JPH05154182A - Bubble generator for bath - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the installation characteristic of an air suction pipe by preventing the infiltration by the back flow into the air suction pipe after stopping bubble injection and circulation in bath tub water and enabling recirculation operation even if there is turning around of the piping having rugged shapes on the way to the air suction pipe. CONSTITUTION:A bubble generator 2 is fixed in the mounting port 1a of a bath tub 1 and is connected with a circulator 11 via circulators 3, 4 to circulate the bath tub water. A negative pressure chamber V generates the negative pressure lower than the atm. pressure by the ejector effect of the water flow in a Venturi ejection port F through the air suction port 5 when an air control valve 7 is opened. The water carrying the bubbles is then injected into the bath tub 1. The head pressure HmAq of the-bath tub water closes the air control valve 7 after the stop of the operation and acts on the air in the hermetic state in the air suction pipe 5 and compresses the air. The water flows back via the negative pressure chamber V to the air suction pipe 5 side by as much as the compressed component. The infiltration of the bath tub water to the air suction pipe 5 is, however, prevented by providing a back flow preventive device 8 larger in volume than the compressed component.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath bubble generating apparatus which mixes air with bath water returning to a bath by forced circulation to generate a bubble flow in the bath.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional bath bubble generator is shown in FIG.
The bubble generator 2 connected to the bathtub 1 is connected to the pump 6 that circulates the water in the bathtub 1 with the bath upstream pipe 3 and the bath return pipe 4 as shown in FIG. 7 and 7 are connected by an air pipe 5.

When it is desired to generate bubbles, the pump 6 is operated to circulate the water in the bath 1 and, at the same time, the control valve 7 is turned on. When the circulating water from the return pipe 4 returns to the bubble generator 2 and vigorously discharges the water flow from the venturi injection port F, the negative pressure chamber V is slightly above atmospheric pressure (maximum 50 cmAq) due to the attractive force of the ejector action of the water flow. Generates negative pressure. Due to this negative pressure, the air sucked from the tip A of the air pipe 5 mixes with the water flow and is jetted into the bath 1 as a bubble flow. When only water in the bathtub 1 is circulated and no bubbles are needed,
If the control valve 7 is turned off, bubbles will not be generated. When stopping the circulation, the pump 6 is stopped.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned configuration, when the bubble operation is stopped, the control valve 7 is turned off for the air in the air pipe 5, and the negative pressure due to the operation is added to the bath water level. The pressure of H ₀ is applied, the volume is reduced, and the water in the bathtub 1 flows back into the air pipe 5.

Even if the amount of backflow is small, the pipe that has once risen due to the way in which the pipe of the air pipe 5 is routed goes down by a distance L, forming a so-called torii pipe, and the backflow water of the bathtub 1 accumulates, then bubbles. With the suction force (negative pressure) of the bubble generator 2 during operation, when L> 50 cm, the backflow water accumulated in the air pipe 5 could not be completely discharged, and there was a problem that bubbles were not generated. In addition, by prohibiting this piping, there is a problem that the degree of freedom in routing the piping is lost and the piping becomes difficult to carry out.

Therefore, the present invention provides a bath bubble generating device which is capable of arbitrarily forming an air suction pipe and which is excellent in pipe workability.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the first means of the bath bubble generating apparatus according to the present invention is a bathtub which is externally connected to the bathtub to circulate bathtub water, and a bathtub. Bubbles that have a negative pressure generation chamber that is provided at the mounting port of the bathtub where water returns from the circulation path and that induces a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by the ejector action of the passing water flow, and an air pipe connection port that connects the negative pressure generation chamber to the outside A generator, an air suction pipe that is connected to the air pipe connection port and opens the other end to the atmosphere, and an air suction pipe that is close to the air pipe connection port and has a downward slope with respect to the air pipe connection port. A backflow prevention device that has a volume equal to or greater than the volume reduction of the air in the air suction pipe based on the head of the bath that acts on the air suction pipe when the water circulation operation is stopped, and the air is placed near the open end of the air suction pipe. An air control valve that regulates the passage of It is equipped with a pump that circulates bath water through the passage, and compared with the head equivalent to the negative pressure induced by the bubble generator, at least a part of the air suction pipe is located below the bubble generator. It corresponds to large piping conditions.

Further, the second means of the present invention is characterized in that the backflow preventing means is constituted by a pipe material which is wound in a coil shape with the central axis being substantially vertical.

Further, the third means of the present invention is characterized in that at least the upper end of the backflow preventing means is located above the overflow end of the bathtub.

[0010]

According to the first means, the bath bubble generator of the present invention has the air suction pipe connected to the air pipe connection port, and thereafter has the concavo-convex portion serving as a torii pipe so that the pipe can be easily installed. Even if the pipe is freely drawn, the volume of the backflow prevention means is equal to or greater than the amount of contraction of the head of the bathtub after the circulation operation is stopped to compress the air in the air pipe, and the air suction pipe ahead of the backflow prevention means from the bathtub. It is possible to prevent the invasion of the bathtub water due to the reverse flow of water.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the pipe material is used as the backflow preventing means, the backflow preventing means is constituted by the pipe material wound in a coil shape substantially perpendicular to the height direction of the bathtub. The height can be suppressed to accommodate the installation case where the vertical installation space is limited.

Further, according to the third means, the present invention is
When the air control valve does not close at the time of operation stop, even if the bath water flows back to the position of the bath surface and enters the air stopping means,
It does not come out of the backflow prevention means and invade into the air suction pipe, and when the operation is restarted, the negative pressure of the bubble generator returns the invading water to the bathtub and the recirculation operation becomes possible.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a bath bubble generator according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which a bubble generator 2 is fixed to a mounting port 1a of a bath 1 and a forward pipe 3 and a return pipe 4 as circulation circuits are connected to the bubble generator. 2, and the other ends of the outflow pipe 3 and the return pipe 4 are connected to the circulator 11. The circulator 11 is provided with a pump 6 for forcedly circulating bath water, a heater 10 for heating and raising the temperature, and an air control valve 7 which is provided in front of the open end 12 of the air suction pipe 5 to regulate the passage of air. It is placed on the ground at a position lower than the bathtub 1 installed in. The air suction pipe 5 is bundled together with the return pipe 4 and the like, and is connected to the air pipe connection port 9 of the bubble generator 2. The bubble generator 2 is circulated by the pump 6 and vigorously ejects a water flow into the bathtub 1 from the venturi injection port F, and this water flow causes a negative pressure (maximum about 50 cmAq) lower than the atmospheric pressure in the negative pressure chamber V by the ejector action. This negative pressure is generated, and the air is sucked from the open end 12 of the air suction pipe 5, and the bubbly flow in which the air and the return water are mixed is injected into the bathtub 1.

A backflow preventer 8 as a backflow prevention means is provided at a position near the air pipe connection port 9 of the air suction pipe 5. The backflow preventer 8 is wound in a coil shape in the height direction of the bathtub 1 and is made of a stainless steel tube or the like, and is compressed in the vertical direction so that the installation space in the height direction is insufficient. For example, an installation case under a bay window. Can adapt to. Circulator 11 is heater 10
When it is unnecessary to connect with fuel piping (not shown), etc., a circulator 11a is provided at the position shown by the two-dot chain line on the same floor as the bathtub 1 or on the roof above it. Sometimes installed. Outgoing pipe 3, return pipe 4, air suction pipe 5
Has a long pipe length between the bubble generator 2 and the circulator 11, but a bent portion such as a Torii pipe portion may be provided, and piping can be performed freely.

Based on the above construction, the operation of the water in the bathtub 1 flowing back to the air intake pipe 5 side will be described. During the bubble operation, the pressure in the air suction pipe 5 and the air stopper 8 is lower than the atmospheric pressure, and the pressure in the negative pressure chamber V is negative. When the bubble operation is stopped, the pump 6 and the air control valve 7 are turned off.
Then, the bubble generation stops. At this time, the air in the air suction pipe 5 and the backflow preventer 8 is not only added to the negative pressure during operation but also added to the bath 1
The water head pressure HmAq is applied and compressed, and the amount of the compressed water causes the bath water to flow back to the backflow preventer 8 and enter through the negative pressure chamber V.

The compressed portion of the air will be described. The air between the air control valve 7 of the air suction pipe 5 and the negative pressure chamber V is in a trapped state, and it is in accordance with the pressure according to the well-known Boyle-Charle's law. Change the volume. That is, the volume of the trapped air (equal to the volume of air during operation) is v ₀ , the air pressure p ₀ during operation and the temperature of air are T _0, and the volume of air after operation stop is v , P is the pressure applied to the air and T is the temperature, then p ₀ × v ₀
The relational expression of / T ₀ = p × v / T holds. The air pressure p ₀ is about 50 cmAq = 50, which is the negative pressure induced in the negative pressure chamber V during operation, with the atmospheric pressure being about 1 kg / cm ² = 1,000 gr / cm ^2.
Assuming gr / cm ² , p ₀ = 1,000 + 50 = 1,050 (gr
/ cm ² ). Also, the air after the stop has p = 1,000.
A pressure of + HmAq is applied, and this HmAq is the position head from the water surface of the bathtub 1 to the air control valve 7.

The amount of compressed air Δv is Δv = v ₀ −v = v
₀ {1- (p ₀ / p) × (T / T ₀ )}, and the compression rate α _v is α _v = Δv / v ₀ = 1- (p ₀ / p) × (T /
T ₀ ). Then, substituting both equations of the pressures p ₀ and p, α _v = 1− (1,050 / 1,000 + HmAq)
A relational expression of × (T / T ₀ ) is created. Now, assuming that the temperatures T and T ₀ do not change, the head pressure HmAq is used as the heat source device 11
And the floor where the bathtub 1 is installed are different, so H ≒ 3.0m = 300gr
/ cm ² And α _v = 1-1,050 / 1,300≈
At 0.20, the air receives about 20% compression after the shutdown. There are many cases of such installations in houses for two or three households these days, and it is customary to install the products on the ground where installation is easy.

When the compression rate is 20%, the volume v ₀ in the air suction pipe 5 is obtained from the pipe length and the pipe diameter, and the volume head compression H can be easily obtained by measuring the position head H due to installation. The volume of the backflow preventer 8 can be integrated by multiplying the compression amount Δv by a slight safety factor. When the circulator 11a is installed, the pressure p ₁ becomes p ₁ ≈1,000 + H ₀ Aq, and the compression amount Δv ₁ decreases as the head pressure H ₀ decreases. In this way, the backflow preventer 5 can prevent the invasion of bathtub water into the air suction pipe 5, and even if the pipe shown by L in the drawing is made, the obstacle to the circulation operation due to the backflow water can be eliminated.

(Embodiment 2) Next, FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the air pipe connecting port 9 of the bubble generator 2 is passed to the bath 1
A straight tubular backflow preventer 14 reaching a point X having a distance S is further provided above the overflow end 13 of the air suction pipe 5 at the point X.
Connect. The material of the backflow preventer 14 is the air suction pipe 5.
The backflow preventer 14 may be configured as a part of the air suction pipe 5 by using the same material as.

As is apparent from the figure, the characteristic feature of the backflow preventer 14 is that it is long in the vertical direction but occupies less space in the horizontal direction than the previous embodiment, and the space in front of the bubble generator 2 in the bathtub 1 is fixed. Especially effective when is narrow. Another feature is that, for example, when the air control valve 7 is locked in the open state or loses the closing function due to dust clogging, the air between the air pipe connection port 9 and the air control valve 7 loses the closed state. , Open to the atmosphere. Then, after the operation is stopped, the head pressure H ₀ from the water surface of the bathtub is applied to the backflow preventer 14, and the bathtub water easily pushes the air inside the backflow preventer 14.
The air in the air suction pipe 5 is pushed out into the atmosphere from the open end 12, and instead enters the backflow preventer 14 up to the bath surface R.

However, since the point X is located above the overflow end 13 of the bathtub 1, the backflowing invaded water does not reach the air suction pipe 5. Household bath tub 1 is about 50 cm at water level H _B
The head pressure H ₀ is smaller than the negative pressure (about 50 cmAq) of the bubble generator 2.

Then, when the circulation operation is restarted, the invading water can be quickly returned to the bathtub by the negative pressure attracted to the negative pressure chamber V by the bubble generator 2, and a bubble jet can be formed.

It should be noted that the backflow preventer 14 is not a straight tube as shown in the drawing, but may have an upward slope from the air pipe connection port 9 toward the point X, and is curved or meanders in an S shape. Or
The same effect can be expected even with an inclined straight pipe.

When the size H _{B of the} bathtub 1 is large and the head pressure H ₀ is also large, the negative pressure attraction force of the bubble generator 2 may be designed to be large. If it is not desired to leave the point X on the overflow end 13 of the bathtub 1, the inner diameter of the backflow preventer 14 may be increased.

Further, the pump 6 is not necessarily the air control valve 7
It may not be located at the same location as, but may be near the bubble generator 2.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the bath bubble generating apparatus of the present invention, the air control valve for adjusting the suction air of the bubble generator is installed at a position distant from the bubble generator, When the volume of air stored in the air suction pipe is large, the backflow prevention means prevents the backflow to the air suction pipe side due to the suspension of the circulation operation of the bath water, so that the air suction pipe has a concavo-convex shape. Even if the gap between the concave portion and the bubble generator is equal to or more than the negative pressure induced by the bubble generator, the circulation operation is not affected, and easy piping can be realized.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when a pipe material is used for the backflow prevention means, the backflow prevention means is constructed by winding the tube material around the height direction of the bathtub as a central axis to form the backflow prevention means. Can be accommodated in an installation case in which the vertical installation space is limited.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the closing function of the air control valve is disturbed at the time of operation stop, the backflow prevention means prevents the backflow of the bath water so that the bubble generator can be restarted. The bathtub water that has flowed back due to the negative pressure induced by can be returned to the bathtub, and the recirculation operation can be continued.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a bath bubble generator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Bath 2 Air bubble generator 5 Air suction pipe 7 Air control valve 8 Backflow preventer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A circulation path connected to a bathtub from the outside to circulate the bathwater and a mounting port of the bathtub where the bathwater returns from the circulation path, and a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is attracted by an ejector action of the passing water flow. A bubble generator that has a negative pressure generation chamber and an air pipe connection port that communicates the negative pressure generation chamber with the outside, an air suction pipe that is connected to the air pipe connection port and opens the other end to the atmosphere, and an air pipe connection port. It has a descending slope with respect to the air pipe connection via the nearby air suction pipe, and it is equal to or more than the volume reduction of the air in the air suction pipe based on the head of the bath that acts on the air suction pipe by stopping the circulation operation of the bath water. A backflow prevention means that has a volume, an air control valve that is arranged near the open air end of the air suction pipe to regulate the passage of air, and a pump that circulates the bath water intervening in the circulation path are provided. Compared to the head of water, which is equivalent to the negative pressure induced by the vessel, Both bath bubble generating device corresponding to the piping condition position difference part of the air suction pipe is positioned below the bubble generator is large. 2. The bath bubble generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backflow preventing means is constituted by a pipe material which is wound in a coil shape with its central axis being substantially vertical. 3. The bath bubble generating device according to claim 1, wherein at least the upper end of the backflow preventing means is located above the overflow end of the bathtub.