JPH0442370Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] 【Technical field】

The present invention relates to a washstand that can adjust the height of the washbowl up and down.

[Background technology]

As a conventional mechanism for raising and lowering the washbasin part to adjust the height, there is a mechanism in which the washbasin part is raised and lowered by a combination of a gear mechanism and a motor. In addition, there are devices that raise and lower the basin bowl by driving a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder using a motor or pump. However, with the lifting/lowering mechanism for the washing bowl that uses a combination of a gear mechanism and a motor, the mechanism becomes large and the structure becomes complicated in order to be able to lift the washing bowl, which is relatively heavy. In addition, since high-voltage electrical equipment such as motors is used in the water area, electrical wiring is required in addition to the plumbing for the water area, and there are problems in that electrical leakage countermeasures are also required. . Furthermore, there was also the drawback that noise was generated due to the rotation sound of the motor and gears. Further, in the case where a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder is driven by a motor, a motor and a pressurizing mechanism are required, which has the same drawback as the above-mentioned one using a gear mechanism and a motor. Furthermore, in the case of using a pump to drive a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder, a large pump is required, which increases the size of the mechanism and has the disadvantage that the pump is noisy in operation.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned technical background, and its purpose is to enable the washbasin bowl to be raised and lowered using a small and simple mechanism without using an electrical mechanism. To do so, and to enable a washbasin bowl part to be raised and lowered quietly.

[Disclosure of invention]

The washbasin part of the present invention has a washbasin part 2 disposed on the vanity main body 1 so as to be movable up and down, and a gas pressure-driven actuator 3 for raising and lowering the washbasin part 2 under the washbasin part 2. The container 4 filled with the hydrogen absorbing and desorbing metal a and the actuator 3 are connected to each other so that hydrogen gas can flow therethrough, and hot water for hot water supply is used as a heating medium for overheating or cooling the hydrogen absorbing and desorbing metal a. It is characterized by comprising a switching valve 5 for selectively supplying water for water supply to the container 4. The actuator 3 is driven by controlling the gas pressure of hydrogen gas by heating and cooling the hydrogen adsorbing/desorbing metal a that adsorbs hydrogen or releases hydrogen gas due to temperature changes. Because it moves up and down, there is no need for equipment such as motors or pumps, making the mechanism compact, and because the structure and operation are simple, there are fewer breakdowns, and the drive is quiet and noiseless. It is. Moreover, the hydrogen adsorbing and desorbing metal a is heated or cooled using hot water or water. This controls the rise and fall of the washbasin bowl, allowing the hot water and water supplied from the faucet to be absorbed by the hydrogen absorbing metal a.
It can be effectively used as a heat source for control, and since there is no need to use high-voltage electrical equipment such as a motor, there is no need to take measures against electrical leakage, and it is highly safe. Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The washstand A has an appearance as shown in Fig. 7, and mainly consists of a vanity main body 1 installed on the floor and a washbowl part 2. The washstand bowl part 2 is a part of the vanity It can be raised and lowered on the main body 1. Further, a makeup mirror may be provided above the back surface of the washbasin bowl portion 2. The vanity body 1 is made up of a metal structural frame 6 whose outer peripheral surface (excluding the back surface) is surrounded by an inner cover 7, as shown in FIG. The facility is equipped with a mechanism and piping for hot water and water supply. On the other hand, a bowl 8 that can store hot water is recessed in the top surface of the ceramic basin bowl 2, and a mixing faucet 9 for adjusting the amount and temperature of hot water is operated on the rear top surface. A handle 10 and a detachable faucet 11 are provided. Furthermore, an outer cover 12 is suspended from the lower surface of the washbasin bowl part 2, and the inner circumferential surface of the outer cover 12 is opposed to the outer circumferential surface of the inner cover 7 at a constant interval. First, the elevating mechanism of the washing bowl part 2 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 2, at the rear of the vanity main body 1, a fixed side sliding guide 13 in the shape of a rectangular tube that is long and thin in the width direction is erected on the upper surface of the frame 6. An actuator 3 such as an air cylinder driven by gas pressure is erected in the center of the moving guide 13. This actuator 3 has a structure as shown in FIG. 5, and the upper and lower ends of a cylinder 14 in which a thick cylindrical body 14a and a thin cylindrical body 14b are vertically welded are connected to bellows holders 15 and 16, respectively. A sliding ring 19 having a diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of the lower cylindrical body 14b is fixed to the outer periphery of the lower end of the rod 18 inserted into the through hole 17 of the upper bellows holder 15.
An airtight guide ring 20 made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fitted on the outer periphery of the sliding ring 19 is pressed against the inner periphery of the cylindrical body 14b. Board 2
1 is provided. Lower bellows holder 16
A gas inlet pipe 22 is provided on the side surface of the pressure receiving plate 2. When hydrogen gas is injected from the gas inlet pipe 22 into the bellows holder 16 below, the pressure receiving plate 2
1 is pushed up, the rod 18 protrudes upward from the top surface of the actuator 3, and conversely, when the hydrogen gas is removed, the rod 18 retracts downward. Note that the sliding ring 19 is attached to the upper cylindrical body 14a.
Its position is restricted so that it can only move between the lower end of the bellows holder 16 and the lower bellows holder 16. In addition, an annular fixing piece 23 welded to the lower surface of the upper bellows holder 15 and a fixing piece 24 welded to the upper surface of the sliding ring 19 have metal parts arranged so as to surround the rod 18. The upper and lower ends of a telescopic cylindrical bellows 25 are fixed. Thus, the hydrogen gas in the lower bellows holder 16 is airtightly treated by the bellows 25 to prevent it from leaking to the outside. Further, in order to smoothly expand and contract the bellows 25 and prevent buckling in the middle part, a slider 38 is provided at the middle part and the slider 38 is slidably fitted around the outer periphery of the rod 18. In addition, actuator 3
The metal parts are made of stainless steel to avoid hydrogen embrittlement. On the other hand, a square tube-shaped movable sliding guide 26, which is one size larger than the fixed sliding guide 13, is suspended from the rear lower surface of the washbasin bowl part 2, with a space of a certain width provided therebetween. The movable sliding guide 26 is loosely fitted onto the outer circumference of the fixed sliding guide 13 from above, and a roller is inserted between the outer peripheral surface of the fixed sliding guide 13 and the inner peripheral surface of the movable sliding guide 26. A sliding means 27 such as the one shown in FIG. Therefore, the movable sliding guide 26 can move up and down smoothly along the fixed sliding guide 13 without any wobbling, and thereby the washbasin bowl 2 can move up and down smoothly. There is. Further, a rail-shaped guide means 28 is also provided between the outer circumferential surface of the inner cover 7 and the inner circumferential surface of the outer cover 12 of the vanity main body 1, so that the washbasin bowl part 2 can be moved up and down smoothly. The upper end of the rod 18 of the actuator 3 is connected to the upper surface of the movable sliding guide 26, and by injecting hydrogen gas into the actuator 3 and protruding the rod 18, the washbowl portion 2 is raised. It is possible,
Remove hydrogen gas from actuator 3 and remove rod 1.
By retracting 8, the washbasin bowl part 2 can be lowered. Next, a mechanism for driving the actuator 3 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 4, this consists of a container 4 filled with hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal a and a switching valve 5. Hydrogen adsorption and removal metal a (metal hydride,
Also called hydrogen storage alloy. ) has the property of releasing hydrogen contained in the crystal lattice of the metal a when heated, and conversely occluding hydrogen in the metal a when cooled. For example,
LaNi ₅ -based alloys, FeTi-based alloys, and others are known. Hydrogen absorbing and desorbing metal a differs depending on its type, but it absorbs 150 to 200 c.c. of hydrogen per gram under standard conditions, and the pressure of the hydrogen released by heating it varies depending on the temperature. Although different, from room temperature
Pressure increases from 1Kg/cm ² to 20Kg/cm ² up to about 100℃. By changing this hydrogen pressure and the average diameter of the bellows 25 of the actuator 3, it becomes possible to generate a very large force using a small amount of hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal a. For example, when a 70gr LaNi ₅ alloy hydrogen adsorbing metal a is used, it can absorb or release about 10 kg of hydrogen under standard conditions, and when this hydrogen adsorbing metal a is heated to about 80°C, it absorbs about 10 kg ^/ cm Hydrogen dissociation pressure is obtained, and by guiding this hydrogen gas to the actuator 3 with an inner diameter of 5 cm, a material weighing approximately 200 kg can be
It is possible to raise the height by cm. The container 4 is formed into a double cylindrical shape from a metal such as stainless steel, which is resistant to hydrogen embrittlement.
A heat medium flow path 31 is formed between the inner cylinder 29 and the outer cylinder 30 through which hot water or water flows. A gas inlet/outlet 32 is provided on the end face of the inner cylinder 29, and a filter 33 separates the gas inlet/outlet 32 from the hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal a.
Only hydrogen gas is allowed to pass through the gas inlet/outlet 32 without hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal a spilling out from the gas inlet/outlet 32. This gas inlet/outlet 32
is connected to the gas inlet pipe 22 of the actuator 3 by a pipe 43. A heat medium inlet 34 and a heat medium outlet 35 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 30 , and the heat medium outlet 35 is connected to a drainage duct 37 by a hose 36 . Heat medium inlet 3
4 is attached with a switching valve 5 such as a solenoid valve, and the switching valve 5 has a water supply pipe 39 connected to city water via a water supply bypass pipe 42a.
and a hot water supply pipe 40 connected to a water heater via a bypass pipe 42b for hot water supply. The water supply pipe 39 and the hot water supply pipe 40 are originally the faucet 11.
This is for supplying water and hot water from the source. Therefore, this switching valve 5 can be switched by a switch 41 provided on the top surface of the washbasin bowl part 2. For example, if the switch 41 is
While the button is pressed, only the valve on the hot water pipe 40 side is opened, hot water flows into the heat medium flow path 31, and the
When the button is pressed, only the valve on the water supply pipe 39 side is opened and water flows into the heat medium flow path 31, and when both buttons are released, both valves are closed. Therefore, when the "up" button is pressed, the heat medium flow path 3
Hydrogen adsorption and desorption metal a is heated by hot water flowing through 1.
releases hydrogen gas, and this hydrogen gas is injected into the actuator 3 to extend the rod 18 and raise the washbasin bowl 2. On the other hand, "bottom"
When the button is pressed, the hydrogen adsorbing/desorbing metal a adsorbs hydrogen gas as it is cooled by the water flowing through the heat medium flow path 31, the gas pressure of the hydrogen gas in the actuator 3 decreases, the rod 18 contracts, and the washing bowl Part 2 is lowered. In this way, by operating the switch 41, the washbasin bowl 2 is raised and lowered, and when the button is released when the desired height is reached, the switching valve 5
is closed, the hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal a becomes stable, and the washbasin bowl part 2 stops. When the washbasin bowl part 2 is stopped in this way, in order to prevent the washbowl part 2 from going up and down due to temperature changes of the actuator 3,
It is preferable to operate the lock mechanism appropriately. For example, a locking mechanism may be considered in which the outer surface of the movable sliding guide 26 is held in pressure contact with both sides to lock it, and when the button of the switch 41 is pressed, the lock is released and the washbasin bowl part 2 can be moved. It is conceivable that the lock will be re-locked when the button is released. Next, the water supply from the faucet 11 and the hot water supply mechanism will be explained. The water supply pipe 39 is connected to the mixing faucet 9 provided at the upper part of the wash basin part 2 through a pipe 44.
and the hot water pipe 40 are connected, and the handle 10
The amount and temperature of hot water can be adjusted by the operation, and hot water adjusted to an appropriate temperature is sent out from the mixed water pipe 45 at the adjusted amount. As shown in FIG. 1, the mixed water pipe 45 and the faucet 11 are connected by a flexible hose 46, and hot water is discharged from the tip of the faucet 11. This faucet 11 is not fixed to the washbasin bowl 2, but can be used by inserting the lower part into a holder (not shown) of the washbasin bowl 2, or can be removed from the washbasin bowl 2. The flexible hose 46 comes out when the faucet 11 is removed from the wash basin part 2, and the faucet 11 can be held in the hand and moved freely. ing. Here, a drain pipe 47 is vertically provided below the holder for the faucet 11, and all the water flowing from the opening of the holder passes through the drain pipe 47, and the lower end of the drain pipe 47 As shown in FIG. 6, it is inserted into a water receiving tank 48, so that all the water flowing down the drain pipe 47 is stored in the water receiving tank 48. The water stored in this water receiving tank 48 is transferred to the drainage duct 37.
(connecting pipes not shown). A flexible hose 46 connecting the faucet 11 and the mixing faucet 9 is loosely fitted so as to be movable in the drain pipe 47 from inside the water receiving tank 48, so that the faucet 11 can be pulled out. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear end of the wash bowl part 2 is covered with a storage cover 49, but since the wash bowl part 2 moves up and down, the rear end surface of the storage cover 49 still There is a distance between the back of the vanity body 1, and when this vanity A is installed, a gap is created between the back of the washbowl part 2 and the wall, and if water flows into this gap, it will cause damage to the house. It will damage the walls and floors. For this reason, Figures 2 and 6
As shown in the figure, a gutter 50 is disposed at the rear end of the top surface of the vanity main body 1 and spans almost the entire width of the vanity main body 1, and water flowing into the gutter 50 is passed through a drain pipe 51. The water is then drained into a water receiving tank 48. The drain pipe 53 connected to the drain port 52 of the wash basin part 2 is connected to the drain duct 3 via the U trap 54.
7 is connected. This drain port 52 is provided with a plug (not shown) for opening and closing the drain port 52, and this plug can be opened and closed by moving an operating knob 55 on the top surface of the washbasin bowl 2 up and down. be. In the above embodiment, a solenoid valve is used as the switching valve 5, and the switching valve 5 can be switched by a switch through which a weak current flows. If the switching valve 5 is configured to switch, the electrical part can be completely eliminated.

[Effect of the idea]

As described above, the present invention controls the gas pressure of hydrogen gas by heating and cooling the hydrogen adsorbing and desorbing metal that adsorbs hydrogen or releases hydrogen gas through temperature changes, thereby driving the actuator. Because it moves up and down, there is no need for equipment such as motors or pumps, making the mechanism more compact.The structure and operation are simple, so failures are rare, and quiet driving noise is achieved. It is something. Furthermore, the hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal is heated or cooled using hot water or water, and this controls the elevation and descent of the washbasin bowl, so the hot water or water supplied from the faucet is used to It can be effectively used as a heat source. Further, since there is no need to use high-voltage electrical equipment such as a motor, there is no need to take measures against leakage, and the safety is high.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing the internal structure of one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing the internal structure of the same, and Fig. 3 is a partially broken side view showing the internal structure of the same. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view showing the container filled with hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal and the switching valve, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the actuator of the same as above, and FIG. 6 is the same as above. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the function of the water receiving tank, FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the vanity shown above, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the frame and washbasin bowl shown above. 1... Vanity body, 2... Wash basin part, 3...
... Actuator, 4... Container, 5... Switching valve, a... Hydrogen adsorption/desorption metal.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A washbasin part is disposed on the vanity body so as to be movable up and down, and a gas pressure-driven actuator for raising and lowering the washbasin part is provided below the washbasin part.
A container filled with hydrogen absorbing and desorbing metal and the actuator are connected to each other so that hydrogen gas can flow therebetween, and hot water for hot water supply and water for water supply are used as heating medium for heating or cooling the hydrogen absorbing and desorbing metal. A washstand comprising a switching valve for selectively supplying the container.