Automatic water faucet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017247866-A1
Application number	US-201715595993-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 16, 2017
Priority date	Nov 21, 2014
Publication date	Aug 31, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An automatic water faucet includes a spout pipe; a spout port member having a spout port, the spout port member being housed at a leading end of the spout pipe such that the spout port member can be freely pulled out; and a sensor provided in the vicinity of the spout port for causing water to start being discharged upon detecting an object underneath the spout port. The spout port member is configured to be pulled out from a side behind the sensor in an axial direction of the spout pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An automatic water faucet, comprising:
a spout portion; a spout port member having a spout port, the spout port member being housed at a leading end of the spout portion such that the spout port member can be freely pulled out; and a sensor provided in the vicinity of the spout port for detecting an object below the spout port to cause water discharge to start; wherein the spout port member is configured to be pulled out from an end of the spout portion that is axially depthward of the sensor.

2 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein
the spout portion has a shape that is expanded in a section from an intermediate portion, to the leading end, of the spout portion, and the spout port member can be pulled out from the expanded section.

3 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein the spout port member has a shape that in a state in which the spout port member has been housed smoothly curves continuously from an upstream side of the spout portion to the spout port member.

4 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein the spout portion has a shape in which a portion thereof expands in a depthwise direction toward the leading end as viewed from a user and is configured such that the spout port member can be pulled out from either side of the portion that expands in the depthwise direction.

5 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a holding member that holds the sensor inside the spout portion, wherein the holding member includes
a planar portion having a sensor window of the sensor, and
a rising portion formed to rise from a periphery of the planar portion.

6 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein:
the spout portion is a spout pipe; and the sensor is held at a leading end portion of the spout pipe.

7 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 5 , wherein:
the planar portion is disposed at a position that is more inward than is the leading end of the spout portion; and the rising portion is formed to rise along an inner wall of the spout portion.

8 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 5 , wherein a leading end of the rising portion projects more than the leading end of the spout portion.

9 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 5 , wherein the rising portion is connected to the planar portion via a continuous curved surface.

10 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a water supply hose disposed inside the spout portion; wherein the spout port member is connected to the water supply hose and is provided to be capable of being pulled out from the spout portion along with the water supply hose; a portion of a side surface of the spout port member can abut against a portion of a side surface of the spout portion when the spout port member is housed into the spout portion; and one of an abutment portion of the spout port member and an abutment portion of the spout portion is formed into a convex shape, and the other one of the abutment portions is formed into a concave shape corresponding to the convex shape.

11 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 10 , wherein:
the either convex shape or concave shape formed at the abutment portion of the spout port member extends along a lengthwise direction of the water supply hose; and the either convex shape or concave shape formed at the abutment portion of the spout portion extends along the axial direction of the spout portion.

12 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein in a state in which the spout port member is housed in the spout portion, the spout port member is located behind the spout portion relative to the user.

13 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein the spout port member includes a finger hooking portion that latches a grasping unit in a pulling direction thereof when the spout port member is grasped.

14 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 13 , wherein the finger hooking portion is formed into a tapered shape or a concave shape at a portion between a large diameter portion, which is a leading end side of the spout port member, and a small diameter portion, which is an inward side in the pulling direction.

15 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 13 , wherein the spout port member is located behind, as viewed from the user, the spout portion in a housed state.

16 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 13 , wherein:
the spout portion includes a stretched-out portion that expands from the spout pipe from the intermediate portion to the leading end of the spout pipe; and a curved line that defines a boundary between the spout portion and the stretched-out portion and a curved line that defines a step of the finger hooking portion are smoothly continuous with each other.

17 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a switch operation portion that can switch states of water discharge from the spout port; wherein the sensor is located before the spout port as viewed from the user, and the switch operation portion includes a convex portion that shifts into switched positions for the respective water discharge states, and is located depthward in the spout port no matter which position the convex portion is in.

18 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 17 , wherein the switching positions are arranged symmetrically with respect to a center axis.

19 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 17 , wherein a pictogram that indicates a corresponding water discharge state is provided at a position corresponding to the switching position on the front of the spout portion.

20 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 17 , wherein an upper portion of the convex portion has a smooth tapered shape.

21 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein:
the spout portion is a spout pipe of which a leading end portion is partially cut out; and a holding unit that holds a housed member inside the spout pipe is provided at the leading end portion of the spout pipe.

22 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 21 , wherein a sectional shape of the leading end portion of the spout pipe along a plane perpendicular to the pipe axially is a circular arc shape with a central angle exceeding 180 degrees.

23 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 21 , wherein:
the housed member includes a sensor that detects the presence of a detection target; the spout port member is disposed at a cut-out portion of the spout pipe; and water is discharged through the spout port upon the detection target being detected by the sensor.

24 . The automatic water faucet according to claim 1 , wherein:
the spout portion is a spout pipe, and a holding unit that holds a housed member in at least apart of a space inside the spout pipe is formed inside the spout pipe.

Assignees

• Lixil Corp

Inventors

• Kessoku Sachiko
• Itazu Nobuaki
• Shirai Yuki
• Komatsu Yuichiro
• Kamata Azumi

Classifications

• E03C1/055 Primary

  Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like · CPC title

• E03C1/0404

  Constructional or functional features of the spout · CPC title

• E03C1/057 Primary

  touchless, i.e. using sensors · CPC title

• E03C2001/0415

  having an extendable water outlet · CPC title

• E03C1/025

  Water supply lines as such, e.g. shower hoses · CPC title