Shower device

• US 5,121,511 A
• Filed: 11/02/1990
• Issued: 06/16/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Tsukasa, Onkura, Tetsuya, Sakamoto, Jyunichi
• Primary Examiner(s): YASICH, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US07/608,368
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 4/601, 4/DIG. 3, 4/623, 4/605, 251/30.02, 137/870, 137/871
• US Class Current: 4/601
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0408 Water installations especially for showers E03C1/06 takes precedence; shower heads B05B1/18
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/055 Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/402 acting on a diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8778 Spring biased

Abstract

A shower device includes a plurality of nozzles provided to a housing, supplied hot and cold water to the nozzles being turned on and off through solenoid valves which are provided in a self-maintaining type and are supplied with a power from a low voltage power source through a controller. The device is thereby made simple and easy in its installation and to be operable for a long term with considerably low voltage and small power.

Claims

1. A shower device comprising:

A) a main housing adapted to be mounted on a shower stall surface;

B) a plurality of shower nozzles mounted in vertically spaced relationship in said main housing for discharging water;

C) a plurality of valves mounted in said main housing and operatively connected to respective ones of said nozzles for controlling the water flow thereto, each of said valves including;

1) a solenoid plunger movable between valve-opening and valve-closing positions,

2) an electric solenoid coil for displacing said plunger toward and away from said valve-opening and valve-closing positions,

3) first holding means operable independently of said coil for releasably holding said plunger in said valve-closing position, and

4) second holding means operable independently of said coil for releasably holding said plunger in said valve-opening position,

5) said coil being energizable to selectively release said plunger from said first and second holding means;

D) a low voltage power source operably connected to said coils for energizing said coils; and

E) manual operating controls mounted on said main housing for controlling the supply of said low voltage to said coils;

F) said main housing, said shower nozzles, said valves, and said manual controls being mountable as a single unit to said shower stall surface.

2. A shower device according to claim 1, wherein each of said valves includes a water supply passage, a water discharge passage, a main valve seat separating said water supply and discharge passages, and a main valve member movable against said main valve seat to close said valve when said plunger is in said valve-closing position, and movable away from said main valve seat to open said valve when said plunger is in said valve-opening position, said main valve member including an elastic diaphragm which is biased against said main valve seat solely by its own inherent resiliency.

3. A shower device according to claim 2, wherein each of said valves comprises a valve housing forming said fluid supply passage, said fluid discharge passage and said main valve seat;

said fluid supply passage communicating with a first side of said main valve member;

first pressure chamber communicating with a second side of said main valve member disposed opposite said first side thereof;

a fluid path communicating said first pressure chamber with said fluid supply passage and tending to equalize pressures on said first and second sides of said main valve member when said main valve member is in engagement with said main valve seat;

a pilot chamber arranged in said valve housing in communication with said first pressure chamber;

a pilot valve seat disposed between said fluid discharge passage and said pilot chamber;

pilot valve means arranged to open and close said pilot valve seat for opening and closing communication between said first pressure chamber and said fluid discharge passage, said pilot valve means including said plunger, said coil, and said first and second holding means.

4. A shower device according to claim 1, wherein said low voltage power source is mounted in said main housing.

5. A shower device according to claim 4, wherein said low voltage power source comprises a battery.

6. A shower device according to claim 1, wherein one of said first and second holding means comprises a magnet.

7. A shower device according to claim 6, wherein the other of said first and second holding means comprises a spring.

8. A shower device comprising:

a housing,

a plurality of shower nozzles mounted to said housing,

a plurality of solenoid valves connected to respective ones of said shower nozzles for controlling the flow of water thereto, each of said solenoid valves including;

a water supply inlet port,

a supplied water discharge port and a water supply outlet communicating internally directly with said water supply inlet port,

a solenoid plunger selectively actuable between valve-opening and valve-closing positions by an electric coil, and

a first and second holding means operable independently of said electric coil for releasably holding said solenoid plunger in said valve-closing and valve-opening positions, respectively,

said water supply outlet of each solenoid valve being coupled to said water supply inlet port of an adjacent downstream one of the solenoid valves, whereby said solenoid valves are sequentially coupled; and

a lower voltage power source for energizing said electric coils.

9. A shower device according to claim 8, wherein said lower voltage power source comprises a battery.

10. A shower device according to claim 8, wherein one of said first and second holding means comprises a magnet.

11. A shower device according to claim 10, wherein the other of said first and second holding means comprises a spring.

12. A shower device according to claim 8, which further comprises a connecting joint connected to a water supply source and having a supplied water outlet coupled to said water supply inlet port of first one of said sequentially coupled solenoid valves, and a cut-off plug fitted to said water supply outlet of last one of the sequentially coupled solenoid valves for closing the outlet.