Suction nozzle for hydromassage

Abstract: A suction nozzle (11,50,100,150) for hydromassage baths, which is connected to a circulation pump via a suction duct (20), contains a closing member (22) designed to connect up the interior of the nozzle (11,50,100,150) with the suction duct (20) as a result of the vacuum generated upstream by the circulation pump.

Description: The present invention relates to a suction nozzle for hydromassage baths. In hydromassage baths the suction nozzles, which are usually situated at the bottom of the bath, enable the water contained in the bath to be removed in order to supply the delivery nozzles. For this purpose the suction nozzles are connected by means of suction ducts to one or more pumps which convey, by means of suitable delivery ducts, the water removed from the bath to the delivery nozzles. The suction nozzles according to the known art comprise a box-shaped body having, connected to it, a suction duct which is in turn connected to a circulation pump. The nozzles comprise, moreover, a closing member designed to intercept the flow of water which flows from the nozzle into the suction duct. More precisely, when a person wishes to take a bath with hydromassage, the closing member is in the open position, allowing the water contained in the bath to flow into the pipes of the hydromassage system whereas, when a person wishes to take a bath without hydromassage, the closing member is in the closed position, preventing the water from entering the pipes. Finally the nozzle is provided at the bottom with the conventional valve for discharging the water which is contained inside the suction duct. The discharge valve includes a lever element provided with an obturator for closing and opening a discharge hole formed in the sleeve, said element being hinged at one end and provided with a float at the other end. In this way, when the bath and hence also the nozzle are filled with water, the float is raised and the obturator closes off the discharge hole, whereas, when there is no water, the float and hence the obturator are lowered, opening the discharge hole and thus allowing the water contained inside the hydromassage system to be discharged. According to a particular embodiment of EP-A-0 215 514, the closing member comprises an obturator connected to a membrane displaceable by means of the pressure generated inside the delivery duct of the circulation pump. When the pump is activated, the pressure produced inside the delivery duct displaces the membrane and the obturator and, consequently, causes the obturator of the closing member to open. However, this embodiment has various drawbacks, including the fact that the pressure produced by the pump might not be sufficient to displace the membrane and thus open the closing member. Moreover, in the event of the pump not being able to be triggered, i.e. continuing to drying operate, a considerable amount of damage could occur inside the pump itself. The main aim of the present invention is therefore to devise and provide a nozzle in which the drawbacks mentioned with respect to the cited known art can be eliminated. A further aim is to provide a suction nozzle which has a simple constructional design, is low-cost and allows rapid filling of the suction duct. This aim is achieved by a suction nozzle for hydromassage baths of the type mentioned initially, i.e. designed to be connected to a circulation pump via a suction duct, which is charaterized as claimed here below. In order to start the hydromassage system it is therefore necessary to fill the bath first and then start operation of the pump such that the vacuum produced upstream thereof opens the closing member, thus allowing water contained inside the suction nozzle to be removed and conveyed to the delivery nozzles. In a particular embodiment of the invention, said at least one passage consists in at least one hole formed in the obturator or in a duct located inside the body of the nozzle provided with a shut-off valve actuated by an electromagnetic device. Obviously in this latter embodiment, prior to start-up of the pump, it is necessary to open the shut-off valve by energizing the electromagnetic device, said valve being suitably closed as soon as the hydromassage bath has been completed. In a further embodiment, the suction nozzle comprises controlled-opening means for connecting its interior the suction duct. In this way, after filling the bath, in order to start-up the circulation pump, the suction ducts of each nozzle are first filled via said controlled-opening means. Only at the end of filling of the suction ducts is the pump activated, so that the risk of the pump drying operating and the obturator remaining closed is eliminated. Moreover the vacuum which is required of the pump is of a magnitude such that low-power pumps may be used, thus resulting in substantial savings. In a further embodiment of the invention the suction nozzle comprises an electromagnetic device for displacement of the float into said lowered position when the nozzle is full of water with controlled opening of the valve and consequent introduction of water into said suction duct so as to favour triggering of the circulation pump. In this way, by employing the valve used for discharging the suction duct also for performing filling of the latter with water prior to start-up of the circulation pump, the design of the nozzle is simplified and its cost is reduced substantially. Moreover, the dimensions of the discharge hole, which may be increased, enable the suction duct to be rapidly filled with water. These and further characteristic features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the following detailed description, provided solely by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the following accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a suction nozzle according to the present invention, in which the closing member is shown in the closed position; Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of Figure 1, in which the closing member is shown in the open position; Figure 3 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a suction nozzle according to a first variant of the invention, in which both the closing member and the shut-off valve are shown in the closed position; Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of Figure 3, in which both the closing member and the shut-off valve are shown in the open position; Figure 5 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a suction nozzle according to a second variant of the invention, in which the closing member is shown in the closed position; Figure 6 is a partial cross-section, in elevation, through the nozzle according to Figure 5; Figure 7 is a partial longitudinal section, in elevation, through the nozzle according to Figure 5, in which the discharge valve is shown in the open position; Figure 8 is a figure similar to Figure 7, in which the discharge valve is shown in the closed position; Figure 9 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a suction nozzle according to a third variant of the invention, in which both the closing member and the through-hole are shown in the closed position; Figure 10 is an enlarged detail of Figure 9, in which both the closing member and the through-hole are shown in the open position; In Figures 1 and 2, a suction nozzle for hydromassage baths is denoted in its entirety by 11. The nozzle 11 comprises a box-shaped body 12 fixed, by means known per se, to the circular edge 16 of an opening formed in the wall 18 of a hydromassage bath tub (not shown in the Figures). It can be noted, in particular from Figure 1, that the box-shaped body 12 comprises a horizontally arranged sleeve 20 which extends from the body itself towards the inside thereof into the vicinity of a side wall 12a of the body 12; the sleeve 20 has connected to it the suction duct (not shown in the Figures) of the circulation pump. The inner end 20a of the sleeve is provided with a closing member, denoted in its entirety by 22, which has the function, when a person takes a bath without wanting to use the hydromassage technique, of preventing the entry of the water contained in the bath. The closing member 22 consists in an obturator 24 in the form of circular shaped disc, the peripheral edge of which presses against the end 20a of the sleeve 20 by means of the action of a helical spring 26 located between the obturator 24 and a cover 27 arranged inside an opening 29 formed in the side wall 12a. The peripheral edge of the obturator 24 is sealingly fixed inside the circular opening of an annular membrane 28, the external peripheral edge of which is sealingly fixed between the edge of the opening 29 of the side wall 12a and the edge of the cover 27, thus defining a chamber 30 between the cover 27, the obturator 24 and the membrane 28. The membrane 28 is made of deformable material and allows a displacement of the obturator 24 from a position in which it is engaged with the end 20a of the sleeve 20 (see Figure 1) into a position in which it is located at a distance therefrom (see Figure 2). Moreover, the obturator 24 has formed in it two holes 32 which connect up the chamber 30 with the sleeve 20 and hence with the suction duct. The operational features of the closing member 22 are as follows: In the rest condition shown in Figure 1, the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the resilient action of the spring 26, is engaged with the end 20a of the sleeve 20. In this initial situation, if a person wishes to take an ordinary bath without using the technique of hydromassage, the circulation pump is not started rind the obturator 24 remains closed, preventing the water contained inside the bath from entering the piping of the hydromassage system. If, on the other hand, a person wishes to use the hydromassage system, the circulation pump is started, creating a vacuum upstream thereof, i.e. inside the sleeve 20 and hence inside the chamber 30. The result is that the respective negative pressures acting on the two faces of the obturator 24 are equal and hence counter-balance each other, while the negative pressure acting on the face of the membrane 28 directed towards the inside of the chamber 30 is less than the value of the pressure acting on the opposite face. Consequently, the membrane 28 subjects the obturator 24 of the closing member 22 to a force acting in the direction of the cover 27 against the action of the spring 26. The elastic constant of the spring 26 is such that the force exerted by the spring itself on the obturator 24 is less than the resultant of the positive and negative pressures acting on the membrane 28, so that the obturator 24 is separated from the end 20a of the sleeve 20. The pump is thus able to suck water from the bath through the sleeve itself through the suction duct of the circulation pump, as indicated by arrow 5 in Figure 2. Once the hydromassage bath has been completed, operation of the pump is stopped so that the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the elastic recovery of the spring 26, comes into engagement again with the end 20a of the sleeve 20, definitively interrupting the flow of water entering the sleeve 20. Figures 3 to 10 show nozzles according to a few variants of the invention in which the same reference numbers have been used for components or parts similar to those of the preceding nozzle. In particular, Figures 3 and 4 show a nozzle 50 similar to the preceding nozzle, in which communication between the chamber 30 and the sleeve 20 is established not by means of the holes provided in the obturator, but by means of a communication duct 52 provided in the body 12 of the nozzle 50. More precisely, the communication duct 52 has a first end 52a communicating with the chamber 30 and a second end 52b communicating with the sleeve 20. The communication duct 52 has inside it, in the vicinity of the end 52b, a shut-off valve, denoted in its entirety by 54, which is provided with an obturator 56 and actuated by an electromagnetic device 58. The electromagnetic device 58 comprises an electric winding 60 with housed inside it a movable core 62 rigid with the obturator 56 of the shut-off valve 54. Moreover, the obturator 56 is retained in the closed position (see Figure 3) by means of a spring 64 arranged around the movable core 62 and located between the obturator itself and the electric winding 60. By supplying an electric current of predetermined intensity to the electric winding 60, the movable core 62 is drawn inside the electric winding 60 and the obturator 56 of the shut-off valve 54 is displaced against the action exerted by the spring 64, thereby opening up the communication duct 52, as illustrated in Figure 4. In the case where a hydromassage bath is required, the electromagnetic device 58 must first be energized and the circulation pump then started. Energization of the electromagnetic device 58 can only be interrupted when the vacuum generated by the pump has caused opening of the closing member 22 to allow water to be sucked into the circulation pump through the gap between the end 20a of sleeve 20 and the obturator, as illustrated in Figure 4 by arrows. Obviously, it will be possible to keep the electromagnetic device 58 energized for the entire duration of operation of the circulation pump such that the water contained inside the nozzle 50 is sucked both through the closing member 22 and To A lesser extent throuth the communication duct 52. Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 show a further embodiment which consists in a nozzle 100 similar to the nozzle 11 of Figures 1 and 2. The nozzle 100 is provided with a discharge valve 104 of the float type in order to allow emptying of the hydromassage system at the end of the hydromassage operation. The discharge valve 104 comprises an obturator 106 associated with a discharge hole 108 formed in the bottom portion of the sleeve 20. The obturator 106 is fixed to a lever element 110 having one end 110a hinged to the sleeve 20, while the opposite end 110b is provided with a float 112. When there is no water inside the bath and hence also inside the suction nozzle 100, the lever element 110 lies on the bottom of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 and the obturator 106 is located at distance from the discharge hole 108 of the sleeve 20 (see Figure 7), thus allowing the water contained inside the suction duct to flow out. Vice versa, during filling of the bath, the nozzle 100 is filled with water and the float 112 rises, raising the lever 110 so that the obturator 106 closes off the discharge hole 108 of the sleeve 20 (see Figure 8). In this way, if a person wishes to take a bath without hydromassage, the water contained in the bath is prevented from passing at all into the suction duct of the hydromassage system. It can be noted, moreover, that the discharge valve 104 has associated with it an electromagnetic device 114 having the function of lowering, when activated, the lever element 110 with the nozzle full of water. More precisely, the electromagnetic device 114 comprises an element in the form of a ferromagnetic plate 116 fixed onto the lever element 110, in an intermediate position between the float 112 and the obturator 106 and an electromagnet 118 arranged outside the underneath part of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 and facing the ferromagnetic plate 116. By supplying the electromagnet 118 with a predetermined excitation current, the ferromagnetic plate 116 is attracted downwards by it, thus causing lowering of the lever element 110 against the hydrostatic thrust acting on the float 112, when the bath and hence the nozzle 100 are filled with water, which would tend to keep the lever element 110 raised. Excitation of the electromagnetic 118 is maintained for a predetermined period of time substantially corresponding to the triggering time of the circulation pump. Finally, the electric power supply line of the suction pump contains a component designed to allow activation of the latter only after a predetermined period of time from the start of excitation of the electromagnet 118, thus avoiding operation of the circulation pump under no load, which might otherwise cause problems. The mode of operation of the nozzle 100 is now described below. In the condition where there is no water inside the bath, the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the resilient action of the spring 26, is engaged with the end 20a of the sleeve 20, and the float 112 of the discharge valve 104 lies on the bottom of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 so that its obturator 106 is in the open position (see Figure 7). This condition occurs as soon as the bath has been emptied and opening of the obturator 106 allows emptying of the hydromassage system. During filling of the bath, as soon as the water contained in the bath reaches the nozzle, it enters inside the latter so that the float 112 is raised, causing the obturator 106 of the discharge valve 104 to close, thus preventing the water entering into the suction duct through the discharge hole 108. At this point, two choices are possible: The first choice consists in taking an ordinary bath without using the technique of hydromassage so that the circulation pump is not started. As soon as the bath has been completed, the water contained in the bath is emptied, the float 112 of the discharge valve 104 comes to rest on the bottom of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 and the obturator 106 opens, allowing emptying of the pipes. The second choice consists in using the hydromassage system. First of all the predetermined excitation current is supplied to the electromagnet 118 which draws towards it the ferromagnetic plate 116, causing the obturator 106 to be lowered and hence allowing the water contained in the body 12 of the nozzle 100 to enter into the sleeve 20 through the discharge hole 108, and hence fill the suction duct of the circulation pump. At this point the pump is started, creating a vacuum upstream thereof, i.e. inside the sleeve 20 and inside the chamber 30. Consequently, as described above, the obturator 24 moves away from the end 20a of the sleeve 20 and the pump is thus able to suck up water from the bath through the sleeve itself in the manner already indicated above. At this point, the flow of the excitation current inside the electromagnet 118 is interrupted so that the ferromagnetic plate 116 is no longer attracted by the electromagnet itself and hence the float 112 is raised, closing the obturator 106 of the discharge valve 104. Once the hydromassage bath has been completed, operation of the pump is stopped, so that the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the elastic recovery of the spring 26, comes back into engagement with the end 20a of the sleeve 20, definitively interrupting the flow of water entering into the sleeve 20. The bath is then emptied and when the level of the water falls below the nozzle 100, the float 112 will come to rest on the bottom of the body 12 so that the obturator 106 opens the discharge hole 108, allowing emptying of the hydromassage system. Alternatively, the flow of the excitation current of the electromagnet 118 can be maintained for the entire period of operation of the pump, so that the water contained in the bath flows into the suction duct both through the obturator 24 of the closing member 22 and through the obturator 106 of the discharge valve 104. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a variant of the nozzle 100 according to Figures 5 to 7 and more precisely a nozzle 150 in which communication between the interior of the body 12 of the nozzle 150 and the sleeve 20 is established by means of a through-hole 152 formed in the sleeve 20; the through-hole 152 has, moreover, associated with it a closing valve 154 provided with an obturator 156 and actuated by an electromagnetic device 158. The electromagnetic device 158 comprises an electric winding 160 which has housed inside it a movable core 162 rigid with the obturator 156 of the closing valve 154. Moreover the obturator 156 is retained in the closed position (see Figure 9) by means of an annular spring washer 164 which is provided with a central and circular opening inside which the obturator 156 is fixed and which has an external peripheral edge rigid with the electric winding 160. By supplying the electric winding 160 with an electric current of predetermined intensity, the movable core 162 is attracted inside the electric winding 160 and the obturator 156 of the closing valve 154 is displaced against the action exerted by the spring washer 164, thus opening the through-hole 152, as illustrated in Figure 10. In the case where a hydromassage bath is required, the electromagnetic device 158 must first be energized, the suction duct allowed to be filled and the circulation pump then started, the latter causing the closing member 22 to open, as illustrated in Figure 10. Energization of the electromagnetic device 158 will be interrupted when the suction duct has been completely filled with water. By way of an alternative, the electromagnetic device 158 can be kept energized for the entire duration of operation of the circulation pump such that the water contained in the nozzle 150 is sucked both through the closing member 22 and across the through-hole 152. Finally it is obvious that any conceptually or functionally equivalent variation and/or modification falls within the scope of the patent claims.

Claims: Suction nozzle for hydromassage baths consisting of a body (12) connectable to a bath tub and having a sleeve (20) for the connection to the suction duct of a circulation pump and provided at its inner end (20a) with a closing member (22) designed to intercept the flow of water from the nozzle (11, 50, 100, 150) into the said suction duct through the inner end (20a) thereof, said closing member (22) comprising an obturator (24) retained in its closed pdsition by resilient means (26) and further comprising a membrane (28) located between the obturator (24) and a cover (27) fixed to the side wall (12a) of the nozzle body (12) facing the obturator (24) so that said obturator, said wall cover (27) and said membrane (28) define a chamber (30), characterized in that the nozzle (11, 50,100,150) is provided with at least one passage (32, 52) designed to connect the interior of said chamber (30) with said sleeve (20) such that, via said passage (32, 52), the vacuum generated in the suction duct of the circulation pump can be transmitted inside said chamber (30) in order to open said closing member (22). Suction nozzle according to Claim 1, characterized in that said passage (52) is provided with a shut-off valve (54). Suction nozzle according to Claim 2, characterized in that said shut-off valve (54) is operated by an electromagnetic device (58) in opposition to the action of resilient means (64). Suction nozzle according to any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that it comprises an aperture (152), which preferably consists in a through hole formed in the said sleeve (20) and is associated With valve means (154), for connecting the interior of the nozzle (150) with the sleeve (20). Suction nozzle according to Claim 4, characterized in that said valve means (154) are operated by an electromagnetic device (158) opposing the action of resilient means (164).

Inventors: FURLAN LIVIO, FURLAN, LIVIO
Applicants: JACUZZI EUROP, JACUZZI EUROPE SPA
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A61H33
IPC codes: A61H33