Shower Column

The present disclosure relates to the field of bathroom, in particular to a shower column.

The main body of a shower is generally a structure designed to have a rainfall shower head and/or a handheld shower head. Of course, to allow a conversion between the rainfall spray and the handheld spray, a switch must be equipped, which is also the current traditional structure. However, this traditional structure has several shortcomings: first, the main body of the shower is usually large in volume and has very complicated water passage inside; second, it is difficult to add a function to the complex structure, for example, to provide a shower with a filtering function, a filtering structure has to be additionally added to the main body, which further complicates the structure.

The present disclosure provides a shower column, which can effectively solve the above-mentioned problems.

The present disclosure is implemented as follows:

A shower column, including:

Further, the water passing body includes five water passing ports, namely the water inlet, the through port, the switching port, a first water outlet, and a second water outlet, the water inlet is connected to a water inlet arm, the through port is connected to the functional part, a switching valve unit is provided on the switching port, the switching valve unit includes the valve body, the first water outlet is connected to a first water outlet unit, and the second water outlet is connected to a second water outlet unit.

Further, the water passing body is made of a plastic material. The water passing body has an upper body and a lower body. The upper body and the lower body are formed into one piece by welding. The water passing body has a regular outer shape. The water passing body is provided with five interface portions protruding outward. The water inlet, the through port, the switching port, the first water outlet, and the second water outlet are provided on the interface portions, respectively.

Further, the water inlet is arranged at an inclined direction relative to the water passing body, the first water outlet is provided on the upper end surface of the water passing body, and the second water outlet is provided on the lower end surface of the water passing body. The first water outlet and the second water outlet are arranged oppositely, and the water inlet is arranged away from the two water outlets. The through port is provided close to the water inlet, and the switching port is provided between the through port and the first water outlet.

Further, the water passing body is made of a metallic material. The water passing body has an irregular outer shape. The water passing body is provided with five interface portions. The water inlet, the through port, the switching port, and the two water outlets are provided on the interface portions, respectively. The water passing body is integrally formed through a casting or forging process.

Further, the functional part can be a filter, a plugging joint, or an adapter.

Further, the filter includes a filter body and a filter connector provided on the filter body. The filter body has a cavity with an open end. A filter core is arranged in the cavity. The filter connector is connected to the open end of the filter body. The filter connector is connected to the through port.

Further, inside the filter connector, there are a water inlet channel and a water outlet channel annularly surrounded outside the water inlet channel. The water inlet channel and the water outlet channel are separated by an annular partition wall. The water outlet channel is connected to the inner wall surface of the filter connector through a plurality of connecting walls. The filter core is configured as a cylindrical structure that penetrates up and down. The water inlet channel is in communication with the inner wall of the cylindrical structure, and the water outlet channel is in communication with a flow space between the filter core and the filter body.

Further, the through port is internally provided with a connector, a partition wall is provided inside the connector. The partition wall divides the interior of the connector into two circulation parts. The two circulation parts are in communication with the water inlet channel and the water outlet channel, respectively.

Further, the outer wall surface of the filter connector is provided with a plurality of inclined portions, a plurality of receiving portions below the inclined portions, and a plurality of transition portions between the inclined portions and the receiving portions. The transition portion is in communication with the receiving portion. An engaging portion corresponding to the receiving portion is provided on the inner wall of the through port. The engaging portion enters from the transition portion and is guided by the inclined portion to enter and be engaged with the receiving portion.

Further, a handle assembly is further provided on the side opposite to the switching valve unit along the transverse axial direction of the water passing body. The handle assembly includes a connecting member and an operating handle. The water passing body has a fixing rod for connecting and fixing the handle assembly. The fixing rod extends outward from the first water outlet to the side where the handle assembly is located and passes through the connecting member to connect with the operating handle.

Optionally, the fixing rod is further provided with a clamping structure, the clamping structure is located between the connecting member and the operating handle to prevent the connecting member from being flushed out and causing water leakage when the operating handle is loosened.

Optionally, the operating handle includes a handle body and a positioning block arranged in the handle body. The handle body is through in the middle and open at both ends, and has a boss extending inward at the bottom opening. The upper surface of the boss has two convex ribs arranged opposite to each other, and a slope is connected between two sides of the two convex ribs. The side of the positioning block cooperating with the boss also has two convex ribs arranged oppositely. The convex ribs of the positioning block cooperate with the convex ribs on the boss to achieve a positioning effect, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the operating handle and preventing the operating handle from loosening.

The beneficial effect of the present disclosure is as follows: At least five water passing ports are arranged on the water passing body and the multiple water passing ports are close to each other and concentrated, simplifying the structure of the water passage and reducing the volume of the water passing body, thereby saving material and manufacturing costs. A functional part, such as a filter or an adapter, is connected to the water passing body, providing a user with diversified choices to meet various demands.

To make the purposes, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more apparent, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skills in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure provided in the appended drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure to be claimed, but rather to represent selected embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skills in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present disclosure, the terms “first” and “second” are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features referred to. Therefore, a feature defined by “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, “plurality” means two or more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically limited.

Referring toto, a shower column includes a water passing bodyand a water inlet arm, a functional part, a switching valve unit, and a first water outlet unitand/or a second water outlet unitthat are respectively connected to the water passing body, specifically, Referring to, the water passing bodyincludes five water passing ports, namely a water inlet, a through port, a switching port, a first water outlet, and a second water outlet. The water inletis connected to the water inlet arm, the through portis connected to the functional part, the switching valve unitis provided on the switching port, the first water outletis connected to the first water outlet unit, and the second water outletis connected to the second water outlet unit. The multiple water passing ports of the water passing bodyare close to each other and concentrated, simplifying the structure of the water passage and reducing the volume of the water passing body, thereby saving material and manufacturing costs. More specifically, the water inletis in communication with the through portand the switching portin sequence, and the switching valve unitis selectively switched to make the water inletbe in communication with the first water outletor the second water outlet. The first water outletis directly or indirectly connected to a rainfall shower head (not shown), and the second water outletis directly or indirectly connected to a handheld shower head (not shown). Water flow enters from the water inlet, passes through the functional part via the through portto the switching valve unit, and is selected by the switching valve unitto sequentially flow to the first water outletand spray out from the rainfall shower head for use or sequentially flow to the second water outletand spray out from the handheld shower head for use. Moreover, the water passing bodycan be made of a plastic material or a metal material.

The functional part can be a filter, a plugging joint, or an adapter. Selecting different functional parts can result in different effects after water flowing through the functional part, providing a user with diversified choices to meet various demands. In this embodiment, the filteris used as the functional part. In other embodiments, a plugging joint is used as the functional part. When a user does not need a water flow with special effect, only the plugging joint is needed to be used to block the through portto prevent water from flowing. Of course, if it is necessary to draw water from the through port, an adapter with a switch function can also be provided on the through portto facilitate user operation.

Referring toto, the water passing bodyis made of a plastic material. The water passing bodyhas an upper bodyand a lower body. The upper bodyand the lower bodyare formed into one piece by welding. The water passing bodyhas a regular outer shape. The water passing bodyis provided with five interface portions protruding outward. The water inlet, the through port, the switching port, and the two water outlets are provided on the interface portions, respectively. The water inletis arranged at an inclined direction relative to the water passing body, the first water outletis provided on the upper end surface of the water passing body, and the second water outletis provided on the lower end surface of the water passing body. The first water outletand the second water outletare arranged oppositely, and the water inletis arranged away from the two water outlets. In this embodiment, the first water outletis provided on the upper end surface of the upper body, and the second water outletis provided on the lower end surface of the lower body. The through portis provided close to the water inlet, and the switching portis provided between the through portand the first water outlet, so that a water passage can be laid out to allow water flow to enter from the water inletand pass through the through portand the switching port, simplifying the flow passage structure inside the water passing body.

The water inlet armhas an inclined segment and a horizontal segment. The horizontal segment of the water inlet armis vertically connected to an installation site and in communication with a water supply. The inclined segment of the water inlet armis provided with a water inlet connector. The water inlet connectoris connected to the water inlet. In this embodiment, the water inlet connectoris provided with an external thread structure, and the inner wall surface of the water inletis provided with an internal thread structure. The external thread structure is threadedly connected to the internal thread structure, so that the water inlet armis connected to and in communication with the water passing body.

Referring toto, the filterincludes a filter body. The filter bodyhas a cavitywith an open end. A filter coreis arranged in the cavity. A filter connectoris provided at the open end of the filter body. The filter connectoris connected to the through port. The water flow enters the cavityfrom the filter connector, is filtered by the filter core, and then flows out from the filter connectorto the through portand then into the water passing body. Further, inside the filter connector, there are a water inlet channeland a water outlet channelannularly surrounded outside the water inlet channel. The water inlet channeland the water outlet channelare separated by an annular partition wall. The water outlet channelis connected to the inner wall surface of the filter connectorthrough a plurality of connecting walls. The filter coreis configured as a cylindrical structure that penetrates up and down. The water inlet channelis in communication with the inner wall of the cylindrical structure, and the water outlet channelis in communication with a flow spacebetween the filter coreand the filter body. The water flow enters from the water inlet channel, is filtered by the cylindrical structure of the filter core, flows to the flow space, and then flows out from the water outlet channel. Moreover, further, the outer wall surface of the filter connectoris provided with a plurality of inclined portions, a plurality of receiving portionsbelow the inclined portions, and a plurality of transition portionsbetween the inclined portionsand the receiving portions. The transition portionis in communication with the receiving portion. Referring to, the through portis internally provided with a connector, and the connectorand the through portare formed into one piece through welding. There is a connection space between the outer wall surface of the connectorand the inner wall surface of the through port.

In this embodiment, as shown in, a partition wallis provided inside the connector. The partition walldivides the interior of the connectorinto two circulation parts. The two circulation partsare in communication with the water inlet channeland the water outlet channel, respectively. The connectorhas an insertion portionprotruding toward the filter, the circulation portionextends to the inside of the insertion portion, and the insertion portionis inserted into the filter connector, so that the connectoris connected to the filter connector. An engaging portioncorresponding to the receiving portionis provided on the inner wall of the through port. The engaging portionenters from the transition portionand is guided by the inclined portionto enter and be engaged with the receiving portion. Particularly, the engaging portionis provided with a recess, and the receiving portionis provided with a protrusion. After the engaging portionis engaged with the receiving portion, any recessis locked with the protrusion, so that the filter connectorand the connectorare firmly connected.

The switching valve unithas a valve bodyand a handleconnected to the valve body. The valve bodyis provided in the switching port, and the handleis provided outside the switching port. The valve bodycan be manipulated through the handleto control the water inletto communicate with the first water outletor to communicate with the second water outlet.

The first water outletand the second water outleteach are provided with an external thread structure, and the first water outlet unitand the second water outlet unitare respectively provided with an internal thread structure. The first water outlet unitand the second water outlet unitare connected to the first water outletand the second water outlet, respectively, through the internal thread structures and the external thread structures.

Referring toto, the water passing bodyis made of a metallic material. The water passing bodyis integrally formed through a casting or forging process, followed by a machining process to implement connecting structure. The water passing bodyhas an irregular outer shape. The water passing bodyis provided with five interface portions. The water inlet, the through port, the switching port, and the two water outlets are provided on the interface portions, respectively. The interface portions corresponding to the first water outletand the switching portare arranged oppositely to form a cylindrical structure, the interface portion corresponding to the second water outletis connected vertically downward to the cylindrical structure, the interface portion corresponding to the water inletis in the shape of a cylinder and is connected obliquely to the cylindrical structure, and the interface portion corresponding to the through portis connected vertically downward to the cylinder.

In this embodiment, the connectoris directly processed on the through port, and the connectoris integrally arranged with the through port. The water inlet arm, the switching valve unit, the first water outlet unit, and the second water outlet unitare all consistent with or similar to those in Embodiment 1, and will not be described in detail here.

In this embodiment, a handle assemblyis further provided on the side opposite to the switching valve unitalong the transverse axial direction of the water passing body. The handle assemblyincludes a connecting memberand an operating handle. The water passing bodyhas a fixing rodfor connecting and fixing the handle assembly. The fixing rodextends outward from the first water outletto the side where the handle assemblyis located. The end of the fixing rodis provided with an external thread threadedly connected to the operating handle. A first clamping slotsurrounding the outer circumference of the fixing rodis provided on the side close to the water passing body. A sealing ringis provided on the first clamping slotto prevent water leakage at the end. The connecting memberis overall cylindrical and through along its axis. After the fixing rodpasses through the openings at both ends of the connecting memberin the axial direction, the external thread at its end is screwed with the corresponding internal thread on the operating handle, thereby fixing the operating handle. The connecting memberis also provided with an openingcommunicated with its internal passage on the side facing the first water outlet unit. The openingis plug-fitted with the vertical pipe of the first water outlet unit.

As shown in, in some implementations of this embodiment, the fixing rodis further provided with a second clamping slotsurrounding the outer circumference of the fixing rod, and the second clamping slotis located between the first clamping slotand the external thread. A clamping pieceis clamped on the second clamping slot. The clamping pieceis overall U-shaped and has a circular through holein the middle that matches the size of the second clamping slotand an inverted V-shaped openingbelow the circular through hole. The inclined surfaces on both sides of the inverted V-shaped openinghave a guiding function to facilitate installation. A gasketis also provided between the connecting memberand the operating handle, one side of the gasketis provided with a countersunk holehaving a shape and size matched with the clamping piece, and the clamping pieceis accommodated in the countersunk hole. In the traditional structure, if the handle is loosened and not screwed in place, the connecting membergenerally will be flushed out and drop off, resulting in water leakage. The clamping structure in this embodiment can effectively prevent the connecting member from being flushed out and causing water leakage.

Optionally, as shown in, in some other embodiments, the operating handleincludes a handle body, and a positioning block, a nut, and a coverthat are arranged in the handle body in sequence. The handle bodyis through in the middle and open at both ends, and has a bossextending inward at the bottom opening. The upper surface of the bosshas two convex ribsarranged opposite to each other, and a slopeis connected between two sides of the two convex ribs. The positioning blockis annular and has a through hole in the middle. During assembly, one end of the fixing rodpasses through the bottom opening of the handle bodyand then passes through the through hole in the middle of the positioning block, next, the external thread provided at the end of the fixing rodis threaded with the internal thread of the nut, and finally, the coveris clamped in the top opening of the handle body. The side of the positioning blockcooperating with the bosshas two convex ribsarranged oppositely. The convex ribsof the positioning block cooperate with the convex ribson the bossto achieve a positioning effect, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the operating handle. Specifically, when the operating handle rotates, the positioning blockis driven to rotate accordingly. The positioning blockwill move along the slopein the handle bodyand be stopped until reaching the convex ribson the boss, thereby limiting the rotation angle and position, so that the problem of the nut being loosened and falling off due to excessive rotation of the operating handle will not occur. This paragraph provides another optional implementation method, which realizes the limitation of the rotation angle by the mutual cooperation between the positioning block and the convex ribs on the handle body, thereby solving the problem of the connecting memberbeing flushed out and dropping off due to loose handle and thus causing water leakage.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and changes. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.