Washing water tank device and flush toilet bowl device having the same

Abstract

To provide a washing water tank device capable of accurately executing a prescribed washing sequence using a water pressure drive mechanism.SOLUTION: A washing water tank device (4) of the invention comprises: a washing water tank body (12); an inflow pipe (16a) extending from the water feed port on a bottom of the washing water tank body; a feed water valve (16) that is connected to the inflow pipe and switches supply and stop of the washing water to be stored in the washing water tank body; a first drain valve (8) to open and close a first drain port (12a); a second drain valve (10) to open and close a second drain port (12b); and a water pressure drive mechanism (18) to open the second drain valve by feed water pressure of the washing water fed through the feed water valve. The first drain port, the second drain port, and the water feed port are formed in this order in a width direction on a bottom of the washing water tank body. Distance between a center of the second drain port and a center of the water feed port is shorter than distance between a center of the first drain port and the center of the second drain port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flush water tank apparatus, and in particular to a flush water tank apparatus that is attached to a flush toilet body in use so as to supply flush water, and a flush toilet apparatus equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-75998 (Patent Document 1) describes a flush water tank device. This flush water tank device is equipped with a drain valve hydraulic drive unit, which uses the water supply pressure of flush water supplied from the water line via a water supply control device to raise the drain valve and supply flush water stored in the water storage tank to the flush toilet main body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-75998 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the flush water tank apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the entire amount of flush water supplied to the flush toilet main body is supplied and stopped by a single drain valve. For this reason, the flush water tank apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that, for example, if the flush toilet main body is provided with multiple spouts, it is not possible to freely set the amount of flush water discharged from each spout or the timing at which the flush water is discharged. In other words, to effectively flush the bowl part of the flush toilet main body with a small amount of flush water, it is preferable to execute an appropriate flush sequence in which a predetermined amount of flush water is each discharged from multiple spouts at a predetermined discharge timing. The flush water tank apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is difficult to accurately set such a flush sequence.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a flush water tank device that can accurately execute a predetermined flush sequence using a water pressure drive mechanism (water pressure drain valve drive unit), and a flush toilet device equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a flush water tank device that is attached to a flush toilet main body and used to supply flush water, comprising: a flush water tank main body that stores flush water to be supplied to the flush toilet main body; an inlet pipe that extends from a water supply port formed on the bottom of this flush water tank main body into the interior of the flush water tank main body; a water supply valve that is connected to this inlet pipe and switches the supply and stop of flush water to be stored in the flush water tank main body in conjunction with the water level inside the flush water tank main body; and a water supply valve that opens and closes a first drain port formed in the flush water tank main body to control the supply of flush water to the flush toilet main body by opening and closing the first drain port. a first drain valve that switches between discharging and stopping flush water to the flush toilet body by opening and closing a second drain outlet formed in the flush water tank body; and a water pressure drive mechanism that opens the second drain valve by the water supply pressure of flush water supplied via the water supply valve, and the first drain outlet, second drain outlet, and water supply outlet are formed on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body, lined up in that order in the width direction, and the distance between the centre of the second drain outlet and the centre of the water supply inlet is shorter than the distance between the centre of the first drain outlet and the centre of the second drain outlet.

[0007] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the first drain outlet, the second drain outlet, and the water supply outlet are formed on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body, lined up in this order in the width direction, and the distance between the center of the second drain outlet and the center of the water supply outlet is shorter than the distance between the center of the first drain outlet and the center of the second drain outlet. Therefore, flush water flowing in from the water supply outlet immediately flows into the nearby water pressure drive mechanism via the water supply valve, opening the second drain valve. As a result, the time lag in the opening timing of the second drain valve can be reduced, making it easy to execute the desired flush sequence. Furthermore, according to the present invention configured in this manner, because the first drain outlet and the second drain outlet are relatively far apart, even when the drain outlets are open simultaneously, the flush water flowing out of each drain outlet is less likely to affect each other, and the flow rate of flush water discharged through each drain outlet can be stabilized.

[0008] In the present invention, the first drain outlet is preferably connected to a rim water conduit that communicates with a rim water outlet provided in the flush toilet body, and the second drain outlet is preferably connected to a jet water conduit that communicates with a jet water outlet provided in the flush toilet body.

[0009] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the first drain outlet is connected to the rim water conduit and the second drain outlet is connected to the jet water conduit, so that an ideal flushing sequence can be easily achieved in which the first drain outlet is opened and rim water spouting begins, and then after a predetermined time delay the second drain outlet is opened by the water pressure drive mechanism and jet water spouting begins.

[0010] In the present invention, preferably, at least one of the straight lines passing through the center of the first drain outlet and extending in the width direction of the flush water tank body, the straight line passing through the center of the second drain outlet and extending in the width direction of the flush water tank body, and the straight line passing through the center of the water supply port and extending in the width direction of the flush water tank body is offset from the other two straight lines.

[0011] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the line passing through the center of the first drain outlet extending in the width direction of the flushing water tank body, the line passing through the center of the second drain outlet, and the line passing through the center of the water supply port are not on the same line, making it possible to layout the first drain outlet, second drain outlet, and water supply port close together in the width direction, and making it possible to design the flushing water tank body to be smaller in the width direction.

[0012] In the present invention, the centre of the first drain outlet and the centre of the second drain outlet are preferably located forward of the centre line of the flush water tank body in the front-to-rear direction.

[0013] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the center of the first drain outlet and the center of the second drain outlet are located forward of the front-to-back center line of the flush water tank body, so that the water conduits extending from the first drain outlet and the second drain outlet to each of the water outlets of the flush water tank body can be shortened, and the force of the flush water ejected from each of the water outlets can be strengthened.

[0014] In the present invention, the second drain port preferably overlaps with the center line of the flush water tank body in the width direction.

[0015] With the present invention configured in this way, the second drain outlet overlaps with the widthwise centerline of the flush water tank body, so the jet water conduit formed within the flush toilet body and connected to the second drain outlet can be formed near the widthwise center of the flush toilet body.As a result, it is possible to easily form the water conduit within the flush toilet body.

[0016] The present invention is also a flush toilet device that is flushed with flush water stored in a flush water tank, characterized by having a flush toilet main body provided with a bowl portion, a rim spout, and a jet spout, and a flush water tank device of the present invention that supplies flush water to the rim spout and jet spout of this flush toilet main body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the flush water tank device of the present invention and a flush toilet device equipped with it, a predetermined flush sequence can be accurately carried out using a water pressure drive mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a flush toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a top view showing the schematic configuration of a flush toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing the general configuration of a flush water tank apparatus provided in a flush toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a ball tap built into a flush water tank device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a water pressure drive mechanism built into a flush water tank assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a time chart showing the operation of a flush toilet device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Next, a flush water tank apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a flush toilet apparatus equipped with the same, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a flush toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top view showing the general configuration of a flush toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing the general configuration of a flush water tank apparatus provided in a flush toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a ball tap built into a flush water tank apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a water pressure drive mechanism built into a flush water tank apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a flush toilet apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is made up of a flush toilet main body 2 and a flush water tank apparatus 4 located at the rear of this flush toilet main body 2. The flush toilet apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured so that flushing is carried out by operating a lever handle 4a provided on the flush water tank apparatus 4 after use.

[0021] The flush toilet body 2 comprises a bowl portion 2a and a drain trap pipe 2b extending from the bottom of the bowl portion 2a. A rim water outlet 2c is provided on the upper edge of the bowl portion 2a, and a jet water outlet 2d is provided on the bottom of the bowl portion 2a. When flushing the toilet, flush water is discharged from the rim water outlet 2c and the jet water outlet 2d at a predetermined timing, cleaning the waste receiving surface of the bowl portion 2a and discharging the waste and flush water from within the bowl portion 2a into the drain trap pipe 2b. The waste and flush water discharged into the drain trap pipe 2b pass through a drain socket (not shown) and are discharged into the sewer pipe (not shown).

[0022] Flush water is supplied to the flush water tank apparatus 4 from a water supply source 6 such as a tap, and the supplied flush water is stored inside the flush water tank apparatus 4. The flush water tank apparatus 4 also has a first drain valve 8 and a second drain valve 10 built in, which are configured to open and close drain ports provided at the bottom of the flush water tank apparatus 4, respectively.

[0023] In this embodiment, by opening the first drain valve 8, flush water passes through the rim water conduit 2e formed inside the flush toilet main body 2, and is discharged from the rim water spout 2c. Also, by opening the second drain valve 10, flush water passes through the jet water conduit 2f formed inside the flush toilet main body 2, and is discharged from the jet water spout 2d.

[0024] Next, the internal structure of the flush water tank device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the flush water tank device 4 has a flush water tank main body 12, a first drain valve 8 and a second drain valve 10 arranged in the flush water tank main body 12, a ball tap 16 which is a water supply valve, and a water hydraulic drive mechanism 18.

[0025] The flush water tank body 12 is a container configured to store flush water to be supplied to the flush toilet body 2. In this embodiment, the flush water tank body 12 is made of ceramic.

[0026] 3, a first drain outlet 12a and a second drain outlet 12b are provided on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body 12, and in this embodiment, these drain outlets are configured to be circular. Here, flush water stored inside the flush water tank body 12 is configured to flow into the rim water conduit 2e of the flush toilet body 2 through the first drain outlet 12a, and into the jet water conduit 2f of the flush toilet body 2 through the second drain outlet 12b.

[0027] Also, as shown in Figure 2, the flush water tank body 12 of the flush water tank device 4 is configured in a roughly rectangular shape when viewed from above, with a long width in the width direction of the flush toilet body 2 (the direction of arrow W in Figure 2) and a short depth direction (the direction of arrow D in Figure 2).

[0028] Specifically, in this embodiment, a ball tap 16 is arranged at the front, left end (lower left corner in Figure 2) of the cleaning water tank body 12, a second drain valve 10 is arranged in the center of the width, and a first drain valve 8 is arranged at the front, right end (lower right corner in Figure 2).

[0029] Next, the first drain valve 8 is a valve element arranged to open and close the first drain outlet 12a provided in the flush water tank body 12, and the first drain outlet 12a is opened by the first drain valve 8 being pulled upward. This causes the flush water in the flush water tank body 12 to be discharged into the rim water conduit 2e (Figure 1) of the flush toilet body 2 and then ejected from the rim spout 2c. Therefore, the first drain valve 8 switches between discharging and stopping flush water to the flush toilet body 2 by opening and closing the first drain outlet 12a provided in the flush water tank body 12.

[0030] In this embodiment, the user rotates the lever handle 4a provided on the flush water tank device 4, which pulls the ball chain 8a (Fig. 3) connected to the first drain valve 8, thereby lifting up the first drain valve 8. As a variation, the present invention can also be configured so that the first drain valve 8 is lifted and flushing is performed based on a control signal from a remote control device (not shown) or a detection signal from a human presence sensor (not shown).

[0031] The second drain valve 10 is a valve element arranged to open and close the second drain outlet 12b provided in the flush water tank body 12, and the second drain outlet 12b is opened by pulling the second drain valve 10 upward. This causes the flush water in the flush water tank body 12 to be discharged from the second drain outlet 12b, flow into the jet water conduit 2f (Figure 1) in the flush toilet body 2, and be discharged from the jet spout 2d. Therefore, the second drain valve 10 switches between discharging and stopping flush water to the flush toilet body 2 by opening and closing the second drain outlet 12b.

[0032] In this embodiment, the second drain valve 10 is configured to be pulled up from the second drain port 12b by the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18. That is, the second drain valve 10 is a valve body equipped with a valve stem 10a that extends upward, and the valve stem 10a is pulled up by the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18. When the second drain valve 10 is pulled up to a predetermined height, it is separated from the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 and gently descends to close the second drain port 12b. The configuration of the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 will be described later.

[0033] Furthermore, the ball tap 16, which is a water supply valve, is configured so that flush water supplied from the water supply source 6 flows in through the inlet pipe 16a, and switches on and off the supply of flush water to be stored in the flush water tank main body 12.

[0034] Next, the configuration of the ball tap 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 4, the ball tap 16 has a main body 20 to which the inlet pipe 16a and the outlet pipe 16b are connected, a main valve element 20a arranged within this main body 20, a valve seat 20b on which this main valve element 20a sits, an arm 24 that is rotated by a float 22, and a pilot valve 26 that is moved by the rotation of this arm 24. In other words, the ball tap 16 is equipped with a float 22 that operates in conjunction with the water level within the flush water tank device 4, and is configured to supply flush water to the water pressure drive mechanism 18 when the float 22 drops to a predetermined position.

[0035] Main body 20 is a component that has a connection portion for inlet pipe 16a at its bottom and a connection portion for outlet pipe 16b on one side. Inlet pipe 16a is a pipe that extends vertically inside flush water tank body 12 from water supply port 12c formed on the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12. A valve seat 20b is also formed inside main body 20, and this valve seat 20b is configured to communicate with outlet pipe 16b connected to the connection portion. Furthermore, a main valve element 20a is arranged inside main body 20 to open and close valve seat 20b, and when the valve is open, tap water that flows in from inlet pipe 16a passes through valve seat 20b and flows out into outlet pipe 16b. Outlet pipe 16b is then connected to water hydraulic drive mechanism 18.

[0036] The main valve element 20a is a generally disc-shaped diaphragm-type valve element that is attached inside the main body 20 so that it can seat on and lift off from the valve seat 20b. A bleed hole 20c is provided around the periphery of the main valve element 20a. A pressure chamber 20d is formed inside the main body 20 on the opposite side of the main valve element 20a from the valve seat 20b (the left side in FIG. 4). That is, the pressure chamber 20d is defined by the inner wall surface of the main body 20 and the main valve element 20a. When the pressure inside this pressure chamber 20d increases, this pressure presses the main valve element 20a against the valve seat 20b, causing it to seat on the valve seat 20b.

[0037] Furthermore, a pressure passage 20e extends upward to communicate with the pressure chamber 20d provided within the main body 20, and a pilot valve port 26a is provided at the upper end of this pressure passage 20e. This pilot valve port 26a opens upward and is configured to be opened and closed by the pilot valve 26.

[0038] Meanwhile, float 22 is supported by arm portion 24, which is rotatably supported by support shaft 24a. Furthermore, pilot valve 26 is connected to arm portion 24, and is configured so that pilot valve 26 moves up and down as arm portion 24 rotates. In this embodiment, float 22 is disposed inside flush water tank body 12, and moves up and down according to the water level inside flush water tank body 12. As a result, when the water level inside flush water tank body 12 has risen above a predetermined water level, float 22 is pushed upward, which in turn moves pilot valve 26 downward, seating it on pilot valve port 26a and closing it. Meanwhile, when flush water is drained from within flush water tank body 12 and the water level drops, float 22 moves downward, pilot valve 26 moves upward, and pilot valve port 26a opens. For this reason, during standby for toilet flushing when the water level in the flush water tank body 12 is higher than a predetermined water level, the pilot valve port 26a of the main body 20 is in a closed state.

[0039] Furthermore, tap water that flows into the main body 20 from the inlet pipe 16a flows into the annular space around the valve seat 20b, and from there flows into the pressure chamber 20d through the bleed hole 20c in the main valve element 20a. When the pilot valve port 26a is closed by the pilot valve 26, there is no path for the tap water that has flowed into the pressure chamber 20d from the bleed hole 20c to flow out, and the pressure in the pressure chamber 20d rises. When the pressure in the pressure chamber 20d rises in this way, this pressure presses the main valve element 20a toward the valve seat 20b (to the right in FIG. 4), and the valve seat 20b is closed by the main valve element 20a.

[0040] On the other hand, when the first drain valve 8 is opened by the flushing operation and the water level in the flush water tank body 12 falls below a predetermined level, the float 22 moves down, the pilot valve 26 moves upward, and the pilot valve port 26a opens. When the pilot valve port 26a opens, water in the pressure chamber 20d flows out from the pilot valve port 26a, and the pressure in the pressure chamber 20d drops. This causes the main valve element 20a to move away from the valve seat 20b (to the left in FIG. 4), opening the valve seat 20b. In this way, with the pilot valve port 26a open, the pressure in the pressure chamber 20d does not rise, so the valve seat 20b remains open.

[0041] Next, the configuration of the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 will be described with reference to FIG. Water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 is configured to drive second drain valve 10 using the water supply pressure of flush water supplied to flush water tank device 4 from the water main. Specifically, water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 has a cylinder 18a into which water supplied from ball tap 16 flows, a piston 18b slidably disposed within cylinder 18a, and a rod 28 that protrudes from the lower end of cylinder 18a and drives second drain valve 10. Furthermore, spring 18c is disposed inside cylinder 18a and urges piston 18b downward, and a packing is attached to piston 18b to ensure watertightness between the inner wall surface of cylinder 18a and piston 18b. Furthermore, a clutch mechanism 30 is provided at the lower end of rod 28, and clutch mechanism 30 connects and disconnects rod 28 and valve stem 10a of second drain valve 10.

[0042] Cylinder 18a is a cylindrical member that is disposed with its axis oriented vertically and that slidably receives piston 18b inside. An outlet pipe 16b extending from ball tap 16 is connected to the lower end of cylinder 18a, allowing flush water flowing out from ball tap 16 to flow into cylinder 18a. As a result, piston 18b inside cylinder 18a is pushed up against the biasing force of spring 18c by the water that has flowed into cylinder 18a.

[0043] Meanwhile, an outflow hole is provided at the upper end of cylinder 18a, and water supply pipe 32 is connected to this outflow hole. Therefore, when water flows into cylinder 18a from outflow pipe 16b connected to the bottom of cylinder 18a, piston 18b is pushed upward from the bottom of cylinder 18a. Then, when piston 18b is pushed up to a position above the outflow hole, the water that flowed into cylinder 18a flows out from the outflow hole into water supply pipe 32. Also, flush water that flows into water supply pipe 32 flows into flush water tank body 12.

[0044] Rod 28 is a rod-shaped member connected to the underside of piston 18b, and extends through a through-hole formed in the bottom surface of cylinder 18a so as to protrude downward from within cylinder 18a. Furthermore, valve stem 10a of second drain valve 10 is connected to the lower end of rod 28 via clutch mechanism 30, and rod 28 connects piston 18b and second drain valve 10. Therefore, when water flows into cylinder 18a and pushes up piston 18b, rod 28 connected to piston 18b lifts second drain valve 10 upward, and second drain valve 10 opens.

[0045] Furthermore, a gap is provided between rod 28, which protrudes from below cylinder 18a, and the inner wall of the through-hole in cylinder 18a, and some of the water that flows into cylinder 18a flows out through this gap. The water that flows out from the gap flows into flush water tank body 12. Note that this gap is relatively narrow and has high flow resistance, so even when water is flowing out from the gap, the water flowing into cylinder 18a from outlet pipe 16b increases the pressure inside cylinder 18a, and piston 18b is pushed up against the biasing force of spring 18c.

[0046] Furthermore, clutch mechanism 30 detachably connects rod 28 and second drain valve 10. When second drain valve 10 is lifted a predetermined distance together with rod 28, clutch mechanism 30 is configured to disconnect valve stem 10a of second drain valve 10 from rod 28. With clutch mechanism 30 in the disengaged state, second drain valve 10 is no longer linked to the movement of piston 18b and rod 28, and second drain valve 10 descends as the water level in flush water tank body 12 drops, closing second drain port 12b of flush water tank body 12.

[0047] Next, the layout of each component provided in the flush water tank device 4 will be explained with reference to FIGS. As described above, flush water stored in the flush water tank body 12 of the flush water tank device 4 is supplied to the flush toilet body 2 through the first drain outlet 12a by opening the first drain valve 8, and is supplied to the flush toilet body 2 through the second drain outlet 12b by opening the second drain valve 10.

[0048] Meanwhile, the supply and stop of flush water to be stored in flush water tank body 12 is switched on and off by ball tap 16, and flush water is supplied to ball tap 16 from the water line via inlet pipe 16a (Figure 4). This inlet pipe 16a is connected to ball tap 16 through water supply port 12c provided on the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12. That is, in this embodiment, three circular holes are provided on the bottom surface of ceramic flush water tank body 12: first drain outlet 12a, second drain outlet 12b, and water supply port 12c, which supplies flush water to ball tap 16.

[0049] 2, in this embodiment, a first drain outlet 12a, a second drain outlet 12b, and a water supply port 12c are provided in a row on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body 12, in that order from the right side in the width direction of the flush toilet body 2. The first drain outlet 12a, second drain outlet 12b, and water supply port 12c are arranged so that the widthwise distance d2 between the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b and the center C3 of the water supply port 12c is shorter than the widthwise distance d1 between the center C1 of the first drain outlet 12a and the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b.

[0050] In this embodiment, the first drain outlet 12a, the second drain outlet 12b, and the water supply outlet 12c are arranged in a row from the right side in the width direction, but as a variant, the first drain outlet 12a, the second drain outlet 12b, and the water supply outlet 12c can also be arranged in a row from the left side in the width direction.

[0051] 2, the center C2 of second drain outlet 12b is located forward of the center line CL in the front-to-rear direction of the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12. In this way, in this embodiment, the center C2 of second drain outlet 12b is located forward of the center line CL in the front-to-rear direction of the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12, so the jet water conduit 2f that runs from second drain outlet 12b to jet water spout 2d can be shortened.

[0052] 2, the centre C1 of first drain outlet 12a is also located forward of the front-to-rear centre line CL of the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12. In this way, in this embodiment, the centre C1 of first drain outlet 12a is located forward of the front-to-rear centre line CL of the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12, so it is possible to shorten the rim water conduit 2e that runs from first drain outlet 12a to the rim spout 2c.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, a straight line L1 that passes through the center C1 of the first drain outlet 12a and extends in the width direction of the flush water tank body 12, a straight line L2 that passes through the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b and extends in the width direction of the flush water tank body 12, and a straight line L3 that passes through the center C3 of the water supply port 12c and extends in the width direction of the flush water tank body 12 are offset from each other (do not overlap).

[0054] Preferably, the centers C1, C2, and C3 are positioned so that at least one of the following lines - straight line L1 passing through the center C1 of first drain outlet 12a and extending in the width direction of flush water tank body 12, straight line L2 passing through the center C2 of second drain outlet 12b and extending in the width direction of flush water tank body 12, and straight line L3 passing through the center C3 of water supply port 12c and extending in the width direction of flush water tank body 12 - is offset from the other two lines. By positioning first drain outlet 12a, second drain outlet 12b, and water supply port 12c in this way, it becomes possible to position first drain outlet 12a, second drain outlet 12b, and water supply port 12c close together in the width direction of flush toilet body 2, and it becomes possible to configure the width of flush water tank body 12 to be small.

[0055] 2, the second drain outlet 12b overlaps with the widthwise centerline CW of the flush water tank body 12. For this reason, the jet water conduit 2f, which is connected to the second drain outlet 12b and extends to the jet spout 2d of the flush toilet body 2, can be easily formed within the flush toilet body 2. In other words, with this configuration, the jet water conduit 2f of the flush toilet body 2 can be formed overlapping the top side of the drain trap pipe 2b, making it possible to form part of the bottom wall of the jet water conduit 2f and part of the ceiling wall of the drain trap pipe 2b with a single wall surface.

[0056] Next, with new reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the flush toilet apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of a flush toilet device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing, from the top, the jet water spouting state, the rim water spouting state, and the ball tap state.

[0057] First, in the standby state for toilet flushing, the first drain outlet 12a and second drain outlet 12b of the flush water tank body 12 are closed by the first drain valve 8 and second drain valve 10, respectively. Also, in the standby state, the initial water level inside the flush water tank body 12 is higher than a predetermined water level, which causes the pilot valve port 26a of the main body 20 (Figure 4) of the ball tap 16 to be in a closed state, and the valve seat 20b is closed by the main valve body 20a.

[0058] Next, at time t1 in Figure 6, when the user rotates the lever handle 4a (Figure 3) of the flush water tank device 4 to flush the toilet, the ball chain 8a connected to it pulls up the first drain valve 8. This causes the first drain valve 8 to be pulled away from the first drain outlet 12a, opening the first drain outlet 12a. When the first drain outlet 12a is opened, the flush water that had been stored in the flush water tank body 12 flows from the first drain outlet 12a into the rim water conduit 2e (Figure 2) and is discharged from the rim water outlet 2c. The rim water discharge from the rim water outlet 2c creates a swirling flow on the waste receiving surface of the bowl portion 2a, cleaning the waste receiving surface.

[0059] Here, in a standby state with the first drain outlet 12a closed, there is no flush water within the rim water conduit 2e. In this embodiment, the centre C1 of the first drain outlet 12a is positioned forward of the centre line CL in the front-to-rear direction of the bottom of the flush water tank body 12 (Figure 2), so the rim water conduit 2e that runs from the first drain outlet 12a to the rim water spout 2c is configured to be relatively short. For this reason, when the first drain outlet 12a is opened, the rim water conduit 2e is filled with water in a short time, allowing flush water to be discharged early from the rim water spout 2c with high head pressure.

[0060] As flush water is discharged from first drain outlet 12a, the water level in flush water tank main body 12 drops. This causes float 22 of ball tap 16 to drop, opening pilot valve 26 (Figure 4). This causes the pressure in pressure chamber 20d to drop, opening main valve body 20a and allowing flush water to be supplied to water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 through outlet pipe 16b. Here, because distance d2 between center C2 of second drain outlet 12b and center C3 of water supply port 12c is configured to be shorter than distance d1 between center C1 of first drain outlet 12a and center C2 of second drain outlet 12b, flush water can be supplied to water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 quickly after main valve body 20a opens.

[0061] When flush water is supplied to the water pressure drive mechanism 18, the flush water that flows into the cylinder 18a (Fig. 5) pushes up the piston 18b against the biasing force of the spring 18c. This causes the rod 28 connected to the piston 18b to pull up the valve stem 10a of the second drain valve 10, opening the second drain port 12b of the flush water tank body 12. In other words, the second drain valve 10 is driven and opened by the water supply pressure of the tap water supplied via the ball tap 16.

[0062] As a result, second drain outlet 12b is opened at time t2 in Figure 6, and flush water that had been stored in flush water tank body 12 flows through second drain outlet 12b into jet water conduit 2f (Figure 2) and is discharged from jet water outlet 2d. The jet water discharge from jet water outlet 2d fills drain trap pipe 2b and induces siphon action. The siphon action causes the accumulated water and waste in bowl portion 2a to be sucked into drain trap pipe 2b and discharged into the sewer pipe (not shown).

[0063] Here, with second drain outlet 12b closed, the inside of jet water conduit 2f is filled with flush water up to the level of the pooled water surface in bowl section 2a, and no flush water is present in the space above this pooled water surface. Therefore, before second drain valve 10 is opened, there is no flush water at the upstream end of jet water conduit 2f. And in this embodiment, the centre C2 of second drain outlet 12b is positioned forward of the centre line CL in the front-to-rear direction of the bottom surface of flush water tank body 12 (Figure 2), so the jet water conduit 2f from second drain outlet 12b to jet water spout 2d is configured to be relatively short.

[0064] For this reason, when the second drain valve 10 is opened, the space in the jet water conduit 2f where there is no flush water is filled with water in a short time, allowing flush water to be discharged from the jet water outlet 2d early on. In this embodiment, the space in the jet water conduit 2f where there is no flush water is made relatively small, so flush water with a high head pressure immediately after draining begins is less likely to be wasted filling up the space where there is no flush water. As a result, flush water with a high head pressure can be used effectively to flush the toilet, and the instantaneous flow rate of flush water discharged from the jet water outlet 2d can be increased.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance d1 between the center C1 of the first drain outlet 12a and the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b is longer than the distance d2 between the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b and the center C3 of the water supply port 12c, so even if the first drain outlet 12a and the second drain outlet 12b are both open at the same time, the flush water discharged from each drain outlet is less likely to affect each other. As a result, the flow rates of flush water discharged from the first drain outlet 12a and the second drain outlet 12b can be stabilized.

[0066] Meanwhile, when the second drain valve 10 is raised to a predetermined height together with the piston 18b of the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18, the valve stem 10a of the second drain valve 10 is separated from the rod 28 by the clutch mechanism 30 (Figure 5). As a result, the second drain valve 10 descends towards the second drain outlet 12b as the water level in the flush water tank body 12 drops. Then, at time t3 in Figure 6, the second drain valve 10 seats on the second drain outlet 12b, and the second drain outlet 12b is closed. This stops the jet spouting of water from the jet water spouting outlet 2d.

[0067] Both the first drain valve 8, which was raised first, and the second drain valve 10, which was raised later, are configured to drop as the water level in the flush water tank body 12 drops, but in this embodiment, the second drain valve 10 is configured to close when the water level in the flush water tank body 12 is higher than that of the first drain valve 8. For this reason, in this embodiment, the second drain valve 10, which was raised later, seats on the second drain port 12b first, and jet water spouting is stopped first.

[0068] When the main valve body 20a of the ball tap 16 is open, flush water supplied from the water supply source 6 (tap water) is supplied to the water pressure drive mechanism 18 via the ball tap 16 and flows into the flush water tank body 12 through the water supply pipe 32 (Figure 5) connected to the cylinder 18a.

[0069] However, because first drain valve 8 is still open, flush water in flush water tank body 12 flows out from first drain outlet 12a and the water level in flush water tank body 12 continues to drop. Then, at time t4 in Figure 6, when the water level in flush water tank body 12 drops to a predetermined dead water level, first drain valve 8 seats on first drain outlet 12a and first drain valve 8 is also closed. This also stops rim spouting from rim spout outlet 2c.

[0070] Furthermore, even after first drain valve 8 is closed, main valve body 20a of ball tap 16 remains open, so flush water supplied from water supply source 6 (tap water) flows into flush water tank body 12 from water supply pipe 32 via ball tap 16 and water pressure drive mechanism 18. As a result, the water level in flush water tank body 12 begins to rise.

[0071] Next, when the water level inside the flush water tank main body 12 rises to a predetermined water level, the float 22 of the ball tap 16 rises and the pilot valve 26 (Figure 4) is closed. When the pilot valve 26 is closed in this way, flush water that has flowed into the pressure chamber 20d from the bleed hole 20c provided in the main valve element 20a of the ball tap 16 cannot flow out, and the pressure inside the pressure chamber 20d rises. Then, at time t5 in Figure 6, the pressure inside the pressure chamber 20d presses the main valve element 20a so that it seats on the valve seat 20b, and the main valve element 20a is closed. This stops the supply of water from the water supply source 6 to the water pressure drive mechanism 18 via the ball tap 16, and the supply of flush water into the flush water tank main body 12 is stopped.

[0072] When the water supply to the water hydraulic drive mechanism 18 is stopped, the piston 18b (Figure 5) inside the cylinder 18a, which had been pushed up by the water supply, is pushed down by the biasing force of the spring 18c. As a result, the rod 28 attached to the piston 18b also drops. When the rod 28 drops to a predetermined position, the clutch mechanism 30 reconnects the rod 28 to the valve stem 10a of the second drain valve 10. This completes one toilet flush, and the flush toilet device 1 returns to its standby state for toilet flushing.

[0073] According to the flush water tank apparatus 4 of the embodiment of the present invention, the first drain outlet 12a, the second drain outlet 12b, and the water supply outlet 12c are formed on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body 12, lined up in this order in the width direction, and the distance d2 between the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b and the center C3 of the water supply outlet 12c is shorter than the distance d1 between the center C1 of the first drain outlet 12a and the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b. As a result, flush water flowing in from the water supply outlet 12c immediately flows into the nearby water pressure drive mechanism 18 via the ball tap 16, which is a water supply valve, and can open the second drain valve 10. As a result, the time lag in the opening timing of the second drain valve 10 can be reduced, making it easy to carry out the desired flush sequence. Furthermore, according to the present invention configured in this manner, the first drain outlet 12a and the second drain outlet 12b are relatively far apart, so even if each drain outlet is open at the same time, the cleaning water flowing out from each drain outlet is less likely to affect each other, and the flow rate of the cleaning water discharged through each drain outlet can be stabilized.

[0074] Furthermore, according to the flush water tank device 4 of this embodiment, the first drain outlet 12a is connected to the rim water conduit 2e and the second drain outlet 12b is connected to the jet water conduit 2f, so that an ideal flush sequence can be easily achieved in which the first drain outlet 12a is opened and rim water spouting begins, and then, after a predetermined time delay, the second drain outlet 12b is opened by the water pressure drive mechanism 18 and jet water spouting begins.

[0075] Furthermore, according to the flush water tank device 4 of this embodiment, the line L1 passing through the center C1 of the first drain outlet 12a extending in the width direction W of the flush water tank body 12, the line L2 passing through the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b, and the line L3 passing through the center C3 of the water supply port 12c are not on the same straight line, making it possible to arrange the first drain outlet 12a, the second drain outlet 12b, and the water supply port 12c close to each other in the width direction, and making it possible to design the flush water tank body 12 to be smaller in the width direction.

[0076] Furthermore, according to the flush water tank device 4 of this embodiment, the center C1 of the first drain outlet 12a and the center C2 of the second drain outlet 12b are located forward of the front-to-rear center line CL of the flush water tank body 12, so the water conduits extending from the first drain outlet 12a and the second drain outlet 12b to each of the outlets of the flush toilet body 2 can be shortened, and the force of the flush water ejected from each outlet can be strengthened.

[0077] Furthermore, with the flush water tank apparatus 4 of this embodiment, the second drain outlet 12b overlaps with the centre line CW of the width direction W of the flush water tank body 12, so the jet water conduit 2f, which is formed within the flush toilet body 2 and connected to the second drain outlet 12b, can be formed near the centre of the width direction of the flush toilet body 2. As a result, the water conduit within the flush toilet body 2 can be easily formed.

[0078] The above has described a flush water tank apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a flush toilet apparatus equipped with it, but various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. In particular, in the above-described embodiment, flush water flowing out of the second drain outlet is discharged from the jet spout, and flush water flowing out of the first drain outlet is discharged from the rim spout. However, as a modified example, the present invention can also be configured so that flush water flowing out of the second drain outlet is discharged from the rim spout, and flush water flowing out of the first drain outlet is discharged from the jet spout. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a flush water tank apparatus that supplies flush water to a flush toilet main body that has a spout other than a rim spout or jet spout.

[0079] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a ball tap was used as a water supply valve that switches the supply and stop of flushing water to be stored in the flushing water tank body, but a water supply valve other than a ball tap can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Flush toilet device 2 Flush toilet body 2a Bowl section 2b Drain trap pipe 2c Rim Spout 2d jet spout 2e Rim Waterway 2F Jet Waterway 4. Cleaning water tank device 4a Lever handle 6 Water source 8. First drain valve 8a Chain 10 Second drain valve 10a valve stem 12 Cleaning water tank body 12a 1st drain 12b 2nd drain 12c water inlet 16 Ball tap (water supply valve) 16a Inlet pipe 16b Outflow pipe 18 Water Hydraulic Drive Mechanism 18a cylinder 18b piston 18c spring 20 Main body 20a Main valve body 20b Valve seat 20c bleed hole 20d pressure chamber 20e Pressure passage 22 Float 24 Arm section 24a Support shaft 26 Pilot valve 26a Pilot valve port 28 Rod 30 Clutch mechanism 32 Water supply pipe

Claims

1. A flush water tank device that is attached to a flush toilet body to supply flush water, a flush water tank body that stores flush water to be supplied to the flush toilet body; an inlet pipe extending from a water supply port formed on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body into the interior of the flush water tank body; a water supply valve connected to this inlet pipe, which switches the supply and stop of flush water to be stored in the flush water tank body in conjunction with the water level in the flush water tank body; a first drain valve that switches between discharging and stopping flush water into the flush toilet main body by opening and closing a first drain port formed in the flush water tank main body; a second drain valve that switches between discharging and stopping flush water into the flush toilet main body by opening and closing a second drain port formed in the flush water tank main body; a water pressure drive mechanism that opens the second drain valve using the water supply pressure of flush water supplied via the water supply valve; and A flush water tank device characterized in that the first drain outlet, the second drain outlet, and the water supply outlet are formed on the bottom surface of the flush water tank body in this order in the width direction, and the distance between the center of the second drain outlet and the center of the water supply outlet is shorter than the distance between the center of the first drain outlet and the center of the second drain outlet.

2. A flush water tank device as described in claim 1, wherein the first drain outlet is connected to a rim water conduit that communicates with a rim water outlet provided in the flush toilet body, and the second drain outlet is connected to a jet water conduit that communicates with a jet water outlet provided in the flush toilet body.

3. A flush water tank device as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the following lines is offset from the other two lines: a line passing through the center of the first drain outlet and extending in the width direction of the flush water tank body, a line passing through the center of the second drain outlet and extending in the width direction of the flush water tank body, and a line passing through the center of the water supply port and extending in the width direction of the flush water tank body.

4. 2. A flush water tank apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the center of the first drain outlet and the center of the second drain outlet are located forward of the center line of the flush water tank body in the front-to-rear direction.

5. 3. A flush water tank apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second drain outlet overlaps with the center line of the flush water tank body in the width direction.

6. A flush toilet device that is flushed with flush water stored in a flush water tank, a flush toilet body provided with a bowl portion, a rim spout, and a jet spout; A flush water tank device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which supplies flush water to the rim spout and the jet spout of the flush toilet body; A flush toilet apparatus comprising:

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