JP7378709B2 - Remote control drain plug device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a remote-controlled drain plug device that opens and closes a drain port of a tank body by operating an operating section located apart from the drain port.

Conventionally, in order to treat wastewater generated inside a tank body such as a bathtub or washbowl, a drain port is provided at the bottom of the tank body, and the wastewater is discharged from this drain port to the sewer side via a piping member. is widely known. Another method is to store water in the tank body by arranging a valve body to cover the drain port, and to open the drain port by raising the valve body and separating it from the drain port. A remote-controlled drain plug device is known that opens and closes the drain port by lifting and lowering the drain port by operating an operating section located at a location away from the valve body and the drain port, for example, above the edge of the tank body or the side surface of the tank body. There is.
A widely known remote-controlled drain plug device, as described in Patent Document 1, includes a drain port provided on the bottom of a tank body, and a valve body that opens and closes the drain port by moving up and down on the drain port. , which is composed of an operating section provided near the tank body and having a button member and an operating shaft, and a release wire that transmits an operation applied to the operating section to a valve body provided at the drain port. be.
The operation part of the remote-controlled drain plug device of Patent Document 1 has a shape that combines a box in the middle of a cylinder, and an operation shaft is passed through the inside of the cylinder provided in the vertical direction. The upper end of the cylinder is provided with an opening, an operating button member is disposed inside the opening, and the operating shaft is lowered by pressing the button member.
Further, the operating section is provided with an electric drive section consisting of a motor member etc. for electric operation, and is configured such that the operating shaft can also be lowered by the operation of the motor member.
Furthermore, in the remote-controlled drain valve device described in Patent Document 1, a lock mechanism (a thrust lock mechanism ) will be provided.
Below, a method of operating the remote-controlled drain plug device of Patent Document 1 will be described.
First, the manual operation of opening and closing the drain port will be explained.
In the remote-controlled drain plug device described in Patent Document 1, by pushing the button member, the operation shaft connected to the button member is pushed downward, and each time this pushing operation is performed, the lock shaft of the locking mechanism (patent According to Document 1, it is possible to alternately repeat fixing/unfixing with the rod part) projecting downward and raising the lock shaft by the action of a spring or the like.Here, the locking mechanism is attached to one end of the release wire. When the lock shaft is raised/lowered, the valve body connected to the other end of the release wire also lowers/raises (when the lock shaft is raised, the valve body descends, and the lock shaft descends). Since the valve body rises when the valve is closed, the drain port can be opened and closed by moving the valve body (described in the order of descending and rising).
Next, the electrically operated opening/closing operation of the drain port will be explained.
The operation unit of the remote-controlled drain plug device of Patent Document 1 has a motor member equipped with a gear called a pinion, and a linear motor member called a rack that meshes with the gear, as a mechanism for electrically operating the opening and closing of the drain port. and a motion converting member with teeth. The motor member consists of a motor called a stepping motor that can control the number of rotations during operation, and the motion conversion member is configured so that it can be locked to the operating shaft and pushed downward when descending. Become. However, when the operating shaft is lowered by pressing the operating button, the operating shaft is only lowered and the motion converting member is not lowered.
When the motor member is operated by electric operation, the gears provided in the motor rotate, the movement conversion member lowers due to the interlocking of the rack and pinion, and the operating shaft that is latched to this movement conversion member also lowers and locks. The mechanism works.
Note that after the locking mechanism operates, the motor member reversely rotates the gear until the motion converting member returns to the initial position, whereby the motion converting member rises to the initial position and stops.
By moving the lock shaft of the locking mechanism forward and backward by electric operation in the above-described procedure, the valve body covering the drain port moves up and down in the same manner as in manual operation, and the drain port can be opened and closed.

JP2018-145653

In the remote-controlled drain plug device, the ability of the drain port to discharge waste water, so-called drainage performance, improves within a certain range as the valve body is raised higher from the drain port. When the inner diameter of the drain port is approximately 40 mm, the drainage performance is better when the valve body is raised to 20 mm or more than when the height difference between the valve body and the drain port when opened is approximately 10 mm. (However, if the valve body is raised sufficiently, such as by a height difference of 100 mm, there will be almost no change in drainage performance even if the valve body is raised further, such as from 100 mm to 110 mm.)
That is, from the viewpoint of improving drainage performance, it is preferable to raise the valve body from the drainage port as much as possible.

In addition, particularly in bathtubs, it is desired that the bathtub be drained as quickly as possible for the purpose of bathing the person in need of care. In a bathtub for a caregiver, a door is provided on the side of the bathtub, and by opening this door, a caregiver with physical disabilities can enter and exit the bathtub without having to step over the edge of the bathtub. However, in order to use this door, the bath water must be completely drained from the bathtub so that it does not flow out even when the door is opened. If it takes a long time to drain the bath water, the bathers will feel cold, so it is desirable that the bathtub for the person requiring care be drained as quickly as possible.

In addition, in recent years, automatic cleaning functions have been introduced in bathtubs that automatically spray detergent into the bathtub using a mechanical mechanism, and then automatically spray cleaning water into the bathtub to mechanically clean the inside of the bathtub. There is an additional bathtub. In the case of a bathtub equipped with this automatic cleaning machine, the drainage water during automatic cleaning contains many bubbles due to the detergent, but if the size of the bubbles is larger than the width between the drain port and the valve body, the bubbles will not drain properly. does not easily flow into the drain. Therefore, in order to drain the bubbles, it is preferable to raise the valve body from the drain port as far as possible.

However, in conventional remote-controlled drain valve devices, the difference in height between the drain port and the valve body when opened remains at around 10 mm for the reasons described below.
In conventional remote-controlled drain plug devices, the length of push-in of the button member corresponds almost directly to the height at which the valve body rises. For example, in the case of the remote-controlled drain plug device described in Patent Document 1, when the operation button is pushed in, the operating shaft and lock shaft are lowered by the pushed length, and the release wire is also pushed in by the same length, causing the valve to open. The body rises. Therefore, the rising height of the valve body cannot exceed the length by which the user presses the operating button. In reality, due to the nature of the locking mechanism and the presence of gaps between the members, the height at which the valve body rises is several millimeters lower than the length by which the user presses the operating button.
Here, the length that the user presses the operation button is usually about 10 to 13 mm, and if the length of the button is longer than this, it will not be long enough for the user to easily press the button, and the button will not be able to be pressed easily. You will start to feel inconvenienced.
For this reason, in normal manually operated remote control drain valve devices, the length of pushing the operation button is approximately 10 to 13 mm, and as a result, the difference in height between the drain port and the valve body when opening is approximately 10 mm. It stayed.

The remote-controlled drain plug device described in Patent Document 1 has a function of electric operation in addition to manual operation, but the lock shaft of the lock mechanism is protruded by about 10 mm to accommodate manual operation. The structure is fixed, and this locking mechanism is also used as an electric operation mechanism, so even with electric operation, the width that the lock shaft descends must be the same as with manual operation. Even so, the difference in height between the drain port and the valve body when opened remained at around 10 mm.
The present invention was invented in view of the above-mentioned problems, and proposes a remote-controlled drain plug device that can change the height position of the valve body relative to the drain port as necessary.

The present invention according to claim 1 provides a remote-controlled drain plug device that opens and closes a drain port by remote control.
A drain port provided on the bottom of the tank body,
a valve body that opens and closes the drain port by moving up and down on the drain port;
an operation unit that opens and closes the drain port;
Consisting of
By fixing the valve body in an elevated state, the drain port is in an open state, and
a plurality of open states having different height positions with respect to the valve body with respect to the drain port ;
a manual operation unit that opens and closes the drain port by manual operation;
and an electric operation unit that opens and closes the drain port by electric operation,
From the opening state due to the manual operation,
The remote-controlled drain plug device is characterized in that the electrically operated open state is such that the valve body is at a higher height position.
Here, when explaining ``the drain is in the open state when the valve body is fixed in the raised state,'' the ``open state where the drain is open'' means ``the valve body is raised from the drain. , and the movement is stopped and fixed by a mechanical structure," and for example, it simply means "during operation of a remote-controlled drain plug device, the valve body is rising and the valve is removed from the drain port. The valve body does not move because the user is holding down the operating button, etc., and the operating button, etc. does not move when the user releases the operating button, etc. This does not include the state in which the valve body is in the process of rising or falling for opening/closing operations, such as the state in which the valve body also moves.

The present invention according to claim 2 provides the remote control drain plug device, comprising:
The remote-controlled drain according to claim 1, characterized in that the height state of the valve body when the drain port is opened is changed to a different opening state depending on the purpose when the drain port is opened. It is a stopper device.

The present invention according to claim 3 includes:
In a remote-controlled drain plug device that opens and closes a drain port by remote control,
A drain port provided on the bottom of the tank body,
a valve body that opens and closes the drain port by moving up and down on the drain port;
an operation unit that opens and closes the drain port;
Consisting of
By fixing the valve body in an elevated state, the drain port is in an open state, and
a plurality of open states having different height positions with respect to the valve body with respect to the drain port;
In addition to having an automatic cleaning function that automatically cleans the inside of the tank body,
a first drainage state in which the tank body is normally drained;
a second drainage state in which drainage occurs during automatic cleaning within the tank;
The height position of the valve body when the valve body is opened in the second drainage state is higher than the height position of the valve body when the valve body is opened in the first drainage state . This is a remote-controlled drain plug device characterized by being configured as follows.

In the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the remote-controlled drain plug device is configured to have a plurality of open states in which the height positions of the drain port and the valve body are different. By increasing the height of the valve body when it is opened, drainage performance, etc. can be increased accordingly. In addition, when the valve body rises to a higher position when opening, manual operation may cause inconvenience to the user, such as increasing the length of push of the operation button, but by performing electric operation, it is possible to reduce the use of manual operation. This can be done without causing any inconvenience to the person.
In the present invention according to claim 2, the height position is changed in accordance with the purpose, for example, to drain water at high speed for a nursing bathtub, By increasing the height of the valve body in response to automatic cleaning of the tank body, it is possible to efficiently discharge foam generated by the detergent.

that's all

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a remote-controlled drain plug device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a reference diagram showing the configuration of members related to the operating section main body of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a reference diagram showing the operation section of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a reference diagram of the operating section main body of the first embodiment. It is a front view of a first motion conversion member and a gear member. FIG. 3 is a reference diagram of the operating section main body of the first embodiment in a plan view. It is a reference diagram showing the operation of the locking mechanism. It is a reference diagram showing the operation of the locking mechanism. It is a reference diagram showing the operation of the locking mechanism. It is a sectional view showing a closed state of a drain port. FIG. 7 is a reference diagram showing an opening state of the operating section by manual operation. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a normal opening state of the drain port. FIG. 7 is a reference diagram showing an opening state of the operating section by electric operation. FIG. 3 is a reference diagram showing the operating section in a large opening state due to electric operation. FIG. 3 is a reference diagram showing a large opening state of the drain port. FIG. 7 is a reference diagram showing another example.

Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description of each embodiment, the movement of the inner wire 11b of the release wire 11 toward the drain port 8a is referred to as "forward," and the movement toward the operating portion S is referred to as "retreat." Further, "upper" and "lower" in the description of this embodiment will be described based on the illustration in FIG.
The drain plug device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 15 is a remote-controlled drain plug device used in the drain piping of a bathtub B, which is a type of tank body. Consists of members such as the drain port main body 8, support member 9, joint member 10, operating portion S, valve body 7, release wire 11 as an operation transmission member, support member 9, lock mechanism 5, guide tube 12, etc. be done.
The bathtub B is a box with an open top, and is provided with a mounting hole B1 on the bottom surface for mounting the drain port body 8, and an operating section mounting hole B2 for mounting the operating section S on the upper periphery. .
Moreover, the bathtub B to which the remote-controlled drain plug device of this embodiment is installed has a so-called automatic cleaning function, which automatically sprays detergent into the bathtub B and also automatically sprays cleaning water into the bathtub B. This bathtub B is equipped with a function to mechanically and automatically clean the inside of the bathtub B. This automatic cleaning function can be activated by operating the operation panel of the water heater.
The drain port main body 8 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided with a flange portion 8b protruding in the lateral direction on the outer peripheral side of its upper end portion, and a male screw is provided on the outer surface. Further, inside the drain main body 8, a circular drain port 8a having a diameter of about 40 mm is formed.
The support member 9 is a member that arranges and fixes the end of the release wire 11 in the drain port 8a, and the end of the outer tube 11a is connected to the center portion thereof.
The joint member 10 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and has an upper opening with a female thread that engages with a male thread of the drain port main body 8, and a side face with a discharge port 10a for discharging internal waste water. , a cylindrical insertion portion 10b through which the release wire 11 is inserted.
The operating section S is a member that is attached to the operating section mounting hole B2 of the bathtub B, and includes a first casing 1, a second casing 2, an operating section main body S1, an electric drive section 6, and a first operating shaft 3, which are described below. , a second operating shaft 4, and an operating button 13.
The first casing 1 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape, and has openings at both ends thereof, and the upper end side is attached to the operation unit attachment hole B2 of the bathtub B. This upper end side forms an opening 1a through which the operation button 13 moves forward and backward.
When construction is completed, the operation button 13 is housed in the opening 1a so as to be vertically movable. However, due to the unevenness provided in the opening 1a, the upper surface of the operation button 13 will not touch the upper end of the opening 1a, that is, the upper end of the first casing 1, unless you intentionally try to remove it from above. It is configured so that it can only rise to the matching position. Further, downwardly, the operation button 13 is configured to be able to descend only to a position 13 mm below the upper limit of the rise.
Further, a connecting portion C1 is provided at the end opposite to the opening 1a.
The second casing 2 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape, has openings at both ends, and has a connected portion C2 connected to the connecting portion C1 of the first casing 1 at the upper end. Further, the inside thereof is configured such that the lock mechanism 5 can be detachably fixed by elastic fitting.
The operating section main body S1 is a casing body with a substantially box-like outer shape, and has a connected part C2 on the upper surface, which is the same as the second casing 2, and a connected part C2 on the same axis as the connected part C2, on the opposite lower surface. Each of them is provided with the same connection portion C1 as the first casing 1.
Further, a connected portion C2 is provided on the upper surface of the operating portion main body S1, and a connecting portion C1 is provided on the lower surface in a concentric shape, that is, their centers overlap when viewed from above of the operating portion main body S1.
The first operation shaft 3 has a generally disk-shaped portion at the upper side, and a generally cylindrical portion is suspended from the center of the disk-shaped portion. The upper end of the first operating shaft 3 comes into contact with the lower surface of an operating button 13, which will be described later, and the inner end of the cylindrical portion is configured to be elastically fitable with the upper end of a second operating shaft 4, which will be described later.
The second operating shaft 4 is a rod-shaped member, and one end can be elastically fitted to the end of the cylindrical portion of the first operating shaft 3, and the other end is an end of a locking shaft 5b of a locking mechanism 5, which will be described later. and are configured so that they can be elastically fitted. Furthermore, a step portion 4a is provided on the side surface of the second operating shaft 4. When the construction is completed, the second operation shaft 4 is arranged and connected to a lock shaft, which will be described later, so as to be coaxial with the center axis of the connected portion C2 and the connecting portion C1.
The electric drive section 6 is a member disposed within the operation section main body S1, and includes a motor member MO having a rotating shaft. , the gear member 6a provided on the rotating shaft of the motor member MO is rotated. The motor member MO of this embodiment is a motor called a stepping motor that can control the number of rotations and direction of rotation of a rotating shaft.
The substrate member ES is a member in which electronic components for performing electronic control, etc. are arranged and wired in a plate-like part, and is configured to be connected to an operation part for electric operation such as an operation panel of a water heater. Operation control that controls the rotational operation of the gear member 6a of the electric drive unit 6 equipped with the motor member MO, and communication control that processes operation signals from the electric operation unit that electrically instructs opening and closing of the drain port. It has both functions.
The motion converting member 14 is a member for converting the rotational motion generated by the motor member 14 into the linear motion required for the operation of the lock shaft 5b, and is a member that converts the rotational motion generated by the motor member 14 into the linear motion required for the operation of the lock shaft 5b, and is a member that converts the rotational motion generated by the motor member 14 into the linear motion required for the operation of the lock shaft 5b. It has a shape that is divided into equal parts on a plane, and its side surface is provided with a meshing part 14a that meshes with the gear member 6a. A locking step portion 14b that engages only in one direction is provided.
The motion converting member 14 is arranged within the operating section main body S1 so that it can move only along the second operating axis 4 that becomes a part of the operating axis when construction is completed.
Here, the connection between the second operating shaft 4 and the gear member 6a connected to the motor member MO via the motion conversion member 14 will be described in detail below.
The second operating shaft 4 has a stepped portion 4a, and the motion conversion member 14 is disposed so as to cover this stepped portion 4a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the step portion 4a of the second operating shaft 4 is arranged so as to be covered by the locking step portion 14b of the motion converting member 14.
Moreover, by arranging in this way, as shown in FIG. 4, the meshing portion 14a of the motion converting member 14 is arranged to mesh with the gear member 6a.
In this way, the second operating shaft 4 and the gear member 6a connected to the motor member MO are connected via the motion converting member 14, and when the gear member 6a rotates, the meshing motion converting member 14 It moves up and down in response to rotation.
The operation button 13 is a member for a user to perform a pushing operation when manually operating the remote-controlled drain plug device, and includes a disk portion, a cylindrical portion hanging from the periphery of the disk portion, and a shaft part that hangs downward from the central lower part of the disc part, and as mentioned above, the inside of the opening 1a of the first casing 1 is within a range of 13 mm downward from the upper end of the opening 1a. It is configured to move up and down.
The connecting member C3 is a member having a substantially C-shape, and is in a state where the connecting portion C1 and the connected portion C2 of the first casing 1 and the electric drive unit 6, and the electric drive unit 6 and the second casing 2 are connected. By inserting it from the side, it functions to maintain and fix the connection state. Although not described in detail, the connecting portion C1 and the connected portion C2 are connected watertightly and rotatably via an O-ring or the like.
Further, by removing the connecting member C3 from the side surface of the connecting portion C1 and the connected portion C2, it is possible to disconnect the connecting portion C1 and the connected portion C2.
The valve body 7 is a substantially disc-shaped member that closes the upper end of the drain port 8a, and has a portion in the center of its lower surface that fits into a tip of a valve shaft 11c of a release wire 11, which will be described later.
The release wire 11 includes an outer tube 11a that is flexible in the lateral direction and rigid in the axial direction, and is slidably disposed within the outer tube 11a. A rigid inner wire 11b, a valve shaft 11c which is a rod-shaped hard member provided at one end of the inner wire 11b, and a valve shaft 11c provided within the release wire 11 to connect the inner wire 11b to the outer tube 11a. and a return spring that biases the valve shaft 11c in the direction opposite to the valve shaft 11c.
The guide tube 12 is a tube tube made of a soft PVC material that is rigid in the axial direction and flexible in the lateral direction and connects the operating section S to the insertion section 10b, and is inserted into the operating section S. The release wire 11 is configured to be guided into the joint member 10 from the insertion portion 10b.

The locking mechanism 5 includes a cylindrical locking mechanism main body 5a having inclined teeth T1 etc. therein, and a locking shaft 5b serving as a shaft inserted through the locking mechanism main body 5a so as to be freely forward and backward. , a rotating gear 5c that is rotatably attached to the lock shaft 5b but not movable along the lock shaft 5b.
As mentioned above, the lock shaft 5b is a substantially rod-shaped member, and is provided with a rotary gear 5c, which will be described later, rotatably but not movably along the axial direction, and the upper end thereof is connected to the second operating shaft 4. , the lower ends are connected to the inner wire 11b, respectively.
The rotating gear 5c is a cylindrical member having a ring shape in plan view, and has locking teeth 5d formed so as to protrude outward from the side surface thereof. The locking teeth 5d have a substantially triangular shape that is asymmetrical when viewed from the front, and are formed every 90 degrees from the side surface of the rotating gear 5c.
The lock mechanism main body 5a is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape. The lock shaft 5b is housed therein so as to be freely advanced and retracted, and the lock shaft 5b is moved upwardly to the upper limit/downward by an internal mechanism. It has the function of fixing it in the lowered state and maintaining it in either state. Furthermore, with the configuration described later, it is possible to move the lock shaft 5b from being fixed in a downwardly descending state to further descending downwardly.
To explain the inside of the lock mechanism main body 5a in detail, the inside of the lock mechanism main body 5a includes an inclined tooth T1, a lower groove part T2, a retaining tooth T3, and an upper groove part T4, which will be described below.
The inclined tooth T1 has a sawtooth shape formed over the entire inner circumference within the lock mechanism main body 5a, and is formed at an intermediate point within the lock mechanism main body 5a, when the lock shaft 5b descends to the lower limit during manual operation. The locking tooth 5d of the rotating gear 5c is formed at a position where it comes into contact with the locking tooth 5d. That is, the inclined teeth T1 rotate the rotary gear 5c each time the lock shaft 5b moves up and down.
Further, the inclined tooth T1 is provided at its lower end with a lower groove portion T2 having a width sufficient to allow the locking tooth 5d to be disposed therein.
The retaining teeth T3 are formed on the inner periphery of the locking mechanism main body 5a at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction across the upper groove portion T4, and have an inclined surface formed at a position facing the inclined tooth T1. Due to the inclined surface, the rotating gear 5c rotates each time the locking tooth 5d of the rotating gear 5c is pressed against the holding tooth T3. Note that the upper groove portion T4 has a width that allows the locking teeth 5d of the rotating gear 5c to be placed therein.
Here, the locking tooth 5d is about 3 mm, the upper groove part T4 is about 11 mm, the distance between the retaining tooth T3 and the inclined tooth T1 is about 3 mm, and the lower groove part T2 is about 20 mm, each in the vertical direction. It has a height and a width.
Further, the locking mechanism body 5a is fixed to the end of the outer tube 11a of the release wire 11.
In addition, since the inner wire 11b of the release wire 11 disposed coaxially with the lock shaft 5b is always urged in the backward direction, that is, toward the operating portion S side, by the action of the return spring, the end of the inner wire 11b is always urged. The lock shaft 5b is urged in the backward direction and in the upward direction on the lock shaft 5b.
Further, as will be described later, the locking mechanism 5 is arranged and fixed within the connected portion C2 of the second casing 2, and is arranged inside the operating section main body S1 when construction is completed.

The operation of the locking mechanism 5 employed in the remote-controlled drain plug device will be described below. In the following explanation, the lock shaft 5b is constantly biased in the upward direction by the return spring incorporated in the release wire 11, under the stress of the inner wire 11b that always tries to retreat toward the operating section S. Assume that you have received it.
In addition, in the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the state in which the lock shaft 5 has risen to the upper limit, that is, the state in which the locking teeth 5d have reached the upper end of the upper groove portion T4, will be referred to as the "upper end state", and the description will start from this state. If the vehicle has descended by a distance equal to 1,000 mm, it should be described as "a state in which the vehicle has descended by XX millimeters from the top." For example, when the lock shaft 5b is lowered by 10 mm from the upper limit position, it is described as "a state lowered by 10 mm from the upper end."
First, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the locking tooth 5d of the rotating gear 5c provided on the lock shaft 5b is in the upper end state raised to the upper end position of the upper groove portion T4.
When the lock shaft is pushed down from this state by about 13 millimeters, the locking teeth 5d are also lowered as the lock shaft 5b is lowered, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7(a).
As mentioned above, the height width of the upper groove part T4 is about 11 mm, and the height width between the retaining tooth T3 and the inclined tooth T1 is about 3 mm, so the locking tooth 5d has a total height of about 3 mm. When descending 13 mm from the upper end state, the lower end of the locking tooth 5d of the rotating gear 5c descends to a position where it comes into contact with the inclined tooth T1, and rotates by a predetermined angle along the inclined surface of the inclined tooth T1.
Then, when the pushing operation on the lock shaft 5b is released, the lock shaft 5b rises due to the bias of the inner wire 11b, and the lock shaft 5b and the rotating gear 5c rise. However, as described above, the rotating gear 5c is rotated by a predetermined angle by the inclined tooth T1, and the locking tooth 5d of the rotating gear 5c is shifted from the position of the upper groove portion T4 and is located directly below the holding tooth T3. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the locking tooth 5d that has been raised by the bias of the inner wire 11b is further rotated by a predetermined angle by the inclined surface formed on the retaining tooth T3, and then engages with the retaining tooth T3. The height positions of the rotating gear 5c and the lock shaft 5b are maintained and fixed. At this time, the height position of the locking tooth 5d is approximately 10 mm lower than the upper end.

When the lock shaft 5b is pushed again from the state shown in FIG. 7(b), and the lock shaft 5b is lowered to a position approximately 13 mm lower than the upper end state, the same process as described above is performed, and then ), the lower end of the locking tooth 5d comes into contact with the inclined tooth T1 and rotates by a predetermined angle along the inclined surface of the inclined tooth T1.
When the pushing operation on the lock shaft 5b is further released, the lock shaft 5b rises as shown by the arrow due to the bias of the inner wire 11b, and the locking tooth 5d that rises together with the lock shaft 5b is formed as a retaining tooth T3. After rotating by a predetermined angle by the inclined surface, it is guided by the upper groove portion T4 and returns to the state shown in FIG. 8(b) or the initial state shown in FIG. 7(a).

Further, the locking mechanism 5 of this embodiment includes a lower groove portion T2 so as to be continuous with the lower end of the slope of the sloped tooth T1, as shown in FIG. 9 and the like. Therefore, when the lock shaft 5b is pushed in by 30 mm against the upper end state, if the locking tooth 5d was initially at the upper end of the upper groove portion T4, the retaining tooth 5d becomes the retaining tooth as shown in FIG. 9(a). If it is locked with T3, the locking tooth 5d is guided by the slope of the sloped tooth T1 as shown in FIG. The lock shaft 5b can also be moved to a position lowered by 30 mm from its upper end.
However, the lock mechanism 5 does not have a mechanical function to maintain and fix the lock shaft 5b at a height position 30 mm lower than the upper end state. Therefore, in order to maintain and fix this state, a maintenance and fixing method different from that of the locking mechanism 5 is required.
When the push-in operation on the lock shaft 5b is released from the above state, the lock shaft 5b is raised by the urging force of the inner wire 11b, and the locking tooth 5d is rotated by a predetermined angle by the holding tooth T3.
Therefore, if the locking teeth 5d are in the upper groove T4 before the locking shaft 5b is pushed in, the locking teeth 5d are in mesh with the holding teeth T3, and the locking teeth 5d are in mesh with the holding teeth T3. If the locking teeth 5d are in the upper groove portion T4, the operation is completed.

Drainage piping using the remote-controlled drain plug device configured as described above is installed in the bathtub B as follows.
In addition, in the operation part body S1, the motor member MO and the board member ES are arranged and fixed in the operation part main body S1 in a factory or the like, and the second operation shaft 4 is inserted so as to pass through the connecting part C1 from the connected part C2. are arranged, the gear member 6a and the second operating shaft 4 are processed to be connected via the gear member 6a and the motion conversion member 14, and then transported to the construction site.
The construction method of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, the insertion portion 10b of the joint member 10 is connected to one end of the guide tube 12, and the end of the second casing 2 is connected to the other end.
Next, the lock mechanism 5 is connected to the end of the release wire 11 on the operating section S side by fitting, and then the end of the release wire 11 on the valve shaft 11c side is inserted from the upstream end of the second casing 2. With the end of the release wire 11 on the valve shaft 11c side reaching the inside of the joint member 10, the locking mechanism 5 is elastically fitted into the second casing 2 and fixed. In this way, the end of the release wire 11 is supported and fixed to the second casing 2 via the lock mechanism 5.
Next, the discharge port 10a of the joint member 10 is connected to an underfloor pipe for discharging wastewater to the sewer side.
Next, the drain body 8 is inserted into the attachment hole B1 of the bathtub B, and the lower surface of the flange portion 8b of the drain body 8 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the periphery of the attachment hole B1. Furthermore, the female screw of the joint member 10 is screwed into the male screw of the drain main body 8, and the periphery of the mounting hole B1 is sandwiched between the lower surface of the flange portion 8b and the upper surface of the joint member 10, and the drain main body 8 and the joint member 10 are connected. Fix it in bathtub B.
Next, the end of the release wire 11 is pulled up from the drain port 8a, the end of the release wire 11 is connected to the support member 9, and the support member 9 is placed and fixed within the drain port 8a.
Next, the valve body 7 is fitted and attached to the tip of the valve shaft 11c disposed within the drain port 8a.
Next, the connected portion C2 of the second casing 2 is connected to the connecting portion C1 of the operating portion main body S1 using the connecting member C3. Furthermore, the lock shaft 5b is fitted into the second operating shaft 4.
Next, the first casing 1 is attached to the operation unit attachment hole B2 of the bathtub B.
Next, the connecting portion C1 of the first casing 1 is connected to the connected portion C2 of the operating portion main body S1 using the connecting member C3.
Next, the first operating shaft 3 is inserted through the opening 1a of the first casing 1 and is fitted to the end of the second operating shaft 4.
Furthermore, the operation button 13 is inserted into the opening 1a of the first casing 1, and the operation button 13 is movable up and down within the opening 1a, thereby creating a drainage pipe using the remote-controlled drain plug device according to the embodiment of the present invention. construction is completed. It should be noted that wiring related to electrical operations such as the electric drive unit 6 and the operation panel was performed as appropriate in the procedures not described.
In this embodiment, the lock mechanism 5 is operated by a pushing operation applied by the first operation shaft 3, the second operation shaft 4, and the lock shaft 5b of the lock mechanism 5, and opens and closes the drain port 8a. That is, a combination of the first operating shaft 3, the second operating shaft 4, and the locking shaft 5b of the locking mechanism 5 is the operating shaft in this embodiment.

Below, a method of using the remote-controlled drain plug device of the above embodiment will be explained.
First, a method of opening and closing the drain port 8a by manual operation will be described.
When using the drain plug device configured as described above, first, the valve body 7 is lowered to close the drain port 8a as shown in FIG. 10.
At this time, the vicinity of the operation part S is in the state shown in FIG. 3, and in the lock mechanism 5, the lock shaft 5b is biased by the inner wire 11 and locked as shown in FIG. 7(a). The tooth 5d is at the upper end of the upper groove portion T4, and the lock shaft 5b is in the uppermost position, that is, the "upper end state".
Further, the button member 13 is pushed up by the second operating shaft 4 and the first operating shaft 3 connected to the lock shaft 5b, and the upper surface of the button member 13 is raised to the upper end position of the opening 1a.
Further, the motion converting member 14 is arranged at a height position where the locking stepped portion 14b is in contact with the stepped portion 4a of the second operating shaft 4 but not pushed into it. In this state where the drain port 8a is closed, the motion converting member 14 is placed at a height position where the locking step portion 14b is in contact with the step portion 4a of the second operating shaft 4 but does not push in. The height position will hereinafter be referred to as the "normal height position" of the motion conversion member 14.
From this state, the operation button 13 is pressed. As described above, the operation button 13 is configured so that it can only be pushed into the opening 1a to a height that is 13 mm below the upper end of the opening 1a. Therefore, although the first operating shaft 4 is pushed into the shaft portion of the operating button 13, the depth of pushing is limited to 13 mm from the upper end state. When the push-in operation is released, the lock shaft 5b operates as described in paragraph 0017, and the lock shaft 5b is fixed in a state lowered by about 10 mm from the upper end state. At this time, the operating section S is in a state as shown in FIG. 11, and the locking mechanism 5 is in a state as shown in FIG. 7(b). For this reason, the inner wire 11b connected to the lock shaft 5b also protrudes 10 mm toward the drain port 8a, and the valve shaft 11c attached to the tip of the inner wire 11b also pushes up the valve body 7 by 10 mm. The drain port 8a opens in a state as shown in FIG. 12, in which the valve body 7 is raised by 10 mm relative to the drain port 8a.
When the operating button 13 is pressed again from this state, the operating button 13 is still limited to being pushed into the opening 1a only to a height that is 13 mm below the upper end of the opening 1a. Therefore, the operation shaft 5b stops at a height position that is 13 mm lower than the upper end state, and when the user releases the push-in operation, the lock shaft 5b is unfixed through the procedure described in paragraph 0017, and the lock shaft 5b is unfixed again. The lock shaft 5b returns to its upper end state. Therefore, the inner wire 11b connected to the lock shaft 5b also retreats toward the operating section S, and the valve shaft 11c attached to the tip of the inner wire 11b also lowers the valve body 7, so that the drain port 8a The mouth is closed by the body 7.
Thereafter, by repeating the same operation, the drain port 8a can be opened and closed by remote control.
In this manual operation, the pushing length of the operation button 13 is 13 mm, and the height difference between the drain port 8a and the valve body 7 when they are opened is about 10 mm.

Next, a method of opening and closing the drain port 8a by electric operation will be explained.
Here, in the remote-controlled drain plug device of this embodiment, the "normal opening state" described in paragraph 0021 in which the valve body 7 is raised from the drain port 8a to the same extent as manual operation, and the Two types of opening states are provided: a "large opening state" in which the valve body 7 is raised greatly from the opening 8a.
First, the "normal open state" will be explained. Here, the term "normally open state" refers to "a case where the difference in height between the valve body 7 and the drain port 8a when they are opened is 10 mm, as in manual operation." Therefore, even if the drain port 8a is in the "closed" state, if it is opened by a subsequent operation and the difference in height between the valve body 7 and the drain port 8a at the time of opening is 10 mm, the "normally open state" ”.
In the normal open state, when an instruction to open or close the drain port 8a is given to the remote-controlled drain plug device via the operation panel or the like, the motor member MO operates and the gear member 6a rotates at a controlled rotational speed. As a result, the motion conversion member 14 is moved from the normal state to the state shown in FIG. 13. At this time, the width of descent of the motion converting member 14 is 13 mm, which is the same as in manual operation. The motion converting member 14 is configured to come into contact with the step portion 4a of the second operating shaft 4 at the locking stepped portion 14b, and when the motion converting member 14 descends by 13 mm, the second operating shaft 4 also descends, and the lock shaft 5b connected to the second operating shaft 4 also descends, and the locking tooth 5d contacts the inclined tooth T1 and rotates. After that, the motor member MO rotates the gear member 6a in the opposite direction with the rotational speed controlled, and returns the motion conversion member 14 to the normal position, that is, the position shown in FIG. 11.
In this manner, in the manual operation described in paragraph 0021, instead of operating the lock shaft 5b by the user pressing the operation button 13, in the normal open state, the operation conversion member 14 is moved to the second position. By performing a pushing operation on the operation shaft 4, the lock shaft 5b can be operated. The operation/effect performed on the lock shaft 5b at this time is exactly the same as in the case of the manual operation described in paragraph 0021, and therefore, the same operation as the opening and closing of the drain port 8a by manual operation described in paragraph 0021 is performed. The drain port 8a can be opened and closed by remote control each time an instruction to open or close the drain port 8a is given from the operation panel.
Note that the operation performed by the locking mechanism 5 is the same whether it is manually operated or electrically operated in a normally open state, so it is also possible to close the drain port 8a opened by manual operation by electrically operated operation.

Next, a "large opening state" in which the valve body 7 is raised more from the drain port 8a by electric operation than by manual operation will be described.
When an instruction is given from the operation panel to the remote-controlled drain plug device to open the drain port 8a with a large opening, the motor member MO operates and the gear member 6a rotates at a controlled rotational speed. , the motion converting member 14 is moved to a position lowered by 30 mm from the upper end state, and the lock shaft 5b is also lowered accordingly. When the drain port 8a is closed, that is, when the locking tooth 5d of the locking mechanism 5 is located at the upper end of the upper groove T4, the locking tooth 5d does not close the upper groove T4 as shown in FIG. 9(a). It descends, rotates along the inclined surface of the inclined tooth T1, is guided to the lower groove part T2, and then descends to a position near the lower end of the lower groove part T2, 30 mm lower than the upper end position, and locks to the corresponding position. The shaft 5b also descends.
In addition, when the drain port 8a is open, that is, when the locking teeth 5d of the locking mechanism 5 mesh with the holding teeth T3, the locking teeth 5d change the operation as shown in FIG. 9(b). The locking step 14b of the member 14 remains in that position until it comes into contact with the step of the second operating shaft 4, and the locking step 14b of the motion converting member 14 comes into contact with the step of the second operating shaft 4. After making contact, it descends from the retaining tooth T3 to the inclined tooth T1, rotates along the inclined surface of the inclined tooth T1, and is guided to the lower groove part T2, and is located near the lower end of the lower groove part T2, 30 mm lower than the upper end position. The lock shaft 5b also descends to the corresponding position.
Since the lock shaft 5b pushes up the valve body 7 via the inner wire 11b, when the lock shaft 5b is lowered by 30 mm from the closed state of the drain port 8a, the operating part S 7, as shown in FIG. 15, is in a state raised by 30 mm from the drain port 8a.
The lock mechanism 5 itself does not have a function to maintain and fix the lock shaft 5b in a state lowered by 30 mm from the closed state of the drain port 8a, but since the motor member MO does not operate unless power is supplied, or intentionally It can be fixed and maintained in a non-rotating state. The above-mentioned "state in which the valve body 7 has risen 30 mm from the drain port 8a" means "the valve body 7 has risen 30 mm from the drain port 8a because the motor member MO does not operate, and has stopped moving mechanically". This is the "fixed state in which the drain port 8a is open."
Note that the operating button 13 can only be lowered by 13 mm from the position where its top surface is the upper end of the opening 1a, but since the operating button 13 is only in contact with the first operating shaft 3 and is not connected to the first operating shaft 3, the member No problems such as damage or uncoupling will occur.
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned "large opening state", since the operation button 13 is completely separated from the first operation shaft 3, the drain port 8a is opened and closed by manual operation via the operation button 13. It is not possible.
The above-mentioned "large opening state" is canceled by instructing the operation panel to cancel the "large opening state". Specifically, by instructing to cancel the "large opening state", the gear member 6a of the motor member MO rotates in the direction of raising the motion converting member 14, and returns the motion converting member 14 to the normal height position. Return to
Then, the second operating shaft 4 also rises, and the lock shaft 14 connected to the second operating shaft 4 also rises due to the bias of the inner wire 11. As a result, if the drain port 8a was closed before the "large opening state" was performed, the valve body 7 rose to open the drain port 8a, and the drain port 8a was opened. In this case, the valve body 7 is lowered to open the drain port 8a. In either case, the opening returns to the normal open state in electrically operated operation or the state in which manual operation is possible.

Furthermore, the remote-controlled drain plug device of this embodiment includes a "high-speed drainage mode" and an "automatic cleaning mode" that are linked to the "large-opening state" described above.

The "high-speed drainage mode" is implemented by instructing the operation panel to perform the high-speed drainage mode.
By the motor member MO performing the same operation as in the large opening state described above, the valve body 7 is separated from the drain port 8a to a height of 30 mm, improving drainage performance. Drainage can be performed faster than drainage in which the valve body 7 is spaced apart to a height of 10 mm.
In this "high-speed drainage mode," it is clear that the purpose of the opening is to quickly drain water. Therefore, based on the capacity of bathtub B and its drainage performance in high-speed drain mode in advance, we decided to determine the amount of time required to ensure that draining is completed when draining bathtub B in high-speed drain mode from a full state. is incorporated into the program as the "drainage completion time", and the program is such that after the drainage completion time has elapsed from the high-speed drainage mode, the large opening state is automatically canceled and the normal opening state is returned. This eliminates the trouble of canceling the wide-open state after the work is completed, and the user can easily use the device.

The "automatic cleaning mode" is executed in conjunction with an instruction to automatically clean bathtub B from the operation panel.
In the bathtub B of this embodiment, the inside of the bathtub B is automatically and mechanically cleaned by automatically spraying detergent into the bathtub B and automatically spraying cleaning water into the bathtub B, which is called an automatic cleaning function. This bathtub B is equipped with an automatic cleaning function, and while this automatic cleaning is being performed, the motor member MO performs the same operation as in the wide-open state, thereby raising the valve body 7 from the drain port 8a to a height of 30 mm. Separate. Since the valve body 7 is separated from the drain port 8a by a large distance of 30 mm, bubbles from detergent generated during cleaning, even if the size is about 20 mm, will not interfere with the space between the drain port 8a and the valve body 7. Since the waste water passes through the drain port 8a and is discharged from the drain port 8a, the discharge can be carried out suitably.
This wide-open state in "automatic cleaning mode" is created by incorporating the "cleaning time" into the program, which is "sufficient time from the start of automatic cleaning to the end of automatic cleaning and for the bubbles etc. from cleaning to be discharged." After the cleaning time has elapsed from automatic cleaning mode, the machine is programmed to automatically cancel the wide-open state and return to the normal open state, which saves the effort of canceling the wide-open state after the work is completed. It is easy for users to use it.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be freely modified without changing the main idea.
For example, the present invention can also be implemented by a remotely operated drain plug device as shown in the reference diagram shown in FIG. 16.
In the remote control drain plug device shown in FIG. 16, the gear member 6a connected to the motor member MO is connected to the motion converting member 14, the motion converting member 14 is connected to one end of the inner wire 11b, and the other end is connected to the drain plug device. It is connected to the valve body 7 arranged at the port 8a.
With this structure, by performing controlled rotation of the motor member MO, the vertical position of the motion converting member 14 can be managed, and the inner wire 11b advances and retreats in conjunction with the motion converting member 14 to move the valve body Since the valve 7 can be raised and lowered, it can be used as a remotely operated drain plug device that is electrically operated.
Here, by controlling the rotation speed of the gear member 6a of the motor member MO, a plurality of height positions are set when the drain port 8a and the valve body 7 are opened, so that the height position of the valve body 7 when the drain port 8a is opened is It is possible to provide a remotely operated drain plug device having opening states with different height states.

Further, in the above embodiment, the tank body in which the remote-controlled drain plug device is adopted is the bathtub B, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be applied to any type of tank such as a washstand or a sink. It may be applied to the body.

1 First casing 1a Opening 2 Second casing 3 First operation shaft 4 Second operation shaft 4a Step portion 5 Lock mechanism 5a Lock mechanism body 5b Lock shaft 5c Rotating gear 5d Locking tooth 6 Electric drive unit 6a Gear member 7 Valve Body 8 Drain port main body 8a Drain port 8b Flange portion 9 Support member 10 Joint member 10a Discharge port 10b Insertion portion 11 Release wire 11a Outer tube 11b Inner wire 11c Valve stem 12 Guide tube 13 Button member 14 Motion conversion member 14a Engagement portion 14b Locking step B Bathtub B1 Mounting hole B2 Operating part mounting hole C1 Connecting part C2 Connected part C3 Connecting member MO Motor member MK Rotating shaft S Operating part S1 Operating part main body T1 Inclined tooth T2 Lower groove part T3 Holding tooth T4 Upper groove part

Claims (3)

In a remote-controlled drain plug device that opens and closes a drain port by remote control,
A drain port provided on the bottom of the tank body,
a valve body that opens and closes the drain port by moving up and down on the drain port;
an operation unit that opens and closes the drain port;
Consisting of
By fixing the valve body in an elevated state, the drain port is in an open state, and
a plurality of open states having different height positions with respect to the valve body with respect to the drain port ;
a manual operation unit that opens and closes the drain port by manual operation;
and an electric operation unit that opens and closes the drain port by electric operation,
From the opening state due to the manual operation,
A remote-controlled drain plug device, characterized in that the electrically operated open state is such that the valve body is at a higher height position. In the remote-controlled drain plug device,
The remote-controlled drain according to claim 1, characterized in that the height state of the valve body when the drain port is opened is changed to a different opening state depending on the purpose when the drain port is opened. Stopper device. In a remote-controlled drain plug device that opens and closes a drain port by remote control,
A drain port provided on the bottom of the tank body,
a valve body that opens and closes the drain port by moving up and down on the drain port;
an operation unit that opens and closes the drain port;
Consisting of
By fixing the valve body in an elevated state, the drain port is in an open state, and
a plurality of open states having different height positions with respect to the valve body with respect to the drain port;
In addition to having an automatic cleaning function that automatically cleans the inside of the tank body,
a first drainage state in which the tank body is normally drained;
a second drainage state in which drainage occurs during automatic cleaning within the tank;
The height position of the valve body when the valve body is opened in the second drainage state is higher than the height position of the valve body when the valve body is opened in the first drainage state . A remote-controlled drain plug device characterized in that it is configured to:

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