WASH NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an ablutionary nozzle assembly for use in ablutionary fitting such as a shower system, a tap, a faucet or the like or any combination of such devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ablutionary nozzle assembly able to deflect a jet of water. The present invention also relates to ablutionary fittings comprising the ablutionary nozzle assembly and methods performed by the ablutionary nozzle assembly.Background of the Invention

[0002] In order to provide an improved user experience it is desirable to provide an ablutionary fitting which allows the deflection of water jets produced to be varied, either per use or over time within the duration of a shower experience. The controllable deflection of the water jets may allow variations between users to be accommodated or provide for different shower experiences such as invigorating sports warm down showers or gentle morning waking-up showers. CN 214 399 925 U, CN 105 665 163 A and WO 2019 / 221043 A1 disclose ablutionary devices according to the prior art.Summary of the Invention

[0003] A first aspect provides an ablutionary nozzle assembly for use in an ablutionary fitting, the nozzle assembly comprising one or more nozzles and one or more pairs of electrodes. The nozzles and pairs of electrodes are arranged such that, in use, an electric potential difference applied across the one or more pairs of electrodes controls the deflection of water jets passing through each of the one or more nozzles.

[0004] Due to the unequal distribution of charge across a water molecule, a stream or jet of water passing through an electric field is deflected. A water jet is deflected towards the positive terminal or anode. The present invention makes use of this effect to control the deflection of water jets in an ablutionary setting.

[0005] An ablutionary nozzle assembly wherein the deflection of water is controlled electrostatically by the electric potential difference applied across a pair of electrodes requires no moving parts. The maintenance costs and potential for failure of the assembly is therefore reduced compared to an assembly where the deflection of the water jet is controlled by moving parts.

[0006] It may be that the axis (a) extending between the electrodes of a pair of electrodes is perpendicular to the axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the one or more nozzles and located an equal distance from each of the apertures of each of the one or more nozzles.

[0007] It will be appreciated that this orientation of electrodes with respect to the one or more nozzles provides the greatest degree of deflection per electrode pair. It will be appreciated that the one or more nozzles may be oriented such that the direction of water flow through the nozzles is substantially the same for all the nozzles in the assembly. Where the ablutionary nozzle assembly comprises just one nozzle it will be appreciated that axis (b) is located in and passes through the centre of the aperture of this nozzle.

[0008] The ablutionary nozzle assembly may comprise a single pair of electrodes. Alternatively, the ablutionary nozzle assembly may comprise two or more pairs of electrodes, for example three or more pairs of electrodes, four or more pairs of electrodes or five or more pairs of electrodes. Additional pairs of electrodes provide additional vectors, referred to herein as deflection vectors, along which the water jet may be deflected. The ablutionary nozzle assembly may comprise from two to ten pairs of electrodes, for example from two to eight pairs of electrodes, from two to six pairs of electrodes, from two to four pairs of electrodes or from four to eight pairs of electrodes. It will be appreciated that the additional deflection vectors contributed by each additional pair of electrodes reduces for each additional pair of electrodes.

[0009] It may be that the axis (a) extending between the electrodes of a pair of electrodes is rotationally offset by from 5 to 90 degrees around the axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the one or more nozzles and located an equal distance from each of the apertures of each of the one or more nozzles from the axes (a) extending between the electrodes of other pair of electrodes in the nozzle assembly. It will be appreciated that a degree of separation between the axes (a) of the electrode pairs improves the efficiency and degrees of accuracy of the assembly when deflecting the water jet.

[0010] It may be that the nozzle is positioned such that the axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the one or more nozzles and located an equal distance from each of the apertures of each of the one or more nozzles intersects with the axis (a) extending between the electrodes of each pair of electrodes. It will be appreciated that this positioning, such that the water jet produced by the nozzle passes between the electrodes of each pair of electrodes, improves the efficiency of the assembly when deflecting the water jet.

[0011] It may be that the aperture of each of the one or more nozzles has a diameter of from 0.1 mm to 30 mm, such as from 0.2 mm to 20 mm, or 0.3 mm to 10 mm. It will be appreciated that nozzle apertures having these dimensions are most suitable for ablutionary applications, allowing sufficient water to pass through the aperture at sufficient pressure for washing and personal hygiene.

[0012] It may be that the electrodes are positioned at the outlet of the one or more nozzles or downstream of the one or more nozzles such that the water jet exiting each nozzle passes between the two electrodes of each pair. It will be appreciated that positioning the electrode pairs in this position improves the efficiency of the assembly when deflecting the water jet. It may be that the electrodes and nozzle are mounted on a support, optionally in the above configuration. The support may be, for example, the casing of an ablutionary fitting.

[0013] It may be that the ablutionary nozzle assembly comprises a single nozzle. It will be appreciated that a single nozzle in the assembly allows more control over an individual jet and therefore collections of such assemblies, for example in an ablutionary fitting, can create more intricate patterns than when multiple nozzles are present in the assemblies. Alternatively, it may be that the ablutionary nozzle assembly comprises two or more nozzles, such as three or more, or four or more. The nozzle assembly may comprise from two to eight nozzles, such as from two to seven nozzles, from two to four nozzles, or from three to six nozzles. Axis (b), extending in the direction of water flow through the one or more nozzles, is located an equal distance from each of the apertures of each of the one or more nozzles. It will be appreciated that two or more nozzle in the assemblies is more efficient as several water jets can be controlled by a single assembly.

[0014] It may be that the electrodes are physically separated from the one or more water jets formed when the ablutionary nozzle assembly is in use. Preventing contact between the water jet and the electrodes prevents corrosion of the electrodes, extends the lifespan of the nozzle assembly, reduces maintenance costs and the potential for failure of the assembly. Physical separation may be achieved by placing the electrodes such that the support on which they are mounted, such as the casing of an ablutionary fitting, is between the electrode and the water jet when the ablutionary nozzle assembly is in use.

[0015] A second aspect provides an ablutionary fitting comprising one or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies according to the first aspect.

[0016] It may be that the ablutionary fitting is a shower head, a tap or a faucet. It will be appreciated that the ablutionary fitting is suitable for applications that involve directing water towards a user.

[0017] It may be that the ablutionary fitting comprises two or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies according to the first aspect, such as three or more, four or more, five or more, ten or more, twenty or more or one hundred or more. It will be appreciated that combining two or more assemblies allows the ablutionary fitting to provide complex spray patterns that vary with time, with user or with both.

[0018] By spray pattern we mean the spatial geometry of the water spray created by the dispersion device. Wherein the dispersion device is the ablutionary nozzle assembly or the ablutionary fitting of the present invention. The pattern of the water spray may, for example, be varied between a narrow-focussed jet and a wide diverging water spray.

[0019] It may be that the electrode pairs are in electrical communication with a controller, said controller configured to alter the electric potential difference applied across each pair of electrodes in accordance with a programmed pattern stored locally or remotely. It will be appreciated that this would allow a user to select preloaded spray patterns or upload spray patterns that would run whilst using the ablutionary fitting.

[0020] In a third aspect there is provided a method of directing water flow through an ablutionary nozzle assembly, wherein the ablutionary nozzle assembly is that of the first aspect, the method comprising a first step of applying a first electrostatic difference across a first pair of electrodes to deflect the one or more water jets by a first deflection amount, and a second step of applying a second electrostatic difference across the first pair of electrodes to deflect the one or more water jets by a second deflection amount.

[0021] It will be appreciated that this method can create spray patterns using the ablutionary nozzle assembly to enhance the user experience.

[0022] It may be that the ablutionary nozzle assembly comprises two or more pairs of electrodes, and that the method further comprises in the first step applying a third electric potential difference across a second pair of electrodes such that the combination of the first and second electric potential differences deflect the one or more water jets by a first deflection amount, and in the second step applying a fourth electric potential difference across the second pair of electrodes such that the combination of the first and second electric potential differences deflect the one or more water jets by a second deflection amount. It will be appreciated that additional pairs of electrodes in the nozzle assembly allow a greater accuracy of deflection for the one or more water jets, and the method can therefore create more intricate spray patterns to further enhance the user experience.

[0023] It may be that the method comprises a third step of applying additional electric potential differences across the first pair of electrodes and the second pair of electrodes if present, to deflect the one or more water jets by a third deflection amount. It will be appreciated that additional steps would allow more intricate spray patterns to be created, further enhancing the user experience.

[0024] In a fourth aspect there is provided a method of directing water flow through an ablutionary fitting, wherein the ablutionary fitting is that of the second aspect, having a one or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies, wherein the method of the third aspect is applied to each of the one or more nozzle assemblies in order to create a spray pattern that changes during use of the ablutionary fitting.

[0025] It may be that the first and second, and third if present, deflection amounts are individually the same for each of the one or more nozzle assemblies, or different for each of the nozzle assemblies, such that various spray patterns can be created. Spray pattern may therefore be varied over time to create different user experiences.

[0026] In a fifth aspect there is provided a method of adjusting the direction of water flow through the ablutionary nozzle assembly of the first aspect, wherein the electric potential difference across the one or more electrode pairs is determined in response to a user input before or during use of the ablutionary nozzle assembly.

[0027] It will be appreciated that the user could provide an input that determines the electric potential difference across the one or more electrode pairs of the ablutionary nozzle assembly, before or during use. By way of example, the input could be the user's height, wherein the deflection of the water is adjusted through changing the electric potential difference across one or more electrode pair to accommodate the user's height. The skilled person will appreciate that other inputs could be relevant to the deflection of the water jet from the nozzle.

[0028] In a sixth aspect there is provided a method of varying the spray pattern of water exiting an ablutionary fitting comprising one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly of the first aspect, wherein the electric potential difference across the ablutionary nozzle assembly is varied such that the spray pattern is varied.

[0029] Examples of spray patterns include a jet or a spray. The jet may be a narrow-focused jet. The spray may be a wide, diverging water spray. Examples of sprays include a full body spray comprising several individual streams directed over a wide area such as a user's back, power sprays comprising several individual streams focused on a narrow area, mists wherein the water flowing through the assembly is formed into fine droplets and fragmented mists comprising several individual streams of fine droplets.

[0030] In some examples of the sixth aspect, the spray pattern may be varied between a jet and a spray, such as a narrow-focused jet and a wide diverging spray.

[0031] In some examples of the sixth aspect, the ablutionary nozzle assembly may comprise two or more nozzles and two or more pairs of electrodes. In some examples, the water flowing through each nozzle may be directed by the electric potential difference across the pairs of electrodes such that the streams cross, forcing a spray to form by the interaction of streams at high pressure. The electric potential difference across the pairs of electrodes may be changed such that the water flowing through each of the nozzles travels in the same direction without interaction, or focus towards a point, thereby forming a jet. The electric potential differences across the one or more pairs of electrodes at any single moment may be referred to as an electric potential difference pattern. This electric potential difference pattern will correspond to a spray pattern of water exiting the ablutionary fitting.

[0032] The method may comprise applying a first pattern of electrostatic difference across the one or more electrode pairs of the one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly to produce a first spray pattern. The method may further comprise a step of applying a second pattern of electrostatic difference across the one or more electrode pairs of the one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly to produce a second spray pattern.

[0033] In some examples of the sixth aspect the ablutionary fitting is that of the second aspect. In some examples, the ablutionary fitting comprises two or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies, such as three or more, four or more, five or more, ten or more, twenty or more or one hundred or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies. For example, the electric potential difference across the nozzles of the assemblies may direct the water flowing through the nozzles to interact such that they form a mist, or focus the water on a point, forming a jet.

[0034] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows (A) a schematic cross section view of the ablutionary nozzle assembly, (B) a schematic overhead view of the same ablutionary nozzle assembly, and (C) a schematic cross section view of the ablutionary nozzle assembly in use. Figure 2 shows (A) a schematic overhead view of an ablutionary nozzle assembly, (B) a schematic overhead view of a further ablutionary nozzle assembly and (C) a schematic overhead view of a further ablutionary nozzle assembly. Figure 3 shows a schematic cross section of an ablutionary fitting comprising four ablutionary nozzle assemblies. Figure 4 shows a method of directing water flow through an ablutionary nozzle assembly. Figure 5 shows a method of adjusting the direction of water flow through the ablutionary nozzle assembly of the invention. Figure 6 shows a method of adjusting the spray pattern of water exiting an ablutionary fitting comprising one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly of the invention.

[0035] A cross section of an ablutionary nozzle assembly 100 is shown schematically in Figure 1(A). The ablutionary nozzle assembly 100 comprises a nozzle 102 defining axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the nozzle and located in the centre of the aperture of this nozzle. The nozzle 102 is positioned on support 104, which may form part of an ablutionary fitting such as a shower system, shower head, a tap, a faucet or the like. The assembly further comprises a pair of electrodes 106, 108 defining axis (a) extending between the two electrodes of the pair of electrodes. The electrodes are positioned on a support 104 and are physically separated by the support 104 from the water jet produced by the nozzle 102 when in use.

[0036] An overhead view of the ablutionary nozzle assembly 100 along the nozzle 102 is shown schematically in Figure 1(B). Axis (b) is shown passing through the nozzle aperture, arranged perpendicular to axis (a) extending between the two electrodes of the pair of electrodes 106, 108.

[0037] A cross section of the ablutionary nozzle assembly 100 in use is shown schematically in Figure 1(C). The water jet 110 is deflected towards the anode.

[0038] A cross section of an ablutionary nozzle assembly 200 comprising two pairs of electrodes is shown schematically in Figure 2(A). The ablutionary nozzle assembly 200 comprises a nozzle 202 defining axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the nozzle and located in the centre of the aperture of this nozzle. The assembly further comprises a first pair of electrodes 204, 208 defining axis (a) extending between the two electrodes 204, 208 of the pair of electrodes, and a second pair of electrodes 206, 210 defining axis (a') extending between the two electrodes 206, 210 of the pair of electrodes. Both axes (a) and (a') are perpendicular to axis (b). Both axes (a) and (a') are oriented 90° from one another around axis (b).

[0039] A cross section of an ablutionary nozzle assembly 200 comprising three pairs of electrodes is shown schematically in Figure 2(B). The ablutionary nozzle assembly 200 comprises a nozzle 202 defining axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the nozzle and located in the centre of the aperture of this nozzle. The assembly further comprises a first pair of electrodes 204, 208 defining axis (a) extending between the two electrodes 204, 208 of the pair of electrodes, and a second pair of electrodes 206, 210 defining axis (a') extending between the two electrodes 206, 210 of the pair of electrodes. The assembly further comprises a third pair of electrodes 212, 214 defining axis (a") extending between the two electrodes 212, 214 of the pair of electrodes. Axes (a), (a') and (a") are perpendicular to axis (b). Axes (a), (a') and (a") are oriented 60° from one another around axis (b).

[0040] A cross section of an ablutionary nozzle assembly 200 comprising two pairs of electrodes and four nozzles is shown schematically in Figure 2(C). The ablutionary nozzle assembly 200 comprises four nozzles 202, 212, 214, 218 oriented such that the direction of water flow through the nozzles is substantially the same for all the nozzles. Axis (b) extends in the direction of water flow through the four nozzles and is located an equal distance from each of the apertures of each of the four nozzles. The assembly further comprises a first pair of electrodes 204, 208 defining axis (a) extending between the two electrodes 204, 208 of the pair of electrodes, and a second pair of electrodes 206, 210 defining axis (a') extending between the two electrodes 206, 210 of the pair of electrodes. Both axes (a) and (a') are perpendicular to axis (b). Both axes (a) and (a') are oriented 90° from one another around axis (b).

[0041] A cross section of an ablutionary fitting 300 comprising four ablutionary nozzle assemblies 302, 304, 306, 308 is shown in Figure 3. Each ablutionary nozzle assembly comprises a nozzle 310 and a pair of electrodes 312, 314. The nozzle and pair of electrodes are positioned on a support which is part of the casing 316 of the ablutionary fitting. The ablutionary fitting further comprises a conduit 318 fluidly coupled to the ablutionary nozzle assemblies 302, 304, 306, 308 to transfer water from the water supply, such as the water mains. The ablutionary fitting may further comprise an electrical supply (not shown), such as a battery or electrical mains connection, to provide power to the electrode pairs of the ablutionary nozzle assemblies 302, 304, 306, 308.

[0042] In the example of Figure 3, the ablutionary fitting 300 comprises four ablutionary nozzle assemblies 302, 304, 306, 308 fluidly coupled to the conduit 318. In other embodiments, the ablutionary fitting may comprise one or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies, each fluidly coupled to the conduit. In some embodiments, each assembly may have an individually controllable water supply (e.g. supplied by a plurality of separate conduits).

[0043] The ablutionary fitting 300 further comprises a coupling mechanism 320 arranged to removably couple the ablutionary fitting to a water outlet. The coupling mechanism may be formed by a two-part bayonet fit coupling, or a screw fit coupling, snap fit coupling, push fit coupling, friction fit coupling or any other suitable coupling mechanism.

[0044] The coupling mechanism may be manually operated by the user. This may allow the user to replace the ablutionary fitting with an alternative ablutionary fitting or remove and replace it for cleaning without the use of tools.

[0045] A method of directing water flow through an ablutionary nozzle assembly of the invention is shown in Figure 4. The method comprises a first step of applying a first electrostatic difference across a first pair of electrodes 400. This results in the deflection of a water jet passing through the nozzle assembly by a first deflection amount 402. The method comprises a further step of applying a second electrostatic difference across the first pair of electrodes 404 to deflect the water jet by a second deflection amount 406. The method comprises a further step of applying a third electrostatic difference across the first pair of electrodes 408 to deflect the water jet by a third deflection amount 410.

[0046] The terms degree of deflection and deflection amount are used interchangeably herein and refer to the distance the water jet is deflected by the electric potential difference applied across electrode pair or pairs in degrees from the path that the water jet would take if no electric potential difference was applied across the electrode pair or pairs.

[0047] A method of adjusting the direction of water flow through the ablutionary nozzle assembly of the invention is shown in Figure 5. The method comprises adjusting the electric potential difference across the one or more electrode pairs 502 in response to a user input 500 provided before or during use of the ablutionary nozzle assembly.

[0048] A method of varying the spray pattern of water exiting an ablutionary fitting comprising one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly of the invention through varying the electric potential difference across the one or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies is shown in Figure 6. The method comprises applying a first pattern of electrostatic difference 600 across the one or more electrode pairs of the one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly to produce a first spray pattern 602. The method comprises a further step of applying a second pattern of electrostatic difference 604 across the one or more electrode pairs of the one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly to produce a second spray pattern 606.

Claims

1. An ablutionary nozzle assembly for use in an ablutionary fitting, the nozzle assembly comprising: one or more nozzles; and one or more pairs of electrodes, wherein the nozzles and pairs of electrodes are arranged such that, in use, an electric potential difference applied across the one or more pairs of electrodes controls the deflection of water jets passing through each of the one or more nozzles.

2. The ablutionary nozzle assembly of claim 1, wherein an axis (a) extending between the electrodes of a pair of electrodes is perpendicular to an axis (b) extending in the direction of water flow through the one or more nozzles and located an equal distance from each of the apertures of the one or more nozzles.

3. The ablutionary nozzle assembly of any one of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the assembly comprises two or more pairs of electrodes, optionally from two to ten pairs of electrodes, and wherein, optionally; axis (a) for each pair of electrodes is rotationally offset by from 5 to 90 degrees around axis (b) from the axis (a) for every other pair of electrodes in the nozzle assembly.

4. The ablutionary nozzle assembly of any preceding claims, wherein: a) the one or more axis (a) extending between the electrodes of a pair of electrodes intersects with axis (b) such that axis (b) passes between the electrode pairs; and / or b) the aperture of each of the one or more nozzles has a diameter of from 0.1 mm to 30 mm, such as from 0.2 mm to 20 mm, or from 0.3 mm to 10 mm.

5. The ablutionary nozzle assembly of any preceding claim, wherein: a) the electrodes are positioned downstream of the one or more nozzles such that the one or more water jets pass between the two electrodes of each pair of electrodes after exiting the nozzle; and / or b) the electrodes are physically separated from the one or more water jets formed when the ablutionary nozzle assembly is in use.

6. The ablutionary nozzle assembly of any preceding claim, wherein: a) the assembly comprises a single nozzle, or b) the assembly comprises from two to four nozzles.

7. An ablutionary fitting comprising one or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies according to any preceding claim, wherein optionally the fitting is a shower head, a tap or a faucet.

8. The ablutionary fitting of claim 7, wherein: a) the fitting comprises two or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and / or b) the electrode pairs are in electrical communication with a controller, said controller configured to alter the electric potential difference applied across each pair of electrodes in accordance with a programmed pattern.

9. A method of directing water flow through an ablutionary nozzle assembly, wherein the ablutionary nozzle assembly is the assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising: a first step of applying a first electric potential difference across a first pair of electrodes to deflect the water jet by a first deflection amount; and a second step of applying a second electric potential difference across the first pair of electrodes to deflect the water jet by a second deflection amount.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ablutionary nozzle assembly comprises two or more pairs of electrodes, and wherein the method further comprises: in the first step applying a third electric potential difference across a second pair of electrodes such that the combination of the first and second electric potential differences deflect the water jet by a first deflection amount, and in the second step applying a fourth electric potential difference across the second pair of electrodes such that the combination of the first and second electric potential differences deflect the water jet by a second deflection amount.

11. The method of claim 9 or claim 10, the method comprising a third step of applying additional electric potential differences across the first pair of electrodes and the second pair of electrodes if present, to deflect the water jet by a third deflection amount.

12. A method of directing water flow through an ablutionary fitting, wherein the ablutionary fitting is that of any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the method of any one of claims 9 to 11 is applied to each of the one or more nozzle assemblies in order to create a spray pattern that changes during use of the ablutionary fitting.

13. A method of adjusting the direction of water flow through the ablutionary nozzle assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electric potential difference across the one or more electrode pairs is determined in response to a user input before or during use of the ablutionary nozzle assembly.

14. A method of varying the spray pattern of water exiting an ablutionary fitting comprising one or more ablutionary nozzle assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electric potential difference across the one or more ablutionary nozzle assemblies is varied such that the spray pattern is varied.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: a) the spray pattern is varied between a jet and a spray, and / or b) the ablutionary fitting is that of any one of claims 7 or 8.