EP2962612A1 - Shower device with water recirculation and base section for such a shower device - Google Patents

Shower device (1) with water recirculation, comprising a support surface (3) for supporting a person taking a shower, a reservoir (4) lower than the lowest support surface level for collecting water from the support surface (3), a pump (8) having a suction side (9) and a press side (10), at its suction side (9) provided with a first fluid channel (11) for taking in water from the reservoir (4), a water outlet (5) arranged to distribute water above the support surface (3), and via a second fluid channel (12) connected to the press side (10) of the pump (8), at least one supply line (13;16) for providing fresh water to the shower device (1), wherein the supply line(s) (13;16) for providing fresh water to the shower device is/are connected to the suction side (9) of the pump (8).

• The invention relates to a shower device for recirculating water and a base section for such a shower device.

• In particular, the invention relates to a shower device with water recirculation, comprising:

• a support surface for supporting a person taking a shower,
• a reservoir lower than the lowest support surface level for collecting water from the support surface,
• a pump having a suction side and a press side, at its suction side provided with a first fluid channel for taking in water from the reservoir,
• a water outlet arranged to distribute water above the support surface, and via a second fluid channel connected to the press side of the pump, and
• a supply line for providing fresh water to the shower device.

• Such a shower is known, e.g. from the non-disclosed earlier application of the applicant, EP application number 13174038.3 filed June 27th 2013.

• Such a device allows for a reduced consumption of water, due to the fact that water coming out of the water outlet is collected in the reservoir and then fed again to the water outlet, hence the water is recirculated instead of poored down the drain after a single pass through the water outlet. In addition to the recirculated water, some fresh water is also passed through the water outlet, in order to increase the temperature of the water mixture and/or to maintain sufficiently clean water; the water cools down during its journey from water outlet to the reservoir, since it then has a large surface area that may exchange heat with the air below the water outlet. The water also becomes contaminated on its journey. The fresh water may be purely hot water or any mixture of hot and cold water; in the known device it is a temperature-regulated mixture.

• Although the shower device according to the preamble offers an improvement to the art, and has reduced water and energy consumption due to the recirculation of water, it has appeared that safety risks are still inherent to the design.

• Therefore, the invention has as a goal to provide a shower device as described above, that offers improvements with respect to safety.

• This goal is realized by a shower device according to

  claim

  1.

• Due to the fact that the supply line for providing fresh water to the shower device is connected to the suction side of the pump, for example to the first fluid channel, it is no longer necessary to mount valves in the pressure side of the pump for regulating the water temperature and/or for adding fresh water or for priming the pump. Therefore, a reduced amount of water will remain in the piping of the shower device. Moreover, it is no longer possible that 'grey water', being water that has been used at least one time, thus has probably been warm or hot and has passed along a person, leaks through valves or thermostats, due to failures of a valve or a thermostat, or due to the pressure of the fresh water supply being lower than that of the pump. As a result, the risk of diseases being spread via remaining water, especially water that has been warm and therefore has an increased chance of being infectious due to bacterial growth, is reduced.

• Another, although related, advantage is that the absence of valves in the pressure side of the pump take away the risk of failure of such valves and thus also takes away the risk of sudden powerful exhaust of water through the water outlet, and thus prevents the user to be scared by such an exhaust, even when it may be harmless in itself.

• An additional advantage of the shower device according to the invention is that it has further reduced energy consumption, due to the fact that no thermostat valve needs to be present in the pressure pipe between the pump and water outlet, where a relatively high pressure is maintained when the pump is in operation. The absence of a thermostat valve or other flow restriction device in the pressure side takes away the pressure losses in such devices, leaving only the relatively small pressure losses in the piping between the pump and the water outlet. This not only reduces energy consumption, but also allows for a pump operating on a low voltage, e.g. 24 Volts, instead of the usual 230 Volt AC of the main power supply. Such a low voltage pump allows for a safer shower device design by a reduced risk of exposure of the user to the mains power voltage.

• A further advantage is that the construction of the shower device according to the invention is simplified, hence makes it possible to obtain a reduction in component costs and as a result also a reduction in the total costs of production. This simplification lies in the fact that valves are no longer needed in the pressure side of the pump, but they may be present in the suction side of the pump, and as a result they do not need to be capable of handling high pressures.

• Preferably, the reservoir is provided with an outlet valve, allowing it to be filled with, advantageously hot, water during use of the shower, and to be emptied after use of the shower. Additionally, it may have an overflow, to prevent the support surface from being flooded when the valve is closed. Also preferably, the reservoir is open at its top side or partially open in order to allow a user to inspect visually with the bare eyes if the reservoir is clean.

• In an advantageous embodiment, the first fluid channel is provided with a raised passage section for liquid of which the lowest side lies higher than the lowest side of the pump inlet, and the supply line for providing fresh water to the shower device is connected to the suction side of the pump between said raised passage section and the pump inlet.

• Such a raised passage section prevents the fresh water from leaking away to the reservoir, also during temporarily stops of the pump or reduced speed of the pump. It also allows for a smoother starting operation of the pump, because the area near the pump inlet will be flooded as soon as the supply of water through the supply line is started.

• In another embodiment, a supply line ends at the reservoir to allow fresh water to flow into the reservoir. In this manner, it becomes possible to provide the reservoir with a flow of fresh, not re-circulated, water, preferably hot water, and thus becomes possible to flush the reservoir. As a result, the reservoir will remain clean from bacterial growth, especially in the embodiment where purely hot water is added in the reservoir.

• Here the pump may be connected for fluid communication to the reservoir only via the first fluid channel and the first fluid channel may have no connections other than to the pump and to the reservoir. In this case, the first fluid channel from reservoir to pump need not have a connection to a fresh water supply, and hence needs no valves, and as a result has a far reduced risk of grey water remaining in the first fluid channel or in lines connected to it. This means that also in the suction side of the pump the risk of contamination, e.g. by bacterial growth, is reduced. The pump may be a self-priming pump, in order to allow for this configuration.

• Moreover, the reservoir may be provided with a removable enclosure that is arranged to cover an entrance of the first fluid channel and may be provided with one or more openings, the openings being horizontally elongated or arranged in a horizontally elongated pattern, for passing water from the reservoir to the suction opening when the enclosure is mounted, and the enclosure may be provided with a filter, preferably a micro filter, for filtering the water before it flows into the first channel. The filter may be removable.

• The presence of such an enclosure, or box, helps to establish the required vacuum for the self-priming function of the pump, and thus allows for a proper starting operation of the pump when the enclosure is fitted. However, it does not do this when it is dismounted, and thus provides a protection against operation of the pump without the enclosure mounted and possibly without the filter therein; in this manner, it serves to warn the user that a filter should be mounted.

• With this enclosure, or at least the horizontal elongated opening or opening pattern thereof, for passing water from the reservoir to the suction opening, which horizontal elongated opening or pattern could also be mounted in the reservoir itself without the presence of an enclosure, it also becomes possible to use a reservoir having only a small height and hence a small content of water, in particular only approximately 3 liter, when in use, and then 1-2 liter fresh water may be added per minute, while providing a water flow through the water outlet of between 5-25 liter per minute.

• Additionally, a temperature control unit may be provided, with a temperature sensor for measuring the water temperature anywhere between a supply line for fresh water and the water outlet, and the temperature control unit is arranged to control at least one of a flow rate and temperature of fresh water supplied by (one of) the supply line(s).

• In a preferred embodiment, the shower device comprises a drain valve arranged for draining the pump, and the pump is arranged higher than the lowest support surface level.

• The presence of the drain valve and the mounting height of the pump allow for fully draining the pump when the shower device is not in use, and thus for a further reduction of the risk of contamination of the piping of the shower device. The drain valve may be arranged in the pump housing, but also in the first channel or in the press line near the pump housing, or even in a separate pipe, as long as it is fit for the purpose of draining.

• In a further embodiment, the shower device comprises a temperature sensor between the press side of the pump and the water outlet, the temperature sensor being connected to the thermostat and a water valve arranged in the supply line for the control of the water temperature towards a target temperature.

• In this manner, the water temperature is controllable, without valves being necessary in the piping at the press side of the pump.

• The invention also relates to a base section for a shower device with water recirculation, wherein the shower device comprises

• a support surface for supporting a person taking a shower,
• a reservoir below the lowest support surface level for collecting water from the support surface,
• a pump at its suction side provided with a first fluid channel for taking in water from the reservoir,
• a water outlet arranged to distribute water above the support surface, and via a second fluid channel connected to the press side of the pump,
• at least one supply line for introducing fresh water into the shower device,
wherein the base section comprises said support surface and said reservoir,
• and the reservoir comprises
  • ∘ an outlet opening for the reservoir, and
  • ∘ an outlet valve for at least partially closing the outlet opening.

• Such a shower device allows for the recirculation of shower water, tends to have a base section that is relatively high, and therefore leaves less space for a person standing upright and is more difficult to access for disabled persons.

• The invention has as a goal to provide a base section according to the preamble of

  claim

  8 that solves or reduces this disadvantage by allowing for a reduced height of that section.

• This goal is realized by a base section according to

  claim

  8.

• A reduced height of the base section, and in particular of the support surface above the lowest part of the base section is made possible because the outlet opening is provided in a side wall part of the reservoir.

• In this manner, it is possible to maintain the reservoir filled with water for recirculation when the shower device is in use, and to fully empty the reservoir when the shower device is not in use, and still have a height of the base section that is very low, in particular less than approximately 8 cm in a typical shower device.

• Preferably, the support surface and reservoir are mutually adjacent, since this further reduces the amount of space required.

• In a preferred embodiment, the valve is moveable between a first position and a second position, the first and second positions arranged at identical horizontal levels.

• This may for instance be realized by a valve that is plane and moves in its own plane, or by a valve that moves perpendicular to its own plane. By such movement, the valve allows for a low construction height of the reservoir.

• Preferably, the support has an overflow opening provided in the reservoir, at a level higher than the top level of the valve.

• Additionally, in the base section a siphon may be provided for preventing odorous gases to escape from the outlet opening. Here, the siphon may comprise a siphon fluid channel with a supply side and a discharge side, and a lowered part of the siphon fluid channel comprises a liquid basin between said supply side and discharge side, the basin being dimensioned and oriented to hold an amount of liquid to block the cross section of the siphon fluid channel in a gas tight manner, and wherein the siphon fluid channel is oriented with its supply side and discharge side to obtain a horizontal flow through both these sides

• Such a siphon allows for a limited height of the base section, even when dealing with tolerances and the required angle with respect to the horizontal as needed for obtaining a water flow when the siphon is in use.

• In particular, the base section according may comprise

• a bottom section delimited by at least two walls,
• a first one of the walls having a top at a first level to allow water to flow into the siphon,
• a second one of the walls, different from the first one, having a top at a second level, which may be equal to the first level, to allow water to flow out of the siphon, and
• a partition arranged between said first and second walls, and having a lower edge at a level lower than the lowest of the first and second level.

• This will result in a bath between the two walls and the partition creating a trap, thereby offering proper functioning while meanwhile offering low production costs and reliable functioning.

• More in particular, an extension section may be arranged next to the second one of the walls, which extension section comprises a basin-shaped section provided with a drain opening in the side thereof.

• On the side of the drain opening a connection part may be provided, arranged for connecting a drainage tube thereto.

• Such an extension section offers the well-known and demanded function of a siphon while still allowing for a very limited height of the base section.

• Here, the siphon may be adjacent to the valve and possible overflow, the first one of the walls of the siphon being directly below or next to the valve.

• The invention will now be illustrated on the basis of the attached drawing, in which identical items are provided with identical reference numbers.

• In the drawing:

• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a shower device according to the invention.
• Figure 2 shows a schematic view of the shower device of Figure 1, showing the piping and components in detail.
• Figure 3 shows a perspective view on the reservoir in the base section of the shower device of Figure 1.
• Figure 4 shows a part of the reservoir of the shower device of Figure 1, with the enclosure shown in demounted state.
• Figure 5a shows a perspective view on the siphon, valve and overflow of the shower device of Figure 1.
• Figure 5b shows the perspective view of Figure 5a, with water added.

• In

  Figure 1

  , a

  shower device

  1 is shown, comprising a

  base section

  2 comprising a

  support surface

  3 and a

  reservoir

  4.

• A pillar rests on the

  base section

  2 and supports a

  water outlet

  5 and hides and protects the components and piping of the

  shower device

  1. The

  water outlet

  5 is arranged to spray water over a person (not shown) standing on the

  support surface

  3 for taking a shower. The

  device

  1 will generally include a conventional fresh water hand shower installed along the pillar too.

• The

  reservoir

  4 is open on its top side and lies entirely lower than the level of the lowest point of the

  support surface

  2, in order to allow it to collect water flowing from the

  support surface

  2, which support

  surface

  2 is slightly sloped downward in the direction of the reservoir, in order to force water to flow towards the reservoir.

• In

  Figure 2

  , the components and piping of the shower device of

  Figure 1

  are shown that were hidden in

  Figure 1

  .

• The

  reservoir

  4 is partially shown; only one

  side wall

  7 of its four side walls is visible. Higher than the top edge of the shown

  side wall

  7 of the

  reservoir

  4, and higher than the

  support surface

  2, a

  pump

  8 is mounted having a

  suction side

  9 and a

  press side

  10, and at its

  suction side

  9 provided with a

  first fluid channel

  11 for taking in water from the

  reservoir

  4 via a

  small opening

  6 under a

  removable enclosure

  25. The

  water outlet

  5 is connected to the

  press side

  10 of the

  pump

  8 via a

  second fluid channel

  12. A -first-

  fluid supply line

  13 for providing fresh warm, temperature controlled water (by the thermostat valve 14) is connected to the

  first fluid channel

  11, and hence to the

  suction side

  9 of the

  pump

  8. When the

  shower device

  1 is operated, the

  pump

  8 running, a constant supply of fresh water is realized via the

  supply line

  13.

• The

  second fluid channel

  12 contains no valves of thermostats. Only a

  UV light

  15 for disinfecting the water that goes towards the

  water outlet

  5 may be present. As a result, no grey water will enter the fresh water supply line, or any other line.

• A second

  fluid supply line

  16 is present, providing hot water, via a

  second thermostat valve

  17, to the

  reservoir

  4 and hence to the

  first fluid channel

  11 and subsequently to the

  pump

  8 and the

  water outlet

  5. The

  second thermostat valve

  17 is controlled, i.e. opened and closed in order to raise the temperature of the water in the

  water outlet

  5 to a variable degree, with the aid of the

  temperature sensor

  18 arranged in the

  second fluid channel

  12, between the

  pump

  8 and the

  water outlet

  5, and a

  user interface

  19 that allows for setting a desired water temperature of the

  water outlet

  5. The second

  fluid supply line

  16 helps to obtain a disinfected

  shower device

  1, especially it helps in keeping the

  reservoir

  4 disinfected. The fact that the

  reservoir

  4 in this example has a small water volume, of 3 liter, also helps in keeping the

  reservoir

  4 disinfected, since the reservoir is flushed more often in that manner.

• The

  first fluid channel

  11 is provided with a raised

  passage section

  20, that has a lowest side that lies higher than the lowest side of the

  pump inlet

  9, and the

  supply line

  13 for providing fresh water to the shower device is connected to the suction side of the pump, between said raised

  passage section

  20 and the

  pump inlet

  9. As a result thereof, the pump will be flooded first as soon as fresh water is allowed to enter the

  supply line

  13, thus allowing for a smooth and self-starting operation of the

  pump

  8, even when it is already self-priming. The

  pump

  8 is provided with a

  drain valve

  21 that is opened by control electronics (not shown) when the

  pump

  8 and the

  shower device

  1 are switched off. After the

  pump

  8 is filled with fresh water the

  reservoir

  4 is filled through

  section

  20 and

  enclosure

  25. When the

  reservoir

  4 is filled to the level of an

  overflow opening

  33 the

  pump

  8 will start automatically to pump water to

  outlet

  5.

• In

  figure 3

  , a part of the

  base section

  2 is shown with the

  support surface

  3 left away, in order to show its

  reservoir

  4 clearly. In the

  reservoir

  4, an outlet opening 22 of channel 11 (see

  Figure 4

  ) is covered by a filter screen 23' under the removed

  enclosure

  25. Also the filter 23' is removable for cleaning or replacement purposes. In the

  reservoir

  4, the

  first fluid channel

  11 ends with the second

  fluid supply line

  16, as also visible in

  Figure 4

  . Behind the

  enclosure

  25 shown left in

  fig. 3

  and being removed at the right side in

  reservoir

  4 in

  fig. 2

  , a

  reservoir drain

  23 with a siphon 24 is present, as is shown in

  Figures 5a and 5b

  . The enclosure(s) 25 fit(s) on the

  side wall

  27 of the

  reservoir

  4 by means of a V-shaped groove on that

  side wall

  27 that allows it to slide upwards for removal.

• In

  Figures 5a and 5b

  the

  reservoir drain

  23 with siphon 24 is shown. The

  reservoir drain

  23 comprises a

  box

  28 that is provided with an

  outlet opening

  29. Behind the

  outlet opening

  29, a

  valve plate

  30 is retractably mounted on an

  electrical actuator

  31 and arranged to have a closed position, in which it closes the

  outlet opening

  29 and an open position, in which it is retracted and leaves outlet opening 29 open in order to allow water to flow out of the

  reservoir

  4 through the outlet opening 29 through the siphon 24 to the

  drain pipe

  32 and dispose of the water. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the

  actuator

  31 may be manually operated, instead of electrically.

• Located above the

  outlet opening

  29 is an

  overflow opening

  33. The

  outlet opening

  29 is provided in a side wall part of the reservoir with the

  lowest edge

  34, or part, of the outlet opening 29 at the same vertical level as the lowest part of the

  reservoir

  4 inside its bottom 35 adjacent to it (but not shown in

  Figure 5a

  ). Due to this position of the outlet opening 29 with the

  valve plate

  30, and the horizontal movement of the

  valve plate

  30, it becomes possible to obtain a

  reservoir drain

  23 that is desirably very low, and thus also a

  base section

  2 that has a reduced height.

• The siphon 24 comprises a siphon

  bottom section

  36 delimited by four siphon walls 37-40. The siphon

  wall

  39 has an upper edge at a first level to allow water to flow over it, into the siphon, and the siphon

  wall

  40 has an upper edge at a second level, which is slightly lower than the first level, to allow water to flow out of the siphon. The siphon 23 also has a

  partition wall

  41 arranged between the siphon

  walls

  39 and 40 that has a lower edge that lies lower than the upper edges of siphon

  walls

  39 and 40, hence lower than the lowest of the first and second level.

• As a result of this layout of the siphon 24, it created a siphon fluid channel with a supply side near siphon

  wall

  39 and a discharge side at the siphon

  wall

  40. A lowered part of the siphon fluid channel comprises a liquid basin between the siphon

  bottom section

  36 and the siphon walls 37-40. The basin serves to hold an amount of water and to block the cross section of the siphon fluid channel in a gas tight manner by means of the water. The siphon fluid channel is oriented with its supply side and discharge side to obtain a horizontal flow through both these sides, due to the fact that the siphon

  bottom section

  36 is horizontally mounted in the

  base section

  2 of the

  shower device

  1.

• Additionally, an

  extension section

  41 is arranged next to the second one of the walls, which

  extension section

  41 is basin-shaped and is provided with a

  drain opening

  42 in the side thereof to which the

  drain pipe

  32 is connected. Because the

  drain pipe

  32 and the

  extension section

  41 are located next to the siphon 24, these components take up only little height.

• In

  Figure 5a

  , water is shown in the basin. In

  Figure 5b

  , water is shown with a higher level (schematically drawn as a box), in the

  reservoir

  4, behind the

  outlet opening

  29 and in the siphon 24. The

  valve plate

  30 is closed in

  Figures 2

  and

  5b

  , and the water flows over the

  overflow opening

  33 and also passes through the siphon 24 to the

  extension section

  41 and through the

  drain opening

  42 to the

  drain pipe

  32.

• The

  pump

  8 is self-priming, of a well-known impeller type operating at 24 Volts, and the

  first fluid channel

  11 has no other connections than to the

  reservoir

  4 at one end and to the

  pump

  8 at the other end. This layout is highly safe with respect to contamination.

• Moreover, the siphon 24 in combination with the

  reservoir

  4, part of the

  base section

  2 in this example, may be applied together in other shower devices with or without recirculation, and still offer the advantage of a low construction height of these components and hence a low construction height of a base section.

1. Shower device with water recirculation, comprising

   - a support surface for supporting a person taking a shower,

   - a reservoir lower than the lowest support surface level for collecting water from the support surface,

   - a pump having a suction side and a press side, at its suction side provided with a first fluid channel for taking in water from the reservoir,

   - a water outlet arranged to distribute water above the support surface, and via a second fluid channel connected to the press side of the pump,

   - at least one supply line for providing fresh water to the shower device,

   characterized in that
   the supply line(s) for providing fresh water to the shower device is/are connected to the suction side of the pump.

2. Shower device according to claim 1, wherein
   the first fluid channel is provided with a raised passage section for liquid of which the lowest side lies higher than the lowest side of the pump inlet, and
   the supply line for providing fresh water to the shower device is connected to the suction side of the pump between said raised passage section and the pump inlet.

3. Shower device according to claim 1 or claim 2,
   wherein at least one supply line ends at the reservoir to allow fresh water to flow into the reservoir.

4. Shower device according to one of the claims 1-3,
   wherein the pump is connected for fluid communication to the reservoir only via the first fluid channel and the first fluid channel has no fluid connections other than to the pump and to the reservoir.

5. Shower device according to one of the claims 1-4,
   wherein the reservoir is provided with a removable box that is arranged to cover an entrance of the first fluid channel and is provided with one or more openings, the openings being horizontally elongated or arranged in a horizontally elongated pattern, for passing water from the reservoir to the suction opening when the box is mounted, and the box is provided with a filter for filtering the water before it flows into the first channel.

6. Shower device according to one of the claims 1-5,
   wherein a temperature control unit is provided and a temperature sensor is provided for measuring the water temperature anywhere between a supply line for fresh water and the water outlet, and the temperature control unit is arranged to control at least one of a flow rate and a temperature of fresh water supplied by (one of) the supply line(s).

7. Shower device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a drain valve arranged for draining the pump and wherein the pump is arranged higher than the lowest support surface level.

8. Base section for shower device with recirculation of shower water,
   wherein the shower device comprises

   - a support surface for supporting a person taking a shower,

   - a reservoir below the lowest support surface level for collecting water from the support surface,

   - a pump at its suction side provided with a first fluid channel for taking in water from the reservoir,

   - a water outlet arranged to distribute water above the support surface, and via a second fluid channel connected to the press side of the pump,

   - at least one supply line for introducing fresh water into the shower device, wherein the base section comprises said support surface and said reservoir,

   - and the reservoir comprises

   ∘ an outlet opening, and

   ∘ an outlet valve for at least partially closing the outlet opening.

   characterized in that
   the outlet opening is provided in a side wall part of the reservoir.

9. Base section according to claim 8, wherein the outlet opening at the lowest part thereof is at the same vertical level as the lowest part of the reservoir inside bottom.

10. Base section according to claim 8 or claim 9,
    wherein the outlet valve is moveable between a first position and a second position, the first and second positions arranged at identical horizontal levels.

11. Base section according to one of the claims 8-10, wherein an overflow opening is provided in the reservoir, at a level higher than the top level of the valve.

12. Base section according to one of the claims 8-11, wherein a siphon is provided for preventing odorous gases to escape from the outlet opening.

13. Base section according to claim 12, wherein the siphon comprises a siphon fluid channel with a supply side and a discharge side, and a lowered part of the siphon fluid channel comprises a liquid basin between said supply side and discharge side, the basin being dimensioned and oriented to hold an amount of liquid to block the cross section of the siphon fluid channel in a gas tight manner, and wherein the siphon fluid channel is oriented with its supply side and discharge side to obtain a horizontal flow through both these sides.

14. Base section according to claim 12 or claim 13,
    wherein the siphon comprises

    - a bottom section delimited by at least two walls,

    - a first one of the walls having a top at a first level to allow water to flow into the siphon,

    - a second one of the walls, different from the first one, having a top at a second level, which may be equal to the first level, to allow water to flow out of the siphon, and

    - a partition arranged between said first and second walls, and having a lower edge at a level lower than the lowest of the first and second level.

15. Base section according to claim 14, wherein an extension section is arranged next to the second one of the walls, which extension section comprises a basin-shaped section provided with a drain opening in the side thereof.