Patent Grant
8905331
This application is a national stage entry under 35 U.S.C. 371 of International Application No. PCT/JP2009/005634, filed 26 Oct. 2009, designating the United States. The complete contents of this application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a water saving valve having a function of mixing air bubbles into water being supplied through a hose or a water pipe.
Devices to be fitted to a kitchen unit or a shower head to mix air bubbles to a high ratio into tap water that is being supplied are known (see Patent Literature 1) (see Patent Literature 2). Such a device is employed to prevent water from splashing in a washing work or improve the feeling of the water flow touching the skin when taking a shower.
The known prior art has problems to be solved as described below.
If air bubbles in large quantity are mixed into water while water is being supplied to a shower head, it provides not only an effect of improving the shower taker's feeling but also an effect of saving the quantity of consumed water. However, the water saving effect is small when air bubbles are mixed into water only to a low ratio, whereas the shower taker's feeling of water flowing on the skin is no particularly good when air bubbles are mixed into to an excessively high ratio. Thus, a mechanism for mixing air into water to an optimum ratio stably and accurately is required. Additionally, a mechanism is required to be fitted with ease, stout and available at a low price.
The object of the present invention is to provide a water saving valve that meets the following requirements in order to solve the above-identified problems.
The following arrangements provide means for solving the above problems.
<Arrangement 1>
A water saving valve comprising: an upstream side link mechanism part for linking the valve to a water pipe; a water receiving flask part for receiving tap water from the water pipe; a tapered hole part linked at an end thereof to the downstream side of the water receiving flask part with the cross-sectional area of its flow path gradually decreasing toward the other end thereof; a conduit part linked at one end thereof to the other end of the tapered hole part and having a large diameter section of a large outer diameter at the one end side, a small diameter section of a small outer diameter at the other end side and a flow path running along an axial part thereof from the one end to the other end with a uniform cross-sectional area, the large diameter section having an air suction port running through from the axial part to the outer peripheral surface; a sleeve having a support body part rigidly securing part of an axial hole to the conduit part and an eaves-like section surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter section having the air suction port with a gap for introducing air from the outside; and a downstream side link mechanism part for linking the sleeve to a downstream side piping.
<Arrangement 2>
The water saving valve described under Arrangement 1, wherein the water receiving flask part, the tapered hole part and the conduit part are connected in series so as to show a common axis and each of the water receiving flask part and the conduit part has a substantially uniform circular cross-section all the way from an end to the other end thereof, whereas the water receiving flask part has a greater cross-sectional area at the interface of the water receiving flask part and the tapered hole part and the conduit part has a greater cross-sectional area at the interface of the conduit part and the tapered hole part.
<Arrangement 3>
The water saving valve described under Arrangement 1 or 2, wherein the upstream side link mechanism part, the water receiving flask part, the tapered hole part and the conduit part are integrally formed while the sleeve and the downstream side link mechanism part are integrally formed and the sleeve is rigidly secured to the conduit part by means of a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter section or the small diameter section of the conduit part and a female screw formed at part of the axial hole of the sleeve.
<Arrangement 4>
The water saving valve described under Arrangement 1 or 2, wherein the upstream side link mechanism part, the water receiving flask part and the conduit part are integrally formed while the sleeve and the downstream side link mechanism part are integrally formed, the tapered hole part is structurally separated so as to be removably fitted into the water receiving flask part, the water receiving flask part and the conduit part are linked to each other by way of a through hole having a cross-sectional area smaller than the conduit part, and the sleeve is rigidly secured to the conduit part by means of a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter section or the small diameter section of the conduit part and a female screw formed at part of the axial hole of the sleeve.
<Arrangement 5>
The water saving valve described under any of Arrangements 1 through 4, wherein the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the conduit part is made to be greater than the sum of the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the other end of the tapered hole part and the cross-sectional area of the air suction port.
<Arrangement 6>
The water saving valve described under any of Arrangements 1 through 5, wherein a check valve that allows air to be sucked from the air suction port toward the conduit but prevents tap water from flowing out from the conduit part toward the air suction port is contained in the inside of the air suction port.
<Arrangement 7>
The water saving valve described under Arrangement 6, wherein the check valve has a cylindrical section that can freely move in the inside of the air suction port, the area of the gap formed between itself and the inner wall of the air suction port being sufficiently small if compared with the area of the axial hole, and a bulged section arranged at the outer periphery of an end section of the cylindrical section and located between the eaves of the sleeve and the outer surface of the conduit part to limit any move of the cylindrical section from the air suction port to the conduit part, and the check valve releases the axial hole end of the cylindrical section between the eaves of the sleeve and the outer surface of the conduit part to press the axial hole end of the cylindrical section against the eaves and prevent tap water from flowing out from the air suction port through the axial hole of the cylindrical section under the pressure of tap water flowing out from the conduit part toward the air suction port when air is sucked in from the air suction port toward the conduit.
<Arrangement 8>
The water saving valve described under any of Arrangements 1 through 7, wherein the water receiving flask part contains a filter for trapping any foreign object(s) getting into tap water.
<Arrangement 9>
The water saving valve described under any of Arrangements 1 through 8, wherein a flow rectifying cylinder having a large number of through holes extending in parallel with the direction of water flow is provided at the downstream side of the conduit.
<Arrangement 10>
The water saving valve described under any of Arrangements 1 through 9, wherein either the upstream side link mechanism part is made to be a male screw structure and the downstream side link mechanism part is made to be a female structure or the upstream side link mechanism part is made to be a female screw structure and the downstream side link mechanism part is made to be a male screw structure.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 1>
The water saving valve of Arrangement 1 can be fitted at an intermediary part of a tap water piping to mix air with tap water. It can mix the tap water received from the water receiving flask part through the tapered hole and the air sucked in from the air suction port in the conduit part to establish an optimum ratio for the mixture of the tap water and air.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 2>
A size of the hole is selected to make it possible to automatically and easily manufacture a water saving valve having a complex internal structure by a cutting operation and the hole structure is optimized.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 3>
The eaves-like section surrounding the large diameter section can be formed in a simple manner when the entire water saving valve is made to have a two-piece structure.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 4>
Since the tapered hole part is removably fitted into the water receiving flask part, the tapered hole part can be replaced according to the application thereof to adjust the water flow rate.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 5>
Water can be accelerated by the tapered hole part and ejected to splash out strongly from the conduit part to the downstream side by selecting a sufficiently large cross-sectional area for the flow path of the conduit part.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 6>
If the exit of water is blocked at the downstream side to stop the flow of tap water, the hydraulic pressure in the inside of the conduit part rises so that the tap water flows out from the conduit part toward the air suction port. A shower head or a tap having a water blocking function at the downstream side can be fitted by providing a check valve.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 7>
As air is sucked in from the air suction port toward the conduit, air enters from the axial hole of the cylindrical section. As tap water tends to flow out from the conduit part toward the air suction port, the axial hole end of the cylindrical section is blocked by the eaves to make it possible to prevent the tap water from flowing out.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 8>
A filter is provided to prevent any foreign object(s) getting into the tap water from flowing to the downstream side of the water saving valve. As a result, the water saving valve itself is made to be provided with a filtering function and can be serviced with ease.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 9>
A complex turbulent flow is formed at the part where tap water is discharged from the conduit to the downstream side showing a large cross-sectional area. The turbulent flow gives off noises and vibrations. Therefore, a flow rectifying cylinder is provided to rectify the direction of the water flow.
<Effect(s) of Arrangement 10>
As the upstream side and the downstream side are formed as screw structures, the water saving valve can be inserted into a connecting section of a standard water pipe with ease.
a) is a lateral view of the upstream side piece of a water saving valve formed as two-piece structure and
a) is an end view of the upstream side piece,
a) is a lateral view of the sleeve,
a) is a lateral view of the water saving valve of Example 1 and
a) is a downstream side end view of the water saving valve of Example 1 and
a) is a lateral view of the water saving valve of Example 1 as viewed from another direction and
a) through 10(f) illustrate a water saving valve of Example 2, of which
a) and 11(b) show a check valve to be fitted into a water saving valve of Example 3.
a) and 12(b) show a filter to be fitted into a water saving valve of Example 4.
a) and 14(b) are longitudinal cross-sectional views of a principal part of a water saving valve of Example 6 that includes a check valve and illustrate its operation.
a) is a perspective view of an example of check valve that can be employed for the example of
a) through 16(d) are longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main part of a water saving valve, illustrating the operation of the check valve thereof.
Now, the present invention will be described by way of examples.
The water saving valve 10 is fitted in position by being inserted to a midway position of a hose or a water pipe. The illustrated water saving valve 10 is linked to a water pipe 12 at the upstream end 11 thereof and to a piping 15 at the downstream end 13 thereof. The piping 15 may be a shower hose or a tap piping of a water supply system. For example, a shower head 16 is linked to the downstream side of the piping 15. Alternatively, a tap 17 of a water supply system in a kitchen may be linked to the downstream side of the piping 15. The water saving valve 10 mixes air bubbles with tap water by means of the structure shown in
Referring to
The conduit part 32 has a flow path 38 having a substantially uniform cross-sectional area at an axial section thereof. The large diameter section 56 has an air suction port 30 that runs through from the flow path 38 at the axial section to the outer peripheral surface. A check valve 64 is inserted into the air suction port 30. Sleeve 50 is rigidly secured to the conduit part 32 by a support body 44 arranged at part of the axial hole. The sleeve 50 is provided with an eaves-like section 46. The eaves-like section 46 surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter section 56 with a gap 48 interposed between them. The sleeve 50 surrounds the other end and its vicinity of the conduit part 32 and with a space interposed between them.
Circle A of chain line in
As shown in
a) is a lateral view of the upstream side piece when the water saving valve 10 is formed as two-piece structure and
As shown in
A conduit part 32 is arranged at the downstream side of the upstream side piece shown in
As shown in
A flow path 38 is arranged at an axial section of the conduit part 32 and has a substantially uniform cross-sectional area all the way form the one end to the other end. The large diameter section 56 is provided with the air suction port 30 running through from the flow path 38 of the axial section to the outer peripheral surface thereof. The water receiving flask part 18, the tapered hole part 20 and the conduit part 32 are arranged in series so as to have a common axis. As tap water flows from the water receiving flask part 18, the flow path is reduced at the tapered hole part 20 so that the flowing speed of water is raised and, as tap water flowing at high speed is jetted out from the narrow tapered hole part 20 into the flow path 38 of the wide conduit part 32, the inside of the flow path 38 of the conduit part 32 is held under negative pressure. Therefore, air is sucked from the air suction port 30 and mixed with water flowing through the flow path 38 of the conduit part 32.
Both water receiving flask part 18 of the upstream piece and the conduit part 32 have a substantially uniform circular cross-section all the way from one end to the other end thereof. The cross-sectional area of the water receiving flask part 18 is greater than that of the tapered hole part 20 at the interface thereof. The cross-sectional area of the conduit part 32 is greater than that of the tapered hole part 20 at the interface thereof. With this arrangement, the upstream side piece having a cross-sectional structure as shown in
The water accelerated by the tapered hole part 20 can be fiercely jetted out from the conduit part 32 to the downstream side by selecting an appropriate relationship between the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the conduit part 32, the cross-sectional area of the narrowest hole part (the other end of the tapered hole part 20) of the tapered hole part 20 and the cross-sectional area of the air suction port 30. Again, it is only necessary to select drills for the above boring operations and the process can be accurately optimized. The pressure in the inside of the flow path 38 of the conduit part 32 can be effectively reduced by making the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the conduit part 32 greater than the sum of the cross-sectional area at the other end of the tapered hole part 20 and that of the air suction port 30.
Since the air suction port 30 is arranged at the large diameter section 56, the air suction port 30 can be more accurately made perpendicular relative to the flow path 38 of the conduit part if compared with the air suction port 30 arranged at the small diameter section 57. Additionally, a check valve 64 (
a) is a lateral view of the sleeve,
As shown in these drawings, a support body 44 for rigidly securing part of the axial hole to the conduit part 32 (
a) is a lateral view of the water saving valve of Example 1 and
Note that
As shown in
Additionally, by making the entire water saving valve a two-piece structure as in this example, the eaves-like section 46 for protecting the air suction port 30 can be made separate from the large diameter section 56. Then, the eaves-like section 46 does not constitute any obstacle when forming the air suction port 30 by processing the large diameter section 56 with use of a drill or the like. Additionally, the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter section 56 that is provided with the air suction port 30 can be surrounded with the gap 48 that is minimal and satisfies the requirement of introducing air from the outside. Thus, it is possible to provide a structure that prevents foreign objects from entering and allows air to flow freely.
a) through 10(f) illustrate a water saving valve of Example 2, of which
In this example, the tapered hole part 20 (
As shown in
A tapered hole unit 86 is fitted to a water saving valve same as that of Example 1 in the instance of
When the tapered hole unit 86 is fitted to the water receiving flask part 18, the rubber ring 89 is pinched between the inner wall of the water receiving flask part 18 and the outer wall of the tapered hole unit 86 to exert resilient force to both of them. As a result, the tapered hole unit 86 is fitted into the water receiving flask part 18 and would not easily come out. On the other hand, when the tapered hole unit 86 that is fitted into the water receiving flask part 18 has to be taken out, the user grasp the flange 88 and pulls it out by hand. The rubber ring 89 and the flange 88 are provided for such fitting and removing operations.
Of the water saving valve of Example 2 illustrated in
a) and 11(b) show a check valve to be fitted into a water saving valve of Example 3.
The check valve 64 is inserted into the inside of the air suction port 30 of the water saving valve (
The check valve 64 having the above-described configuration allows air to be sucked from the air suction port 30 toward the conduit part 32 of the water saving valve (
a) and 12(b) show a filter to be fitted into a water saving valve of Example 4.
An instance of containing a filter 72 in the water receiving flask part 18 of the water saving valve (
Generally, a net-like filter is pinched in a connecting part of piping. However, in the case of the water saving valve 10 according to the present invention, a filter is contained in the water receiving flask part 18. As a result, the water saving valve 10 itself is made to have a filtering function. The filter 72 is supported by legs 74 and can be removably fitted into the water receiving flask part 18 so that it can be served with ease. Additionally, as a result, any foreign object can be prevented from entering into the air suction port 30 or the like.
The flow rectifying cylinder 96 is arranged at the downstream side of the conduit. The position indicated by a chain line in
a) and 14(b) are longitudinal cross-sectional views of a principal part of a water saving valve of Example 6 that includes a check valve and illustrate its operation.
Referring to
As shown in
a) is a perspective view of an example of check valve that can be employed for the example of
As shown in
a) through 16(d) are longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main part of a water saving valve, illustrating the operation of the check valve thereof. As described above by referring to
When the bulged section 94 is partly formed by using an soft and elastic plastic material, the bulged section 94 is partly deformed and airtightly brought into contact with the eaves-like section 46. On the other hand, when the cylindrical section 92 is partly formed by using a soft and elastic plastic material, the cylindrical section 92 partly swells under hydraulic pressure and is pressed against the inner wall of the air suction port 30. Thus, the cylindrical section 92 and the bulged section 94 substantially completely block the air suction port 30 to prevent water from flowing out as shown in
On the other hand, when the pressure in the inside of the air suction port 30 is reduced, the cylindrical section 92 shrinks under the atmospheric pressure to produce a large gap between the air suction port 30 and the cylindrical section 92 as shown in FIG. 16(c). As a result, the cylindrical section 92 is drawn into the inside of the air suction port 30 to restore the state illustrated in
A water saving valve according to the present invention is developed for the purpose of saving water that is supplied by way of piping from an artificially built facility. The water saving valve mixes air with tap water to an appropriate extent and, at the same time, increases the speed of water flow. As a result, the water saving valve can reduce the quantity of consumed water without significantly altering the feeling when tap water is discharged from a tap, shower head or some other water discharging nozzle to hit the hands or the skin of the user. The water saving effect by turn reduces the charge for consumed tap water in various fields of human activities including hotels, public baths, swimming pools and sports clubs and also reduces emission of global warming gas. Therefore, the water saving valve according to the present invention can broadly find applications in various fields where water is required to be consumed minimally to wash objects when necessary.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2009/005634 | 10/26/2009 | WO | 00 | 6/21/2012 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2011/051998 | 5/5/2011 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5154355 | Gonzalez | Oct 1992 | A |
| 7059543 | Dushkin et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 20100116900 | Wurz | May 2010 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
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| 1991013633 | Jun 1989 | JP |
| 1996009253 | Jun 1992 | JP |
| 1999300234 | Apr 1998 | JP |
| 2002102100 | Oct 2000 | JP |
| 2005205326 | Jan 2004 | JP |
| 2006239106 | Feb 2006 | JP |
| 2008237601 | Mar 2007 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120248221 A1 | Oct 2012 | US |
