Sanitary fitting with a translucent coating

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a sanitary fitting for the on-demand provision of a liquid. Such sanitary fittings are used in particular in connection with sinks, washbasins, showers, and / or bathtubs.

[0002] Sanitary fittings with sensors, such as infrared sensors or radar sensors, are known, for example from WO 2009 / 024219 A1, US 2015 / 0308084 A1 and US 2017 / 0328048 A1, which are used to control the sanitary fittings. For example, such sensors can automatically activate a water flow when a user places their hands under the sanitary fitting. For this purpose, the sensors must be arranged visibly on the sanitary fittings, since the sensors are based on optical or electromagnetic detection methods. Sanitary fittings often have a chromium layer on their surface that dampens or shields optical or electromagnetic radiation from the sensors. Furthermore, sanitary fittings with radio interfaces are known, where the chromium layer results in a short range of the radio radiation. Therefore, areas on an outer surface of the fitting housing in which the sensors are arranged cannot often be coated with chromium.This leads to a visually unfavourable and / or inconsistent appearance of the sanitary fittings.

[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 sanitary fitting which has a high-quality visual appearance.

[0004] This object is achieved with a device according to the features of the independent patent claim. Further advantageous embodiments of the sanitary fitting are specified in the dependent patent claims. Furthermore, the features specified in the patent claims are further specified and explained in the description, with further preferred embodiments of the invention being presented.

[0005] A sanitary fitting with at least the following components contributes to this: a fitting housing having an outer surface; a radiation transmitter or radiation receiver which is at least partially arranged in the fitting housing; and a housing part which at least partially covers the radiation transmitter or radiation receiver on the outer surface of the fitting housing and has an at least partially translucent coating; wherein the translucent coating has a layer thickness of 0.1 to 0.2 µm and is mirrored.

[0006] Sanitary fittings are used in particular for the demand-based provision of liquids, such as water, to sinks, wash basins, 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, which can be mixed by the sanitary fittings, 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 fed, for example via a liquid line and / or an outlet, to an outlet opening of the sanitary fitting, through which the mixed water exits the sanitary fitting.

[0007] The sanitary fitting has a fitting housing with an outer surface. The fitting housing is in particular the part of the sanitary fitting with which the sanitary fitting can be fastened to a support, for example a worktop. The fitting housing can be made at least partially from plastic and / or metal, for example brass. In particular, the fitting housing can be cast at least partially from plastic and / or metal. The outer surface of the fitting housing can have a chrome coating to give the sanitary fitting an attractive visual appearance. The thickness of the chrome coating is at least 0.2 µm (micrometers), preferably 0.2 µm to 0.4 µm. Such a layer thickness is necessary for the chrome coating to be highly resistant and durable.

[0008] The sanitary fitting further comprises a radiation transmitter or radiation receiver. In particular, the sanitary fitting can have a radiation transmitter and radiation receiver. The radiation transmitter is used to transmit radiation and the radiation receiver is used to receive radiation. The radiation can in particular be electrical, magnetic and / or electromagnetic radiation, for example infrared rays, radio waves and / or light. By means of the radiation transmitter and / or the radiation receiver, for example, a function of the sanitary fitting can be controlled and / or monitored. For this purpose, the radiation transmitter and / or the radiation receiver can be connected to a control system of the sanitary fitting. The control system can comprise, for example, a microprocessor and / or a power source. The radiation transmitter / or radiation receiver are arranged at least partially in the fitting housing.For this purpose, the outer surface of the valve body can, for example, have an opening.

[0009] The sanitary fitting further comprises a housing part with which the radiation transmitter and / or the radiation receiver are at least partially covered on the outer surface of the fitting housing. The housing part can be formed integrally or materially with the rest of the fitting housing. In this case, the housing part is in particular a (delimitable) region of the fitting housing or the outer surface of the fitting housing. Furthermore, the housing part can also represent a separate component, so that the fitting housing is formed in at least two parts. In particular, the opening in the outer surface of the fitting housing for the radiation transmitter and / or radiation receiver can be closed or covered by the housing part. The housing part is preferably flush with the adjacent outer surface of the fitting housing. This can mean that there is no gap between the housing part and the fitting housing on the outer surface.Furthermore, the housing part can be plate-shaped and / or cover-shaped.

[0010] The housing part has an at least partially or even (almost) completely translucent coating, in particular such that attenuation of the radiation transmitted by the radiation transmitter and / or the radiation received by the radiation receiver upon penetrating the housing part is (significantly) reduced or even (practically) avoided compared to conventional housing materials. This can increase the range of the radiation transmitted by the radiation transmitter and / or improve reception by the radiation receiver. The translucent coating can in particular be a chromium-like coating. The translucent coating can comprise a clear coat and a PVD metallization.

[0011] Furthermore, the translucent coating has a particularly thin layer, specifically less than 2.0 µm (micrometers). The housing component with the translucent coating ensures a high-quality visual appearance of the sanitary fitting while simultaneously ensuring minimal attenuation of the transmitted and / or received radiation through the fitting housing.

[0012] The optical appearance of the translucent coating may (substantially) correspond to the optical appearance of the exterior surface of the valve body. In other words, this may mean that the translucent coating of the housing part may appear optically identical to the adjacent exterior surface of the valve body. The optical appearance includes, in particular, a color, gloss, and / or surface texture.

[0013] The translucent coating has a layer thickness of 0.1 to 0.2 µm.

[0014] The translucent coating can be produced using a PVD process. The PVD process is, in particular, a coating process using physical vapor deposition.

[0015] According to embodiments, the PVD coating is not applied directly to a surface of the housing part, but rather to a base coat, which can serve as an adhesion promoter / leveler. According to further embodiments, alternatively or in addition to the base coat, at least one further coating ("top coat") can be applied to the PVD coating under the PVD coating to increase abrasion resistance and corrosion protection. Reference herein to the translucent coating can, according to embodiments, mean a multi-layer system (housing part surface / substrate) coating / PVD layer / coating, a multi-layer system (housing part surface / substrate) coating / PVD layer, a multi-layer system (housing part surface / substrate) PVD layer / coating, the PVD layer alone, or one of the other configurations of the translucent coating described herein.The provision of one or more lacquer layers is an optional feature that serves to improve the properties of the translucent layer.

[0016] The layer produced using the PVD process (which can be located, for example, between the paint layers) can comprise a ceramic hard material layer, e.g., comprising a compound of a metal (e.g., zirconium or titanium) with the components of the reagent gases present in the PVD process (e.g., ZrCN / TiO2 / ZrN...). The metallic appearance of a PVD coating formed in this way can be adjusted using the reactive gases. In this way, in addition to a chrome-like appearance, other metallic colors (gold / copper colors) can be created.

[0017] The translucent coating can be applied to an at least partially or completely translucent substrate. The substrate is, in particular, an outer surface of the housing part. The substrate can, for example, consist at least partially of (transparent) plastic and / or glass.

[0018] The housing part can be at least partially inserted into an opening in the outer surface of the valve body. As a result, the opening in the outer surface of the valve body is, in particular, closed by the housing part.

[0019] The housing part can be formed integrally with the valve body. This can mean that the housing part and the valve body are made of the same material and / or are integrally bonded.

[0020] The radiation transmitter or receiver can be a sensor. In particular, the radiation transmitter and / or the radiation receiver can be a sensor. For example, the sensor can be used to detect a user in a washing area of ​​the sanitary fitting, so that the flow of liquid from the sanitary fitting can be automatically activated and / or deactivated.

[0021] The radiation transmitter or radiation receiver may be a light module. In particular, the radiation transmitter and / or the radiation receiver may be a light module. The light module may, in particular, be an infrared module.

[0022] The radiation transmitter or receiver can be a radio module. In particular, the radiation transmitter and / or receiver can be a radio module. The radio module can, for example, be designed like a WLAN or Bluetooth module and can be used to transmit and / or receive data. The data can, in particular, be operating data and / or control data of the sanitary fitting.

[0023] 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 sanitary fitting in a perspective view; and Fig. 2: a housing part of the sanitary fitting in a sectional view.

[0024] The Fig. 1shows a sanitary fitting 1 in a perspective view. The sanitary fitting 1 comprises a fitting housing 2, in which a mixing valve (not visible here) is arranged for mixing cold water and hot water to form mixed water. The cold water can be supplied to the mixing valve via a cold water pipe 10 and the hot water to the mixing valve via a hot water pipe 11. A lever 12 for setting a desired mixed water temperature and a button 13 for operating the mixing valve are arranged on the fitting housing 2. After the mixing valve is opened, the mixed water can flow from the mixing valve via an outlet 14 of the fitting housing 2 out of an outlet opening 15. The sanitary fitting 1 also comprises a radiation transmitter 4 and a radiation receiver 5. The radiation transmitter 4 and the radiation receiver 5 are arranged in the fitting housing 2 and covered by a housing part 6.The housing part 6 closes an opening 9 in an outer surface 3 of the fitting housing 2. The radiation transmitter 4 and the radiation receiver 5 are arranged in the opening 9. Furthermore, the housing part 6 is flush and gap-free with the outer surface 3 of the fitting housing 2. In addition, the housing part 6 has a translucent coating 7. The optical appearance of the translucent coating 7 corresponds to the optical appearance of the adjacent outer surface 3 of the fitting housing 2, so that the housing part 6 is not visible on the outer surface 3 of the fitting housing 2. The housing part 6 is therefore shown in dashed lines. Furthermore, the translucent coating 7 has a chrome-like or mirror-like finish, so that the radiation transmitter 4 and radiation receiver 5 located behind it are not visible from the outside through the housing part 6.By means of the radiation transmitter 4, radiation 16 can be transmitted through the housing part 6 and the translucent coating 7. Accordingly, the radiation receiver 5 can receive radiation through the housing part 6 and the translucent coating 7. The attenuation of the transmitted and / or received radiation 16 is reduced by the translucent coating 7 compared to the other areas of the fitting housing 2.

[0025] The Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the housing part 6 of the Fig. 1 A cross-section of the sanitary fitting 1 shown. The housing part 6 is flat and designed like a lid. The translucent coating 7 is applied to a substrate 8 of the housing part 6 with a layer thickness of 17. List of reference symbols

[0026] 1Sanitary fitting 2Fitting body 3Outer surface 4Radiation transmitter 5Radiation receiver 6Housing part 7Translucent coating 8Substrate 9Opening 10Cold water pipe 11Hot water pipe 12Lever 13Button 14Outlet 15Outlet opening 16Radiation 17Layer thickness

Claims

1. A sanitary fitting (1), at least comprising: - a fitting housing (2) having an outer surface (3); - a radiation transmitter (4) or radiation receiver (5) which is at least partially arranged in the fitting housing (2); and - a housing part (6) which at least partially covers the radiation transmitter (4) or radiation receiver (5) on the outer surface (3) of the fitting housing (2) and has an at least partially translucent coating (7), characterized in that the translucent coating (7) has a layer thickness of 0.1 to 0.2 µm and is of mirrored design.

2. The sanitary fitting (1) according to claim 1, wherein a visual appearance of the translucent coating (7) corresponds to a visual appearance of the outer surface (3) of the housing fitting (2).

3. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the translucent coating (7) is produced by a PVD process.

4. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the translucent coating (7) has a varnish which is located directly on a surface of the housing part (6).

5. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the translucent coating has a transparent varnish which forms an outermost layer of the translucent coating (7).

6. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the translucent coating (7) is applied onto an at least partially translucent substrate (8).

7. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing part (6) is at least partially inserted into an opening (9) of the outer surface (3) of the housing fitting (2).

8. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the housing part (6) is formed integrally with the fitting housing (2).

9. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiation transmitter (4) or radiation receiver (5) is a sensor.

10. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the radiation transmitter (4) or radiation receiver (5) is a light module.

11. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the radiation transmitter (4) or radiation receiver (5) is a radio module.

12. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, insofar as related to claims 3, 4 and 5, wherein the translucent layer (7), starting from a surface of the housing part (6), has the layer sequence varnish, PVD layer, varnish.