JP2006180970A - Shower apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a fall of a shower head from the water pipe or from a joint connected to the water piping. <P>SOLUTION: The shower apparatus is equipped with the water pipe to supply warm and cold water, a shower head to discharge the warm and cold water and the joint to connect the water piping and the shower head, wherein a fall prevention device is disposed at a back side of the shower head to prevent the fall of the shower head from the splicer when the connection between the joint and the shower head is not allowed due to the looseness or the breakage of the joint. The fall prevention device is connected to the back side of the shower head to surround the joint, wherein a connection section to be connected to the shower head and a locking surface to prevent the fall of the shower head are disposed, and a locking section is disposed in the joint to be locked by the locking surface when the connection with the shower head is not allowed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a shower apparatus installed in a bathroom or a shower room, and more particularly to a shower apparatus suitable for performing shower water discharge from overhead.

Conventionally, in a shower device installed above a ceiling surface or wall surface of a bathroom or shower room, a connecting device is attached to a water supply pipe disposed on the back surface of the ceiling surface or wall surface, and a metal material or rigidity is attached to the connecting device. There is one that allows shower water to be discharged from above by attaching a shower head with a watering plate made of a high resin material. In such a conventional shower apparatus, the water supply pipe and the connection tool, and the connection between the connection tool and the shower head have been realized by providing screw connection portions that are opposite to each other and simply connecting them. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-009659 (Fig. 4)

  And in such a shower device, it is now possible to obtain a refreshing feeling at the time of bathing without entering the bathtub and to differentiate the design in the bathroom or shower room by the shower water of a large capacity that wraps the whole body. For the purpose of providing decoration, it has been noticed that the outer diameter of the shower head is increased, or that the enlarged shower head is directly attached to the ceiling surface so that the structure is integrated with the ceiling surface.

However, if the conventional showerhead connection structure described above is used as it is when the showerhead is enlarged, the area receiving the feed water pressure inside the showerhead increases or the weight of the showerhead itself increases. The water supply piping and the connection tool that support these, or the screw connection portion between the connection tool and the shower head are subjected to a greater stress load than before. As a result, there is a possibility that the screw connection portion is fatigued and destroyed due to long-term use, and the shower head suddenly drops from the water supply pipe.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides a shower device that prevents a shower head from falling from a water supply pipe or a connector connected to the water supply pipe.

  In the invention according to claim 1, in the shower device comprising a water supply pipe for supplying hot water, a shower head for discharging hot water, and a connector for connecting the water supply pipe and the shower head, loosening or breakage of the connector For example, when the connection between the connection tool and the shower head becomes impossible, a fall prevention tool for preventing the shower head from falling from the connection tool is provided on the back side of the shower head. It was set as the shower apparatus characterized by this.

  According to the present invention, a shower is provided at a connection portion that is subjected to a relatively large stress load due to the influence of the water supply pressure or the weight of the shower head, such as a connection portion between the water supply pipe and the connection tool, or a connection portion between the connection tool and the shower head. By providing a means to prevent the head from falling, the fall prevention device works even when these connection points become impossible due to fatigue failure, etc., preventing sudden drop of a heavy shower head can do.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the fall prevention tool is connected to the shower head so as to surround the connection tool, and a connection portion connected to the shower head is provided inside the fall prevention tool. And a locking surface that prevents the shower head from falling, and a locking portion that is locked by the locking surface when the connection tool becomes impossible to connect to the shower head. It was set as the shower apparatus characterized by this.

  According to the present invention, in the connection part between the connection tool and the shower head, the connection part separate from the connection part connecting the shower head and the connection tool is provided in the shower head, and the fall prevention tool is connected to the separate connection part. Therefore, even when the connecting part that connects the shower head and the connecting tool, which is heavily stressed due to the water supply pressure or the weight of the shower head, is disconnected due to fatigue failure, etc., it is locked by the locking part of the fall prevention tool. In addition, sudden drop of a heavy shower head can be prevented.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the shower apparatus is characterized in that a communication passage communicating from the inside to the outside is provided in the fall prevention tool.

  According to the present invention, when the fall prevention device is provided with the connecting path to prevent the shower head from falling due to the breakage of the connection portion between the connection tool and the shower head, the hot water that leaks from the connection portion between the disconnected connection tool and the shower head is prevented. Is ejected from the communication passage. Thus, the water discharged from the unintended location and direction serves as a failure detection means that the connection portion between the connection tool and the shower head has been disconnected, so that the user can quickly detect the failure of the shower device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the fall prevention device is a string-like suspension device, and a fixture is provided at both ends of the suspension device, with one of the fixtures on the back side of the shower head and the other on the wall surface. Or it was set as the shower apparatus characterized by fixing to the said water supply piping.

According to the present invention, the back surface of the shower head and the wall surface of the bathroom or shower room are connected by a hanging tool such as a string or a chain having a strength higher than a certain value, so that even if any connection is disconnected, it is suspended. The shower head is suspended by the tool, and sudden drop of the heavy shower head can be prevented.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention can provide a shower device that prevents a shower head from falling from a water supply pipe or a connector connected to the water supply pipe.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the shower device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is attached to the ceiling surface 5. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shower apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
The shower apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a water supply pipe 6 that is mainly disposed on a ceiling surface 5 of a bathroom or a shower room, supplies hot water, a shower head 2 that discharges hot water, a water supply pipe 6, and a shower head. 2 is composed of a pipe 3 which is a connection tool for connecting 2 and a cap 4 which is a fall prevention tool for preventing the shower head 2 from dropping from the water supply pipe 6. Then, one end of the water supply pipe 6 and the pipe 3 is connected via the ceiling surface 5 of the bathroom or shower room, the other end of the pipe 3 and the shower head 2 are connected, and the cap 4 and the shower head 2 are connected via the pipe 3. It is connected.

  The water supply pipe 6 uses a metal material having a general diameter equivalent to a diameter of 15 mm, and a female thread portion (not shown) for connecting to the pipe 3 is formed inside one end on the downstream side, and is used in a bathroom or shower. It is arranged on the back surface of the top surface 5 from the bottom of the room through the back of the wall surface.

Next, the structure of the shower head 2 is demonstrated using figures. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG.
Since the shower head 2 discharges hot and cold water so as to wrap the entire body of the user, the outer diameter of the shower head 2 is larger than that of the conventional one, and the shower head 2 is formed in a planar shape in a side view. The structure is connected to the shower body 21 that forms the water passage 212 in the shower head 2, the water packing 22 provided with the water spray nozzle 221, the water spray plate 23 that forms the surface of the shower head 2, and the pipe 3. At the same time, it includes a joint 25 into which a check valve 28 is inserted, a back cover 24 that covers the shower body 21, and a fixing screw 26 that fixes the shower body 21, the back cover 24, and the water spray plate 23.

  The water spray plate 23 has a disc shape formed using a metal material, and the outer peripheral portion vertically stands upright so that the shower main body 21 and the water spray packing 22 cannot be seen from the outside. A hole having a diameter larger than that of the watering nozzle 221 is provided at the same position as the watering nozzle 222 so that the watering nozzle 221 protrudes when the watering packing 22 is stacked. Further, a plurality of fixing screw receivers 231 subjected to female threading project.

  The watering packing 22 is formed using rubber or a soft resin material, has a horizontal disk shape similar to the watering plate 23, and is provided with a plurality of watering nozzles 221.

  The shower main body 21 has a disk shape formed using a hard resin material, and a water supply port 211 into which the joint 25 is inserted is opened at the center. Further, a plurality of water passage walls 213 are provided in a fixed array around the water supply port 211 on the contact surface side with the water spray packing 22. A water passage 212 in the shower head 2 is defined by bringing the water passage wall 213 into contact with the water spray packing 22.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the joint 25 for realizing the connection structure in the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view thereof. The joint 25 has a first male thread portion 251 connected to the cap nut 31 of the pipe 3 on the upstream side, and includes an inlet 252 through which water supplied from the pipe 3 flows. Next, an O-ring 27 is attached on the downstream side, and an outflow port 253 for flowing water into the shower head 2 is provided. And between the inflow port 252 and the outflow port 253, the check valve 28 for making the shower head 2 run out well is provided.
Further, a second male screw portion 254 having a larger outer diameter than the first male screw portion is provided on the lower outer peripheral side of the first male screw portion 251, and the joint flange 255 from the end of cutting of the second male screw portion 254 is provided. Is an expanded shape. A joint through hole 256 is opened in the joint flange 255 so as to be arranged in the same manner as the fixing screw receiver 231 of the water spray plate 23.

  The back cover 24 has a disk shape formed using a metal material, and has a central portion that is open so that the second male screw portion 254 of the joint 25 that has been mentioned above is exposed. It covers the packing 22 and the shower main body 21.

  A procedure for attaching the joint 25 to the shower head portion 2 is shown in FIG. First, the downstream side of the joint 25 is inserted into the water supply port 211 of the shower main body 21, and the O-ring 27 is interposed and connected so as to be watertight. Then, the back cover 24 opened so that the second male screw portion 254 is exposed from the upstream side is covered, and the fixing screw 26 is connected to the fixing screw receiver 231 through the joint through hole 256, the shower body 21, and the water spray packing 22. The shower head 2 is formed.

Next, the pipe 3 which is a connector for connecting the water supply pipe 6 and the shower head 2 will be described.
A perspective view showing the appearance of the pipe 3 is shown in FIG. The pipe 3 has a cap nut 31 connected to the first male screw portion 251 of the joint 25 on the downstream side, and includes a male screw 32 connected to the water supply pipe 6 on the upstream side. Further, a hexagonal pipe flange 33 serving as a locking portion is provided at a position upstream of the cap nut 31.

  Next, the cap 4 which is a fall prevention tool for preventing the shower head 2 from falling from the pipe 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the cap 4 has a substantially cylindrical appearance, and has a pipe insertion hole 41 having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the pipe 3 at the top and a diameter smaller than the outer dimension of the pipe flange 33. Is opened in the cap 4, a female screw 42 connected to the second male screw 254 of the joint 25, an internal space 44 having substantially the same diameter as the female screw 42, and preventing the shower head 2 from falling. A locking surface 45 of the pipe flange 33 is provided. Further, a plurality of communication passages 43 communicating from the inner space 44 to the outside are provided on the side surface of the cap 4.

Here, the water supply piping 6 and the pipe 3, and the attachment procedure of the pipe 3, the cap 4, and the shower head 2 are shown in FIG.
First, the male screw 32 of the pipe 3 is connected to the water supply pipe 6 while the cap 4 is passed through the pipe insertion hole 41 from the male screw 32 side of the pipe 3. At this time, since the shape of the pipe collar portion 33 is a hexagonal shape as shown in FIG. 7, it can be used as a tool hook, and the workability can be further improved. Then, the cap nut 31 of the pipe 3 fixed to the water supply pipe 6 and the first male screw portion 251 of the joint 25 are connected, and then the female screw 42 of the cap 4 and the second male screw portion 254 of the joint 25 are connected. The shower apparatus 1 is attached.
And by attaching in this way, when a user operates an operation part (not shown), hot water of appropriate temperature is discharged from the shower head 2 through the water supply piping 6 so that the whole body of a user may be wrapped, and comfortable shower water discharge Is obtained.

  At this time, the connecting portion between the cap nut 31 and the first male screw portion 251 is subjected to tensile stress due to the water supply pressure received by the entire shower head 2. Moreover, since the weight of the shower head 2 whole is also supported simultaneously, the connection part of the cap nut 31 and the 1st external thread part 251 becomes a location which receives a great stress load. However, even when the connection portion between the cap nut 31 and the first male screw portion 251 is loosened or detached due to the feed water pressure or the weight of the shower head 2 as a whole, the female screw 42 of the cap 4 and the second male screw portion 254 of the joint 25 Since the connection portion is not affected at all by the water supply pressure or the weight of the shower head 2, it is less fatigued than the connection portion between the cap nut 31 and the first male screw portion 251, and the connection portion between the female screw 42 and the second male screw 254. Will not come off. Therefore, when the connecting portion between the cap nut 31 and the first male screw portion 251 is loosened or removed, the pipe collar portion 33 is caught on the locking surface 45 of the cap 4, and the shower head 2 can be prevented from falling.

  Furthermore, since a plurality of communication passages 43 are provided on the side surface of the cap 4, when the shower device 1 is discharged with the connection portion between the cap nut 31 and the first male screw portion 251 disconnected, the hot water is removed. It flows into the internal space 44 from the connecting portion and ejects from the communication passage 43. Therefore, the user can be made to detect this abnormality of the connection part by an unexpected direction from the communication path 43 and water discharge from the part.

  Note that the above-described fall prevention structure can be applied not only to each indicated connection part but also to, for example, a connection part between the pipe 3 and the water supply pipe 6 with the same structure and exhibits the same effect. be able to.

Next, 2nd embodiment in the shower apparatus of this invention is described using figures. FIG. 10 is an external perspective view showing a second embodiment of the shower device of the present invention. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the shower device 11 shown in FIG.
The shower apparatus 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a water supply pipe 6 that is mainly disposed on the ceiling surface 5 of a bathroom or a shower room, supplies hot water, a shower head 12 that discharges hot water, a water supply pipe 6 and a shower head. 12 is composed of an elbow 7 which is a connecting tool for connecting 12. Then, one end of the water supply pipe 6 and the elbow 7 is connected via the ceiling surface 5 of the bathroom or shower room, and the other end of the elbow 7 and the shower head 12 are connected.

  Next, the configuration of the shower head 12 will be described with reference to FIG. The shower head 12 uses the same shower body 21, water spray packing 22, back cover 24, and fixing screw 26 used in the shower head 2 of the first embodiment, and the roles thereof are also the same. And in order to implement | achieve 2nd embodiment, using the watering board 29 and the coupling 30 is mentioned as the characteristic.

  The watering plate 29 is shown in FIG. If only a difference with the watering board 23 of the shower head 2 of 1st embodiment is given, it will have the watering board collar part 291 in the side part of the 2nd watering board 29, and the watering board collar part 291 has it. A plurality of water spray plate through holes 292 provided at regular intervals are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the joint 30 includes an inlet 252, an outlet 253, a joint flange 255, a joint through hole 256, an O-ring 27, and a check valve 28, each of which is the same as the joint 25. It is connected to the shower head 2 in the same form as the first embodiment. However, a difference from the joint 25 is that a plurality of pipe connection O-rings 301 are provided in the connection portion with the connection port 71 of the elbow 7 and the second male screw portion 254 is not provided.

  Next, a method of connecting the joint 30 of the shower head 12 and the elbow 7 is shown in FIG. The connection port 71 of the elbow 7 is a cylindrical opening having no coupling means with the shower head 12 at the inner diameter portion, and the joint 30 with the pipe connection O-ring 301 attached is inserted into the connection port 71. At this time, since the wire diameter of the pipe connection O-ring 301 is formed larger than the inner diameter of the connection port 71, the soft material pipe connection O-ring 301 is compressed and deformed, and the inner diameter wall 72 of the elbow 7 and the joint 30 are compressed. Therefore, the joint 30 is connected to the elbow 7 with high elasticity of the pipe connecting O-ring 34.

  Then, after connecting the joint 30 and the elbow 7, the plurality of ceiling mounting screws 8 are inserted into the water spray plate through holes 292 to reinforce the ceiling surface 5 installed on the back surface of the ceiling surface 5 and the ceiling surface 5. The reinforcing plate 9 is screwed and fixed. In this way, the shower head 2 is integrally fixed to the ceiling surface 5. In the state described above, the ceiling mounting screw 8 is exposed from the appearance, and the appearance is deteriorated. Therefore, a male screw is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the water spray plate 29, and the cover 293 provided with the female screw shown in FIG. 8 is concealed.

As described above, the shower head 12 is connected directly to the ceiling surface 5 with the plurality of ceiling mounting screws 8 after the joint 30 and the elbow 7 are connected. The water supply pressure applied to 12 and the weight of the shower head 2 are not maintained, and the strength performance against the fall of the shower head 12 is stable.
However, due to reasons such as deterioration of the shower head 12 over time, the ceiling mounting screw 8 may be subject to fatigue failure, loosening of the screw, or the like. Therefore, as a means for preventing the shower head 12 from falling, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 15, the shower head 12 and the ceiling surface 5 have a strength higher than a certain value that can withstand the weight of the shower head 12. If one or more parts are separately connected by the holding tool 10 that is held, the shower head 12 can be suspended from the ceiling surface 5 by the lifting tool 10 even if the ceiling mounting screw 8 is removed, and can be prevented from falling.

  The hanging tool 10 is shown in FIG. The hanger 10 includes a shower side fixture 101, a ceiling side fixture 102, and a chain 103. As shown in FIG. 17, the shower-side fixture 101 is provided with an opening so as to be sandwiched between the back cover 24 and the fixing screw 26 and attached to the shower head 12 integrally. The ceiling surface fixture 102 provided at the other end is provided with a threaded portion so as to be directly connected to the ceiling surface 5 via a chain 103 having a certain length.

  The connection point of the hanging tool 10 is shown in FIG. The shower side fixture 101 is sandwiched and fixed between the fixing screw 26 of the shower head 12 and the back cover 24. Then, the screw portion of the ceiling surface fixture 102 is directly screwed into the ceiling surface 5 to be connected to the ceiling surface 5. In this way, the hanging tool 10 directly fixes the shower head 12 and the ceiling surface 5 and functions as a fall prevention tool.

In the connection structure described above, the inner diameter portion of the elbow 7 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the joint 30 is inserted and connected only by the elastic force of the O-ring 301 for pipe connection. Any mechanism may be used as long as it is connected to the table 6. Moreover, as long as the above-mentioned hanging tool 10 exhibits the same effect, what kind of thing may be used. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the structure for preventing the fall can exhibit the same effect even if it is used in the shower device 1 of the first embodiment, the shower device in which the water supply pipe 6 is exposed, or the like.

The external appearance perspective view which showed the external appearance of the shower apparatus in 1st embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which showed the cross section of the shower apparatus in 1st embodiment of this invention. The enlarged view of the A section in FIG. The perspective view which showed the coupling used for the shower apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which showed the coupling used for the shower apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the connection structure of the coupling and shower head in the shower apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which showed the pipe used for the shower apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which showed the cap used for the shower apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the connection structure of the coupling and pipe in the shower apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention, and a coupling and a cap. The external appearance perspective view which showed the external appearance of the shower apparatus in 2nd embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which showed the cross section of the shower apparatus in 2nd embodiment of this invention. . The perspective view which showed the watering board used for the shower apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention. . The perspective view which showed the coupling used for the shower apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the connection structure of the joint and elbow in the shower apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The partially expanded view which showed the hanging tool which connects the shower head and ceiling surface in the shower apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the hanging tool which connects the shower head and ceiling surface in the shower apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The partially expanded view which showed the connection structure of the hanging tool which connects the shower head and ceiling surface in the shower apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shower apparatus 2 ... Shower head 3 ... Pipe 4 ... Cap 5 ... Ceiling surface 6 ... Water supply piping 7 ... Elbow 8 ... Ceiling mounting screw 9 ... Reinforcement plate 10 ... Hanging apparatus 11 ... Shower apparatus 12 ... Shower head 21 ... Shower body 22 ... Sprinkling packing 23 ... Sprinkling plate 24 ... Back cover 25 ... Joint 26 ... Fixing screw 27 ... O-ring 28 ... Check valve 29 ... Sprinkling plate 30 ... Fitting 31 ... Cap nut 32 ... Male screw 33 ... Pipe collar 41 ... Pipe insertion hole 42 ... Female screw 43 ... Communication path 44 ... Internal space 45 ... Locking surface 51 ... Ceiling hole 71 ... Connection port 72 ... Inner diameter wall 101 ... Shower side fixing device 102 ... Ceiling surface side fixing device 103 ... Chain 211 ... Water supply Mouth 212 ... Water passage 221 ... Water spray nozzle 231 ... Fixing screw receiver 251 ... First male screw part 252 ... Inlet 253 ... Outlet 254 ... Second male screw part 255 ... Joint flange 256 ... Joint through hole 291 ... Sprinkler plate flange 292 ... Sprinkler plate through hole 293 ... Cover 301 ... O-ring for pipe connection

Claims (4)

In a shower apparatus comprising a water supply pipe for supplying hot water, a shower head for discharging hot water, and a connection tool for connecting the water supply pipe and the shower head, due to looseness or damage of the connection tool, the connection tool and the A shower apparatus, wherein a fall prevention tool is provided on the back side of the shower head for preventing the shower head from falling from the connection tool when the connection with the shower head becomes impossible.
The fall prevention device is connected to the back side of the shower head so as to surround the connection tool, and a connection portion connected to the shower head is provided inside the fall prevention device, and the shower head A locking surface is provided for preventing the falling of the battery, and a locking portion that is locked by the locking surface when the connection with the shower head becomes impossible is provided on the connector. The shower device according to claim 1.
The shower apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a communication passage communicating from the inside to the outside is provided in the fall prevention tool.
The fall prevention device is a string-like suspension device, and a fixture is provided at both ends of the suspension device, one of the fixtures is on the back side of the shower head, and the other is on the wall surface in the bathroom or the water supply pipe. The shower device according to claim 1, wherein the shower device is fixed.