SANITARY INSERT UNIT

Abstract

A sanitary insert unit is provided having a jet regulator which has a housing with a housing inlet and a housing outlet, and a jets splitter in the housing interior. The jet splitter protrudes partially into a diffuser ring, delimiting an annular channel therebetween. The diffuser ring is insertable into an outlet-side housing part of the housing until an annular step on the outer circumference of the diffuser ring bears on an inlet-side mating surface on an outlet-side housing part. A circumferential locking cam on an outer circumference of the diffuser ring is movable into locking engagement with a locking groove provided on an inner circumference of the outlet-side housing part. The locking cam has a run-on bevel which interacts with a mating bevel upstream from the locking groove in an insertion direction that has a greater angle of inclination with respect to a longitudinal axis in comparison with the run-on bevel.

Claims

1. A sanitary insert unit (1) comprising an aerated jet regulator (3) which has a jet regulator housing with a housing inlet (4), a housing outlet (5), and a jet splitter (6) in a housing interior of said jet regulator housing, the jet splitter (6) protrudes at least in part into a diffuser ring (33) and, between the jet splitter and the diffuser ring (33), delimits an annular channel (9), the diffuser ring (33) is insertable into an outlet-side housing part (14) of the jet regulator housing until an annular step (14) arranged on the outer circumference of the diffuser ring (33) bears on an inlet-side mating surface on an outlet-side housing part, a circumferential locking cam (15) is provided on an outer circumference of the diffuser ring (33) and is movable into locking engagement with a locking groove (16) provided on an inner circumference of the outlet-side housing part (26), and the locking cam (15) has a run-on bevel (17) which interacts with a mating bevel (18) upstream from the locking groove (16) in an insertion direction, said mating bevel (18) has a greater angle of inclination with respect to a longitudinal axis of the jet regulator in comparison with the run-on bevel (17).

2. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination of the mating bevel (18) is between 40° and 50° and the angle of inclination of the run-on bevel (17) is between 30° and 40°.

3. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 2, wherein the angle of inclination of the mating bevel (18) is approximately 45° and the angle of inclination of the run-on bevel (17) is approximately 35°.

4. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 1, wherein the annular channel (9) narrows, at least in a partial area thereof, in a direction of an outlet-side channel opening thereof.

5. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 1, wherein the jet regulator (3) is insertable with said jet regulator housing into an outlet mouthpiece (2) that is mountable on a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, the jet regulator (3) is sealed off axially by a sealing ring (23) that is clampable between the jet regulator (3) and an outlet-side front edge of the outlet fitting, the jet regulator has, on an inlet-side front face, an annular wall (24) around which the sealing ring (23) engages, and the sealing ring (23), on the one hand, protrudes beyond the annular wall (24) and, on the other hand, protrudes beyond the inlet-side front edge of the outlet mouthpiece (2).

6. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 5, wherein the jet regulator has a jet regulator housing with an inlet-side and an outlet-side housing part (26), the jet splitter (6) is configured as a diffuser or as a perforated plate and insertable into the inlet-side housing part from a direction of the inlet-side front face of the housing, and the annular wall (24) is arranged on an inlet-side front face of the jet splitter (6).

7. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 5, wherein the annular wall (24) engages around a regulator housing (27) of a flow rate regulator (20).

8. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 7, wherein the flow rate regulator (20) is connected, on an inlet-side front face thereof, to a dome screen or filter screen (19).

9. The sanitary insert unit according to claim 7, further comprising a locking connection provided between the annular wall (24) and the regulator housing (27).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Developments according to the invention will become clear from the claims in conjunction with the drawings and the description. A preferred embodiment according to the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a sanitary insert unit depicted in detail in longitudinal section and inserted into a sleeve-shaped outlet mouthpiece, wherein the insert unit can be mounted by the outlet mouthpiece on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting not shown here,

[0019] FIG. 2 shows the insert unit from FIG. 1 and its outlet mouthpiece in an exploded perspective view of the component parts,

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a sanitary insert unit likewise depicted in longitudinal section and inserted in the outlet mouthpiece in a longitudinal side view, although here it does not have a flow rate regulator interposed between dome screen and jet regulator,

[0021] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section of a detail of the sanitary insert unit shown in FIG. 3, with the component parts in an enlarged view,

[0022] FIG. 5 shows the insert unit from FIGS. 3 and 4 in a perspective longitudinal section, and

[0023] FIG. 6 shows the insert unit from FIGS. 3 to 5 in an exploded perspective view without the associated outlet mouthpiece.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Two different embodiments of a sanitary insert unit 1 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in FIGS. 3 to 6. The sanitary insert unit 1 is insertable into a sleeve-shaped outlet mouthpiece 2, which can be mounted on the water outlet of an outlet fitting (not shown here). The sanitary insert unit 1 has a jet regulator 3, which is configured here as an aerated jet regulator. The jet regulator 3 has a jet regulator housing, of which the inlet-side front face forms a housing inlet 4, while the outlet-side front face of the housing is configured as a housing outlet 5. A jet splitter 6, here configured as a pot-shaped diffuser, is provided in the jet regulator housing. This pot-shaped diffuser has a pot base 7, which serves as an impingement surface that deflects the flow of water outwards. The pot-shaped diffuser has, in the circumferential wall of its pot shape, at least one through-flow opening and, as shown here, preferably a plurality of through-flow openings 8 which, in particular, are arranged at uniform intervals and lead into an annular channel 9.

[0025] In a circumferential wall of its jet regulator housing, the jet regulator 3 has at least one aeration channel 10, of which the channel outlet opening leads into the housing interior. By way of this at least one aeration channel 10, ambient air can be sucked into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing and, together with the water flowing through there, is shaped into a homogeneous, non-sputtering and in particular also sparkling-soft water jet.

[0026] To make the sanitary insert unit 1 and its jet regulator 3 as compact as possible, the opening edge 11 of the channel outlet opening of the at least one aeration channel 10 facing towards the housing outlet 5 is arranged above a cross-sectional plane of the jet regulator housing that extends through the outlet-side front face 12 of the jet splitter 6. In this way, it is possible to substantially reduce the overall height of the mixing chamber M, which follows the annular channel 9 in the direction of flow and in which the water mixed with ambient air is prepared. Here, the at least one aeration channel 10 is positioned in the direction of the housing inlet 4 in such a way that the opening edge 11 of the channel outlet opening of the at least one aeration channel 10 facing towards the housing outlet 5 is arranged above a cross-sectional plane that extends through the outlet-side channel opening 13 of the annular channel 9. By virtue of this arrangement of the aeration channels 10 and of their channel outlet openings, in which arrangement the channel wall outwardly delimiting the annular channel 9 covers the channel outlet openings of the aeration channels 10 in areas, it is possible to achieve particularly good and intensive mixing of the air, sucked into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing, and the water, accelerated in the annular channel 9. By thus arranging the aeration channels 10 high up in the direction of the housing inlet 4, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the water mixed with ambient air splashes outwards and thus prevents further air from being sucked in.

[0027] As becomes clear from a comparison of FIGS. 1 to 6, the jet splitter 6 protrudes at least in part into a diffuser ring 33 which, between itself and the jet splitter 6, delimits the annular channel 9. The diffuser ring 33, which is here also configured as the inlet-side housing part of a substantially two-part jet regulator housing, is insertable into an outlet-side housing part 26 of the jet regulator housing until an annular step 14 arranged on the outer circumference of the diffuser ring 33 bears on an inlet-side mating surface on the outlet-side housing part 26. A circumferential locking cam 15 is provided on the outer circumference of the diffuser ring 33 and can be brought into locking engagement with a locking groove 16 provided on the inner circumference of the outlet-side housing part 26. The locking cam 15 has a run-on bevel 17 which interacts with a mating bevel 18 upstream from the locking groove 16 in the insertion direction.

[0028] The mating bevel 18 on the outlet-side housing part 26 has, by comparison with the run-on bevel 17 on the locking cam 15 of the diffuser ring 33, a greater angle of inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jet regulator. By virtue of these different angles of inclination of run-on bevel 17 and mating bevel 18, it is possible for the diffuser ring 33 and the outlet-side housing part 26 to be assembled at great speed, possibly also in an automated production and assembly process. As a result of the chosen geometric configuration of the run-on bevel 17 and of the corresponding mating bevel 18, the expansion rate on the outlet-side housing part 26 is not so great as in a configuration with run-in radii, for example. As a result of this lower expansion rate, it is possible to effectively avoid expansion cracks on the outlet-side housing part 26 during the assembly process, even in the case of rapid assembly; at the same time, lower assembly forces are also sufficient for the locking connection provided between the diffuser ring 33 and the outlet-side housing part 26. While the angle of inclination of the mating bevel 18 preferably measures approximately 45°, the run-on bevel 17 has, by contrast, an angle of inclination of approximately 35° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jet regulator.

[0029] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 6, a preferably conically shaped dome screen or filter screen 19 is arranged upstream from the jet regulator 3. As can be seen from the illustrative embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flow rate regulator 20 can be arranged between the dome screen or filter screen 19 and the jet regulator 3, the purpose of the flow rate regulator 20 being to adjust the volume of water flowing through the jet regulator 3 per unit of time to a defined pressure-independent value.

[0030] The jet regulator 3 is insertable with its jet regulator housing into an outlet mouthpiece 2 that can be mounted on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet unit. The jet regulator is inserted into the outlet mouthpiece 2 from the direction of the inlet-side front face until an annular step 21 arranged on the outer circumference of the jet regulator housing bears on an annular step 22 arranged on the inner circumference of the sleeve-shaped outlet mouthpiece 2. The jet regulator 3 is sealed off axially by a sealing ring 23, which can be clamped between the jet regulator 3 and the outlet-side front edge of the outlet fitting. Given the compact design that is sought for the jet regulator 3, and on account of the limited installation space on the inlet side of the jet regulator 3 as a result of the dome screen or filter screen 19 and the flow rate regulator 20, only a very small space is available for the sealing ring that is needed for the axial sealing. Since this sealing ring 23 may have a very slender height to thickness ratio in order to provide a secure hold in the outlet mouthpiece 2, and possibly also on account of a required protrusion beyond the norm, there is a danger of the sealing ring 23 collapsing inwards when the outlet mouthpiece 2 is pulled on, thereby hindering a secure and tight fastening of the jet regulator 3 on the water outlet of the sanitary outlet fitting. Therefore, on its inlet-side front face, the jet regulator 3 has an annular wall 24 around which the sealing ring 23 engages, wherein the sealing ring 23, on the one hand, protrudes beyond the annular wall 24 and, on the other hand, protrudes beyond the inlet-side front edge of the outlet mouthpiece 2. In the event of axial compression, the annular wall 24 supports the sealing ring 23, here configured as a flat seal, against axial buckling. The sealing ring 23 bears with a press fit on the inner circumference of the outlet mouthpiece 2, such that the sealing ring 23 secures both itself and also the jet regulator 3, for example if the sanitary insert unit has to be mounted in particular face down on the water outlet of the sanitary outlet fitting. However, to ensure that the sealing ring 23 can be inserted with a gentle press fit into the outlet mouthpiece 2, it is advantageous if an air gap 25 remains between the sealing ring 23 and the surrounding annular wall 24 protruding counter to the direction of flow.

[0031] The jet regulator housing of the jet regulator 3 is configured in two parts here, having the diffuser ring 33, which also serves as an inlet-side housing part here, and an outlet-side housing part 26. The jet splitter 6 configured as a diffuser is insertable into the diffuser ring 33, also serving as an inlet-side housing part, from the direction of the inlet-side front face of the housing. The annular wall 24 is formed integrally on the inlet-side front face of the jet splitter 6 here configured as a diffuser. As is clear from the longitudinal sections according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the annular wall 24 engages around a regulator housing 27 of a flow rate regulator 20. At least one annular channel is provided in the regulator housing 27 of the flow rate regulator 20, in which annular channel an annular flow restrictor 29 is located which, between itself and a regulating profile arranged on an inner and/or outer channel wall, delimits a control gap which can be modified, in terms of its clear gap cross section, by the flow restrictor deforming under the pressure of the water flowing through.

[0032] As is clear from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2, on the one hand, and of FIGS. 3 to 6, on the other hand, a dome screen or filter screen 19 and, optionally, in addition to or instead of the latter, the flow rate regulator 20 can be inserted into the free space delimited by the annular wall 24. In order to hold the dome screen or filter screen 19 and optionally the flow rate regulator 20 securely in the free space delimited by the annular wall 24, a locking cam 30 is provided on the inner circumference of the annular wall 24. This locking cam 30 engages behind an annular flange 31, 32 arranged on the outer circumference of the regulator housing 27 or on the outer circumference of the dome screen or filter screen 19. Since the locking cam 30 provided on the inner circumference of the annular wall 24 is arranged at a distance from the free front edge of the annular wall 24, the wall portion of the annular wall 24 remaining between the locking cam 30 and the free front edge of the annular wall 24 forms a centring aid, which substantially facilitates the locking of the regulator housing 27 or of the dome screen or filter screen 19 on the locking cam 30 and also the locking of the dome screen 19 on the regulator housing 27 already in locking engagement with the annular wall 24. The axial spacing of the locking cam 30 from the inlet-side front edge of the annular wall 24 permits an axial extent in which the dome screen or filter screen 19, or the combination consisting of dome screen 19 and flow rate regulator 20, can be imposed during assembly, wherein the applied component centres itself in advance on account of the shape of the locking cam 30 and the rounding on the circumferential outlet-side bottom edge of the dome screen or filter screen 19 or on the similarly rounded circumferential bottom edge of the regulator housing 27. This greatly facilitates the process of assembling the dome screen or filter screen 19, or the combination consisting of the dome screen 19 and the flow rate regulator 20, on the jet splitter 6 configured as a diffuser, wherein an axial mounting force simply has to be applied for the locking engagement, without at the same time having to take care of the centring and orientation of the components that are to be connected to each other.

[0033] A flow straightener is integrally formed on the outlet-side front face of the jet regulator housing so as to provide a lattice structure or mesh structure that guides the flow.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0034] 1 sanitary insert unit [0035] 2 outlet mouthpiece [0036] 3 jet regulator [0037] 4 housing inlet [0038] 5 housing outlet [0039] 6 jet splitter [0040] 7 pot base [0041] 8 through-flow opening [0042] 9 annular channel [0043] 10 aeration channel [0044] 11 opening edge [0045] 12 front face [0046] 13 channel opening [0047] 14 annular step [0048] 15 locking cam [0049] 16 locking groove [0050] 17 run-on bevel [0051] 18 mating bevel [0052] 19 dome screen or filter screen [0053] 20 flow rate regulator [0054] 21 annular step [0055] 22 annular step [0056] 23 sealing ring [0057] 24 annular wall [0058] 25 air gap [0059] 26 outlet-side housing part [0060] 27 regulator housing [0061] 28 regulator profile [0062] 29 flow restrictor [0063] 30 locking cam [0064] 31 annular flange [0065] 32 annular flange [0066] 33 diffuser ring [0067] 34 flow straightener [0068] M mixing zone