JP7593811B2 - Faucet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a faucet.

Patent Document 1 describes a mixer tap with a hand shower.
11, a faucet body 71 of a mixer faucet (faucet) 70 includes a body portion (main pipe) 72 and a holder (branch pipe) 73 connected to the body portion (main pipe) 72. A hand shower (water discharge head) 75 connected to a hose 74 is attached to a tip portion 73a of the holder (branch pipe) 73 so as to be able to be pulled out.

JP 2001-336189 A

In the faucet 70 of Patent Document 1 and the like, when a user pulls out the water discharge head 75 or attaches the water discharge head 75 to a branch pipe, there is a risk that the hose 74 will interfere with the connection 76 between the main pipe 72 and the branch pipe 73 on the inner circumferential surface of the faucet body 71. If the hose 74 interferes with the connection 76, the sliding resistance of the hose 74 increases, and there is a risk that the operability of the water discharge head 75 will decrease.

The faucet for solving the above problem is a faucet having a faucet body with a main pipe and a branch pipe connected to the main pipe, a water discharge head attached to the tip of the branch pipe so that it can be pulled out, and a hose connected to the water discharge head, the hose is inserted through the inside of the branch pipe and the main pipe and extends to the other end of the main pipe in the axial direction, the point where the main pipe and the branch pipe are connected is a connection part, and when the connection part located on the other end side of the main pipe relative to the center of the branch pipe when the branch pipe is viewed in the axial direction from the tip side is the other end side connection part, a recess is provided on the inner surface of the other end side connection part that extends linearly in the direction in which the hose is pulled out together with the water discharge head.

According to this configuration, the inner circumferential surface of the other end connection part is provided with a recess that extends linearly in the direction in which the hose is pulled out together with the water discharge head, thereby preventing the hose from interfering with the inner circumferential surface of the other end connection part. This makes it possible to effectively prevent a decrease in the operability of the water discharge head.

In the above faucet, it is preferable that the recess has an intersection portion that extends in a direction that intersects both the axial direction of the main pipe and the axial direction of the branch pipe. With this configuration, the intersection portion can more effectively prevent the hose from interfering with the inner circumferential surface of the other end connection portion.

In the above faucet, it is preferable that the recess has a parallel portion that extends parallel to the axial direction of at least one of the main pipe and the branch pipe. With this configuration, it is possible to suitably prevent the hose from interfering with the inner circumferential surface of the end-side connection portion when the hose moves along the axial direction of at least one of the main pipe and the branch pipe.

In the above-mentioned faucet, it is preferable that the cross section perpendicular to the linear extension direction of the recess has a curved portion that forms part of a circle. With this configuration, it is easier to ensure a predetermined distance from the outer shape of the hose, and it is possible to more effectively prevent the hose from interfering with the inner surface of the other end connection part.

For the above water faucet, it is preferable that the radius of curvature of the curved portion is greater than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose. With this configuration, it becomes easier to maintain a predetermined distance more appropriately with respect to the outer shape of the hose.

The faucet of the present invention can effectively prevent deterioration of the operability of the water discharge head.

FIG. Partial cross-sectional view of the faucet. FIG. Cross-sectional view of the faucet body. Cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Figure 4. Cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Figure 4. Cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in Figure 4. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the faucet body. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a faucet body according to another modified example. A cross-sectional view of the main pipe of a faucet body of yet another modified example. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a prior art faucet.

An embodiment of a faucet will be described.
1 and 2, the faucet 10 is installed on a wall 11 which is a counter of a kitchen cabinet. The faucet 10 includes a joint 12 fixed to the wall 11, a cylindrical faucet body 13 connected to the joint 12, a lever 14 attached to the top of the faucet body 13, and a water discharge head 15 protruding obliquely upward from the center of the faucet body 13 in the axial direction.

The faucet body 13 comprises a cylindrical main pipe 30 and a cylindrical branch pipe 40 connected to the main pipe 30. The branch pipe 40 is connected to the center of the main pipe 30 in the axial direction, and the insides of the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 are connected. When the faucet 10 is installed on the wall 11, the branch pipe 40 extends diagonally upward toward the front.

The water spouting head 15 is attached to the tip 40a of the branch pipe 40, which is the end opposite to the base end 40b connected to the main pipe 30. A hose 50 is connected to the water spouting head 15. The water spouting head 15 is configured so that the user can grasp and pull out the water spouting head 15 together with the hose 50 for use. The hose 50 connected to the water spouting head 15 passes through the inside of the branch pipe 40 and the main pipe 30 and extends to the other end of the main pipe 30 in the axial direction. The hose 50 further extends below the wall 11 and is connected to the water spouting pipe 17, which will be described later. Note that in FIG. 2, the faucet body 13 and the wall 11 are shown in cross section.

2 and 3, the main pipe 30 has openings 30a and 30b at both ends in the axial direction. Inside the main pipe 30, other components constituting the faucet 10 include a cylindrical housing member 20 with a bottom, a fixing nut 21 that fixes the housing member 20 to the main pipe 30, a valve member 22 housed in the housing member 20, a fixing nut 23 that fixes the valve member 22 to the housing member 20, and a cover member 24 that covers the valve member 22. The valve member 22 is provided with an operating shaft 25 that operates the valve member 22. The lever 14 is attached to the operating shaft 25 via an attachment member 26. The housing member 20, the valve member 22, and the cover member 24 are arranged inside the main pipe 30 from the opening 30a on one end side of the main pipe 30 in the axial direction. When arranged inside the main pipe 30, a part of the cover member 24 is exposed from the opening 30a on one end side of the main pipe 30. The joint 12 is attached by screwing it into the opening 30b on the other end of the main pipe 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water supply pipe 16, the hot water supply pipe (not shown), and the water discharge pipe 17 are inserted inside the main pipe 30. The water supply pipe 16, the hot water supply pipe, and the water discharge pipe 17 penetrate the bottom wall 20a of the housing member 20 and are connected to the valve member 22. The water supply pipe 16 is connected to a water supply source (not shown), and supplies water supplied from the water supply source to the valve member 22. The hot water supply pipe is connected to a hot water supply source (not shown), and supplies hot water supplied from the hot water supply source to the valve member 22. The water discharge pipe 17 is connected to a hose 50 connected to the water discharge head 15, and supplies hot water and water mixed in the valve member 22 to the water discharge head 15.

The faucet body 13 will now be described.
As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the point where the main pipe 30 and branch pipe 40 that constitute the faucet body 13 are connected is referred to as connection part 60, and when the branch pipe 40 is viewed along the axial direction from the tip end 40a side, the connection part 60 that is located on the other end side of the main pipe 30 (the side indicated by the arrow that is vertically below the virtual line A in Figure 6) rather than the center line P that passes through the center of the branch pipe 40 is referred to as the other end connection part 61.

The inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connecting portion 61 is provided with recesses (hereinafter simply referred to as recesses) 62, 63 which extend linearly along the direction in which the hose is pulled out together with the water discharge head.
The direction in which the hose 50 is pulled out will now be described.

2 and 4, when the hose 50 is pulled out together with the water discharge head 15, the hose 50 passes near the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection part 61. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, near the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection part 61, the hose 50 moves while bending from a direction along the axial direction of the main pipe 30 to a direction along the axial direction of the branch pipe 40. Therefore, the direction in which the hose 50 is pulled out includes the axial direction of the main pipe 30, the axial direction of the branch pipe 40, and the direction in the middle of bending from the axial direction of the main pipe 30 to the axial direction of the branch pipe 40.

When the water discharge head 15 is attached to the branch pipe 40 of the faucet body 13, the hose 50 moves in the opposite direction to the direction in which the hose 50 is pulled out and is accommodated in the faucet body 13. Therefore, "along the direction in which the hose 50 is pulled out" can be rephrased as "along the direction in which the hose 50 is accommodated."

The inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61 has recesses 62, 63 that extend linearly along the direction in which the hoses 50 are pulled out. In other words, the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61 has recesses 62, 63 that extend linearly along any of the axial direction of the main pipe 30, the axial direction of the branch pipe 40, and the direction midway from the axial direction of the main pipe 30 to the axial direction of the branch pipe 40.

The recesses 62 and 63 will now be described.
As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the inner peripheral surface 61a of the other end side connecting portion 61 is provided with a recess 62 extending linearly along a direction bending from the axial direction of the main pipe 30 to the axial direction of the branch pipe 40. The recess 62 extends in a direction intersecting both the axial direction of the main pipe 30 and the axial direction of the branch pipe 40. When the same plane is assumed to include the axis of the main pipe 30 and the axis of the branch pipe 40, the recess 62 extends along the same plane with a part overlapping the same plane. Note that extending along the same plane is not limited to extending parallel to the same plane, but includes extending approximately parallel to the same plane. This recess 62 is also referred to as an intersection portion 62. The depth of the intersection portion 62 gradually becomes shallower from the base end portion 40b side of the branch pipe 40 toward the tip end portion 40a side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 , the intersection 62 forms an inclined cylindrical surface 65 between the axial direction of the main pipe 30 and the axial direction of the branch pipe 40 .
Here, the inclined cylindrical surface 65 refers to a surface that overlaps with the peripheral surface of a cylinder when the cylinder has its axial direction in the direction in which the recess 62 extends (the direction of arrow B in Figure 4).

As shown in FIG. 7, the cross section perpendicular to the linear extension direction at the intersection 62 is composed of a curved portion 62a that forms part of a circle. These curved portions 62a are provided continuously in the extension direction of the intersection 62 while maintaining the same shape (same radius of curvature). The radius of curvature of the curved portion 62a is configured to be larger than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose 50 connected to the water discharge head 15.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the inner peripheral surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61 has a recess 63 that extends linearly along the axial direction of the main pipe 30. This recess 63 extends parallel to the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface 30c of the main pipe 30, reaching the opening 30b on the other end side of the main pipe 30. This recess 63 is also referred to as the parallel portion 63 of the main pipe 30 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the parallel portion).

As shown in FIG. 5, the cross section of the parallel portion 63 perpendicular to the linear extension direction is composed of a curved portion 63a that forms part of a circle. The curved portions 63a are provided continuously in the direction in which the parallel portion 63 extends while maintaining the same shape. The radius of curvature of the curved portions 63a is configured to be larger than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose 50 connected to the water spout head 15. The intersection portion 62 and the parallel portion 63 are connected at the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end side connection portion 61. The faucet body 13 of this embodiment has two recesses formed at the intersection portion 62 and the parallel portion 63.

A method for forming the recesses 62 and 63 will be described.
The method of forming the recesses 62, 63 is not particularly limited, and known methods can be appropriately adopted. For example, when the faucet body 13 is made of resin and molded by injection molding, the recesses 62, 63 can be molded together with the faucet body 13 using a mold. When the faucet body 13 is made of metal or ceramic and molded by casting, the recesses 62, 63 can be molded together with the faucet body 13 using a mold. When the faucet body 13 is molded by forging or by cutting a bar or square material, the recesses 62, 63 can be formed by cutting or grinding the inner peripheral surface of the faucet body 13.

When cutting the inner circumferential surface of the faucet body 13 to form the recesses 62, 63, a processing tool, such as a drill bit, can be inserted to perform the cutting process. For example, by inserting a drill bit from a position closer to the other end connection part 61, such as the opening 40c (see Figure 4) on the tip 40a side of the branch pipe 40 or the opening 30b on the other end side of the main pipe 30, the cutting process can be performed more efficiently.

In FIG. 4, a drill bit is inserted into the opening 40c on the tip 40a side of the branch pipe 40 to form the intersection 62, and a drill bit is inserted into the opening 30b on the other end side of the main pipe 30 to form the parallel section 63.

In the faucet body 13, the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 may be integrally molded, or may be molded separately and then connected. There are no particular limitations on the connection method, but examples include methods of connection by welding, brazing, soldering, etc. Recesses 62, 63 may be formed in the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 in advance, so that the recesses 62, 63 are formed at the same time as the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 are connected, or the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 may be connected, and then the recesses 62, 63 may be formed by cutting the inside as described above.

The operation of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in Figures 2 and 4, inside the main pipe 30, the hose 50 is inserted at a position closer to the water discharge head 15 (left side in Figure 2). When the water discharge head 15 is pulled out, the hose 50 moves inside the main pipe 30 along the axial direction of the main pipe 30. Furthermore, it bends near the other end side connection part 61 and moves along the axial direction of the branch pipe 40. Therefore, when the hose 50 moves, it is likely to interfere with the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end side connection part 61. In contrast, the intersection part 62 and the parallel part 63 are provided as recesses 62, 63 on the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end side connection part 61, so that the distance between the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end side connection part 61 in the connection part 60 and the hose 50 can be secured relatively large. This makes it possible to suitably suppress interference of the hose 50 with the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end side connection part 61.

The effects of this embodiment will be described.
(1) An intersection 62 and a parallel portion 63 are provided on the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61 at the connection portion 60 between the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40, as recesses 62, 63 that extend linearly along the direction in which the hose 50 is pulled out together with the water spouting head 15. Since a relatively large distance can be secured between the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61 and the hose 50, interference of the hose 50 with the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61 can be suitably prevented. Therefore, a decrease in the operability of the water spouting head 15 can be suitably prevented.

(2) The cross sections of the intersection 62 and the parallel portion 63 perpendicular to the linear extension direction are formed by curved portions 62a, 63a that form part of a circle, and the radius of curvature of the curved portions 62a, 63a is greater than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose 50. This makes it easier to ensure a predetermined distance from the outer shape of the hose 50, and therefore makes it possible to more effectively prevent the hose 50 from interfering with the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end connection portion 61.

Furthermore, when pulling out the hose 50, the hose 50 can be guided along the recesses 62, 63, so that the deterioration of the operability of the water spouting head 15 can be more effectively prevented.
(3) The parallel portion 63 reaches the opening 30b on the other end side of the main pipe 30. Therefore, the hose 50 can be guided along the parallel portion 63 not only on the inner circumferential surface 61a of the other end side connection portion 61 but also on the inner circumferential surface 30c of the main pipe 30, and interference with the hose 50 can be suppressed. Furthermore, when the parallel portion 63 of the main pipe 30 is formed by cutting, the formation of the parallel portion 63 is facilitated.

(4) By preventing the hose from interfering with the inner circumferential surface 61 a of the other end connection portion 61 , wear on the inner circumferential surface 61 a of the other end connection portion 61 can be prevented.
(5) The intersection portion 62 and the parallel portion 63 as the recesses 62, 63 have a shape extending linearly. After forming the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 without the recesses 62, 63, the recesses 62, 63 can be easily provided by cutting using a drill bit, end mill, or the like. Therefore, the work efficiency can be improved when manufacturing the faucet 10 that suitably suppresses the deterioration of the operability of the water discharge head 15.

This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.
As shown in Fig. 8, the recess 64 may be provided so as to extend linearly only along the axial direction of the branch pipe 40. In the embodiment of Fig. 8, the recess 64 extends parallel to the axial direction of the branch pipe 40 and reaches the tip 40a of the branch pipe 40. This recess 64 is also called the parallel portion 64 of the branch pipe 40.

Furthermore, the parallel portion 64 of the branch pipe 40 does not have to reach the tip 40a of the branch pipe 40. Similarly, the parallel portion 63 of the main pipe 30 does not have to reach the opening 30b on the other end side of the main pipe 30.

- As shown in FIG. 9, the recess may be composed of only the intersection 62. In other words, the recess may be composed of only the inclined cylindrical surface 65. The embodiment in FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which the intersection 62 is formed by inserting a drill bit from the opening 30b on the other end side of the main pipe 30. Furthermore, the recess may be formed by any combination of the parallel portion 64 of the branch pipe 40 (see FIG. 8), the intersection 62, and the parallel portion 63 of the main pipe 30 (see FIG. 4). The recess may also have a portion that extends in a curved line. For example, a curved surface portion that extends in a curved line may be provided between the intersection 62 and the parallel portion 63 in FIG. 4.

- In this embodiment, the cross sections perpendicular to the linear extension direction at the intersection 62 and parallel section 63 are configured with curved sections 62a and 63a that form part of a circle, but this is not limited to this aspect. Curved sections other than those in a circular shape may also be included.

As shown in FIG. 10, for example, a cross section perpendicular to the linear extension direction of the parallel portion 63 may have a curved portion 63a that constitutes part of a circle, and a curved portion 63b that has a smaller radius of curvature than the curved portion 63a on the circumferential outside of the curved portion 63a. In this embodiment, a recess with a relatively large depth can be formed along the circumferential direction of the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40. The same applies to the curved portion 62a of the intersection 62.

The curved portions of the recesses 62 and 63 may be composed only of curved portions that do not form part of a circle. They may also include straight lines when viewed in cross section. For example, they may include straight lines that form part of a rectangle or polygon.

The radius of curvature of the curved portions 62a, 63a is not limited to being greater than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose 50 connected to the water discharge head 15. It may be the same as the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose 50, or it may be smaller than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose 50.

- In this embodiment, the intersection 62 as a recess has an inclined cylindrical surface 65, but is not limited to this aspect. The intersection 62 may have, for example, a surface that overlaps with the circumferential surface of a cone.

- In this embodiment, the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 of the faucet body 13 are cylindrical, but this is not limited to the above. At least one of the main pipe 30 and the branch pipe 40 may be cylindrical with a polygonal or elliptical cross-sectional shape. Furthermore, the polygonal shape may be cylindrical with chamfered corners.

13... Faucet body, 15... Spout head, 30... Main pipe, 40... Branch pipe, 40a... Tip of branch pipe, 50... Hose, 60... Connection part, 61... Other end side connection part, 61a... Inner surface of other end side connection part, 62... Recess, 63... Recess.

Claims (5)

A faucet body including a main pipe and a branch pipe connected to the main pipe;
A water discharge head attached retractably to the tip end of the branch pipe;
A faucet having a hose connected to the water spouting head,
the hose is inserted through the branch pipe and the inside of the main pipe and extends to the other end side of the main pipe in the axial direction,
When a part where the main pipe and the branch pipe are connected is defined as a connection part, and when the branch pipe is viewed from the tip end side along the axial direction, a connection part located on the other end side of the main pipe relative to the center of the branch pipe is defined as an other end side connection part,
A recess is provided on an inner circumferential surface of the other end side connection portion, the recess extending linearly along a direction in which the hose is pulled out together with the water spouting head ,
A faucet characterized in that, on the inner surface of the other end connection portion, the inner surface that constitutes the recess has a concave shape toward the outer surface of the other end connection portion compared to the inner surface other than the recess . The faucet according to claim 1, wherein the recess has an intersection portion that extends in a direction that intersects both the axial direction of the main pipe and the axial direction of the branch pipe. The faucet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recess has a parallel portion that extends parallel to the axial direction of the main pipe and/or the branch pipe. The faucet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cross section of the recess perpendicular to the linear extension direction has a curved portion that forms part of a circle. The faucet according to claim 4, wherein the radius of curvature of the curved portion is greater than the radius of curvature of the outer shape of the hose.