AU2005303988B2

AU2005303988B2 - Concealed sanitary fitting

Info

Publication number: AU2005303988B2
Application number: AU2005303988A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bernd Assenmacher
Original assignee: Hansa Metallwerke AG
Current assignee: Hansa Metallwerke AG
Priority date: 2004-11-12
Filing date: 2005-11-07
Publication date: 2010-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-07
Also published as: WO2006050882A1; EP1809822B1; EP1809822A1; AU2005303988A1; DE102004054640B3

Description

WO 2006/050882 1 PCT/EP2005/011867 Concealed sanitary fitting The invention relates to a concealed sanitary fitting having a) a housing which has at least a connection for connection to a domestic water pipe, a connection 5 for connection to a bath outlet and a connection for connection to a shower; b) a valve which is arranged in a first receiving space of the housing and controls at least one water flow; c) a switching device which is arranged in a second 10 receiving space of the housing, has a valve stem and by which the water emerging from the valve can be selectively directed to the connection which is connectable to the bath outlet or to the connection which is connectable to the shower; is d) a covering rosette which, when the concealed fitting is installed in a wall recess, outwardly closes the wall recess; e) an actuating device for the switching device, which comprises: WO 2006/050882 2 PCT/EP2005/011867 ea) a manual actuating member arranged in the vicinity of the covering rosette; eb) an actuating mechanism connecting the manual actuating member to the valve stem of the 5 switching device. In the present case, the terms "axial" and "radial" are used to denote directions. "axial" is understood to mean a direction running perpendicularly to the plane of extension of the building wall in which the concealed 10 fitting is to be installed. This direction corresponds generally to the direction of the axis of the receiving opening for the valve controlling the water flow. Any direction which is perpendicular thereto, and thus runs parallel to the plane of extension of the building wall 15 in the installed state of the concealed fitting, is referred to here as "radial". In known concealed sanitary fittings of the type mentioned at the beginning, the second receiving space which contains the switching device is situated laterally 20 of the first receiving space in which the water controlling valve is situated. The axes of both receiving spaces run, in the above-mentioned sense, "axially" and parallel to one another. The manual actuating member is a pull knob which is connected to the valve stem of the 25 switching device via a rod serving in this case as the actuating mechanism. To switch the water flow, the pull 3 knob is pulled away from the rosette in the axial direction; in that direction in which the water flows to the shower, the pull knob has a clear spacing from the outside of the covering rosette. 5 As a result of the fact that the two receiving spaces are offset in the lateral (radial) direction with respect to one another in these known concealed sanitary fittings, the concealed fitting is also of relatively large size in 10 this direction. The inevitable consequence of this is that the covering rosette covering the wall recess is large in area. This, however, is not always desirable for aesthetic reasons. 15 The invention provides a concealed sanitary fitting having a) a housing which has at least a connection for connection to a domestic water pipe, a connection for connection to a bath outlet and a connection for connection to a shower; 20 b) a valve which is arranged in a first receiving space of the housing and controls at least one water flow; c) a switching device which is arranged in a second receiving space of the housing, has a valve stem 25 and by which the water emerging from the valve can be selectively directed to the connection which is connectable to the bath outlet or to the connection which is connectable to the shower; 30 d) a covering rosette which, when the concealed fitting is installed in a wall recess, outwardly closes the wall recess; e) ana actuating device for the switching device, which comprises: 4 ea) a manual actuating member arranged in the vicinity of the covering rosette, eb) an actuating mechanism connecting the manual actuating member to the valve stem 5 of the switching device, wherein f) the receiving space for the switching device lies, seen from the outside, axially behind the receiving space for the valve; 10 g) the switching device is designed such that it can be actuated by a rotation of the valve stem designed as a rotary shaft; h) the rotary shaft is led radially out of the housing; and 15 i) the actuating mechanism is designed such that it can connect the manual actuating member, at different distances between the covering rosette and the switching device, to the rotary shaft. 20 Preferred embodiments of the invention provide a concealed sanitary fitting that is of small size in the radial direction and can therefore have smaller-area covering rosettes. 25 owing to the invention, the previous design in which the two receiving spaces for the water-controlling valve and the switching device are offset laterally (radially) with respect to one another can be dispensed with. The "depth" of the building wall installation recess can, instead, be 30 utilised, in which direction sufficient space is generally available. The "depth" may be utilised by arranging the two receiving spaces in the axial direction more or less in alignment, or at any rate "one behind the other" (seen from the outside with the concealed fitting installed), 5 whereby the valve stem for the switching device can no longer run in the axial direction in the above-mentioned sense, but must be led in the radial direction out of the housing of the concealed fitting. 5 In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the actuating mechanism must be variably adjustable in accordance with the respective locally prevailing "installation depths", i.e. the distances which exist 10 between the domestic pipes and the respective outer surface of the building wall. In known concealed sanitary fittings, the switching device comprises a double valve cone which is movable linearly to 15 and fro between two valve seats by means of the valve stem. By contrast, the valve stem in the concealed sanitary fitting according to the invention is rotatable, so that it need not project to different radial extents out of the housing in its two end positions. 20 A preferred switching device, which is actuable by rotation of a rotary shaft, has two support arms which are connected to the rotary shaft, enclose an angle different from 1800 and at their outer walls carry in each case a 25 valve disc which each cooperate with a valve seat formed in the receiving space of the switching device. The support arms are thus pivoted with the aid of the rotary shaft about a maximum angle corresponding to the difference between 180' and the angle enclosed by the 30 support arms. In both end positions of the rotary shaft, one of the two valve discs is lifted off the associated valve seat. Expediently, the support arms are connected in an 6 articulated manner to the associated valve disc. This ensures particularly well that the valve discs can be laid against the respective valve seat in a sealing manner. 5 It is furthermore preferred that the actuating mechanism comprise a rotary ring which is rotatably guided on the covering rosette and on which an actuating element, preferably an actuating ring, is axially displaceably held, which element positively engages over a pivot arm 10 connected to that end of the rotary shaft which projects out of the housing. With this actuating mechanism, a rotation about an axis running axially in the above mentioned sense is converted into the required rotation of the rotary shaft, which takes place about a radially 15 running axis. The manual actuating member is preferably connected to the rotary ring rotatably and via a rotary transmission mechanism. A rotation of the manual actuating member is 20 felt by many people to be more pleasant than a pulling or pushing of the manual actuating member. Moreover, the distance between the underside of the manual actuating member and the upper side of the covering rosette can be the same in all positions of the manual actuating member. 25 An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a concealed sanitary fitting in side view; 30 Figure 2 shows the concealed fitting of Figure 1, in an isometric illustration and partly broken open; WO 2006/050882 7 PCT/EP2005/011867 Figure 3 shows, in an isometric illustration, a functional unit which is one of the two main constituents of the concealed fitting of Figures 1 and 2; 5 Figure 4 shows, in an isometric illustration, the actuating mechanism, attached to a covering rosette, for the switching device of the concealed fitting of Figures 1 and 2. The concealed sanitary fitting illustrated in the drawing 10 and identified as a whole by the reference symbol 1 is a single-lever mixer; in principle, however, the fitting could be any other type of concealed sanitary fitting, in particular also a thermostatic mixer. The concealed fitting 1 comprises a cup-shaped, upwardly is open installation box 2 made of plastic, in the interior of which there are accommodated, from bottom to top, a connecting body 3 and a functional unit 4 releasably connected to the connecting body 3 in a manner which is of no further interest here. The housing of the 20 connecting body 3 and of the functional unit 4 can together be regarded as being the housing of the concealed fitting 1. The functional unit 4, which is shown on its own in Figure 3, comprises for its part a lower intermediate 2s housing 5 having a switching device 16 (not visible in WO 2006/050882 8 PCT/EP2005/011867 Figure 3), which is described in more detail below, and a cartridge housing 6, which are connected to one another in a manner which is of no interest here. Attached to the intermediate housing 5 are connecting elements 7 which 5 serve for releasably connecting the functional unit 4 to the connecting body 3 and are of no importance for the understanding of the present invention. Lying on the upper edge of the installation box 2 in the mounted state is a covering rosette 8 which has a 10 relatively large, central through-opening 9. Extending outwards through the through-opening 8 is a region of the cartridge housing 6 of the functional unit 4. The connecting body 3 has four connecting pieces which are angularly offset by 900 with respect to one another is and radially penetrate the installation box 2, and three of which, namely the connecting pieces 10, 11 and 12, can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. On installation of the concealed fitting 1, the connecting piece 11 is connected to the domestic cold-water pipe and the diametrically 20 opposite connecting piece (not visible in the drawing) is connected to the domestic hot-water pipe. A water pipe leading to the bath is connected to the connecting piece 10, and a water pipe leading to the shower is connected to the diametrically opposite connecting piece 12. 25 The cartridge housing 6 of the functional unit 4 has a receiving space 13 (cf. Figure 2) in which a conventional WO 2006/050882 9 PCT/EP2005/011867 control cartridge 14 is accommodated. The controlling element of this control cartridge 14, generally a movable ceramic disc, is actuated with the aid of an adjusting stem 15 which projects upwards out of the control 5 cartridge 14. In the fully mounted state, an operating lever is placed on the adjusting stem 15 in a known manner and with a cap-like portion overlaps a covering cap placed on the control cartridge 6 and not illustrated in the drawing. By rotating and pivoting this operating 10 lever, the temperature and quantity of mixed water flowing out can be adjusted. In a receiving space 17 of the intermediate housing 5 there is accommodated the switching device 16 by which the water flow can be selectively directed to the 15 connecting piece 10, i.e. to the bath, or to the connecting piece 12, i.e. to the shower. The receiving space 17 has the form of a bore which is introduced from the lateral surface of the intermediate housing 5 and, after the mounting of the switching device 16, is closed 20 by a plug 18 in a sealed manner. At the underside, visible in Figure 2, of the receiving space 17 there are provided two valve seats 18 and 19, from which water paths (not illustrated) lead to the connecting piece 10 and the connecting piece 12, 25 respectively. An axially running channel 20, which communicates with the mixed-water outlet opening of the WO 2006/050882 10 PCT/EP2005/011867 control cartridge 14, opens into the receiving space 17 from above. The switching device 16 comprises a rotary shaft 21, which is led through perpendicularly to the bore-like s receiving space 17 and is supported on both sides by the latter. For this purpose, the rotary shaft 21 has, at the end region lying further forwards in Figure 2, an integrally formed pivot 22 which is inserted into a corresponding bore (not illustrated) of the intermediate 10 housing 5. At the opposite end, the rotary shaft 21 is led out of the intermediate housing 5 through a radially running through-bore of the intermediate housing 5. At this end, it carries a radially running pivot lever 23 outside the intermediate housing 5. This pivot lever 23 15 can be seen particularly clearly in Figure 3. As becomes clear there, it has an angled-off driving head 24. On the rotary shaft 21 there are formed two support arms 25, 26 which are not diametrically opposite, but rather enclose an obtuse angle with one another. The free ends 20 of the two support arms 25, 26 are each connected via ball joints to valve discs 27, 28 which cooperate with the valve seats 18, 19 in the receiving space 17. The arrangement is thus such that, by rotation of the rotary shaft 21, the two valve seats 27, 28 can be laid against 25 or lifted off the associated valve seats 18 and 19, respectively. In the two end positions of this rotary movement of the rotary shaft 21, one of the valve seats WO 2006/050882 11 PCT/EP2005/011867 18, 19 is open, while the respective other valve seat is closed by the corresponding valve disc 27, 28. The possible angle of rotation of the rotary shaft 21 is thus determined by the angle which the two support arms 25, 26 5 enclose with one another. The rotary shaft 21 of the switching device 16 is rotated by an actuating mechanism 29, illustrated in particular in Figure 4. The actuating mechanism 29 is connected to the covering rosette 8 and is mounted together with the 10 latter. It comprises a rotary ring 30 which concentrically surrounds the through-opening 9 and which is rotatably guided on the underside of the covering rosette. Formed on the rotary ring 30 at an angular spacing of 900 and pointing downwards in Figure 4 are 1 four arcuate holding tabs 31, 32, 33 which are likewise concentric with the through-opening 9. An actuating ring 34 is fastened axially displaceably by a latching connection to the four holding tabs 31, 32, 33 (one of the holding tabs is hidden in Figure 4 and 20 therefore not visible). The actuating ring 34 has, likewise at an angular spacing of 901, four axially parallel projections 35, 36, 37, 38, each with two right angled steps. In this way, four driving grooves 39, 40, 41, 42, which cooperate with the pivot lever 23 of the 25 switching device 16 in a manner still to be described, are formed on the inner lateral surface of the actuating ring 34.

WO 2006/050882 12 PCT/EP2005/011867 The regions lying between the projections 35, 36, 37, 38 of the actuating ring 34 have an arc length corresponding to the arc length of the holding tabs 31, 32, 33 of the rotary ring 30. The radii of the holding tabs 31, 32, 33 5 and of the regions of the actuating ring 34 which lie between the projections 35, 36, 37, 38 are coordinated with one another such that the inner lateral surface of the holding tabs 31, 32, 33 can in each case slide on the outer surfaces of the corresponding regions. In this way, 10 the actuating ring 34 is axially displaceable, in the manner already indicated above, with respect to the holding tabs 31, 32, 33 and thus ultimately with respect to the covering rosette 8. Mounted rotatably in the covering rosette 8 is a rotary 15 knob 43, the axis of which runs parallel to the axis of the through-opening 9. A toothed segment 44, arranged on the underside of the covering rosette 8, can be rotated with the aid of the rotary knob 43. The toothing of the toothed segment 44 meshes with toothing 45 formed on the 20 outer diameter of the rotary ring 30 at least in the vicinity of the toothed segment 44. A tension spring 46 extends between the toothed segment 44 and a fastening point on the underside of the covering rosette 8. It seeks to move the toothed segment 44 and 25 thus also the holding tabs 31, 32, 33 and the actuating ring 34 into a preferred rotary position.

WO 2006/050882 13 PCT/EP2005/011867 The mounting of the above-described concealed fitting 1 takes place as follows: At an early stage of the interior finishing of the building in which the concealed fitting 1 is to be 5 fitted, the connecting body 3 is arranged in a wall recess; there the connection is made between the connecting pieces 10, 11, 12 and the corresponding domestic water pipes opening into the wall recess. Now the wall recess is initially closed, which can be done 10 for example with the aid of the installation box 2 which still has an upper cover at this time. At a later stage of the interior finishing, the cover of the installation box 2 is sawn off directly at the wall surface, so that the interior of the installation box 2 15 and thus the connecting housing 3 become accessible. Now the functional unit 4 is inserted, with the lower end in Figure 3 first, into the interior of the installation box 2 and is connected to the connecting housing 3 with the aid of the connecting elements 7. In the process, the 20 inner water paths of the functional unit 4 come into communication with the corresponding water paths led through the connecting housing 3 and ending there in the connecting pieces 10, 11, 12. Finally, the covering rosette 8 with the actuating device 25 29 is put on, in which process part of the cartridge housing 6 pushes outwards through the central through- WO 2006/050882 14 PCT/EP2005/011867 opening 9 of the covering rosette 8. At the same time, the driving head 24 of the pivot lever 23 belonging to the switching device 16 moves into one of the four driving grooves 39, 40, 41, 42 of the actuating device 5 29. The covering rosette 8 is placed on the outside of the building wall and sealed off with respect to it by an O-ring. During this placing-on process, the actuating ring 34 of the actuating device 29 is displaced in the axial direction with respect to the holding tabs 31, 32, 10 33 by the distance of the connecting housing 3 from the outer surface of the building wall. As is evident, the illustrated construction method enables compensation for differences in this installation depth which correspond approximately to the axial width of the actuating ring 15 34. The mounted concealed fitting 1 operates as follows: By actuation of the adjusting stem 15 of the control cartridge 14, a specific quantity and mixing ratio of the mixed water flowing out is produced in a known manner. 20 This mixed water flows via the channel 20 in the intermediate housing 5 into the receiving space 17 of the switching device 16 and from there, depending on the position of the switching device 16, either via the valve seat 18 which is open in Figure 2 to the connecting piece 25 12 and from there to the shower or via the valve seat 19 which is closed in Figure 2 to the connecting piece 10 and from there to the bath.

C:\NRPortbl\DCC\EJL\3341461_1.DOC-2/12/2010 15 If the shower operation illustrated in Figure 2 is to be switched to a bath operation, the rotary knob 43 is rotated in the corresponding direction of rotation. The result of this is that the entire actuating mechanism 29 5 is rotated about the axis of the concealed fitting 1 with the aid of the toothed segment 44. In the process, the pivot lever 23 of the switching device 16 is carried along. The rotation of the rotary shaft 21 brought about as a result of this lays the valve disc 28 against the 10 valve seat 18 and thus blocks the further water flow to the shower, while the valve seat 27 is lifted off the valve seat 19 and thus the water flow to the bath-outlet connecting piece 10 is freed. 15 The tension spring 46 acting between the toothed segment 44 and the covering rosette 8 ensures that, when the water flow is turned off, a desired preferred position of the switching device 16 always occurs, for example that in which the water flow to the bath is freed. 20 While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in 25 the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments. 30 Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word C:\NRPortbl\DCC\EJL\3341461 1.DOC+2/12/2010 16 "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of 5 integers or steps. The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as 10 an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims

1. A concealed sanitary fitting having a) a housing which has at least a connection for 5 connection to a domestic water pipe, a connection for connection to a bath outlet and a connection for connection to a shower; b) a valve which is arranged in a first receiving space of the housing and controls at least one 10 water flow; c) a switching device which is arranged in a second receiving space of the housing, has a valve stem and by which the water emerging from the valve can be selectively directed to the connection 15 which is connectable to the bath outlet or to the connection which is connectable to the shower; d) a covering rosette which, when the concealed fitting is installed in a wall recess, outwardly 20 closes the wall recess; e) an actuating device for the switching device, which comprises: ea) a manual actuating member arranged in the vicinity of the covering rosette, 25 eb) an actuating mechanism connecting the manual actuating member to the valve stem of the switching device, wherein f) the receiving space for the switching device 30 lies, seen from the outside, axially behind the receiving space for the valve; g) the switching device is designed such that it C:\NNRPurtbl\ DCC\EJL\A3341461_1.DOC -3/12/2010 18 can be actuated by a rotation of the valve stem designed as a rotary shaft; h) the rotary shaft is led radially out of the housing; and 5 i) the actuating mechanism is designed such that it can connect the manual actuating member, at different distances between the covering rosette and the switching device, to the rotary shaft. 10

2. Concealed fitting according to Claim 1, wherein the switching device has two support arms which are connected to the rotary shaft, enclose an angle different from 1800 and at their outer ends carry in each case a valve disc which each cooperate with a 15 valve seat provided in the receiving space of the switching device.

3. A concealed fitting according to Claim 2, wherein the support arms are connected in an articulated manner 20 to the associated valve disc.

4. A concealed fitting according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a rotary ring which is rotatably guided on 25 the covering rosette and on which an actuating element is axially displaceably held, which element positively engages over a pivot arm connected to that end of the rotary shaft which projects out of the housing. 30

5. A concealed fitting according to Claim 4, wherein the manual actuating member is connected to the rotary C:\NRPortbl\DCC\EJL\3341461_1 DOC-3/-2/2010 19 ring rotatably and via a rotary transmission mechanism.

6. A concealed fitting according to either one of 5 claims 4 and 5, wherein the actuating element comprises an actuating ring.

7. A concealed fitting substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings and/or 10 Examples.