JP7795194B2 - Drain plug device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drain plug device for opening and closing the drain outlet of a tank body.

The drain plug device has a plug cover attached to the drain outlet of a tank (e.g., a bathtub or washbasin), and the plug cover can be remotely operated to switch the drain outlet between open and closed states.

Known drain plug devices include a support shaft mechanism, an attachment member, and a release wire in addition to the plug cap (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The support shaft mechanism, which moves the plug cap up and down, includes a support shaft with a vertically movable upper end to which the plug cap is attached, and a case (cylindrical portion) that holds the support shaft in a vertically movable state. The attachment member holds the support shaft mechanism in the drain flow path and includes a cylindrical holder through which the support shaft mechanism is inserted and a support protrusion that protrudes from the inner surface of the holder and supports the support shaft mechanism from below. The release wire includes a cylindrical outer tube (tube member) with its end attached to the case, and an inner wire (transmission member) that is inserted and can move back and forth relative to the outer tube. In such drain plug devices, the inner wire moves in response to operation of a specified operating unit (e.g., an operating button), transmitting driving force from the inner wire to the support shaft. As a result, the plug cap moves, switching the open/close state of the drain outlet.

The case has a tube outlet that opens downward, and the release wire passes through this tube outlet and protrudes from the bottom end of the case to the outside of the case. The portion of the release wire located outside the case and near the tube outlet (i.e., the portion immediately outside the case) is often bent or maintained in that state during device installation or maintenance (e.g., part replacement), or due to its relative position to surrounding components (e.g., piping for draining wastewater). For example, when installing a device, the release wire located inside a pipe may be pulled out of the pipe through a horizontal hole in the pipe, or the path of the release wire may be adjusted for some reason (e.g., interference with insulation or various piping), and the release wire may be pulled toward the operating unit, causing the portion of the release wire to bend. Furthermore, the device may ultimately be installed with this bent state maintained.

JP 2015-214813 A

However, when the above-mentioned portion of the release wire is bent, it is prone to bending with an excessively small bending radius. If the release wire is bent with an excessively small bending radius, various abnormalities may occur in the release wire (for example, damage or increased resistance to movement in the inner wire).

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a drain plug device that can more reliably prevent abnormalities in the release wire caused by bending.

Below, each means suitable for achieving the above objective will be explained item by item. Where necessary, the specific effects of the corresponding means will also be noted.

Means 1. A support shaft mechanism including a rod-shaped support shaft that can move up and down, and a case portion that holds the support shaft in a state where the support shaft can move up and down and that has a tube outlet that opens downward;
an attachment member having a cylindrical holding portion in which the support shaft mechanism is disposed;
a plug cover that can open and close a drain outlet formed in the tank body in accordance with the up and down movement of the support shaft;
a cylindrical outer tube having an end attached to the case portion; and a bendable release wire having an inner wire inserted in a state capable of reciprocating relative to the outer tube,
The release wire passes through the tube outlet, exits from the lower end of the case portion, and passes through the lower opening of the holding portion.
A drain plug device configured to operate the plug cover by transmitting a driving force from the inner wire to the support shaft as the inner wire reciprocates,
the attachment member has a support protrusion that protrudes from an inner periphery of the holding portion and supports the support shaft mechanism from below,
the holding portion includes a cylindrical bending restriction portion that protrudes downward from a portion where the support protrusion is formed on an inner periphery and that forms the lower opening of the holding portion, for restricting excessive bending of the release wire;
when a portion of the release wire that is located outside the case portion and in the vicinity of the tube outlet is bent, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube that is a starting point of the bend is defined as a bend start portion,
The allowable bending radius of the release wire is R (mm),
In a cross section including the central axis of the holding portion, when an imaginary circle is drawn that passes through the bending start portion and has its center at a point that is a distance R from the bending start portion in a direction away from the inner wire and perpendicular to the central axis,
In the cross section, at least a part of the bending restriction portion is configured to overlap with the imaginary circle or to be located outside the imaginary circle,
A drain plug device characterized in that the bending start portion is configured to be positioned above the lower end of the case portion .

The "allowable bending radius of the release wire" refers to the smallest bending radius at which the release wire can be used without damage or functional impairment. Furthermore, a slit may be provided in the retaining portion to make it easier to insert the support shaft mechanism into the retaining portion. In this case, the cross section including the central axis of the retaining portion refers to a cross section that passes through a position that avoids the slit.

According to the above-mentioned method 1, in a cross section including the central axis of the holding portion, at least a portion of the bend-restricting portion formed on the lower part of the holding portion is configured to overlap with or be located outside the imaginary circle. Therefore, when the portion of the release wire located outside the case portion and near the tube outlet (i.e., the portion of the release wire immediately outside the case portion) is bent, the release wire comes into contact with the bend-restricting portion, more reliably preventing the release wire from bending at a bend radius less than the allowable bend radius (R). This more reliably prevents abnormalities in the release wire due to bending (e.g., damage or increased movement resistance in the inner wire). Furthermore, excessive bending of the release wire can be more reliably prevented without special consideration during installation or maintenance of the device, thereby improving the ease of work involved in installing the device.

Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned method 1, excessive bending of the release wire can be prevented by using a bending restriction section with a relatively simple structure. This makes it possible to suppress increases in costs related to the manufacturing of the device, etc.

Furthermore, according to the above-described means 1 , the curvature start portion is configured to be located above the lower end of the case portion (e.g., located inside the tube outlet). This allows the size of the curvature limiting portion (e.g., the vertical length of the curvature limiting portion) to be reduced while at least a portion of the curvature limiting portion overlaps with or is located outside the imaginary circle in the cross section. As a result, it is possible to improve the convenience of handling the device and reduce material costs.

Means 2 : The support shaft mechanism is disposed in the holding part through a lower opening of the holding part,
the bending restriction portion has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the case portion,
The drain plug device described in means 1 is characterized in that, in the cross section, at least the lower end or a portion thereof of the curvature regulating portion is configured to overlap with the imaginary circle or to be located outside the imaginary circle.

According to the above-mentioned means 2 , when the support shaft mechanism is inserted into the holding part through the lower opening of the holding part, the bending restriction part can be used as a guide for the support shaft mechanism, which makes it easy to insert the support shaft mechanism into the holding part and further improves the workability of the device installation.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the drain plug device. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the drain plug device.

One embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the drain plug device 1 is attached to a bathtub 100, which serves as a tank body. The bathtub 100 has a bottom surface 101 that forms the bottom surface of the bathtub, and a drain port 102 is formed through the bottom surface 101.

The drain plug device 1 comprises a drain outlet member 2, piping 3, an attachment member 4, a release wire 5, a support shaft mechanism 6, and a plug lid 7.

The drain outlet member 2 is cylindrical and is inserted into the drain outlet 102 so that its central axis is approximately aligned with the central axis of the drain outlet 102. The drain outlet member 2 has a flange 21 that protrudes radially outward from its upper end, and a male thread 22 formed on the outer periphery below the flange 21.

The piping 3 forms the flow path for wastewater flowing through the drain outlet 102, and is a pipe with at least the upper part being cylindrical. The piping 3 has a female threaded portion 31 on the inner periphery of its upper end, into which the male threaded portion 22 can be threaded. The piping 3 is then positioned below the bottom surface 101 so that it is approximately coaxial with the drain outlet 102. The drain outlet member 2 is then inserted into the drain outlet 102 and the piping 3 from above the bottom surface 101, and the male threaded portion 22 is threaded into the female threaded portion 31. The bottom surface 101 is then sandwiched between the flange portion 21 and the upper end surface of the piping 3, connecting the drain outlet member 2 and the piping 3, and both are attached to the bathtub 100.

In this embodiment, annular sealing members 8 and 9 made of an elastically deformable material (e.g., resin, rubber, etc.) are disposed between the flange 21 and the surface (upper surface) of the bottom portion 101, and between the upper end surface of the piping 3 and the back surface (lower surface) of the bottom portion 101. These sealing members 8 and 9 prevent water leakage between the drain outlet member 2, piping 3, and the bathtub 100.

The attachment member 4 is used to hold the support shaft mechanism 6 inside the drainage flow path, i.e., the drain outlet member 2 and the piping 3. The attachment member 4 includes an outer ring portion 41, a connecting portion 42, and a holding portion 43.

The outer ring portion 41 has a circular ring shape and functions as an attachment portion for the attachment member 4 to the drain outlet member 2 and the piping 3. In this embodiment, the outer ring portion 41 is attached to the drain outlet member 2 by, for example, placing it on a step provided on the inner circumference of the drain outlet member 2. The outer ring portion 41 (attachment member 4) may be attached to the inner portion of the piping 3, or it may be attached to the inner portions of both the drain outlet member 2 and the piping 3.

The connecting portions 42 connect the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring portion 41 and the outer circumferential surface of the retaining portion 43, and multiple connecting portions 42 (e.g., four evenly spaced apart) are provided at intervals along the circumferential direction of the retaining portion 43. The wastewater flows downstream through the gaps between each connecting portion 42. The number and shape of the connecting portions 42 may be modified as appropriate.

The holding portion 43 has a cylindrical shape overall, and the support shaft mechanism 6 is disposed inside the holding portion 43. The holding portion 43 has multiple (four in this embodiment) slits 431 that extend vertically and open at the lower end of the holding portion 43. The lower opening of the holding portion 43 can be enlarged by elastically deforming the holding portion 43 so that the width of the slits 431 increases. In this embodiment, the width of the slits 431 at the lower part of the holding portion 43 is less than half the outer diameter of the release wire 5. The attachment member 4 will be described further below.

The release wire 5 transmits the driving force generated by the displacement of a specific operating part (such as an operating button) to the support shaft 61 (described below) of the support shaft mechanism 6. The release wire 5 includes an inner wire 51 made of a metal wire component or the like, and a long, tubular outer tube 52 made of resin or the like. The inner wire 51 is inserted through the outer tube 52 and is capable of reciprocating movement relative to the outer tube 52.

The operating device (not shown) equipped with the operating unit is provided with a locking mechanism (e.g., a thrust locking mechanism) (not shown) that locks the inner wire 51 in a forward (moved from the operating unit side toward the support shaft mechanism 6) position, thereby locking the inner wire 51 and, by extension, the support shaft 61 (described below) in a forward (upward) position.

The release wire 5 also passes through the tube outlet 622b (described later), exits the case portion 62 from the lower end of the case portion 62 (described later), and passes through the lower opening of the holding portion 43.

In addition, the outer diameter of the release wire 5 is larger than the width of the slit 431. Therefore, the release wire 5 will not enter the slit 431.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the release wire 5 is installed in a curved state at the portion located outside the case portion 62 and near the tube outlet 622b (i.e., the portion immediately outside the case portion 62) due to considerations such as the drain plug device 1, its surrounding structure, and installation space. The release wire 5 may also be installed in a state where the portion immediately outside the case portion 62 is not curved (extending linearly). However, even if the release wire 5 is ultimately installed in an uncurved state, it is possible that the portion of the release wire 5 may become temporarily curved during installation of the drain plug device 1, for example.

The allowable bending radius of the release wire 5 is R (mm). The bending radius is the distance from the center of bending to the outer surface of the outer tube 52 located on the side of the center of bending, and the allowable bending radius is the smallest bending radius at which the release wire 5 can be used without incurring damage or functional impairment (for example, an excessive increase in the movement resistance of the inner wire 51).

The support shaft mechanism 6 is a mechanism for moving the stopper cap 7 up and down. As shown in Figure 2, the support shaft mechanism 6 includes a rod-shaped support shaft 61, a cylindrical case portion 62 located on the outer periphery of the support shaft 61, and a return spring 63 that is disposed between the outer periphery of the support shaft 61 and the inner periphery of the case portion 62 and is elastically deformable along the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 61.

The support shaft 61 is a component that supports the stopper cap 7 and is movable up and down on the inner periphery of the case portion 62. The tip portion (upper portion) of the support shaft 61 protrudes from the case portion 62, and the stopper cap 7 is attached to this tip portion. The support shaft 61 also has an absorber spring 611 and a center cylinder 612 inside it.

The absorber spring 611 is made of a specific spring and is elastically deformable in the direction of movement (up and down) of the support shaft 61. When the drain outlet 102 is open (when the support shaft 61 is moving forward), if a large downward force is applied to the plug lid 7 (for example, when the plug lid 7 is stepped on), the absorber spring 611 compresses and deforms, preventing excessive load from being applied to the inner wire 51, etc. Note that Figures 1 and 2 only show schematic cross sections of the absorber spring 611 and return spring 63, respectively.

The middle tube 612 has a cylindrical shape with a closed tip (upper end) and is capable of reciprocating (up and down) movement along the outer surface of the thin tube portion 622a (described below) located on its inner periphery. The end of the inner wire 51 is inserted into the middle tube 612.

In this embodiment, the support shaft 61 operates as follows when the operating unit is operated. That is, when the inner wire 51 moves forward by operating (e.g., pressing) the operating unit, a driving force is applied from the inner wire 51 to the middle cylinder 612 (support shaft 61), causing the support shaft 61 to be pushed up against the force of the return spring 63. When the operating unit is released with the support shaft 61 moving forward to a position above a certain position, the support shaft 61 moves slightly downward, and the locking mechanism locks the inner wire 51 in the forward movement state. As a result, the support shaft 61 is locked in the forward (upward) movement state.

On the other hand, if the operating unit is operated again in this state, the inner wire 51 is released from the locking mechanism. When the operating unit is released, the support shaft 61 moves back (down) together with the inner wire 51 due to the return spring 63, gravity, etc.

In this embodiment, each time the operating unit is operated, the support shaft 61 is alternately locked in a forward (upward) movement state and then released from the lock, causing the support shaft 61 to move backward (downward).

The case portion 62 comprises a case main body portion 621 and a closing portion 622. The case portion 62 itself is held immovably by a holding portion 43 arranged on its outer periphery.

The case main body 621 is cylindrical and has a larger diameter than the support shaft 61, and holds the support shaft 61 within it in a state that allows it to move back and forth (up and down).

The closing portion 622 has a cylindrical thin tube portion 622a that extends in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 61. The thin tube portion 622a is arranged on the inner periphery of the middle tube 612 and guides the movement of the middle tube 612. Furthermore, the lower end of the closing portion 622, where the base end of the thin tube portion 622a is connected, has a larger diameter than the thin tube portion 622a and is attached to the lower end of the case main body 621. As a result, the opening at the lower end of the case main body 621 is closed by the closing portion 622.

The blocking portion 622 also holds the end of the outer tube 52. This means that the end of the outer tube 52 is attached to the case portion 62.

Furthermore, the blocking portion 622 is formed with a tube outlet 622b that opens downward. The tube outlet 622b is an opening for allowing the release wire 5 to exit the case portion 62. The inner diameter of the portion of the blocking portion 622 where the tube outlet 622b is formed gradually decreases from the outside of the case portion 62 to the inside of the case portion 622, and is configured to ultimately become approximately equal to the outer diameter of the release wire 5 (outer tube 52). Therefore, the portion of the blocking portion 622 where the tube outlet 622b is formed has a boundary portion B between the portion where the inner diameter gradually decreases and the portion where the inner diameter becomes approximately equal to the outer diameter of the release wire 5 (outer tube 52).

When the portion of the release wire 5 located outside the case portion 62 and near the tube outlet 622b (i.e., the portion immediately outside the case portion 62) is bent, the inner wire 51 and outer tube 52 are bent, and the outer surface of the outer tube 52 is configured so that a portion located to the side of the boundary portion B serves as the starting point of the bend. Hereinafter, this starting point of the bend will be referred to as the bend start portion S. In this embodiment, the bend start portion S is located within the tube outlet 622b and above the lower end of the case portion 62.

The return spring 63 is provided in a compressed state and applies a retracting force to the support shaft 61 in the return direction. In this embodiment, the retracting force is applied to the support shaft 61 by the elastic force generated by the return spring 63.

Returning to Figure 1, the plug lid 7 is a plug for opening and closing the drain outlet 102. The plug lid 7 comprises a disk-shaped lid portion 71 made of a predetermined resin or the like, a guide portion 72 formed to protrude from the back surface of the lid portion 71, a cylindrical insertion portion 73 provided closer to the center of the back surface of the lid portion 71 than the guide portion 72, and an annular packing portion 74 attached to the outer periphery of the back surface of the lid portion 71.

The guide portion 72 is arranged on the outer periphery of the holding portion 43 and moves along the outer periphery of the holding portion 43 as the support shaft 61 moves back and forth (up and down). The guide portion 72 is provided to prevent the stopper cap 7 from tilting or shifting horizontally as it moves back and forth.

The insertion portion 73 is the portion through which the tip end portion of the support shaft 61 is inserted, and functions as the attachment portion of the plug lid 7 relative to the support shaft 61. In this embodiment, the tip end portion of the support shaft 61 is fitted into the insertion portion 73, thereby attaching the plug lid 7 to the tip end portion.

The packing portion 74 is made of an elastically deformable material (e.g., resin, rubber, etc.) and has an annular shape. In this embodiment, when the drain outlet 102 is in a closed state, if the support shaft 61 moves forward (upward) in response to operation of the operating unit, the packing portion 74 moves away from the drain outlet member 2. The locking mechanism then maintains the support shaft 61 and plug lid 7 in a forward (upward) state, thereby maintaining the drain outlet 102 in an open state.

On the other hand, when the drain outlet 102 is in the open state, if the locking mechanism is released by operating the operating part, the support shaft 61 moves back (down) due to the retraction force applied by the return spring 63. Then, as the support shaft 61 moves back (down), the plug lid 7 also moves back (down), and the entire outer periphery of the packing portion 74 comes into contact with the drain outlet member 2, closing the drain outlet 102.

When the drain outlet 102 is closed, the gasket portion 74 comes into contact with the drain outlet member 2, and the support shaft 61 is positioned in a position closer to the position at which it returns to its maximum extent. This maintains a state in which a retracting force is transmitted from the return spring 63 to the plug lid 7, enabling good watertightness.

Next, the attachment member 4 will be described in more detail. In addition to the holding portion 43 and other components described above, the attachment member 4 also has a support protrusion 44, as shown in Figure 3.

The support protrusion 44 protrudes inward (toward the central axis CL of the holding portion 43) from the inner lower surface of the holding portion 43, and is intended to support the support shaft mechanism 6 inserted into the holding portion 43 from below. The support protrusion 44 has an upward-facing anti-detachment surface 44a and an insertion assist surface 44b facing diagonally downward.

The anti-slip surface 44a is the surface that comes into contact with the lower end surface of the support shaft mechanism 6 inserted into the holding portion 43. Because the anti-slip surface 44a is shaped to extend in a direction perpendicular to the central axis CL of the holding portion 43, even when a downward force is applied to the support shaft mechanism 6, elastic deformation of the holding portion 43 that would cause the lower opening of the holding portion 43 to expand does not occur. This effectively prevents the support shaft mechanism 6 from coming out of the lower opening of the holding portion 43.

The insertion assist surface 44b is an inclined surface that gradually approaches the central axis CL of the holding portion 43 as it extends upward, making it easier to insert the support shaft mechanism 6 into the holding portion 43. More specifically, when the support shaft mechanism 6 is pushed into the holding portion 43 while the upper portion of the support shaft mechanism 6 is in contact with the insertion assist surface 44b to insert the support shaft mechanism 6 into the holding portion 43, the insertion assist surface 44b makes it possible to expand the lower opening of the holding portion 43 by utilizing the pushing force applied to the support shaft mechanism 6, without the need to apply any special force to the attachment member 4 to expand the lower opening of the holding portion 43, thereby making it easier to insert the support shaft mechanism 6 into the holding portion 43.

In addition, an upper protrusion (not shown) that protrudes inward is formed on the upper inner surface of the holding portion 43, and the support shaft mechanism 6 (particularly the case portion 62) inserted into the holding portion 43 is held in a sandwiched state between the upper protrusion and the support protrusion 44.

Furthermore, the holding portion 43 has a bending restriction portion 432 that protrudes downward from the portion where the support protrusion 44 is formed on the inner circumference and forms a lower opening of the holding portion 43. The bending restriction portion 432 is designed to restrict excessive bending of the release wire 5, and has a cylindrical shape (this "cylindrical shape" means that it is cylindrical overall, although it is interrupted by the slit 431) with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the case portion 62.

To restrict excessive bending of the release wire 5, the bend restricting portion 432 is configured as follows. In a cross section including the central axis CL of the holding portion 43 (the cross section in FIG. 3; however, in this embodiment, this cross section passes through a position that avoids the slit 431), when an imaginary circle VC is drawn that passes through the bend start portion S and is centered at a point R (allowable bending radius) away from the bend start portion S in a direction away from the inner wire 51 and perpendicular to the central axis CL, at least a portion of the bend restricting portion 432 (excluding the outer surface) overlaps with or is located outside the imaginary circle VC. In particular, in this embodiment, at least the lower end or a portion nearby of the bend restricting portion 432 is configured to overlap with or be located outside the imaginary circle VC in the cross section.

In addition, in this embodiment, the support shaft mechanism 6 (case portion 62) can be placed on the inner periphery of the bending restriction portion 432 and then pushed into the holding portion 43, thereby making it possible to install the support shaft mechanism 6 within the holding portion 43.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in a cross section including the central axis CL of the holding portion 43, at least a portion of the bend restricting portion 432 is configured to overlap the imaginary circle VC or to be located outside the imaginary circle VC. Therefore, when the portion of the release wire 5 located outside the case portion 62 and near the tube outlet 622b (i.e., the portion of the release wire 5 immediately outside the case portion 62) is bent, the release wire 5 comes into contact with the bend restricting portion 432, more reliably preventing the release wire 5 from bending at a bend radius less than the allowable bend radius (R). This more reliably prevents abnormalities in the release wire 5 associated with bending (e.g., damage to the release wire 5, increased resistance to movement in the inner wire 51, etc.). Furthermore, excessive bending of the release wire 5 can be more reliably prevented without special consideration during installation or maintenance of the drain plug device 1, thereby improving the ease of installation and other aspects of the device.

Furthermore, the relatively simple structure of the bending restriction section 432 prevents excessive bending of the release wire 5, which helps to prevent increases in costs associated with device manufacturing, etc.

Furthermore, the bending start portion S is configured to be located above the lower end of the case portion 62 (in this embodiment, it is located within the tube outlet 622b). This allows at least a portion of the bending restriction portion 432 to overlap with the imaginary circle VC or to be located outside the imaginary circle VC in the cross section, while still allowing the size of the bending restriction portion 432 (for example, the vertical length of the bending restriction portion 432) to be reduced. As a result, it is possible to improve the convenience of handling the device and reduce material costs.

In addition, in this embodiment, when placing (inserting) the support shaft mechanism 6 into the holding portion 43 through the lower opening of the holding portion 43, the bending restriction portion 432 can be used as a guide for the support shaft mechanism 6. This makes it easy to place (insert) the support shaft mechanism 6 into the holding portion 43, further improving the workability involved in installing the device.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented, for example, as follows. Of course, other applications and modifications not exemplified below are also possible.

(a) Although not described in the above embodiment, when the release wire 5 is bent and brought into contact with the portion of the holding portion 43 (bending restriction portion 432) that forms the slit 431, it is preferable to set the length of the bend restriction portion 432 and the width of the slit 431 so that, when a cross section including the central axis CL of the holding portion 43 and the central axis of the release wire 5 is taken, the outer surface of the outer tube 52 located within the slit 431 does not come into contact with the imaginary circle VC. This configuration more reliably prevents the release wire 5 from bending at a bend radius less than the allowable bend radius (R), even when the release wire 5 is bent toward the slit 431. This more reliably prevents abnormalities in the release wire 5 due to bending.

(b) In the above embodiment, the curvature start portion S is configured to be positioned above the lower end of the case portion 62, but for example, the entire area of the portion forming the tube outlet 622b in the blocking portion 622 may be configured to have an inner diameter that is the same as the outer diameter of the outer tube 52, so that the curvature start portion S is positioned at the same height as the lower end of the case portion 62 (however, this is a reference example) .

(c) In the above embodiment, the drain outlet 102 is configured to be closed when the plug lid 7 (packing portion 74) comes into contact with the drain outlet member 2. However, the drain outlet 102 may also be configured to be closed when the plug lid 7 (packing portion 74) comes into contact with a portion other than the drain outlet member 2 (for example, the bottom surface portion 101).

(d) In the above embodiment, a bathtub 100 is used as an example of a tank body, but the tank body to which the technical concept of the present invention can be applied is not limited to a bathtub. Therefore, the technical concept of the present invention may also be applied to tank bodies other than bathtubs, such as washbasins and kitchen sinks, for example.

1...Drain plug device, 4...Attachment member, 5...Release wire, 6...Support shaft mechanism, 7...Plug cover, 43...Retaining portion, 44...Support protrusion, 51...Inner wire, 52...Outer tube, 61...Support shaft, 62...Case portion, 432...Bending restriction portion, 622b...Tube outlet, S...Bending start portion, VC...Imaginary circle.

Claims (2)

a support shaft mechanism including a rod-shaped support shaft that can move up and down, and a case portion that has a tube outlet that opens downward and that holds the support shaft in a state that allows it to move up and down;
an attachment member having a cylindrical holding portion in which the support shaft mechanism is disposed;
a plug cover that can open and close a drain outlet formed in the tank body in accordance with the up and down movement of the support shaft;
a cylindrical outer tube having an end attached to the case portion; and a bendable release wire having an inner wire inserted in a state capable of reciprocating relative to the outer tube,
The release wire passes through the tube outlet, exits from the lower end of the case portion, and passes through the lower opening of the holding portion.
A drain plug device configured to operate the plug cover by transmitting a driving force from the inner wire to the support shaft as the inner wire reciprocates,
the attachment member has a support protrusion that protrudes from an inner periphery of the holding portion and supports the support shaft mechanism from below,
the holding portion includes a cylindrical bending restriction portion that protrudes downward from a portion where the support protrusion is formed on an inner periphery and that forms the lower opening of the holding portion, for restricting excessive bending of the release wire;
when a portion of the release wire that is located outside the case portion and in the vicinity of the tube outlet is bent, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube that is a starting point of the bend is defined as a bend start portion,
The allowable bending radius of the release wire is R (mm),
In a cross section including the central axis of the holding portion, when an imaginary circle is drawn that passes through the bending start portion and has its center at a point that is a distance R from the bending start portion in a direction away from the inner wire and perpendicular to the central axis,
In the cross section, at least a part of the bending restriction portion is configured to overlap with the imaginary circle or to be located outside the imaginary circle,
A drain plug device characterized in that the bending start portion is configured to be positioned above the lower end of the case portion . the support shaft mechanism is disposed in the holding portion through a lower opening of the holding portion,
the bending restriction portion has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the case portion,
The drain plug device according to claim 1 , characterized in that, in the cross section, at least the lower end or a portion thereof of the curvature regulating portion is configured to overlap with the imaginary circle or to be located outside the imaginary circle.