JP7498925B2 - Drain plug device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drain plug device that opens and closes the drain outlet of a tank body.

A drain plug device that opens and closes the drain outlet of a tank body has a structure that includes a plug cover that opens and closes the drain outlet, an operating unit attached to the tank body, and a transmission unit that transmits the operation of the operating unit to the plug cover.
The drain plug device described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a transmission member consisting of a cylindrical outer tube and an inner wire that advances and retreats within the outer tube, and is structured so that the inner wire protrudes when a pushing operation is applied to the operating part, and the plug lid is pushed up to open the drain. The raised and lowered state of the plug lid is maintained by a locking mechanism, and the drain can be opened and closed each time the operating part is operated.

JP 2015-68073 A

In the drain plug device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, one end of the transmission member is connected to an operating part, and the other end is connected to a connection part formed under the plug cover, but the position where the operating part is attached varies depending on the installation environment. For example, if the tank body is a bathtub, the position where the operating part is attached varies depending on the positional relationship between the tank body and the washing area and the layout of the bathroom. Also, a structure in which the operating part is attached to the side of the bathtub for nursing care is known.
Here, depending on the position where the operating part is attached, it may be difficult to connect the operating part and the plug cover with the transmission member. In this case, if an attempt is made to forcibly connect the operating part and the plug cover, the transmission member may be twisted or the bending radius may become small. In such a case, it becomes difficult to install the drain plug device, and the friction generated by the transmission member when the inner wire advances and retreats increases, so that the stress required to open and close the plug cover increases, resulting in problems such as reduced operability and damage to the member due to buckling of the inner wire.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a drain plug device that improves ease of installation, reduces the stress required to open and close the plug cover, and prevents reduced operability and damage to components.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a tank body having a drainage port,
A plug cover for opening and closing the drain outlet;
An operation unit for operating the cap;
A transmission member that transmits the operation of the operation unit to the plug cap;
The tank body has a side wall portion standing from the periphery of the bottom wall portion and a protruding portion extending outward from a lower end of the side wall portion,
The drainage port is formed on a bottom surface of the protruding portion,
The transmission member is configured to be freely adjusted in direction relative to the protruding portion ,
A connecting portion is provided for connecting the transmission member and the plug cap,
The drain plug device is characterized in that the connecting portion is rotatably attached to the protruding portion .

In the present invention according to claim 2 , the connecting portion is
2. The drain plug device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the drain plug device is rotatable relative to the tank body at a connection point with the tank body.

In the present invention according to claim 3 , the connecting portion is
a connection portion to which the transmission member is connected,
3. The drain plug device according to claim 1 , wherein a connection portion between the tank body and the connecting portion is capable of rotating relative to the tank body.

The present invention as set forth in claim 4 is the drain plug device as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that the connecting portion is attached to the protruding portion from above.

According to the present invention, the transmission member is configured to be freely directional adjustable, making it easy to install regardless of the position where the operating unit is attached. This makes it possible to bend the transmission member effortlessly, reducing the stress required to open and close the plug cap, and preventing a decrease in operability and damage to the components.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the installed state of the drain plug device. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a component configuration of a connecting portion. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the lowered state of the plug lid. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the raised state of the plug lid. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing a state in which the connecting portion has been rotated. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment.

The drain plug device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is provided to facilitate understanding of the embodiment, and is not intended to limit or limit the invention.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the drain plug device of the present invention is composed of a tank body 1, an operating unit 2, a locking mechanism 3, a transmission member 4, a connecting unit 5, and a plug cover 9.

The tank body 1 is a bathtub that is placed in a bathroom and is disposed adjacent to the washing area. A drain port 15 formed in the bottom wall portion 11 of the tank body 1 can be remotely opened and closed by an operating unit 2 attached to the edge. The tank body 1 is composed of the bottom wall portion 11 that is rectangular in plan view, and side wall portions 12 that are erected upward from the four corners of the bottom wall portion 11, and a protruding portion 14 is formed at a corner portion 13 that intersects with the bottom wall portion 11 at the lower end of the side wall portion 12 adjacent to the washing area.
2, the protruding portion 14 is formed in the center of the side wall portion 12 in a plan view, and protrudes in a generally U-shape in a plan view toward the outside of the side wall portion 12, i.e., toward the washing area. The protruding portion 14 is formed with a cylindrical insertion portion 16 that extends upward from directly above the drain outlet 15, and the connecting portion 5 is disposed within the insertion portion 16.
The drain outlet 15 is a circular opening that penetrates the bottom surface of the protruding portion 14 in the vertical direction, and is formed at the lowest position between the bottom wall portion 11 of the tank body 1 and the bottom surface of the protruding portion 14. The drain outlet 15 is located outside the inner surface of the side wall portion 12, and is not visible to the user in a plan view.

The operating unit 2 has a switch unit 21 that is exposed in the bathroom from the edge of the tub body 1, and by pressing the switch unit 21, the drain plug device is operated, and the plug cover 9 is raised and lowered to open and close the drain outlet 15. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the operating unit 2 is adjacent to the washing area and is attached to the shower or faucet side.

The lock mechanism 3 has a shaft extending from the top end that fits onto the back surface of the switch unit 21, and by repeatedly engaging and disengaging the internal gears as the switch unit 21 is pushed, it is possible to switch between keeping the drain outlet 15 open and releasing the engagement each time the switch unit 21 is pressed. In addition, a return spring is arranged inside the lock mechanism 3, which urges the inner wire (described later) toward the switch unit 21.

The transmission member 4 has a cylindrical outer tube made of resin, a release wire 41 made of a metal inner wire arranged inside the outer tube, and a cylindrical portion 42 made of an inner tube 43 and an outer tube 44 formed at the end of the release wire 41. The transmission member 4 is located outside the tank body 1 and above the protruding portion 14, and is bent approximately 180 degrees in the displacement direction of the plug lid 9 when the drain outlet 15 is opened or closed, and is connected to the connection portion 51 of the connecting portion 5, and transmits the operation to the plug lid 9 via the connecting portion 5. The transmission member 4 transmits the operation by the inner wire moving back and forth inside the outer tube in conjunction with the pushing force applied to the operating portion 2, and the inner tube 43 protruding from the outer tube 44 in response to the moving back and forth.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the connecting part 5 is a member that connects the transmission member 4 and the plug lid 9, and has a connection part 51 to which the transmission member 4 is connected, and is composed of an upper connecting part 52, a middle connecting part 54, a lower connecting part 59, and a support shaft 8.
The upper connecting part 52 is a cylindrical member that is attached so as to cover the middle connecting part 54, and a U-shaped retaining part 53 that supports the support shaft 8 is formed at its lower end, while a connection part 51 to which the transmission member 4 is connected is formed on the back surface of the upper end.
The connecting part 51 comes into contact with the inner tube 43 when it is projected in response to an operation of the operating part 2, and displaces the upper connecting part 52 in the vertical direction. The connecting part 51 is in the direction in which the plug 9 is displaced when the drain outlet 15 is opened, and is provided above the drain outlet 15 and the plug 9, i.e., at a position higher than the drain outlet 5 in this embodiment.
The middle connecting part 54 has a storage part 55 formed at its upper end in which the tubular part 42 is disposed, and a claw part 56 that engages with the lower connecting part 59 formed at its lower end. The storage part 55 is semicircular with an open side, and the open side is covered by attaching a tubular cover 57. When the tubular part 42 is stored in the storage part 55, the tubular part 42 is capable of rotating around its own axis. A spring 58 is disposed inside the lower end of the middle connecting part 54.
The lower connecting portion 59 has an outer flange 60 on the upper side, and an O-ring is fitted to its lower end, which abuts against the inner periphery of the insertion portion 16 of the protruding portion 14. Also, a notch 61 is formed on the outer periphery of the lower connecting portion 59, which engages with the claw portion 56 of the middle connecting portion 54. When installation is completed, the lower connecting portion 59 engages with the claw portion 56, making it unable to rotate relative to the middle connecting portion 54, but is able to rotate relative to the insertion portion 16.
The support shaft 8 is rod-shaped and penetrates the upper surface of the protruding portion 14, and engages with the plug 9 in a groove 81 formed at the lower end, and its upper end is supported on the upper connecting portion 52 by a retaining portion 53. The support shaft 8 is constantly biased toward the plug 9 by a spring 58 disposed in the middle connecting portion 54.

The connecting part 5 has a part of its side open below the storage part 55 so that the transmission member 4 can be inserted through it. In addition, when the connecting part 5 is attached to the protruding part 14, the connecting lower part 59 can rotate with respect to the insertion part 16, so that the connecting part 5 can rotate relative to the protruding part 14 of the tank body 1. This allows the direction of the opening of the connecting part 5 to be appropriately adjusted to match the mounting position of the operating part 2.

The plug lid 9 is a plate-shaped lid body fitted with a packing that opens and closes the drain outlet 15, and is displaced vertically in response to operation from the operating unit 2. In addition, the plug lid 9 has an engagement portion 91, a guide portion 92, and a handle 93 formed on the upper surface.
The engaging portion 91 is generally C-shaped in plan view with a notch, and is engaged with the support shaft 8 when installation is completed. The inner diameter of the engaging portion 91 is smaller than the outer diameter of the support shaft 8 and larger than the outer diameter of the groove 81 formed at the lower end of the support shaft 8.
The guide portions 92 are ribs extending from both ends of the engagement portion 91 toward one end of the plug lid 9 in a fan-like shape in a plan view, and are formed to guide the support shaft 8 to the engagement portion 91.
The handle 93 extends to the other end of the plug 9 and can be grasped when attaching or detaching the plug 9 from the support shaft 8.

The plug cover 9 is connected by engaging the engagement portion 91 with the groove portion 81 of the support shaft 8, and when the drain plug device is activated, it opens the drain outlet 15 by being pulled up from above by the support shaft 8, and closes the drain outlet 15 by being pushed down from above by the support shaft 8.

The assembly of the drain plug device is explained below.

First, the operating part 2 is attached to the edge of the tank body 1. At this time, the transmission member 4 continuing from the operating part 2 extends downward.
Next, the end of the transmission member 4 is bent approximately 180 degrees, and the tubular portion 42 is placed in the storage portion 55 of the middle connecting portion 54 with the end portion of the transmission member 4 facing upward. The cover 57 is then placed over the middle connecting portion 54 from above, thereby attaching the transmission member 4 to the connecting portion 5. At this time, since the transmission member 4 is bent above the drain outlet 15 and the plug 9, the transmission member 4 can be bent in a large space such as the outside of the tank body 1. Note that when attached to the connecting portion 5, the tubular portion 42 is stored in a rotatable manner relative to the connecting portion 5.
Next, the upper connecting part 52 is placed over the middle connecting part 54 from above, and after the spring 58 is placed at the lower end of the middle connecting part 54, the support shaft 8 is attached to the holding part 53. At this time, the support shaft 8 is biased downward by the spring 58.
Next, the middle connecting part 54 is inserted into the lower connecting part 59, and the claw parts 56 are engaged with the notches 61, thereby completing the assembly of the connecting part 5. At this time, the engagement of the claw parts 56 with the notches 61 renders the middle connecting part 54 and the lower connecting part 59 immovable.
Next, the connecting part 5 is attached to the insertion part 16 by the C-shaped ring 10 with the lower connecting part 59 inserted into the insertion part 16 and the support shaft 8 protruding into the protruding part 14. At this time, since the lower connecting part 59 is rotatable with respect to the insertion part 16, the release wire 41 can be bent smoothly by rotating the tube part 42 and the connecting part 5 in the direction in which the operating part 2 is attached, as shown in Fig. 6. Note that, as shown in Fig. 2, when the mounting position of the operating part 2 is adjacent to the washing place and is attached to the edge part on the shower or faucet side, the installation can be easily performed by rotating the connecting part 5 in the direction shown in Fig. 6(a). However, when the mounting position is adjacent to the washing place and is attached to the edge part on the side opposite to the shower or faucet, the installation can be easily performed by rotating the connecting part 5 in the direction shown in Fig. 6(b).
Finally, the plug cap 9 is pressed against the groove 81 of the support shaft 8 from the side, and the engagement portion 91 of the plug cap 9 is engaged to complete the installation. At this time, the connection portion 51 is provided above the plug cap 9, and the cylindrical portion 42, which is the end portion of the transmission member 4, is disposed between the plug cap 9 and the connection portion 51.

The above drain plug device works as follows:

As shown in Figure 4, when the plug lid 9 is in the lowered state, the plug lid 9 closes the drain outlet 15 by the packing abutting against the periphery of the drain outlet 15. When the switch 21 is pressed, the inner wire slides inside the outer tube toward the plug lid 9, and the inner tube 43 of the tube portion 42 protrudes upward from the outer tube 44, pressing the connection portion 51 of the connecting upper portion 52 upward. When the pressed connecting upper portion 52 and the support shaft 8 rise, the plug lid 9 engaged with the support shaft 8 is pulled up from above and rises, opening the drain outlet 15. At this time, the internal gear of the locking mechanism 3 meshes, and the plug lid 9 is maintained in the raised state.
5, when the switch portion 21 is pushed again with the plug 9 raised, the gears in the locking mechanism 3 are released from engagement, the inner wire is retracted by the action of the return spring in the locking mechanism 3, and the inner cylinder 43 is lowered. At this time, the support shaft 8 is urged downward by the spring 58 in the lower connecting part 59, the plug 9 is displaced downward, and the fitted packing comes into contact with the periphery of the drain port 15, thereby blocking the drain port 15.

In the drain plug device of the present invention, the connecting part 5 can rotate relative to the protruding part 14, so by adjusting the orientation of the opening formed on the side of the connecting part 5 depending on the position where the operating part 2 is attached, it is possible to freely adjust the direction of the transmission member 4 relative to the protruding part 14. This makes it easy to install regardless of the position where the operating part 2 is attached, and by making it possible to bend the transmission member 4 without difficulty, it is possible to reduce the stress required to open and close the plug lid 9, preventing a decrease in operability and damage to the members.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the shape of the first embodiment, and various design changes may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, in the first embodiment, the connecting portion 5 is rotatable at the connection point with the protruding portion 14, but the connection point may be non-rotatable. That is, the connecting portion itself may be rotatable relative to the cap side and the transmission member side, such as the connecting upper portion and the connecting middle portion being rotatable relative to each other, or the connecting middle portion and the connecting lower portion being rotatable relative to each other. In addition, the connecting portion and the protruding portion may be rotatable at the connection point, and the connecting portion itself may be rotatable relative to the cap side and the transmission member side.
In the first embodiment, the plug cover is displaced in the vertical direction to open and close the drain, but the displacement direction of the plug cover caused by the operation of the drain plug device is not limited to the vertical direction. That is, the plug cover may be displaced in an oblique direction to open and close the drain, or may be displaced in a substantially horizontal direction to open and close the drain 15, as in the second embodiment shown in Fig. 7. In this second embodiment, as is clear from Fig. 7, the cylindrical portion 42, which is the end of the transmission member 4, is disposed between the connection portion 51 and the plug cover 9, which are disposed in a substantially horizontal direction, and the drain 15 is opened and closed by displacing the plug cover 9 in a substantially horizontal direction. Similarly, the bending direction of the transmission member 4 is appropriately set according to the displacement direction of the plug cover 9, etc.
In addition, in the first embodiment, the drain outlet was formed in the bottom wall portion of the tank body, but it may also be formed in the corner portion 13 where the bottom wall portion 11 and the side wall portion 12 of the tank body 1 intersect, as in the second embodiment.
Furthermore, the tank body of the present invention is not limited to a bathtub, but may be a washbowl, a sink, or other tank body.

[0033] 1 Tank body 11 Bottom wall portion 12 Side wall portion 13 Corner portion 14 Protruding portion 15 Drain port 16 Insertion portion 2 Operation portion 21 Switch portion 3 Lock mechanism 4 Transmission member 41 Release wire 42 Tube portion 43 Inner tube 44 Outer tube 5 Connection portion 51 Connection portion 52 Upper connection portion 53 Holding portion 54 Middle connection portion 55 Storage portion 56 Claw portion 57 Cover 58 Spring 59 Lower connection portion 60 Outer flange portion 61 Notch 8 Support shaft 81 Groove portion 9 Plug cover 91 Engagement portion 92 Guide portion 93 Handle 10 C-shaped ring

Claims (4)

A tank body having a drainage port;
A plug cover for opening and closing the drain outlet;
An operation unit for operating the cap;
A transmission member that transmits the operation of the operation unit to the plug cap;
The tank body has a side wall portion standing from the periphery of the bottom wall portion and a protruding portion extending outward from a lower end of the side wall portion,
The drainage port is formed on a bottom surface of the protruding portion,
The transmission member is configured to be freely adjusted in direction relative to the protruding portion ,
A connecting portion is provided for connecting the transmission member and the plug cap,
The drain plug device , wherein the connecting portion is rotatably attached to the protruding portion . The connecting portion is
2. The drain plug device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the drain plug device is rotatable relative to the tank body at a connection point with the tank body. The connecting portion is
a connection portion to which the transmission member is connected,
3. The drain plug device according to claim 1 , wherein a connection point with the tank body and the connection portion are capable of rotating relative to each other. 4. The drain plug device according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion is attached to the protruding portion from above.

Images