SANITARY SHOWER DEVICE

Abstract

A sanitary shower device including a shower body including a fluid inlet configuration, a jet disk and an interposed fluid guidance, wherein jet output elements of the jet disk each have a first and a second fluid input opening and discharge fluid supplied via the first fluid input openings as a first shower jet with a first jet pattern and fluid supplied via the second fluid input openings as a second shower jet with a second jet pattern differing from the first jet pattern, a fluid control device including a fluid outlet connection configuration and a user-operated fluid control unit, and a fluid conduit configuration for fluid coupling of the fluid inlet configuration to the fluid outlet connection configuration.

Claims

1. A sanitary shower device, comprising: a shower body including a fluid inlet configuration on an input side, a jet disk on an output side having a plurality of jet output elements and a fluid guidance from the fluid inlet configuration to the jet disk, wherein the jet output elements each have a first fluid input opening and a second fluid input opening and are configured to discharge fluid supplied via the first fluid input openings as a first shower jet with a first jet pattern and fluid supplied via the second fluid input openings as a second shower jet with a second jet pattern differing from the first jet pattern; a fluid control device disposed spatially separated from the shower body, including a fluid outlet connection configuration and a user-operated fluid control unit for controlling a fluid supply to the fluid outlet connection configuration; and a fluid conduit configuration for fluid coupling of the fluid inlet configuration of the shower body to the fluid outlet connection configuration of the fluid control device; wherein: the fluid inlet configuration of the shower body comprises a first shower body inlet and a second shower body inlet separated from the first shower body inlet; the fluid guidance within the shower body includes two separate fluid flow paths, of which a first fluid flow path connects the first fluid input openings with the first shower body inlet and a second fluid flow path connects the second fluid input openings with the second shower body inlet; the fluid outlet connection configuration of the fluid control device comprises a first outlet connector and a second outlet connector separated from the first outlet connector; the fluid conduit configuration comprises a first fluid conduit from the first outlet connector of the fluid outlet connection configuration to the first shower body inlet and a second fluid conduit from the second outlet connector of the fluid outlet connection configuration to the second shower body inlet; and the fluid control unit includes a user-operated distributor element for variable forwarding of supplied fluid to at least one of the first outlet connector and the second outlet connector.

2. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, wherein the user-operated distributor element is a three-way distributor valve element.

3. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, wherein the shower body is an overhead shower body configured for installation on a wall or ceiling of a shower room.

4. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid control device includes at least one of a mixer and a shut-off fitting, and the fluid control unit comprises at least one of a mixing valve unit and a shut-off valve unit.

5. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, wherein the jet output elements are designed as V-shaped passage openings which extend through the jet disk conically tapering in the output direction and respectively provide the two fluid input openings on the input side and a fluid output opening on the output side that is shared by both the fluid input openings.

6. The sanitary shower device according to claim 5, further comprising an intermediate plate upstream of the jet disk in output direction, which plate has V-shaped projections corresponding to the V-shaped passage openings, which projections extend from the two fluid input openings to the fluid output opening into the V-shaped passage openings, thereby leaving a respective fluid channel.

7. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, further comprising a chamber plate upstream of the jet disk in output direction, one plate side of the plate delimiting a first fluid chamber as part of the first fluid flow path and a second fluid chamber being provided in the interior thereof as part of the second fluid flow path, wherein the chamber plate includes connecting channels leading from the second fluid chamber to the second fluid input openings.

8. The sanitary shower device according to claim 7, wherein the plate side which delimits the first fluid chamber is a plate side of the chamber plate facing away from the jet disk and the chamber plate includes passage channels leading from the first fluid chamber through the chamber plate to the first fluid input openings.

9. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid inlet configuration is disposed on an exterior side of the shower body facing away from the jet disk.

10. The sanitary shower device according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second shower body inlets are coaxially arranged, wherein the one shower body inlet surrounds the other shower body inlet coaxially

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings. These and further embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail below. In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic block illustration of a sanitary shower device without supplied fluid,

[0028] FIG. 2 shows the view of FIG. 1 in the state when discharging a first shower jet,

[0029] FIG. 3 shows the view of FIG. 1 in the state when discharging a second shower jet,

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a top view from above of a connector side of a shower body which is usable in the sanitary shower device of FIG. 1 and has a central fluid inlet configuration in an illustration which is transparent with the exception of a jet disc,

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the shower body along a line V-V in FIG. 4, and

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the shower body along a line VI-VI in FIG. 4 with the connector body of the fluid inlet configuration removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The embodiments of the invention described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to precise forms disclosed. Rather, the embodiments selected for description have been chosen to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention.

[0034] The illustrative sanitary shower device shown schematically in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a shower body 1, a fluid control device 2 arranged in a spatially separated manner from the shower body 1 and a fluid conduit configuration 3 leading from the fluid control device 2 to the shower body 1.

[0035] The illustrative shower body 1 includes a fluid inlet configuration 4 on an input side, a jet disc 5 on an output side having a plurality of jet output elements 6 and a fluid guidance 7 from the fluid inlet configuration 4 to the jet disc 5. The jet output elements 6 each have a first fluid input opening 8 and a second fluid input opening 9 and are configured to discharge fluid supplied via the first fluid input openings 8 as a first shower jet with a first jet pattern S1 and fluid supplied via the second fluid input openings 9 as a second shower jet with a second jet pattern S2 differing from the first jet pattern S1.

[0036] The fluid control device 2 includes a fluid outlet connection configuration 10 and a user-operated fluid control unit 11 for controlling a fluid supply to the fluid outlet connection configuration 10. The fluid outlet connection configuration 10 of the fluid control device 2 includes at least one first outlet connector 12 and a second outlet connector 13 separated from the first one.

[0037] The fluid inlet configuration 4 of the shower body 1 includes at least one first shower body inlet 14 and a second shower body inlet 15 separated from the first one. In a manner matched thereto, the fluid guidance 7 within the shower body 1 includes two separate fluid flow paths 16, 17, of which a first fluid flow path 16 connects the first fluid input openings 8 with the first shower body inlet 14 and a second fluid flow path 17 connects the second fluid input openings 9 with the second shower body inlet 15.

[0038] The illustrative fluid conduit configuration 3 illustratively includes a first fluid conduit 18 from the first outlet connector 12 of the fluid outlet connection configuration 10 to the first shower body inlet 14 and a second fluid conduit 19 from the second outlet connector 13 of the fluid outlet connection configuration 10 to the second shower body inlet 15.

[0039] The fluid control unit 11 includes a user-operated distributor element 20 for variable forwarding of supplied fluid to the first outlet connector 12 and/or to the second outlet connector 13.

[0040] The fluid which can be in particular water can be supplied to the fluid control device 2 and therefore to the fluid control unit 11 via a conventional fluid supply configuration 21 which includes one or more separate fluid inlets.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows the situation when the fluid supplied to the fluid control unit 11 is forwarded via the user-operated distributor element 20 only to the first outlet connector 12, but not to the second outlet connector 13. This results in a fluid flow F1 exclusively in the first fluid conduit 18, as a result of which the fluid is supplied via the first shower body inlet 14 and the first fluid flow path 16 exclusively to the first fluid input openings 8 of the jet output elements 6 which, as a consequence thereof, discharge the first shower jet having the first jet pattern S1.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows the situation when the user has set the distributor element 20 in such a manner that the fluid supplied to the fluid control device 2 is forwarded only to the second outlet connector 13, but not to the first outlet connector 12. The fluid then passes as a fluid flow F2 exclusively via the second fluid conduit 19 and the second shower body inlet 15 to the second fluid flow path 17 of the fluid guidance 7 in the shower body 1 and from there exclusively to the second fluid input openings 9 and not to the first fluid input openings 8 of the shower output elements 6. In this case, the jet output elements 6 and therefore the shower body 1 discharge the fluid as the second shower jet having the second jet pattern S2.

[0043] In optional embodiments of the distributor element 20 and of the shower body 1, the fluid can be supplied in divided form both to the first fluid input openings 8 and to the second fluid input openings 9 of the jet output elements 6, preferably in variably controllable amounts by means of the distributor element 20. In this case, the sanitary shower device can discharge a combined shower jet on the output side of the shower body 1, the combined shower jet arising by superimposition or interaction of the two fluid flows in the respective jet output element 6, the fluid flows entering into the latter via the first or via the second fluid input opening 8, 9.

[0044] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first shower jet having the jet pattern S1 is a convergent shower jet in which, consequently, the individual jets emerging from the individual jet output elements 6 converge toward one another in the jet output direction, i.e. a main jet direction H1 of the individual jets of the first shower jet runs inclined inwards at an oblique angle 1 to a longitudinal axis direction L of the shower body 1, i.e. in the direction of the longitudinal centre of the shower body. The second shower jet having the jet pattern S2 is a diverging shower jet in which the individual jets forming the second jet pattern S2 run away from one another in the jet output direction, i.e. a main jet direction H2 of the individual jets runs inclined outwards at an oblique angle 2 to the longitudinal axis direction L of the shower body 1, i.e. away from the longitudinal centre of the shower body 1. In alternative embodiments, the first and the second shower jet have different jet patterns, for example, in one of the jet patterns, the individual jets can run substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis direction L of the shower body 1, or all of the individual jets run parallel to one another inclined in a same direction to the longitudinal axis direction L of the shower body 1, for example all are inclined to the left or all to the right in FIG. 2.

[0045] The main jet directions H1, H2 of the individual jets for the first and the second shower jet can be suitably defined by an appropriate configuration of the shower body 1 and in particular of the jet disc 5 and the jet output elements 6 thereof. For example, the oblique angles 1, 2 can lie within the range of between 0 and 45, in particular between approx. 5 and approx. 30, and can be identical or different for the different individual jets, depending on requirements. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, as mentioned, the oblique angle 1 is inclined radially inwards in order to obtain the converging jet pattern S1 while the oblique angle 2 is inclined radially outwards in order to obtain the diverging jet pattern S2. In alternative embodiments, one of the two main jet directions H1, H2 is parallel to the longitudinal axis direction L of the jet disc 5 or of the shower body 1, i.e. the relevant shower jet then emerges perpendicularly at the jet disc 5 or at the output side of the shower body 1. Only the other shower jet then emerges from the jet disc 5 obliquely with respect to the normal direction thereof.

[0046] In the embodiments with the possibility of additionally producing one or more combined shower jets, the main jet direction of the individual jets of the respective combined shower jet preferably lies in the region between the first and the second main jet direction H1, H2. In corresponding realizations, a continuous capability of changing the fluid amounts which can be supplied by the user via the distributor element 20 to the first and second fluid input openings 8, 9 of the jet output elements 6, the main jet direction of the individual jets of the respective combined shower jet are changed virtually constantly or continuously or alternatively in increments between the two main jet directions H1, H2 of the first and second shower jet.

[0047] In illustrative embodiments, the user-actuated distributor element 20 is a three-way distributor valve element. Alternatively, the distributor element 20 is of another conventional type, i.e. with a plurality of valve entries and/or more than two valve exits, wherein all that is required is for supplied fluid to be able to be supplied by means of operation of the distributor element by the user either only to a first exit, only to a second exit or optionally additionally to both exits in controllable amounts.

[0048] In corresponding embodiments, the shower body 1 is an overhead shower body configured for installation on a wall or ceiling of a shower room. Alternatively, it can be configured for other types of shower applications, for example as a shower head or a shower body of a wall-mountable side shower.

[0049] In corresponding embodiments, the fluid control unit 11 includes a user-operated mixing and/or shut-off valve unit 22 of conventional design, and therefore the fluid control device 2 additionally acts as a mixer device and/or shut-off device with which two or more supplied fluids can be mixed and/or the fluid supply to one or more outlet connectors can be released or shut off. In alternative embodiments, the fluid control unit 11 consists solely of the distributor element 20.

[0050] In corresponding embodiments, the jet output elements 6, as shown in the example of FIGS. 1 to 3, are designed as V-shaped passage openings which extend through the jet disc 5 conically tapering in the output direction and respectively provide the two fluid input openings 8, 9 on the input side and a fluid output opening 23 on the output side that is shared by both the fluid input openings 8, 9. The side flanks of the V shape of the jet output elements 6 configured in this manner form flow conducting surfaces for the fluid entering through the respectively assigned fluid input opening of the two fluid input openings 8, 9 of each jet output element 6 and thereby determine the associated main jet direction H1, H2 in which the fluid entering via the relevant fluid input opening 8, 9 leaves the fluid output opening 23 as a corresponding individual jet.

[0051] FIGS. 4 to 6 show the shower body 1 in a more detailed structural realization. In FIG. 4, with the exception of the jet disc 5, all of the other shower body components are merely indicated by dashed lines and are thereby kept transparent such that the jet disc 5 can be seen with its inner side on which the fluid input openings 8, 9 of the jet output elements 6 are located. To the extent that the shower body 1 of FIGS. 4 to 6 has identical or functionally equivalent elements and properties as above with regard to the exemplary embodiment shown schematically in FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference signs are used, and reference can also be made to this extent to the above explanations regarding the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0052] In corresponding embodiments, the sanitary shower device includes, as in the example of FIGS. 4 to 6, an intermediate plate 24 upstream of the jet disc 5 in the output direction, i.e. in the fluid flow direction. The intermediate plate 24 has V-shaped projections 25 corresponding to the V-shaped passage openings 6a, which projections extend into the V-shaped passage openings 6a in such a manner that they leave a respective fluid channel 26, 27 from each of the two fluid input openings 8, 9 to the fluid output opening 23.

[0053] In corresponding embodiments, the sanitary shower device, as in the example of FIGS. 4 to 6, includes a chamber plate 28 upstream of the jet disc 5, as seen in the output direction, one plate side 28a of the plate delimiting a first fluid chamber 29 as part of the first fluid flow path 16 and a second fluid chamber 30 being provided in the interior thereof as part of the second fluid flow path 17. The chamber plate 28 includes connecting channels 31 leading from the second fluid chamber 30 to the second fluid input openings 9 of the jet output elements 6.

[0054] In corresponding embodiments, as in the example shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the plate side 28a which delimits the first fluid chamber 29 is a plate side of the chamber plate 28 facing away from the jet disc 5. In this case, the chamber plate 28 includes passage channels 32 leading from the first fluid chamber 29 through the chamber plate 28 to the first fluid input openings 8 of the jet output elements 6.

[0055] In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6, the intermediate plate 24 and the chamber plate 28 are formed identically by the same plate; in alternative embodiments, they can be formed by separate plate parts, or the sanitary shower device includes only the intermediate plate 24 without the chamber plate 28 or only the chamber plate 28 without the intermediate plate 24.

[0056] In corresponding embodiments, as in the example of FIGS. 4 to 6, the fluid inlet configuration 4 of the shower body 1 is disposed on an exterior side 33 of the shower body 1 facing away from the jet disc 5. Specifically, in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6, the fluid inlet configuration 4 is arranged centrally, longitudinally centrally, on the exterior side 33 of the shower body 1. When the shower body 1 is used as a shower head of an overhead shower, the exterior side 33 can specifically be a side which is at the top in the use position, i.e. upper side, of the shower head.

[0057] The shower body 1, as in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6, can be closed on its side facing away from the jet disc 5 by a housing cover part 34, wherein the intermediate plate 24 and the chamber plate 28 are accommodated between the housing cover part 34 and the jet disc 5 in the shower body housing formed in this manner.

[0058] In corresponding embodiments of the sanitary shower device, the first and the second shower body inlets 14, 15 are coaxially arranged, as in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6, wherein the one shower body inlet, in the example of FIGS. 4 to 6 the second shower body inlet 15, surrounds the other shower body inlet, in the example of FIGS. 4 to 6 the first shower body inlet 14, coaxially.

[0059] In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6, the fluid inlet configuration 4 of the shower body 1 includes a connecting body 35 and a centrally axial connecting stub 36 which is formed on the housing cover part 34 and on which the connecting body 35 can be mounted, preferably removably. In the connecting stub 36 of the cover part 34, the first shower body inlet 14 includes a central axial bore through the cover part 34 to the first fluid chamber 29, and the second shower body inlet 15 includes an annular channel section 15a, one or more oblique bores 15b, an annular space 15c and a connecting bore 15d leading to the second fluid chamber 30 as fluidically consecutive sections of the second shower body inlet 15.

[0060] As the exemplary embodiments which are shown and the further exemplary embodiments mentioned above make clear, the invention provides a sanitary shower device in which the user, by operating the distributor element on the fluid control unit, which is spatially remote from the shower body, can optionally set different shower jets discharged by the shower body in a very comfortable manner. The sanitary shower device can be used in particular as a sanitary overhead shower device, but other applications are also possible, for example as a wall-mounted side shower or shoulder shower.

[0061] Although the invention has been described in detailed with reference to preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the spirit and scope of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.