Operating device, flush water tank device, and flush toilet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9890527-B2
Application number	US-201715455636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Priority date	Mar 14, 2016
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

An operating device includes a rotary shaft, an operating handle, an operating wire, and a drive unit; wherein this drive unit includes: a rotary member, a rotary windup member, a locking device for mutually locking the rotary member and the rotary windup member until the rotary windup member rotates in the forward rotational direction from a first operating position and reaches a second operating position, a lock release device for releasing the lock between the rotary member and the rotary windup member so the rotary windup member rotates in the reverse rotational direction and moves to the first operating position regardless of any operation of the operating handle when the rotary member and the rotary windup member reach the second operating position, and a biasing device for restoring the rotary member to an initial position at which a toilet flush operation can be started from the operating position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An operating device configured to operate a discharge valve disposed in a flush water tank storing flush water to be supplied to a toilet, the operating device comprising:
a rotary shaft;
an operating portion configured to rotate the rotary shaft, the operating portion being attached to an outside end of the rotary shaft;
a linking member including a first end and a second end, the first end being linked to the discharge valve; and
a drive unit attached to an inside end of the rotary shaft so as to be linked to the second end of the linking member, the drive unit being configured to drive the discharge valve by a rotary operation of the operating portion so as to move the linking member from a first operating position to a second operating position, the first operating position corresponding to a closed position of the discharge valve, and the second operating position corresponding to a fully open position of the discharge valve;
wherein the drive unit includes:
a rotary portion which includes a rotary member, a drive-side gear and one or more slave-side rotary gears, the rotary member being fixed to the rotary shaft, the rotary member including a locking projection portion configured to rotate with the rotary shaft, the drive-side gear being fixed to the rotary member, the one or more slave-side rotary gears being configured to engage the drive-side gear;
a rotary windup member to which the second end of the linking member is linked, the rotary windup member being configured to engage the locking projection portion of the rotary member so as to rotate together with the rotary member from the first operating position to the second operating position when the rotary shaft and the rotary member are rotating in a direction of opening the discharge valve in order to wind up a predetermined amount of the linking member;
a locking device configured to mutually lock the locking projection portion of the rotary member and the rotary windup member until the rotary windup member rotates from the first operating position and reaches the second operating position;
a lock release device configured to release a lock among the locking device, the locking projection portion of the rotary member and the rotary windup member so as to turn the rotary windup member from the second operating position to the first operating position when the rotary member and the rotary windup member respectively rotate from the first operating position and reaches the second operating position; and
an initial position restoration biasing device configured to bias the rotary member so as to restore the rotary member to the first operating position when the rotary member reaches the second operating position.

2. The operating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the initial position restoration biasing device is disposed on at least either the drive-side gear or the one or more slave-side rotary gears.

3. The operating device according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more slave-side rotary gears includes a first slave-side rotary gear configured to engage the drive-side rotary gear, and a second slave-side rotary gear configured to engage the first slave-side rotary gear; and
wherein the initial position restoration biasing device is disposed on the second slave-side rotary gear.

4. A flush water tank device configured to store flush water to be supplied to a toilet, the flush water tank device comprising:
a flush water tank configured to store flush water to be supplied to the toilet;
a discharge valve disposed in the flush water tank;
an operating device configured to operate the discharge valve,
wherein the operating device includes:
a rotary shaft extending from an inside to an outside of the flush water tank;
an operating portion configured to rotate the rotary shaft, the operating portion being attached to an outside end of the rotary shaft positioned on the outside of the flush water tank;
a linking member including a first end and a second end, the first end being linked to the discharge valve; and
a drive unit attached to an inside end of the rotary shaft positioned on the inside of the flush water tank so as to be linked to the second end of the linking member, the drive unit being configured to drive the discharge valve by a rotary operation of the operating portion so as to move the linking member from a first operating position to a second operating position, the first operating position corresponding to a closed position of the discharge valve, and the second operating position corresponding to a fully open position of the discharge valve;
wherein the drive unit includes:
a rotary portion which includes a rotary member, a drive-side gear and one or more slave-side rotary gears, the rotary member being fixed to the rotary shaft, the rotary member including a locking projection portion configured to rotate with the rotary shaft, the drive-side gear being fixed to the rotary member, the one or more slave-side rotary gears being configured to engage the drive-side gear;
a rotary windup member to which the second end of the linking member is linked, the rotary windup member being configured to engage the locking projection portion of the rotary member so as to rotate together with the rotary member from the first operating position to the second operating position when the rotary shaft and the rotary member are rotating in a direction of opening the discharge valve in order to wind up a predetermined amount of the linking member;
a locking device configured to mutually lock the locking projection portion of the rotary member and the rotary windup member until the rotary windup member rotates from the first operating position and reaches the second operating position;
a lock release device configured to release a lock among the locking device, the locking projection portion of the rotary member and the rotary windup member so as to turn the rotary windup member from the second operating position to the first operating position when the rotary member and the rotary windup member respectively rotate from the first operating position and reaches the second operating position; and
an initial position restoration biasing device configured to bias the rotary member so as to restore the rotary member to the first operating position when the rotary member reaches the second operating position.

5. A flush toilet comprising:
a toilet main body; and
a flush water tank device disposed on the toilet main body;
wherein the flush water tank device includes:
a flush water tank configured to store flush water to be supplied to the toilet main body;
a discharge valve disposed in the flush water tank;
an operating device configured to operate the discharge valve,
wherein the operating device includes:
a rotary shaft extending from an inside to an outside of the flush water tank;
an operating portion configured to rotate the rotary shaft, the operating portion being attached to an outside end of the rotary shaft positioned on the outside of the flush water tank;
a linking member including a first end and a second end, the first end being linked to the discharge valve; and
a drive unit attached to an inside end of the rotary shaft positioned on the inside of the flush water tank so as to be linked to the second end of the linking member, the drive unit being configured to drive the discharge valve by a rotary operation of the operating portion so as to move the linking member from a first operating position to a second operating position, the first operating position corresponding to a closed position of the discharge valve, and the second operating position corresponding to a fully open position of the discharge valve;
wherein the drive unit includes:
a rotary portion which includes a rotary member, a

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Shinohara Koki
• Tanimoto Hideki
• Hatama Kenji
• Abe Makoto

Classifications

• E03D5/09 Primary

  directly by the hand · CPC title

• E03D1/308

  with articulated valves (E03D1/306 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E03D3/08

  with other retarding devices · CPC title

• E03D5/094

  the flushing element, e.g. siphon bell, being actuated through a cable, chain or the like · CPC title

• E03D1/36

  Associated working of inlet and outlet valves · CPC title