Jet regulator having a slit shaped recess tool engagement surface

Abstract

The invention relates to a jet regulator (3) having a jet regulator housing (4), which has, on the housing outer circumference thereof, an external thread (5), by means of which the jet regulator (3) can be mounted in an internal thread provided in the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, wherein an outflow-side housing end face (6) of the jet regulator housing (4) is designed as a grid or mesh structure, which has throughflow holes (7) for the water flowing through the jet regulator (3) and which has at least one tool engagement surface designed as a slit-shaped recess (8, 9) in this grid or mesh structure and intended for a turning tool. It is characteristic of the jet regulator according to the invention that a second slit-shaped recess (9) is provided in the slit base of this first recess (8), the second recess likewise being intended as a tool engagement surface, and that the second recess (9) has a smaller recess cross section than the first recess (8).

Claims

1. A jet regulator (3) comprising a jet regulator housing (4), having a housing outer circumference with an external thread (5), by which the jet regulator (3) is mountable in an internal thread provided in a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, the jet regulator housing having an outflow-side housing end face (6) formed as a grid or mesh structure, which has flow-through holes (7) for water flowing through the jet regulator (3) and which has at least one tool engagement surface formed as a first slit-shaped recess (8, 9) in said grid or mesh structure that is adapted to receive a turning tool, and a second slit-shaped recess (9) defined by two longitudinal sides connected by two shorter sides is provided in a region of the first slit-shaped recess (8), the second slit-shaped recess providing a separate tool engagement surface from the first slit-shaped recess, the second slit-shaped recess (9) has a smaller recess cross section than the first slit-shaped recess (8), a protrusion (12) formed on the outflow side housing end grid or mesh structure, the protrusion extends upstream of the outflow-side housing end face (6), and the second recess extends into the protrusion, and the protrusion (12) is reinforced by reinforcing ribs (13) formed on the protrusion (12) and on the grid or mesh structure and which intersect one another in an extension thereof in a region of a jet regulator longitudinal axis.

2. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second slit-shaped recess (9) is provided in the first recess (8).

3. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second slit-shaped recess (9) is provided in a slit base of the first recess (8).

4. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first slit-shaped recess and the second slit-shaped recess (8, 9) have an identically shaped recess cross section with sides of the first slit-shaped recess including first slit-shaped recess longitudinal sides and recess narrow sides that are shorter than the first slit-shaped recess longitudinal sides.

5. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein longitudinal axes of the first recess (8) and of the second recess (9) are arranged in one plane, and the second recess (9) is arranged centrally in a slit base of the first recess (8).

6. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess cross section of the second recess (9) tapers at least in one region in a direction of a slit base (11) thereof.

7. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the longitudinal sides of the second recess (9) extend toward one another in a direction of the slit base (11).

8. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the shorter sides of the second recess (9) extend toward one another in a direction of the slit base (11).

9. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first recess (8) has a slit base formed as a circular arc that is adapted to receive a coin used as a turning tool.

10. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second recess (9) is adapted to receive a screwdriver blade serving as a turning tool.

11. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow-through holes (7) are arranged at a distance from at least one of recess longitudinal or from recess narrow sides of the first recess (8) which is greater than a wall thickness of dividing or flow-guiding walls (14) of the grid or mesh structure, which are arranged between adjacent ones of the flow-through holes (7).

12. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jet regulator (3) has a convexly arched or bulging housing end face.

13. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outflow-side housing end face is connected integrally to the jet regulator housing (4).

14. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jet regulator (3) is an aerated jet regulator or has a jet aerator.

15. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jet regulator housing (4) has an inner housing circumferential wall (24) and at least one outer housing circumferential wall (25), which surrounds the inner housing circumferential wall (24) with a clearance, and at least one air admission passage (16) open to the outflow side of the jet regulator (3) and opening into an interior of the jet regulator housing (4) is provided in the interspace between the inner housing circumferential wall (24) and the adjacent outer housing circumferential wall (25).

16. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jet regulator (3) has a jet splitter (17) having a plurality of splitter openings (18), said jet splitter (17) deflects through-flowing water outward or divides it into individual jets, or both.

17. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the jet splitter (17) is a pot-shaped diffuser having a pot base (19), which is oriented transversely to a flow-through direction of inflowing water and deflects the water sideways, and has the splitter openings (18) located on a circumferential wall (20) of the pot-shaped diffuser.

18. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the splitter openings (18) open into an annular passage (21), which tapers at least in one section in a flow-through direction, and at least one air admission passage (16) having a passage opening (22) leads into a housing interior arranged in an outflow-side region of an annular passage (21) or in a partial region of a housing inner circumference adjoining the annular passage (21) on an outflow side.

19. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jet regulator is arranged downstream of a flow limiter or a flow control valve (23) in a flow direction and the jet regulator (3) and the upstream flow limiter or flow control valve (23) are releasably connected to one another.

20. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, a flow limiter or flow control valve (23) is interposed between an inflow-side front or filtering screen (2) and the outflow-side housing end face, and the front or filtering screen (2), the flow limiter or flow control valve (23) and the jet regulator (3) are releasably connected to one another to form a sanitary insert.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Developments according to the invention will become apparent from the claims in conjunction with the description and the drawing. The invention is explained in greater detail below by means of a preferred illustrative embodiment.

(2) In the drawing:

(3) FIG. 1 shows a sanitary insert, which is illustrated in a perspective plan view of the outlet end thereof, can be mounted on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting and has an outflow-side jet regulator, the jet regulator housing of which has an outflow-side housing end face which is designed as a grid or mesh structure and in which there are provided recesses, which each serve as a tool engagement surface for a turning tool,

(4) FIG. 2 shows the sanitary insert from FIG. 1 in a longitudinal section,

(5) FIG. 3 shows the sanitary insert from FIGS. 1 and 2 in a longitudinal section turned through 90 relative to FIG. 2,

(6) FIG. 4 shows the jet regulator housing of the jet regulator belonging to the sanitary insert according to FIGS. 1 to 3 in a perspective plan view of the outflow-side housing end face thereof, said housing being illustrated separately here,

(7) FIG. 5 shows the jet regulator housing from FIG. 4 in a perspective plan view of the inflow side of this jet regulator housing,

(8) FIG. 6 shows the jet regulator housing from FIGS. 4 and 5 in a side view,

(9) FIG. 7 shows the jet regulator housing from FIGS. 4 to 6 in a plan view of the inflow side facing the housing interior,

(10) FIG. 8 shows the jet regulator housing from FIGS. 4 to 7 in a longitudinal section through section plane VIII-VIII from FIG. 7,

(11) FIG. 9 shows the jet regulator housing from FIGS. 4 to 8 in a longitudinal section through section plane IX-IX from FIG. 8, said section having been turned through 90 in relation to FIG. 8, and

(12) FIG. 10 shows the sanitary insert from FIGS. 1 to 3 in an exploded illustration of individual parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(13) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a sanitary insert 1, which can be mounted in the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting (not shown specifically here) and can be sealed off axially relative to this water outlet by a ring seal 26. The insert 1 has an inflow-side filtering or front screen 2, which filters out the dirt particles carried along in the inflowing water, which could otherwise impair the operation of this insert. The insert 1 also has an outflow-side jet regulator 3, the purpose of which is to shape the water flowing through into a uniform, non-splashing and possibly also gentle bubbling emerging water jet. A flow limiter, which reduces the flow cross section, can be provided between the inflow-side front screen 2 and the outflow-side jet regulator 3. Instead of this, however, a flow control valve 4 is arranged here, said flow control valve regulating the water flowing to the jet regulator 3 to a defined flow volume per unit time.

(14) The jet regulator 3 of the insert 1 has a jet regulator housing 4, which is illustrated in greater detail in various views in FIGS. 4 to 9. On its housing outer circumference, the jet regulator housing 4 has an external thread 5, by means of which the jet regulator 3 and, together with the latter, also the insert 1 can be mounted in an internal thread provided in the water outlet of the sanitary outlet fitting. From FIGS. 1 to 10, it can be seen that an outflow-side housing end face 6 of the jet regulator housing 4 is designed as a grid or mesh structure, which has throughflow holes 7 for the water flowing through the jet regulator 3. This grid or mesh structure has at least one tool engagement surface designed as a slit-shaped recess 8, 9 in this grid or mesh structure and intended for a turning tool.

(15) It is characteristic of the jet regulator 3 illustrated here that, in the slit base of a first recess 8, it has a second slit-shaped recess 9, which is likewise intended as a tool engagement surface for another turning tool, and that the second recess 9 has a smaller recess cross section than the first recess 8. In the slit base of the outflow-side first recess 8, the jet regulator 3 thus has the second recess 9, which is likewise of slit-shaped configuration and is intended as a tool engagement surface. In comparison with the first recess 8, this second recess 9 has a smaller recess cross section.

(16) While a coin used as a turning tool, rather than for its normal purpose, or the screwdriver blade of a relatively large screwdriver can be inserted into the comparatively larger first recess 8, a relatively small screwdriver can also be inserted into the second recess 9, said screwdriver passing through the first recess 8 virtually without contact in this process. In this case, a turning tool of this kind can be used to turn a grid or mesh structure designed as a pivoted part, which is pivotably mounted in a joint socket on the housing inner circumference of the jet regulator housing, or, alternatively, the turning tool is usedas in the present caseto tighten and loosen the screwed joint between the jet regulator 3 and the water outlet. Since it is possible to counteract incorrect operation with the aid of the second recess 9, which accommodates even relatively small screwdrivers within it, and to do so without therefore having to form separate tool engagement surfaces projecting outside the grid or mesh structure, it is not therefore necessary to sacrifice the compact construction and structural design of a jet regulator 3 of this kind.

(17) It is particularly apparent in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 9 that the first and the second recess 8, 9 have an identically shaped and, in this case, rectangular recess cross section with recess longitudinal sides and recess narrow sides that are shorter than the longitudinal sides. In this case, the longitudinal axes of these recesses 8, 9 are arranged approximately in one plane, and recess 9 is positioned approximately centrally or at the center in the slit base of the first recess 8.

(18) The second recess 9 is designed as a blind hole which has a slit base 11, in this case a closed slit base, on the side facing away from a frontal recess opening 10 of the first recess 8. While the first recess 8 has recess longitudinal and recess narrow sides which extend approximately axially parallel to the jet regulator longitudinal axis, the recess cross section of the second recess 9 tapers at least in some region or regions in the direction of the slit base 11 thereof. For this purpose, the recess longitudinal and recess narrow sides of the second recess 9 extend toward one another in the direction of the slit base 11.

(19) It is particularly apparent in FIGS. 2, 4 and 8 that the first recess 8 is of approximately circular-segment-shaped design and, for this purpose, has a recess slit base in the form of a circular arc. Thus, the first recess 8 is suitable for receiving a coin with an approximately complementarily shaped outer contour used as a turning tool, rather than for its normal purpose. In contrast, the second recess 9 is intended to receive a screwdriver blade serving as a turning tool. If the screwdriver blade of a correspondingly small screwdriver is inserted into the first recess 8, the screwdriver blade initially slides along the circular-arc-shaped slit base of the first recess 8 until the screwdriver blade finds the recess opening of the second recess 9. By virtue of the tapering configuration of the second recess 9, this screwdriver blade is then well held in the second recess 9 so that it can then receive and transmit a corresponding torque in the region of the jet regulator longitudinal axis and thus at the central point of the grid or mesh structure.

(20) It is particularly clearly apparent in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7 that the second recess 9 extends into a protrusion 12, which projects beyond the end face of the grid or mesh structure which faces away from the recess opening 10 of the first recess 11. In order to prevent the grid or mesh structure cracking in the region of the recesses 8, 9, reinforcing ribs 13 are provided, which are formed on the protrusion 12, on the one hand, and on the grid or mesh structure, on the other hand. These reinforcing ribs 13 intersect one another in the extension thereof approximately in the region of the jet regulator longitudinal axis. To enable the grid or mesh structure to absorb and transmit the torques applied in the recesses 8, 9 effectively, the throughflow holes 7 are arranged at a distance from the recess longitudinal sides of the first recess 8 which is greater than the wall thickness of dividing or flow-guiding walls 14 of the grid or mesh structure, which are arranged between adjacent throughflow holes 7.

(21) The grid or mesh structure has an outflow-side bulge in such a way that the jet regulator has a convexly arched housing end face. By virtue of the convex bulging of the housing end face, the recess longitudinal sides of the first recess 8 have an increased depth, thereby enlarging the contact area available to the turning tool.

(22) The outflow-side housing end face 6 and thus also the grid or mesh structure is connected integrally to the jet regulator housing 4. Here, the jet regulator 3 is designed as an aerated jet regulator or as a jet aerator. For this purpose, the jet regulator housing 4 has an inner housing circumferential wall 24 and an outer housing circumferential wall 25, which surrounds the inner housing circumferential wall 24 with a clearance, between which walls at least one air admission passage 16 open to the outflow side of the jet regulator 3 and opening into the interior of the jet regulator housing 4 is provided. The jet regulator 3 has a jet splitter 17 having a plurality of splitter openings 18. This jet splitter 17 deflects the through-flowing water outward toward the housing circumferential wall and divides the through-flowing water into individual jets. Here, this jet splitter 17 is designed as a pot-shaped diffuser, which has a pot base 19, which is oriented transversely to the throughflow direction of the inflowing water and serves as an impact surface that deflects the water sideways. The splitter openings 18, which are preferably arranged at uniform intervals, are provided on the circumferential wall 20 of this pot shape. These splitter openings 18 open into an annular passage 21, which tapers at least in some section or sections in the throughflow direction, wherein the at least one air admission passage 16 has its passage opening 22 leading into the housing interior arranged in a partial region of the housing inner circumference adjoining the annular passage 21 on the outflow side. Thus, the water flowing to the jet regulator 3, which has already been filtered in the front or filtering screen 2 and has been regulated to a defined maximum flow rate in the flow control valve 23 independently of the pressure, first of all strikes the pot base 19, serving as an impact surface, of the jet splitter 17 is deflected outward to the splitter openings 18 provided in the circumferential wall 20. The water divided into individual jets in the splitter openings 18 then flows into the annular passage 21, which tapers in the throughflow direction. Owing to the reductions in cross section in this region of the jet regulator 3 and owing to the tapering configuration of the annular passage 21, the water flowing through undergoes an increase in velocity, leading to a reduced pressure on the outflow side of the annular passage 21. Owing to this reduced pressure, ambient air is drawn into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing 4 through the air admission passages 16. The annular passage 21 is formed between the outer pot circumference of the jet splitter 17 and the inside of an adjacent diffuser ring 15, which is inserted into the jet regulator housing 4. The water flowing through is mixed with the ambient air drawn in in the mixing zone, arranged between the jet splitter 17 and the grid or mesh structure, of the jet regulator housing 4 before the water swirled and mixed with air in this way is once again shaped into a uniform, non-spraying and gentle bubbling water jet in the throughflow holes 7 of the grid or mesh structure.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(23) 1 sanitary insert 2 front or filtering screen 3 jet regulator 4 jet regulator housing 5 external thread 6 outflow-side housing end face 7 throughflow holes 8 first recess 9 second recess 10 frontal recess opening of the first recess 8 11 slit base of the second recess 9 12 protrusion 13 reinforcing ribs 14 dividing or flow-guiding walls 15 diffuser ring 16 air admission passage 17 jet splitter 18 splitter openings 19 pot base 20 circumferential wall of the jet splitter 17 21 annular passage 22 passage opening 23 flow control valve 24 inner housing circumferential wall 25 outer housing circumferential wall 26 ring seal