Patent Publication Number: US-2022226838-A1

Title: Water outlet device and shower

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application 202110081437.2, filed on Jan. 21, 2021. Chinese Patent Application 202110081437.2 is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to a field of bathroom fixtures, and in particular relates to a water outlet device and a shower. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Existing water outlet devices comprise a water outlet component, a water inlet passage, two water dividing passages, and a control mechanism. The water outlet component comprises a first water outlet nozzle and a second water outlet nozzle, and the first water outlet nozzle and the second water outlet nozzle respectively discharge various water sprays. The two water dividing passages are respectively in communication with the first water outlet nozzle and the second water outlet nozzle. The control mechanism comprises a valve core and a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism is operatively connected to the valve core to drive the valve core to move, and the valve core is disposed between the water inlet passage and the two water dividing passages to switch the two water dividing passages to be in communication with the water inlet passage. Each existing water outlet nozzle can only produce a single water spray. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure provides a water outlet device and a shower to overcome the disadvantages of the water outlet device of the existing techniques. 
     In order to solve the technical problem, a first technical solution of the present disclosure is as follows. 
     A water outlet device comprises a water outlet component and a control mechanism, the water outlet component comprises a spherical chamber, a bottom of the spherical chamber comprises a water outlet hole, a top of the spherical chamber comprises a first water inlet, a side wall of the spherical chamber comprises a second water inlet, discharging water spray from the water outlet hole is controlled by flow rate variations of the first water inlet and the second water inlet, and the control mechanism cooperates with the first water inlet and the second water inlet to steplessly adjust the flow rate variations of the first water inlet and the second water inlet. 
     In an embodiment, the water outlet device comprises a water inlet passage and two water dividing passages, the two water dividing passages are respectively in communication with the first water inlet and the second water inlet, and the control mechanism is disposed between the water inlet passage and the two water dividing passages. 
     In an embodiment, a variation between a cross-sectional area of the first water inlet and a cross-sectional area of the spherical chamber becomes larger as the first water inlet approaches the spherical chamber. 
     In an embodiment, a midmost point of the top of the spherical chamber comprises the first water inlet, and a midmost point of the bottom of the spherical chamber comprises the water outlet hole. 
     In an embodiment, the second water inlet is laterally disposed on an upper half of the side wall of the spherical chamber. 
     In an embodiment, an inner port of the second water inlet is tangentially disposed to discharge vortex water. 
     In an embodiment, the water outlet device comprises a control chamber, the control chamber is disposed between the water inlet passage and the two water dividing passages, the two water dividing passages each comprises a water dividing hole disposed on an inner chamber wall of the control chamber, the control mechanism comprises a valve core and a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is operatively connected to the valve core and drives the valve core to move for stepless adjustment, the valve core has a valve sheet, the valve sheet movably abuts the inner chamber wall of the control chamber, and shuttered areas of the two water dividing holes are steplessly controlled to steplessly adjust flow rate variations of the two water dividing passages due to a movement of the valve sheet. 
     In an embodiment, the valve core comprises a driving shaft configured to be fixed relative to the valve sheet, the driving mechanism comprises a rotatable wheel, the rotatable wheel and the driving shaft are coaxially connected together to be configured to rotate synchronously, the inner chamber wall of the control chamber comprises an arc-shaped surface, the two water dividing holes are disposed on the arc-shaped surface and are circumferentially spaced, the valve sheet is an arc-shaped surface, and the valve sheet is rotatably connected to an inner side of the control chamber and cooperates with the arc-shaped surface of the inner chamber wall. 
     In an embodiment, the valve core comprises a rotatable plate mechanism and a driving shaft, the rotatable plate mechanism is configured to be rotatably connected to an inner side of the control chamber, the valve sheet is fixedly connected to the rotatable plate mechanism, the driving shaft is fixedly connected to the rotatable plate mechanism, positions of the two water dividing holes correspond to the valve sheet, and the driving mechanism is operatively connected to the driving shaft. 
     In an embodiment, the valve core comprises a driving shaft, the driving mechanism comprises a gear rack configured to slide, a push button configured to slide, and a first transmission gear and a speed reduction mechanism configured to rotate, the push button and the gear rack are fixedly connected together, the first transmission gear is engaged with the gear rack, and the speed reduction mechanism is operatively connected to the first transmission gear and the driving shaft. 
     In an embodiment, the driving mechanism comprises a second transmission gear and a third transmission gear, the first transmission gear is coaxially and fixedly connected to the second transmission gear, the second transmission gear is engaged with the third transmission gear, and the driving shaft is coaxially and fixedly connected to the third transmission gear. 
     In an embodiment, the water outlet device comprises a fixed base component, the water outlet component comprises a surface cover and a water divider, the water divider comprises an upper chamber of the spherical chamber, the surface cover comprises a lower chamber of the spherical chamber, the water divider and the surface cover are fixedly connected together, the upper chamber cooperates with the lower chamber to define the spherical chamber, a second water dividing chamber in communication with the second water inlet is defined between the water divider and the surface cover, the fixed base component is fixedly disposed on the water divider, a first water dividing chamber in communication with the first water inlet is defined between the fixed base component and the water divider, and the two water dividing passages respectively comprise the first water dividing chamber and the second water dividing chamber. 
     In an embodiment, a lower side the water divider protrudes to define a convex base, the convex base extends inward to define the upper chamber, an outer circumference of the convex base protrudes to define an annular convexity, the surface cover extends inward to define the lower chamber and further extends inward to define an annular groove surrounding the lower chamber, and the annular convexity cooperates with and is coupled to the annular groove. 
     In order to solve the technical problem, a second technical solution of the present disclosure is as follows. 
     A shower comprises the water outlet device, the shower comprises a hand-held part and a head part, the water outlet component is connected to the head part, and the control mechanism is disposed on the hand-held part. 
     Compared with existing techniques, the technical solution provided by the present disclosure has the following advantages. 
     The water outlet component comprises the spherical chamber. The bottom of the spherical chamber comprises the water outlet hole, the top of the spherical chamber comprises the first water inlet, and the side wall of the spherical chamber comprises the second water inlet. First, the first water flow from the first water inlet flows into the spherical chamber, and kinetic energy and flow speed are increased due to Bernoulli effect. When the water flow rushes into the spherical chamber, a small portion of the water flow will be adhered to a chamber wall of the spherical chamber due to wall-adherence effect, the water flow for wall-adherence in all directions varies at each water inflow moment due to turbulence instability and will impact a main waterway of the first water flow to deflect the main waterway when a flow rate for the wall-adherence is large. Therefore, a circumferentially oscillating pulsating water spray is generated, dynamic shaking water effect is achieved, water spray is fuller, discharging water is more uniform, and massaging feeling is remarkable. Second, the water flow can be discharged from a whole surface cover. Third, water spray from the water outlet hole is controlled by flow rate variations of the first water inlet and the second water inlet, so that a stepless variation of the water spray from the same water outlet hole is achieved. 
     When the first water inlet approaches the spherical chamber, a variation between a cross-sectional area of the first water inlet and a cross-sectional area of the spherical chamber becomes larger, and the Bernoulli effect is good. 
     The driving mechanism comprises the gear rack, the push button, the first transmission gear, and the speed reduction mechanism. The push button drives the gear rack to move and drives gears to rotate. The speed reduction mechanism drives the valve core to rotate and drives the valve core to rotate back and forth synchronously to make flow rates of the two water inlets change, so that the stepless variation of the water spray from the same water outlet hole is achieved. 
     The second water inlet is laterally disposed on the upper half of the side wall of the spherical chamber, so that vortex rotating water is generated when water flows into the spherical chamber. 
     The inner chamber wall of the control chamber comprises an arc-shaped surface, and the two water dividing holes are disposed on the arc-shaped surface and are disposed circumferentially. The valve sheet defines the arc-shaped surface. The valve sheet is rotatably connected to the inner side of the control chamber and cooperates with the arc-shaped surface of the inner chamber wall. The adjustment is convenient, and the structure is compact. 
     The water divider comprises the upper chamber of the spherical chamber, and the surface cover comprises the lower chamber of the spherical chamber. The water divider and the surface cover are fixedly connected together, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber cooperate to define the spherical chamber. The second water dividing chamber in communication with the second water inlet is defined between the water divider and the surface cover, and the first water dividing chamber in communication with the first water inlet is defined between the fixed base component and the water divider. The structure is compact, and the assembly is convenient. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       The present disclosure will be further described below with the combination of the accompanying drawings and the embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a structural view of a shower of Embodiment 1. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the shower of Embodiment 1. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the shower of Embodiment 1. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a first perspective view of the water outlet device of Embodiment 1 when shaking spray water is discharged. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a second perspective view of the water outlet device of Embodiment 1 when shaking particle-shaped water is discharged. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a third perspective view of the water outlet device of Embodiment 1 when shaking column-shaped water is discharged. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a first structural view of a spherical chamber of the water outlet device of Embodiment 1 when a main passage of a first water flow is skewed to one side. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a second structural view of the spherical chamber of the water outlet device in Embodiment 1 when the main passage of the first water flow is skewed to another side. 
     
    
    
     Reference numbers: water outlet component  11 , control mechanism  12 , water inlet passage  13 , water dividing passages  14 , control chamber  15 , fixed base component  16 , surface cover  17 , water divider  18 , spherical chamber  111 , water outlet hole  112 , first water inlet  113 , second water inlet  114 , water dividing hole  141 , valve core  121 , driving mechanism  122 , valve sheet  1211 , rotatable plate mechanism  1212 , driving shaft  1213 , gear rack  1221 , push button  1222 , first transmission gear  1223 , second transmission gear  1224 , third transmission gear  1225 , second water dividing chamber  142 , first water dividing chamber  143 , water groove  161 , fixed base  162 , and sealing cover  163 , upper chamber  181 , convex base  182 , annular convexity  183 , lower chamber  171 , annular groove  172 , arc-shaped surface  151 , main waterway A 1 , water flow A 2 , hand-held part B 1 , head part B 2 , mandrel B 21 , housing B 12 , decorative cover B 11 , and mounting body  10 . 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , a water outlet device comprises a water outlet component  11 , a control mechanism  12 , a water inlet passage  13 , and two water dividing passages  14 . The water outlet component  11  comprises a spherical chamber  111 . A center of a bottom of the spherical chamber  111  comprises a water outlet hole  112 , and a center of a top of the spherical chamber  111  comprises a first water inlet  113 . The first water inlet  113  is directly opposite to the water outlet hole  112 . When the first water inlet  113  approaches the spherical chamber  111 , a sudden change between cross-sectional areas is large (i.e., a variation between a cross-sectional area of the first water inlet and a cross-sectional area of the spherical chamber becomes larger), and a cross-section of the first water inlet  113  is gradually enlarged in a downward direction. A first water flow from the first water inlet  113  flows into the spherical chamber  111 , and kinetic energy and flow speed are increased due to Bernoulli effect. When water flow rushes into the spherical chamber  111 , a small portion of a water flow A 2  will be adhered to a chamber wall of the spherical chamber  111  due to wall-adherence effect. The water flow A 2  for wall-adherence in all directions varies at each water inflow moment due to turbulence instability and will impact a main waterway A 1  of the first water flow to deflect the main waterway A 1  when a flow rate for the wall-adherence is large. Therefore, a circumferentially oscillating pulsating water spray is generated, dynamic shaking water effect is achieved, water spray is fuller, discharging water is more uniform, and massaging feeling is remarkable. A second water inlet  114  is laterally disposed on an upper half of a side wall of the spherical chamber  111 , and an inner port of the second water inlet  114  is tangentially disposed to enable vortex water to be discharged. In addition, water spray from the water outlet hole  112  is controlled by flow rate variations of the first water inlet  113  and the second water inlet  114 . The two water dividing passages  14  are respectively in communication with the first water inlet  113  and the second water inlet  114 , and the control mechanism  12  is disposed between the water inlet passage  13  and the two water dividing passages  14  to steplessly adjust flow rate variations of the two water dividing passages  14 , so that flow rate variations of the first water inlet  113  and the second water inlet  114  can be steplessly adjusted. 
     With respect to a stepless adjustment of a water spray, referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , shaking spray water, shaking particle-shaped water, and shaking column-shaped water (i.e., three different types of water spray patterns) are respectively discharged as follows. Referring to  FIG. 4 , a large portion of the water flows through the second water inlet  114  and a small portion of the water flows through the first water inlet  113 . At this time, the shaking spray water is discharged. Referring to  FIG. 5 , the water flows through the first water inlet  113  and the second water inlet  114  concurrently. At this time, the shaking particle-shaped water (e.g., refined shaking particle-shaped water) is discharged (i.e., a water discharging mode comprises small lantern-shaped water). Referring to  FIG. 6 , a large portion of the water flows through the first water inlet  113  and a small portion of the water flows through the second water inlet  114 . At this time, the shaking column-shaped water is discharged. The water outlet device discharges dynamic sprays, and a larger coverage (one nozzle corresponds to multiple points using shaking) can be achieved using fewer spray particles. When bathing needs are met, the water outlet nozzles can be appropriately reduced, so that a shower can be steplessly switched to an atomized water state (e.g., the shaking spray water state) and defines a larger spray angle under low pressure. 
     The water outlet device comprises a control chamber  15 , and the control chamber  15  is disposed between the water inlet passage  13  and the two water dividing passages  14 . An inner chamber wall of the control chamber  15  comprises an arc-shaped surface  151 , and the two water dividing passages  14  both comprise a water dividing hole  141  disposed on the arc-shaped surface  151 . The control mechanism  12  comprises a valve core  121  and a driving mechanism  122 . The valve core  121  comprises a valve sheet  1211 , a rotatable plate mechanism  1212 , and a driving shaft  1213 . The valve sheet  1211  defines an arc-shaped surface, and the valve sheet  1211  is fixedly connected to a side edge of the rotatable plate mechanism  1212 . The driving shaft  1213  is fixedly connected to an axis position of the rotatable plate mechanism  1212  (i.e., an axis about which the rotatable plate mechanism  1212  rotates). The rotatable plate mechanism  1212  is configured to be rotatably connected to an inner side of the control chamber  15 . The valve sheet  1211  cooperates and abuts the arc-shaped surface  151  of the inner chamber wall, and shuttered areas of the two water dividing holes  141  are steplessly controlled to steplessly adjust flow rate variations of the two water dividing passages  14  due to a movement of the valve sheet  1211 . The driving mechanism  122  comprises a gear rack  1221  configured to be slidably connected to a mounting body  10  to be slidable, a push button  1222  configured to be slidably connected to the mounting body  10  to be slidable, and a first transmission gear  1223 , a second transmission gear  1224 , and a third transmission gear  1225  configured to rotatably connected to the mounting body  10  to be rotatable. The push button  1222  and the gear rack  1221  are fixedly connected together, and the first transmission gear  1223  is engaged with the gear rack  1221 . The first transmission gear  1223  is coaxially and fixedly connected to the second transmission gear  1224 , and the second transmission gear  1224  is engaged with the third transmission gear  1225 . The driving shaft  1213  is coaxially and fixedly connected to the third transmission gear  1225 , and the second transmission gear  1224  cooperates with the third transmission gear  1225  to define a speed reduction mechanism to achieve speed reduction. The third transmission gear  1225  defines a rotatable wheel configured to drive the driving shaft  1213  to rotate. Therein, a sealing gasket does not need to be disposed between the two water dividing passages  14  due to a stepless adjustment of the flow rate variations of the two water dividing passages  14 , so that a switching force is mild and a current switching force is less than 2 N. 
     The water outlet device further comprises a fixed base component  16 . The water outlet component  11  comprises a surface cover  17  and a water divider  18 . The water divider  18  comprises an upper chamber  181  of the spherical chamber  111 . The surface cover  17  comprises a lower chamber  171  of the spherical chamber  111 , and the water divider  18  and the surface cover  17  are fixed together. The upper chamber  181  and the lower chamber  171  cooperate to form the spherical chamber  111 . A second water dividing chamber  142  in communication with the second water inlet  114  is defined between the water divider  18  and the surface cover  17 . The fixed base component  16  is fixed to the water divider  18 , and a first water dividing chamber  143  in communication with the first water inlet  113  is defined between the fixed base component  16  and the water divider  18 . The fixed base component  16  comprises a fixed base  162  comprising water grooves  161  connected in parallel and extending inward from a top surface of the fixed base  162  and comprises a sealing cover  163  hermetically connected to the fixed base  162  to close groove openings of the water grooves  161 . The water grooves  161  (e.g., two water grooves  161 ) are respectively in communication with the first water dividing chamber  143  and the second water dividing chamber  142  through holes. The two water dividing passages  14  respectively comprise the water grooves  161  and the water dividing chambers (e.g., the second water dividing chamber  142  or the first water dividing chamber  143 ). The water inlet passage  13 , part of the two water dividing passages  14 , and the control mechanism  12  are all disposed on the fixed base component  16 . In detail, a lower side of the water divider  18  protrudes to define a convex base  182 , the convex base  182  extends inward to define the upper chamber  181 , and an outer circumference of the convex base  182  protrudes to define an annular convexity  183 . The surface cover  17  extends inward to define the lower chamber  171  and extends inward to define an annular groove  172  surrounding the lower chamber  171  (i.e., each lower chamber  171 ), and the annular convexity  183  cooperates with and is coupled to the annular groove. 
     A shower comprising the water outlet device comprises a hand-held part B 1  and a head part B 2 . The water outlet component  11  is connected to the head part B 2 , and the control mechanism  12  is disposed on the hand-held part B 1 . A mandrel B 21 , a housing B 12 , and a decorative cover B 11  are further provided. The mandrel B 21  is in communication with the water inlet passage  13 , and the water outlet device is disposed in the housing B 12 . The decorative cover B 11  is disposed on the surface cover  17 , and the mounting body  10  comprises the fixed base component  16  and the mandrel B 21 . 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.