Abstract
The invention relates to a sanitary functional unit (2), which has a housing (6), which can be releasably fastened to the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, the housing (6) having an outflow-side housing end face (9) with outflow openings (10). It is characterizing for the functional unit according to the invention that the outflow-side housing end face (9) has at least one slot (19), the opposing longitudinal sides (20) of which slot are designed as turning engagement surfaces or tool engagement surfaces for a turning tool that can be releasably inserted into the at least one slot (19) and is preferably formed as a coin (21), and that the housing (6) of the functional unit (2) is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting and/or the housing end face is mounted rotatably in relation to the housing on said housing. With the assistance of the slot (19) provided on the housing end face (9) and the assigned turning tool, it is possible, for example, for a housing end face (9) that is pivotably mounted in the housing to be easily aligned and/or for the turning force that is required for fitting and removing a screw connection provided between the outer housing periphery and the inner fitting periphery to be conveniently transferred to the housing (6) without special turning tools being necessary.
Claims
1. Sanitary functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41, 42), comprising: a housing (6), which can be releasably fastened to a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, the housing (6) having an outflow-side housing end face (9) with outflow openings (10), the outflow-side housing end face (9) has at least one slot (19), which comprises opposing longitudinal sides (20) that form turning engagement surfaces or tool engagement surfaces for a turning tool adapted to be releasably inserted into the at least one slot, and the housing (6) of the functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41, 42) is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, the housing end face (9) is mounted rotatably in relation to the housing (6) on said housing, or the housing is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, wherein at least a portion of the at least one slot (19) extends radially along a portion of the housing end face (9) having the outflow openings (10).
2. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot (19) is configured to receive a partial region of a turning tool taking the form of a coin or for inserting a coin (21) serving as the turning tool.
3. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot (19) has a circular-segmental cross section in an insertion direction.
4. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot comprises two slots (19), which intersect each other, located on the housing end face (9).
5. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slot (19) is formed as a groove, having a groove base, which is of a closed design or of an open or liquid-permeable design as a result of a perforated or grid structure forming the groove base.
6. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the turning tool that can be inserted into the at least one slot (19) is provided for aligning a relative position between the housing (6) and the housing end face (9) rotatably mounted thereon by at least one turning movement.
7. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the turning tool that can be inserted into the at least one slot (19) is intended for at least one of fitting or removing the functional unit that is at least one of releasably fitted onto or removed from the water outlet of the outlet fitting by an inserting/turning movement or a turning movement.
8. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein an external thread (25) is provided on the outer housing periphery of the housing (9) and interacts with an internal thread (26) on an inner periphery of the outlet fitting and a turning moment required for screwing in and unscrewing the threads (25, 26) can be transferred to the housing (6) by way of the at least one slot (19).
9. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing end face (9) has a cross-sectional thickening, at least in a region of the at least one slot (19).
10. The functional unit according to claim 1, wherein the functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4) is formed as a jet regulator or has a jet regulator, an outflow side of which forms the outflow-side housing end face (9) of the functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
11. Sanitary functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41, 42), comprising: a housing (6), which can be releasably fastened to a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, the housing (6) having an outflow-side housing end face (9) with outflow openings (10), the outflow-side housing end face (9) has at least one slot (19), which comprises opposing longitudinal sides (20) that form turning engagement surfaces or tool engagement surfaces for a turning tool adapted to be releasably inserted into the at least one slot, and the housing (6) of the functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41, 42) is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, the housing end face (9) is mounted rotatably in relation to the housing (6) on said housing, or the housing is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, wherein at least a portion of the at least one slot (19) crosses a central point of the housing end face (9).
12. Sanitary functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41, 42), comprising: a housing (6), which can be releasably fastened to a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, the housing (6) having an outflow-side housing end face (9) with outflow openings (10), the outflow-side housing end face (9) has at least one slot (19), which comprises opposing longitudinal sides (20) that form turning engagement surfaces or tool engagement surfaces for a turning tool adapted to be releasably inserted into the at least one slot, and the housing (6) of the functional unit (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41, 42) is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, the housing end face (9) is mounted rotatably in relation to the housing (6) on said housing, or the housing is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, wherein at least a portion of the at least one slot (19) intersects a part of the housing end face (9) comprising the outflow openings (10).
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Developments according to the invention are provided by the claims and the description in conjunction with the figures. The invention is also described in more detail below on the basis of preferred exemplary embodiments. In the figures:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a sanitary functional unit comprising an inflow-side attachment screen, an outflow-side jet regulator and a rate-of-flow regulator arranged in between, with a housing, the functional unit having on its outflow-side housing end face a crossing slot which is intended for inserting a turning tool in the form of a coin, and an external thread with which the housing can be releasably fastened in an internal thread provided on the inner periphery of the outlet fitting being provided on the outer housing periphery, and the turning tool being intended for fitting and removing the functional unit on and from the water outlet of the outlet fitting,
(3) FIG. 2 shows the functional unit from FIG. 1 in an exploded perspective representation of the individual parts,
(4) FIG. 3 shows the functional unit from FIGS. 1 and 2 in a plan view of its outflow-side housing end face,
(5) FIG. 4 shows the functional unit from FIGS. 1 to 3 in a perspective plan view of the housing end face,
(6) FIG. 5 shows a functional unit that is comparable to FIGS. 1 to 4 in a lateral partial longitudinal section, a coin having been inserted as a turning tool in the slot provided on the outflow-side housing end face,
(7) FIG. 6 shows a functional unit likewise formed as an aerated jet regulator, similar to those from FIGS. 1 to 5, in a longitudinal section, the housing end face additionally being pivotably mounted in the housing here, so that the turning tool that can be inserted into the slot of the housing end face can be used both for turning the screw connection provided between the outer housing periphery and the inner fitting periphery, and consequently for fitting and removing the functional unit, and for aligning the pivotably mounted housing end face,
(8) FIG. 7 shows the jet regulator from FIG. 6 in a plan view of its outflow-side housing end face,
(9) FIG. 8 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 6 and 7 in a longitudinal section,
(10) FIG. 9 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 6 to 8 in a perspective partial longitudinal section,
(11) FIG. 10 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 6 to 8, shown in a longitudinal section, in an angled-away pivoted position of its housing end face,
(12) FIG. 11 shows the likewise longitudinally sectioned jet regulator from FIGS. 6 to 10 in a pivoted position of its housing end face differing from FIG. 10,
(13) FIG. 12 shows a jet regulator that can be releasably fitted into the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, similar to that from FIGS. 6 to 11, in a longitudinal section,
(14) FIG. 13 shows the water outlet with the jet regulator from FIG. 11 in a plan view of the outflow-side housing end face,
(15) FIG. 14 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 12 and 13 in a perspective plan view of the inflow side of its housing,
(16) FIG. 15 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 12 to 14 in a perspective plan view of the outflow-side housing end face, the housing end face being shown in a pivoted position angled away with respect to the housing,
(17) FIG. 16 shows a jet regulator represented in a longitudinal section, which can be releasably fastened to the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting by means of a sleeve-like outlet mouthpiece not represented here any further, the outflow-side housing end face of the jet regulator here too being pivotably mounted in the housing,
(18) FIG. 17 shows the jet regulator from FIG. 16 in a plan view of its outflow-side housing end face,
(19) FIG. 18 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 16 and 17 in a perspectively represented longitudinal section,
(20) FIG. 19 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 16 to 18 in a perspective longitudinal section turned with respect to FIG. 18,
(21) FIG. 20 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 16 to 19 in a longitudinal section, the outflow-side housing end face being shown here in a pivoted position angled away with respect to the longitudinal axis of the housing,
(22) FIG. 21 shows the jet regulator from FIGS. 16 to 20 in a perspective plan view of the housing end face that is on the outlet side and is shown here in a pivoted position,
(23) FIG. 22 shows a jet regulator which is comparable to FIGS. 16 to 21, is represented here in a side view and can be releasably fastened to the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting by means of a sleeve-like outlet mouthpiece not represented any further here, the outflow-side housing end face of the jet regulator here too being pivotably mounted in the housing,
(24) FIG. 23 shows the jet regulator from FIG. 22 in a perspective partial longitudinal section, two spacers that are formed on the inflow side of the outflow-side housing end face and protrude in a pin-like manner defining a pivot axis about which the housing end face can be tilted or pivoted,
(25) FIG. 24 shows a jet regulator that is comparable to FIGS. 6 to 11 and represented in a longitudinal section, the housing end face of which is pivotably mounted in the jet regulator housing, pin-like spacers being provided on the inflow side of the housing end face, interacting with turning stops on the outflow side of a perforated plate arranged upstream in the direction of flow in such a way that the housing end face can be turned between the turning stops in order to accomplish in one turning position a non-positive connection between the housing end face and the housing when the spacers lie against the turning stops,
(26) FIG. 25 shows the jet regulator from FIG. 4 in a perspective partial longitudinal section, and
(27) FIG. 26 shows a functional unit that is comparable to the functional units in FIGS. 1 to 5 and is formed as a jet regulator which bears an external thread on its jet regulator housing, a number of flow-forming parts that have a perforated, grid or mesh structure and are designed as insert parts having been inserted in the housing interior of the jet regulator housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(28) Various embodiments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41 and 42 of a sanitary functional unit are represented in FIGS. 1 to 26. The functional units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41 and 42 have a housing 6, which can be releasably fastened to the water outlet 7 of a sanitary outlet fitting 8 (cf. FIGS. 12 and 13). The housing 6 has an outflow-side housing end face 9, which has a large number of outflow openings 10. The outflow openings 10 are surrounded by a honeycomb-like outlet structure, which forms at least a partial region of the housing end face 9.
(29) The functional units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41 and 42 are formed here as a jet regulator or have such a regulator. While in the case of the functional units 1 and 2 according to FIGS. 1 to 5, between the outflow-side jet regulator 11 and an inflow-side attachment screen 12 there is arranged a rate-of-flow regulator 13, which is intended to limit the water flowing through to a maximum volume flowing through per unit of time independently of the water pressure, the functional units 3, 4, 5 and 42 according to FIGS. 6 to 21 and FIG. 26 are formed as a jet regulator which is merely preceded by an attachment screen 12 for filtering out any particles of dirt that are possibly entrained in the water. The jet regulators 40, 41 represented in FIGS. 22 to 25 manage without such an attachment screen.
(30) With the jet regulators represented here, which are designed as aerated jet regulators, the water emerging from the water outlet is intended to be formed into a homogeneous, non-splashing and effervescent-soft water jet. For this purpose, the jet regulators have an inflow-side jet splitter, which divides the inflowing water into a large number of individual jets; this produces a negative pressure on the outflow side of the jet splitter, with the effect of sucking in ambient air, which can penetrate into the housing interior of the housing 6 through housing or aeration openings 14 and be mixed there with the water flowing through.
(31) The jet splitter may be formed, for example, as a perforated plate 15 or as a cup-shaped diffuser 16, on the peripheral wall of which cup throughflow openings 17 are provided and the base of which cup is designed as an impinging and deflecting surface 18 leading to the throughflow openings 17. The individual jets coming from the jet splitter and enriched here with ambient air are re-formed in an outflow-side flow straighter into a homogeneously emerging combined jet, the housing end face 9 forming the flow straightener.
(32) It can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 26 that on the outflow-side housing end face 9 of each functional unit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41 and 42 there is provided at least one slot 19, the opposing longitudinal sides 20 of which slot are designed as turning engagement surfaces or tool engagement surfaces for a turning tool that can be releasably inserted into the at least one slot 19. In FIG. 5, it is indicated by a dash-dotted line that a partial region of a turning tool taking the form of a coin, or preferably a coin 21 serving as the turning tool, can be inserted into the at least one slot 19.
(33) The at least one slot 19 is formed here as a groove, the base of which groove, provided on the side remote from the slot opening, is of a closed design or of a liquid-permeable or open designas here for example as a result of a perforated structure in the groove base. To be able to align a coin 21 inserted in the slot 19, it is expedient that the at least one slot 19 forms a circular-segmental depression in the direction of insertion.
(34) The slot 19 and the turning tool may serve various purposes.
(35) Thus, in the case of the functional units 3, 4, 5, 40 and 41 represented in FIGS. 7 to 25, the turning tool is provided for aligning the relative position between the housing end face 9 and the housing 6 by means of a turning and/or pivoting movement.
(36) As can be seen from FIGS. 7 to 25, the housing end face 9 is for instance rotatably guided in the outflow-side end plane of the functional units 3, 4, 5, 40 and 41 and mounted pivotably or tiltably about any desired pivot axis oriented transversely in relation to the longitudinal axis of the housing. For this purpose, the outer periphery 22 of the housing end face 9, designed in the form of a plate, is designed in a hemispherical form and is held pivotably in a joint socket 23 of a complementary form, which is formed by a partial region of the inner peripheral wall of the housing 6. In this case, the pivot axis may be formed by spacers 43, which protrude on the inflow side of the housing end face 9 and lie against a flow-forming part 44 arranged upstream in the direction of flow in such a way that these spacers 43 form a pivot axis about which the housing end face 9 can be tilted or pivoted.
(37) By turning, pivoting or turning and pivoting the housing end face 9 in relation to the housing 6, the emerging water jet can be aligned with respect to the point of impingement in the washbasin. For this purpose, the walls surrounding the outflow openings 10 are designed as flow-guiding walls 24, which preferably have a greater height in comparison with the clear diameter.
(38) In addition to or instead of the aforementioned aligning function, the turning tool that can be inserted in the at least one slot 19 may be intended for fitting and/or removing the functional unit that can be releasably fitted onto and removed from the water outlet of the outlet fitting by an inserting/turning movement or a turning movement. For this purpose, the functional units 1, 2, 3, 4, 41 and 42 have on the outer housing periphery of their housing 6 an external thread 25, which interacts with an internal thread 26 (cf. FIG. 12) on the inner periphery of the outlet fitting. The turning force required for screwing in and unscrewing the threads 25, 26 can be transferred to the housing 6 by way of the at least one slot 19.
(39) While in the case of the functional units 1, 2, 40 and 42, the turning tool and the slot 19 only serve one purpose, the slot 19 in the case of the functional units 3, 4 and 41 shown in FIGS. 6 to 15 and 24 to 25 is required both for aligning the outflow-side housing end face 9 and for fitting and removing the housing 6 onto and from the water outlet of the outlet fitting. Since, in the case of the functional units 3, 4, 40 and 41, the housing end face 9 is rotatably and/or pivotably mounted in the housing 6, turning stops 45, which in one turning position of the housing end face 9 interact with the spacers 43, are provided on the flow-forming part 44, which is arranged upstream in the direction of flow, is connected to the housing 6 to turn therewith and is formed as a grid or mesh structure oras hereas a perforated structure. If the spacers 43 lie against these turning stops 45, the applied turning force is converted into a screwing-in or unscrewing movement of the screw connection provided between the outer housing periphery and the inner fitting periphery.
(40) In the case of the functional unit shown in FIGS. 16 to 21, only the outflow-side housing end face 9 is pivotably mounted in the housing 6 in such a way that the emerging water jet can be aligned with respect to the downstream washbasin. To be able to fasten the functional unit 5 according to FIGS. 16 to 21 releasably to the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, an outlet mouthpiece that is in fact customary but is not represented any further here is required. The housing 6 of the functional unit 5 can be inserted into the sleeve-like outlet mouthpiece in order subsequently to fasten the outlet mouthpiece releasably to the outlet end of the sanitary outlet fitting.
(41) To make the housing end face 9 stable even in the region of the slot 19, it is advantageous if the housing end face has a cross-sectional thickening, at least in the region of the at least one slot 19. It can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 26 that, for this purpose, the housing end face 9 has here a convex, outwardly protruding shaping, this shaping being centred in relation to the midpoint of the housing end face 9. The convex shaping allows the slot 19 to reach comparatively far into the housing end face 9, without the housing interior of the housing 6 that remains between the housing end face 9 and the jet splitter 15 being significantly restricted; thereforeas illustrated in FIG. 26, this housing interior is available for further insert parts, formed for example as grid- or mesh-like structures or as a perforated structure, which can be inserted into the housing interior if need be for jet regulating or jet forming.
(42) The slot 19 has a longitudinal extent aligned approximately radially in relation to the midpoint of the end face.
(43) It is clear from a comparison of FIGS. 3 and 4 on the one hand and FIGS. 15, 17, 21, 22 and 26 on the other hand that at least two slots 19 crossing each other can be provided on the housing end face 9. In the case of the functional unit 1, the slots 19 are arranged crosswise in relation to each other, the crossing point of the crossing slots 19 being provided approximately midway along the longitudinal extent of the slots 19.
(44) In FIGS. 1 to 26, the functional units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41 and 42 are formed as a jet regulator or have such a jet regulator. However, it is also possible to design the outflow-side housing end face of other functional units, which are for example designed exclusively as rate-of-flow regulators or flow limiters, with a slot 19, which facilitates the handling and/or the fitting/removal of these functional units.
(45) In FIG. 1 it can be seen that the perforated structure that is provided on the housing end face 9 outside the slot 19 is at such a distance from the slot that the longitudinal sides 20 of the slot have a greater wall thickness in comparison with the flow-guiding walls 24.
(46) It can be seen well in FIGS. 23 to 25 that on the inflow side of the housing end face two spaced-apart spacers 43 are provided, arranged on a centre line running through the centre of the housing end face 9. These spacers 43 lie against the flow-forming part 44 that is arranged upstream in the direction of flow and is formed here as an insert part in such a way that the spacers 43 define a pivot axis about which the housing end face 9 can be tilted or pivoted in the chosen relative position or turning position of the housing 6 and the housing end face 9. By turning the housing end face 9 in the joint socket 23 of the housing 6, the spacers 43 can be newly aligned, so that the pivot axis formed by the spacers 43 also changes in its relative position with respect to the housing 6. It can be seen in FIGS. 23 to 25 that on the outflow side of the flow-forming part 44 arranged upstream in the direction of flow there protrude two turning stops 45, which in at least one relative position or turning position of the housing 6 and the housing end face 9 lie against the spacers 43 in such a way that the housing 6 and the housing end face 9 are connected to turn with each other, in order to be able either to change the pivot axis of the housing end face 9 (cf. FIGS. 22 and 23) or else additionally fit or remove the corresponding functional unit 41 into or from the water outlet of the sanitary outlet fitting (cf. FIGS. 24 and 25).
(47) The functional units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, 41 and 42 represented here therefore always have on their outflow-side housing end face 9 at least one slot 19, the opposing longitudinal sides 20 of which slot serve as turning engagement surfaces or tool engagement surfaces for a turning tool that can be inserted into the slot. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and 26, the housing 6 of the functional unit 1, 2, 42 is rotatably held on the water outlet of the outlet fitting, so that the turning force required for turning the housing can be applied by means of the turning tool inserted into the slot 19. These functional units 1, 2 and 42, which bear on the outer periphery of their housing 6 an external thread 25 which interacts with an internal thread on the inner periphery of the water outlet, can consequently be easily fitted onto or removed from the water outlet of the outlet fitting.
(48) In a further embodiment not shown here, the housing end face 9 is merely mounted rotatably in relation to the housing 6. In the case of such a functional unit, the turning tool can be inserted into the slot 19 in order to bring the housing end face 9 into the desired relative position with respect to the housing 6.
(49) In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 25, which combine the two features described above with each other, the turning tool can be inserted into the at least one slot 19 in order to change the relative position between the housing end face 9 and the housing 6. If in at least one turning position the spacers 43 lie against the turning stops 45 in such a way that this relative position of the housing end face 9 and the housing 6 is fixed, the housing 6 itself can also be turned in its relative position with respect to the water outlet. While the jet regulator 40 can be turned for this purpose in its outlet mouthpiece not represented any further here, the functional units 3, 4, 5 and 41 can be fitted in or removed from the water outlet by turning the housing 6.
