Toto Ltd.

Yasuhide Kimura

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Osamu Tsutsui

Ryosuke Hayashi

Kinya Arita

Yoshinobu Uchimura

Masahito Hitotsumatsu

Mikio Horimoto

Yukihiro Fujishima

Takeshi Motohashi

Electromechanical thermostatic mixing valve

A hand-held shower unit (12; 250; 504; 540) is disclosed which comprises a rotatable shower head (94) provided with a plurality of spray heads (132; 134; 136; 138) having different spray or water delivery characteristics. The rotatable head (94) is mounted on a shaft (122) driven by a micromotor (190) received in an inner cavity (64) which is formed in a handle casing (52; 252) by offsetting a water conduit (58). Upon pressing a control button (200), the rotatable head (94) is rotated such that water is delivered through selected one of the spray heads (132; 134; 136; 138). To establish a fluid tight seal between the rotary head (94) and the water conduit (58) while avoiding frictional contact therebetween in order to reduce the torque required for the micromotor (190) to rotate the head (94), a water pressure-responsive movable sealing member (104; 260) is arranged. Also disclosed is a shower bath system (10; 500) including in combination the hand-held shower unit ( 12; 250; 504; 540). An automatic faucet is also disclosed which is capable of automatically varying the water delivery patterns. Various other embodiments and method of use are also disclosed.

Shower with a micromotor operated revolving shower head

Device for preventing water hammer while regulating water pressure includes valve element biasing means which substantially consists of a pressure adjusting spring with a small spring constant and a water hammer preventing spring with a large spring constant which are disposed in series in a valve casing. The valve element biasing means is capable of varying the opening area of a communicating passage between an upstream passage and a downstream passage to as to adjust the pressure in the communicating passage while preventing the occurrence of water hammer in piping water supply equipment.

Device for preventing water hammer while regulating water pressure

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Fukuoka, Japan

Yasuhide Kimura