Flow adjustment mechanism

Abstract

To provide a flow rate adjusting mechanism capable of smoothly shifting a water discharge amount according to an operation amount of a user to adjust a flow rate with high accuracy without giving discomfort to the user.SOLUTION: A flow rate adjusting mechanism includes: a spindle shaft part; a spindle flow passage part having a first flow rate regulation hole; a flow rate regulation member having a second flow rate regulation hole superimposing on the first flow rate regulation hole; and a bearing part in which the spindle flow passage part can be turnable on the inner peripheral side. The second flow rate regulation hole has such a shape that an area of an opening shape superimposing on the first flow rate regulation hole gradually changes according to turn of the spindle flow passage part, one end side of the area in a turning direction is gradually narrow and the other end side thereof is wide.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a flow rate adjusting mechanism for adjusting a fluid flowing through a flow path to a desired flow rate. [Background technology]

[0002] In residential facilities where water is used in areas such as kitchens, washrooms, and bathrooms, a flow control mechanism equipped with a flow control valve for discharging a desired flow rate is an essential piece of equipment, and various types of flow control mechanisms are used in residential facilities, etc. In a flow rate adjustment mechanism, it is important that the discharge volume desired by the user can be controlled with high precision, and various water faucet devices have been proposed that allow users to perform flow rate adjustment operations without feeling uncomfortable and discharge the desired flow rate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-084864 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a flow rate adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of water discharged from a water faucet device, it is desirable for the user to be able to operate it to accurately discharge the desired flow rate, and it is necessary for the user to be able to adjust the flow rate without feeling uncomfortable with the relationship between the operation feel and the amount of water discharged. In other words, it is desirable for the relationship between the amount of operation and the amount of water discharged to change smoothly, transitioning in an approximately linear manner. However, conventional flow rate adjustment mechanisms have had problems in terms of being configured to smoothly transition the amount of water discharged and accurately adjust the flow rate without causing the user to feel uncomfortable.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a flow control mechanism that can smoothly change the amount of water discharged in accordance with the amount of operation by the user without causing the user to feel uncomfortable, and that is configured to precisely adjust the flow rate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A flow rate adjustment mechanism according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A rotating spindle shaft portion, a spindle flow passage portion that rotates integrally with the spindle shaft portion, has a first flow rate regulation hole that serves as a discharge port, and into which a fluid can flow; a flow rate regulating member having a second flow rate regulating hole overlapping the first flow rate regulating hole; a flow rate adjusting mechanism including: the flow rate regulating member is disposed on an outer periphery side of the spindle flow passage portion; and a bearing portion on an inner periphery side of the spindle flow passage portion such that the spindle flow passage portion can rotate, The area of ​​the opening shape of the second flow rate restriction hole that overlaps with the first flow rate restriction hole gradually changes in response to the rotation of the spindle flow path portion on the inner side of the bearing portion, and has a shape that gradually becomes narrower at one end side in the rotation direction and wider at the other end side. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a highly reliable flow rate adjustment mechanism that allows the amount of water discharged to change smoothly in response to the amount of operation by the user, without causing the user to feel uncomfortable, and that can control the flow rate with high precision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a flow rate adjusting mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a flow rate adjusting portion in a flow rate adjusting mechanism according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a flow rate adjustment valve in a flow rate adjustment mechanism according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a flow rate restricting member used in a flow rate adjustment valve according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 5]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overlapping state of a spindle flow passage portion with respect to a flow rate regulating member in the flow rate adjustment valve according to the first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a modified example of a flow rate restricting member used in a flow rate adjustment valve in the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a modified example of a flow rate restricting member used in a flow rate adjustment valve in the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a comparative example of a flow rate restricting member used in a flow rate adjustment valve. [Figure 9] Graph showing the results of flow rate adjustment capacity experiments using various flow rate control members DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the flow rate adjustment mechanism will be described as a specific embodiment of the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the flow rate adjustment mechanism described in the following embodiment, but includes the configuration of the flow rate adjustment mechanism based on a technology equivalent to the technical idea having the technical features described in the following embodiment.

[0010] In addition, the specific shapes, configurations, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the invention is not limited to the contents of this disclosure. Among the components in the following embodiments, those components that are not described in the independent claims showing the highest concept are described as optional components. In addition, in the drawings, each component may be depicted as a main component in a schematic manner in order to make it easier to understand.

[0011] First, various aspects of the flow rate adjusting mechanism of the present disclosure will be illustrated. The flow rate adjustment mechanism according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes: A rotating spindle shaft portion, a spindle flow passage portion that rotates integrally with the spindle shaft portion, has a first flow rate regulation hole that serves as a discharge port, and into which a fluid can flow; a flow rate regulating member having a second flow rate regulating hole overlapping the first flow rate regulating hole; a flow rate adjusting mechanism including: the flow rate regulating member is disposed on an outer periphery side of the spindle flow passage portion; and a bearing portion on an inner periphery side of the spindle flow passage portion such that the spindle flow passage portion can rotate, The area of ​​the opening shape of the second flow rate restriction hole that overlaps with the first flow rate restriction hole gradually changes in response to the rotation of the spindle flow path portion on the inner side of the bearing portion, and has a shape that gradually becomes narrower at one end side in the rotation direction and wider at the other end side.

[0012] The flow rate control mechanism of the first aspect configured as described above is a highly reliable flow rate control mechanism that allows the water discharge volume to change smoothly in response to the amount of operation by the user without causing any discomfort to the user, and can control the flow rate with high precision.

[0013] A flow rate adjustment mechanism of a second aspect according to the present disclosure is the same as that of the first aspect, wherein the second flow rate regulation hole has a generally triangular shape with rounded corners.

[0014] A flow rate adjustment mechanism of a third aspect according to the present disclosure may be configured in the first or second aspect, such that the second flow rate regulating hole is composed of a plurality of openings, and the overall opening shape of the second flow rate regulating hole has a shape symmetrical with respect to a line extending in the rotational direction of the spindle flow path portion.

[0015] A flow rate adjustment mechanism of a fourth aspect of the present disclosure may be configured in the first or second aspect, such that the second flow rate regulating hole is constituted by a single opening, and the opening shape of the second flow rate regulating hole has a shape symmetrical with respect to a line extending in the rotational direction of the spindle flow path portion.

[0016] The flow rate adjustment mechanism of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, may be configured such that the opening shape of the second flow rate regulating hole has a convex shape with a rounded apex portion on one end side in the rotation direction.

[0017] A flow rate adjustment mechanism of a sixth aspect according to the present disclosure is any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the flow rate restriction member is configured to be detachable from the bearing portion.

[0018] A flow rate adjustment mechanism according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the first flow rate regulation hole formed in the spindle flow path portion is configured by arranging two elliptical shapes side by side with the rotation direction being the longitudinal direction, the second flow rate regulating hole, which cooperates with the first flow rate regulating hole to become a discharge port, is configured with two opening shapes arranged so as to be able to face the first flow rate regulating hole, The opening shape of each of the second flow rate regulating holes may be configured so that the apex portion on one end side in the rotation direction has a rounded convex shape and the other end side has a shape that matches the oval edge of the first flow rate regulating hole when overlapped by rotation.

[0019] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a flow rate adjustment mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a flow rate adjustment mechanism 1 according to a first embodiment used in a bathroom in a housing facility. The flow rate adjustment mechanism 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a cartridge-type replaceable configuration, and includes a temperature adjustment unit 2 that mixes hot water from a flow path from a water heater or the like with cold water from a water pipe, a flow rate adjustment unit 3 that adjusts the discharge amount in a so-called water faucet (including a shower) or the like connected by a pipe, and a water discharge / stop unit 4 that discharges and stops water. In the first embodiment, a configuration including the temperature adjustment unit 2, the flow rate adjustment unit 3, and the water discharge / stop unit 4 will be described as the flow rate adjustment mechanism 1, but the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure may be configured to include at least the flow rate adjustment unit 3, and may also include a configuration that does not include the temperature adjustment unit 2 and / or the water discharge / stop unit 4.

[0020] In the flow rate adjustment mechanism 1 of the first embodiment, the temperature adjustment unit 2 is configured to change the hot and cold water mixing ratio by the rotational movement of the temperature adjustment rotation unit 6, and the flow rate adjustment unit 3 is configured to change the discharge amount by the rotational movement of the rotating flow rate adjustment rotation unit 7. The water discharge / stop unit 4 is configured to switch between discharging and stopping water from the faucet by a push mechanism, and two pressing units 8 and 9 are provided, including one for the shower.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the flow rate adjustment valve 5 of the flow rate adjustment unit 3 in the flow rate adjustment mechanism 1 of the embodiment 1. The flow rate adjustment valve 5 shown in Fig. 2 shows a state in which rotating parts such as an outer case of the flow rate adjustment rotation unit 7 that rotates to adjust the flow rate in the flow rate adjustment unit 3 shown in Fig. 1 have been removed. The flow rate adjustment rotation unit 7 is pivoted at its center to a spindle shaft portion 17, and is configured to adjust the discharge amount from the faucet fitting according to the rotation angle of the spindle shaft portion 17.

[0022] In the flow rate control valve 5 shown in Fig. 2, a spindle unit 18 that rotates together with a spindle shaft portion 17 is provided with a spindle flow path portion 20. The inside of the spindle flow path portion 20 is configured so that hot or cold fluid can flow in the axial direction, and a flow path is formed that connects to a faucet (not shown) through restriction ports 10a, 10b of a flow rate control member 10 described below. The flow rate is adjusted to a desired value by restriction ports 10a, 10b of the flow rate control member 10, and the adjusted hot or cold water is discharged from a faucet connected to the flow rate control valve 5 by a pipeline.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the flow rate adjustment valve 5 is formed with a flow passage opening 14a which serves as a discharge port to the faucet. In order to secure a flow passage from the flow rate adjustment valve 5 to the faucet, O-ring grooves 14b for mounting O-rings 15 (see the exploded view of Fig. 3) are formed on both axial sides of the flow passage opening 14a. That is, the flow passage opening 14a is disposed inside a pipe connected to the faucet. In the first embodiment, the flow passage opening 14a which serves as a discharge port from the flow rate adjustment valve 5 is formed integrally with the outer case 14 which constitutes the external appearance of the flow rate adjustment valve 5 and the O-ring grooves 14b.

[0024] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the flow rate adjustment valve 5. As shown in Fig. 3, the flow rate adjustment valve 5 is shown in a state in which rotating parts such as the outer case of the flow rate adjustment rotation part 7 that rotates to adjust the flow rate have been removed, similar to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, a stopper 11, a lock piece 12, a spring 13, etc. are provided around a spindle shaft part 17 inside the outer case of the flow rate adjustment rotation part 7, and a spindle unit 18 that rotates integrally with the spindle shaft part 17 is held in a desired state inside the outer case 14 and is configured to be rotatable at a desired angle.

[0025] An inner case 16 is disposed on the inner periphery side of the flow passage opening 14a which serves as the discharge port of the flow rate control valve 5, and the flow passage opening 16a formed in the inner case 16 is disposed so as to overlap with the flow passage opening 14a. That is, the flow passage opening 16a formed in the inner case 16 serves as the discharge port of the flow rate control valve 5, similar to the flow passage opening 14a. However, the flow passage opening 16a of the inner case 16 is provided with a flow rate regulating member 10, and the flow passage opening 16a is disposed so that the opening portion of the flow passage opening 16a is covered by the flow rate regulating member 10. A seal member (e.g., an O-ring) 19 is attached to the outer edge of the flow rate regulating member 10, and the gap between the inner edge of the opening portion of the flow passage opening 16a and the outer edge of the flow rate regulating member 10 is reliably sealed by the seal member 19.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the spindle flow passage portion 20 of the spindle unit 18 is disposed on the shaft side, which is the inner periphery side of the flow rate regulating member 10 provided in the inner case 16, and is connected to the inlet of the flow rate adjustment valve 5 (see FIG. 2). The spindle flow passage portion 20 of the spindle unit 18 is rotatably disposed on the inner periphery side of the inner case 16, and the inner case 16 functions as a bearing portion. The spindle flow passage portion 20 of the spindle unit 18, which rotates on the inner periphery side of the flow rate regulating member 10, is formed with a shaft side flow rate regulating hole 20a. The opening shape of the shaft side flow rate regulating hole 20a in the first embodiment is an elliptical shape whose longitudinal direction is the rotation direction (circumferential direction) of the spindle unit 18, and two elliptical shapes are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. The opening shape of the shaft side flow rate regulation hole 20a is not limited to the shape in the first embodiment, and may be one opening shape or multiple opening shapes, taking into consideration the material (characteristics) of the spindle unit 18. The opening shape of the shaft side flow rate regulation hole 20a may be appropriately set according to the opening shape of the holes (bearing side flow rate regulation holes (first regulation port 10a, second regulation port 10b) described later) formed in the flow rate regulation member 10 that cooperates in flow rate control.

[0027] As described above, in the flow control valve 5 of embodiment 1, the spindle unit 18 including the spindle shaft portion 17 and the spindle flow path portion 20 rotates integrally on the inner side of the inner case 16 integrated with the flow regulating member 10, thereby adjusting the flow rate from the flow path opening 14a, which is the discharge port of the flow control valve 5.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the flow rate regulation member 10 used in the flow rate adjustment valve 5 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the flow rate regulation member 10 is formed with two symmetrically arranged openings, namely, bearing-side flow rate regulation holes (first regulation port 10a, second regulation port 10b). The first regulation port 10a and the second regulation port 10b have the same opening shape as a shape symmetrical (line symmetric shape) with respect to a center line L (see FIG. 4), which is a line segment extending in a direction (rotation direction) perpendicular to the rotation axis. In FIG. 4, the opening shape of the first regulation port 10a is a substantially triangular shape with rounded corners. The overall shape of the first regulation port 10a and the second regulation port 10b combined is a substantially isosceles triangle shape. The height direction of the substantially isosceles triangle formed by combining the first regulation port 10a and the second regulation port 10b is the rotation direction of the spindle unit 18.

[0029] The opening shapes of the first restriction port 10a (bearing side flow rate restriction hole) and the second restriction port 10b (bearing side flow rate restriction hole) will be described. In the following description, the opening shape of the first restriction port 10a will be described, and the opening shape of the second restriction port 10b, which has the same shape, will be omitted. In the approximately triangular shape of the first restriction port 10a, the apex part in the height direction (rotation direction) is designated as "A", the oblique side part that is inclined with respect to the rotation direction is designated as "B", and the base part that is perpendicular to the rotation direction is designated as "C". In addition, in the approximately triangular shape of the first restriction port 10a shown in FIG. 4, the opposing part that is the side that faces the second restriction port 10b will be described as "D". Note that the opposing part in the approximately triangular shape of the first restriction port 10a is a part that has a side parallel to the rotation direction.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the first restriction opening 10a has a generally triangular shape formed by curves, and the apex part A has a rounded convex shape that protrudes in the rotation direction. In addition, the corner (corner part) continuing from the hypotenuse part B to the base part B is also formed by a rounded curve. As a result, the apex part A of the generally isosceles triangle formed by combining the first restriction opening 10a and the second restriction opening 10b also has a rounded protruding apex shape.

[0031] In the configuration of the flow rate adjustment valve 5 in the first embodiment, a spindle flow passage section 20 of the spindle unit 18 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the flow rate restriction member 10, and an axis side flow rate restriction hole 20a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical spindle flow passage section 20. Therefore, by rotating the spindle flow passage section 20, the axis side flow rate restriction hole 20a moves with respect to the openings of the first restriction port 10a and the second restriction port 10b of the flow rate restriction member 10, and the overlapping opening portions change, thereby adjusting the flow rate.

[0032] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic overlapping state when the spindle flow passage portion 20 of the spindle unit 18 rotates with respect to the first restriction port 10a and the second restriction port 10b of the flow rate regulating member 10. In the flow rate regulating valve 5 in the first embodiment, the spindle unit 18 is configured to be rotatable by a predetermined angle that is set in advance, and the discharge flow rate is controlled according to the rotation angle.

[0033] Fig. 5 shows, as an example, an overlap state between the shaft side flow rate restriction hole 20a of the spindle flow passage portion 20 and the flow rate restriction member 10 when the spindle unit 18 is rotated by a predetermined angle θ. The state shown on the right side of Fig. 5 shows a fully open state in which the shaft side flow rate restriction hole 20a, the first restriction port 10a, and the second restriction port 10b are completely overlapped. The state shown on the upper side of Fig. 5 shows a state in which a part of the flow rate restriction member 10 overlaps with the shaft side flow rate restriction hole 20a, but the first restriction port 10a and the second restriction port 10b do not overlap with the shaft side flow rate restriction hole 20a, and discharge is restricted.

[0034] The inventors conducted a flow rate adjustment capability experiment using the flow rate adjustment valve 5 configured as described above in embodiment 1. In this experiment, in addition to the flow rate adjustment valve 5 equipped with the flow rate restriction member 10 described in embodiment 1, flow rate adjustment valves 5 equipped with various flow rate restriction members 30, 40, 50 having the opening shapes shown in Figures 6 to 8 were used.

[0035] Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams showing modified examples of the flow rate regulating member 10 shown in Figure 4. In the flow rate regulating members 30 and 40 shown in Figures 6 and 7, similar to the flow rate regulating member 10 shown in Figure 4, the flow rate regulating members 30 and 40 are arranged so as to cover the opening portion of the flow path opening 16a of the inner case 16. In addition, a seal member (e.g., an O-ring) 19 is attached to the outer edge of the flow rate regulating members 30 and 40 for sealing. The difference between the flow rate regulating members 30 and 40 shown in Figures 6 and 7 and the flow rate regulating member 10 shown in Figure 4 is the opening shape of the bearing-side flow rate regulating holes 30a, 40a, 40b.

[0036] The flow rate regulating member 30 shown in Fig. 6 has one regulating port (30a). The opening shape of the bearing-side flow rate regulating hole 30a, which is one regulating port shown in Fig. 6, is a substantially isosceles triangle shape, with the apex part having a rounded convex shape that protrudes in the rotation direction. In other words, the opening shape of the bearing-side flow rate regulating hole 30a is a substantially isosceles triangle shape that combines the first regulating port 10a and the second regulating port 10b shown in Fig. 4, and is a single opening without the opposing portion D of the first regulating port 10a and the second regulating port 10b in Fig. 4.

[0037] The symmetrically formed opening shapes of the first restriction port 40a (bearing-side flow rate restriction hole) and the second restriction port 40b (bearing-side flow rate restriction hole) of the flow rate restriction member 40 shown in Fig. 7 are substantially triangular, similar to the opening shapes of the first restriction port 10a and the second restriction port 10b of the flow rate restriction member 10 shown in Fig. 4. However, the shape of each vertex portion A of the first restriction port 40a and the second restriction port 40b is triangular, with an acute angled vertex shape.

[0038] Furthermore, as a comparative example, a flow rate adjustment ability experiment was conducted using a flow rate regulating member 50 shown in Fig. 8. The flow rate regulating member 50 in Fig. 8 has two regulating ports 50a, 50b arranged side by side, each having a substantially hexagonal opening shape. As shown in Fig. 8, the opening shape of each of the regulating ports 50a, 50b has corners (corner portions) formed at acute angles.

[0039] FIG. 9 is a graph showing the results of a flow rate adjustment capability experiment using the flow rate regulation members 10, 30, 40, and 50 shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8. In FIG. 9, the vertical axis indicates the discharge amount [lit. / min.], and the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle [degrees] of the spindle unit 18. In addition, in the graph of FIG. 9, the solid line indicates the experimental result of the flow rate regulation valve 5 equipped with the flow rate regulation member 10 shown in FIG. 4. The dashed line indicates the experimental result of the flow rate regulation valve 5 equipped with the flow rate regulation member 30 shown in FIG. 6, and the two-dot chain line indicates the experimental result of the flow rate regulation valve 5 equipped with the flow rate regulation member 40 shown in FIG. 7. In addition, in FIG. 9, the dashed line indicates the experimental result of the flow rate regulation valve 5 equipped with the flow rate regulation member 50 shown in FIG. 8 as a comparative example.

[0040] 9, when the flow control valve 5 equipped with the flow rate restricting member 50 of the comparative example shown by the dashed line was used, the discharge amount of about 9.5 lit. / min. remained almost unchanged even when the valve was rotated about 30 degrees from the fully open state of about 30 degrees to 60 degrees. Also, as shown by the dashed line, even when the valve was rotated another 20 degrees to a state of 80 degrees, the discharge amount was about 9 lit. / min., and the reduction rate of the discharge amount did not reach even 10% even when the user rotated the flow control valve 5 nearly half of the total rotation angle.

[0041] On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 4, in a flow rate adjustment capacity experiment using the flow rate adjustment valve 5 in the first embodiment equipped with the flow rate restriction member 10, it was confirmed that the discharge rate gradually decreased by gradually rotating the valve from a fully open state with a rotation angle of about 30 degrees. In particular, at rotation angles between 60 degrees and 90 degrees, which are frequently used by users, the discharge rate changed linearly, and the user was able to adjust the flow rate without feeling uncomfortable.

[0042] In addition, in the graph of Fig. 9, when a flow control valve 5 equipped with the flow control member 30 in Fig. 6 shown by the dashed line was used, and when a flow control valve 5 equipped with the flow control member 40 in Fig. 7 shown by the dashed line was used, more favorable results were obtained than when a flow control valve 5 equipped with the flow control member 50 shown in Fig. 8 of the comparative example was used. In particular, it was confirmed that, at rotation angles between 60 degrees and 90 degrees, which are frequently used by users, even with the configurations of the modified examples shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the discharge amount changes linearly according to the rotation angle, allowing the user to adjust the flow rate without feeling uncomfortable.

[0043] In the configuration of the flow rate control valve 5 in the first embodiment, discharge control according to various specifications can be performed simply by changing the opening shape of the bearing side flow rate control holes 10a, 10b, 30a, 40a, 40b, which are the second flow rate control holes, in the flow rate control members 10, 30, 40. That is, the configuration can be adapted to various flow rate control mechanisms with different specifications simply by changing the opening shape of the bearing side flow rate control holes (second flow rate control holes) 10a, 10b, 30a, 40a, 40b in the flow rate control members 10, 30, 40, without changing the opening shape of the shaft side flow rate control hole (first flow rate control hole) 20a formed in the spindle unit 18, which has a complex rotating configuration.

[0044] The flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure is configured to control the flow rate through each opening depending on the overlap state of the opposing openings of the shaft side flow rate adjustment hole (20a) which is the first flow rate adjustment hole and the bearing side flow rate adjustment hole (10a, 10b, 30a, 40a, 40b) which is the second flow rate adjustment hole. In the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure, the shaft side flow rate adjustment hole rotates with respect to the bearing side flow rate adjustment hole, and the area of ​​the overlapping opening portion gradually changes, thereby controlling the discharge flow rate to a desired discharge amount. In the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure, the opening shape of the shaft side flow rate adjustment hole is formed substantially larger than the opening shape of the bearing side flow rate adjustment hole, and in a fully open state where the shaft side flow rate adjustment hole completely overlaps with the bearing side flow rate adjustment hole, the opening shape of the bearing side flow rate adjustment hole becomes the substantial shape of the discharge port.

[0045] In the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure, the opening shape of the bearing-side flow rate regulation hole (10a, 10b, 30a, 40a, 40b) is gradually narrowed toward one end in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis (rotation direction) and widened toward the other end, forming a substantially triangular shape with rounded corners. As a result, in the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure, the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening that overlaps with the bearing-side flow rate regulation hole changes between large and small as the shaft-side flow rate regulation hole rotates.

[0046] In the flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure, as described in the embodiment, the first flow rate regulation hole (shaft side flow rate regulation hole: 20a) formed in the spindle flow passage portion (20) may be configured as two elliptical shapes arranged side by side with the rotation direction being the longitudinal direction, and the second flow rate regulation hole (bearing side flow rate regulation hole) which cooperates with the first flow rate regulation hole to become the discharge port may be configured as two opening shapes (10a, 10b, 40a, 40b) arranged so as to be able to face the first flow rate regulation hole. In such a configuration, each opening shape of the second flow rate regulation hole may have a convex shape with a rounded apex portion on one end side in the rotation direction, and the other end side may be a shape that matches the edge of the elliptical shape of the first flow rate regulation hole when they overlap due to rotation. In the flow rate adjustment mechanism configured in this manner, it is possible to smoothly change the discharge water volume according to the amount of operation by the user without the user feeling any discomfort.

[0047] Furthermore, in the flow control mechanism of the present disclosure, an example configuration has been shown in which two bearing-side flow regulation holes are formed symmetrically in the flow regulation member. This example configuration makes it possible to increase the rigidity of the flow regulation member compared to a configuration in which one bearing-side flow regulation hole is provided, resulting in a more reliable configuration.

[0048] In the configuration of embodiment 1, an example has been described in which the opening shape of the bearing side flow rate control hole is an approximately triangular shape, but it is also possible to configure the opening shape of the shaft side flow rate control hole to be an approximately triangular shape and perform flow rate control in a similar manner.

[0049] As described above and as an example in the embodiments, the flow rate control mechanism of the present disclosure can smoothly adjust the amount of water discharged in accordance with the amount of operation by the user, without causing the user to feel uncomfortable, and can provide a flow rate control device that can precisely control the discharged flow rate.

[0050] Although the present invention has been described in the embodiments with a certain degree of detail, these configurations are illustrative and the disclosure of the embodiments may vary in the details of the configurations, and the present invention allows substitution, combination, and change in the order of the elements in the embodiments to be realized without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] The flow rate adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure is a plumbing device useful as a residential facility appliance, and has high market value and utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Flow rate adjustment mechanism 2 Temperature adjustment section 3 Flow rate adjustment section 4 Water stop part 5. Flow Control Valve 6 Temperature control rotating part 7 Flow rate adjustment rotating part 10 Flow rate control member 10a 1st regulation port (Bearing side flow regulation hole: 2nd flow regulation hole) 10b 2nd regulation port (Bearing side flow regulation hole: 2nd flow regulation hole) 11 Stopper 12 Rock Piece 13. Spring 14 Outer case 14a Flow passage opening 14b O-ring groove 15 O-ring 16 Inner case (bearing part) 17 Spindle shaft 18 Spindle unit 19 Sealing material (O-ring) 20 Spindle flow passage 20a Shaft side flow rate regulation hole (1st flow rate regulation hole) 30 Flow rate control member 30a Bearing side flow rate regulation hole: 2nd flow rate regulation hole 40 Flow control member 40a Bearing side flow rate regulation hole: 2nd flow rate regulation hole

Claims

1. A rotating spindle shaft portion; a spindle flow passage portion that rotates integrally with the spindle shaft portion, has a first flow rate regulation hole that serves as a discharge port, and into which a fluid can flow; a flow rate regulating member having a second flow rate regulating hole overlapping the first flow rate regulating hole; a flow rate adjusting mechanism including: the flow rate regulating member is disposed on an outer periphery side of the spindle flow passage portion; and a bearing portion on an inner periphery side of the spindle flow passage portion such that the spindle flow passage portion can rotate, the second flow rate regulating hole has an opening shape in which an area thereof overlaps with the first flow rate regulating hole gradually changes in response to rotation of the spindle flow passage portion on the inner peripheral side of the bearing portion, and has a shape which gradually becomes narrower on one end side in a rotation direction and wider on the other end side, a flow rate adjustment mechanism in which the second flow rate regulating hole is a substantially triangular opening having a vertex portion in the rotation direction and a hypotenuse portion inclined with respect to the rotation direction, and the vertex portion has a convex shape protruding in the rotation direction such that the angle of inclination of the central portion of the hypotenuse portion with respect to the rotation direction is greater than the angle of inclination of the hypotenuse portion with respect to the rotation direction at a portion of the hypotenuse portion closer to the vertex portion than to the central portion.

2. 2. The flow control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second flow rate regulating hole is composed of two of the approximately triangular openings arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction, and the two openings are arranged so that their vertices face the same direction in the rotation direction and their opposing portions, which are opposing sides, are parallel to the rotation direction.

3. A flow control mechanism as described in claim 2, wherein the two openings have symmetrical shapes with respect to a line extending in the rotation direction.

4. 2. The flow rate adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second flow rate regulating hole is constituted by a single opening having the approximately triangular shape, and the opening of the second flow rate regulating hole has a shape symmetrical with respect to a line extending in the rotation direction.

5. A flow control mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first flow regulating hole has two oval-shaped openings whose rotation direction is the longitudinal direction.

6. The flow rate adjusting mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the flow rate restricting member is configured to be detachable from the bearing portion.

7. the first flow rate regulating hole formed in the spindle flow passage portion is configured by two oval-shaped holes arranged side by side, the rotation direction being the longitudinal direction, the second flow rate regulating hole, which cooperates with the first flow rate regulating hole to become a discharge port, is composed of the two openings of the approximately triangular shape arranged so as to be able to face the first flow rate regulating hole, 4. The flow control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the two openings of the second flow rate regulating hole have the convex shape with the apex portion protruding in a rounded manner, and the other end side is configured to have a shape that matches the oval edge of the first flow rate regulating hole when they are rotated to overlap.

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