Drain trap

Abstract

A drain trap 1 includes: a casing 2 in which an inflow passage 5 of a drain 4 and a storage chamber 7 communicating with the inflow passage 5 are formed; a valve mechanism 10 having a valve hole 12 formed in the storage chamber 7, a valve body 13 for opening and closing the valve hole 12, a float 15 with a lever 16 for opening and closing the valve body 13; and a regulation plate 20 for regulating the flow of the drain 4. The regulation plate 20 has a float protection wall 21 which is positioned between an end of the inflow passage 5 in the storage chamber 7 and the float 15 and which inhibits collision of the drain 4 flowing from a first end 5a with the float 15.

Description

Drain trap

[0001] The technology of the present disclosure relates to a drain trap.

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a float-type drain trap. This drain trap receives a gas-liquid mixture of compressed air and drainage water through an inlet at the top of the cover, separates the drainage water, and discharges it from an outlet provided at the bottom of the side wall.

[0003] JP 2014-098474 A

[0004] In drain traps like the one described above, the condensate that flows in easily hits the float directly. Therefore, if the flow rate of the condensate is high, the condensate can impact the float and the lever connected to it, which can cause malfunction. In particular, the impact can damage the connection between the float and the lever, so improvements were needed.

[0005] The technology of the present disclosure was devised in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and its main objective is to provide a drain trap that can prevent damage to the float and lever caused by drain.

[0006] The drain trap of the present disclosure comprises a casing in which a drain inflow passage and a storage chamber communicating with the inflow passage are formed, a valve mechanism having a valve hole formed in the storage chamber, a valve body that opens and closes the valve hole, and a float that is disposed in the storage chamber and has a lever that opens and closes the valve body, and a regulating plate that is disposed in the storage chamber and regulates the flow of the drain, and is characterized in that the regulating plate is located between the end of the inflow passage in the storage chamber and the float, and has a float protective wall that prevents the drain flowing in from the end from colliding with the float.

[0007] By adopting the above-described features, the drain trap of the present disclosure can effectively prevent damage to the float and lever caused by drain.

[0008] 1. It is a cross-sectional view showing a valve-closed state of the drain trap of this embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view showing a valve-open state of the drain trap of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view showing a regulating plate of this embodiment. It is an enlarged top view of an upper wall portion of the regulating plate of FIG. 3. It is a side view of the regulating plate of FIG.

[0009] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are intended to illustrate the features of the present disclosure, but may include exaggerated representations and representations that differ from the dimensional ratios of the actual structure to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure. Furthermore, identical or common elements are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the embodiments, and redundant explanations are omitted. Furthermore, well-known configurations may be appropriately adopted for configurations not described in this specification.

[0010] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the drain trap 1. In Figure 1, the up-down direction is the Z-axis direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction is the X-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction. In each figure, these directions are indicated by arrows to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in this specification, an imaginary plane extending parallel to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction may be referred to as the X-Y plane, an imaginary plane extending parallel to the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction may be referred to as the X-Z plane, and an imaginary plane extending parallel to the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction may be referred to as the Y-Z plane.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the drain trap 1 is a device that discharges drainage resulting from condensed moisture in steam, compressed air, or gas, and separates and discharges only the drainage while minimizing the loss of the steam, etc. The drain trap 1 of this embodiment is used, for example, as a steam trap connected to a piping system for transporting steam installed in an industrial plant. However, the drain trap 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment, and may also be used as an air trap that discharges drainage while preventing the discharge of air, or as a gas trap that discharges drainage while preventing the discharge of gas.

[0012] The drain trap 1 includes a casing 2 including a main body 2a and a lid 2b. In this embodiment, a hanging bracket and bolts are provided on the top of the lid 2b, but the figures show their side view shapes rather than cross sections. Similarly, components that do not need to be shown in cross section, such as a float 15 described below, are shown in side view shapes. The casing 2 is formed with a flow path 3 through which drain 4 flows. The flow path 3 includes an inlet path 5 through which the drain 4 flows and an outlet path 6 through which the drain 4 flows. The inlet path 5 and the outlet path 6 are each provided in the main body 2a of the casing 2. The flow path 3 also includes a storage chamber 7 that communicates with the inlet path 5. The storage chamber 7 also communicates with the outlet path 6. When the drain trap 1 of this embodiment is in use, the drain 4 flows into the inlet path 5 (see arrow A1). The drain 4 gradually accumulates in the reservoir chamber 7, and the accumulated drain 4 is appropriately discharged from the outlet passage 6 by opening and closing the valve mechanism 10 described below (see arrow A2). Note that Fig. 1 shows the drain trap 1 in a closed state.

[0013] The inflow channel 5 of this embodiment extends in the X-axis direction. When the drain trap 1 is in use, not only drain 4 but also steam may flow into the inflow channel 5. To quickly replace the drain 4 and steam with the gas in the storage chamber 7, the inflow channel 5 of this embodiment is connected to the storage chamber 7 via a first end 5a for drain inflow and a second end 5b located higher than the first end 5a. The second end 5b can also serve to release the gas in the storage chamber 7 as the drain 4 flows in from the first end 5a. The first end 5a opens into the storage chamber 7 with an area that is sufficiently larger than that of the second end 5b. Furthermore, the vertical position of the lower end of the opening edge of the first end 5a relative to the storage chamber 7 and the bottom of the storage chamber 7 are substantially aligned. This allows the drain 4 to quickly flow into the storage chamber 7 from the first end 5a. However, the inflow channel 5 of the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration.

[0014] The outflow channel 6 extends, for example, in the X-axis direction. A further pipe (not shown) is connected downstream of the outflow channel 6, and the further pipe is open to the outside. In another embodiment, a device (not shown) that utilizes the latent heat of the drain 4 may be further provided downstream of the outflow channel 6.

[0015] A valve mechanism 10 is provided in the reservoir chamber 7. The valve mechanism 10 opens and closes the connection between the reservoir chamber 7 and the outflow path 6. The valve mechanism 10 has a valve case 11 in which a valve hole 12 to the outflow path 6 is formed, a valve element 13 that opens and closes the valve hole 12, and a driver 14 that drives the valve element 13.

[0016] The driver 14 includes a float 15 with a lever 16 attached. The float 15 is formed, for example, in the shape of a hollow sphere with a hollow interior, and can float relative to the drain 4. The float 15 and the lever 16 are made of, for example, metal and are connected by welding. The lever 16 is rotatably supported on a shaft provided in the storage chamber 7. The lever 16 swings around the shaft as the float 15 rises and falls. A valve element 13 is connected to the end of the lever 16. As a result, the driver 14 moves the valve element 13 up and down depending on the drain water level in the storage chamber 7, opening and closing the valve hole 12. Specifically, when the drain water level is low, the position of the float 15 becomes relatively low, and the lever 16 raises the valve element 13, closing the valve hole 12. Therefore, while the amount of drainage 4 stored in the storage chamber 7 is small, the valve hole 12 is closed and the drainage continues to be stored in the storage chamber 7.

[0017] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the open state of the drain trap 1. As shown in Figure 2, when the drain water level in the storage chamber 7 rises, the position of the float 15 rises relatively accordingly, and the valve body 13 is lowered by the lever 16, opening the valve hole 12. As a result, the drain 4 in the storage chamber 7 moves toward the outflow path 6, and the drain 4 is discharged.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, in the drain trap 1 in the closed state, a portion of the float 15 faces the first end 5a of the inlet passage 5. Conventionally, when the inlet passage 5 and the float 15 are in this positional relationship, the inflowing condensate 4 is likely to directly hit the float 15. Therefore, if the flow velocity of the condensate 4 is high, an impact can be applied to the float 15 or the lever 16, which can cause a malfunction. In particular, the impact can damage the connection between the float 15 and the lever 16, and an improvement was needed.

[0019] In contrast, the storage chamber 7 of the present disclosure is provided with a regulating plate 20 that regulates the flow of drain 4. This regulating plate 20 is disposed between the float 15 and the inner wall 7i of the storage chamber 7. The inner wall 7i refers to the surface that forms the space of the storage chamber 7, and all of the ceiling surface 7u, bottom surface 7d, and side wall 7s of the storage chamber 7 are included in the inner wall 7i. Note that the regulating plate 20 of this embodiment is provided between the bottom surface 7d of the storage chamber 7 and the float 15.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of the regulating plate 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the regulating plate 20 includes a float protective wall 21. The float protective wall 21 is located between the first end 5a of the inflow passage 5 and the float 15, and prevents the condensate 4 flowing in from the first end 5a from colliding with the float 15. As a result, the condensate 4 flowing into the storage chamber 7 comes into contact with the float protective wall 21, reducing its flow rate and preventing impact on the float 15 or the lever 16. Therefore, damage to the float 15 or the lever 16 by the condensate 4 can be effectively suppressed. Note that the first end 5a is an example of the end of the inflow passage 5 in the storage chamber 7.

[0021] The configuration of this embodiment will be described in more detail below. Note that each configuration described below represents a specific aspect of this embodiment. Therefore, it goes without saying that the present disclosure can achieve the above-described effects even if it does not include the configurations described below. Furthermore, even if any one of the configurations described below is applied alone to the drain trap 1 of the present disclosure having the above-described characteristics, performance improvement corresponding to each configuration can be expected. Furthermore, when several of the configurations described below are applied in combination, composite performance improvement corresponding to each configuration can be expected.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the regulating plate 20 of this embodiment is formed, for example, from a stainless steel plate. The thickness t1 of the plate is, for example, 2.0 to 5.0 mm. It should be noted that, not limited to the thickness t1, the numerical ranges of various parameters described in this specification refer to the average numerical range of the parameter unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the average refers to the sum of the parameters obtained for each micro-region by dividing the measurement object into a number of micro-regions of appropriate size, measuring the corresponding parameter for each micro-region, and dividing the sum by the number of micro-regions.

[0023] The regulating plate 20 does not have minute holes for filtering the drain 4. That is, the regulating plate 20 of this embodiment is different from the strainers, filters, and screens provided in conventional drain traps.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1 , the regulating plate 20 of this embodiment is disposed between the first end 5 a and the float 15, but not between the second end 5 b and the float 15. This prevents steam and gas from entering and leaving the second end 5 b by the regulating plate 20, making it easier for the gas in the storage chamber 7 to be replaced with drain 4 or steam. This action suppresses rippling of the liquid surface of the drain 4 in the storage chamber 7, making it easier for the float 15 to stroke as designed. Note that the regulating plate 20 of the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and for example, the regulating plate 20 may also be disposed between the second end 5 b and the float 15.

[0025] The float protective wall 21 is disposed to cover the float 15 so that the drain 4 flowing in from the first end 5a of the inflow passage 5 does not directly hit the float 15. Furthermore, the outer edge of the float protective wall 21 is spaced apart from the inner wall 7i of the storage chamber 7 so that the drain 4 that comes into contact with the float protective wall 21 is quickly guided toward the bottom of the storage chamber 7. From the viewpoint of more reliably suppressing damage to the float 15 and the lever 16, it is desirable that the area of ​​the outer surface of the float protective wall 21 be 50% or more of the opening area of ​​the first end 5a of the inflow passage 5 in the storage chamber 7.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3 , the float protective wall 21 includes an upper wall portion 25 and a main body wall portion 30. At least a portion of the upper wall portion 25 faces the inflow direction of the drain 4 from the first end 5 a. Here, “facing” means that the outer surface of the upper wall portion 25 extends in a direction that reduces the flow velocity of the drain 4, and is not limited to a configuration in which the outer surface is perpendicular to the inflow direction of the drain 4. In this embodiment, the upper wall portion 25 has an outer surface 25 s extending along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Note that, in this specification, the phrase “an outer surface extends along a specific direction (or plane)” includes a configuration in which the angle between the specific direction (or plane) is 10° or less, and preferably includes a configuration in which the angle is 5° or less. Furthermore, the main body wall portion 30 is connected to the lower end of the upper wall portion 25 and extends at an angle with respect to the vertical direction so as to approach the float 5 as it extends downward. The main body wall portion 30 is inclined downward in a direction away from the upper wall portion 25. As a result, the angle between the outer surface 25s of the upper wall portion 25 and the outer surface 30s of the main body wall portion 30 is an obtuse angle.

[0027] Fig. 4 shows an enlarged top view of the upper wall portion 25. Fig. 4 partially shows the outline 15a of the float 15 at the same height as the upper surface 25u of the upper wall portion 25. In Fig. 4, the main body wall portion 30 (shown in Fig. 3) is omitted.

[0028] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, when viewed from above, the upper wall portion 25 is curved to surround the float 15. Furthermore, when viewed from above, the upper wall portion 25 has a longitudinal direction that extends in a direction intersecting the inflow direction of the drain 4 at the first end 5a of the inlet passage 5. The upper wall portion 25 includes one central wall portion 26 and two side wall portions 27 that are connected in the longitudinal direction. The central wall portion 26 is provided in the center of the longitudinal direction. The two side wall portions 27 are provided on both sides of the central wall portion 26 in the longitudinal direction. The central wall portion 26 and the side wall portions 27 are each made of a plate material with a flat outer surface. As shown in Figure 4, it is preferable that the upper wall portion 25 be curved to surround the float 15 between the central wall portion 26 and the two side wall portions 27. Specifically, the central wall 26, i.e., the outer surface 26s of the central wall 26, extends in a direction intersecting the X-axis direction and is preferably parallel to the Y-Z plane. Each side wall 27, i.e., the outer surface 27s of each side wall 27, extends at an angle toward the float 15 as it moves away from the central wall 26 in the Y-axis direction.

[0029] Such an upper wall portion 25 can reduce the momentum of the drain 4 moving in the X-axis direction by the central wall portion 26. Furthermore, the drain 4 that hits the central wall portion 26 moves along the side wall portion 27 and is stored in the storage chamber 7 without impacting the float 15 (see arrow A3). Therefore, by providing the upper wall portion 25 with the above-described shape, damage to the float 15 can be reliably suppressed. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the upper wall portion 25 may be curved, for example, in an arc shape or a V-shape when viewed from above.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1 , the outer surface 26s of the central wall 26 extends substantially parallel to the vertical direction. Here, "substantially parallel" includes a case where the angle of the outer surface 26s with respect to the vertical direction is 5° or less. Such a central wall 26 can reliably reduce the flow rate of the drain 4. In another embodiment, the outer surface 26s of the central wall 26 may be slightly inclined (e.g., 10° or less) with respect to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). In this case, it is desirable that the outer surface 26s of the central wall 26 be inclined downward, toward the float 15. This makes it easier for the drain 4 that hits the central wall 26 to be guided downward into the storage chamber 7.

[0031] 4, the angle θ1 (the angle on the float 15 side) between the outer surface 26s of the central wall 26 and the outer surface 27s of the side wall 27 is appropriately determined so that the side wall 27 is not excessively separated from the outer surface of the float 15. In this embodiment, the angle θ1 is configured as an obtuse angle, for example, 140 to 170°.

[0032] 1, the upper end 25u of the upper wall portion 25 in the vertical direction is located above the first end 5a of the inflow channel 5, and specifically, it is desirable that it be located above the upper end 9u of the first end 5a in the vertical direction. This allows the upper wall portion 25 to reliably reduce the momentum of the drain 4. Note that, if the connection portion between the upper wall of the inflow channel 5 and the inner wall 7i of the storage chamber 7 is chamfered to have a curved surface, the center position of the curved surface is the upper end 25u.

[0033] If the vertical length of the upper wall portion 25 is excessively long, bending stress is likely to act on the connection portion (shown in FIG. 4) between the upper wall portion 25 and the main body wall portion 30, which may impair the durability of the regulating plate 20. From this perspective, the upper end 25u of the upper wall portion 25 is located, for example, below the boundary 2c between the main body portion 2a and the cover body 2b of the casing 2, and preferably below the second end portion 5b.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3 , the main body wall 30 has a longitudinal direction that extends at an angle relative to the vertical direction and a width direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The main body wall 30 also includes one main body central wall 31 and two main body side walls 32 that are continuous in the width direction. The main body central wall 31 is continuous with the lower end of the upper wall 25 and extends in the longitudinal direction. The main body central wall 31 is inclined relative to the vertical direction and slopes downward as it moves away from the central wall 26 of the upper wall 25 toward the float 15. The two main body side walls 32 are continuous with both sides of the main body central wall 31 in the width direction and extend at an angle relative to the vertical direction. The main body wall 30 is curved between the main body central wall 31 and the two main body side walls 32 to surround the float 15.

[0035] Fig. 5 shows a side view of the regulating plate 20. As shown in Fig. 5, since the main body wall portion 30 of the float protective wall 21 has the above-mentioned characteristics, the drain 4 that hits the main body central wall portion 31 (shown in Fig. 3) or the main body side wall portion 32 is smoothly guided downward and stored in the storage chamber 7 without applying any impact to the float 15 (see arrow A4).

[0036] 3, the angle between the outer surface 31s of the main body central wall portion 31 and the outer surface 32s of the main body side wall portion 32 is, for example, 135 to 165°, smaller than the angle θ1 (shown in FIG. 4) between the central wall portion 26 and the side wall portion 27 of the upper wall portion 25. This makes it easier for the drain 4 that hits the upper wall portion 25 to be guided downward.

[0037] It goes without saying that the float protection wall 21 is curved between the central wall portion 26 of the upper wall portion 25 and the main body central wall portion 31 so as to surround the float 15. The angle between the outer surface 26s of the central wall portion 26 and the outer surface 31s of the main body central wall portion 31 is, for example, 110 to 130°.

[0038] In this embodiment, a gap 34 is formed between the main body side wall 32 and the side wall 27 of the upper wall 25. This reduces the force with which the drain 4 presses against the float protective wall 21, improving the durability of the float protective wall 21. In another aspect, the main body side wall 32 and the side wall 27 of the upper wall 25 may be continuous. In this aspect, damage to the float 15 can be more reliably suppressed.

[0039] In this embodiment, the central wall portion 26 and the side wall portion 27 of the upper wall portion 25 of the float protective wall 21, and the main body central wall portion 31 and the main body side wall portion 32 of the main body wall portion 30, are each made of plate material with a flat outer surface. This makes it easier to manufacture the regulating plate 20. However, the float protective wall 21 is not limited to this form, and may also have a smoothly curved surface that conforms to the outer surface of the float 15. Note that the regulating plate 20 may be manufactured by welding multiple plate materials together, or may be manufactured by forging from a single plate material, for example.

[0040] The regulating plate 20 of this embodiment includes a fastening portion 35. The fastening portion 35 is supported by any member disposed in the reservoir chamber 7 (shown in FIG. 1). The fastening portion 35 of this embodiment is fastened to the member with a bolt, but is not limited to this form. The fastening portion 35 of this embodiment is fastened, for example, by a bolt to the outer surface of the valve case 11 (shown in FIG. 1) included in the valve mechanism 10. As a result, the fastening portion 35 is in the form of a plate extending in the vertical direction. More specifically, the fastening portion 35 is in the form of a flat plate extending along the YZ plane, and the outer surface of the fastening portion 35 faces in the X-axis direction.

[0041] The float protective wall 21 is pressed in the X-axis direction by the drain 4, and since the fastening portion 35 has the above-described characteristics, the regulating plate 20 can easily bend in the X-axis direction without local deformation, improving the durability of the regulating plate 20. In another embodiment, for example, when the fastening portion 35 is fastened with a bolt to the bottom surface 7d (shown in FIG. 1) of the storage chamber 7, stress is likely to be concentrated around the fastening portion 35 by the drain 4, which may impair the durability of the regulating plate 20.

[0042] The regulating plate 20 includes a base portion 40 that connects the float protective wall 21 and the fastening portion 35 between them. The base portion 40 of this embodiment includes, for example, a first base plate 41, a second base plate 42, a first curved portion 43, and a second curved portion 44.

[0043] The first base plate 41 is connected to the end of the float protective wall 21 in the X-axis direction and has a flat outer surface extending along the X-Y plane. The first base plate 41 is an example of a contact portion that contacts the bottom surface 7d (shown in FIG. 1) of the storage chamber 7, and in a preferred embodiment, the entire first base plate 41 contacts the bottom surface 7d. This makes it possible to prevent the float protective wall 21 from bending downward.

[0044] The second base plate 42 is disposed closer to the fastening portion 35 than the first base plate 41, and has a flat outer surface extending along the XY plane. The entire second base plate 42 is spaced apart from the bottom surface 7d of the storage chamber 7 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0045] The first curved portion 43 is provided between and connects the first base plate 41 and the second base plate 42. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the first curved portion 43 is curved in an S-shape in a side view of the regulating plate 20.

[0046] The second curved portion 44 is provided between the second base plate 42 and the fastening portion 35 and connects them. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the second curved portion 44 is curved in an L-shape in a side view of the regulating plate 20.

[0047] The base portion 40 having the above characteristics can bend in various directions compared to a configuration in which the entire base portion 40 is in contact with the bottom surface of the storage chamber 7. Therefore, even if forces act on the float protective wall 21 in various directions, the entire regulating plate 20 including the base portion 40 can bend appropriately, preventing stress from concentrating in a specific location. Therefore, the durability of the regulating plate 20 is improved.

[0048] Although particularly preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated embodiments and can be modified and implemented in various forms.

[0049] As described above, the present disclosure is useful as a drain trap.

[0050] 2 casing 4 drain 5 inlet passage 7 storage chamber 10 valve mechanism 12 valve hole 13 valve body 16 lever 15 float 20 regulating plate 21 float protection wall

Claims

1. A drain trap comprising: a casing in which a drain inflow passage and a storage chamber communicating with the inflow passage are formed; a valve mechanism having a valve hole formed in the storage chamber, a valve body for opening and closing the valve hole, and a float with a lever disposed in the storage chamber for opening and closing the valve body; and a regulating plate disposed in the storage chamber for regulating the flow of the drain, wherein the regulating plate is located between the end of the inflow passage in the storage chamber and the float, and has a float protective wall that prevents the drain flowing in from the end from colliding with the float.

2. A drain trap as described in claim 1, characterized in that the float protection wall includes an upper wall portion that faces the direction in which the drain flows in from the end, and a main body wall portion that is connected to the lower end of the upper wall portion and extends at an angle in the vertical direction so as to approach the float as it extends downward.

3. A drain trap according to claim 2, characterized in that, when viewed from above, the upper wall portion is curved so as to surround the float.

4. A drain trap as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper wall portion has a longitudinal direction extending in a direction intersecting the inflow direction of the drain at the end portion, and includes a central wall portion with a flat outer surface provided in the central portion of the longitudinal direction, and two side wall portions provided on both sides of the central wall portion in the longitudinal direction, and the upper wall portion is curved so as to surround the float between the central wall portion and the two side wall portions.

5. A drain trap according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the upper end of the upper wall portion is located above the end of the inlet passage.

6. A drain trap as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the main body wall portion has a longitudinal direction extending at an angle relative to the vertical direction and a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and includes a main body central wall portion connected to the lower end of the upper wall portion and extending in the longitudinal direction, and two main body side wall portions connected to both sides of the main body central wall portion in the width direction, and the main body wall portion is curved between the main body central wall portion and the two main body side wall portions so as to surround the float.

7. A drain trap as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the regulating plate includes a fastening portion supported by any member arranged in the storage chamber, and the fastening portion is in the form of a plate extending in the vertical direction.

8. A drain trap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the regulating plate includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the bottom surface of the storage chamber.

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