Siphon

Abstract

The invention relates to a siphon arrangement (1) comprising a housing (2) with an inlet connection piece (3), an outlet connection piece (4), and a siphon seat (5) arranged between the inlet connection piece (3) and outlet connection piece (4), and a siphon element (6) arranged in the siphon seat (5), said siphon element having a siphon portion (7) and an inlet (8) facing towards the inlet connection piece (3) and an outlet (9) leading to the outlet connection piece (4). Water can be guided from the inlet connection piece (3) via the inlet (8) into the siphon portion (7) and from the outlet (9) to the outlet connection piece (4). The siphon element (6) is movable, in particular pivotable, in the housing (2) from a use position into a maintenance position, and when in the maintenance position can be removed, in particular pulled out, from the housing.

Claims

1. A siphon arrangement comprising: a housing comprising an inlet port, an outlet port and a siphon seat arranged between inlet port and outlet port, and a siphon element arranged in the siphon seat and comprising a siphon section, as well as an inlet, which faces the inlet port, and an outlet, which opens out into the siphon seat, wherein water can be guided from the inlet port into the siphon section via the inlet, and from the outlet into the siphon seat, and subsequently to the outlet port, wherein the siphon element is mounted in the housing so as to be movable from a usage position into a maintenance position, and is removable, or extractable, from the housing from the maintenance position along a principal direction via an access opening, wherein the siphon element is configured such that, in its maintenance position, it is substantially completely emptied, and wherein the siphon element and the access opening are configured such that the siphon element is removable from the housing solely when the siphon element lies in its maintenance position.

2. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the siphon element comprises a coding element, and wherein the access opening has a shape consistent with the coding element, wherein, in the maintenance position, the coding element lies relative to the access opening such that the siphon element is removable from the housing.

3. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coding element is a flat shield, which, when viewed in the principal direction, preferably extends to in front of the inlet and/or the outlet of the siphon element such that the flat shield acts as a splash guard.

4. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coding element is fixedly formed onto the siphon element or is connectable to the siphon element via a mechanical connection.

5. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the coding element is fixedly formed onto the siphon element or is connectable to the siphon element via a mechanical connection.

6. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the access opening is provided by an inside wall of the housing and by a panel projecting from the inside wall of the housing.

7. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the panel is arranged in the mouth region of the siphon seat into the outlet port, wherein, when viewed in the principal direction, the panel lies such that, during the movement of the siphon element from the usage position into the maintenance position, escaping water can be guided from the panel to the outlet port.

8. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the siphon arrangement further comprises a cap, which closes off the siphon seat in a region of the access opening, and wherein the cap is mounted, in the region of the access opening, on a bearing structure on the housing.

9. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cap acts on the siphon element such that it is held in its usage position when the cap is held in the bearing structure.

10. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cap possesses a mandrel, which engages in an opening on the siphon element, or wherein the siphon element possesses a mandrel, which engages in an opening on the cap.

11. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inlet port on the side of the siphon seat is configured as a branch projecting into the siphon seat, and wherein the branch projects into the inlet of the siphon element when the siphon element is in the usage position.

12. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein in a region of the inlet a seal element is arranged.

13. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one guide structure is arranged between the siphon seat and the siphon element, which at least one guide structure is configured such that the siphon element, during the movement from the usage position into the maintenance position, is first guided along a vertical movement, and wherein, after separation between inlet port or branch, respectively, and the siphon element has taken place, the siphon element is pivotable into the maintenance position about a pivot axis oriented parallel to the principal direction.

14. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guide structure comprises a first guide surface and an abutting second guide surface, wherein the first guide surface is fixedly arranged in the siphon seat and runs in the direction of a center axis of the inlet port or of the branch, respectively, and wherein the second guide surface is fixedly arranged on the siphon element and, upon the movement into the maintenance position and along the first guide surface, slides away from the inlet port.

15. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guide structure further has a stop against which the siphon element abuts when the siphon element is lying in the maintenance position.

16. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein the guide structure further has a stop against which the siphon element abuts when the siphon element is lying in the maintenance position.

17. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the siphon element has the form of a curved pipe.

18. The siphon arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mandrel or the opening, respectively, are of conical configuration.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings, which serve merely for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted restrictively. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective exploded view of a siphon arrangement having a siphon element according to one embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a further perspective exploded view of the siphon arrangement according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3a-3c show different representations of the siphon arrangement according to FIG. 1, wherein the siphon element is shown at different positions;

(5) FIG. 4a-4c show sectional representations of the siphon arrangement according to FIG. 1, wherein the siphon element is shown at different positions; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a further sectional representation.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) In the figures, a siphon arrangement 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The siphon arrangement 1 comprises a housing 2 having an inlet port 3, an outlet port 4, and also a siphon seat 5 arranged between inlet port 3 and outlet port 4. The siphon arrangement 1 further comprises a siphon element 6 arranged or mounted, respectively, in the siphon seat 5 and having a siphon section 7, and also having an inlet 8 facing the inlet port 3, and an outlet 9 leading to the outlet port 4. The siphon section 7 acts as a stench trap. Water is guided from the inlet port 3, via the inlet 8, into the siphon section 7, then passes through the siphon section 7, and can then be led away from the siphon section 7, via the outlet 9, to the outlet port 4. The water flows through the siphon section 7. In FIG. 4a, the flow direction of the water is marked with a dashed line F. The siphon element 6 can be inserted into the siphon seat 5 via an access opening 24 and removed from the siphon seat 5.

(8) The siphon element 6 is mounted in the siphon seat 5 in the housing 2 so as to be movable from a usage position, as is shown in FIG. 4a, into a maintenance position, as shown in FIG. 4c. In the shown embodiment, the siphon element 6 is able to firstly be pivoted along a vertical direction V, and subsequently about a pivot axis A. The pivot angle can be up to 120°. From the maintenance position, the siphon element 6 can be removed from the housing 2. In the shown embodiment, it is extracted from the siphon seat 5 along the pivot axis A in the direction of a principal direction H, via the access opening 24.

(9) In FIGS. 3a and 3b, the siphon element 6 is shown in the maintenance position. The siphon element 6 is configured such that, in its maintenance position, it is substantially completely emptied. That is to say that no residual water, or only an insignificant quantity of residual water, is still present in the siphon element 6.

(10) The siphon element 6 and the access opening 24 are configured such that the siphon element 6 is removable from the housing 2 solely when the siphon element 6 lies in its maintenance position. That is to say that the siphon element 6 is not removable from the housing 2 when the siphon element lies in its usage position or a position between the usage position and the assembly position.

(11) In the shown embodiment, the siphon element 6 has a coding element 20 and the access opening 24 has a shape conforming to or matching the coding element 20, respectively.

(12) During the removal of the siphon element 6, the coding element 20 must lie relative to the shape of the access opening 24 such that the siphon element 6 is removable. The correct position is shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b. From these figures it can be clearly seen that the rim 11 of the coding element 20 lies in such away relative to the rim 12 of the access opening 24 that the siphon element 6 is correspondingly removable from the siphon seat 5. Preferably, a slight clearance is present between the rims 11 and 12.

(13) In FIG. 3c, it is then shown how the siphon element is removable from the siphon seat 5 along the principal direction H.

(14) In the presently shown embodiment, the coding element 20 has the shape of a flat shield 21. The flat shield 21 is formed onto the tubular siphon element 6 here. The shield 21 is configured here such that it extends to in front of the outlet 9 of the siphon element 6 such that the flat shield 21 acts as a splash guard. This can be clearly seen in FIG. 2. During the manipulation of the siphon element 6, any splashes out of the outlet 9 can be intercepted by the rear part of the shield 21. The rear part bears the reference numeral 13.

(15) The coding element 20 or the shield 21, respectively, can be fixedly formed onto the siphon element 6, or can be connected to the siphon element 6 via a mechanical connection.

(16) The access opening 24 is provided by an inside wall 42 of the housing 2 and by a panel 43 projecting from the inside wall 42 of the housing. The panel 43 is shown clearly in FIGS. 1, 3a, 3b. The panel 43 is arranged here with respect to the outlet port 4 such that, in the region of the mouth between siphon seat 5 and outlet port 4, a retaining trough 14 is created. The retaining trough 14 has the advantage of ensuring that the water cannot flow off via the access opening 24 when the access opening 24 is open.

(17) The siphon arrangement 1 further comprises a cap 29. As shown in the figures, the cap 29 closes off the siphon seat 5 in the region of the access opening 24. The cap 29 is mounted in the region of the access opening 24 on a bearing structure 15 on the housing 2. The bearing structure is here provided by an external thread 17 on the cap and an internal thread 18 in the region of the access opening 24. The internal thread 18 is arranged in front of the access opening 24 and the siphon seat 5 lies behind the access opening 24. Between the cap and the housing 2 a seal 16 is arranged.

(18) The cap 29 acts on the siphon element such that this is held in its usage position when the cap 29 is held in the bearing structure 15. In the shown variant, protruding from the rear side of the cap 29 is a mandrel 46, which engages in an opening 47 arranged on the siphon element 6. The mandrel 46 and the opening 47 are clearly apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 5, the engagement of the mandrel 46 in the opening 47 is then shown. The mandrel 46 and the opening 47 are preferably of slightly conical configuration, so that a good cantering of the siphon element 6 can be achieved.

(19) The opening 47 is here formed by a panel 48 which protrudes from the coding element 20. In the shown embodiment, the panel 48 is reinforced by ribs 49.

(20) On the outside, the cap has an actuating element 23, which can be comfortably gripped by a user.

(21) In the shown embodiment, the inlet port 3 on the side of the siphon seat 5 is configured as a branch 45 projecting into the siphon seat 5. The branch 45 projects into the inlet 8 of the siphon element 6 when the siphon element 6 is in the usage position. This is shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. During a movement from the usage position into the maintenance position, the siphon element is first moved in the vertical direction V and can subsequently, after separation between branch 45 and siphon element 6 has taken place, be accordingly pivoted. This is signaled to the user by the two pictograms 26 on the front side of the shield 21.

(22) In order to aid the movement of the siphon element 6 in the siphon seat, a guide structure 32 is arranged between the siphon seat 5 and the siphon element 6. In FIGS. 4a to 4c, the guide structure is represented. The guide structure 32 comprises a plurality of elements and is configured such that the siphon element 6, during the movement from the usage position into the maintenance position, is first guided along a vertical movement V, wherein, after separation between inlet port 3 or branch 45, respectively, and siphon element 6 has taken place, the siphon element 6 can be pivoted into the maintenance position about a pivot axis A oriented parallel to the principal direction H.

(23) The guide structure 32 has a first guide surface 33 and an abutting second guide surface 34. The first guide surface 33 is fixedly arranged in the siphon seat 5 and is oriented in the direction of the center axis of the inlet port 3 or of the branch 45, respectively. The second guide surface 34 is fixedly arranged on the siphon element 6 and, upon the movement into the maintenance position along the first guide surface 33, slides away from the inlet port 3. This movement is represented in FIGS. 4a and 4b. In the shown embodiment, two first guide surfaces 33 and two second guide surfaces 34 are arranged.

(24) The guide structure 32 further comprises a stop 39, which is arranged in the siphon seat 5. When the siphon element 6 is lying in the maintenance position, it abuts against the stop. This is shown in FIG. 4c. In FIG. 4c, the siphon element 6 is located in the same position as in FIG. 3b, namely in the maintenance position.

(25) Following below are some further comments on the preferred embodiment shown in the figures.

(26) The siphon element 6 has the form of a curved pipe 28. The pipe 28 here extends from the inlet 8 to the outlet 9. The pipe 28 is generally of U-shaped configuration, wherein the pipe 28 runs laterally before and after the actual siphon section 7 slightly outward, so that sort of a bulging U-shape is formed.

(27) In the shown embodiment, the cross section of the pipe 28 of the siphon element is of oval or elliptical configuration, respectively. Throughout the pipe length, the cross section of the pipe 28 is substantially constant. The pipe 28 is surrounded by a siphon panel 10. The cross section of the pipe 28 can also be circular. In the shown embodiment, an oval structure was chosen, because this is advantageous in terms of the spatial relationships and the compactness of the siphon element 6.

(28) In all figures it can clearly be seen that, in the region of the inlet 8, a retaining chamber 36 extends outward on the siphon panel 10. This retaining chamber 36 is advantageous during the movement of the siphon element 6 into the maintenance position, and this is shown in FIG. 4. An object, for instance an object of value, present in the bottommost region of the siphon element 6, can fall into the retaining chamber 36 during the rotation of the siphon element from the usage position into the maintenance position. That is to say that the object is retained in the retaining chamber 36 and is not emptied out via the inlet 8. In this respect, the object can be prevented from moving in the direction of the outlet port 4, and thus in the direction of the wastewater system.

(29) In FIG. 4a it is shown that the siphon element 6 is configured such that, upon a movement of the siphon element 6, the water lying in the siphon section 7 flows at least in part to the outlet port 4. In FIG. 4a, the water lying in the siphon section 7 is symbolized with a dashed line W. In FIG. 5, the siphon element 6 is shown in the usage position. The siphon section 7 is here filled with water up to the line W which runs through the inlet 8 and the outlet 9. If now the siphon element 6 is pivoted from the usage position into the maintenance position, then the water lying in the siphon section 7 can flow off in the direction of the outlet port 4 via the inlet 8. This is symbolized in FIG. 4c by the arrow Z. The water thus flows over the edge having the reference numeral 22, which edge delimits the inlet 8 in the direction of the outlet port 4.

(30) Furthermore, the siphon element 6 is configured such that any residual water in the siphon section 7, during the removal of the siphon element 6, cannot flow out of the siphon section 7. That is to say that the siphon section 7 is configured as a type of “cup”, wherein the water then remains in this “cup”. In the shown embodiment, the siphon section 7 is delimited by a panel 10. The panel 10 surrounds the siphon section 7 substantially completely, apart from the inlet 8 and outlet 9. The siphon section 7 is thus configured by the panel 10 as a duct which is closed all the way round, whereby the aforementioned “cup” can be provided.

(31) In the usage position, the inlet 8 of the siphon section 7 lies slightly higher than the outlet 9.

(32) TABLE-US-00001 REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST 1 siphon arrangement 2 housing 3 inlet port 4 outlet port 5 siphon seat 6 siphon element 7 siphon section 8 inlet 9 outlet 10 siphon panel 11 rim 12 rim 13 rear part 14 retaining trough 15 bearing structure 16 seal 17 external thread 18 internal thread 20 coding element 21 shield 22 edge 23 actuating element 24 access opening 26 pictogram 28 pipe 29 cap 32 guide structure 33 first guide surface 34 second guide surface 36 retaining chamber 39 stop 42 inside wall 43 panel 45 branch 46 mandrel 47 opening 48 panel 49 ribs A pivot axis W water level Z arrow F flow direction V vertical movement H principal direction