water storage area in the bathtub 2 are almost the same.

The bathtub communication portion 42 and a bathtub water communication flow passage portion 47, which will be described later, are arranged at a height position h1 or lower, which is an intermediate height position between the bottom portion 2a and the upper end portion 2c of the bathtub 2. As shown in FIG. That is, the bathtub communicating portion 42 and a bathtub water communicating channel portion 47 (to be described later) are arranged at a height position between the middle height position h1 and the bottom portion 2a of the bathtub 2. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible for a bather to take a half-body bath in such a manner that the water stored in the bathtub 2 is at about the middle height position h1 or at a water level lower than the middle height position h1. Even in such a state of use, the bathtub communication portion 42 and the bathtub water communication passage portion 47 are filled with hot water, and the jet pump unit 10 is used to discharge hot water from the bathtub from the water discharge portion 6 to the shoulders of the bather. can be discharged to

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9 , the jet pump unit 10 is arranged on the far side (wall surface W side) of the bathtub communication port 12 at the center in the left-right direction of the side of the bathtub 2 where the water discharge part 6 is arranged. It is The jet pump unit 10 is formed so that the height positions of the jet nozzle 44 and the bathtub communication portion 42 are lower than the middle height position h1. Further, the jet pump unit 10 is formed such that the bathtub water introduction portion 46 extends from the vicinity of the upper end portion 2c of the bathtub 2 to a position lower than the intermediate height position h1. By constructing the jet pump unit 10 so that the jet nozzle 44 and the bathtub communication part 42 are intentionally placed at a low position in this way, even when the amount of hot water stored in the bathtub 2 is small, that is, when the water level is low. Water can be discharged from the water discharger 6 .
As described above, the jet pump unit 10 is arranged in the lower part of the center of the bathtub 2 in the horizontal direction, but as shown in FIG. It can be arranged near the lateral side ends outside the center. As shown in FIG. 14 , the pump 4 is arranged below the side of the bathtub 2 and inside the casing 20 . In this way, the pump 4 can be arranged on the side of the bathtub 2 or the like, and the hot water flowing from the bathtub communication port 12 into the pump upstream channel 28 flows into the pump 4 arranged on the side of the bathtub 2. The hot and cold water that is guided and pressure-fed from the pump 4 flows through the pump downstream side channel 30 to the jet pump unit 10 arranged in the center or the blow water discharge part side channel 36 near the center.

In a state in which hot water is stored, hot water has a property that relatively hot water tends to move upwards, and relatively cold water tends to move downwards. Here, since the bathtub communicating portion 42 is arranged at a position higher than the bathtub communicating port portion 12, relatively hot water moves to the bathtub communicating portion 42 at a position higher than the bathtub communicating port portion 12. The temperature of the hot water in the bathtub communicating part 42 can be made difficult to cool down, and the temperature of the hot water can be easily maintained at a relatively warm temperature.

The jet nozzle 44 injects hot water through the bathtub communication portion 42 toward the bathtub water introduction portion 46 to induce a jet pump action. The jet nozzle 44 is formed so that the diameter of the flow path inside it is narrower than the diameter of the injection section side flow path 32 on the upstream side of the jet nozzle 44 . Therefore, the hot water pressure-fed by the pump 4 is further accelerated in the jet nozzle 44 and jetted from the jet nozzle 44 as a high-speed flow of hot water. The jet nozzle 44 is directed toward the bathtub communication portion 42 and the bathtub water introduction portion 46 . Therefore, the jet nozzle 44 can jet a high-speed jet stream having linear directivity toward the inside of the bathtub communicating portion 42 and the bathtub water introducing portion 46 . The high-speed jet jetted from the outlet opening of the jet nozzle 44 gradually increases the flow rate and gradually decreases the flow rate by drawing in the hot water in the bathtub communication portion 42 .
The jet pump unit 10 injects hot water from the jet nozzle 44 with a narrowed passage diameter and flows it into the bathtub water introduction part 46 through the bathtub communication part 42, so that a predetermined amount of pressure loss is generated. The magnitude of this pressure loss can be set relatively close to the magnitude of the pressure loss when hot water is discharged from the blow water discharge section 16 . It is possible to adjust the flow rate and flow velocity while simultaneously flowing hot water through both channels by making the resistance of the channels leading to and relatively close to each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, the air inlet portion 45 is arranged on the front side of the jet nozzle 44 in the water discharge direction (downstream side of the jet nozzle 44). The air inlet portion 45 is arranged in the vicinity of the downstream side of the jet nozzle 44 and is formed so that the jet pump action of the bathtub water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 draws air into the jetted bathtub water. The air introduction port portion 45 is attached so as to penetrate from the outside of the bathtub communication portion 42 to the inside of the bathtub communication portion 42 , forming the air introduction port portion 45 extending inside the bathtub communication portion 42 . The air inlet portion 45 forms a circular tubular internal flow path, and air is introduced into the internal flow path.

The air inlet portion 45 includes an inlet portion 46 a of the jet nozzle 44 and the bathtub water inlet portion 46 extending from the bathtub communication portion 42 toward the water discharge portion 6 in the jetting direction of the jet nozzle 44 (vertical direction in this embodiment). is placed between More specifically, the air inlet portion 45 is arranged closer to the jet nozzle 44 side than the middle point between the tip 44a forming the outlet opening of the jet nozzle 44 and the inlet portion 46a. . In other words, the air inlet portion 45 is arranged such that the distance between the air inlet portion 45 and the tip 44a of the jet nozzle 44 is shorter than the distance between the air inlet portion 45 and the inlet portion 46a. It is In this way, the air inlet port 45 is positioned upstream of the inlet 46a of the bathtub water inlet 46 in the ejection direction of the jet nozzle 44, and the jet nozzle 44 has a high flow velocity of the bathtub water ejected from the jet nozzle 44. is arranged in a region near the tip 44a of the .

Note that the air inlet portion 45 may be arranged closer to the inlet portion 46a than the middle point between the tip 44a of the jet nozzle 44 and the inlet portion 46a. In this case, the flow rate of the jet flow jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is increased by drawing in the hot water in the bathtub communication portion 42, but the flow velocity decreases as the flow rate increases. It is possible to suppress the amount of air introduced into the hot water from the inlet portion 45 to a relatively low introduction amount.

The air inlet portion 45 extends from the lateral side of the jet nozzle 44 to the vicinity of the front of the jet nozzle 44 in the direction of ejection of the jet nozzle 44 in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in this embodiment) with respect to the direction of ejection of the jet nozzle 44 . More specifically, the air inlet portion 45 extends laterally from the side surface 42c with respect to the bottom surface 42a of the bathtub communicating portion 42 on which the jet nozzle 44 is provided, and extends in the extension area C of the outlet opening of the jet nozzle 44. It is formed so as to extend to the vicinity. The extension area C is defined as a virtual area when the outlet opening of the jet nozzle 44 is linearly extended downstream. The air inlet portion 45 extends from the side surface 42c to near the front of the jet nozzle 44 in the injection direction. The air inlet portion 45 extends between the side surface 42 c and the center axis of the jet nozzle 44 within the bathtub communication portion 42 . Therefore, the air inlet portion 45 extends from the side surface 42 c to the front front of the jet nozzle 44 so as to be perpendicular to the jet nozzle 44 . In this manner, the air inlet portion 45 extends to a region in the lateral direction to the injection direction of the jet nozzle 44, which is inside the side surface 42c and in the vicinity of the front in the injection direction of the bathtub water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 at a high flow velocity. ing.

A tip opening 45 a at the tip of the air inlet portion 45 is arranged at a position slightly closer to the side 42 c than the front of the tip of the jet nozzle 44 . The tip opening 45a is formed as an oblique opening such that the opening on the downstream side (bathtub water inlet 46 side) is larger than the opening on the upstream side (jet nozzle 44 side). A high-speed flow of hot water from the jet nozzle 44 as indicated by the arrow F4 generates a negative pressure due to the action of the jet pump. microscopic air bubbles are mixed in.

An air introduction pipe 56 is connected to the air introduction port portion 45 , and an air introduction switching valve 58 capable of opening and closing the air introduction path is provided on the air introduction pipe 56 . The other end of the air introduction pipe 56 is formed with an air opening (not shown) for taking in air from inside the bathroom. In this embodiment, the air is sucked into the hot water by the negative pressure generated by the jet pump action, so a device such as an air pump for sending the air to the air introduction pipe 56 can be omitted. Control of opening and closing of the air introduction switching valve 58 is electrically performed by the controller 8 . That is, the execution and stoppage (on/off) of air supply can be switched by opening and closing the air introduction switching valve 58 . When the user H executes the air supply, air is mixed in the water discharged from the water discharge part 6 provided near the upper end of the bathtub 2, for example, the discharged water of the shoulder bath, so that the discharged water hits the bather. Water discharge stimulation (feeling of water discharge) can be softened. Further, when the user H stops or stops the air supply, it is possible to strengthen the water discharge stimulation (feeling of water discharge) when the water discharge hits the bather without mixing air. The control unit 8 controls the amount of minute air bubbles introduced into the water from the air inlet 45 in this way. It should be noted that it is also possible to omit the air introduction switching valve 58 so that the air is introduced naturally. Furthermore, according to the pulsation mode of the control section 8, the ON/OFF of the air introduction switching valve 58 is automatically switched periodically or alternately according to other conditions, and the amount of air mixed in the water discharged from the water discharge section 6 is automatically controlled. The stimulus given to the user H by the water discharge can be changed according to a predetermined condition. For example, such a pulsation mode can enhance the water discharge stimulating effect and massage effect of shoulder bath. The air introduction system such as the air introduction port 45 and the air introduction switching valve 58 may be omitted so that the bathtub apparatus 1 is not mixed with fine air.

The bathtub water introduction portion 46 forms at least a portion of the bathtub water introduction channel 34 . A bathtub water introduction portion 46 extending from the bathtub communication portion 42 toward the water discharge portion 6 forms a channel extending linearly on an extension line of the direction of the opening of the jet nozzle 44 . The bathtub water introduction part 46 forms a circular tubular flow path that linearly extends upward from the upper surface of the bathtub communication part 42 . The passage diameter of the bathtub water introduction portion 46 is formed to be larger than the passage diameter of the jet nozzle 44 . Therefore, the flow channel cross-sectional area of the bathtub water introduction portion 46 is also formed to be larger than the flow channel cross-sectional area of the jet nozzle 44 . Therefore, the bathtub water introduction part 46 is formed to have a size that allows it to introduce hot water at a flow rate greater than the flow rate of the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 . The jet nozzle 44, the bathtub communication part 42, and the bathtub water introduction part 46 form a straight flow path extending in one direction, forming a high-speed flow along the direction of the high-speed jet jetted from the jet nozzle 44. can do.

In addition, the bathtub water introduction channel 34 has a laterally expanding portion 48 formed at its upper portion, and the hot water that has laterally expanded in the expanding portion 48 is discharged from the water discharge portion 6 in a lateral direction (for example, in a lateral direction close to horizontal). ). The expanded portion 48 forms a channel whose cross-sectional area gradually increases upward. The downstream side of the bathtub water introduction channel 34 is connected to the water discharger 6 .

Next, the bathtub water communication channel portion 47, the pump upstream channel 28, the opening adjustment mechanism 54, and the like will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the bathtub viewed along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 11 is an opening adjustment mechanism of the jet pump unit of the bathtub apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which an opening adjustment mechanism is provided in the vicinity and is adjusted to an open state to open the inlet of the communication passage; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening degree adjustment mechanism is provided so as to cover part of the communication flow path inlet and is adjusted to a closed state in which the opening degree adjustment mechanism covers part of the communication flow path inlet; is.

The bathtub water communicating channel portion 47 includes a communicating channel 26 between the bathtub communicating portion 42 and the bathtub 2 and a communicating channel inlet portion 50 forming an inlet portion thereof on the bathtub 2 side. Since the bathtub water communication passage portion 47 is provided, the bathtub water of the bathtub 2 can be supplied to the bathtub without separately providing a dedicated water supply source or the like for supplying hot water to the jet pump water storage portion 41 of the jet pump unit 10 . The water can be introduced into the jet pump water storage portion 41 from the water communication channel portion 47, and the overall structure of the bathtub device 1 can be simplified. Further, since a dedicated water supply source or the like for supplying hot water from the outside of the bathtub 2 to the jet pump water reservoir 41 of the jet pump unit 10 is not separately provided, the jet pump unit 10 spouts water from the blow water spouting portion 16 . Even when the flow rate of water in the bathtub 2 is larger than the flow rate of the bathtub water in the bathtub 2, it is possible to prevent the water level in the bathtub 2, that is, the amount of water, from increasing by receiving additional water supply from the outside. can.

The communication channel inlet portion 50 is formed to be connected to the inlet channel 24 and opens into the inlet channel 24 . The communication channel inlet portion 50 is formed so as to open toward the inlet channel 24 and the internal area A of the bathtub 2 (the bathing area for the bather). As shown in FIG. 10 , when the inside of the inlet channel 24 (the far side of the inlet channel 24 ) is viewed from the interior region A of the bathtub 2 , the communicating channel inlet portion 50 is located on the far side of the bathtub communicating port portion 12 . A circular opening is formed in the upper portion of the inlet channel inner vertical wall 24 a in the inlet channel 24 . The cross-sectional area of the channel of the communication channel inlet portion 50 is formed to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the channel of the bathtub water introduction portion 46 .

Here, the communication channel inlet portion 50 is formed independently of the pump channel inlet portion 52 of the pump upstream channel 28 for sucking bath water in the bathtub 2 into the pump 4 . The pump channel inlet portion 52 forms a circular opening at the lower side of the inlet channel inner vertical wall 24 a in the inlet channel 24 on the inner side of the bathtub communication port portion 12 . The communication channel inlet 50 forms a circular opening with a larger radius than the pump channel inlet 52 . Therefore, the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 is formed to be larger than the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet portion 52 . In the inlet channel inner vertical wall 24a, the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the pump channel inlet portion 52 are separated by a predetermined distance by the inlet channel inner vertical wall 24a, so that the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the pump flow are separated. The road entrance portion 52 is arranged separately and independently. The pump channel inlet portion 52 is formed to be connected to the inlet channel 24 and opens into the inlet channel 24 . The pump channel inlet portion 52 is formed to open toward the inlet channel 24 and the internal region A of the bathtub 2 (the bathing region for the bather). Since the communication flow channel inlet portion 50 and the pump flow channel inlet portion 52 are opened in parallel in the same direction, the flow of hot water toward the respective inlet portions is parallel to the respective inlet portions. so that the incoming flows are less likely to interfere or influence each other.

As shown in FIG. 10, the inlet channel 24 has a channel cross-sectional area larger than the sum (total) of the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet portion 52. is formed to have The inlet channel 24 has a channel cross-sectional area larger than the sum (total) of the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet portion 52. When the hot water flowing into the inlet channel 24 from the portion 12 flows toward the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the pump channel inlet portion 52 respectively, it flows in parallel toward the respective inlet portions, To make it difficult for flows to interfere with each other, and to prevent hot water flowing from a communicating channel inlet part 50 toward a bathtub communicating part 42 from being affected by suction of a pump 4 toward the pump channel inlet part 52 side. Therefore, an expected amount of hot water can be stably supplied to the jet pump unit 10 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the inlet channel 24 has a communication channel inlet portion 50 and a pump channel inlet portion 52 formed therein, and the bathtub communication port portion 12 is formed as a single opening on the bathtub 2 side. is doing. Therefore, when a bather sees from the bathtub 2 side, only the single bathtub communication port 12 can be seen. Thus, without directly forming the two openings of the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the pump channel inlet portion 52 in the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2, only one bath communication port portion 12, that is, the inlet channel 24 can be formed, the processing work for connecting the inlet channel 24 to the bathtub 2 can be reduced, and furthermore, by reducing the sealing portion between the bathtub 2 and the inlet channel 24, the sealing Manufacturing work and seal maintenance work can be reduced, and the risk of water leakage can also be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the jet pump unit 10 further includes an opening adjustment mechanism 54 that can adjust the opening area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 of the bathtub water communication channel portion 47 . . The opening adjustment mechanism 54 is provided near the communication channel inlet portion 50 . The opening adjustment mechanism 54 has a shutter mechanism capable of adjusting the opening area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 . The opening adjustment mechanism 54 is formed so that the user of the bathtub apparatus 1 can manually adjust the opening area of the flow path of the communication flow path inlet portion 50 from within the bathtub 2 . More specifically, the position of the opening adjustment mechanism 54 can be manually changed from the bathtub communication port 12 side by a simple operation of the user H's finger or the like. Note that the adjustment of the opening area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 may be performed by an electric mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 11 , when the opening degree adjustment mechanism 54 is adjusted to an open state in which the communication channel inlet portion 50 is opened, the flow passes from the inlet channel 24 through the communication channel inlet portion 50 . A flow F21 of hot water flows toward the bathtub communicating portion 42, and a flow F22 of hot water flows from the inlet channel 24 to the pump 4 through the pump channel inlet portion 52 are formed. Since the opening degree adjusting mechanism 54 is in an open state in which the communication channel inlet portion 50 is not narrowed, the flow F21 with a flow rate and/or flow rate corresponding to the diameter of the communication channel inlet portion 50 flows toward the bathtub communication portion 42. will be formed.

As shown in FIG. 12 , when the opening adjustment mechanism 54 is positioned in a closed state covering all or part of the communication flow path inlet section 50 , the hot water flowing into the communication flow path inlet section 50 is reduced. Since the flow rate and/or flow velocity of is limited, the flow rate of hot water supplied to the bathtub communication part 42 is limited, and the flow rate, speed and force of the hot water discharged from the water discharge part 6 are limited without controlling the pump 4. etc. can be easily adjusted. At this time, a flow F23 of hot water flowing from the inlet channel 24 through the communication channel inlet portion 50 toward the bathtub communication portion 42 and a flow F23 of hot water flowing from the inlet channel 24 through the pump channel inlet portion 52 to the pump 4 A flow F24 of flowing hot water is formed. Here, since the opening adjustment mechanism 54 is in the closed state in which the communication channel inlet portion 50 is narrowed, the flow rate and/or flow velocity of hot water flowing into the communication channel inlet portion 50 is limited, and the flow rate of F23 is and/or the flow rate is less than that of F21. On the other hand, the flow rates and flow velocities of the flows F23 and F24 are substantially constant since they depend on the performance of the pump 4.
In the present embodiment, the opening adjustment mechanism 54 can adjust the open state and the closed state of the communication channel inlet portion 50 in two stages. The degree of opening of the inlet portion 50 (opening/closing ratio of the opening) may be adjusted according to a plurality of stages such as 3 stages or 5 stages, for example.

According to the opening adjustment mechanism 54 of the present embodiment, the bath water supplied from the common pump 4 is spouted from the blow water spouting portion 16 at a flow rate higher than that spouted from the water spouting portion 6. The blow water discharge part 16 and the water discharge part 6 can simultaneously discharge water so that the flow rate of the bathtub water discharged from the blow water discharge part 6 is higher than that of the bathtub water discharged from the blow water discharge part 16. In the bathtub device 1, the hot water discharged from the blow water discharge part 6 can be discharged without changing the setting of the pump 4 and/or the pump 4 itself, which involves changing the flow rate and flow rate of hot water discharged from the blow water discharge part 16. The flow velocity and flow rate can be changed or adjusted (fine-tuned) relatively easily with a relatively simple configuration.

Next, the operation of discharging water only from the water discharging portion 6 by the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the user is sitting in the bathtub of the bathtub apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the water discharging operation is performed only from the water discharging portion.
Before the bathtub device 1 starts discharging water from the water discharging portion 6, water having a temperature at which the user H can take a bath is supplied and stored in the bathtub 2 up to the water supply water level WL0, for example. At this time, since the bathtub 2 and the bathtub communication part 42 are communicated with each other through the inlet flow path 24 and the communication flow path 26, the hot water having almost the same temperature as that of the bathtub 2 is stored in the bathtub communication part 42 as well. It has become.

When the bathtub device 1 is going to start the water discharge operation from the water discharge part 6 , the user H operates the operation part 38 to select the water discharge from the water discharge part 6 . Information that the user H has operated the operation unit 38 is transmitted to the control unit 8 . At this time, the controller 8 determines the water level of the hot water in the bathtub 2 based on the value of the water pressure detected by the pressure sensor 40 .
When the controller 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is lower than a predetermined water level WL2 at which air may be introduced from the bathtub communication port 12, it controls the pump 4 not to operate. This predetermined water level is, for example, the water level WL2 at the height of the upper end of the bathtub communication port 12 . Therefore, when the control unit 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is higher than a predetermined water level (for example, WL2) at which air may be introduced from the bathtub communication port 12, the pump 4 is operated. control to let

When the control unit 8 operates the pump 4, the pump 4 sucks the hot water in the bathtub 2 from the bathtub communication port 12 through the inlet channel 24 and the pump upstream channel 28, as indicated by an arrow F1. do. Then, the pump 4 pressure-feeds the sucked hot water to the pump downstream channel 30 on the downstream side, as indicated by an arrow F2. The control unit 8 controls the switching valve 18 so as to selectively open and close both or one of the injection unit side flow path 32 and the blow water discharge unit side flow path 36 . For example, when the water discharge operation from the blow water discharge unit 16 is not performed and the water discharge operation from the water discharge unit 6 is performed, the switching valve 18 changes the flow path from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the blow water discharge section 16 side flow path. The communication is closed, and the communication of the flow path from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the injection part side flow path 32 is opened. At this time, hot water is supplied from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the injection portion side flow path 32 as indicated by an arrow F3. The hot water passing through the injection portion-side channel 32 is jetted from the jet nozzle 44 toward the inside of the bathtub communication portion 42 and the bathtub water introduction portion 46 at high speed and in a straight line, as indicated by an arrow F4. At this time, the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 in the bathtub communicating portion 42 flows into the bathtub water introducing portion 46 while drawing the hot water in the bathtub communicating portion 42 by the jet pump action.

The control unit 8 has a water discharge unit water discharge mode in which bathtub water supplied from the pump 4 is discharged only from the water discharge unit 6, which will be described later. The control unit 8 has a blow water spouting mode in which bathtub water supplied from the pump 4 is spouted only from the blow water spouting unit 16, which will be described later.
The control unit 8 controls the bathtub water supplied from the pump 4 so that the flow velocity of the bathtub water discharged from the first water discharging part is higher than the flow velocity of the bathtub water discharged from the second water discharging part and the flow speed of the bathtub water discharged from the second water discharging part The water jetting section 6 and the blow water jetting section 16 discharge water at the same time (at the same time) so that the flow rate of the bathtub water discharged from the first water jetting section is larger than the flow rate of the bathtub water discharged from the first water jetting section. It has a simultaneous water discharge mode that allows the operation to be performed. The control unit 8 may also have a pulsation mode in which the air introduction switching valve 58 is automatically turned on/off periodically or alternately according to other conditions. As a result, the amount of air mixed in the spouted water from the spouting part 6 can be changed, and the stimulation given to the user H by the spouted water can be varied, so that the water spouting stimulating effect of the shoulder bath can be enhanced. . Further, the control unit 8 has an agitating water-spouting mode in which water is spouted from the water spouting unit 6 and from the blow water spouting unit 16 (stirring water spouting unit) at the same time (at the same time). According to the agitating water discharge mode, the hot water in the bathtub 2 can be agitated by discharging water from the blow water discharge unit 16 while the water is being discharged from the water discharge unit 6 so that hot water with a relatively low temperature is not discharged from the water discharge unit 6. can.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, how the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 flows into the bathtub water introduction portion 46 while drawing in hot water from the bathtub communication portion 42 by the jet pump action will be described in more detail. .
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 at high speed forms a jet flow (jet flow) as indicated by an arrow F4, and flows in the direction of the opening of the jet nozzle 44 at high speed and strength. Form a propulsive flow. At this time, the flow of the jetted hot water produces an action of drawing in surrounding hot water due to a jet pump action, that is, an ejector effect. In the present embodiment, the hot water in the bathtub communication portion 42 is drawn (in other words, entrained) as shown by arrows F5 and F6 against the straight jet flow as shown by arrow F4. . At this time, the flow rate q2 of hot water drawn from the bathtub communication portion 42 is added to the flow rate q1 of hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44, resulting in a flow rate q3 of hot water in the bathtub water introduction portion 46, which has a larger flow rate ( See arrow F4'). Such flow rate relationship can be expressed by the equation q1+q2=q3. In this way, the jet pump unit 10 can realize a technique of using the jet pump action to draw in the hot water in the bathtub communication portion 42 on the downstream side of the jet nozzle 44 to increase the water discharge flow rate.

The hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 draws in the hot water flowing from the bathtub 2 in the bathtub communication portion 42, so that the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 contains low-temperature hot water (residual water from the previous use, etc.). Even when the hot water is mixed, the hot water in the bathtub communication part 42 is drawn in and supplied to the water discharge part 6, so that the hot water at a temperature relatively close to the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 2 can be discharged from the water discharge part 6. . Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the feeling of coldness on the user H, and the water discharge from the water discharge part 6 can be used immediately after the start of use of the pump 4, and the startability of the bathtub device 1 is improved. can be made
Also, the flow rate q2 of hot water drawn from inside the bathtub communicating portion 42 is set to be greater than the flow rate q1 of hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44. As shown in FIG. In this way, since there is a flow rate relationship of q2>q1, low-temperature hot water (low-temperature residual water from the previous use or after hot water is supplied to the bathtub 2) is added to the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44. When the temperature of the hot water in the flow path of the pump 4 or the like is lowered with the lapse of time, the jetted hot water is mixed with the water, and the flow rate q1 of the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is higher than the flow rate q1 of the hot water. Since the hot water in the bathtub communicating portion 42 with a large flow rate q2 is drawn in and supplied to the water discharge portion 6, the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub water introducing portion 46 is relatively close to the temperature in the hot water drawn from the bathtub communicating portion 42. The proportion of warm water is dominant. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the user H from feeling cold, and the water discharge from the water discharge part 6 can be used immediately after the start of use of the pump, thereby improving the startability of the bathtub device 1. be able to.

The flow rate q3 of hot water in the bathtub water introduction portion 46 is set, for example, in a range of two to four times the flow rate q1 of the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 . Further, for example, the flow rate q3 of hot water in the bathtub water introduction portion 46 is set within a flow rate range of 30 l/min to 80 l/min. The flow rate q2 of the hot water drawn from the bathtub communication portion 42 is set, for example, in a range of one to three times the flow rate q1 of the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44. As shown in FIG.

As described above, the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 draws in hot water at the bathtub communicating portion 42 and flows into the bathtub water introducing portion 46 . The hot water in the bathtub water introduction portion 46 flows upward while maintaining the force and flow velocity of the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 and reaches the deployment portion 48 . The flow of hot water becomes a flow spread in the left-right direction at the deployment portion 48 and reaches the water discharge portion 6 . As indicated by an arrow F7, hot water is spouted like a waterfall from the spout 22 elongated in the left-right direction toward the front side (inner side of the bathtub). In this manner, the hot water is discharged as a belt-like flow having a width of about the width of the shoulders, and is applied relatively evenly to the user's H neck and shoulders. The hot water discharged from the water discharging portion 6 forms a stable flow of running water with a substantially constant width and thickness. The hot water discharged from the water discharging part 6 can flow so as to spread relatively evenly over a wide range such as the neck, shoulders, chest and back of the user H, and the body of the user H who is in a half-body bath, for example, is cooled. It can be warmed so as not to

Moreover, since the hot water discharged from the water discharging portion 6 is supplied via the jet pump unit 10 , the flow rate is set to be larger than the pumpable flow rate due to the size of the pump 4 . In other words, a large amount of water can be discharged from the water discharge unit 6, which is, for example, two to four times as large as the pumpable flow rate of the pump 4 without increasing the size of the pump 4. It is very difficult to increase the size of the pump in order to achieve a large amount of water discharge due to space restrictions on the installation position and size of the pump. In addition, if the size of the pump is increased to achieve a large flow rate of water discharge, the vibration and operating noise of the pump increase, which may make the user H feel uncomfortable.
On the other hand, in this embodiment, in an environment where the size of the pump cannot be easily increased, the jet pump unit 10 can be used to achieve a large flow rate of water spouting. Since a large flow of water can be discharged from the water discharge part 6, even when the amount of hot water stored in the bathtub 2 (the amount of hot water in which the user H is immersed) is relatively small, the body of the user H remains cool. You can warm up more efficiently. In addition, since the amount of hot water stored in the bathtub 2 (the amount of hot water in which the user H is soaking) can be relatively reduced, a water-saving effect can be realized. By spouting a large amount of water from the water spouting part 6, the effect of warming the body of the user H and the effect of massaging the body can be enhanced, and the relaxing effect and relaxing effect of the user H can be enhanced.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation of the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment for discharging water only from the blow water discharging portion 16 will be described.
FIG. 8 schematically shows the internal structure of the bathtub apparatus as viewed along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining how the water discharging operation is performed only from the part;

When the bathtub apparatus 1 is to start the water discharge operation only from the blow water discharge part 16 , the user H operates the operation part 38 to select the water discharge from the blow water discharge part 16 . Information that the user H has operated the operation unit 38 is transmitted to the control unit 8 . At this time, the controller 8 determines the water level of the hot water in the bathtub 2 based on the value of the water pressure detected by the pressure sensor 40 . When the control unit 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is equal to or lower than the water level WL3 at the height of the blow water discharge unit 16, it controls the pump 4 not to operate. Therefore, when the controller 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is higher than the height of the blow water discharger 16, it controls the pump 4 to operate.

When the controller 8 operates the pump 4, the pump 4 pressure-feeds the hot water sucked as indicated by arrow F8 to the pump downstream channel 30 on the downstream side as indicated by arrow F9. In order to perform the water discharge operation from the blow water discharge part 16 and not to perform the water discharge operation from the water discharge part 6, the control unit 8 changes the flow path from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the blow water discharge side flow path 36. The switching valve 18 is controlled so that the communication is opened and the communication of the flow path from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the injection part side flow path 32 is closed. At this time, hot water is supplied from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the blow water discharge portion side flow path 36 as indicated by an arrow F10. The hot water that has flowed into the blow water discharge section side flow path 36 is jetted from the blow water discharge section 16 into the bathtub as indicated by an arrow F11. The hot water discharged from the blow water discharge unit 16 is pressure-fed by the pump 4 and forms a relatively small flow rate and high speed water flow. Hot water discharged from the blow water discharge part 16 collides with the waist and back of the user H, so that the collided parts can be massaged. During this time, the switching valve 18 closes communication of the flow path from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to the injection portion side flow path 32, so the water discharge operation from the water discharger 6 is not performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, in the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, water discharging operations performed simultaneously (at the same time) by the water discharging section 6 and the blow water discharging section 16 will be described.
FIG. 9 schematically shows the internal structure of the bathtub apparatus as viewed along line III-III in FIG. and FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining how water discharge operations performed simultaneously from the blow water discharge unit are performed.

As for the water discharge operation performed simultaneously from the water discharge part 6 and the blow water discharge part 16 by the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the water discharge operation only from the water discharge part 6 by the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the embodiment and the water discharge operation only from the blow water discharge part 16 are performed. The description of the water discharge operation common to the water discharge operation of 1 is omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.
The water discharge operation performed simultaneously (simultaneously) by the water discharge unit 6 and the blow water discharge unit 16 means that the water discharge operation performed by the water discharge unit 6 and the water discharge operation performed by the blow water discharge unit 16 are performed at the same time. It refers to the water discharge operation when there is Therefore, not only when the water discharge operation performed by the water discharge unit 6 and the water discharge operation performed by the blow water discharge unit 16 are started at the same time, but also when the water discharge operation performed by the water discharge unit 6 and the water discharge operation performed by the blow water discharge unit 16 are started. This includes the case where the water discharging operation and the water discharging operation are started at different times and both water discharging operations are performed in parallel.

When the bathtub device 1 is going to start the water discharge operation performed simultaneously from the water discharge part 6 and the blow water discharge part 16, the user H operates the operation part 38 to discharge water from the water discharge part 6 and from the blow water discharge part 16. Select both spouts.
As described above, the control unit 8 determines that the water level in the bathtub 2 is higher than the predetermined water level WL2 at which air may be introduced from the bathtub communication port 12, and that the water level in the bathtub 2 is blowing. When it is determined that the water level is higher than the water level WL3 at the height of the portion 16, the pump 4 is controlled to operate.

When the control unit 8 operates the pump 4, the pump 4 sucks the hot water in the bathtub 2 from the bathtub communication port 12 through the inlet channel 24 and the pump upstream channel 28, as indicated by an arrow F12. do. Then, the pump 4 pressure-feeds the sucked hot water to the pump downstream channel 30 on the downstream side, as indicated by an arrow F13. The control section 8 controls the switching valve 18 so that both the injection section side flow path 32 and the blow water discharge section side flow path 36 are opened. Therefore, hot water is supplied from the pump downstream side flow path 30 to both the injection portion side flow path 32 and the blow water discharge side flow path 36 as indicated by arrows F14 and F15.

As indicated by an arrow F14, the hot water passing through the injection portion-side channel 32 travels from the jet nozzle 44 toward the inside of the bathtub communication portion 42 and the bathtub water introduction portion 46 at high speed and in a straight line, as indicated by an arrow F16. is jetted. At this time, the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 in the bathtub communication portion 42 flows into the bathtub water introduction portion 46 while drawing the hot water in the bathtub communication portion 42 by the jet pump action, as indicated by arrow F17. The flow rate q3 of hot water supplied from the bathtub water introduction portion 46 to the water discharge portion 6 is amplified with respect to the flow rate q1 of hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 (see arrow F16'). As indicated by an arrow F18, hot water is spouted like a waterfall from the spout 22 elongated in the left-right direction toward the front side (inner side of the bathtub).
Even when the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is mixed with low-temperature hot water (residual water from the previous use, etc.), the hot water in the bathtub communicating portion 42 is drawn in and supplied to the jetting portion 6, so that the bathtub 2 Hot water having a temperature relatively close to the temperature of the hot water inside can be discharged from the water discharge part 6. - 特許庁Also, by using the jet pump unit 10, a large amount of water can be discharged from the water discharger 6. FIG.

Next, a description will be given of how air is mixed into the jetted hot water by the air inlet portion 45 in this embodiment.
3 and 5, hot water is jetted from the jet nozzle 44 toward the inside of the bathtub communicating portion 42 and the bathtub water introducing portion 46 at high speed and in a straight line, as indicated by an arrow F4. At this time, hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 in the bathtub communicating portion 42 flows into the bathtub water introducing portion 46 while drawing air in the air introducing port portion 45 by the jet pump action. At this time, since the air inlet portion 45 is arranged in the vicinity of the downstream side of the jetting portion, the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 draws air into the hot water immediately after being jetted. The flow rate of hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is relatively small. At this time, since the flow rate of the flow of hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is relatively small immediately after jetting (almost the same flow rate as the flow rate of hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44), the jetted hot water The introduction amount of the air drawn in according to the flow rate can be suppressed to a relatively small amount. As the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 passes through the bathtub communicating portion 42 downstream of the air inlet portion 45 and the bathtub water introducing portion 46, the hot water in the bathtub communicating portion 42 is drawn in by the jet pump action and the flow rate increases. is increased. In this way, since the flow rate is amplified mainly on the downstream side of the air inlet portion 45, an increase in the flow rate of the flow passing through the vicinity of the air inlet portion 45 is suppressed, and the hot water flows from the air inlet portion 45 into the hot water. An excessive increase in the flow rate of the drawn air can be suppressed.

Furthermore, since the flow rate of the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is increased while drawing the hot water in the bathtub communication portion 42 by the jet pump action, a relatively large flow rate of water is discharged while suppressing an increase in the amount of air mixed in. It can be performed. Therefore, even when air is introduced by the ejector action into the flow of bathtub water that is spouted from the spouting portion at a relatively large flow rate, the amount of air introduced can be suppressed to a relatively small amount. It is possible to suppress the tendency of the water discharged from the water discharging portion to be easily broken due to an increase, and a relatively uniform and stable water discharging state can be formed. More specifically, when water is spouted as a wide thin film flow of a predetermined width from the wide spouting port 22 formed horizontally, relatively large air bubbles are contained in the spouted water. , turbulence as if the water flow were divided into multiple water flows, part of the water flow was interrupted and the water flow was biased, or a space appeared as the water flow was turbulent in a part of the uniform wide film-like flow. It is possible to suppress the cracking and turbulence of the water flow, and form a uniform wide thin film-like smooth flow even in a state where air is mixed in the spouted water.
According to such a flow, when the air-mixed flow hits the user, it not only provides a relaxing effect and a massage effect, but also when the fine bubble-mixed flow hits the user, it stimulates the user to discharge water. Disturbance of senses) is suppressed, and splashing of water, etc. is also suppressed, and when the user uses it as a shoulder bath, an effective relaxing effect can be given.

In addition, since the air inlet portion 45 is arranged near the downstream side of the jet nozzle 44 and/or in the front region near the front in the jetting direction, the hot water jetted from the jet nozzle 44 is compared immediately after jetting. It draws air into the water in areas of high flow velocity. Therefore, the air is drawn in from the air inlet portion 45 by the flow of hot water and water at a relatively high flow rate, thereby suppressing the introduction of the air as relatively large bubbles and allowing the air to be divided and introduced as fine bubbles. be able to. In this way, by mixing fine-sized air bubbles into hot water, it is possible to suppress the mixing of relatively large-sized air bubbles that tend to break the spouted water from the water spouting portion. In addition, since the air is mixed little by little in the state of fine bubbles, it is possible to prevent a large amount of air from being mixed in as relatively large bubbles and to mix a relatively small total amount of air. Therefore, a relatively small amount of fine air bubbles can be mixed in, and the jetted water flow from the water jetting portion can be made more difficult to crack.

Here, the flow of hot water in the inlet channel 24 will be described. Hot water flows into the inlet channel 24 from the bathtub 2 through the bathtub communication port 12 . In the inlet channel 24, the flow of hot water flowing into the communication channel inlet portion 50 from the bathtub 2 and the flow of hot water flowing into the pump channel inlet portion 52 from the bathtub 2 are directed to independent inlets. formed by The communication channel inlet portion 50 and the pump channel inlet portion 52 form openings facing the internal region A of the bathtub 2 in parallel. The flow of hot water and water flowing into each form independent and linear flows toward the respective openings. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the two flows to influence each other, and the hot water flowing from the communication channel inlet portion 50 toward the bathtub communication portion 42 is affected by being sucked into the pump channel inlet portion 52 by the pump 4. can be prevented, and hot water can be stably supplied to the jet pump unit 10.例文帳に追加

Further, in the inlet channel 24, the channel cross-sectional area of the inlet channel 24 is larger than the sum of the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet portion 52. Therefore, the flow of hot water that flows from the bathtub 2 into the communication flow path inlet portion 50 and the flow of hot water that flows from the bathtub 2 into the pump flow path inlet portion 52 are divided in the inlet flow path 24. are relatively stably formed independently of each other in the spatial region within the inlet channel 24, the flows can be made less likely to affect each other. In the inlet channel 24, the flow of hot water flowing into the communication channel inlet part 50 from the bathtub 2 and the flow of hot water flowing into the pump channel inlet part 52 from the bathtub 2 do not intersect each other. each having sufficient flow area (flow space) to allow them to flow independently to a lesser extent. The flow of hot water sucked into the pump channel inlet portion 52 is formed as a flow of hot water from the internal region A of the bathtub 2 toward the pump channel inlet portion 52, and from the communication channel inlet portion 50 side to the pump channel inlet portion. It is formed so as to suppress the flow of hot water toward 52 . Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the hot and cold water flowing toward the bathtub communicating portion 42 from being affected by being sucked by the pump 4 , and the hot and cold water can be stably supplied by the jet pump unit 10 .

As indicated by arrow F15, the hot water flowing into blow water discharge section side channel 36 is jetted from blow water discharge section 16 toward the inside of the bathtub, as indicated by arrows F19 and F20. The hot water discharged from the blow water discharge unit 16 is pressure-fed by the pump 4 and forms a relatively small flow rate and high speed water flow. Hot water discharged from the blow water discharge part 16 collides with the waist and back of the user H, so that the collided parts can be massaged.

In FIG. 9, it will be explained that the blow water spouting portion 16 also functions as a stirring water spouting portion for agitating the bathtub water stored in the bathtub 2 . The hot water in the bathtub 2 can be agitated by jetting water from the blowing water jetting part 16 (stirring water jetting part) together with water jetting from the water jetting part 6 .
The hot water discharged at high speed from the blow water discharge part 16 forms a strong flow as indicated by arrow F20, and in addition to the natural convection of the hot water in the bathtub 2, the hot water in the bathtub 2 is forcibly stirred. form a flow. In addition, even when the hot water discharged at high speed from the blow water discharge part 16 collides with the user H, for example, a flow that spreads in the vertical direction as shown by the arrow F25 is generated, and the hot water in the bathtub 2 is forcibly discharged. form a stirring flow.

The bathtub communicating portion 42 and the bathtub water communicating channel portion 47 are arranged at a height position equal to or lower than the intermediate height position h1 between the bottom portion 2a and the upper end portion 2c of the bathtub 2. Even when there is a possibility that relatively low-temperature hot water, which is likely to be stored at a low position, may flow into the bathtub communication part 42, the blow water discharge part 16 stirs the bathtub water in the bathtub 2, and the jet pump unit 10 hot water having a relatively high temperature can be made to flow into. Water of relatively low temperature is supplied from the jet pump unit 10 to the water discharger 6 by discharging water from the blow water discharger 16 as well as water from the water discharger 6 , and relatively low temperature water is supplied from the water discharger 6 . Spouting of water to the user H can be suppressed more reliably.
Further, the blow water discharger 16 is arranged on the vertical wall 2b of the bathtub 2 to which the communication channel 26 of the bathtub water communication channel 47 is connected, and the blow water discharger 16 and the bathtub communication port 12 are arranged in the same vertical direction. Since they are arranged relatively close along the wall 2b, the hot water flowing into the communication channel 26 of the bathtub water communication channel 47 can be stirred more efficiently by the blow water discharger 16. FIG. Therefore, relatively low-temperature hot water is supplied from the jet pump unit 10 to the water discharger 6, and the discharge of relatively low-temperature hot water from the water discharger 6 to the user H can be suppressed more reliably.

In this embodiment, the water discharger 6 forms a wide and relatively large water discharge port 22 to discharge water at a low speed and a large flow rate, whereas the blow water discharger 16 forms an opening with a small diameter to discharge water at a high speed and a small flow rate. Is going. Such water discharges with different flow velocities and flow rates are performed at the same time. In this embodiment, the difference between the pressure loss in the jet nozzle 44 attached to the injection part side passage 32 and the pressure loss in the blow water discharge part 16 attached to the blow water discharge part side passage 36 is made relatively small. Therefore, even when hot water is supplied from the common pump 4, the flow rate of hot water is suppressed from being greatly biased to one of the flow paths, and the water discharge unit 6 and the blow water discharge unit 16 simultaneously discharge water. It can be performed. Further, by using the jet pump unit 10, even when the flow rate of hot water supplied from the pump to the injection section side passage 32 is constant (when it is not increased), the increased flow rate of the water discharge section 6 can be discharged. The water discharger 6 and the blow water discharger 16 can discharge water at different flow velocities and flow rates at the same time.

According to the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, by providing the jet pump unit 10 on the injection part side flow path 32 and the bathtub water introduction flow path 34 , the blow water is discharged from the blow water discharge part side flow path 36 . Since the difference between the pressure loss in the passage leading to the portion 16 and the pressure loss in the passage from the injection portion side passage 32 and the bathtub water introduction passage 34 to the water discharge portion 6 can be relatively small, The hot water supplied from the pump 4 can be suppressed from being supplied to any one of the blow water discharge part side flow path 36, the injection part side flow path 32, and the bathtub water introduction flow path 34, and the common pump 4 hot water supplied from the blow water discharge part 16 is simultaneously discharged from the water discharge part 6 and the blow water discharge part 16 so that the flow velocity of the hot water discharged from the blow water discharge part 16 is higher than the flow velocity of the hot water discharged from the water discharge part 6. can be done.

Further, according to the bathtub apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the hot water in the bathtub 2 can be supplied to the bathtub without separately providing a dedicated water supply source for supplying hot water to the jet pump water reservoir 41 of the jet pump unit 10 . The water can be introduced into the jet pump water storage portion 41 from the water communication channel portion 47, and the overall structure of the bathtub apparatus 1 can be simplified. In addition, since a dedicated water supply source for supplying hot water from outside the bathtub to the jet pump water reservoir 41 of the jet pump unit 10 is not separately provided, the jet pump unit 10 discharges hot water from the blow water discharger 16. Even when water is discharged from the water discharger 6 into the bathtub 2 at a flow rate greater than the flow rate, it is possible to prevent the water level in the bathtub 2, that is, the amount of water from increasing.

Furthermore, according to the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the flow of hot water flowing from the bathtub 2 into the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the flow of hot water flowing into the pump channel inlet portion 52 from the bathtub 2 are formed for the respective independent inlets, the flows are less likely to affect each other, and the hot water flowing from the communication channel inlet portion 50 toward the bathtub communication portion 42 flows through the pump channel by the pump 4. The effect of being sucked into the inlet 52 can be prevented, and hot water can be stably supplied to the jet pump unit 10 .

Furthermore, according to the bathtub apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the channel cross-sectional area of the inlet channel 24 is equal to the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet portion 52. Therefore, the flow of hot water flowing from the bathtub 2 into the communication flow path inlet portion 50 and the pump flow path from the bathtub 2, which are branched in the inlet flow path 24 Since the hot and cold water flows flowing into the inlet 52 are relatively stably formed in an independent state, the flows can be made less likely to affect each other. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the hot and cold water flowing toward the bathtub communicating portion 42 from being affected by being sucked by the pump 4 , and the hot and cold water can be stably supplied by the jet pump unit 10 .
In addition, on the bathtub 2 side, one inlet channel 24 can be formed without forming the two openings of the communication channel inlet portion 50 and the pump channel inlet portion 52. 24 can be reduced, and furthermore, by reducing the sealing part between the bathtub 2 and the inlet channel 24, the manufacturing work and management work can be reduced, and the risk of water leakage can be reduced. can also be reduced.

Furthermore, according to the bathtub apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the flow rate of hot water supplied from the common pump 4 and discharged from the blow water discharge section 16 is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the water discharge section 6. In the bathtub device 1 capable of simultaneously discharging water from the blow water discharge part 16 and the water discharge part 6, the pump setting and the flow rate of the hot water discharged from the blow water discharge part 16 are changed. Alternatively, without changing the pump itself, the opening adjustment mechanism 54 can change the flow velocity and flow rate of the hot water discharged from the water discharger 6 with a relatively simple configuration.

Furthermore, according to the bathtub apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the flow rate of hot water supplied from the common pump 4 and discharged from the blow water discharge section 16 is higher than the flow rate of hot water discharged from the water discharge section 6. From the water discharger 6 arranged above the blow water discharger 16, water can be discharged to the upper part of the user's body above the blow water discharger 16, such as the neck and shoulders. can.

1 Bathtub device 2 Bathtub 2a Bottom 2b Vertical wall 2c Upper end 4 Pump 6 Water discharge part 6a Water discharge part upper surface 8 Control part 10 Jet pump unit 12 Bathtub communication port 14 Circulation flow path 16 Blow water discharge part 18 Switching valve 20 Casing 22 Water discharge port 22a Water discharge section inner flow path bottom surface 24 Inlet flow path 26 Communication flow path 28 Pump upstream flow path 30 Pump downstream flow path 32 Injection side flow path 34 Bathtub water introduction flow path 36 Blow water discharge side flow path 38 Operation part 40 Pressure Sensor 41 Jet pump water reservoir 42 Bathtub communication part 42a Bottom surface 42b Top surface 44 Jet nozzle 44a Tip 45 Air introduction part 45a Tip opening 46 Bathtub water introduction part 46a Inlet part 47 Bathtub water communication channel part 48 Deployment part 50 Communication channel Inlet portion 52 Pump flow path inlet portion 54 Opening adjustment mechanism 56 Air pipe 58 Air introduction switching valve H User q1 Flow rate q2 Flow rate q3 Flow rate W Wall surface WL0 Feed water level WL1 Full water level WL2 Water level WL3 Water level

Claims (6)

A bathtub device provided in a bathtub for storing hot water,
a pump for sucking hot and cold water from the bathtub and supplying the hot and cold water to a flow path on the downstream side of the pump;
a first channel branched from the pump downstream channel;
a second flow path branched from the pump downstream flow path;
a first water discharger for discharging hot water supplied from the first flow path into the bathtub;
a second water discharger for discharging hot water supplied from the second flow path into the bathtub from above the first water discharger;
a control unit that controls the pump;
Provided on the second flow path a jet pump unit;
The above jet pump unit is
a jet pump water reservoir in which hot water drawn by the jet pump action is stored;
an injection unit for injecting hot water supplied to the second flow path so as to pass through the jet pump water storage unit;
The jet pump unit supplies hot water at a flow rate larger than that injected from the injection part by a jet pump action of drawing hot water in the jet pump water storage part by means of hot water injected from the injection part. configured to supply a water spout;
The first water discharge portion and the second water discharge portion are arranged such that the flow rate of hot water discharged from the first water discharge portion is higher than the flow speed of hot water discharged from the second water discharge portion. A bathtub device characterized in that water is discharged simultaneously from a water discharge part. The jet pump unit further comprises a bathtub water communication passage formed between the jet pump water reservoir and the bathtub for introducing hot water from the bathtub into the jet pump water reservoir. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 1. A communication channel inlet portion of the bathtub water communication channel portion is formed independently of a pump channel inlet portion of a pump upstream side channel for sucking hot water in the bathtub into the pump. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 2. The bathtub forms a single inlet channel portion, to which the communication channel inlet portion and the pump channel inlet portion are connected; 4. The channel cross-sectional area is formed so as to be larger than the sum of the channel cross-sectional area of the communication channel inlet and the channel cross-sectional area of the pump channel inlet. bathtub equipment. 5. The jet pump unit according to claim 3, wherein the jet pump unit further comprises an opening adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting an opening area of an inlet of the communication channel of the bathtub water communication channel. bathtub equipment. The second water discharger directs bathtub water supplied from the pump from a position near the upper end of the bathtub above the water surface in the bathtub to a space around the shoulders of a user sitting in the bathtub and taking a bath. 6. The bathtub apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bathtub apparatus is arranged above the first water discharging portion so as to discharge water from the first water discharging portion.

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