VALVE CARTRIDGE FOR AT LEAST ONE SANITARY FIXTURE WITH ADJUSTABLE FUNCTION

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a valve cartridge for at least one sanitary fitting, with which the flow of a liquid through at least one liquid line of the at least one sanitary fitting can be controlled. Sanitary fittings are used, in particular, to provide a liquid to a sink, washbasin, shower, and / or bathtub as needed. A valve cartridge according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, for example, from document DE 28 41 998 A1.

[0002] Valve cartridges are typically installed in the body of a sanitary fixture or in a functional unit of a concealed installation. A valve cartridge can control the flow of fluid to one or more fluid outlets or sanitary fixtures, such as overhead showers and hand showers. Shutting off a bathtub thermostat (two fluid outlets) and shutting off a shower thermostat (either one or two simultaneously controlled fluid outlets) require different valve cartridges, such as those used in an aqua dimmer and with a (left-closing or right-closing) top section. These have different geometries for fluid supply and fluid drainage, requiring at least two different valve bodies or valve body inserts. This increases the number of components and increases costs.Further valves are described, for example, in the publications GB 1 461 381 A, US 2018 / 0059693 A1, DE 200 08 679 U1, DE 101 33 033 A1, EP 2 418 409 A1, US 2017 / 0067236 A1, CN 102537496 A and US 3,776,373 A1.

[0003] The object of the invention is therefore to at least partially solve the problems described with reference to the prior art and, in particular, to provide a valve cartridge which can be adapted for different purposes with little effort without changing the fluid supply or fluid discharge and for which, therefore, no different valve housings or valve housing inserts are required.

[0004] These objects are achieved with a valve cartridge according to the features of the independent patent claim. Further advantageous embodiments of the valve cartridge are specified in the dependent patent claims. It should be noted that the features listed individually in the dependent patent claims can be combined with one another in any technologically expedient manner and define further embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the features listed in the patent claims are further specified and explained in the description, with further preferred embodiments of the invention being presented.

[0005] A valve cartridge for at least one sanitary fitting according to claim 1 contributes to this.

[0006] The valve cartridge can be used in particular for at least one sanitary fitting or at least one concealed installation unit for at least one sanitary fitting. Sanitary fittings are used in particular for the demand-based provision of liquids, such as water, to sinks, washbasins, showers and / or bathtubs. For this purpose, cold water at a cold water temperature and hot water at a hot water temperature can be supplied to the sanitary fittings or the concealed installation units, which can be mixed by the sanitary fittings or the concealed installation units, for example by means of a mixing valve or a thermostatic mixing cartridge, to form mixed water with a desired mixed water temperature. The cold water temperature is in particular a maximum of 25°C (Celsius), preferably 1°C to 25°C, particularly preferably 5°C to 20°C and / or the hot water temperature is in particular a maximum of 90°C, preferably 25°C to 90°C, particularly preferably 55°C to 65°C.The mixed water can then be supplied, for example, via at least one fluid line to at least one sanitary fitting, such as a hand shower, overhead shower, nozzle, spout, and / or the like on a shower, bathtub, and / or sink. The proposed valve cartridge can, for example, be inserted into a fitting housing of the sanitary fitting and / or a functional unit of a concealed installation body of a sanitary fitting to control the flow of fluid through the at least one fluid line.

[0007] For this purpose, the valve cartridge has a cartridge housing and a valve spindle that can be rotated about a rotational axis relative to the cartridge housing. The cartridge housing can be made at least partially of plastic and / or metal, such as brass. The cartridge housing can also be designed like a head piece. The valve spindle is at least partially mounted in the cartridge housing and / or can be rotated about the rotational axis relative to the cartridge housing by a user using a handle on the valve cartridge. A control disc is rotationally fixed to the valve spindle and can be rotated about the rotational axis with the valve spindle on a passage disc. The passage disc has a first passage and a second passage.When the valve cartridge is assembled, the first passage can be connected to a first fluid line for a first sanitary fitting and / or the second passage can be connected to a second fluid line for a second sanitary fitting. The control disc can be used to control the fluid flow through the first passage and / or the second passage of the passage disc.

[0008] The valve cartridge further comprises a handle adapter. The handle adapter can be connected to the valve spindle in a first position and a second position. For this purpose, the valve spindle has a web which, depending on the desired position of the handle adapter, engages either in a first groove of the handle adapter or in a second groove of the handle adapter. In the first position of the handle adapter, the valve spindle is in a first rotational orientation, and in the second position of the handle adapter, it is in a second rotational orientation relative to the handle. By changing the position of the handle adapter, the valve spindle assumes a different rotational position while the angle of rotation of the handle (in relation to the cartridge housing) remains the same. Since the control disc is connected to the valve spindle in a rotationally fixed manner, the control of the fluid flow through the first passage and / or the second passage can be switched or changed.For example, it can be adjusted so that in the first position of the handle adapter, both passages can be controlled or released by the valve cartridge or the control disc of the valve cartridge, and / or in the second position of the handle adapter, only one of the two passages can be controlled or released by the valve cartridge or the control disc of the valve cartridge. By changing the position of the handle adapter, the function of the valve cartridge can be adapted as required for the respective sanitary fitting or the respective concealed insert body, without having to change the course or geometric position of the fluid supply to the valve cartridge or the fluid discharge from the valve cartridge on the sanitary fitting or the concealed insert body.

[0009] The handle adapter can be plugged onto the valve spindle in the first and second positions. For this purpose, the handle adapter can be at least partially sleeve-shaped. Furthermore, the handle adapter can be (removably) attached to the valve spindle in the first and / or second positions using a clip connection. The handle adapter can be swapped between the first and second positions.

[0010] The first position of the handle adapter and the second position of the handle adapter can be rotated by 120° around the axis of rotation.

[0011] The aperture disc can have a first sector, a second sector, and a third sector, each offset by 120° from one another around the rotation axis, with the first aperture located in the second sector and the second aperture located in the third sector. The sectors can be configured as (equal-sized) circular sectors and / or each have a center angle of 120°. The sectors can thus each be pie-shaped.

[0012] The control disc can have an opening for releasing the first passage or the second passage. The opening can, for example, be designed in the manner of a bore through the control disc or a recess. The opening has, in particular, a size that corresponds at most to the size of one of the sectors of the passage disc. The control disc releases the first passage and / or second passage when the opening of the control disc at least partially overlaps the first passage and / or the second passage. This allows the liquid to flow from an inlet chamber of the valve cartridge through the opening and the first passage and / or through the opening and the second passage, for example to a first sanitary fitting and / or second sanitary fitting.

[0013] In the first position of the handle adapter, the first passage and the second passage can be closed by the control disc when the handle is in a closed position. The closed position of the handle is, in particular, a 0° position and / or a 12 o'clock position of the handle (relative to the cartridge housing).

[0014] By rotating the handle about the rotation axis, the first passage or the second passage through the control disc can be opened. In particular, by rotating the handle by 120° about the rotation axis, the first passage or the second passage through the control disc can be opened, in particular completely. For example, by rotating the handle counterclockwise from the closed position, the first passage can be at least partially opened and / or by rotating the handle clockwise from the closed position, the second passage can be at least partially opened. Furthermore, the valve cartridge can have a stop element, for example in the manner of a stop ring, by which a rotation angle of the handle can be limited to 120°. The stop element can be designed such that the handle can only be rotated counterclockwise or only clockwise, in particular by 120°, from the closed position.Alternatively, the valve cartridge can have a stop element that limits the angle of rotation of the handle to 240°. The stop element can be designed such that the handle can be rotated 120° counterclockwise and 120° clockwise from the closed position.

[0015] In the second position of the handle adapter, the first passage or the second passage can be opened by the control disc when the handle is in the closed position. To prevent fluid from flowing through the opened passage when the handle is in the closed position, the opened passage or a fluid line downstream of the opened passage can be sealed in a liquid-tight manner with a closing element, such as a plug, so that no fluid can flow through the passage opened when the handle is in the closed position.

[0016] The passage released by the control disc in the closed position of the handle can be closed by a locking element.

[0017] The invention and the technical environment are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the figures show a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, but are not limited thereto. Identical components in the figures are provided with the same reference numerals. They show, by way of example and schematically: Fig. 1: a valve cartridge in a side view; Fig. 2: a detailed view of the valve cartridge in a perspective view; Fig. 3: a passage disc of the valve cartridge in a perspective view; Fig. 4: the valve cartridge with mounted handle in a longitudinal section; Fig. 5: a handle adapter of the valve cartridge in a perspective view; Fig. 6: the valve cartridge with mounted handle in a front view; Fig. 7: a control disc of a first variant of the valve cartridge in a closed position; Fig. 8: the control disc of the first variant of the valve cartridge in a first release position; Fig. 9: a control disc of a second variant of the valve cartridge in a second release position; Fig. 10: a control disc of a third variant of the valve cartridge in a third release position; Fig. 11: a control disc of a fourth variant of the valve cartridge in a closed position; Fig.Fig. 12: the control disc of the fourth variant of the valve cartridge in a release position; Fig. 13: a first variant of a closing element; Fig. 14: a second variant of a closing element; and Fig. 15: a third variant of a closing element.

[0018] The Fig. 1 shows a valve cartridge 1 in a side view. The valve cartridge 1 has a cartridge housing 2 in the manner of a headpiece. The cartridge housing 2 can be screwed, for example, into the housing of a sanitary fitting. A valve spindle 3 extends through the cartridge housing 2 and is mounted in the cartridge housing 2 for rotation about a rotation axis 4. The rotation axis 4 here runs concentrically to a longitudinal axis 19 of the valve spindle 3. A base piece 20 is attached to a longitudinal end of the valve spindle 3.

[0019] The base piece 20 has first pins 21 on its underside, with which the base piece is held in a rotationally fixed manner, for example, to the housing of the sanitary fitting after the valve cartridge 1 has been installed. At the same time, the base piece 20 is rotatably attached to the valve spindle 3, so that the valve spindle 3 can be rotated relative to the base piece 20 after the valve cartridge 1 has been installed. A passage disc 6 is mounted on the base piece 20 and is held in a rotationally fixed manner relative to the base piece 20 by second pins 22 on the top side of the base piece 20.

[0020] A control disc 9 is arranged on the orifice disc 6 and is pressed onto the orifice disc 6 by a spring element 23. This creates a sealing plane 24 between the control disc 9 and the orifice disc 6. The control disc 9, the orifice disc 6, and the base piece 20 together form a disc assembly. Spindle arms 25 of the valve spindle 3 engage in the control disc 9, so that the control disc 9 can be rotated on the orifice disc 6 by rotating the valve spindle 3 about the rotation axis 4. The control disc 9 is thus rotatable relative to the orifice disc 6. By rotating the control disc 9, passages 7, 8 (not visible here) in the control disc 9 can be opened. When the valve cartridge 1 is assembled, a liquid can flow laterally into an inlet chamber 26. The inlet chamber 26 is formed between the cartridge housing 2 and the control disc 9.If at least one of the passages 7, 8 formed in the passage disc 6 is opened by the control disc 9, the liquid can flow through the respective passages 7, 8 parallel to the longitudinal axis 19 in the direction of a valve seat 27 formed on an underside of the base piece 20.

[0021] The Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of the valve cartridge 1 in a perspective view in the area of ​​the orifice plate 6. The control plate 9, which is rotatably arranged on the orifice plate 6, is shown transparently here. The base piece 20 and the orifice plate 6 are circular. The control plate 9 is also circular, and has an opening 15 in the form of a ring-segment-shaped recess. The opening 15 is rotated here into a first sector 12 of the orifice plate 6, in which no passage 7, 8 is formed. The first passage 7 formed in a second sector 13 of the orifice plate 6 and the second passage 8 formed in a third sector 14 are covered here by the control plate 9, so that no liquid can escape from the Fig. 1 shown inlet chamber 26 through the passages 7, 8. The valve cartridge 1 is thus closed in the rotational position of the control disc 9 shown here.

[0022] The Fig. 3 shows the aperture disc 6 in a perspective view. The aperture disc has a spindle opening 28 in its center, through which the spindle extends when the aperture disc 6 is mounted. Furthermore, the aperture disc 6 has two receptacles 30 on its upper side 29, into which the Fig. 1 shown spindle arms 25 engage. The upper side 29 of the passage disc 6 is divided into a first sector 12, a second sector 13 and a third sector 14 (shown with dashed lines). The sectors 12, 13, 14 are designed like (equal-sized) circular sectors and / or each have a central angle 31 of 120°. The first passage 7 is located in the second sector 13 and the second passage 8 in the third sector 14. The passages 7, 8 are each arc-shaped and extend parallel to the axis of rotation 4 completely through the passage disc 6. Furthermore, the passages 7, 8 have a noise-reducing geometry in the form of a sawtooth profile at their inflow edges. The passage disc 6 is also mirror-symmetrical.

[0023] The Fig. 4 shows the valve cartridge 1 with mounted handle 5 in a longitudinal section. The valve cartridge 1 is mounted here on a carrier plate 32. A handle adapter 10 is plugged onto the valve spindle 3, via which the handle 5 is connected to the spindle 3 in a rotationally fixed manner. The valve cartridge 1 can thus be actuated by a user by turning the handle 5 about the rotation axis 4. The handle 5 is here in a closed position 16, in which the valve cartridge 1 is closed. In the closed position 16, a radially outwardly extending handle element 33 is in a 0° position or 12 o'clock position. Furthermore, the valve cartridge comprises a stop element 17 in the manner of a stop ring, by which an angle of rotation of the handle 5, the spindle 3 and the control disk 9 is limited.

[0024] The Fig. 5 shows the handle adapter 10 in a perspective view. The handle adapter 10 has a sleeve-shaped section 34 along the axis of rotation 4, with which the handle adapter 10 can be attached to the valve spindle 3 in a rotationally fixed manner. Furthermore, the handle adapter 10 can be latched to the valve spindle 3. At one longitudinal end, the handle adapter has a flange section 35 which extends from the sleeve-shaped section 34 in a radial direction 36 (perpendicular to the axis of rotation 4). The flange section 35 can have a toothing 38 on its circumferential surface 37, via which the handle adapter 10 can be connected to the handle 5 in a rotationally fixed manner. The handle adapter 10 has a first groove 40 and a second groove 41 on an inner diameter 39. The first groove 40 and the second groove 41 extend in the inner diameter 39 parallel to the axis of rotation 4. Furthermore, the first groove 40 and the second groove 41 are arranged offset from one another by 120° around the axis of rotation 4.The first groove 40 is located at a 6 o'clock position and the second groove 41 is located at a 2 o'clock position.

[0025] The Fig. 6 shows the valve cartridge 1 of the Fig. 4 in a front view. The handle adapter 10 is here in a first position 11 plugged onto the valve spindle 3. In the first position 11, a web 42 of the valve spindle 3, which runs parallel to the axis of rotation 4 (which here runs perpendicular to the plane of the drawing), engages in the first groove 40 of the handle adapter 10. This establishes a first rotational orientation of the valve spindle 3 relative to the handle 5. The web 42 is formed on an outer surface 43 of the valve spindle 3. The handle adapter 10 can be connected to the valve spindle 3 in a second position. For this purpose, the handle adapter 10 is detached from the valve spindle 3 and plugged onto the valve spindle 3 in such a way that the web 42 engages in the second groove 41 instead of the first groove 40. For this purpose, the valve spindle 3 must be rotated 120° relative to the handle adapter 10. The valve spindle 3 is then in a second rotational orientation to the handle 5.Compared to the first position 11, in the second position of the handle adapter 10 the valve spindle 3 is rotated by 120° relative to the handle adapter 10 and to the handle 5 around the rotation axis 4.

[0026] The Fig. 7 bis 12 show different positions of the control disc 9 in relation to the passage disc 6 depending on the positions of the handle adapter 10 and the angle of rotation of the handle 5. The passage disc 6 and the control disc 9 are each shown in a top view. Fig. 7 und 8 show the passage disc 6 and the control disc 9 in a first configuration of the valve cartridge 1, in which the handle adapter 10 is in the first position 11 (cf. Fig. 6 ) is attached to the valve spindle 3. In the Fig. 7 the handle 5 is in the closed position 16, which can be a 0° position and / or 12 o'clock position. The opening 15 of the control disc 9 is rotated into the first sector 12 of the passage disc 6, in which there is no passage 7, 8. The valve cartridge 1 is thus closed. Fig. 8 shows a position of the control disc 9 after the control disc 9 has been rotated 120° counterclockwise with the handle 5 and the valve spindle 3. The opening 15 of the control disc 9 is now located in the second sector 13 of the passage disc 6, so that the first passage 7 is released. A liquid can thus flow out through the passage 7. In the first configuration of the valve cartridge 1, the valve cartridge 1 has the Fig. 13 shown stop element 17, by which a rotation angle 18 of the handle 5 is limited to 120°. For this purpose, the stop element 17 has a first stop 44 and a second stop 45 for the handle 5. The control disc 9 is thereby Fig. 7 shown closed position only by 120° counterclockwise to the position shown in the Fig. 8 shown release position of the first passage 7. In the first configuration, the valve cartridge 1 is therefore designed like a (right-closing) upper part, with which the fluid flow of only one sanitary fitting can be controlled.

[0027] The Fig. 9 shows a second configuration of the valve cartridge 1, which differs from the first configuration only by the Fig. 14 shown stop element 17. The stop element shown in the Fig. 14 The stop element 17 shown limits the angle of rotation 18 of the handle 5 to 240°. In the second configuration, the control disc 9 is not only in the Fig. 7 shown closed position and in the Fig. 8 shown release position of the first passage 7, but also from the position shown in the Fig. 7 shown closed position clockwise by 120° to the position shown in the Fig. 9 shown release position of the second passage 8. In this position, the opening 15 of the control disc 8 is located in the region of the third sector 14 of the passage disc 6, in which the second passage 8 is located. This allows the liquid to flow out via the second passage 8. In the second configuration, the valve cartridge 1 is therefore designed in the manner of an aqua dimmer, with which the liquid flow of two sanitary fittings can be controlled.

[0028] The Fig. 10 shows a third configuration of the valve cartridge 1, which differs from the first and second configurations only by the Fig. 15 shown stop element 17. The stop element shown in the Fig. 15 The stop element 17 shown limits the angle of rotation 18 of the handle 5 to 360°. For this purpose, the stop element 17 has Fig. 15 shown embodiment has only a first stop 44 for the handle 5, which is designed here in the manner of a drag stop. As a result, the control disc 9 is Fig. 7 shown closed position not only in the position shown Fig. 8 und 9 shown positions, but also in the positions shown in the Fig. 10 shown position. Here, the control disc 9 was removed from the position shown in the Fig. 7 shown position (closed position 16 of the handle 5) is rotated by 180° clockwise or counterclockwise, so that the opening 15 of the control disc 9 is partially located in the second sector 13 and the third sector 14 of the passage disc 6. As a result, both the first passage 7 and the second passage 8 can be at least partially opened (simultaneously). In the third configuration, the valve cartridge 1 is therefore also designed in the manner of an aqua dimmer, with which the fluid flow of two sanitary fittings can be controlled, whereby here the fluid flow for both sanitary fittings can be activated simultaneously.

[0029] The Fig. 11 shows a fourth configuration of the valve cartridge 1, which differs from the first configuration only in that the handle adapter 10 is attached to the valve spindle 3 in the second position. Fig. 11 the handle 5 is in the closed position 16, which can be the 0° position and / or the 12 o'clock position. Since the handle adapter 10 is fastened to the valve spindle 3 in the second position, the opening 15 of the control disc 9 is located in the closed position 16 of the handle 5 in the area of ​​the second sector 13 of the passage disc 6, so that the first passage 7 is released. In order to prevent the liquid from flowing through the first passage 7 in the closed position 16 of the handle 5, the first passage 7 and / or a liquid channel adjoining the first passage 7 is closed in a liquid-tight manner by a closing element, for example in the manner of a plug. In the fourth configuration of the valve cartridge 1, this has the Fig. 13 shown stop element 17, which limits the angle of rotation of the handle 5 to 120°. The Fig. 12 shows the control disc 9 after it has been rotated 120° counterclockwise by the handle 5 and the valve spindle 3. This positions the opening 15 of the control disc 9 in the third sector 14 of the passage disc 6, thus opening the second passage 8. This allows the fluid to flow through the second passage. In the fourth configuration, the valve cartridge 1 is also designed like a (right-closing) upper part, with which the fluid can be controlled plus only one sanitary fitting.

[0030] The present invention allows differently configured valve cartridges to be used with the same valve housings or the same housing inserts. Bezugszeichenliste

[0031] 1Valve cartridge 2Cartridge housing 3Valve spindle 4Rotation axis 5Handle 6Passage disc 7First passage 8Second passage 9Control disc 10Handle adapter 11First position 12First sector 13Second sector 14Third sector 15Opening 16Closed position 17Stop element 18Angle of rotation 19Longitudinal axis 20Base piece 21First pin 22Second pin 23Spring element 24Sealing plane 25Spindle arm 26Inlet chamber 27Valve seat 28Spindle opening 29Top side 30Receptacle 31Center angle 32Carrier plate 33Handle element 34Sleeve-shaped section 35Flange section 36Radial direction 37Circumferential surface 38Toothing 39Inner diameter 40First groove 41second groove 42web 43outer surface 44first stop 45second stop

Claims

1. A valve cartridge (1) for at least one plumbing fitting, comprising at least: - a cartridge housing (2), - a valve stem (3) which is rotatable relative to the cartridge housing (2) about an axis of rotation (4,) - a handle (5) for rotating the valve stem (3), - a passage disk (6) with a first passage (7) and a second passage (8), - a control disk (9) which is rotatable with the valve stem (3) for controlling a liquid flow through the first passage (7) or the second passage (8) of the passage disk (6), characterized by - a handle adapter (10) connectable to the valve stem (3) for setting a first rotational orientation of the valve stem (3) with respect to the handle (5) in a first position (11) and connectable to the valve stem (3) for setting a second rotational orientation of the valve stem (3) with respect to the handle (5) in a second position so that the control of the liquid flow through the first passage (7) or the second passage (8) can be changed by means of the control disk (9), wherein the handle adapter (10) and the handle (5) are separate components, wherein the handle adapter (10) can be fitted to the valve stem (3) in the first position (11) and the second position, wherein the handle adapter (10) can be releasably attached to the valve stem (3) in the first position (11) and / or the second position by means of a clip connection.

2. The valve cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first position (11) of the handle adapter (10) and the second position of the handle adapter are rotated by 120° relative to each other about the axis of rotation (4).

3. The valve cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the passage disk (6) has a first sector (12), a second sector (13), and a third sector (14), which are arranged offset to one another in each case by 120° about an axis of rotation (4), wherein the first passage (7) is arranged in the second sector (13) and the second passage (8) is arranged in the third sector (14).

4. The valve cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control disk (9) has an opening (15) for releasing the first passage (7) or the second passage (8).

5. The valve cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in the first position (11) of the handle adapter (10), the first passage (7) and the second passage (8) are closed by the control disk (9) in a closed position (16) of the handle (5).

6. The valve cartridge (1) according to claim 5, wherein the first passage (7) or the second passage (8) is released by the control disk (9) by a rotation of the handle (5) about the axis of rotation (4).

7. The valve cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in the second position of the handle adapter (10), the first passage (7) or the second passage (8) is released by the control disk (9) in a closed position (16) of the handle (5).

8. The valve cartridge (1) according to claim 7, wherein the passage (7, 8) released by the control disk (9) in the closed position (16) of the handle (5) is closed by a closing element.

9. The valve cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a stop element (17) that limits an angle of rotation (18) of the handle (5) about the axis of rotation (4) to 120°, 240°, or >240° to 360°.