Jet generator for a sanitary shower head, with a flow vane arranged and designed to split and deflect a water flow.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a jet former according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a jet former is described in document AT 405795B. Further related technology is described in documents US233692, US3584790A, US2009 / 101734A1, US1819098A, US1412257A, and US4746808A.

[0002] A common form of body cleansing is showering. Showering is usually done using a shower fixture that includes a mixer tap, a water-conducting hose or pipe, and a sanitary shower head. In the mixer tap, cold and warm water are mixed to produce water of the desired temperature. The water is guided through the water-conducting hose or pipe into the shower head, which dispenses the water. The design of the water delivery by the shower head in the form of a spray pattern largely determines the user's showering experience. To create the spray pattern, the shower head contains a component known as a spray generator. Shower heads that can provide a moving spray pattern are known in the art. Such shower heads are also called massage shower heads because the moving water jets can create a massage effect.For this purpose, the jet-forming nozzles of the jet generator perform a periodic movement, for example, pivoting or rotating. To drive this movement of the jet-forming nozzles, the jet generator usually contains an impeller, which in turn is driven by the water flowing into the shower head. The prior art massage shower heads described above have the following disadvantages. To drive the impeller and thus initiate the massage function, a relatively high water pressure or a relatively high water flow rate, or both, is necessary. This results in a relatively high water consumption for the operation of prior art massage shower heads. Furthermore, the massage function can be delayed with prior art massage shower heads.Therefore, during the start-up phase after opening the water path into the shower head, a motionless spray pattern may occur, which does not realize the massage function of the shower head.

[0003] In general, it is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome a disadvantage resulting from the prior art. A further object of the invention is to provide a shower head which produces a moving spray pattern with the lowest possible water consumption. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a shower head which produces a moving spray pattern with the lowest possible water pressure. A further object of the invention is to provide a shower head which produces a moving spray pattern with the shortest possible start-up phase. A further object of the invention is to provide a shower head which produces the fastest possible moving spray pattern with constant water pressure and water consumption.A further object of the invention is to provide a shower head that can generate several different moving jet patterns at constant water pressure and water consumption. A further object of the invention is to provide one of the aforementioned advantageous shower heads, wherein the moving jet pattern can be obtained when the shower head is operated with the water pressure of a domestic drinking water pipe. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a shower head with a combination of at least two of the aforementioned advantages. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a sanitary shower with one of the aforementioned advantageous shower heads.

[0004] The invention provides a jet former according to claim 1. The dependent claims provide preferred embodiments that contribute to at least partially fulfilling at least one of the objects.

[0005] The invention is illustrated in more detail below by examples and drawings, which do not limit the invention. Unless otherwise stated in the description or the respective figure, they show schematically and not to scale: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a jet former according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of an impeller; Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a flow onto a rotor blade of the impeller of the Figure 2 ; Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of a shower head according to the invention; Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a device according to the invention; Figure 6 shows a schematic representation of a sanitary shower according to the invention; and Figure 7 shows a flow diagram of a method.

[0006] Figure 1shows a schematic representation of a jet former 100 according to the invention. The jet former 100 is an assembly for a sanitary shower head 400. The jet former 100 includes an impeller 101 rotatably mounted about a rotational axis 102, having a blade assembly; a reduction gear 104, which is an epicyclic gear; a control device; and a plurality of movably arranged jet-forming nozzles. The control device is a cam gear, which includes a cam disk. The reduction gear 104 is connected on the drive side to the rotational axis 102 in a force-transmitting manner, and on the output side to the control device in a force-transmitting manner. The control device is arranged and designed to convert the rotation of the rotational axis 102 transmitted by the reduction gear 104 into a periodic movement of the plurality of movably arranged jet-forming nozzles.The blading of the impeller 101 consists of a plurality of rotor blades 103. The rotor blades 103 are each arranged and designed to divide a water flow 301 flowing toward the respective rotor blade 103 in an inflow direction 301 into a first partial flow 302 and a further partial flow 303; to deflect the first partial flow 302 in a first partial flow direction 302; and to deflect the further partial flow 303 in a further partial flow direction 303. In this case, the inflow direction 301 forms an angle of 90° with the rotation axis 102, since the water flow 301 flows tangentially toward the impeller 101. The first partial flow direction 302 and the further partial flow direction 303 are each parallel to the rotation axis 102. Furthermore, the first partial flow direction 302 and the further partial flow direction 303 are oppositely directed.Thus, the rotor blades 103 are configured to deflect the first partial flow 302 by a first deflection angle of 90° and to deflect the further partial flow 303 by a further deflection angle of 90°. A representation of the directions is shown in . Figure 3 The jet former 100 further includes an inflow nozzle 105 with a nozzle opening 106. The inflow nozzle 105 is arranged and designed to direct the water flow 301 toward the impeller 101 in the inflow direction 301.

[0007] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of an impeller 101. The impeller 101 of the Figure 2 is the impeller 101 of the jet former 100 of the Figure 1The impeller 101 is made of plastic and is manufactured in one piece. Furthermore, the impeller 101 has a diameter of 32 mm. Each of the rotor blades 103 of the impeller 101 includes a blade base surface 201 and a flow divider 202. The flow divider 202 is arranged and designed to divide the water flow 301 flowing towards the respective rotor blade 103 in the inflow direction 301 into the first partial flow 302 and the further partial flow 303. For this purpose, the flow divider 202 is designed as a divider wall arranged on the blade base surface 201. This divider wall tapers in the direction from the blade base surface 201 to an edge 203 of the divider wall. The divider wall is arranged centrally on the blade base surface 201 and can also be referred to as a central cutting edge.A cross-section of the blade bottom surface 201 of each rotor blade 103 is curved in a cross-sectional plane through the blade bottom surface 201 perpendicular to the rotation axis 102. The cross-section of the blade bottom surface 201 is curved away from the rotation axis 102 in the cross-sectional plane through the blade bottom surface 201 perpendicular to the rotation axis 102. Furthermore, each cross-section of the blade bottom surface 201 is a straight line in each cross-sectional plane through the blade bottom surface 201 parallel to the rotation axis 102.

[0008] Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a flow of a rotor blade 103 of the impeller 101 of the Figure 2Here, you can see how the water flow 301 flows against a rotor blade 103 in the inflow direction 301. The flow divider 202 divides the water flow 301 into the first partial flow 302 and the further partial flow 303. The first partial flow 302 is deflected by 90° in the first partial flow direction 302 by the flow divider 202 and the blade bottom surface 201. The further partial flow 303 is deflected by 90° in the further partial flow direction 303 by the flow divider 202 and the blade bottom surface 201. Here, the first partial flow direction 302 and the further partial flow direction 303 are parallel to the rotation axis 102 of the impeller 101 and perpendicular to a plane of the impeller 101. The inflow direction 301 is perpendicular to the rotation axis 102 and in the plane of the impeller 101.

[0009] Figure 4shows a schematic representation of a shower head 400 according to the invention. The shower head 400 is a sanitary shower head 400, here a massage shower head designed as a hand shower, and includes a housing 401. The housing 401 contains the jet former 100 of the Figure 1 .

[0010] Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a device 500 according to the invention. The device 500 includes the shower head 400 of the Figure 4 The shower head 400 is connected to a mixing device 501 via a flexible shower hose 502 for mixing water of at least two different temperatures. The mixing device 501 is a sanitary mixer tap.

[0011] Figure 6shows a schematic representation of a sanitary shower 600 according to the invention. The sanitary shower 600 includes a shower head 400, which is designed as an overhead shower. The shower head 400 includes the jet former 100 as shown in the Figure 1 shown.

[0012] Figure 7 shows a flow diagram of a method 700. The method 700 is a method 700 for injection molding the impeller 101 of the Figure 2 . For this purpose, the method 700 includes a method step a) 701: providing a starting material, here a plastic granulate. In a method step b) 702, the plastic granulate is melted, i.e., plasticized, in an injection molding machine. In a method step c) 703, the molten plastic is injected under pressure into an injection mold. The injection mold includes a two-part negative mold of the impeller 101 of the Figure 2, into which the molten plastic is injected. In a process step d) 704, the plastic is cooled and solidified. In a process step e) 705, the two-part negative mold is opened by separating the parts and the solidified plastic is removed from the mold. The impeller 101 of the Figure 2 receive. List of reference symbols

[0013] 100 inventive jet former 101 balance bike 102 rotation axis 103 Blade 104 Reduction gear 105 Inlet nozzle 106 nozzle opening 201 Blade bottom area 202 current divider 203 edge 301 Water flow / flow direction 302 first partial flow / first partial flow direction 303 further partial flow / further partial flow direction 400 inventive shower head 401 Housing 500 device according to the invention 501 Mixing device502 shower hose 600 shower 700 Proceedings 701 Process step a) 702 Process step b) 703 Process step c) 704 Process step d) 705 Process step e)

Claims

1. A jet former (100) for a sanitary shower head for generating a dynamic jet pattern, comprising a) an impeller wheel (101) mounted to be rotatable about an axis of rotation (102) and having a blade arrangement, b) a control device, and c) at least one movably arranged nozzle; wherein the control device is arranged and designed to convert a rotation of the axis of rotation (102) into a movement of the at least one nozzle; wherein at least one blade (103) of the blade arrangement is arranged and designed to a. divide a water flow (301) flowing towards the at least one blade (103) in an inflow direction (301) into at least a first partial flow (302) and a further partial flow (303), b. deviate the first partial flow (302) in a first partial flow direction (302), and c. deviate the further partial flow (303) in a further partial flow direction (303); wherein the inflow direction (301), the first partial flow direction (302) and the further partial flow direction (303) each differ from one another, characterized in that the jet former (100) further comprises a reduction gear which is connected to the axis of rotation (102) on the drive side in a force-transmitting manner and is connected to the control device on the output side in a force-transmitting manner.

2. The jet former (100) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one blade (103) comprises a) a blade bottom surface (201), and b) a flow divider (202), wherein the flow divider (202) is arranged and designed to divide the water flow (301) flowing towards the at least one blade (103) in the inflow direction (301) into at least the first partial flow (302) and the further partial flow (303).

3. The jet former (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one blade (103) of the blade arrangement is arranged and designed to A) deviate the first partial flow (302) by a first deflection angle in a range from 45 to 180° in the first partial flow direction (302), or B) deviate the further partial flow (303) by a further deflection angle in a range from 45 to 180° in the further partial flow direction (303), or C) both.

4. The jet former (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a cross-section of the blade bottom surface (201) in a cross-sectional plane that extends through the blade bottom surface (201) and is parallel to the axis of rotation (102) is not curved.

5. The jet former (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the jet former (100) further comprises at least one intake nozzle (105), wherein the intake nozzle (105) is arranged and designed to cause the water flow (301) to flow towards the impeller wheel (101) in the inflow direction (301).

6. A shower head (400) with a housing (401), wherein the housing (401) comprises the jet former (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The shower head (400) according to claim 6, wherein the housing (401) comprises at least one intake nozzle (105), wherein the intake nozzle (105) is arranged and designed to cause a water flow (301) to flow towards the impeller wheel (101) in the inflow direction (301) .

8. A device (500) comprising the shower head (400) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the shower head (400) is connected in a water-conducting manner to a mixing device (501) for mixing water of at least two different temperatures.

9. A shower head (600) comprising the shower head (400) according to claim 6 or 7.