Overhead shower system

Abstract

This invention provides an overhead shower system in which an aesthetically pleasing shower head is connected to a fixed piping section via a ball joint in a watertight manner. [Solution] This overhead shower device 1 has a shower head 3 connected to a supply pipe 2 fixed inside the bathroom by a ball joint 10, maintaining a watertight seal. The ball member 6 of the ball joint 10 is disposed at the end of the supply pipe 2. The shower head 3 has a cover 4 that houses the ball covering member 7 of the ball joint 10. The cover 4 is shaped to smoothly connect from the part housing the ball covering member 7 to the outer diameter part of the supply pipe 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an overhead shower device.

Background Art

[0002] In an overhead shower device, the shower head is connected to a fixed piping portion via a ball joint in a watertight state so that the direction of the discharged hot water can be changed, and the angle can be changed. In the overhead shower device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a member having a spherical portion with a flow hole formed therein is connected to the end of a pipe fixed to the bathroom wall surface, and the shower head is configured to rotate around the axis of this member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the overhead shower device described in Patent Document 1 above, a bellows-shaped cover is provided to improve the appearance of the connection portion between the member having a spherical portion and the shower head. In order to improve the appearance, it has been desired to provide a structure that improves the appearance of the connection portion between the member having a spherical portion and the shower head without using this cover.

[0005] In view of such a demand, an object of the present invention is to provide an overhead shower device in which a shower head with a good appearance is connected to a fixed piping portion via a ball joint in a watertight state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first invention of the present invention is an overhead shower device in which a shower head is connected to a pipe fixed in a bathroom by a ball joint while maintaining a watertight state, wherein the ball portion of the ball joint is disposed at the end of the pipe, and a cover that houses the ball covering portion of the ball joint is disposed on the shower head, and the cover is formed in a shape that smoothly connects from the portion housing the ball covering portion to the outer diameter portion of the pipe.

[0007] According to the first invention, since the cover is formed in a shape that smoothly connects from the part containing the ball covering to the outer diameter part of the pipe, the stepped portion between the ball covering and the outer diameter part of the pipe is hidden, improving the appearance.

[0008] The second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention described above, the cover is formed in a substantially conical shape that covers the shower head and the ball covering portion, and the ball covering portion is built into the part of the cover that is closer to the shower head side than the end of the cover that is on the pipe side.

[0009] According to the second invention, the cover is formed in a substantially conical shape that covers the shower head and the ball covering portion, so that it can smoothly and aesthetically cover the shower head from the end of the pipe. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of an overhead shower device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. The shower head is shown in a horizontal position. [Figure 2] This is a magnified view of section II of Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the overhead shower device in the above embodiment. It shows the state when the shower head is tilted. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] An overhead shower device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the following description, explanations regarding direction will be based on the up and down directions shown in each figure.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the overhead shower device 1 is a device installed in a bathroom R that showers the user from above, enveloping their entire body. The overhead shower device 1 includes a supply pipe 2 fixed to the ceiling, a shower head 3, a ball joint 10 connecting the end of the supply pipe 2 to the shower head 3, and a cover 4 covering the ball joint 10 and the shower head 3. Here, the supply pipe 2 corresponds to the "pipe" in the claims.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the supply pipe 2 is a pipe through which temperature-controlled hot water flows, and it connects the upstream mixing faucet (not shown) and the downstream shower head 3 while maintaining a watertight seal. The downstream end of the supply pipe 2 is open downwards, and a substantially cylindrical connecting member 5 is fitted inside. The outer surface of the connecting member 5 abuts against the inner surface of the supply pipe 2, and the inner surface of the connecting member 5 has an upper small-diameter surface portion 51 and a lower small-diameter surface portion 51 with a larger diameter female thread portion 52.

[0014] The ball joint 10 includes a ball member 6 that is attached to the connecting member 5 by screwing, and a ball covering member 7 that is attached so as to cover the spherical portion 64 of the ball member 6. Here, the ball member 6 and the ball covering member 7 correspond to the "ball portion" and "ball covering portion" in the claims, respectively.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the ball member 6 is a substantially cylindrical member through which hot water can pass in its inner diameter portion. The outer diameter portion of the ball member 6 has, from top to bottom, a small outer diameter portion 61, a male thread portion 62 which is larger in diameter than the small outer diameter portion 61, a large outer diameter portion 63 which is approximately the same diameter as the male thread portion 62, and a spherical portion 64 which is larger in diameter than the large outer diameter portion 63. The axial dimensions of the combined portion of the small outer diameter portion 61 and the male thread portion 62, the axial dimensions of the large outer diameter portion 63, and the axial dimensions of the spherical portion 64 are set to be approximately the same. The inner diameter portion of the ball member 6 has a small inner diameter portion 65 with a circular cross-section in the area corresponding to the small outer diameter portion 61 and the male thread portion 62, a large inner diameter portion 66 with a circular cross-section in the area corresponding to the large outer diameter portion 63 and the upper part of the spherical portion 64, and a hexagonal portion 67 with a hexagonal cross-section in the area corresponding to the lower part of the spherical portion 64. The small inner diameter portion 65, the large inner diameter portion 66, and the hexagonal portion 67 share the same central axis, axis CA. When the ball member 6 is attached to the supply pipe 2, axis CA coincides with the central axis of the supply pipe 2. The small outer diameter portion 61 has an O-ring groove 68 for positioning an O-ring 69. The hexagonal portion 67 is a part for inserting a hex wrench and rotating the ball member 6 when attaching it to the connecting member 5.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the ball covering member 7 is a substantially cylindrical member with axis CA as its central axis, and has an upper part 71 that fits over the spherical part 64 of the upper ball member 6, a lower part 72 that is connected to the upper end of the connecting pipe 31 of the lower shower head 3, and a partition wall 73 that separates the upper part 71 and the lower part 72. The axial dimensions of the upper part 71 and the lower part 72 are substantially the same. A sliding contact surface 74 that slides against the outer surface of the spherical part 64 is formed on the upper end side of the inner diameter portion of the upper part 71, and an annular first packing 76 made of hard rubber is fitted onto the lower end side of the inner diameter portion of the upper part 71, which has a lower sliding contact surface 75 that slides against the outer surface of the spherical part 64, continuous with the sliding contact surface 74. A male threaded portion 77 is formed on the lower end side of the outer diameter portion of the upper part 71. At the upper end of the inner diameter portion of the lower part 72, a female threaded portion 79 is formed that screws into the male threaded portion 36 of the connecting pipe 31 of the shower head 3. A through hole 78 with a hexagonal cross-section centered on the axis CA is formed in the partition wall portion 73. An annular hard rubber second packing 8 is disposed on the upper side of the upper part 71, having an upper sliding contact surface portion 81 that slides in contact with the outer surface of the spherical portion 64, continuous with the sliding contact surface portion 74. When the ball covering member 7 is attached to the cover 4, which will be described later, the second packing 8 is pressed against the upper side surface of the upper part 71. The upper sliding contact surface portion 81, sliding contact surface portion 74, and lower sliding contact surface portion 75 of the pressed second packing 8 connect the ball covering member 7 to the spherical portion 64 of the ball member 6 in a watertight state, allowing it to rotate 360° around the axis CA and tilt relative to the axis CA.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the shower head 3 is disc-shaped and discharges hot water supplied through the connecting pipe 31 downwards. More specifically, the shower head 3 is formed in a low cylindrical shape and has a structure in which an upper plate 32, which is the upper bottom surface, and a lower plate 33, which is the lower bottom surface, are connected by vertical walls 34, which are the sides. A cylindrical connecting pipe 31 is placed in the center of the upper plate 32 and communicates with the internal space enclosed by the upper plate 32, the lower plate 33, and the vertical walls 34. As a result, the hot water supplied through the connecting pipe 31 is discharged downwards in a shower state from multiple through holes 35 provided in the lower plate 33. A male threaded portion 36 is formed on the outer cylindrical portion at the upper end of the connecting pipe 31, which screws into the female threaded portion 79 of the ball covering member 7 (see Figure 2).

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cover 4 is a metal member with a substantially conical shell structure, having a lower opening 42 on the bottom side and an upper opening 43 on the apex side. The outer diameter of the outer circumference of the upper opening 43 is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the supply pipe 2. A cylindrical connecting tube portion 41 extending downward is formed on the lower inner surface of the upper opening 43. A female thread portion 48 that screws into the male thread portion 77 of the ball covering member 7 is formed on the inner diameter portion of the connecting tube portion 41. The upper inner diameter portion of the connecting tube portion 41 has a first inner diameter portion 44, a second inner diameter portion 45, and a third inner diameter portion 46 formed from top to bottom. The inner diameters of the first inner diameter portion 44, the second inner diameter portion 45, and the third inner diameter portion 46 are set to increase in this order, and a step portion 47 is formed between the second inner diameter portion 45 and the third inner diameter portion 46. The inner diameter of the first inner diameter portion 44 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the large outer diameter portion 63 of the ball member 6, and gaps are formed between the large outer diameter portion 63 and the first inner diameter portion 44, and between the large outer diameter portion 63 and the second inner diameter portion 45. The shower head 3 is inserted into the upper inner surface through the lower opening 42 and positioned therein.

[0019] The assembly procedure for the overhead shower device 1 will be explained based on Figures 1 and 2. First, the second packing 8 is inserted into the connecting cylinder portion 41 of the cover 4, and with it in contact with the stepped portion 47, the upper part 71 of the ball covering member 7 is inserted from below. Then, the male threaded portion 77 of the ball covering member 7 is tightened against the female threaded portion 48 of the connecting cylinder portion 41. In parallel, the connecting member 5 is fitted onto the downstream end of the supply pipe 2. Next, with the O-ring 69 fitted into the O-ring groove 68 of the ball member 6, the small outer diameter portion 61 of the ball member 6 is inserted into the small diameter surface portion 51 of the connecting member 5, and the male threaded portion 62 is tightened against the female threaded portion 52. This fixes the ball member 6 to the downstream end of the supply pipe 2. In this state, the upper part 71 of the ball covering member 7, which is fixed to the cover 4 together with the cover 4, is pressed from below against the spherical portion 64 of the ball member 6. Then, the second packing 8 and the sliding contact surface 74 are compressed and deformed radially, allowing them to pass through the spherical portion 64, and then they return to their original state, positioning the spherical portion 64 inside the upper part 71 of the ball covering member 7. Finally, the shower head 3 is attached to the lower part 72 of the ball covering member 7, which is fixed to the cover 4. Specifically, the shower head 3 is inserted into the upper inner side from the lower opening 42 of the cover 4, and the male threaded portion 36 of the connecting pipe 31 is tightened against the female threaded portion 79 of the ball covering member 7. In this assembled state, the upper end of the cover 4 and the lower end of the supply pipe 2 are smoothly connected with a small gap in the vertical direction, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Furthermore, due to the vertical gap between the upper end of the cover 4 and the lower end of the supply pipe 2, and the gap between the first inner diameter portion 44 and the second inner diameter portion 45 and the large outer diameter portion 63 of the ball member 6, the cover 4 can rotate 360° around axis CA and tilt relative to axis CA while maintaining a watertight state with respect to the lower end of the supply pipe 2. Figure 3 shows the cover 4 tilted relative to axis CA.

[0020] The present embodiment configured as described above has the following effects. Since the cover 4 is formed in a shape that smoothly connects from the portion containing the ball covering member 7 to the outer diameter portion of the lower end of the supply pipe 2, the large outer diameter portion 63 of the ball member 6, which is a stepped portion between the ball covering member 7 and the outer diameter portion of the lower end of the supply pipe 2, is hidden, and the appearance can be improved.

[0021] Further, since the cover 4 is formed in a substantially conical shape that covers the shower head 3 and the ball covering member 7, it can smoothly and beautifully cover from the lower end of the supply pipe 2 to the shower head 3.

[0022] Although the specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to their appearance and configuration, and various changes, additions, and deletions are possible without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, the following are examples.

[0023] 1. In the above embodiment, the cover 4 is configured as a metal member, but it may be made of resin. In particular, if it is made of a flexible resin, the angle at which the cover 4 is tilted with respect to the axis CA can be increased.

[0024] 2. In the above embodiment, the vertical dimension of the connecting pipe 31 is set to about four times the vertical dimension of the lower part 72 of the ball covering member 7, but it is not limited to this, and it may be made shorter or longer than four times. As a result, the height of the conical shape of the cover 4 will be different.

[0025] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims rather than the description of the above embodiments, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims are included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0026] 1 Overhead shower device, 2 Supply pipe (pipe), 3 Shower head, 4 cover, 5 connecting member, 6 ball member (ball part), 7 ball covering member (ball covering part), 10 ball joint, 63 large outer diameter part, 64 spherical part, 71 upper part, 72 Lower part, 73 Partition wall part, 74 Sliding surface part, CA axis, R bathroom

Claims

1. An overhead shower system in which a shower head is connected to a pipe fixed inside the bathroom by a ball joint while maintaining a watertight seal, The ball portion of the ball joint is disposed at the end of the pipe. The shower head is provided with a cover that houses the ball covering portion of the ball joint. The cover is formed in a shape that smoothly connects from the portion containing the ball covering to the outer diameter portion of the pipe in the overhead shower device.

2. In claim 1, The cover is formed in a substantially conical shape that covers the shower head and the ball covering portion. The ball covering portion is built into the overhead shower device in a part of the cover that is closer to the shower head side than the end of the cover on the pipe side.

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