Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Flush closet – Bowl
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-04
2001-12-11
Phillips, Charles E. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Flush closet
Bowl
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327718
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a human privates washing apparatus for washing human bodies with hot water.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional human privates washing apparatus of this kind is shown in
FIG. 28
as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-33377 (1993).
FIG. 28
is a schematic view showing a supply system of wash water, in which a water supply pipe
152
is connected with an upstream side of a pump
151
and an air mixing portion
153
is mixed with a downstream side of the pump
151
. The air mixing portion
153
includes a cylindrical suction head
154
made of ceramic such that air delivered from a compressor
155
is mixed into water in the suction head
154
. By this arrangement, wash water supplied from the water supply pipe
152
is pressurized by the pump
151
and proceeds to the air mixing portion
153
. In the air mixing portion
153
, air supplied from the compressor
155
is divided into fine portions so as to flow into the wash water. Then, the wash water having passed through the air mixing portion
153
proceeds to a heat exchanger
156
. The wash water heated to a proper temperature by the heat exchanger
156
is supplied to a nozzle device
157
so as to be injected towards human privates. By this function, the wash water injected from the nozzle device
157
contains air bubbles and thus, mild bodily sensation is obtained at the time of washing of the human privates.
However, in the above mentioned conventional human privates washing apparatus, control of the compressor
155
and control of the heat exchanger
156
are not associated with each other. Therefore, if ratio of amount of the wash water to amount of air is not proper, a large amount of air is collected, thus resulting in local boiling or abnormal heating in the heat exchanger
156
. Meanwhile, since control of the compressor
155
and control of the heat exchanger
156
are not integrated, a user should perform a plurality of operations and cannot fully operate the conventional human privates washing apparatus unless the user is skilled in operational sequences or timings corresponding to situations. Furthermore, such a problem arises that any measure for reducing power consumption is not taken.
Meanwhile, since air bubbles are integrated with each other so as to become larger in diameter while proceeding from the air mixing portion
153
to the nozzle device
157
, hot wash water is injected intermittently from the nozzle device
157
, thereby resulting in uncomfortable sensation during use or scattering of the wash water. In addition, such an inconvenience is incurred that it is impossible to lessen heating quantity through reduction of heat dissipation of the heat exchanger
156
.
Conventionally, generally known water heaters for human privates washing apparatuses are divided into a hot water storage type in which a fixed amount of water stored in a tank is at all times heated to and kept at a proper temperature by a heater and an instantaneous heating type in which supplied water is instantaneously heated such that hot water heated to a proper temperature is fed. A hot water storage type water heater is shown in
FIG. 29
as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-3860 (1990). In
FIG. 29
, a lid
163
is securely fixed to an upper open end of a hot water storage tank
161
of a water heater
162
by a fastening member (not shown). A water inlet pipe
164
is attached to the lid
163
. One end of the water inlet pipe
164
is connected with a water supply source (not shown) via a water supply pipe
165
, while the other end of the water inlet pipe
164
extends through the lid
163
to a vicinity of a bottom of the hot water storage tank
161
. A hot water discharge portion
166
is attached to the lid
163
and has a hot water outlet
166
a communicating with interior of the hot water storage tank
161
. A heater
167
for heating water is inserted into the hot water storage tank
161
through the lid
163
. Meanwhile, a temperature sensor
168
for detecting temperature of hot water is mounted on the lid
163
such that a temperature sensing portion
168
a
is inserted into the hot water storage tank
161
. Power supply to the heater
167
is controlled in accordance with temperature of the hot water detected by the temperature sensor
168
such that the hot water in the hot water storage tank
161
is at all times kept at a preset temperature of, for example, about 40° C.
However, in the conventional hot water storage type water heater of the above described arrangement, since the amount of stored hot water is limited, hot water having the preset temperature is supplied until the amount of discharged water exceeds the amount of stored hot water. However, if this water heater is used for a such a long time that the amount of discharged water exceeds the amount of stored hot water, temperature of the hot water starts to drop gradually. Namely, if the amount of discharged water exceeds the amount of stored hot water, most of the hot water heated by the heater
167
and stored in the hot water storage tank
161
is discharged from the hot water storage tank
161
and water having flowed into the hot water storage tank
161
after start of discharge of the hot water is discharged. As a result, temperature of the hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank
161
starts to drop gradually. This happens because water having flowed into the hot water storage tank
161
immediately after start of use of the hot water is heated to vicinity of the preset temperature to some extent but water having subsequently flowed into the hot water storage tank
161
is discharged almost without being heated. Hence, since hot water having a temperature lower than the preset temperature is discharged, there is a risk that uncomfortable sensation is given to a user during washing of the body. Therefore, the hot water storage type water heater
162
has such a drawback that since the water heater
162
can be used only for a case in which period for discharging hot water is short, the human body cannot be washed satisfactorily with hot water having the proper temperature unless washing period is shortened and the water heater
162
is used intermittently.
In order to solve the above described problems in case the hot water storage tank
161
of the hot water storage type water heater
162
cannot be made large, an instantaneous heating type water heater disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-42757 (1989) as shown in
FIG. 30
is adopted. A water heater
179
shown in
FIG. 30
is constituted by a metallic heating tank
180
formed into a cylindrical shape having a bottom and a hot water storage cylinder
181
formed into a hollow cylindrical shape. The heating tank
180
is accommodated in the hot water storage cylinder
181
such that a hot water storage portion
181
a
is defined above the heating tank
180
. An open end of heating tank
180
is fitted into one opening of the hot water storage cylinder
181
such that the heating tank
180
is communicated with the hot water storage cylinder
181
via a through-hole
182
formed on a peripheral edge of the heating tank
180
adjacent to the open end. Then, a hollow cylindrical ceramic heater
183
including an electric heating element formed by performing printing on its surface or between two ceramic substrates is communicated with a water supply line (not shown) so as to be loosely fitted thereinto. The opening of the hot water storage cylinder
181
is closed by a flange of the ceramic heater
183
. The other opening of the hot water storage cylinder
181
is closed by a housing
186
including a float switch
184
and a vacuum switch
185
such that the housing
186
is communicated with the hot water storage cylinder
181
. Thus, hot water is discharged from a hot water discharge pipe
187
fixed to the housing
186
. A temperature sensor
188
for detecting temperature of hot water heated by the ceramic heater
18
Kondo Ryuta
Maruyama Shin'ichi
Ono Hideki
Shinoda Hideho
Yonekubo Hiroaki
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Phillips Charles E.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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