Abstract:
A plumbing fixture is provided that comprises substantially a housing, which has connections for a cold and hot water supply and an outlet for mixed water, and a water conduit module, which has a preformed hollow section and at least one inlet for cold, hot, or mixed water. The housing can be connected as a single piece and the water conduit module sealingly with the housing.

Description:
[0001]    This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2007 037 395.5, which was filed in Germany on Aug. 8, 2007, and which is herein incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a plumbing fixture and to a method for producing plumbing fixtures. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Background Art 
         [0005]    Manufacturing methods for plumbing fixtures are known. They are often formed as cast parts in permanent forms, because these can be realized in a simple way also with complicated moldings. It is prior in the art to introduce channels to conduct liquids within the cast housing; these require complicated core forms depending on the number and design of the desired routings. To produce the cores, pressing is performed in a core shooter with molding sand combined with binders at a certain shot pressure and temperature in a core form. After the hardening of the thus produced casting core, it is inserted into the casting mold. After the molding, the sand is removed through openings in the casting. Depending on the routing of the water passages in the fixtures, cast parts with a high weight and high material consumption result. 
         [0006]    To save weight, it is known from the conventional art to produce water conduits separately from the fixture housing, to combine these with the structural parts that contain the functional components of the fixtures, such as thermal elements or mixing cartridges, and then to provide them with a housing shell. A thermostatic fixture is known from European Patent Application No. EP 0 797 136 A1, which has two connection blocks, whereby one block contains the valve bonnet and the other block the thermostatic element and the cold water inlet. The two blocks are connected to one another by water-carrying pipes and surrounded by an outer shell. Fixtures of this type, however, include many individual parts, so that the cost of assembly increases considerably. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a plumbing fixture with a low assembly cost, wherein the water conduits can be made separately from a housing. 
         [0008]    To this end, a plumbing fixture is provided, which comprises a housing and a water conduit module, whereby the housing has connections for a cold and a hot water supply and a outlet for mixed water, and the water conduit module comprises a preformed hollow section, at least one inlet for cold, hot, or mixed water, wherein the housing can be connected as a single piece and the water conduit module sealingly to the housing. Furthermore, the water conduit module can also comprise one inlet each for cold and hot water. The advantage of a plumbing fixture of this type with a one-part housing and a water conduit made separately therefrom is that in a cast housing the complexity of the sand core production and the casting process is greatly reduced, because only one chamber with the necessary openings needs to be produced. This also simplifies the desanding of the fixture, as a result of which the carrying of sand over into subsequent processes is reduced. As a result, tool wear due to grains of sand during the mechanical processing, surface defects, and extensive contaminations in the electroplating basin are largely avoided. 
         [0009]    Apart from the openings for the water connections and the water outlet, the housing has another opening for the insertion of the water conduit module. The water conduit module can thereby be inserted from a side into the housing and connected with it form-fittingly or frictionally with the use of sealing agents. This type of production assures the greatest possible freedom in the selection of the materials for the housing and water conduit module, because the fixture can be produced such that the water does not come into contact with the housing. 
         [0010]    According to an embodiment of the invention, the seats for a functional component, particularly a thermostatic element, a mixing cartridge, or a valve bonnet are provided in the water conduit module and not in the housing. This simplifies the complexity during the production of the inner housing form. 
         [0011]    Another embodiment provides that the water conduit module comprises two separate water passages, whereby the one water passage surrounds the other radially at least in part. This makes it possible to achieve a very space-saving design. 
         [0012]    An embodiment provides that the water conduit module, for example, the mixed water conduit, has a pipe and an inlet and outlet in each case at the end of the pipe are provided. The water conduit module can be provided with O-rings and inserted into seats provided therefor in the housing. The fixation occurs via the friction connection of the sealing agent. 
         [0013]    According to an embodiment, the inlets for cold and hot water can be provided at the water conduit module in a radial direction. In so doing, the water conduit module or the hollow section is formed such that tight transitions to the connections for cold and hot water are achieved. For this purpose, the pipes or cylindrical hollow sections, which make up the water conduit module, are flattened in this area and provided, for example, with a groove for an O-ring. 
         [0014]    In an embodiment of the plumbing fixture, the hot water inlet exclusively can be connected sealingly at the water conduit module to the connection for the hot water supply on the housing. This means that the cold water reaches the housing at the connection for cold water and flows around the water conduit and housing interior. Thus, a so-called “cool touch” effect is achieved, because the water passages, conducting hot or warm water, are not connected to the surface of the fixture, but are surrounded by cold water. Scalding of the user by contact during showering or cleaning of the fixture is thereby ruled out. In this case, the one-piece nature of the housing is of great advantage, because the sealing sites to the connections and the outlet are reduced. The inlets for cold and hot water on the water conduit module are thereby disposed in the area of the seat for a thermostatic element. This means that the thermostat is disposed on the side of the hot water connection and the hot water is taken directly from the housing connection into the thermostat area. The cold water flows around the housing interior and the water conduit from outside until it reaches the inlet in the thermostat area in the water conduit. 
         [0015]    In another embodiment, the water conduit module is formed such that both the housing connection for cold water can be sealingly connected to an inlet for cold water at the water conduit module and the housing connection for hot water to an inlet at the water conduit module. 
         [0016]    The design of the water conduit module makes it possible, furthermore, to position the outlets at different locations, so that they correspond to the mixed water outlet at the housing. This depends in each case on whether the mixed water, whose amount is controlled by a valve bonnet, is conveyed in the inner or outer water passage. Accordingly, the outlet of the water conduit module is connected only at the outer water passage or at the inner water passage with the mixed water outlet of the housing. 
         [0017]    Materials of plastic or metal may be used for the housing and/or the water conduit module. As a result, many methods are particularly suitable for the shaping of the hollow section for the water conduit module. Particularly for the preparation of areas for the seating of the functional components, methods such as heat forming are suitable in the case of hollow sections made of metal, because in this case thin wall thicknesses and thereby a light and material-saving construction can be achieved. 
         [0018]    Thus, a method for producing plumbing fixtures is provided by the invention, in which first a one-part housing for a plumbing fixture with connections for a cold and warm water supply and a mixed water outlet and a water conduit module are fabricated separately from one another, whereby the sequence is not important. Next, the water conduit module is inserted into the housing in such a way that during the insertion process of the water conduit module a tight connection of the housing and water conduit module results in the area of a connection site and in the area of the mixed water outlet. This connection can be achieved, for example, by form-fitting or frictional connections between the housing and water conduit module, whereby in each case suitable sealing means are used at the connection sites. 
         [0019]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates a section through a first exemplary embodiment for a plumbing fixture of the invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates a section through a second exemplary embodiment; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  illustrates a section through a third exemplary embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  shows a section through a plumbing fixture  1  of the invention, in the present case a thermostatic mixer. Plumbing fixture  1  has a housing  2 , which includes a cast body. This is largely cylindrical and has, apart from the necessary openings on the outer cover for hot water connection  21 , cold water connection  22 , and outlet  4 , an opening  23  each on the sides for a thermostatic element and an opening  24  for a check valve. Connecting pieces  25 ,  26 , which have the necessary connection geometries, are provided at the openings for the hot and cold water connection  21 ,  22  in the cast body  2 . In the lower area of the connecting pieces  25 ,  26 , the aperture narrows, so that it corresponds to an inlet  34 ,  35  at water conduit module  3  and enables a tight connection to said module. Water conduit module  3  in the present case includes a two-part hollow piece, whose first part is inserted into housing  2  through housing opening  23  for the thermostats and whose second part is inserted through housing opening  24  for the check valve. Water conduit module  3  thereby subdivides into several areas. A cylindrical tube  33  which conducts the mixed water and in turn ends at inlet  51  of a seat for a check valve  5 , attaches at a seat  6  for a thermostatic element with a geometry that corresponds to the dimensions of the thermostatic element. Outlets  52  of seat  5  in turn are connected to a second tube  32 , which surrounds radially first cylindrical tube  33  up to housing outlet  4 . Cylindrical tube  33  for the first mixed water passage is connected as a single piece with seat  6  for the thermostatic element. The jacket thickness of cylindrical tube  33  declines abruptly in the area of housing outlet  4  and is then constant to the tube end. The second part of water conduit module  3  has a substantially cylindrical form. It is pushed from the other side of fixture  1  like a sleeve onto cylindrical tube  33  of the first mixed water passage and in the area of the tube with the greater jacket thickness is connected frictionally with it via sealing means. 
         [0025]    Hot water connection  21  of housing  2  opens directly into hot water inlet  35  of water conduit module  3 , whereas cold water connection  22  leads first only into the housing interior. The cold water flows around water conduit module  3  until it reaches cold water inlet  34  at water conduit module  3 , which is located like hot water inlet  35  at seat  6  for the thermostatic element. The mixed water leaves seat  6  for the thermostatic element, reaches the check valve through the first mixed water passage  33  and through the outlets at seat  5  for the check valve the second mixed water passage  32 , surrounding the first one radially, and flows from there around outlet  4 , which is located in the center of fixture  1  at its lower side. 
         [0026]    In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the second outer water passage  32  extends to seat  6  for the thermostatic element and is there connected to it, so that water conduit module  3  is present as a structural unit in one-part form. The dimensions of water conduit module  3  are thereby selected so that it can be pushed into housing  1  from a side of said housing and assembled. 
         [0027]    In exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the water conduit in water conduit module  3  has been modified. To this end, the hot water inlet  35  is provided in the outer water passage  31 , which thereby functions as the hot water passage. In this way, the hot water reaches the hot water inlet  35  at the seat  6  for the thermostatic element. In the present case, cold water connection  22  of housing  1  opens directly at seat  6  for the thermostatic element and is there connected directly with cold water inlet  34 . The mixed water through the inner water passage  33  reaches seat  5  for the check valve and leaves housing  1  through outlet  4  which is provided in the area of seat  5  for the check valve. Because the water passages for cold and hot water do not cross in this embodiment, the length of fixture  1  can be shortened, which results in further material saving. 
         [0028]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.