This nonprovisional application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 05001644.3 filed with the European Patent Office on Jan. 27, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The disclosure relates to a sanitary fitting with a pivotable water outlet, achieved by the below described embodiments.
Sanitary fittings for discharging water, in particular a mixture of cold water and hot water, are generally known. Sanitary fittings are usually equipped with a pivotable water outlet for the purpose of directing the mixed water, which flows out of the sanitary fitting, to various regions of the surroundings.
A sanitary fitting with a pivotable water outlet of this type is disclosed in DE-A-4138938, for example. The sanitary fitting described in that document has an attachment base into which water supply lines are routed, a control cartridge, and an outlet pipe which can be pivoted about the central axis of a base body of the fitting. The outlet pipe is attached to a fitting sleeve which is mounted on the base body of the fitting such that it can rotate. The mixed water passes from the control cartridge to the base body of the fitting through a through-passage, continues through a driver bushing, which is formed in a bearing recess in the base body of the fitting, via an angled pipe element which is attached to the inside of the sleeve together with the outlet pipe, and leaves the sanitary fitting via the outlet pipe.
An object of the disclosed embodiments is to provide a sanitary fitting of simple design which prevents the undesirable discharge of water over a long period of time, even when its water outlet is pivoted frequently, and which is cost-effective to produce.
This object is achieved by a sanitary fitting comprising a control cartridge having an input end connected to a water inflow and an output end connected to an outflow-end through-passage which is formed in a base body of the fitting and has a bearing recess; a unipartite angled pipe element which forms a flow connection with the outflow-end through-passage, can be pivoted about a pivot axis, and is equipped with at least one water-bearing pipe limb; and a water outlet which forms a flow connection with the angled pipe element and can be pivoted about the pivot axis together with the angled pipe element, wherein the water-bearing pipe limb is formed on the unipartite angled pipe element at an inflow end, is oriented at least virtually parallel to the pivot axis, and an inflow-end end region engages in the bearing recess wherein the water-bearing pipe limb can rotate. Particularly preferred embodiments are described below.
The sanitary fitting according to the invention is equipped with a control cartridge which is seated on a base body of the fitting and is used to control an outflow of water, in particular of mixed water, from the sanitary fitting. At the output end of the control cartridge, the mixed water is passed through an outflow-end through-passage in the base body of the fitting into an inflow-end pipe limb of a unipartite angled pipe element. The angled pipe element forms a flow connection with a water outlet through which the mixed water flows out to the surroundings. On account of the unipartite design of the angled pipe element, it is particularly straightforward, for example using injection molding technology, and thus very cost-effective to produce.
In the direction toward the angled pipe element, the outflow-end through-passage is equipped with a bearing recess in which the inflow-end pipe limb is mounted such that it can rotate about a pivot axis. In this case, the longitudinal axis of the inflow-end pipe limb runs coaxially to the pivot axis. The water outlet which is connected to the angled pipe element can also be pivoted about the pivot axis together with the inflow-end pipe limb. The fact that the inflow-end pipe limb is mounted in the bearing recess such that it can rotate prevents the need for further connecting elements to be installed between the base body of the fitting and the angled pipe element, and this in turn reduces production costs. At the same time, this makes it possible to insert a single dynamic sealing element into the bearing recess between the inflow-end pipe limb and the base body of the fitting. The dynamic sealing element is protected against environmental influences in the bearing recess and has relatively small dimensions in relation to the sanitary fitting. On account of its small dimensions, the dynamic sealing element can be produced in a cost-effective manner with lower tolerances and seals more reliably with a longer service life than comparatively large sealing elements.
Particularly preferred embodiments of the sanitary fitting according to the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. In the figures of the drawings, in purely schematic form:
The inventive sanitary fitting which is shown in longitudinal section in
The water inflow 10 for cold water KW and/or hot water WW, which water inflow is realized by feed pipes and is passed through the installation sleeve 12, is connected to a corresponding pipeline system for supplying water at the upstream end. At the downstream end, the water inflow 10 passes through a bearing plate 14 arranged above the installation sleeve 12 and is inserted in a sealed manner into an inflow-end through-passage 16 of a base body 18 of the fitting which is arranged above the bearing plate 14. To this end, the feed pipes of the water inflow 10 are soldered, welded, screwed or adhesively bonded into the inflow-end through-passage or through-passages 16.
The inflow-end through-passage 16 routes the cold water KW and/or the hot water WW to the input of a control cartridge 20. A control cartridge 20 of this type is described in CH-A-691134, for example. The control cartridge makes it possible for manual intervention by a user and/or technical actuating means firstly to control a mixing ratio of cold water KW and hot water WW which is supplied via the water inflow 10 in order to provide mixed water MW, and secondly to adjust the throughflow rate of the mixed water MW which flows out through the sanitary fitting. The temperature of the mixed water MW which flows out is determined by controlling the mixing ratio of cold water KW to hot water WW.
The control cartridge 20 is fitted in a sealed manner on a seat 28 of the base body 18 of the fitting, which seat is arranged opposite the water inflow 10. At the output end of the control cartridge 20, the mixed water MW is discharged through an outflow-end through-passage 30 in the base body 18 of the fitting. Therefore, at the input end, inflow-end through-passages 16 in the base body 18 of the fitting for cold water KW and hot water WW, and, at the output end, the outflow-end through-passage 30 in the base body 18 of the fitting for mixed water MW communicate in terms of flow with associated inputs and an output of the control cartridge 20.
The control cartridge 20, the base body 18 of the fitting, the bearing plate 14 and the installation sleeve 12 are arranged in a hollow-cylindrical inner sleeve 32 and here are supported against one another and fixed in their position relative to one another. A similarly cylindrical outer sleeve 36 of the fitting surrounds the inner sleeve 32 concentrically with respect to said inner sleeve 32.
In each of its free end regions, the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting is mounted on the outside of the inner sleeve 32 such that it can pivot about the coaxial cylinder axes of the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting and the inner sleeve 32 by means of sliding rings 38. An outlet connection piece 40 of a water outlet 42 which will be described in detail below and which points away from the pivot axis S is integrally formed on the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting.
A cylindrical bearing recess 44 is formed in a downstream end region in the outflow-end through-passage 30 in the base body 18 of the fitting. An inflow-end end region of an inflow-end pipe limb 46, which is formed on a unipartite angled pipe element 48, engages in the bearing recess 44 such that it can rotate or pivot about a pivot axis S. The pivot axis S is defined by the cylinder axes of the inflow-end pipe limb 46 and the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting. Said pivot axis S coincides with the cylinder axes of the inner sleeve 32 and bearing recess 44.
A dynamic sealing element in the form of a sealing ring 49 is arranged in the bearing recess 44 between the inflow-end end region of the inflow-end pipe limb 46 and the base body 18 of the fitting. The sealing ring 49 prevents mixed water MW from escaping from the inflow-end pipe limb 46 to the bearing recess 44 and is the only sealing element which is dynamically loaded when the inflow-end pipe limb 46 or the water outlet 42 connected to said pipe limb is pivoted.
On account of this single dynamic sealing element, the internal construction of the sanitary fitting can be simplified and it is possible to produce the sanitary fitting in a cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the single dynamic sealing element is arranged within the inner sleeve 32 in the case of the sanitary fitting according to the invention, as a result of which it is possible for the dynamic sealing element to have a smaller diameter in comparison to known sanitary fittings with an annular channel. Since sealing elements with smaller dimensions can be produced within smaller tolerances and with lower production costs, the service life is increased and the cost of producing the sanitary fitting according to the invention is also reduced.
A bearing journal 50 is integrally formed on that end region of the inflow-end pipe limb 46 which is opposite the bearing recess 44. This cylindrical bearing journal 50 engages in a bearing-like recess 52 in the bearing plate 14, which recess is arranged centrally with respect to the pivot axis S, such that it can rotate. At the same time, the inflow-end pipe limb 46 is axially supported by the bearing plate 14. As a result, one end of the inflow-end pipe limb 46, and furthermore of the entire angled pipe element 48, is mounted in the bearing recess 44 in the base body 18 of the fitting and the other end is mounted in the bearing-like recess 52 in the bearing plate 14 such that they can rotate.
The mixed water MW flows from the inflow-end pipe limb 46 into an outflow-end pipe limb 54 of the angled pipe element 48 which projects away from the pivot axis S. In this case, the cylinder axis of the inflow-end pipe limb 46, which cylinder axis runs coaxially with respect to the pivot axis S, forms a fixed angle of between 80° and 90°, preferably of 80°, with the cylinder axis of the outflow-end pipe limb 54. The two pipe limbs 46, 54, and furthermore the entire angled pipe element 48, are produced from a plastic, preferably from polyacetal (POM).
In the outflow-end pipe limb 54, a connection pipe 56 of the water outlet 42 is joined in a sealed manner to said outflow-end pipe limb 54 up to a shoulder 58. In order to prevent undesirable discharge of mixed water MW in a corresponding join region, in which, axially with respect to their longitudinal axes, the free end region of the outflow-end pipe limb 54 accommodates the pipe limb-end end region of the connection pipe 56 in the manner of a sleeve, an O-ring 60 in the form of a static sealing element is arranged in a groove in the pipe limb-end end region of the connection pipe 56.
The connection pipe 56 is routed coaxially in the outlet connection piece 40 through a guide ring 62 which is formed inside the outlet connection piece 40. The connection pipe 56 issues at the downstream end into an outlet channel 64 in an outlet end piece 66 which is mounted in the free end region of the outlet connection piece 40. The outlet end piece 66 is produced from a plastic, preferably from acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).
The outlet end piece 66 is mounted in the outlet connection piece 40 such that it can rotate about an axis of rotation D. In this case, the axis of rotation D is defined by the coaxial cylinder axes of the connection pipe 56 and of the outlet connection piece 40.
The outlet end piece 66 is rotatably mounted by inserting a connection pipe-end pipe extension 68, which is formed on the outlet end piece 66, into the free end region of the outlet connection piece 40 with an accurate fit at the longitudinal end. In addition to the ability of the water outlet 42 to pivot with respect to the pivot axis S, the ability of the outlet end piece 66 to rotate with respect to the axis of rotation D provides an additional degree of freedom for spatially orienting the mixed water MW which flows out.
The connection pipe 56 is sealed off in the outlet end piece 66 by a radially inner wall 69 of the pipe extension 68 bearing against the connection pipe 56 with an accurate fit and simultaneously in a sealed manner, assisted by a static sealing element which is in the form of a further O-ring 72 and is arranged radially on the outside of the connection pipe 56 in a groove 70.
As shown in
In the outlet end piece 66, the outlet channel 64 for the mixed water MW opens through a water outlet opening 80 which is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of rotation D. The water outlet opening 80 is provided with an internal thread which interacts with an external thread of a nozzle 82 which can be screwed into the water outlet opening 80. Various types of jet-forming elements or filter elements may be inserted into the nozzle 82 (not shown in section in
A filter element in the form of a legionella filter 84 is inserted directly in or close to the water outlet opening 80 in the outlet channel 64 in the outlet end piece 66 such that it can be replaced. Legionellae (rod-shaped bacteria which cause Legionnaire's disease) which may possibly be entrained with the mixed water MW from the connection pipe 56 are killed by the legionella filter 84 which is in the form of a metal grating coated with a layer of silver. The arrangement of the legionella filter 84 in the immediate vicinity of the water outlet opening 80 also prevents recontamination of water-bearing elements which are arranged upstream of the water outlet opening 80.
In the outlet end piece 66, a transparent window 86 is arranged diametrically opposite the water outlet opening 80 with respect to the axis of rotation D. The transparent window 86, which is produced from a plastic, preferably from Plexiglas (polymethyl acrylate), provides a view of the legionella filter 84 which is arranged in the outlet channel 64, and thus allows the state of the legionella filter 84 to be visually monitored. When the silver layer of the legionella filter 84 is suitably discolored, the outlet end piece 66 may be withdrawn from the outlet connection piece 40 after the stop screw 74 is removed by being unscrewed, and the used legionella filter 84 which is inserted in the outlet channel 64 may be replaced.
Like the rotation angle of the outlet end piece 66 about the axis of rotation D, a pivoting angle of the water outlet 42 about the pivot axis S is also limited. To this end, as shown in the sectional illustration in
As shown in
In the sectional diagram of
The base body 18 of the fitting, in which base body circular through-passages of the water inflow 10 for cold water KW and hot water WW are shown, is also open toward the pivot axis S on account of a wedge-shaped recess which is needed to allow the angled pipe element 48 and the connection pipe 56 to pivot. The inflow-end pipe limb 46, which is rounded on the outside in the sectional diagram, of the cut-away angled pipe element 48, which is also wedge-shaped, points into said recess in the direction of the stop pin 88. The pivot axis S runs through the center of a circular inner cross section of the pipe limb 46.
The pivoting angle which is limited by the interaction of the stops 90 with the stop pin 88 is chosen such that there is no contact between side faces of the angled pipe element 48 which face the base body 18 of the fitting and the base body 18 of the fitting, even at a maximum pivoting angle. As a result, forces which act on the base body 18 of the fitting and the angled pipe element 48 tangentially with respect to the pivot axis S are prevented and deformations or leakage points which correspondingly may be produced are avoided.
In contrast to the inventive sanitary fitting for platform installation which is shown in
Like the inflow-end through-passage 46 of the base body 18 of the fitting, which at the same time forms a housing for the sanitary fitting, the outflow-end through-passage 30 is also spatially widened and conducts mixed water MW from a flow direction at the output end of the control cartridge 20, which is correspondingly also oriented virtually perpendicularly to the pivot axis S, to a flow direction parallel to the pivot axis S.
The bearing recess 44 is formed at the angled pipe element-end of the outflow-end through-passage 30 of the base body 18 of the fitting. The inflow-end end region of the inflow-end pipe limb 46 engages into the bearing recess 44 such that it can rotate. In turn, only one single dynamic sealing element in the form of the sealing ring 49 acts in the bearing recess 44 between the inflow-end end region of the inflow-end pipe limb 46 and the base body 18 of the fitting.
In contrast to the embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting is of cup-like design and has a base 96 on which a side face 98 of the outflow-end pipe limb 54 comes to rest, said side face being oriented perpendicularly to the pivot axis S. The outer sleeve 36 of the fitting is mounted by means of sliding rings 38 between the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting and the sleeve-like end region of the base body 18 of the fitting such that it can pivot.
In this embodiment, a stop screw 99 is screwed into the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting and extends into a sleeve groove 100 which is formed on the sleeve-like end region of the base body 18 of the fitting. When the stop screw 99 strikes the stop faces of the sleeve groove 100, circumferentially opposite stop faces (not shown in
In this design too, the outlet connection piece 40 which points perpendicularly away from the pivot axis S is integrally formed on the outer sleeve 36 of the fitting. The connection pipe 56 is guided in the outlet connection piece 40 again by means of a guide ring 62 (not shown in
The outlet end piece 66 is identical to the design shown in
In the described embodiments, it is of course alternatively possible to also mount the outlet end piece 66 on the outlet connection piece 40 such that it is fixed in terms of rotation. It is likewise of course also possible for the longitudinal axes of the outlet end piece 66 and the outlet connection piece 40 to be oriented at a predetermined angle with respect to one another.
Similarly, the window 86 may be formed in a different manner as an alternative, and the legionella filter 84 may be replaced by another type of filter. Furthermore, it is also feasible to equip the outlet end piece 66 with projecting handle elements which make it easier for the user to rotate the outlet end piece 66.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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05 001 644.3 | Jan 2005 | EP | regional |