Water discharge device

Abstract

To provide a water discharge device that can realize water discharge desired by a user, and improve quality of water discharge.SOLUTION: A water discharge device comprises a pump 3 for circulating and pumping bathtub water (water of a bathtub), a first flow passage 41 (a flow passage) connected downstream of the pump 3, a first selection valve 51 (a selection valve) for causing the bathtub water flowing through the first flow passage 41, to flow into one or more flow passages selected out of a second flow passage 42 and a third flow passage 43 (a plurality of flow passages), and a first flow rate adjustment valve 61 (a flow rate adjustment valve) and a second flow rate adjustment valve 62 (a flow rate adjustment valve) provided in the second flow passage 42 and the third flow passage 43, and for adjusting flow rates in the flow passages.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a water discharge device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a water discharge device that circulates water in a bathtub and applies it to multiple parts of the body such as the bather's shoulders and waist to provide a massage effect (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this specification, "water" is used as a term that includes cold water and warm water (hot water). In such a water discharge device, when discharging water from one pump to the bather's shoulders and waist, the flow path downstream of the pump is branched into a flow path for discharging water to the shoulders and a flow path for discharging water to the waist, and each of the branched flow paths is provided with a valve for opening and closing the flow path. When discharging water only to the shoulders, the valve of the shoulder flow path is opened and the valve of the waist flow path is closed, when discharging water only to the waist, the valve of the waist flow path is opened and the valve of the shoulder flow path is closed, and when discharging water to both the shoulders and the waist, both the valve of the shoulder flow path and the valve of the waist flow path are opened. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-181666 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of water discharge device, when water is being discharged from both the shoulders and the waist, if the user switches to discharging water only from one of the two (for example, only from the shoulders), the valve of one of the flow paths (the shoulders) is left open and the valve of the other flow path (the waist) is closed. Therefore, when the valve of the other flow path is closed, a lot of bath water flows into one of the flow paths. This increases the amount of water discharged from one of the flow paths, which can make the user feel uncomfortable.

[0005] In such a water discharge device, the output of the pump is adjusted to adjust the amount of water discharged. However, when water is discharged from both the shoulders and the waist, the valves of both flow paths are open, so it is not possible to adjust the amount of water discharged from only one of them. This may result in the water discharge desired by the user not being achieved.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a water discharge device that can achieve the water discharge desired by a user and improve the quality of the water discharge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the water discharge device according to the present disclosure includes a pump that circulates and pumps water in a bathtub, was pumped from A selection valve for allowing the water in the bathtub to flow into one or more selected flow paths among a plurality of flow paths; and a flow rate adjustment valve provided in the plurality of flow paths for adjusting the flow rate of the flow paths. and a control unit that controls the flow rate of the pump, the selection valve, and the flow rate adjustment valve, and water is discharged from the multiple flow paths, and when the amount of water discharged from any of the multiple flow paths is changed, the control unit controls the flow rate of the pump, the selection valve, and the flow rate adjustment valve so that the amount of water discharged from the other flow paths does not change. . [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a water discharge device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a water discharge device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a ball valve in an open state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a ball valve in an open state. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 shows a ball valve in a closed state. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 illustrates a ball valve in a small open state. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a water discharge device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a water discharge device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (First embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, the water discharge device 1 according to the first embodiment is installed in a bathtub 2 and is configured to circulate water stored in the bathtub 2 and discharge water onto the shoulders and waist of a bather 11. Hereinafter, the water stored in the bathtub 2 and sprayed onto the bather 11 by the water discharge device 1 will be referred to as "bathtub water 21". The water discharge device 1 has a shoulder water discharge port 31 that discharges the bathtub water 21 onto the shoulders of the bather 11, and a waist water discharge port 32 that discharges the bathtub water 21 onto the waist of the bather 11. The shoulder water discharge port 31 is located above the water level 22 of the bathtub 2. The waist water discharge port 32 is located below the water level 22 of the bathtub 2. The shoulder water discharge port 31 is formed in the shape of a slit extending in the horizontal direction, and discharges the bathtub water 21 in the form of a film. The waist water discharge port 32 is formed in the shape of a round hole, and sprays the bathtub water 21 in a linear shape. A plurality of waist water discharge ports 32 may be provided. Hereinafter, water discharged from the shoulder outlet 31 may be referred to as "shoulder outlet," and water discharged from the waist outlet 32 ​​may be referred to as "waist outlet."

[0010] As shown in Fig. 2, the water discharge device 1 has a pump 3 for pumping bath water 21, a first flow path 41 connected downstream of the pump 3, a first selection valve 51 connected downstream of the first flow path 41, a second flow path 42 and a third flow path 43 connected downstream of the first selection valve 51 and branching through the first selection valve 51, a first flow control valve 61 provided in the second flow path 42, a second flow control valve 62 provided in the third flow path 43, and a control unit 35 for controlling the pump 3, the first selection valve 51, the first flow control valve 61, and the second flow control valve 62. The second flow path 42 is connected to the shoulder outlet 31. The third flow path 43 is connected to the waist outlet 32. The first flow path 41 to the third flow path 43 are all pipe bodies.

[0011] The first selection valve 51 is a three-way valve. The first selection valve 51 is configured to be switchable between a mode in which the bath water 21 from the first flow path 41 flows only to the second flow path 42 (shoulder-spouting mode), a mode in which the bath water 21 flows only to the third flow path 43 (waist-spouting mode), and a mode in which the bath water 21 flows both to the second flow path 42 and the third flow path 43 (shoulder-waist-spouting mode).

[0012] The first flow rate adjustment valve 61 is configured to be able to adjust the flow rate flowing from the first flow path 41 to the second flow path 42. The first flow rate adjustment valve 61 employs, for example, a ball valve 7, and adjusts the flow rate of the second flow path 42 by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve body. This adjusts the amount of water (flow rate) discharged from the shoulder spout 31.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3, the ball valve 7 has a valve box 71 and a valve element 72 rotatably supported by the valve box 71. The valve element 72 is formed with a through hole 73 through which the bath water 21 passes. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in the ball valve 7, the axial direction of the through hole 73 (the direction of the arrow B in the figure) is the flow direction of the bath water 21 (the direction of the arrow A in the figure), and when the valve element 72 is arranged so that the through hole 73 faces upstream, the bath water 21 flows into the through hole 73 and flows downstream of the ball valve 7. This state is called the open state.

[0014] 5, when valve body 72 is positioned so that the axis of through hole 73 is perpendicular to the flow direction of bath water 21, through hole 73 does not open in the flow direction of bath water 21, and the part of valve body 72 where through hole 73 is not formed faces the flow direction of bath water 21, bath water 21 does not flow into through hole 73 and does not flow downstream of ball valve 7. This state is called the closed state.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 6, the through hole 73 opens in the direction of flow of the bath water 21. When the valve body 72 is arranged so that the axis direction of the through hole 73 is oblique to the direction of flow of the bath water 21, a smaller amount of bath water 21 flows into the through hole 73 than in the open state and flows downstream of the ball valve 7. In this state, the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 as seen from the direction of flow of the bath water 21 (area in the range of the arrow 731 in FIG. 6) is smaller than the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 as seen from the direction of flow of the bath water 21 in the open state (area in the range of the arrow 731 in FIG. 4). This state is called a small amount open state. The flow rate passing through the ball valve 7 is proportional to the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 as seen from the direction of flow of the bath water 21. Hereinafter, the "opening area of ​​the through hole 73 as seen from the direction of flow of the bath water 21" will be referred to as the "opening area of ​​the through hole 73."

[0016] 2, when adjusting the flow rate to a desired value with the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62, the angle of the valve body 72 is adjusted to adjust the value of the opening area of ​​the through hole 73. For example, when the flow rate is to be 50% of the flow rate in the open state, the angle of the valve body 72 is adjusted so that the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 is 50% of the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 in the open state. The ratio of the flow rate of the first flow path 41 to the flow rate of the second flow path 42 is the same value as the ratio of the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62.

[0017] The second flow rate adjustment valve 62 is configured to be able to adjust the flow rate flowing from the first flow path 41 to the third flow path 43. The second flow rate adjustment valve 62 employs, for example, a ball valve 7, and adjusts the flow rate of the third flow path 43 by adjusting the rotation angle of a valve body 72. This adjusts the amount of water (flow rate) discharged from the waist spout 32. The second flow rate adjustment valve 62 employs a ball valve 7 similar to that of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61.

[0018] In the water discharge device 1, bath water 21 (see Figure 1) pressurized by pump 3 flows into first flow path 41 and reaches first selection valve 51, and depending on the switching of first selection valve 51, it flows into either second flow path 42 only, third flow path 43 only, or both second flow path 42 and third flow path 43.

[0019] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder discharge mode and the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 is controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 flows only into the second flow path 42, and only shoulder discharge is performed. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the waist discharge mode and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62 is controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 flows only into the third flow path 43, and only waist discharge is performed. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder and waist discharge mode, the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 is controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62 is controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 flows into the second flow path 42 and the third flow path 43, and both shoulder discharge and waist discharge are performed. The amount of water discharged from the shoulder discharge port 31 and the waist discharge port 32 is adjusted by adjusting the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62.

[0020] When both shoulder and waist water discharge are being performed, and waist water discharge is to be stopped and only shoulder water discharge is to be performed, the following control is performed. The first selection valve 51 is set to shoulder water discharge mode, and the output of the pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate discharged from the pump 3. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 60 L / min and the flow rate of shoulder water discharge and the flow rate of waist water discharge are each 30 L / min, to perform only shoulder water discharge, the first selection valve 51 is set to shoulder water discharge mode, and the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is set to 30 L / min. This makes it possible to stop waist water discharge while maintaining the flow rate of shoulder water at 30 L / min.

[0021] When both shoulder and waist discharge are being performed, the flow rate of the waist discharge is reduced while the flow rate of the shoulder discharge is maintained at the same level, as follows. The mode of the first selection valve 51 is not changed, and the ratio of the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the first flow rate control valve 61 and the second flow rate control valve 62 is adjusted, and the output of the pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate of water discharged from the pump 3. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 60 L / min and the flow rates of the shoulder discharge and waist discharge are each 30 L / min, to set the flow rate of the shoulder discharge to 30 L / min and the flow rate of the waist discharge to 10 L / min, the ratio of the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the first flow rate control valve 61 and the second flow rate control valve 62 is set to 3:1, and the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is set to 40 L / min. This makes it possible to reduce the flow rate of the waist discharge to 10 L / min while maintaining the flow rate of the shoulder discharge at 30 L / min.

[0022] The water discharge device 1 according to the above embodiment is provided with flow rate adjustment valves (first flow rate adjustment valve 61, second flow rate adjustment valve 62) in the second flow path 42 and the third flow path 43 downstream of the first selection valve 51. When it is desired to reduce the waist discharge from a state in which both shoulder discharge and waist discharge are being performed, the ratio of the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate of water discharged from the pump 3. This allows the flow rate of waist discharge to be reduced while maintaining the same flow rate of shoulder discharge. In this way, when increasing or decreasing the flow rate of one of the two flow paths, the water discharge device 1 according to the above embodiment can increase or decrease the flow rate of one of the two flow paths while maintaining the flow rate of the other flow path. Therefore, when increasing or decreasing the flow rate of one flow path, the user does not feel a sense of discomfort due to the increase or decrease in the flow rate of the other flow path. As a result, the water discharge desired by the user can be realized, and the quality of the water discharge can be improved.

[0023] The water discharge device 1 according to the above embodiment is provided with a first selection valve 51. When both shoulder discharge and waist discharge are performed and waist discharge is stopped and only shoulder discharge is performed, the following control is performed. The first selection valve 51 is set to shoulder discharge mode, and the output of the pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate discharged from the pump 3. This makes it possible to stop waist discharge while maintaining the flow rate of shoulder discharge. In this way, when stopping water discharge from one of the two flow paths, the water discharge device 1 according to the above embodiment can stop water discharge from one flow path while maintaining the flow rate of the other flow path. Therefore, when stopping water discharge from one flow path, the user does not feel uncomfortable because the flow rate of the other flow path increases. As a result, it is possible to realize the water discharge desired by the user and improve the quality of the water discharge.

[0024] Second embodiment Another embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The same or similar members and parts as those of the first embodiment described above will be designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted, and configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the water discharger 1B according to the second embodiment has, in addition to the shoulder water outlet 31 and the waist water outlet 32, a neck water outlet 33 that discharges bathtub water 21 (see FIG. 1) onto the neck of the bather 11 (see FIG. 1). The neck water outlet 33 is located above the water level 22 of the bathtub 2. Hereinafter, the water discharged from the neck water outlet 33 may be referred to as "neck water."

[0025] The water discharge device 1B has a pump 3 that pressurizes bath water 21, a first flow path 41 connected downstream of the pump 3, a first selection valve 51 connected downstream of the first flow path 41, a second flow path 42B and a third flow path 43B connected downstream of the first selection valve 51 and branching off via the first selection valve 51, a second selection valve 52 connected downstream of the second flow path 42B, a fourth flow path 44 and a fifth flow path 45 connected downstream of the second selection valve 52 and branching off via the second selection valve 52, a first flow control valve 61B provided in the fourth flow path 44, a second flow control valve 62B provided in the fifth flow path 45, a third flow control valve 63 provided in the third flow path 43B, and a control unit 35 (see Figure 1) that controls the pump 3, the first selection valve 51, the second selection valve 52, the first flow control valve 61B, the second flow control valve 62B and the third flow control valve 63. The fourth flow path 44 is connected to the shoulder spout 31. The fifth flow path 45 is connected to the neck spout 33. The third flow path 43B is connected to the waist spout 32. All of the first flow path 41 to the fifth flow path 45 are tubular bodies.

[0026] The first selection valve 51 and the second selection valve 52 are three-way valves similar to the first selection valve 51 of the first embodiment. The first selection valve 51 is configured to be switchable between a mode in which the bath water 21 from the first flow path 41 flows only to the second flow path 42B (first shoulder / neck discharge mode), a mode in which the bath water 21 flows only to the third flow path 43B (waist discharge mode), and a mode in which the bath water flows both to the second flow path 42B and the third flow path 43B (shoulder / neck / waist discharge mode). The second selection valve 52 is configured to be switchable between a mode in which the bath water 21 from the second flow path 42B flows only to the fourth flow path 44 (shoulder discharge mode), a mode in which the bath water 21 flows only to the fifth flow path 45 (neck discharge mode), and a mode in which the bath water flows both to the fourth flow path 44 and the fifth flow path 45 (second shoulder / neck discharge mode).

[0027] The first flow rate adjustment valve 61B is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 that flows downstream from the second flow path 42B into the fourth flow path 44. The second flow rate adjustment valve 62B is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 that flows downstream from the second flow path 42B into the fifth flow path 45. The third flow rate adjustment valve 63 is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 that flows downstream from the first flow path 41 into the third flow path 43B. The first flow rate adjustment valve 61B, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62B, and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63 are configured in the same way as the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62 of the first embodiment, and for example, a ball valve 7 similar to that of the first embodiment is used.

[0028] In the water discharge device 1B, bath water 21 pumped from pump 3 flows into first flow path 41 and reaches first selection valve 51, and depending on the switching of first selection valve 51, it flows into either second flow path 42B only, third flow path 43B only, or both second flow path 42B and third flow path 43B. Bath water 21 that flows into second flow path 42B reaches second selection valve 52, and depending on the switching of second selection valve 52, it flows into either fourth flow path 44 only, fifth flow path 45 only, or both fourth flow path 44 and fifth flow path 45.

[0029] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first shoulder / neck discharge mode, the second selection valve 52 is controlled to the shoulder discharge mode, and the first flow rate adjustment valve 61B is controlled to be in the open state or in the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42B and the fourth flow path 44 to be discharged to the shoulders. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first shoulder / neck discharge mode, the second selection valve 52 is controlled to the neck discharge mode, and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62B is controlled to be in the open state or in the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42B and the fifth flow path 45 to be discharged to the neck. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first shoulder / neck discharge mode, the second selection valve 52 is controlled to the second shoulder / neck discharge mode, and the first flow rate adjustment valve 61B and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62B are controlled to be in the open state or in the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through both the second flow path 42B and the fourth flow path 44 and the fifth flow path 45 to be discharged to the shoulders and neck.

[0030] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the waist discharge mode and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63 is controlled to the open state or the small amount open state, the bathtub water 21 flows only into the third flow path 43B, and only waist discharge is performed.

[0031] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder, neck, and waist discharge mode, the second selection valve 52 to the shoulder discharge mode, and the first flow rate adjustment valve 61B and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63 to the open or open, small amount state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42B and the fourth flow path 44 to be discharged to the shoulders, and passes through the third flow path 43B to be discharged to the waist. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder, neck, and waist discharge mode, the second selection valve 52 to the neck discharge mode, and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62B and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63 to the open or open, small amount state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42B and the fifth flow path 45 to be discharged to the neck, and passes through the third flow path 43B to be discharged to the waist. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder, neck, and waist water discharge mode, the second selection valve 52 is controlled to the second shoulder, neck water discharge mode, and the first flow control valve 61B, the second flow control valve 62B, and the third flow control valve 63 are controlled to be in the open state or in the open, small amount state, the bathtub water 21 passes from the second flow path 42B through both the fourth flow path 44 and the fifth flow path 45 to be discharged to the shoulders and neck, and passes through the third flow path 43B to be discharged to the waist.

[0032] In the second embodiment as well, the water volumes of the shoulder discharge, neck discharge, and waist discharge are adjusted by adjusting the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61B, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62B, and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 80 L / min, the shoulder discharge flow rate and the waist discharge flow rate are each 30 L / min, and the neck discharge flow rate is 20 L / min, the following control is performed. The ratio of the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61B, the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the second flow rate adjustment valve 62B, and the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the third flow rate adjustment valve 63 is set to 3:2:3.

[0033] When shoulder, neck and waist discharge are in progress and the neck discharge is to be stopped and shoulder and waist discharge is to be performed, the second selection valve 52 is set to shoulder discharge mode and the output of the pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate discharged from the pump 3. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 80 L / min, the flow rates of the shoulder and waist discharges are 30 L / min, and the flow rate of the neck discharge is 20 L / min, to stop the neck discharge and switch to shoulder and waist discharge, the first selection valve 51 is set to shoulder discharge mode and the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is set to 60 L / min. This makes it possible to stop the neck discharge while maintaining the flow rates of the shoulder and waist discharges at 30 L / min.

[0034] When shoulder, neck and waist discharge are in progress, the neck discharge is reduced while the flow rate of the shoulder discharge and the flow rate of the waist discharge are maintained at the same level, as described below. The mode of the second selection valve 52 is not changed, and the ratio of the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow rate control valve 61B, the second flow rate control valve 62B and the third flow rate control valve is adjusted, and the output of the pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate of water discharged from the pump 3. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 80 L / min, the flow rates of the shoulder discharge and the waist discharge are 30 L / min and the flow rate of the neck discharge is 20 L / min, to set the flow rate of the shoulder discharge to 30 L / min, the flow rate of the neck discharge to 10 L / min and the flow rate of the waist discharge to 30 L / min, the ratio of the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow rate control valve 61B, the second flow rate control valve 62B and the third flow rate control valve is set to 3:1:3, and the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 to 70 L / min. This allows the flow rate of the neck outlet to be reduced to 10 L / min while maintaining the flow rates of the shoulder outlet and waist outlet at 30 L / min.

[0035] The water discharger 1B according to the second embodiment described above has the same effects as the first embodiment even when it has three water discharge ports.

[0036] Third embodiment As shown in Fig. 8, the water discharge device 1C according to the third embodiment has, in addition to the shoulder outlet 31, the neck outlet 33, and the waist outlet 32, a foot outlet 34 that discharges the bathtub water 21 (see Fig. 1) onto the feet of the bather 11 (see Fig. 1). The foot outlet 34 is located below the water level 22 (see Fig. 1) of the bathtub 2. Hereinafter, the water discharged from the foot outlet 34 may be referred to as "foot water."

[0037] The water discharge device 1C includes a pump 3 that pumps bath water 21, a first flow path 41 connected downstream of the pump 3, a first selection valve 51 connected downstream of the first flow path 41, a second flow path 42C and a third flow path 43C connected downstream of the first selection valve 51 and branching via the first selection valve 51, a second selection valve 52C connected downstream of the second flow path 42C, a fourth flow path 44C and a fifth flow path 45C connected downstream of the second selection valve 52C and branching via the second selection valve 52C, a third selection valve 53 connected downstream of the third flow path 43C, and a third selection valve 54 connected downstream of the third flow path 43C. The pump includes a sixth flow path 46 and a seventh flow path 47 connected downstream of the selection valve 53 and branching through the third selection valve 53, a first flow control valve 61C provided in the fourth flow path 44C, a second flow control valve 62C provided in the fifth flow path 45C, a third flow control valve 63C provided in the sixth flow path 46, a fourth flow control valve 64 provided in the seventh flow path 47, and a control unit 35 (see FIG. 1) that controls the pump 3, the first selection valve 51, the second selection valve 52C, the first flow control valve 61C, the second flow control valve 62C, and the third flow control valve 63C. The fourth flow path 44C is connected to the shoulder outlet 31. The fifth flow path 45C is connected to the neck outlet 33. The sixth flow path 46 is connected to the waist outlet 32. The seventh flow path 47 is connected to the foot outlet 34. All of the first flow path 41 to the seventh flow path 47 are tubular bodies.

[0038] The first selection valve 51, the second selection valve 52C, and the third selection valve 53 are three-way valves similar to the first selection valve 51 of the first embodiment. The first selection valve 51 is configured to be switchable between a mode in which bath water 21 from the first flow path 41 flows only to the second flow path 42C (first shoulder / neck discharge mode), a mode in which bath water 21 flows only to the third flow path 43C (first waist / leg discharge mode), and a mode in which bath water 21 flows both to the second flow path 42C and the third flow path 43C (shoulder / neck / waist / leg discharge mode). The second selection valve 52C is configured to be switchable between a mode in which bath water 21 from the second flow path 42C flows only to the fourth flow path 44C (shoulder discharge mode), a mode in which bath water 21 flows only to the fifth flow path 45C (neck discharge mode), and a mode in which bath water 21 flows both to the fourth flow path 44C and the fifth flow path 45C (second shoulder / neck discharge mode). The third selection valve 53 is configured to be switchable between a mode in which bathtub water 21 from the third flow path 43C flows only through the sixth flow path 46 (referred to as the waist-and-legs discharge mode), a mode in which it flows only through the seventh flow path 47 (referred to as the foot-and-legs discharge mode), or a mode in which it flows through both the sixth flow path 46 and the seventh flow path 47 (referred to as the second waist-and-legs discharge mode).

[0039] The first flow rate adjustment valve 61C is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 flowing downstream from the second flow path 42C to the fourth flow path 44C. The second flow rate adjustment valve 62C is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 flowing downstream from the second flow path 42C to the fifth flow path 45C. The third flow rate adjustment valve 63C is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 flowing downstream from the third flow path 43C to the sixth flow path 46. The fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 is configured to adjust the amount of bath water 21 flowing downstream from the third flow path 43C to the seventh flow path 47. The first flow rate adjustment valve 61C, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62C, the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C, and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 are configured in the same manner as the first flow rate adjustment valve 61 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62 of the first embodiment. The first flow rate adjustment valve 61C, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62C, the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 are, for example, ball valves 7 similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0040] In the water discharge device 1C, bath water 21 pumped from pump 3 flows into first flow path 41 and reaches first selection valve 51, and depending on the switching of first selection valve 51, it flows into either second flow path 42C only, third flow path 43C only, or both second flow path 42C and third flow path 43C. Bath water 21 that flows into second flow path 42C reaches second selection valve 52C, and depending on the switching of second selection valve 52C, it flows into either fourth flow path 44C only, fifth flow path 45C only, or both fourth flow path 44C and fifth flow path 45C.

[0041] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first shoulder / neck discharge mode, the second selection valve 52C is controlled to the shoulder discharge mode, and the first flow rate adjustment valve 61C is controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42C and the fourth flow path 44C to be discharged to the shoulders. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first shoulder / neck discharge mode, the second selection valve 52C is controlled to the neck discharge mode, and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62C is controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42C and the fifth flow path 45C to be discharged to the neck. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first shoulder / neck discharge mode, the second selection valve 52C is controlled to the second shoulder / neck discharge mode, and the first flow rate adjustment valve 61C and the second flow rate adjustment valve 62C are controlled to be in the open state or the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through both the second flow path 42C to the fourth flow path 44C and the fifth flow path 45C to be discharged to the shoulders and the neck.

[0042] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first waist / leg discharge mode, the third selection valve 53 is controlled to the waist discharge mode, and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C is controlled to be in the open state or in the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the third flow path 43C and the sixth flow path 46 and is discharged only to the waist. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first waist / leg discharge mode, the third selection valve 53 is controlled to the foot discharge mode, and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 is controlled to be in the open state or in the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the third flow path 43C and the seventh flow path 47 and is discharged to the feet. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the first waist / leg discharge mode, the third selection valve 53 is controlled to the second waist / leg discharge mode, and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 are controlled to be in the open state or in the open low-volume state, the bathtub water 21 passes through both the third flow path 43C and the sixth flow path 46 and the seventh flow path 47 and is discharged both to the waist and to the feet.

[0043] When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder / neck / waist / leg discharge mode, the second selection valve 52C is controlled to the shoulder discharge mode, the first flow rate adjustment valve is open or in a small amount open state, the third selection valve 53 is controlled to the waist discharge mode, and the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C is controlled to the open or small amount open state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42C and the fourth flow path 44C to be discharged to the shoulders, and passes through the third flow path 43C and the sixth flow path to be discharged to the waist. When the first selection valve 51 is controlled to the shoulder / neck / waist / leg discharge mode, the second selection valve 52C is controlled to the shoulder discharge mode, the first flow rate adjustment valve is open or in a small amount open state, the third selection valve 53 is controlled to the foot discharge mode, and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 is controlled to the open or small amount open state, the bathtub water 21 passes through the second flow path 42C and the fourth flow path 44C to be discharged to the shoulders, and passes through the third flow path 43C and the seventh flow path to be discharged to the feet. In this way, the first selection valve 51 is set to the shoulder / neck / waist / leg water discharge mode, the second selection valve 52C selects either the shoulder water discharge mode, the neck water discharge mode or the second shoulder / neck water discharge mode, and the third selection valve 53 selects either the waist water discharge mode, the leg water discharge mode or the second waist / leg water discharge mode, and the flow control valve of the flow path connected to the outlet from which water is discharged is set to an open state or an open-low-volume state, thereby enabling water to be discharged according to the mode selected by the second selection valve 52C and the third selection valve 53.

[0044] In the third embodiment, the water volumes of the shoulder, neck, waist and foot discharges are adjusted by adjusting the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61C, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62C, the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 110 L / min, the shoulder discharge flow rate, the waist discharge flow rate and the foot discharge flow rate are each 30 L / min and the neck discharge flow rate is 20 L / min, the following control is performed. The ratio of the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the first flow rate adjustment valve 61C, the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the second flow rate adjustment valve 62C, the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the third flow rate adjustment valve 63C and the opening area of ​​the through hole 73 of the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 is set to 3:2:3:3.

[0045] When shoulder, neck, waist and foot discharge are in progress, and neck discharge is stopped and shoulder outlet 31, waist and foot discharge are performed, the following control is performed. The second selection valve 52C is set to shoulder discharge mode, and the output of pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate discharged from pump 3. For example, when the flow rate discharged from pump 3 is 110 L / min, the flow rate of shoulder discharge, the flow rate of waist discharge and the flow rate of foot discharge are each 30 L / min, and the flow rate of neck discharge is 20 L / min, to stop neck discharge and switch to shoulder, waist and foot discharge, the first selection valve 51 is set to shoulder discharge mode, and the flow rate discharged from pump 3 is set to 90 L / min. This allows neck discharge to be stopped while maintaining the flow rate of shoulder discharge, the flow rate of waist discharge and the flow rate of foot discharge at 30 L / min.

[0046] When shoulder, neck, waist and foot discharges are in progress and the neck discharge is reduced while the amounts of shoulder, waist and foot discharges are maintained the same, the following control is performed: Without changing the mode of second selection valve 52C, the ratios of the opening areas of through holes 73 of first flow control valve 61C, second flow control valve 62C, third flow control valve 63C and fourth flow control valve 64 are adjusted, and the output of pump 3 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate of water discharged from pump 3. For example, when the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is 110 L / min, the flow rates of the shoulder, waist and foot spouts are 30 L / min and the neck spout is 20 L / min, to set the shoulder spout flow rate to 30 L / min, the neck spout flow rate to 10 L / min, the waist spout flow rate to 30 L / min and the foot spout flow rate to 30 L, the ratio of the opening areas of the through holes 73 of the first flow control valve 61C, the second flow control valve 62C, the third flow control valve 63C and the fourth flow control valve 64 is set to 3:1:3:3, and the flow rate discharged from the pump 3 is set to 100 L / min. This allows the flow rates of the shoulder, waist and foot spouts to be maintained at 30 L / min while the flow rate of the neck spout is reduced to 10 L / min.

[0047] The water discharge device 1C according to the third embodiment described above has the same effects as the first embodiment even when it has four water discharge ports.

[0048] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the water dischargers 1, 1B, and 1C of the above embodiments are configured to discharge bathtub water 21 onto the bather's shoulders, waist, neck, and legs. However, the bathtub water 21 discharged from the water discharger 1 may be sprayed onto other parts of the body.

[0049] In the above embodiment, three-way valves are used for the first selection valve 51, the second selection valve 52, and the third selection valve 53. Valves other than three-way valves may be used as long as they are capable of selecting a flow path. In the above embodiment, ball valves 7 are used for the first flow rate adjustment valve 61, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62, the third flow rate adjustment valve 63, and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64. In contrast, the first flow rate adjustment valve 61, the second flow rate adjustment valve 62, the third flow rate adjustment valve 63, and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 64 may be valves other than the ball valve 7, for example, solenoid valves, etc., as long as they are valves capable of adjusting the flow rate.

[0050] In the second embodiment described above, a flow rate adjustment valve is provided in the third flow path 43. The third flow path 43 does not necessarily have to be provided with a flow rate adjustment valve. The third flow path 43 is a flow path for waist-discharge water, and is configured to discharge (spray) bathtub water 21 into the water. Therefore, even if the flow rate changes when switching the water discharge, the bather is less likely to feel uncomfortable compared to shoulder-discharge or neck-discharge water, which is discharged above the water level in the bathtub. Therefore, the quality of the water discharge can be improved without providing a flow rate adjustment valve in the fourth flow path.

[0051] In the third embodiment, the sixth flow path 46 and the seventh flow path 47 are provided with flow rate adjustment valves. At least one of the sixth flow path 46 and the seventh flow path 47 does not need to be provided with a flow rate adjustment valve. The sixth flow path 46 is a flow path for waist discharge, and the seventh flow path 47 is a flow path for foot discharge, and both are configured to discharge (spray) bathtub water 21 into the water. Therefore, even if the flow rate changes when switching the water discharge, the bather is less likely to feel uncomfortable compared to shoulder discharge or neck discharge, which are discharged above the water level of the bathtub. Therefore, the quality of the water discharge can be improved even if a flow rate adjustment valve is not provided in at least one of the sixth flow path 46 and the seventh flow path 47. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1, 1B, 1C water discharge device, 2 bathtub, 3 pump, 11 bather, 41 first flow path (flow path), 42, 42B, 42C second flow path, 43, 43B, 43C third flow path, 44, 44C fourth flow path, 45, 45C fifth flow path, 46 sixth flow path, 47 seventh flow path, 51 first selection valve (selection valve), 52B, 52C second selection valve, 53 third selection valve, 61, 61B, 61C first flow control valve (flow control valve), 62, 62C second flow control valve (flow control valve), 63, 63C third flow control valve (flow control valve), 64 fourth flow control valve (flow control valve)

Claims

1. A pump that circulates and pumps the water in the bathtub; A selection valve for allowing the bathtub water pumped from the pump to flow into one or more selected flow paths among a plurality of flow paths; a flow rate adjusting valve provided in each of the plurality of flow paths to adjust a flow rate of each of the flow paths; a control unit that controls the flow rate of the pump, the selection valve, and the flow rate regulating valve; Water is discharged from the plurality of flow paths, The control unit controls the flow rate of the pump, the selection valve and the flow rate regulating valve when changing the amount of water discharged from any of the multiple flow paths so that the amount of water discharged from the other flow paths does not change.

2. the one or more flow paths are two flow paths, The water discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein the flow rate regulating valve is provided in each of the two flow paths.

3. A first flow path connected downstream of the pump; a first selection valve configured to cause the bath water flowing through the first flow path to flow into one or more selected flow paths among the second flow path and the third flow path; a second selection valve configured to cause the bathtub water flowing through the second flow path to flow into one or more selected flow paths among a fourth flow path and a fifth flow path; the selection valve is the second selection valve, The water discharge device according to claim 2 , wherein the two flow paths are the fourth flow path and the fifth flow path.

4. The water discharge device described in claim 3, further comprising a third selection valve provided downstream of the third flow path for causing the bathtub water flowing through the third flow path to flow into one or more selected flow paths from the sixth flow path and the seventh flow path.

5. The water discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of flow paths is connected to a water discharge port that discharges water toward a part of a body of a person taking a bath in the bathtub.

6. The flow rate regulating valve is a ball valve having a valve body with a through hole through which the water of the bathtub passes, The control unit controls the flow rate of the flow path by adjusting the angle of the valve body of the flow control valve to adjust the opening area of ​​the through hole when viewed from the direction in which the water in the bathtub passes.

7. The water-discharging device described in Claim 6, wherein when the control unit changes the water discharge volume of any of the flow paths from which water is being discharged when water is being discharged from at least two of the multiple flow paths, the control unit controls the flow rate of the pump to the sum of the flow rates of each of the flow paths from which water is being discharged, and adjusts the angle of the valve body of the flow control valve provided in each of the flow paths from which water is being discharged to adjust the opening area of ​​the through hole as viewed from the direction in which the bathtub water passes through to the ratio of the flow rates.

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