Abstract
A jet regulator (100) including a jet regulator housing (2) is disclosed, in the housing interior of which a perforated plate (5) is provided with a plurality of flow-through holes (6) for dividing the through-flowing water. The jet regulator described is characterized in that at least one flow-through hole (6) extends conically towards its outflow side in at least one outflow-side hole section. It is also possible for flow obstacles to be provided on the outflow side of the perforated plate (5) in the jet regulator housing (2) and/or on the outflow front face of the jet regulator housing, which are arranged or concentrated there in a central or middle region and which deflect the through-flowing water into an outer annular zone. This jet regulator (100) enables an aerated and thereby sparkling-soft water jet to be generated even with low flow-through performance and low water pressure.
Claims
1. A jet regulator (1, 10, 100) comprising a jet regulator housing (2), in a housing interior of which there is provided a perforated plate (5) which has a multiplicity of throughflow holes (6) for dividing water flowing therethrough in a flow direction, at least one of the throughflow holes (6), at least in an outflow-side hole section, widens in a tapered or conical manner toward an outflow side thereof, the perforated plate (5) has a central, hole-free impingement surface (14) which is bordered by at least one annular wall (15) protruding from an inflow side of the perforated plate that defines an internal annular housing, the internal annular housing has passage openings (16) oriented in a radial direction defined therethrough, and in each case one of the throughflow holes (6) of the perforated plate (5) is provided beneath the internal annular housing in a throughflow direction on that side of the passage openings (16) which is arranged in an impingement surface plane, and the perforated plate (5) further includes an outer impingement surface located radially outwardly from the at least one annular wall (15) and both the central hole-free impingement surface (14) as well as the outer impingement surface are open to an inlet side of the housing such that an incoming flow of water is adapted to flow on both sides of the at least one annular wall (15) through the passage openings (16) that are oriented in a radial direction and into the throughflow holes (6).
2. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the throughflow holes (6), at least in the outflow-side hole section, that widens in the tapered or conical manner toward the outflow side widens such that an individual jet or spray jet which emerges from the throughflow hole (6), and which widens due to the tapered shape or conicity, mixes in the housing interior with the individual jet of at least one adjacent one of the throughflow holes (6).
3. The jet regulator (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein on the outflow side of the perforated plate (5), flow obstructions are provided in at least one of the jet regulator housing (2) or on an outflow face surface of the jet regulator housing (2), said flow obstructions are arranged in a middle region beneath each of the throughflow holes (6) and divert the through-flowing water into an outer annular zone.
4. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein on the outflow side of the perforated plate (5) and at a distance therefrom, there is an encircling impingement bevel (19) which narrows a clear housing cross section in said region progressively in the flow direction.
5. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the impingement bevel (19) forms an inflow side of a wall section which is formed as at least one constriction which undulates as viewed in a longitudinal section.
6. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the jet regulator housing (2) is of multi-part form and has at least two housing parts (26, 27) which are connectable to one another.
7. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one of the impingement bevel (19) is formed integrally on a housing inner circumference of an outflow-side one of the housing parts (27) or the perforated plate (5) is formed integrally in a housing interior of an inflow-side one of the housing parts (26).
8. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one mesh or grate structure is positioned downstream of the perforated plate (5) as viewed in the flow direction.
9. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mesh or grate structure is formed from two sets of webs (7, 9) which intersect one another at intersection nodes (8).
10. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mesh structure is formed from radial webs (7) and from concentric webs (9) which intersect said radial webs at the intersection nodes (8).
11. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 9, wherein there are at least two of the mesh or grate structures which are spaced apart from one another are positioned downstream of the perforated plate (5) as viewed in the flow direction.
12. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the throughflow holes (6) is aligned, in the flow direction, with a radial web (7) of one of the mesh structures.
13. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 12, wherein the webs (7, 8) that are aligned in each case with one of the throughflow holes (6) overlap or intersect, in the flow direction of the at least one of the throughflow holes (6), in different planes of said mesh structures.
14. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the mesh structure is formed by an insert part (11, 12) that is insertable into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing (2).
15. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the insert parts (11, 12) has, on an outer circumference, an encircling annular wall (13) to which said webs (7) of the mesh or grate structure are connected.
16. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 10, wherein there are at least two of the mesh or grate structures, and at least the concentric webs (9) of an upstream one of the mesh structures as viewed in the flow direction has an identical or smaller web thickness in relation to the webs (7, 9) of one of the mesh structures which is adjacent at the outflow side as viewed in the flow direction.
17. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal annular housing is bordered, on an outer circumference, by an encircling hole-free impingement surface (29).
18. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator housing (2) is formed by a mesh or honeycomb structure (21; 22), and the mesh or honeycomb structure (21; 22) that forms the outflow-side face surface is either non-detachably connected to the jet regulator housing (2) or formed by an insert part (23) that is inserted into the jet regulator housing (2).
19. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 18, wherein the mesh or honeycomb structure (21; 22) that forms the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator housing (2) is formed by webs (24, 25) which, at least in an outflow-side sub-region, narrow in the flow direction.
20. The jet regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jet regulator (1, 10, 100) is an aerated jet regulator which has at least one aeration opening (17) which issues into the housing interior on the outflow side of the perforated plate (5) and connects the housing interior to atmosphere.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Refinements of the invention will emerge from the claims in conjunction with the figures and the description of the figures. The present invention will be described in more detail below on the basis of preferred exemplary embodiments.
(2) In the figures:
(3) FIG. 1 shows, in a perspective partial longitudinal section, a jet regulator which, on the outer circumference of its jet regulator housing, bears an external thread by means of which the jet regulator can be detachably screwed into an internal thread on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting,
(4) FIG. 2 shows the jet regulator from FIG. 1 in a longitudinal section, wherein it is possible in the housing interior of the jet regulator housing to see a perforated plate which is integrally connected to an inflow-side housing part and which bears throughflow holes which widen in a tapered or conical manner toward the outflow side of the perforated plate,
(5) FIG. 3 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 1 and 2 in a longitudinal section through section plane III-III from FIG. 2, wherein, through the throughflow holes of the transversely sectioned perforated plate, it is also possible to see the structures downstream of the perforated plate,
(6) FIG. 4 shows a detail of the cross-sectional illustration shown in FIG. 3 in the region of a throughflow hole of the transversely sectioned perforated plate,
(7) FIG. 5 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 1 to 4 in an exploded perspective illustration of its individual parts,
(8) FIG. 6 shows a jet regulator of similar design to the jet regulator as per FIGS. 1 to 5, wherein the jet regulator shown in FIG. 6 can be mounted on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting with the aid of an outlet mouthpiece not shown in any more detail here, and wherein the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator shown in FIG. 6 is formed by an insert part which can be inserted into the jet regulator housing and which has a mesh structure,
(9) FIG. 7 shows the inflow-side view of a further jet regulator, wherein said inflow-side view shows primarily an upstream or filter screen positioned upstream of the jet regulator at the inflow side,
(10) FIG. 8 shows the jet regulator from FIG. 7 in a longitudinal section through section plane VIII-VIII from FIG. 7, wherein it can be seen that the jet regulator shown in FIG. 8 has an impingement bevel which is spaced apart from the outflow side of the perforated plate and which forms a constriction that narrows the clear throughflow cross section of the jet regulator in the flow direction,
(11) FIG. 9 shows the perforated plate of the jet regulator shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in a perspective partial longitudinal section,
(12) FIG. 10 shows the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 in a view from below,
(13) FIG. 11 shows the jet regulator as per FIGS. 7 to 10 in an exploded perspective illustration of its individual parts,
(14) FIG. 12 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 7 to 11 in an enlarged longitudinal section, wherein the flow direction of the waterflowing through the jet regulator is indicated by corresponding arrows, and
(15) FIG. 13 shows, in an enlarged perspective partial longitudinal section, the perforated plate of the jet regulator shown in FIGS. 7 to 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(16) FIGS. 1 to 13 show three exemplary embodiments 1, 10, 100 of a jet regulator. The jet regulator embodiments 1, 10, 100 are designed to be mounted on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting in order to form a homogenous and laterally non-sputtering water jet there. In order that the water jet can emerge as a sparkling, soft water jet, the jet regulator embodiments 1, 10, 100 are in the form of aerated jet regulators in which the through-flowing water is mixed and enriched with ambient air.
(17) The jet regulator embodiments 1, 10, 100 have a sleeve-shaped jet regulator housing 2 of circular cross section. The jet regulator embodiment 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 has, on the housing outer circumference of the jet regulator housing 2, an external thread 3 which interacts with an internal thread arranged on the inner circumference of the water outlet of the outlet fitting (not shown in any more detail here). Here, the jet regulator embodiment 1 illustrated here can be screwed into the water outlet such that the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator housing 2 is arranged practically in a plane with the outflow-side face edge of the outlet fitting.
(18) By contrast, the jet regulator embodiments 10, 100 shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 are designed for being mounted on the water outlet of the outlet fitting by means of a sleeve-shaped outlet mouthpiece (not illustrated in any more detail here) after the jet regulator 10, 100 has been inserted, from the inflow-side sleeve opening of the outlet mouthpiece, into the sleeve interior of the latter until an annular shoulder 4 on the outer circumference of the jet regulator housing 2 lies against a support arranged on the inner circumference in the outlet mouthpiece.
(19) In the housing interior of the jet regulators 1, 10, 100 there is provided a perforated plate 5 which bears a multiplicity of throughflow holes 6. At least one throughflow hole 6 and preferably all of the throughflow holes 6 of the perforated plate 5 widen in a tapered or conical manner toward their outflow side at least in an outflow-side sub-region. The throughflow holes 6 provided in the perforated plate 5 are designed for splitting up the through-flowing water. Due to the tapered or conical spreading of the water emerging from the perforated plate, mixing of said water with the ambient air drawn into the jet regulator housing is possible practically over the entire cross section of the jet regulator housing 2 even in the case of low throughflow rates and low water pressures.
(20) Here, the throughflow holes 6 widen in a tapered or conical manner such that the water jet which emerges from the throughflow holes 6 and which widens due to the tapered shape or the conicity mixes in the housing interior with the individual jet of at least one adjacent throughflow hole before the individual jets impinge on at least one jet-forming part arranged in the housing interior.
(21) To make it possible for the through-flowing water to be additionally split up and mixed with ambient air, it is the case in the jet regulator embodiments 1, 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 that at least one, and preferably at least two, mesh structure(s) is/are positioned downstream of the perforated plate 2 in the flow direction, said mesh structure(s) being formed from radial webs 7 and from concentric webs 9 which intersect said radial webs at intersection nodes 8.
(22) In FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen by way of example that at least one throughflow hole 6 and preferably all of the throughflow holes 6 is/are aligned, in the flow direction, with a radial web 7 of one mesh structure, in this case of the mesh structure that is downstream in the flow direction, and with a concentric web 9 of an adjacent mesh structure, in this case of the mesh structure arranged at the inflow side. The webs 7, 9 which are each aligned with one of the throughflow holes 6 overlap or intersect here, in a central or middle region of the associated throughflow hole 6, in the different planes of said mesh structures.
(23) From a comparison of FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, it is clear that each of the mesh structures, which together form a jet regulating device, is formed by an insert part 11, 12 that can be inserted into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing 2. Here, each of said insert parts 11, 12 has, on the outer circumference, an encircling annular wall 13, wherein the radial webs 7, which intersect the concentric webs 9, of the mesh structure are connected to, and in this case formed integrally with, said encircling annular wall.
(24) It can be seen particularly clearly from FIG. 4 that at least the concentric webs 9 and preferably also the radial webs 7 of a mesh structure positioned upstream as viewed in the flow direction have a greater web thickness than the webs 9, 7 of a mesh structure situated adjacently at the outflow side as viewed in the flow direction. In this way, as viewed in the throughflow direction, each throughflow hole 6 in the perforated plate 5 appears to split up into a multiplicity of further, smaller throughflow openings.
(25) From a comparison of FIGS. 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9, it can be seen that the perforated plates 2 provided in the jet regulator embodiments 1, 10, 100 have a central impingement surface 14 which is bordered by at least one annular wall 15 protruding from an inflow side of the perforated plate that defines an internal annular housing. This annular wall 15 has passage openings 16 which are oriented in the radial direction and which, in this case, are arranged spaced apart from one another around the circumference of the annular wall 15. A respective one of the throughflow holes 6 of the perforated plate 2 is provided at the base side, and thus on the side arranged in the impingement surface plane, of the passage openings 16. As a result of this diversion of the in-flowing water in the region of the throughflow holes 6, the water is slowed, diverted to the side and possibly mixed by way of partial flows flowing toward one another in opposite directions, before said water is subsequently subjected to an increase in speed again due to the constriction of the throughflow cross section in the throughflow holes 6. In accordance with the Bernoulli equation, this speed increase results in a negative pressure being generated on the outflow side of the perforated plate 5, by means of which negative pressure ambient air can be drawn into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing 2. For this purpose, in the housing circumferential wall of the jet regulator housing 2, there is provided at least one aeration opening 17 which opens into the housing interior on the outflow side of the perforated plate 5. Outside the central impingement surface 14 there may be provided at least one further impingement surface 29, which in this case is of encircling form at the outside and which is preferably arranged in the plane of the central impingement surface 14.
(26) Whereas the at least one aeration opening 17 in the jet regulator embodiment 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is in this case connected to the atmosphere via a double-walled section 18 of the housing circumferential wall on the outflow side of the jet regulator 1, it is the case in the jet regulator embodiments 10, 100 shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 that the aeration openings 17 extend through the jet regulator housing 2 in the radial direction and are connected, on the outside of the jet regulator housing 2, to an aeration duct which is in the form of an annular gap between the housing outer circumference of the jet regulator housing 2 and the inner circumference of the outlet mouthpiece and which is open to the atmosphere at the outflow-side face side of the outlet mouthpiece and jet regulator 10, 100.
(27) Instead of the insert parts 11, 12, the jet regulator embodiment 100 shown in FIGS. 7 to 13 has, on the outflow side of the perforated plate 2 and at a distance from the latter, an encircling impingement bevel 19 on the housing inner circumference, which impingement bevel narrows the clear housing cross section in said region progressively in the flow direction. This impingement bevel 19 is formed by the inflow side of a wall section formed as a constriction which undulates as viewed in longitudinal section. The wall section that has the impingement bevel 19 is in this case in the form of an annular or sleeve-shaped insert part 20 that can be inserted into the jet regulator housing 2.
(28) From a comparison of FIGS. 6 and 11, on the one hand, and FIG. 5, on the other hand, it is clear that the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulators 1, 10, 100 is formed by a mesh structure 22 or a honeycomb structure 21. Whereas the mesh or honeycomb structure 22, 21 that forms the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulators 1, 100 is non-detachably connected to the jet regulator housing 2, the outlet structure 22 of the jet regulator 10 shown in FIG. 6 is formed by an insert part 23 that can be inserted into the jet regulator housing 2. From a comparison of FIGS. 8 and 10, it can be seen that the mesh structure 22 that forms the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator 100 is formed by radial and concentric webs 24, 25 which narrow in the flow direction at least in an outflow-side sub-region. Homogenisation of the water emerging from the jet regulator housing 2 through the mesh structure so as to form a homogenous overall jet is additionally promoted by virtue of said webs 24, 25 narrowing in the flow direction at least in an outflow-side sub-region.
(29) In FIGS. 10 and 11, it is clear that, on the outflow side of the perforated plate, flow obstructions may be provided in the jet regulator housing and/oras is the case hereon the outflow face surface of the jet regulator housing 2, which flow obstructions are arranged or concentrated there in a central or middle region and divert the through-flowing water into an outer annular zone which, by contrast, has no flow obstructions or a smaller number or total area of flow obstructions. In the case of the jet regulator 100 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, said flow obstructions are formed by the concentric webs 25 which, on the outflow face surface of the jet regulator housing 2, are concentrated in a central or middle region, whereas an outer annular zone is free from such concentric webs.
(30) In FIGS. 5, 6 and 11, it is clear that the jet regulator housing 2 is formed in this case by two housing parts 26, 27 which are detachably connectable to one another and preferably lockable to one another and of which in this case the housing part 26, which is upstream at the inflow side, is connected integrally to the perforated plate 6. In order that any dirt particles entrained in the water cannot impair the correct functioning of the jet regulator, an upstream or filter screen 28 is positioned upstream of the jet regulator housing 2, which upstream or filter screen is in this case held detachably on the inflow-side housing part 26. This upstream or filter screen 28 has a multiplicity of filter or screen openings which are circular or polygonal, and in particular hexagonal, in cross section.
LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
(31) 1 Jet regulator (as per FIGS. 1 to 5) 2 Jet regulator housing 3 External thread 4 Annular shoulder 5 Perforated plate 6 Throughflow holes (in the perforated plate 5) 7 (Radial) webs 8 Intersection nodes 9 (Concentric) webs 10 Jet regulator (as per FIG. 6) 11 (Inflow-side) insert part 12 (Outflow-side) insert part 13 Annular wall (on the insert parts 11, 12) 14 Impingement surface (centrally on the perforated plate 5) 15 Annular wall (on the inflow side on the perforated plate 5) 16 Passage openings (in the annular wall 15) 17 Aeration opening (in the jet regulator housing 2) 18 (Double-wall) section (of the housing circumferential wall) 19 Impingement bevel 20 Insert part (with impingement bevel 19) 21 Honeycomb structure (as outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator) 22 Mesh structure (as outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator) 23 Insert part (as outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator 10) 24 (Radial) webs (of the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator 100) 25 (Concentric) webs (on the outflow-side face surface of the jet regulator 100) 26 (Inflow-side) housing part 27 (Outflow-side) housing part 28 Upstream or filter screen 29 (Externally encircling) impingement surface (of the perforated plate 5) 100 Jet regulator (as per FIGS. 7 to 13)
