WATER FITTING WITH A CARTRIDGE UNDER THE SANITARY CERAMIC
A water fitting for dispensing water in a sanitary device, comprising a fitting member which is placed on this sanitary device, and a device which is arranged on the fitting member for actuating a cartridge, the cartridge containing a cold and a hot water supply flow, devices for opening and closing the supply flows and for limiting and mixing the water streams and a mixed water outlet.
The invention relates to a water fitting for dispensing water in a sanitary device, comprising a fitting member which is placed on this sanitary device, and a device which is arranged on the fitting member for actuating a cartridge, the cartridge containing a cold and a hot water supply flow, devices for opening and closing the supply flows and for limiting and mixing the water streams and a mixed water outlet.
Conventional single-lever water fittings as arranged on sanitary devices, in particular on wash stands, bidets or bathtubs, contain a so-called cartridge in which the cold water stream and hot water stream supplied to the fitting are released or blocked for discharge into these sanitary devices and mixed with each other. Because the cartridges are installed in these fittings, these fittings have a diameter which is predetermined by these cartridges and, depending on the size of the cartridge, the diameter cannot fall below that value. These fittings are therefore bulky.
In recent years there has been a trend towards converting the once functionally fitted bathroom into a so-called wellness zone, the design of the objects becoming increasingly significant. When configuring the fittings, however, designers are constrained for the reason set out above.
An object of the invention is therefore to configure a water fitting in such a manner that the cartridge does not impede the construction of the fitting member of the water fitting.
This object is achieved with the characterising features of claim 1. The dependent claims relate to advantageous configurations of the invention.
According to the invention, the cartridge and the fitting member of the water fitting are spatially separated from each other. The cartridge and the device for actuating the cartridge on the fitting member can be mechanically connected to each other or an electrically operated actuation system is provided, for example, by means of motors. The fitting member is conventionally arranged on the sanitary device, for example, on a wash stand, a bidet or a bathtub, whilst the cartridge is arranged underneath, separated therefrom by the sanitary device.
This arrangement allows the designer a free hand in the configuration of the fitting member, whilst the cartridge is protected from influx of water from outside and from cleaning agents, which reduces wear and increases the service-life. Owing to this protection, a cartridge can be readily changed. With conventional fittings, owing to accumulations of scale and corrosion of threads and seals, it is often no longer possible to change it, so that the entire fitting must be replaced.
The cartridge is a conventional cartridge, as fitted as standard in water fittings. It is advantageous that it does not have to be modified for use outside the water fitting. It therefore also affords the possibility, depending on the construction type, of determining the through-flow quantity of water, the temperature range of the mixed water and the limit values of the temperatures of the mixed water.
Owing to the fact that the device for actuating the cartridge on the fitting member is no longer directly connected to the adjustment lever of the cartridge, it is mechanically connected to the adjustment lever of the cartridge by means of a coupling device. This coupling device allows the conventional tilting and pivoting movements or travel movements of the device for actuating the cartridge to be transmitted to the cartridge in such a manner that the same actuation results are obtained as if the device for actuating the cartridge were directly connected to the adjustment lever of the cartridge.
In the case of electromotive actuation of a cartridge, there may be connected to the device for actuating a cartridge, devices for controlling the rotation direction and the speed of the respective motor which is provided for opening and closing the supply flows and the mixed water outlet and for mixing the water streams and for controlling the quantity of water discharged.
Various configurations are possible for the mechanical coupling device. Whilst the pivoting movements of the device for actuating the cartridge can still be transmitted directly to the adjustment lever of the cartridge in order to adjust the water mixing temperature, an upward or downward movement of the mechanical connection between the device for actuating the cartridge on the fitting member and the adjustment lever of the cartridge must now be converted into a pivoting movement for opening or closing the cold and hot water supply flows. This can be carried out, for example, by means of a gear arrangement comprising rods, an inclined path guide or a flexible shaft as will be explained in greater detail with reference to embodiments.
The cartridge is accommodated in a housing, which encloses the cartridge and optionally also the coupling device and protects them from external influences. The housing further comprises the connections for the cold and the hot water supply flow and for the mixed water outlet of the cartridge. It is also conceivable for only the cartridge to be surrounded by a housing and for the coupling device to be outside the housing and optionally to be protected by a separate housing.
The connection of the housing to the fitting member or the sanitary device is carried out by means of a connection portion. This connection portion, which extends above the adjustment lever of the cartridge and away from it in the direction towards the lower side of the sanitary device is configured in such a manner that it can be secured to the sanitary device or to the base of the fitting member which extends through the sanitary device. The connecting portion can also extend through the sanitary device so that the fitting member can be positioned thereon.
The connecting portion is constructed in such a manner that there is a spacing between the sanitary device and cartridge, which allows the device for actuating the cartridge to be connected to the coupling device and allows the mixed water outlet of the cartridge to be connected to the outlet of the fitting member.
The connecting portion may have the appearance, for example, of a U lying flat, one U member carrying the cartridge with the coupling device and the other member being connected to the sanitary device or to the fitting member. The housing of the cartridge is connected to the member of the connection portion. Another example of a connecting portion is a pipe which provides openings which are correspondingly large for access to the connection location of the coupling device and the device for actuating the cartridge and for connecting the mixed water outlet of the cartridge to be connected to the supply to the outlet of the fitting member. The connecting portion is screwed, with its upper end, to the base of the fitting member which extends through the sanitary device and which is therefore fixed to the sanitary device. The base carries the housing having the cartridge with the connection portion. If the housing of the cartridge is provided with an outer thread, it can be screwed into the tubular connecting portion which is provided with an inner thread.
If the sanitary device has a closure member for its outlet which can be actuated from the fitting member, the actuation rod which is provided for this purpose can extend through the connecting portion and the housing.
The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to embodiments. In the drawings:
There is illustrated in
The cartridge 9 is arranged according to the invention on the lower side 17 of the wash stand 1, separated from the fitting member 4 by the wash stand 1. The cartridge 9 is surrounded by a housing 18 which, in this instance located one behind the other and thereby partially covered, has the connections for the hot water supply flow 19 and the cold water supply flow 20 which are connected to the pipes of the domestic supply system by means of pipes 21 and 22 via the stop taps 23 and 24 which are also located one behind the other, respectively. The mixed water outlet 25 of the cartridge 9 is connected to the outlet 5 of the fitting member 4 by means of a pipe 26.
The housing 18 in the present embodiment surrounds the coupling device 27 which is therefore not visible but will be described below. The coupling device 27 converts the upward and downward movement of the rod 8 which is connected to the actuation lever 7 into the tilting movement of the adjustment lever of the cartridge 9. From the coupling device 27 there protrudes from the housing 18 only the connector 28 which is connected by means of a connection 29 to the rod 8 with which the actuation lever 7 engages.
The actuation lever 7 as a device for actuating the cartridge is secured for the tilting movement, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 30, in an articulation 31 to a terminal portion 32 which terminates the pipe 33 in which the rod 8 is guided in order to actuate the cartridge 9.
The housing 18 which surrounds the cartridge 9 and the coupling device 27 is connected, by means of a connecting portion 38, to the fitting member 4 on the wash stand 1 and extends therethrough. It is tubular and screwed to the fitting member 4 in a manner not illustrated in greater detail in this case. The connecting portion 38 has correspondingly large openings so that the connector 28 of the coupling device 27 can be connected to the rod 8 by means of a connection 29 according to the length of the rod 8 of the actuation lever 7. The connection of the pipe 26 to the fitting member 4 is also accessible.
The fitting member 4, instead of using a screw-type connection via the outer thread 41, can also be connected to the base 39 of the fitting member 4 by means of a pressure plate which is pushed via at least one threaded pin inserted into the base and which is pressed against the lower side 17 of the wash stand 1 by means of a nut which is screwed onto the threaded pin. This embodiment is not illustrated in this instance.
The lower member 45 of the connecting portion 38 carries the housing 18 with the cartridge 9 located therein. The base 46 of the housing 18 is configured in the same manner as the base inside a conventional fitting. The supply and outlet flows of the cartridge 9, when being secured to the member 45, are pressed with a screw connection 47 against the openings of the hot water supply flow 19 and the cold water supply flow 20 and the mixed water outlet 25 and are sealed by means of O-rings which are not illustrated in this instance. A rubber seal 48 located between the cartridge 9 and the member 45 ensures the adjustment of the correct application pressure. Owing to the screw connection 47, it is possible to install the cartridge 9 in the correct position with respect to the coupling device 27.
The present construction affords the advantage that the cartridge can be changed, without the connecting portion 38 having to be released from the fitting member 4 for this purpose. A release of the fitting member 4 from the wash stand 1 is in turn thereby avoided.
The housing of the cartridge 9 is partially cut away. It is possible to see the adjustment lever 49 which is supported in a socket 51 with its journal 50. During the tilting movement about the rotation point 52 in the socket 51, there is moved by the carrier pin 53 the covering plate 54 which in turn is connected to the control plate which is located therebelow for opening and closing the supply flows and for mixing the water streams.
As already set out above, the upward and downward movement 36 of the rod 8 which is connected to the actuation lever must be converted into a tilting movement of the adjustment lever 49 indicated by the double-headed arrow 56. The coupling device 27 is provided for this purpose. Into the adjustment lever 49 there is screwed in an end-face thread 57 another lever 58 which is cranked and which carries at its end a roller 59. Using the thread 57, it is possible to adjust the angle and spacing with respect to the rod 8 within the coupling device 27 in a positionally precise manner. After adjustment to the length of the rod 8, a torsion-prevention means 60, in this instance a screw, prevents possible displacement.
The roller 59 travels in a circular guiding path 61 of a lever 62, the path being rotated towards the right. The portion having the guiding path 61 may be fork-like and may enclose the lever 58 at both sides, which allows a uniform transmission of the movements during pivoting movements. The lever 62 is connected to the rod 8. The rod 8 is inserted in a tubular portion 63 of the lever 62 and connected thereto by means of a split pin 29. There are provided in the rod 8 and in the tubular portion 63 of the lever 62 a plurality of holes 64 which are arranged one above the other for the connection 29 so that, when they overlap, it is possible to connect the rod 8 to the lever 62 of the coupling device 27 in an operationally correct manner with adaptation to the length of the rod 8.
If the actuation lever 7 on the fitting member 4 is lifted from the closure position illustrated in the direction of the arrow 30 (
In the current embodiment, the coupling device 27 is surrounded by a cover 66 which is arranged separately from the housing 18 and which is placed on the member 45 of the connecting portion 38. The lever 62 is directed out of the opening 67 so that the rod 8 can be connected. Owing to the cover 66, the coupling device 27 is protected from external influences such as splashes of water or mechanical effects.
The situation of the completely open position of the adjustment lever 49 is illustrated in
In the embodiment according to
If the actuation lever 7 on the fitting member 4 is lifted from the closure position illustrated in the direction of the arrow 30 (
A completely different solution by means of which the opening, closing and mixing movements of the device for actuating the cartridge on the fitting member are transmitted to the cartridge is illustrated in
The housing 82 which covers the cartridge 9 is more solid than the housing of the previous embodiments so that it can withstand the forces exerted by the flexible shaft 75. The housing 82 is secured to the connecting portion 38 by means of the screw connections 47 which also carry the housing 18 of the cartridge 9. The flexible shaft 75 is guided through a guide pipe 83 to the adjustment lever 49 to which it is secured at the end face by means of a screw connection 57 which is secured with a screw 60.
The cartridge, which is not illustrated in this instance, is secured as in
In contrast to the embodiment according to
Claims
1-14. (canceled)
15. A water fitting for dispensing water in a sanitary device, comprising a fitting member which is placed on this sanitary device and a device which is arranged on the fitting member for actuating a cartridge, the cartridge being provided with a hot water supply flow and a cold water supply flow, devices for opening and closing the supply flows and optionally for mixing the water streams in the cartridge and a closable mixed water outlet from the cartridge, which is connected to the outlet in the fitting member of the sanitary device, wherein the cartridge is spatially separated from the fitting member on the sanitary device by the sanitary device and between the device for actuating the cartridge and the cartridge there is a direct mechanical connection, or wherein the cartridge is electromotively actuated, and the device for electromotively actuating the cartridge is connected to devices for controlling the rotation direction and the speed of the respective motor which is provided for opening and closing the supply flows and the mixed water outlet and for mixing the water streams and for controlling the quantity of water discharged.
16. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein the cartridge is surrounded by a housing and wherein this housing is connected to the sanitary device or the fitting member.
17. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein the cartridge is secured to the sanitary device or the fitting member by means of a connecting portion.
18. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein the cartridge is surrounded by a housing and wherein this housing is secured to the sanitary device or the fitting member by means of a connecting portion.
19. A water fitting according to claim 17, wherein the connecting portion is secured to the base of the fitting member extending through the sanitary device.
20. A water fitting according to claim 17, wherein the connecting portion extends through the sanitary device and wherein the fitting member is secured to the connecting portion.
21. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein, from the device for actuating the cartridge, the actuation lever or the actuation handle on the fitting member of the water fitting is connected to the adjustment lever for actuating the cartridge by means of a coupling device.
22. A water fitting according to claim 21, wherein the actuation lever on the fitting member of the water fitting is connected to a rod which extends through the sanitary device and by means of which its tilting movements can be converted into upward and downward movements, wherein the rod is connected to the coupling device by means of a connection and wherein the coupling device is a rod gear for converting the upward and downward movements of the rod into pivoting movements of the adjustment lever of the cartridge.
23. A water fitting according to claim 21, wherein the actuation lever on the fitting member of the water fitting is connected to a rod which extends through the sanitary device to which its upward and downward movements can be transmitted, wherein the rod is connected to the coupling device by means of a connection and wherein the coupling device is a rod gear for converting the upward and downward movements of the rod into pivot movements of the adjustment lever of the cartridge.
24. A water fitting according to claim 21, wherein the coupling device is a flexible shaft by means of which the actuation handle is connected to the adjustment lever of the cartridge.
25. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein the coupling device is surrounded by a cover.
26. A water fitting according to claim 25, wherein a lever of the coupling device extends out of the cover and the connection to the rod is arranged outside the cover.
27. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein the housing of the cartridge is provided with the connections of the hot water supply flow and the cold water supply flow and the mixed water outlet of the cartridge.
28. A water fitting according to claim 15, wherein the fitting member has an outlet and wherein this outlet is connected to the mixed water outlet of the cartridge by a pipe.
29. A water fitting according to claim 18, wherein the connecting portion is secured to the base of the fitting member extending through the sanitary device.
30. A water fitting according to claim 18, wherein the connecting portion extends through the sanitary device and wherein the fitting member is secured to the connecting portion.
31. A water fitting for dispensing water in a sanitary device, comprising a fitting member which is placed on this sanitary device and a device which is arranged on the fitting member for actuating a cartridge, the cartridge being provided with a hot water supply flow and a cold water supply flow, devices for opening and closing the supply flows and optionally for mixing the water streams in the cartridge and a closable mixed water outlet from the cartridge, which is connected to the outlet in the fitting member of the sanitary device, wherein the cartridge is spatially separated from the fitting member on the sanitary device by the sanitary device and between the device for actuating the cartridge and the cartridge there is a direct mechanical connection.
32. A water fitting for dispensing water in a sanitary device, comprising a fitting member which is placed on this sanitary device and a device which is arranged on the fitting member for electromotively actuating a cartridge, the cartridge being provided with a hot water supply flow and a cold water supply flow, devices for opening and closing the supply flows and optionally for mixing the hot and cold water streams in the cartridge and a closable mixed water outlet from the cartridge, which is connected to the outlet in the fitting member of the sanitary device, and the device for electromotively actuating the cartridge is connected to the devices for controlling the rotation direction and the speed of a respective motor which is provided for opening and closing the supply hot water supply flow and the cold water supply flow and the mixed water outlet and for mixing the hot water stream and the cold water stream and for controlling the quantity of water discharged.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 10, 2010
Publication Date: Jan 12, 2012
Inventor: Josef Leinen (Wittlich)
Application Number: 13/255,336
International Classification: E03C 1/05 (20060101);