Tap aerator comprising a mounting housing

Abstract

The invention relates to a tap aerator (1) comprising a mounting housing and containing, in said mounting housing (2), an insert part that is designed as a jet divider and diffuser (7) which interacts with a diffuser ring (8). The annular retainer regions (7a) and (8a) of said diffuser (7) and diffuser ring (8), each arranged on the largest outer circumference, are located, when in a use position, in the interior of the mounting housing (2) at different height positions relative to one another in the axial direction, i.e. the retainer region (7a) of the diffuser (7) is not enclosed and the largest outer diameter of the diffuser ring (8) and its retainer region (8a) is only as large as, or if required even smaller than, the largest outer diameter of the diffuser (7) and its retainer region (7a). This allows the formation of an arrangement which saves space in the radial direction.

Claims

1. A tap aerator (1) having a mounting housing (2) which is mountable on a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting by a fastening ring (3), wherein the mounting housing (2) has an outflow-side housing end face (5) with throughflow holes (6) and wherein at least one insert part, which is configured as a jet divider, is insertable into the mounting housing (2) and the jet divider is configured as a diffusor (7) which interacts with a diffusor ring (8), wherein, respectively on a largest outside circumference thereof, the diffusor (7) and the diffusor ring (8) have a ring-shaped holding region (7a, 8a), which acts as a holding ring and is arranged at an edge, for securement in a position of use, wherein the diffusor (7) and the diffusor ring (8) are insertable, respectively, into the mounting housing up to an insert stop, wherein the holding regions (7a, 8a) of the diffusor (7) and of the diffusor ring (8) are arranged in the position of use in the mounting housing (2) at different heights and/or diameter planes relative to one another when viewed in an axial direction, wherein the ring-shaped holding regions (7a, 8a) of the diffusor (7) and of the diffusor ring (8), which interact as a jet divider by way of inner regions thereof, are arranged so as to abut against one another in a contacting manner in the axial direction without encompassing or engaging around one another in an edge region and wherein the largest outside diameter of the diffusor ring (8) and of its holding region (8a) is as large as or smaller than the largest outside diameter of the diffusor (7) and of the holding region (7a) thereof, at least an outside edge of the ring-shaped holding region (7a) of the diffusor (7) is stepped and the mounting housing (2) comprises an undercut (10) for axially engaging over the radially outwardly protruding step (11) of the diffusor (7), said step (11) engages in the undercut (10) in a positive-locking manner in the position of use.

2. The tap aerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped holding region (7a) of the diffusor (7) is arranged higher than the ring-shaped holding region (8a) of the diffusor ring (8) in the position of use and the bottom surface of the ring-shaped holding ring (7a) of the diffusor (7) contacts, in a flat manner, the top surface of the ring-shaped holding region (8a) of the diffusor ring (8).

3. The tap aerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a contact face of the ring-shaped holding region (7a) of the diffusor (7) and a contact face of the ring-shaped holding region (8a) of the diffusor ring (8), which is in contact therewith in the position of use, lie in a plane arranged at right angles to a longitudinal center axis (9) and are themselves realized in a level manner.

4. The tap aerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diffusor ring (8), which is introducible into the mounting housing (2) during assembly, is securable in the position of use by the positively fixed diffusor (7) and/or also comprises a stepping which matches an undercut (13) of the mounting housing (2) which interacts with it.

5. The tap aerator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the largest radial dimension of the undercut (13) for the diffusor ring (8) generally corresponds to the smallest diameter of the undercut (10) for the diffusor.

6. The tap aerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positive-locking connection between the diffusor and the mounting housing and/or between the diffusor ring and the mounting housing is a snap connection, the radially snapping protrusion of which is equal to or smaller than the measurement of an elastic flexibility of the mounting housing (2) in the region of the snap connection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below by way of the drawing, in which, in partially schematized representations:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a side view of the tap aerator according to the invention in the orientation which it assumes in its position of use, for example at a water outlet,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section, arranged in a diameter plane, of the tap aerator according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 with a jet divider which is realized as a diffusor and interacts with a diffusor ring, wherein the diffusor and diffusor ring are arranged one above another and abut against one another in each case by way of their ring-shaped outside retaining region so as not to encompass one another.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a clearly enlarged representation of the detail marked in a circle in FIG. 2 relating to the ring-shaped outer retaining regions of the diffusor and of the diffusor ring in the position of use or in the mounting position,

(5) FIG. 4 shows an exploded representation of the tap aerator according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the details shown in an exploded manner are drawn in perspective,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a cross section corresponding to FIG. 2, wherein the tap aerator is provided with a fastening ring with an internal thread, by way of which it is mountable on a water outlet,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 5, wherein the ring-shaped retaining regions of the diffusor and of the diffusor ring are arranged approximately parallel to one another one on top of another analogous to the representation in FIGS. 2 and 5, but only the retaining region of the diffusor is stepped and fixed in the mounting housing by way of an undercut and, as a result, also secures the diffusor ring in the axial direction, as well as

(8) FIG. 7 shows an enlarged representation of said fastening of the outer ring-shaped retaining region of the diffusor ring by means of the ring-shaped retaining region of the diffusor behind the undercut which engages over a stepping of the diffusor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) A tap aerator, as a whole represented by 1, comprises a mounting housing 2 which is mountable by means of a fastening means, in the exemplary embodiment by means of a fastening ring 3, on a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting. In the two exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 5 and 6, said fastening ring 3 comprises an internal thread 4 by way of which it is able to be screwed onto the external thread of a water outlet that is not shown in the drawing. In this case, a sealing ring 14 serves for sealing between the water outlet and the tap aerator 1.

(10) The mounting housing 2 comprises a outflow-side housing end face 5 with throughflow holes 6. In the exemplary embodiment, an insert part that is realized as a jet divider is insertable into the mounting housing or in the representation according to FIGS. 5 and 6 is inserted up to an insert stop.

(11) The previously mentioned jet divider, in this case, is realized as a diffusor 7 which interacts with a diffusor ring 8, wherein, in each case on their largest outside circumference, the diffusor 7 and the diffusor ring 8 have a ring-shaped retaining region 7a and 8a, which acts as a holding ring and is arranged at the edge, for their securement in the position of use.

(12) It can be seen in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6 and particularly well in FIGS. 3 and 7 that the retaining region 7a of the diffusor 7 and the retaining region 8a of the diffusor ring 8 are arranged in the position of use in the mounting housing 2 at different heights and diameter planes relative to one another when viewed in the axial direction and that the largest outside diameter of the diffusor ring 8 and of its retaining region 8a is as large as (FIGS. 6 and 7) or smaller than the largest outside diameter of the diffusor 7 and of the retaining region (7a) thereof (FIGS. 2, 3 and 5). In all cases, however, the outer ring-shaped retaining region of the diffusor 7 is not encompassed and ends directly on the inside surface of the mounting housing 2 without another part region associated with the diffusor 8 coming to rest between it and said mounting housing, as is known from DE 10 2010 048 701 A1. The entire diameter and the outside diameter of the jet divider, which consists of the diffusor 7 and the diffusor ring 8, and consequently of the entire tap aerator 1 can be correspondingly small.

(13) The ring-shaped retaining regions 7a, 8a of the diffusor 7 and of the diffusor ring 8 are arranged, in this case, so as to contact one another in the axial direction or abut flatly against one another in the position of use in all exemplary embodiments such that, by way of their inner regions, they are able to interact as jet dividers in a correspondingly good manner without encompassing or engaging around one another in the edge region.

(14) In the position of use, the ring-shaped retaining region 7a of the diffusor 7 is arranged higher in the axial direction than the ring-shaped retaining region 8a of the diffusor ring 8 and the bottom surface of the ring-shaped holding ring 7a of the diffusor 7 contacts the top surface of the ring-shaped retaining region 8a of the diffusor ring 8 preferably, insofar they overlap, in a flat manner. In this case, the contact side of the ring-shaped retaining region 7a of the diffusor 7 and the contact face in contact therewith in the position of use of the ring-shaped retaining region 8a of the diffusor ring 8 lie in a plane arranged at right angles to the longitudinal center axis 9. In this case, said contact faces are also realized, in turn, in a level manner in the exemplary embodiments, but could also be realized in a roughened or profiled manner or so as to extend in a conical or inclined manner. The level realization shown in the exemplary embodiments simplifies the production and the assembly.

(15) FIGS. 6 and 7 show that at least the outside edge of the ring-shaped retaining region 7a of the diffusor 7 can be stepped and the mounting housing 2 comprises an undercut 10 for engaging axially over the radially outwardly projecting step 11 of the stepped diffusor 7, which step 11 engages in the undercut 10 in a positive locking manner in the position of use according to FIGS. 6 and 7 or comes to rest under the protrusion that forms the undercut. As a result, the diffusor ring 8, which is insertable in the mounting housing first of all during assembly, is secured in its position of use by the positively fixed diffusor 7 and therefore does not necessarily require an own additional fastening.

(16) The exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 2 to 5 show that the diffusor 8, which is arranged in the position of use under the diffusor 7 and the ring-shaped retaining region 7a thereof, can also comprise on its ring-shaped retaining region 8a a stepping with a step 12 which protrudes radially in section and matches an undercut 13 of the mounting housing 2 which interacts with it and interacts in the same manner as the undercut 10 with the step 11 of the diffusor 7. As a result, the diffusor ring 8 can already be secured before the diffusor 7 is mounted, which is favorable above all in the case of automated assembly.

(17) It can be seen in the case of the arrangement according to FIGS. 2 to 5 and above all in FIG. 3 that, in this case, the largest radial dimension of the undercut 13 for the diffusor ring 8 and the ring-shaped retaining region 8a thereof correspond approximately to the smallest diameter of the undercut 10 for the diffusor 7 and the stepped ring-shaped retaining region 7a thereof such that the step 12 on the ring-shaped retaining region 8a is able to be easily introduced through said opening, which is higher in the position of use, with the undercut 10 and is not obstructed by the protrusion beyond the actual undercut 10.

(18) The positive-locking connection between the diffusor 7 and the mounting housing 2 as well as between the diffusor ring 8 and the mounting housing 2 can be a snap connection, an embodiment being shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 where such a snap connection is present only between the diffusor ring 7 and the mounting housing 2. In the case of said snap connections, the protrusion which snaps in radially above the respective step 11 and 12 is equal to or smaller than the measurement of the elastic flexibility of the mounting housing 2 in the region of said snap connections such that no additional measures such as retaining screws or the like are required for producing the positive locking connection in the position of use. Such a snap connection can be realized in a particularly simple manner when at least the mounting housing 2 consists of plastics material, however an embodiment of the mounting housing 2 produced from metal is also possible as metal also allows for a certain elastic deformation where the deformed region returnselasticallyback into its position after the deforming and loading process.

(19) The tap aerator 1 with a mounting housing includes in said mounting housing 2 an insert part which is realized as a jet divider and is realized as a diffusor 7 which interacts with a diffusor ring 8. The retaining regions 7a and 8a of the diffusor 7 and of the diffusor ring 8, said retaining regions being arranged in each case on the largest outside circumference, are arranged, in this case, at different heights in the axial direction relative to one another in the interior of the mounting housing 2 in the position of use, i.e. the retaining region 7a of the diffusor 7 is not encompassed and the largest outside diameter of the diffusor ring 8 and of its retaining region 8a is only as large as or, where applicable, even smaller than the largest outside diameter of the diffusor 7 and of the retaining region 7a thereof such that an arrangement which is space-saving in the radial direction is formed.