TAP CARTRIDGE WITH CABLE ROUTING FOR MANUAL MOVING ACTUATION HANDLE AND TAP WITH ELECTRONIC HANDLE THAT CONTAINS SAID TAP CARTRIDGE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tap cartridge that includes a routing of a cable that may transmit data and/or supply electricity, for a tap handle or lever with electronic functions, and which also relates to the tap containing said cartridge with the routing system, wherein the configuration of a parameter of the fluid supplied is performed by rotation of said handle or lever, all thanks to a positioning through the inner cartridge and of an extra accumulation of cable in a space of the cartridge prior to the connection of the lever.

Claims

1. A tap cartridge with cable routing for manual moving actuation handle, whereto is coupled a rotating tap handle or lever with electronic functions of control, configuration, display and/or generation of acoustic signals, characterized in that the cartridge has at least one routing formed by cable guiding passages, to convey it from an inlet or starting connection of said cable in the cartridge to its connection with the handle or lever of the tap that contains same, wherein the routing has a passage that traverses the cartridge until an area close to the coupling of the handle or lever, an area wherein there is an accumulation space of additional length of cable, the accumulation being configured in spiral form within said space, before its connection to the electronic elements of the handle or lever, and wherein the space provided for the accumulation of additional length of cable in spiral form is sufficient to contain said additional length of cable in spiral form, so that the contraction or expansion produced by a variation in the number of coil turns in the spiral, due to the pulling of the cable at the end of the handle or lever, in its rotation does not press each turn of the cable on the adjacent ones or against the inner and/or outer limits of the space where it is found.

2. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the passage that traverses the cartridge is performed over the outside of the cartridge in a channelled manner.

3. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the passage that traverses the cartridge is performed, at least partly, through the inside of the cartridge.

4. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the passage that traverses the cartridge performed over the outside of the cartridge is performed by a protective encapsulation.

5. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the routing has, prior to the formation of the accumulation of additional length of cable in spiral form, retention means of the cable in that position, fixing a length of a segment prior to said spiral, whilst after said accumulation of additional length of cable in spiral form, there is fixing means of the cable solidly joined to rotation elements of the handle or lever, so that said fixing means of the cable perform the rotation displacement with said handle or lever.

6. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the retention of the cable in its routing prior to the accumulation space, is performed by the actual retention elements of securing and the passages towards the inside of the accumulation space without the need to have a specific prior retention means of the cable.

7. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein once the fixing is performed after the accumulation spiral and prior to the connection to the handle or lever, a multiple folding is performed in the cable to have an extra second length in the possible displacement in the inclination plane of the handle or lever of the connection point.

8. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the cable is of the flat multi-wired type or of circular section, said cable being able to have data transfer and/or electric power supply.

9. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the cable starts from an inner processing means in the cartridge.

10. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the cable starts from an outer element of the cartridge.

11. The tap cartridge, according to claim 1, wherein the cable has its position fixed to the mixer cartridge by means of adhesive or similar in, at least, fixed routing segments which do not correspond to the accumulation in spiral form.

12. A tap with electronic control containing a tap cartridge with routing such as that indicated in claim 1, characterized in that the tap has electronic functions of control-configuration, display and/or acoustic signals at least in the handle or lever which is of manual and rotating actuation.

13. The tap according to claim 12, wherein the water mixing system is a mechanical system.

14. The tap wherein the water mixing system is an electronic system inside the body of the tap.

15. The tap wherein the water mixing system is an electronic system outside the tap.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0032] For a better understanding of all the aforementioned, drawings are attached wherein, schematically and only by way of non-limiting example, practical embodiments are represented.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single-lever tap with moving regulation handle with display of options, parameters and electronic regulation configuration-interface.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner cartridge of the tap whereto the handle of said tap is connected in its cam.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the inner cartridge through the area of routing that traverses said cartridge over its outside.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the inner cartridge through the area of routing that connects with the tap handle with a prior folding to cover the inclination movement of the handle.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the cartridge where it is possible to observe the cable accumulation space in spiral form.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a partially exploded view to be able to view the route of the cable routing.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0039] In the present preferred embodiment of the invention, as can be seen in FIG. 1, a mixer water tap (100) of single-lever type (101) with manual regulation by means of the movement of the lever in rotation displacements of said lever and in inclination change movements thereof in the vertical plane, said lever (101) having display means (102) and touch configuration means (103) in the upper part thereof (101) which allow the user to know the different characteristic parameters of the water supplied, in addition to being able to vary them or choose a regulation or function associated to the characteristics of the water to supply or the manner of performing it.

[0040] This tap (100) has an electronic mixing system external to the tap (100) so that for the adaptation of the assembly to the tap (100), the connection of the lever (101) and detection of the different regulation positions of said lever (101), there is a cartridge (10) mounted inside that receives the supply of externally mixed water to carry it to the spout, and it has processing means (20) that manages the reception of the configuration parameters performed by the user in the touch means (103), the display of data in said display means (102), the electricmpower supply to the previous means (102, 103) and the communication with the external mixing system, not represented in the figures.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the cartridge (10) mounted inside the tap (100) is formed by a body (11) which in its base has the water conveyance area (12), the area (13) where the processing means (20) are located, the detection area (24) of the lever (101) position, and the upper area (14) of the cartridge (10) where the connection cam (18) to the lever (101) is located.

[0042] The data communication and electric power supply cable (15) to route between the processing means (20) and the manual movement lever (101), in the present embodiment a multi-wired flat cable (15), starts from the area (13) where the processing means (20), in this embodiment, and typically, programmable processing microchips which allow providing the tap (100) with all the options of operation, reception and management of information and the desired electric power supply of the electronic elements (102, 103) of the handle, are located.

[0043] In its passage towards the lever (101), in the present embodiment, the cable (15) exits the dry area where the processing means (20) are located, to go through the outside of the cartridge (10) in a recess (16) of the body (11) wherethrough its position is fixed in the recess by means of retention elements (17).

[0044] The cable (15) reaches the upper area (14) of the cartridge (10) wherein it enters a space (19) by way of circular ring, wherein 2.25 turns are wound in spiral form (21) of cable (15) to provide the routing with an accumulation of extra length of said cable (15). In the inlet point to the space (19) and prior to the formation of the spiral (21), the inlet of the cable (15) is performed through a groove, the length of the segment between the processing means (20) and the spiral (21) being fixed by the retention elements (17) and the inlet groove.

[0045] The spiral (21) is not tensioned between the different concentric turns of cable (15), allowing the contraction of said spiral (21) and its expansion to allow the release or collection of cable (15) with the movement of the lever (101) whereto it is connected, through the outlet (22) wherein the cable (15) displaces solidly joined to the rotation parts (25) fixed by a fixing element (24).

[0046] The connection to the lever (101) is performed previously having a fold (23) in the cable (15) which allows the release or collection of cable in the direction that follows the vertical plane of inclination of the lever (101) for the typical regulation of the water intake flow performed by the user.

[0047] Alternatively to the configuration of the previous embodiment, it is possible to perform a routing of the cable (15) through the inside of the cartridge (10) or through closed channels through it (10) or adjacently, it also being possible to have a protective encapsulation to protect the cable (15) from contacts with the water and mechanical parts of the tap that may be damaged during their assembly.

[0048] Also alternatively, the cable (15) may be of different sections and number of wires, to adapt to embodiments where the electronic functions of the lever (101), that may be simply of signal lighting or complemented with data display or even, as in the previous embodiment, have touch configuration of different regulations, acoustic signals or other means such as biometric sensors, etc.

[0049] Another alternative to the previous embodiment allows the connection of the lever (101) with an outer element or device of the tap (100), said cable (15) starting from an outer element or device, instead of the processing means, but that, with the cable (15) entering through the cartridge, it must traverse it to reach said lever (101).

[0050] The tap (100), which in the previous embodiment is of external mixing by electronic means, may be alternatively performed by an internal mixing of the cartridge mechanically.

[0051] Despite the fact that reference has been made to a specific embodiment of the invention, it is evident for a person skilled in the art that the tap cartridge with cable routing for manual moving actuation handle and tap with electronic control that contains said cartridge is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications and that all the details mentioned can be replaced by other technically equivalent ones, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the attached claims