Patent Publication Number: US-9844787-B2

Title: Shower head with alternating outlet function

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a shower head device, especially to a shower head with alternating outlet function. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An improvement in a shower head is to make the outside with alternating discharging effect, that is to say, in original condition, all outlet holes of the outlet surface discharge water synchronously, it changes to that only a part of outlet holes discharge water at each time point, the remainders keep off, as time goes on, the several parts alternately discharge water. Basically, it needs some features to realize the function: when alternating discharging, the conditions of switching on and off are obvious, so thus making it with strong pause and easy to realize massage effect; the whole outlet surface is alternating discharging water, but not limited to a part of outlet holes; the whole outlet surface of the shower head is switched automatically between synchronous outlet and alternating outlet; the structure of device is applicable with different alternating proposal; it needs less components and it is reliable and simple structural. 
     In general, the structure is usually complicated to realize the whole outlet surface with automatically alternating outlet, and it needs many components; therefore, with regard to the present needs, existing technology can not take above effects into count. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is provided with a shower head with alternating outlet function to solve the technical problems of existing technology, the technical proposal of the present invention is: 
     A shower head with alternating outlet function comprising: 
     an inlet waterway, comprising an inlet port, an outlet port and an entire waterway therebetween; 
     an outlet terminal, having at least two outlet cavities, the outlet cavities are rotatably distributed on a plane and being mutually independent, and the outlet cavities have outlet holes, alternating inlet holes and synchronous inlets; the outlet holes are disposed on an outlet surface of the shower head; and 
     an alternating cavity with alternating inlets, fixed to the outlet terminal; the alternating cavity is connected to all alternating inlet holes; the interior thereof is disposed with a hydraulic alternating device to make the alternating inlets to connect to the alternating inlet holes in alternating manner driven by water pressure; 
     thereinto, the synchronous inlets and the alternating inlets are switched to connect to the outlet port by a water diversion plate; the water diversion plate has a structure that when the alternating inlets are connected to the outlet port, the synchronous inlets are mutually separated and sealed. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the water diversion plate is rotatably coupled to the outlet port. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the synchronous inlets and the alternating inlets are located on an top surface of the water diversion plate, the top surface is slidably coupled to the outlet port. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the synchronous inlets and the alternating inlets are distributed on a same revolution surface in circumference, the synchronous inlet, the alternating inlets and the outlet port are rotatably symmetrical about the rotation axis of the outlet port. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the outlet cavities are rotatably symmetrical; the alternating cavity, the water diversion plate and the outlet cavities are coaxial. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the alternating inlet holes of the outlet cavities are centered on the central shaft thereof; the synchronous inlets of the outlet cavities are distributed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes in circumference. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the hydraulic alternating device comprising an impeller rotating by the impact of the flow-in water from the alternating inlets, the impeller is alternately coupled to the inlet holes of the outlet cavities by a speed reducer driving a water stop blade to rotate. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the speed reducer is a planetary gear train. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the planetary gear train comprising: 
     a sun gear fixed to the central shaft of the impeller; 
     three planetary gears engaged to the external periphery of the sun gear uniformly, the rotation shafts of the three planetary gears are disposed to the water stop blade; and 
     a gear frame with an internal annular gear, engaged to the external peripheries of all gears; the gear frame is fixed to the internal wall of the alternating cavity. 
     In another preferred embodiment, it comprises two outlet cavities, the synchronous inlets thereof are distributed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes in circumference, two outlet areas correspondingly disposed. 
     In another preferred embodiment, it comprises three outlet cavities, the synchronous inlets thereof are distributed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes in circumference, three outlet areas are correspondingly disposed. 
     In another preferred embodiment, it comprises four outlet cavities, the synchronous inlets thereof are distributed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes in circumference, four outlet areas are correspondingly disposed. 
     Compared to the existing technology, the present invention has advantages as below:
         1. the outlet holes of the whole shower head are alternatively switched to alternating outlet or integral outlet; the synchronous inlets and the alternating inlets of the water diversion plate, when connecting to the outlet port, are mutually individual, so that the waterway switch is obvious and clear, the water flowing has strong pause effect. In addition, it has simple structure and less components; the structure is easy to expend the alternating units.   2. the synchronous inlets and the alternating inlets of the water diversion plate are rotatably coupled to the outlet port, the switch operation is realized by only a rotation in a certain angle forward or backward, it operates conveniently.   3. the alternating inlet holes are centered on the center of outlet cavity, so that the water stop blade is switched with less labor and quiet, the device is compact structural.   4. The hydraulic alternating device is applied with speed reducer with three symmetrical planetary gears, the switch torque and the rotation speed are stable, it operates with quiet.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be further described with the drawings and the embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic and exploded diagram with partial sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic and exploded diagram of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates another schematic and exploded diagram of the first embodiment from another view angle. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded diagram of the hydraulic alternating device of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a sectional view of the first embodiment in alternating working. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a sectional view of the first embodiment in normal working. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a schematic diagram of the second embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a schematic diagram of the third embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The first embodiment: as figured in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a shower head with alternating outlet function has an inlet waterway  100  disposed at the top of the shower head, the inlet  101  thereof is at the screw portion the shower head is fixed; water from the inlet  101  flows from a ball head  103  to a diversion box  110 , then flows out of an outlet  112 , that is the entire waterway of the inlet waterway  100 . With the diversion box  110 , a single water flowing from the inlet  101  is discharging out according to the number of the outlets  112 . In this embodiment, the terms ‘up’ and ‘down’ are defined as the flowing direction of the waterway, from ‘up’, otherwise ‘down’. 
     An outlet terminal  200  is disposed in the lower end of the inlet waterway  100 , the alternating inlets  301  and the synchronous inlets  215  of the water diversion plate  220  are switched alternately to connect to the outlet  112 , resulting in two different waterways. The alternating inlets  301  and the synchronous inlets  215  are disposed at the top surface of the water diversion plate  220 , and they are rotatably coupled to the outlet  112  on a plane. In addition, the synchronous inlets  215 , the alternating inlets  301  at the top surface of the water diversion plate  220  and the outlet port  112  are rotatably symmetrical about the rotation shaft of the outlet port  112 , as can be seen from the drawings, they are symmetrical about the rotation shaft right and left, so that the water diversion plate  220  is rotatable, the outlet port  112  is switched to alternating connect to the synchronous inlets  215  or alternating inlets  301 , in particular, by rotating the water diversion plate  220 , when the outlet port  112  is connected to the alternating inlets  301 , the synchronous inlets  215  are relatively cut off and closed without any waterway therebetween, so that the waterway switch is clear and obvious without interference. 
     In the lower end of the waterway of the water diversion plate  200 , there are an alternating cavity  300  and two rotatably symmetrical outlet cavities  210 ; the alternating cavity  300  and the outlet cavities  210  are coaxial and rotatably symmetrical. The outlet cavities  210  are flat rooms, they are mutually individual, a plurality of alternating inlet holes  213  are disposed in the center near the axis, the synchronous inlets  215  are disposed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes  213 ; the outlet cavity  210  is disposed with a plurality of outlet holes  211 , which form the outlet surface of the shower head. 
     The upper end of the alternating cavity is disposed with the above mentioned alternating inlets  301 , the interior thereof is disposed with a hydraulic alternating device  310 , when the alternating inlets  301  are connected to the outlet port  112 , water from outside impacts the hydraulic alternating device  310  inside the alternating cavity  300 , so that the water alternately flows into the alternating inlet holes  213  below, at the same time, the synchronous inlets  215  connected to the outlet cavity  210  are cut off, so that the outlet cavity  210  is alternatively charging water, water just flows out of the outlet holes  211  alternatively, resulting in alternating outlet function. With this kind of structure, all outlet holes  211  are available to be set to synchronously outlets or alternatively outlets, the whole outlet surface is used to switch, the alternating effect is well, and it has strong pause effect when switching the waterways; the outlet cavity  210  is switched for synchronous outlet or alternating outlet, by rotating the outlet terminal  200  a certain angle despite of forward or backward, it is convenient and reliable. The water diversion plate  220  is applicable of many manners to couple to the outlet port  112 , such as spherical sliding manner or parallel sliding manner, only if the function is guaranteed, when the alternating inlets  301  are connected to the outlet port  112 , the synchronous inlets  215  are mutually separated. With above setting, the switching mechanism is simple, and from the drawings, although it is two outlet cavities  210  rotatably symmetrical in this embodiment, it can be expended to multiple outlet cavities  210  of rotatably symmetry, thus to realize multiple alternating waterways. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic and exploded diagram of this embodiment of  FIG. 1  in another view angle;  FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded diagram of the hydraulic alternating device  310  of  FIG. 1 ; combining  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . 
     The outlet cavity  210  is mainly formed from a top cover  205  of the shower head and an upper cover  204  locked together, the alternating cavity  300  is formed above the upper cover  204 ; the upper cover  204  and the top cover  205  and the water diversion plate  220  are fixed together, a coaxial decorative cover  209  is fixed together as well. 
     The hydraulic alternating device  310  comprises a speed reducer  311 , which is driven by a torsion force from water compacting the impeller  312 . in  FIG. 1 , when water of outlet port  112  flows into the alternating inlets  301 , it changes to a water flowing with circumference dynamic energy after passing through a inclined body  303 , then it compacts the impeller  312  to rotate. 
     The speed reducer  311  is a planetary gear train. As seen from  FIG. 4 , the lower end of the impeller  312  is fixed with a coaxial sun gear  313 , centering about the sun gear  313 , there are three planetary gears  314  symmetrically engaging to the sun gear  313 , the external periphery of the sun gear  314  is disposed with a gear frame  315 , the gear frame  315  with an internal annular gear is fixed to the internal wall of the alternating cavity.  300 ; the rotation shafts of the three planetary gears  314  are disposed in a water stop blade  320 . so that a high speed rotation of the sun gear  313  transverses to a low speed rotation of the water stop blade  320 , the water stop blade  320  is slidably coupled to the alternating inlet holes  213 , when the water stop blade rotates, the alternating inlet holes  213  are alternately connected to the alternating cavity  300 . with the advantage of the planetary gear train to reduce speed, the hydraulic alternating device  310  is quiet, stably rotatable and with stable torque, particularly, the alternating inlet holes  213  are centered on the center of the upper cover  204  and the top cover  205 , the water stop blade  320  is available with small torque to alternately switch, the device is compact structural, the alternating pressure is reasonable and stable. 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of  FIG. 1  in alternating outlet condition;  FIG. 6  is a sectional view of  FIG. 1  in normal working condition. The working condition of this embodiment will be further described combined with the two drawings. 
     In  FIG. 5 , water from the inlet port  101  flows through the water diversion box  110 , then flows out of the outlet port  112 , the outlet port  112  is connected to the alternating outlet  301 , so that water flows through the inclined body  303 , with the stop work of the rotating water stop blade  320 , water alternately enters into the two outlet cavities  210 , so that water is divided into two parts alternating discharging out from the outlet holes  211  of the outlet surface of the shower head, thus making it a massage water flowing with pause effect;  FIG. 6  is based on the  FIG. 5 , rotating by holding the decorative cover, the synchronous inlets  215  are connected to the outlet port  112 , as the synchronous inlets  215  are kept to connect to the outlet cavity  210  synchronously, water from the inlet port  101  is non-blocked flowing out of all outlet holes  211 , thus realizing the basic function of a shower head. As can be seen, the structure of switch is simple, the operation is convenient. 
     The second embodiment: as figured in  FIG. 7 , disclosed is a shower head with alternating outlet function, the difference from the first embodiment is that: it comprises three outlet cavities  210 , the synchronous inlets  215  thereof are distributed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes  213  in circumference, three outlet areas are correspondingly disposed (refer to  FIG. 1 ). 
     The third embodiment: as figured in  FIG. 8 , disclosed is a shower head with alternating outlet function, the difference from the first embodiment is that: it comprises four outlet cavities  210 , the synchronous inlets  215  thereof are distributed in the external periphery of the alternating inlet holes  213  in circumference, four outlet areas are correspondingly disposed (refer to  FIG. 1 ). 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof for carrying out the patent for invention, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the patent for invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The present invention is provided with a shower head with alternating outlet function, which realizes an alternating function that the outlet holes of the whole shower head are alternatively switched; the switch of the waterways are mutually individual, the water flowing has strong pause effect. In addition, it has simple structure and less components; the structure is easy to expend the alternating units.