JP7519242B2 - Discharge Device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an ejection device that ejects a jet of liquid.

In some cases, a discharge device that sprays a jet of water is incorporated into sanitary facilities such as bathroom facilities. In recent years, attempts have been made to diversify the stimulation that the jet of water imparts to the user. As an example, Patent Document 1 describes a fluid device in which a pair of power nozzles emit a fluid jet into an oscillation chamber, which in turn emits a sweep jet through an outlet opening. The supply of fluid to the power nozzle is provided by a passageway that is a flat, enlarged portion extending from the fluid source.

Special Publication No. 2003-526760

In an injection member that generates an oscillating jet, when a pair of inlet flow paths and a merging chamber that combines liquid from the inlet flow paths are formed to perform an oscillating jet, if air accumulates in the merging chamber, this becomes a factor that inhibits the formation of an oscillating jet. As will be described in detail later, the inventors of the present application have recognized that there is room for improvement in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 in terms of suppressing air remaining during oscillating jet.

One of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide technology that can suppress residual air during oscillatory injection.

The discharge device of the present disclosure comprises a junction chamber having an outlet hole for ejecting an oscillating jet, a pair of inlets for delivering liquid to the junction chamber, and an inner surface facing the junction chamber between the pair of inlets, the inner surface having a protruding dimension of 10% or less relative to the dimension between the side edges forming the edges of the pair of inlets.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the discharge system according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the side. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ejection system according to a first embodiment, as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the discharge device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a side view of the discharge device of FIG. 1 . 5 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge device taken along line AA in FIG. 4. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge device taken along line BB in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a comparative discharge device, corresponding to FIG. 4 . FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a discharge device having a protrusion ratio of 4%. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a discharge device having a protrusion ratio of 8%. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a discharge device having a protrusion ratio of 12%. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a discharge device having a protrusion ratio of 16%. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a discharge device having a protrusion ratio of 20%. 13 is a table summarizing the discharge results by the discharge device.

The following describes the embodiments. Identical components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted. In each drawing, some components are omitted, enlarged, or reduced as appropriate for ease of explanation. The drawings should be viewed according to the orientation of the reference numerals. The structures and shapes referred to in this specification include not only structures and shapes that exactly match the shapes referred to, but also structures and shapes that deviate by the amount of errors such as dimensional errors and manufacturing errors. In this specification, "connection" includes cases where the conditions referred to are met directly by two parties, as well as cases where the conditions are met via other members, unless otherwise specified.

(First embodiment) Please refer to Figs. 1 and 2. The discharge device 10 is used in a sanitary facility 12. In this embodiment, the sanitary facility 12 is a bathroom facility 14, and includes a bathtub 16. The bathroom facility 14 also includes a bathroom wall, a washing area floor, etc.

The bathtub 16 is an example of a tank body that can receive the jet J sprayed from the discharge device 10. The bathtub 16 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The bathtub 16 has a bottom surface portion 16a and a number of side wall portions 16b that rise from the four edge portions of the bottom surface portion 16a.

The discharge device 10 is used in a discharge system 18. The discharge system 18 includes a liquid supply path 22 that supplies liquid from a liquid source 20 to the discharge device 10, a pump 24 provided midway along the liquid supply path 22, and a control unit 26 that controls the pump 24. In this embodiment, the liquid source 20 is a bathtub 16 that stores bath water W as the liquid to be sprayed. Under the control of the control unit 26, the pump 24 supplies the liquid to the discharge device 10 through the liquid supply path 22 by pumping the liquid sucked from the liquid source 20.

The discharge device 10 sprays the liquid supplied through the liquid supply path 22 as a jet J. The discharge device 10 of this embodiment sprays a single-phase liquid jet J. The discharge device 10 of this embodiment sprays bath water W circulating through the liquid supply path 22 by the pump 24. The jet J of this embodiment can be directed from the rear side at the user's body, particularly at least one of the back and waist of a user who is in a seated position in the bathtub 16. This provides a massage effect to the user.

Refer to Figures 3 and 4. The discharge device 10 comprises a discharge main body 30 in the shape of a rectangular plate, and a supply pipe 30a arranged close to one side of the discharge main body 30. The supply pipe 30a is connected to the liquid supply path 22, and liquid is supplied from the liquid supply path 22. The discharge device 10 may be provided with a return flow path that sucks in bath water W and returns it to the liquid supply path 22. The return flow path may be formed in a different location in the bathtub 16 from the discharge device 10.

Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. In this specification, the description will be made using a front-to-rear direction X, with the side where the outlet hole 38 is provided being the front side (the lower side of the paper in Figure 5) and the side where the supply pipe 30a is provided being the rear side (the upper side of the paper in Figure 5), and a width direction W perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction X. Inside the ejection main body 30, an ejection flow path 36 connected to the supply pipe 30a is formed.

The ejection main body 30 has an outlet hole 38 in the center when viewed from the front side in the front-rear direction X, and ejects a jet J from the outlet hole 38 in an oscillating manner forward. The ejection flow path 36 has a main flow path 37 into which liquid flows from the liquid supply path 22 through the supply port 40b, and the aforementioned outlet hole 38 that ejects the liquid in the main flow path 37 forward. The ejection flow path 36 has a pair of opposing surfaces 37a that face each other in the height direction H, and a pair of inner surfaces 37b that face each other in the width direction W. The cross section of the main flow path 37 perpendicular to the front-rear direction X is rectangular in shape with a height dimension smaller than its width dimension. The cross section shown in FIG. 6 is taken along line B-B in the cross section shown in FIG. 5, so strictly speaking it is the lower half in the figure, but the upper half is also shown for ease of understanding.

The ejection body 30 has an ejection flow path 36 and functions as a fluid element capable of performing oscillating ejection. Oscillating ejection refers to an ejection in which the ejection direction of the jet J changes over time so that it oscillates within a plane. This oscillating ejection causes the wave-like jet J to propagate radially from the ejection body 30.

To achieve oscillating injection, the injection flow path 36 in the ejection body 30 of this embodiment includes a pair of inlet flow paths 37c branching off from the supply port 40b, and a confluence chamber 37d where the liquid flowing in from each of the inlets 37e at the downstream ends of the pair of inlet flow paths 37c joins.

The pair of inlet flow paths 37c are provided on both sides in the width direction W of the first wall portion 33 provided behind the merging chamber 37d. The liquid flowing in from the supply port 40b is divided and flows through the pair of inlet flow paths 37c, and is sent out from the inlet 37e to the merging chamber 37d. The first wall portion 33 has an inner surface 33a facing the merging chamber 37d between the pair of inlets 37e. The side edge portion 33b and the side edge portion 33c in the width direction of the inner surface 33a form part of the edge of the inlet 37e. The dimension between the side edge portion 33b and the side edge portion 33c is the inlet-to-inlet dimension L. The inner surface 33a shown in FIG. 5 is flat and is neither convex nor concave with respect to the merging chamber 37d.

The ejection flow path 36 includes a second wall portion 34 that blocks the flow of liquid toward the downstream side in the merging chamber 37d. An outlet hole 38 is formed in the second wall portion 34. The merging chamber 37d is formed such that the dimension in the width direction W increases from the inlet 37e side toward the outlet hole 38 side.

Refer to FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, as a comparison with the discharge device 10 shown in FIG. 6, a discharge device 10 in which the inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 is concave with respect to the merging chamber 37d is shown. In the discharge device 10, the injection flow path 36 is filled with air before liquid is supplied, and when liquid is supplied, air S may remain in front of the concave inner surface 33a. In the discharge device 10, if air S remains in front of the concave inner surface 33a, oscillation of the jet J does not occur, or even if it does occur, the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation may be unstable.

Refer to Figures 8A to 8E. In the discharge device 10 shown in Figure 8A, the inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 is curved convexly toward the merging chamber 37d, and the ratio of the protruding dimension D of the inner surface 33a to the inlet-to-inlet dimension L between the side edge portions 33b and 33c is 4%. For example, when L = 50 mm, D = 2 mm. Hereinafter, the ratio of the protruding dimension D to the inlet-to-inlet dimension L will be referred to as the protruding ratio.

The protrusion ratios of the discharge device 10 shown in Figures 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E are 8%, 12%, 16%, and 20%, respectively. The discharge device 10 shown in Figure 6 has a flat inner surface 33a and a protrusion ratio of 0%.

See Figure 9. In addition to the discharge device 10 shown in Figure 6, the discharge device 10 shown in Figures 8A to 8E was prototyped, and the operating conditions of the horizontal oscillation injection were confirmed by experiment. The evaluation items for the oscillation performance were the oscillation stability of the jet J and the oscillation amplitude. The oscillation stability of the jet J was evaluated into three categories: "good", "fair", and "poor". The oscillation amplitude of the jet J was measured at a specified distance (actually 50 mm) from the outlet hole 38 of the prototype. Each discharge device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 0% to 20% suppresses the remaining air S in the junction chamber 37d seen in the discharge device 10 with the inner surface 33a formed in a concave shape shown in Figure 7, because the inner surface 33a is not concave.

In the discharge device 10, liquid is supplied from the liquid supply passage 22 through the supply port 40b, and flows into a pair of inlet flow paths 37c branching from the supply port 40b. In the discharge device 10, liquid is sent from each of the inlets 37e of the pair of inlet flow paths 37c to the merging chamber 37d, and oscillating jetting occurs in the merging chamber 37d. When the inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 facing the merging chamber 37d is concave and no air S remains, oscillating jetting occurs. As described above, experiments are conducted to confirm whether oscillating jetting occurs well when the inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 is formed not concave with respect to the merging chamber 37d, but flat and convex, thereby suppressing the remaining air.

The ejection device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 0% had stable oscillating jetting, a large oscillation width of 95 mm, and very good oscillation performance of the jet J. The ejection device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 4% had stable oscillating jetting, a large oscillation width of 75 mm, and good oscillation performance of the jet J. The ejection device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 8% had stable oscillating jetting, and although the oscillation width was slightly reduced to 70 mm, the oscillation performance of the jet J was considered to be good.

The ejection device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 12% was rated acceptable because the oscillating jet was somewhat unstable. The ejection device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 12% had a reduced oscillation width of 30 mm, but still performed the function of oscillating jet. The ejection devices 10 with protrusion ratios of 16% and 20% had unstable oscillations of the jet J, and the oscillation width could not be measured.

The discharge device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 12% performs the function of oscillating injection. The discharge device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 12% is insufficient in that the oscillation width is reduced, and is considered not to exhibit sufficient oscillating performance overall. The discharge device 10 with a protrusion ratio of 8% can exhibit sufficient oscillating performance overall. Therefore, it is preferable that the protrusion ratio of the discharge device 10 is 10% or less, which is the average value of 8% and 12%. It is more preferable that the protrusion ratio of the discharge device 10 is 8% or less.

When the protrusion ratio is 0% to 10%, the discharge device 10 suppresses residual air S (see FIG. 7) compared to when the inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 is formed concavely, and the oscillation performance of the jet J is improved. When the protrusion ratio is 0% to 8%, the discharge device 10 suppresses residual air S, ensures oscillation amplitude, and improves the oscillation performance of the jet J. Because the inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 is formed as a curved surface, the liquid sent from the pair of inlets 37e to the merging chamber 37d easily flows along the inner surface 33a.

Other embodiments of each component are described below.

Specific examples of the sanitary equipment 12 are not particularly limited and may be, for example, kitchen equipment, washroom equipment, etc. Specific examples of the tank body of the sanitary equipment 12 are not particularly limited and may be, for example, a sink such as a kitchen sink or a hand washing sink.

The bathroom facility 14 needs to have at least a bathtub 16, and does not need to have bathroom walls, a washing area floor, etc.

The liquid source 20 of the discharge system 18 is not limited to the bathtub 16, and may be provided separately from the bathtub 16, for example. The liquid source 20 may be a water supply facility such as a water supply system provided outside the building in which the sanitary equipment 12 is installed. In this case, the discharge system 18 does not need to include a pump 24 because water under pressure is supplied from the water supply facility to the liquid supply path 22.

Specific examples of the discharge device 10 are not particularly limited, and may be used, for example, as a shower device.

The ejection device 10 only needs to be able to eject the jet J so that it hits the user's body, and there are no particular limitations on the location on the user where the jet J hits (e.g., the neck, shoulders, arms, waist, abdomen, legs, etc.). For example, the ejection device 10 may eject the jet J so that it hits the side of the user's body.

The inner surface 33a of the first wall portion 33 is not limited to a curved surface. For example, the inner surface 33a may have at least one vertex between the side edges 33b and 33c, and may be formed by planes connecting the side edges and the vertex, and connecting the vertices together, forming a polygonal surface.

Specific examples of fluid elements capable of performing oscillatory jetting are not particularly limited. For example, a fluid element that uses a Karman vortex may be used, or a fluid element that uses the Coanda effect may be used.

The embodiments and modifications have been described. When understanding the technical ideas that abstract the embodiments and modifications, the technical ideas should not be interpreted as being limited to the contents of the embodiments and modifications. The above-mentioned embodiments and modifications are merely illustrative examples, and many design changes are possible, such as changing, adding, or deleting components. In the embodiments, the contents in which such design changes are possible are emphasized by adding the notation "embodiment". However, design changes are also permitted even in contents not so notated. The hatching on the cross sections of the drawings does not limit the material of the objects that are hatched.

Any combination of the above components is also valid as an aspect of the technical idea that abstracts the embodiment and the modified examples. For example, an embodiment may be combined with any of the description matters of other embodiments, and a modified example may be combined with any of the description matters of an embodiment and another modified example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Discharge device, 33... First wall part (wall part), 33a... Inner surface, 33b, 33c... Side part, 37d... Merging chamber, 37e... Inflow port, 38... Outlet hole.

Claims (5)

a merging chamber having an outlet hole for ejecting the oscillating jet;
A pair of inlets for sending liquid to the merging chamber;
a first wall portion having an inner surface facing the merging chamber between the pair of inlets ;
a second wall portion facing the inner surface and having the outlet hole formed therein;
Equipped with
The first wall portion has a pair of wall surfaces formed to bend toward an opposite side to the merging chamber at a pair of opposing side edges of the inner surface,
one of the pair of wall surfaces is a part of a wall surface that forms an inlet flow path leading to one of the pair of inlets,
the other of the pair of wall surfaces is a part of a wall surface that forms an inlet flow path leading to the other of the pair of inlets,
the pair of side edge portions respectively form edges of the pair of inlets ,
The inner surface has a protruding dimension of 10% or less with respect to a dimension between the pair of side portions,
the merging chamber is formed such that a width dimension in a direction from one of the pair of inlets to the other inlet increases as the merging chamber moves from the pair of inlets toward the outlet hole,
a discharge device in which the liquid flowing from the pair of inlets to the outlet hole in the merging chamber is blocked by the second wall portion and is ejected from the outlet hole . 2. The ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the protruding dimension is 8% or less of the dimension between the side edges. The discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein the inner surface is formed in a convex shape with respect to the merging chamber. The discharge device according to claim 3 , wherein the inner surface is formed as a curved surface. The ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding dimension is 0% of the dimension between the side edges.

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