Bathtub

Abstract

To provide a bathtub in which a linear member can be arranged at a lower surface side of a bathtub body without applying a load on the linear member and without spoiling strength of leg parts and the bathtub body.SOLUTION: A bathtub comprises: a bathtub body having a planar shape long in one direction; a plurality of leg parts disposed in the lower surface of the bathtub body; long side ribs disposed on the lower surface of the bathtub body, connecting the plurality of leg parts along a long side direction, and having cutout parts permitting insertion of a linear member arranged at the lower surface side of the bathtub body; and short side ribs disposed on the lower surface of the bathtub body, connecting the plurality of leg parts along a short side direction, and having cutout parts permitting insertion of the linear member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to bathtubs. [Background technology]

[0002] A bathtub equipped with a bathtub cleaning device that automatically cleans the inside of the bathtub body by spraying cleaning water from a nozzle installed on the inner bottom surface of the bathtub body has been proposed. The bathtub cleaning device generates cleaning water in the device body installed in the space below the bathtub and supplies it to the nozzle through a pipe installed on the underside of the bathtub body.

[0003] The position of the device body in the space under the bathtub may vary depending on the size and specifications of the bathtub body, etc. Therefore, depending on the installation position of the device body, the piping may bend at an acute angle on the way from the device body to the nozzle, which may put strain on the piping.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, with regard to the arrangement of piping on the underside of the bathtub body, there is known a bathtub in which a through-hole for passing piping is provided in the legs of the bathtub (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-110445 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The legs of a bathtub are the part that is subjected to the greatest stress and require high strength. Therefore, if a through-hole for passing piping is provided in the legs, the strength of the legs may be reduced, which may affect the support function of the bathtub body.

[0007] Typically, multiple ribs are provided on the underside of the bathtub body to connect the legs. The ribs continue through the legs and reinforce the bathtub body. However, if through-holes are provided in the legs to allow piping to pass through, the ribs are divided by the through-holes, and the continuity of the ribs through the legs is interrupted. This reduces the reinforcing effect of the bathtub body. If through-holes are provided in the legs, the structure of the legs becomes complex, and the fixing structure for fixing the legs to the bathtub installation surface also becomes complex.

[0008] The present disclosure aims to provide a bathtub in which a linear member can be placed on the underside of the bathtub body without placing a burden on the linear member or compromising the strength of the legs and the bathtub body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The bathtub disclosed herein comprises a bathtub body having a planar shape that is long in one direction, a plurality of legs provided on the underside of the bathtub body, a long side rib provided on the underside of the bathtub body, connecting the plurality of legs along the long side direction and having a cutout portion through which a linear member arranged on the underside of the bathtub body can be inserted, and a short side rib provided on the underside of the bathtub body, connecting the plurality of legs along the short side direction and having a cutout portion through which the linear member can be inserted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the bathtub from below. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the arrangement of linear members. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the arrangement of linear members. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of a bathtub will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, bathtub 1 has a bathtub body 2, a flange 3, legs 4, and ribs 5. Bathtub 1 is installed in a bathroom unit assembled with a waterproof pan, a washing area floor, wall panels, and a ceiling panel, none of which are shown.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the bathtub body 2 has a planar shape that is long in one direction. When viewed from above in Figure 1, the bathtub body 2 is formed in a roughly rectangular shape that is longer in the left-right direction than the up-down direction in the figure. In the directions shown in each figure, the X1-X2 direction indicates the long side direction of the bathtub 1 and the bathtub body 2. The Y1-Y2 direction indicates the short side direction of the bathtub 1 and the bathtub body 2. In the bathtub 1 of this embodiment, the Y2 direction is the washing area floor side of the bathroom unit.

[0013] A drain outlet 21, a plurality of anti-slip projections 22, and a nozzle 102 for spraying cleaning water are provided on the inner bottom surface 2a of the bathtub body 2. The nozzle 102 is one of the components of the bathtub cleaning device 100 described below.

[0014] The flange portion 3 extends laterally from the upper end of the bathtub body 2, forming the rectangular outer shape of the bathtub 1 in plan view. In the bathtub 1 of this embodiment, a bathtub underspace S is formed below the flange portion 3 and on the back side of the bathtub body 2.

[0015] The legs 4 are respectively arranged near the four corners of the lower surface 2b of the bathtub body 2. In this embodiment, the legs 4 are formed in the shape of a quadrangular prism and protrude downward from the lower surface 2b at a predetermined height.

[0016] The ribs 5 are plate-shaped members that protrude downward from the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2. The ribs 5 extend in the long and short side directions on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, reinforcing the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the rib 5 of this embodiment is composed of long-side ribs 51, 52, short-side ribs 53, 53, an inner rib 54, and an auxiliary rib 55. Of the ribs 5, the long-side ribs 51, 52 and the short-side ribs 53, 53 are positioned on the outermost side of the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 and are provided so as to surround the underside 2b across the four legs 4. The heights of the long-side ribs 51, 52 and the short-side ribs 53, 53 from the underside 2b are the greatest of all the ribs 5.

[0018] The long side ribs 51, 52 are arranged to connect two of the four legs 4 that are spaced apart in the long side direction. The long side rib 51 is arranged on the washing area floor side when the bathtub 1 is installed in the bathroom unit. The long side rib 52 is arranged on the opposite side from the washing area floor. In this embodiment, the long side rib 51 is shifted slightly inward (toward the long side rib 52) near the drain outlet 21 to avoid the drain outlet 21. However, both the long side ribs 51, 52 are continuous and uninterrupted at a constant height between the legs 4, 4. The height of the long side ribs 51, 52 from the underside 2b is slightly lower than the height of the legs 4 from the underside 2b.

[0019] The short-side ribs 53, 53 are provided to connect two of the four legs 4 that are spaced apart in the short-side direction. The short-side ribs 53, 53 extend continuously between the two legs 4, 4 without interruption at the same constant height as the long-side ribs 51, 52.

[0020] The inner ribs 54 are arranged to connect the long side ribs 51 and the long side ribs 52 in the short side direction. By connecting the long side ribs 51, 52, the inner ribs 54 enhance the reinforcing effect of the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2. In this embodiment, four inner ribs 54 that are approximately parallel to the short side ribs 53, 53 are arranged on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2. The four inner ribs 54 are arranged at regular intervals in the long side direction of the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2. The height of the inner ribs 54 from the underside 2b is lower than the height of the long side ribs 51, 52 and the short side ribs 53, 53 from the underside 2b.

[0021] The auxiliary rib 55 is disposed closer to and further inward than the long-side rib 51. The auxiliary rib 55 assists the long-side rib 51 in reinforcing the portion where the long-side cutout portion 6, which will be described later, is provided. The auxiliary rib 55 is provided to connect the legs 4, 4 connected to the long-side rib 51 to the inner ribs 54, 54 closest to the legs 4, 4 along the long side direction. The height of the auxiliary rib 55 from the underside 2b is the same as the height of the inner rib 54 from the underside 2b. Therefore, the height of the auxiliary rib 55 is lower than the height of the long-side rib 51.

[0022] Next, we will explain the bathtub cleaning device 100 installed in the bathtub 1. The bathtub cleaning device 100 has a device main body 101, a nozzle 102, and piping 103. The device main body 101 is installed in the space S under the bathtub. In this embodiment, the device main body 101 is located in the space S under the bathtub on the short side of the bathtub main body 2. The nozzle 102 is provided in approximately the center of the inner bottom surface 2a of the bathtub main body 2. The piping 103 passes through the underside 2b of the bathtub main body 2 and connects the device main body 101 to the nozzle 102. The device main body 101 mixes hot and cold water with a cleaning liquid to generate cleaning water, and supplies the cleaning water to the nozzle 102 via the piping 103. The nozzle 102 sprays the cleaning water supplied from the device main body 101 toward the inner surface of the bathtub main body 2, cleaning the inner surface of the bathtub main body 2.

[0023] The piping 103 in this embodiment is an example of a linear member. One end of the piping 103 in this embodiment is connected to the device body 101 from the washing area floor (not shown). The other end of the piping 103 is introduced from the long side rib 51 side to the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 and is connected to the piping connection part 102a of the nozzle 102 protruding to the underside 2b side.

[0024] The piping 103 is provided between the device body 101 and the nozzle 102, passing through the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, and therefore intersects with either the long-side rib 51 or the short-side ribs 53, 53. In this embodiment, the long-side rib 51 and the short-side ribs 53, 53 each have a cutout portion through which the piping 103 can be inserted.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, long-side rib 51 has long-side cutouts 6, 6 at positions spaced apart in the long-side direction. Long-side cutouts 6 are formed by partially lowering the height of long-side rib 51. Figures 1 to 5 show a state in which piping 103 is inserted through one of the two long-side cutouts 6, 6 of long-side rib 51, specifically, the long-side cutout 6 on the side closer to device body 101 of bathtub cleaning device 100.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the long side cutout 6 is provided in the long side rib 51 at a position located between the leg 4 and the inner rib 54 closest to the leg 4. More specifically, the long side cutout 6 is provided at a position closer to the leg 4 than the inner rib 54 closest to the leg 4. The two long side cutouts 6, 6 have the same configuration and are provided symmetrically with respect to the center of the long side of the bathtub body 2.

[0027] The long-side cutout 6 of this embodiment is provided adjacent to the leg 4. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5 , the edge 61 of the long-side cutout 6 of this embodiment is provided at an angle toward the leg 4. More specifically, the end 61a of the edge 61 on the leg 4 side extends at an angle from the deepest part of the long-side cutout 6 to the lower end surface 41a of the leg 4 that contacts the installation surface F.

[0028] Generally, the long-side ribs 51 are longer than the short-side ribs 53, and therefore are areas that are subject to a large load from the load from the bathtub body 2. For this reason, providing cutouts in the long-side ribs 51 is not ideal in terms of the reinforcing effect of the long-side ribs 51 on the bathtub body 2. However, since the strength of the long-side ribs 51 increases the closer they are to the legs 4, providing the long-side cutouts 6 in a position close to the legs 4 makes it possible to provide cutouts in the long-side ribs 51 that allow the piping 103 to be inserted therethrough while minimizing any reduction in the strength of the long-side ribs 51.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5, the maximum depth d1 of the long side cutout 6 is equal to or greater than the diameter of the piping 103. Therefore, the piping 103 can be inserted through the long side cutout 6 and introduced to the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 without making the legs 4 of the bathtub 1 any higher than necessary. The maximum depth d1 of the long side cutout 6 is the distance from the bathtub installation surface F to the deepest part of the long side cutout 6.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the height of the inner rib 54 and the auxiliary rib 55 is equal to or less than the height d2 of the long side rib 51 at the long side cutout 6. Therefore, on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, the pipe 103 passing through the long side cutout 6 does not interfere with the inner rib 54 and the auxiliary rib 55. The height d2 of the long side rib 51 at the long side cutout 6 is the height of the remaining part of the long side rib 51 that was not cut off.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5, the long-side cutout 6 has a shape obtained by cutting out the long-side rib 51 into a generally trapezoidal shape. Each corner 61b of the edge 61 of the long-side cutout 6 has a tapered or rounded shape along the extension direction of the long-side rib 51 (the left-right direction in Figure 5). This allows the edge 61 of the long-side cutout 6 to smoothly connect from the leg 4 adjacent to the long-side cutout 6 to the long-side rib 51. The long-side cutout 6 does not include any sharp corners that would cause stress to concentrate locally, which also minimizes any reduction in strength of the long-side rib 51 due to the provision of the long-side cutout 6.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each of the short side ribs 53 has a short side cutout 7 formed therein. The short side cutout 7 is formed by partially lowering the height of the short side rib 53. Like the long side cutout 6, the short side cutout 7 allows the piping 103 to be inserted therethrough. The two short side cutouts 7 have the same configuration and are provided symmetrically with respect to the center of the long side of the bathtub body 2.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6, the maximum depth d10 of the short-side cutout 7 is equal to or greater than the diameter of the piping 103. Therefore, the piping 103 can be inserted through the short-side cutout 7 and introduced to the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 without making the legs 4 of the bathtub 1 any higher than necessary. The maximum depth d10 of the short-side cutout 7 is the distance from the bathtub installation surface F to the deepest part of the short-side cutout 7.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, the height of the inner rib 54 is equal to or less than the height d20 of the short-side rib 53 at the short-side cutout 7. Therefore, on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, the pipe 103 that passes through the short-side cutout 7 does not interfere with the inner rib 54. The height d20 of the short-side rib 53 at the short-side cutout 7 is the height of the remaining part of the short-side rib 53 that was not cut off.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, the short-side cutout 7 has a shape obtained by cutting out the short-side rib 53 into a generally trapezoidal shape. Each corner 71a of the edge 71 of the short-side cutout 7 has a tapered or rounded shape along the extension direction of the short-side rib 53 (the left-right direction in Figure 6). This allows the edge 71 of the short-side cutout 7 to smoothly connect to the leg 4 adjacent to the short-side cutout 7 and the short-side rib 53. Because the short-side cutout 7 does not include any sharp corners that would cause stress to concentrate locally, a decrease in the strength of the short-side rib 53 due to the provision of the short-side cutout 7 can be minimized.

[0036] In order to enhance the reinforcing effect of the short side rib 53, an auxiliary rib (not shown) similar to the auxiliary rib 55 may be provided along the short side direction on the inside of the short side rib 53, close to the short side rib 53, so as to connect the legs 4, 4.

[0037] In the bathtub 1 of this embodiment configured as above, the piping 103 is arranged on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 as follows.

[0038] As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the device body 101 of the bathtub cleaning device 100 of this embodiment is installed on the short side of the space under the bathtub S. The pipe 103 connected to the device body 101 is inserted through the long-side cutout 6 of the long-side rib 51 closest to the device body 101 and introduced to the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, where it is connected to the pipe connection part 102a of the nozzle 102 on the underside 2b. The pipe 103 extends from the device body 101 toward the washing area floor (not shown), then smoothly curves along the long-side rib 51 before being inserted into the long-side cutout 6. Therefore, the pipe 103 does not have any portions that need to be bent at an acute angle, and no undue strain is placed on the pipe 103.

[0039] In contrast, when piping 103A, shown by the imaginary line in Figure 7, is inserted from device body 101 through short-side cutout 7 close to device body 101, piping 103A is bent at an acute angle at point P near device body 101. This places an undue strain on piping 103A. That is, when device body 101 of bathtub cleaning device 100 is installed on the short side, as in bathtub 1 of this embodiment, piping 103 can be comfortably positioned on the underside 2b of bathtub body 2 by inserting piping 103 through long-side cutout 6.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8, when device body 101 of bathtub cleaning device 100 is installed on the long side of bathtub under-space S, if pipe 103A, as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 8, is inserted into long-side cutout 6 close to device body 101, pipe 103A will be bent at an acute angle at point P near device body 101. In this case, by inserting pipe 103 into short-side cutout 7, it is possible to guide pipe 103 to pipe connection part 102a while smoothly curving it without placing undue strain on it.

[0041] Thus, with this bathtub 1, when introducing the piping 103 into the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, by selecting either the long side cutout 6 or the short side cutout 7, the piping 103 can be positioned on the underside 2b without placing undue strain on the piping 103. There is no need to provide through holes or the like in the legs 4, and the strength of the ribs 5 is not significantly reduced, so there is no risk of the strength of the bathtub body 2 being compromised.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, a fixing portion 8 for fixing the piping 103 is provided on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2. The fixing portion 8 grips or clamps the piping 103 arranged on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 to fix it, and guides it to the piping connection portion 102a. The fixing portion 8 also functions as a spacer that holds the piping 103 at a predetermined height relative to the underside 2b. The fixing portion 8 holds the piping 103 at a height that does not interfere with the inner rib 54. This allows the piping 103 to be stably positioned on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 without interfering with the inner rib 54.

[0043] A heat insulating material (not shown) may be provided on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2. The piping 103 on the underside 2b side is held at a predetermined height by the fixing part 8, so it is possible to insert a heat insulating material between the underside 2b and the piping 103.

[0044] As described above, the bathtub 1 of this embodiment includes a bathtub body 2 having a planar shape elongated in one direction, multiple legs 4 provided on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, long-side ribs 51 and 52 provided on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 and connecting the multiple legs 4 along the long side, and a short-side rib 53 provided on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 and connecting the multiple legs 4 along the short side. The long-side rib 51 and the short-side rib 53 each have a long-side cutout 6 and a short-side cutout 7 through which the piping 103, a linear member arranged on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, can be inserted. By selecting either the long-side cutout 6 or the short-side cutout 7 when introducing the piping 103 into the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2, the piping 103 can be placed on the underside 2b without placing undue strain on the piping 103. Because there is no need to provide through-holes or the like in the legs 4, there is no risk of reducing the strength of the legs.

[0045] The bathtub 1 of this embodiment further includes an inner rib 54 extending along the short side direction of the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 inside the long side ribs 51, 52 and short side ribs 53. The height of the inner rib 54 is less than the heights d1, d10 of the long side ribs 51 and short side ribs 53 at the locations of the long side cutouts 6 and short side cutouts 7. This allows the piping 103 inserted through either the long side cutouts 6 or the short side cutouts 7 to be positioned on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 without interfering with the inner rib 54.

[0046] The bathtub 1 of this embodiment further includes an auxiliary rib 55 that is provided inside the long-side cutout 6 of the long-side rib 51 and extends along the long-side rib 51. The height of the auxiliary rib 55 is equal to or less than the height d1 of the long-side rib 51 at the location of the long-side cutout 6. This enhances the reinforcing function of the long-side rib 51, which may be reduced by the provision of the long-side cutout 6. Because the height of the auxiliary rib 55 is equal to or less than the height d1 of the long-side rib 51 at the location of the long-side cutout 6, the piping 103 that passes through the long-side cutout 6 can be positioned on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 without interfering with the auxiliary rib 55.

[0047] In this embodiment, the corners 61b, 71a of the edges 61, 71 of the long-side cutout 6 and the short-side cutout 7 have a tapered or rounded shape. As a result, the butterfly cutout 9 and the short-side cutout 7 do not include any sharp corners that would cause stress to concentrate locally, and therefore, reduction in strength of the long-side ribs 51 and the short-side ribs 53 due to the provision of the long-side cutout 6 and the short-side cutout 7 can be minimized.

[0048] The bathtub 1 of this embodiment further includes a fixing part 8 that is provided on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 and fixes the piping 103 at a predetermined height from the underside 2b. This allows the piping 103 to be stably positioned on the underside 2b of the bathtub body 2 without interfering with the inner rib 54 or the like.

[0049] The bathtub 1 of this embodiment further includes a bathtub cleaning device 100 that sprays cleaning water from a nozzle 102 provided on the inner bottom surface 2a of the bathtub main body 2 to clean the inner surface of the bathtub main body 2. The pipe 103 is a pipe for supplying cleaning water to the nozzle 102. This allows the bathtub 1 to easily be equipped with a bathtub cleaning function.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the linear member arranged on the underside 2b of the bathtub main body 2 is the pipe 103 for supplying cleaning water that connects the device main body 101 and the nozzle 102 of the bathtub cleaning device 100. However, the linear member is not limited to this. The linear member may be a wire, a tube, a duct, wiring, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathtub, 2 Bathtub body, 2a Inner bottom surface, 2b Underside, 4 Legs, 6 Long side cutout portion, 7 Short side cutout portion, 8 Fixing portion, 51, 52 Long side rib, 53 Short side rib, 54 Inner rib, 55 Auxiliary rib, 61, 71 Edge portion, 61b, 71a Corner portion, 102 Nozzle, 100 Bathtub cleaning device, 103 Piping (linear member)

Claims

1. A bathtub body having a planar shape that is long in one direction; A plurality of legs provided on the underside of the bathtub body; a long side rib provided on the underside of the bathtub body, connecting the plurality of legs along the long side direction, and having a long side cutout portion through which a linear member arranged on the underside of the bathtub body can be inserted; A short side rib is provided on the underside of the bathtub body, connects the plurality of legs along the short side direction, and has a short side cutout portion through which the linear member can be inserted. In a bathtub, the long side cutout portion is provided offset toward the foot portion along the entire length of the long side rib.

2. An inner rib is further provided on the inside of the long side rib and the short side rib, extending along the short side direction of the underside of the bathtub body, The bathtub according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the inner rib is less than or equal to the height of the long side rib at the location of the long side cutout and the height of the short side rib at the location of the short side cutout.

3. Further, an auxiliary rib is provided inside the long side cutout portion of the long side rib and extends along the long side rib, The bathtub according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the auxiliary rib is equal to or less than the height of the long side rib at the location of the long side cutout portion.

4. The bathtub according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the corners of the edges of the long side cutout portion and the short side cutout portion have a tapered shape or an R shape.

5. The bathtub described in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a fixing portion provided on the underside of the bathtub body and fixing the linear member at a predetermined height from the underside.

6. The bathtub cleaning device further includes a bathtub cleaning device that cleans the inner surface of the bathtub body by spraying cleaning water from a nozzle provided on the inner bottom surface of the bathtub body, The bathtub according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the linear member is a pipe for supplying the cleaning water to the nozzle.

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