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(11) | EP 0 730 857 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Suction nozzle for hydromassage |
| (57) A suction nozzle (11,50,100,150) for hydromassage baths, which is connected to a
circulation pump via a suction duct (20), contains a closing member (22) designed
to connect up the interior of the nozzle (11,50,100,150) with the suction duct (20)
as a result of the vacuum generated upstream by the circulation pump. |
[0002] In hydromassage baths the suction nozzles, which are usually situated at the bottom of the bath, enable the water contained in the bath to be removed in order to supply the delivery nozzles. For this purpose the suction nozzles are connected by means of suction ducts to one or more pumps which convey, by means of suitable delivery ducts, the water removed from the bath to the delivery nozzles.
[0003] The suction nozzles according to the known art comprise a box-shaped body having, connected to it, a suction duct which is in turn connected to a circulation pump. The nozzles comprise, moreover, a closing member designed to intercept the flow of water which flows from the nozzle into the suction duct.
[0004] More precisely, when a person wishes to take a bath with hydromassage, the closing member is in the open position, allowing the water contained in the bath to flow into the pipes of the hydromassage system whereas, when a person wishes to take a bath without hydromassage, the closing member is in the closed position, preventing the water from entering the pipes.
[0005] Finally the nozzle is provided at the bottom with the conventional valve for discharging the water which is contained inside the suction duct. The discharge valve includes a lever element provided with an obturator for closing and opening a discharge hole formed in the sleeve, said element being hinged at one end and provided with a float at the other end. In this way, when the bath and hence also the nozzle are filled with water, the float is raised and the obturator closes off the discharge hole, whereas, when there is no water, the float and hence the obturator are lowered, opening the discharge hole and thus allowing the water contained inside the hydromassage system to be discharged.
[0006] According to a particular embodiment of the known art, the closing member comprises an obturator connected to a membrane displaceable by means of the pressure generated inside the delivery duct of the circulation pump. When the pump is activated, the pressure produced inside the delivery duct displaces the membrane and the obturator and, consequently, causes the obturator of the closing member to open.
[0007] However, this embodiment has various drawbacks, including the fact that the pressure produced by the pump might not be sufficient to displace the membrane and thus open the closing member. Moreover, in the event of the pump not being able to be triggered, i.e. continuing to drying operate, a considerable amount of damage could occur inside the pump itself.
[0008] The main aim of the present invention is therefore to devise and provide a nozzle in which the drawbacks mentioned with respect to the cited known art can be eliminated.
[0009] A further aim is to provide a suction nozzle which has a simple constructional design, is low-cost and allows rapid filling of the suction duct.
[0010] This aim is achieved by a suction nozzle for hydromassage baths of the type mentioned initially, i.e. designed to be connected to a circulation pump via a suction duct, which is provided with a valve designed to connect up the interior of the nozzle with said duct, said valve comprising a lever element, freely oscillating in a vertical plane, hinged at one end with the body of the nozzle and provided at the other end with a float displaceable between a lowered position, with simultaneous opening of the valve when the nozzle is empty, and a raised position, with simultaneous closing of the valve when the nozzle is full of water, said suction duct being provided at its inner end with a closing member designed to intercept the flow of water which flows from the nozzle into the suction duct, said closing member comprising an obturator retained in the closed position by resilient means and further comprising a membrane located between the obturator and the wall of the nozzle facing the obturator so that said obturator, said wall and said membrane define a chamber, characterized in that said nozzle is provided with at least one passage designed to connect up the interior of said chamber with the suction duct such that, via said passage, the vacuum generated by the pump is transmitted inside said chamber in order to open said closing member.
[0011] In order to start the hydromassage system it is therefore necessary to fill the bath first and then start operation of the pump such that the vacuum produced upstream thereof opens the closing member, thus allowing water contained inside the suction nozzle to be removed and conveyed to the delivery nozzles.
[0012] In a particular application of the invention, said at least one passage consists in at least one hole formed in the obturator or in a duct located inside the body of the nozzle provided with a shut-off valve actuated by an electromagnetic device.
[0013] Obviously in this latter embodiment, prior to start-up of the pump, it is necessary to open the shut off valve by energizing the electromagnetic device, said valve being suitably closed as soon as the hydromassage bath has been completed.
[0014] In a further embodiment, the nozzle comprises controlled-opening means for connecting up the interior of the nozzle with the suction duct.
[0015] In this way, after filling the bath, in order to start-up the circulation pump, the suction ducts of each nozzle are first filled via said controlled-opening means. Only at the end of filling of the suction ducts is the pump activated, so that the risk of the pump drying operating and the obturator remaining closed is eliminated.
[0016] Moreover the vacuum which is required of the pump is of a magnitude such that low-power pumps may be used, thus resulting in substantial savings.
[0017] In a further application of the invention the nozzle comprises an electromagnetic device for displacement of the float into said lowered position when the nozzle is full of water with controlled opening of the valve and consequent introduction of water into said suction duct so as to favour triggering of the circulation pump.
[0018] In this way, by employing the valve used for discharging the suction duct also for performing filling of the latter with water prior to start-up of the circulation pump, the design of the nozzle is simplified and its cost is reduced substantially. Moreover, the dimensions of the discharge hole, which may be increased, enable the suction duct to be rapidly filled with water.
[0019] These and further characteristic features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the following detailed description, provided solely by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the following accompanying figures, in which:
- Figure 1 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of the nozzle according to the present invention, in which the closing member is shown in the closed position;
- Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of Figure 1, in which the closing member is shown in the open position;
- Figure 3 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a nozzle according to a first variant of the invention, in which both the closing member and the shut-off valve are shown in the closed position;
- Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of Figure 3, in which both the closing member and the shut-off valve are shown in the open position;
- Figure 5 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a nozzle according to a second variant of the invention, in which the closing member is shown in the closed position;
- Figure 6 is a partial cross-section, in elevation, through the nozzle according to Figure 5;
- Figure 7 is a partial longitudinal section, in elevation, through the nozzle according to Figure 5, in which the discharge valve is shown in the open position;
- Figure 8 is a figure similar to Figure 7, in which the discharge valve is shown in the closed position;
- Figure 9 is a longitudinally sectioned plan view of a nozzle according to a third variant of the invention, in which both the closing member and the through-hole are shown in the closed position;
- Figure 10 is an enlarged detail of Figure 9, in which both the closing member and the through-hole are shown in the open position;
- Figure 11 is a longitudinal section, in elevation, through a nozzle according to a fourth variant of the invention, in which a consent device for start-up of the circulation pump is provided;
- Figure 12 is a section along the line XII-XII of Figure 11;
- Figure 13 is a section along the line XIII-XIII of Figure 12.
[0020] In Figures 1 and 2, a suction nozzle for hydromassage baths is denoted in its entirety by 11. The nozzle 11 comprises a box-shaped body 12 fixed, by means known per se, to the circular edge 16 of an opening formed in the wall 18 of a hydromassage bath tub (not shown in the Figures).
[0021] It can be noted, in particular from Figure 1, that the box-shaped body 12 comprises a horizontally arranged sleeve 20 which extends from the body itself towards the inside thereof into the vicinity of a side wall 12a of the body 12; the sleeve 20 has connected to it the suction duct (not shown in the Figures) of the circulation pump.
[0022] The inner end 20a of the sleeve is provided with a closing member, denoted in its entirety by 22, which has the function, when a person takes a bath without wanting to use the hydromassage technique, of preventing the entry of the water contained in the bath. The closing member 22 consists in an obturator 24 in the form of circular shaped disc, the peripheral edge of which presses against the end 20a of the sleeve 20 by means of the action of a helical spring 26 located between the obturator 24 and a cover 27 arranged inside an opening 29 formed in the side wall 12a.
[0023] The peripheral edge of the obturator 24 is sealingly fixed inside the circular opening 28 of an annular membrane 28, the external peripheral edge of which is sealingly fixed between the edge of the opening 29 of the side wall 12a and the edge of the cover 27, thus defining a chamber 30 between the cover 27, the obturator 24 and the membrane 28. The membrane 28 is made of deformable material and allows a displacement of the obturator 24 from a position in which it is engaged with the end 20a of the sleeve 20 (see Figure 1) into a position in which it is located at a distance therefrom (see Figure 2).
[0024] Moreover, the obturator 24 has formed in it two holes 32 which connect up the chamber 30 with the sleeve 20 and hence with the suction duct.
[0025] The operational features of the closing member 22 are as follows: In the rest condition shown in Figure 1, the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the resilient action of the spring 26, is engaged with the end 20a of the sleeve 20.
[0026] In this initial situation, if a person wishes to take an ordinary bath without using the technique of hydromassage, the circulation pump is not started and the obturator 24 remains closed, preventing the water contained inside the bath from entering the piping of the hydromassage system.
[0027] If, on the other hand, a person wishes to use the hydromassage system, the circulation pump is started, creating a vacuum upstream thereof, i.e. inside the sleeve 20 and hence inside the chamber 30. The result is that the respective negative pressures acting on the two faces of the obturator 24 are equal and hence counter-balance each other, while the negative pressure acting on the face of the membrane 28 directed towards the inside of the chamber 30 is less than the value of the pressure acting on the opposite face. Consequently, the membrane 28 subjects the obturator 24 of the closing member 22 to a force acting in the direction of the cover 27 against the action of the spring 26. The elastic constant of the spring 26 is such that the force exerted by the spring itself on the obturator 24 is less than the resultant of the positive and negative pressures acting on the membrane 28, so that the obturator 24 is separated from the end 20a of the sleeve 20, as shown in Figure 2, and the pump is thus able to suck in water from the bath through the sleeve itself. Once the hydromassage bath has been completed, operation of the pump is stopped so that the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the elastic recovery of the spring 26, comes into engagement again with the end 20a of the sleeve 20, definitively interrupting the flow of water entering the sleeve 20.
[0028] Figures 3 to 10 show nozzles according to a few variants of the invention in which the same reference numbers have been used for components or parts similar to those of the preceding nozzle.
[0029] In particular, Figures 3 and 4 show a nozzle 50 similar to the preceding nozzle, in which communication between the chamber 30 and the sleeve 20 is established not by means of the holes provided in the obturator, but by means of a communication duct 52 provided in the body 12 of the nozzle 50. More precisely, the communication duct 52 has a first end 52a communicating with the chamber 30 and a second end 52b communicating with the sleeve 20.
[0030] The communication duct 52 has inside it, in the vicinity of the end 52b, a shut-off valve, denoted in its entirety by 54, which is provided with an obturator 56 and actuated by an electromagnetic device 58.
[0031] The electromagnetic device 58 comprises an electric winding 60 with housed inside it a movable core 62 rigid with the obturator 56 of the shut-off valve 54. Moreover, the obturator 56 is retained in the closed position (see Figure 3) by means of a spring 64 arranged around the movable core 62 and located between the obturator itself and the electric winding 60.
[0032] By supplying an electric current of predetermined intensity to the electric winding 60, the movable core 62 is drawn inside the electric winding 60 and the obturator 56 of the shut-off valve 54 is displaced against the action exerted by the spring 64, thereby opening up the communication duct 52, as illustrated in Figure 4.
[0033] In the case where a hydromassage bath is required, the electromagnetic device 58 must first be energized and the circulation pump then started. Energization of the electromagnetic device 58 can only be interrupted when the vacuum generated by the pump has caused opening of the closing member 22 in the manner already indicated above, said condition being illustrated in Figure 4.
[0034] Obviously, it will be possible to keep the electromagnetic device 58 energized for the entire duration of operation of the circulation pump such that the water contained inside the nozzle 50 is sucked both through the closing member 22 and through the communication duct 52.
[0035] Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 show a further embodiment which consists in a nozzle 100 similar to the nozzle 11 of Figures 1 and 2. The nozzle 100 is provided with a discharge valve 104 of the float type in order to allow emptying of the hydromassage system at the end of the hydromassage operation.
[0036] The discharge valve 104 comprises an obturator 106 associated with a discharge hole 108 formed in the bottom portion of the sleeve 20. The obturator 106 is fixed to a lever element 110 having one end 110a hinged to the sleeve 20, while the opposite end 110b is provided with a float 112.
[0037] When there is no water inside the bath and hence also inside the suction nozzle 100, the lever element 110 lies on the bottom of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 and the obturator 106 is located at distance from the discharge hole 108 of the sleeve 20 (see Figure 7), thus allowing the water contained inside the suction duct to flow out. Vice versa, during filling of the bath, the nozzle 100 is filled with water and the float 112 rises, raising the lever 110 so that the obturator 106 closes off the discharge hole 108 of the sleeve 20 (see Figure 8). In this way, if a person wishes to take a bath without hydromassage, the water contained in the bath is prevented from passing at all into the suction duct of the hydromassage system.
[0038] It can be noted, moreover, that the discharge valve 104 has associated with it an electromagnetic device 114 having the function of lowering, when activated, the lever element 110 with the nozzle full of water.
[0039] More precisely, the electromagnetic device 114 comprises an element in the form of a ferromagnetic plate 116 fixed onto the lever element 110, in an intermediate position between the float 112 and the obturator 106 and an electromagnet 118 arranged outside the underneath part of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 and facing the ferromagnetic plate 116.
[0040] By supplying the electromagnet 118 with a predetermined excitation current, the ferromagnetic plate 116 is attracted downwards by it, thus causing lowering of the lever element 110 against the hydrostatic thrust acting on the float 112, when the bath and hence the nozzle 100 are filled with water, which would tend to keep the lever element 110 raised.
[0041] Excitation of the electromagnetic 118 is maintained for a predetermined period of time substantially corresponding to the triggering time of the suction pump.
[0042] Finally, the electric power supply line of the suction pump contains a component designed to allow activation of the latter only after a predetermined period of time from the start of excitation of the electromagnet 118, thus avoiding operation of the circulation pump under no load, which might otherwise cause problems.
[0044] In the condition where there is no water inside the bath, the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the resilient action of the spring 26, is engaged with the end 20a of the sleeve 20, and the float 112 of the discharge valve 104 lies on the bottom of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 so that its obturator 106 is in the open position (see Figure 7). This condition occurs as soon as the bath has been emptied and opening of the obturator 106 allows emptying of the hydromassage system.
[0045] During filling of the bath, as soon as the water contained in the bath reaches the nozzle, it enters inside the latter so that the float 112 is raised, causing the obturator 106 of the discharge valve 104 to close, thus preventing the water entering into the suction duct.
[0047] The first choice consists in taking an ordinary bath without using the technique of hydromassage so that the circulation pump is not started. As soon as the bath has been completed, the water contained in the bath is emptied, the float 112 of the discharge valve 104 comes to rest on the bottom of the body 12 of the nozzle 100 and the obturator 106 opens, allowing emptying of the pipes.
[0048] The second choice consists in using the hydromassage system. First of all the predetermined excitation current is supplied to the electromagnet 118 which draws towards it the ferromagnetic plate 116, causing the obturator 106 to be lowered and hence allowing the water contained in the body 12 of the nozzle 100 to enter into the sleeve 20 and hence fill the suction duct. At this point the pump is started, creating a vacuum upstream thereof, i.e. inside the sleeve 20 and inside the chamber 30.
[0049] Consequently, as described above, the obturator 24 moves away from the end 20a of the sleeve 20 and the pump is thus able to suck up water from the bath through the sleeve itself. At this point, the flow of the excitation current inside the electromagnet 118 is interrupted so that the ferromagnetic plate 116 is no longer attracted by the electromagnet itself and hence the float 112 is raised, closing the obturator 106 of the discharge valve 104.
[0050] Once the hydromassage bath has been completed, operation of the pump is stopped, so that the obturator 24 of the closing member 22, owing to the elastic recovery of the spring 26, comes back into engagement with the end 20a of the sleeve 20, definitively interrupting the flow of water entering into the sleeve 20. The bath is then emptied and when the level of the water falls below the nozzle 100, the float 112 will come to rest on the bottom of the body 12 so that the obturator 106 opens, allowing emptying of the hydromassage system.
[0051] Alternatively, the flow of the excitation current of the electromagnet 158 can be maintained for the entire period of operation of the pump, so that the water contained in the bath flows into the suction duct both through the obturator 24 of the closing member 22 and through the obturator 106 of the discharge valve 104.
[0052] Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a variant of the nozzle 100 according to Figures 5 to 7 and more precisely a nozzle 150 in which communication between the interior of the body 12 of the nozzle 150 and the sleeve 20 is established by means of a through-hole 152 formed in the sleeve 20; the through-hole 152 has, moreover, associated with it a closing valve 154 provided with an obturator 156 and actuated by an electromagnetic device 158.
[0053] The electromagnetic device 158 comprises an electric winding 160 which has housed inside it a movable core 162 rigid with the obturator 156 of the closing valve 154. Moreover the obturator 156 is retained in the closed position (see Figure 9) by means of an annular spring washer 164 which is provided with a central and circular opening inside which the obturator 156 is fixed and which has an external peripheral edge rigid with the electric winding 160.
[0054] By supplying the electric winding 160 with an electric current of predetermined intensity, the movable core 162 is attracted inside the electric winding 160 and the obturator 156 of the closing valve 154 is displaced against the action exerted by the spring washer 164, thus opening the through-hole 152, as illustrated in Figure 10.
[0055] In the case where a hydromassage bath is required, the electromagnetic device 158 must first be energized, the suction duct allowed to be filled and the circulation pump then started, the latter causing the closing member 22 to open, as illustrated in Figure 10.
[0056] Energization of the electromagnetic device 158 will be interrupted when the suction duct has been completely filled with water.
[0057] By way of an alternative, the electromagnetic device 158 can be kept energized for the entire duration of operation of the circulation pump such that the water contained in the nozzle 150 is sucked both through the closing member 22 and across the through-hole 152.
[0058] Finally, Figures 11 to 13 show a further variant of the invention which consists in a nozzle 200, similar to the nozzle 100 of Figures 5 to 7, provided with a control device, denoted in its entirety by the reference number 202, which is designed to give consent for activation of the circulation pump.
[0059] From Figure 12 it can be noted that the device 202 comprises a duct 204 arranged inside the body 12 of the nozzle 200 and formed by two horizontal rectilinear sections 206 and 208 arranged perpendicularly with respect to one another. The first rectilinear section 206 extends perpendicularly and centrally from a grille-type cover 210 located in the vicinity of the wall 18 of the bath by way of a protection for the nozzle. The first section 206 penetrates inside the sleeve 20 and joins the second rectilinear section 208 which extends coaxially with respect to the sleeve itself, passing through the obturator 24 of the closing member 22 and terminating in the region of the cover 27.
[0060] The obturator 24 is provided with a tubular element 206 inside which the second section 208 passes, the obturator 24 sliding on the latter when it moves from the closed position to the open position and vice versa, ensuring at the same the water-tightness of the chamber 30.
[0061] From Figure 13 it can be noted that the second section 208 is connected, by means of a duct 212 located outside the body 12 of the nozzle, to a pneumatic member 214 designed to detect when the water inside the bath has reached and exceeded a predetermined level, certainly higher than that of the duct 204. The member 214 comprises a casing 216 which has arranged inside it an elastically deformable membrane 218, the edge of which is sealingly fixed to the internal wall of the casing 216, thus defining a chamber 220 connected to the duct 212 and a sealed chamber 222. The central part 223 of the membrane 218 is substantially flat and made of rigid material, for example plastic material.
[0062] The second chamber 222 has a spring 224 arranged inside it, between the central part 223 of the membrane 218 and the wall 216a of the casing 216 facing the membrane 218, said spring defining a rest position for the membrane 218 when there is no water in the bath. When the water level inside the bath reaches the aforementioned predetermined level, the ducts 204 and 212 are filled with water, as is the chamber 220, so that the air contained in this chamber is compressed and the membrane 218 moves towards the wall 216a against the opposing action of the spring 224.
[0063] The membrane 218 has associated with it a magnet 226, while the wall 216a is provided externally with a sensor 228 (for example a proximity switch) for detecting the presence of magnet means and designed to allow activation of the circulation pump only when the bath is filled with a predetermined quantity of water, as explained in detail hereinbelow.
[0064] In the example of embodiment considered, this sensor is of the dry-reed type, known per se and hence not illustrated in detail, and is suitably connected to a consent control unit (not shown) which is in turn connected to the motor operating the circulation pump.
[0065] When the sensor 228 is in the condition shown in Figure 13, i.e. where there is no water present both in the bath and hence in the nozzle 200, it is inactive and, by means of the control unit, prevents electric power being supplied to the pump.
[0066] When, on the other hand, the water level in the bath reaches a predetermined level, the membrane 218 and hence the magnet 226 move towards the wall 216a such that the sensor 228 detects the presence of the magnet 226 and sends a suitable signal to the consent control unit in order to supply the pump with electric power.
[0067] In this way it is possible to start the hydromassage cycle without having to check whether there is water present in the bath and moreover preventing possible damage to the pump even if it is operated under dry conditions.
1. Suction nozzle for hydromassage baths, designed to be connected to a circulation pump
via a suction duct (20), which is provided with a valve (104) designed to connect
up the interior of the nozzle (11,50,100,150) with said duct (20), said valve (104)
comprising a lever element (110), freely oscillating in a vertical plane, hinged at
one end (110a) with the body (12) of the nozzle and provided at the other end (110b)
with a float (112) displaceable between a lowered position, with simultaneous opening
of the valve (104) when the nozzle is empty, and a raised position, with simultaneous
closing of the valve (104) when the nozzle is full of water, said suction duct (20)
being provided at its inner end (20a) with a closing member (22) designed to intercept
the flow of water which flows from the nozzle (11, 50) into the suction duct (20),
said closing member (22) comprising an obturator (24) retained in the closed position
by resilient means (26) and further comprising a membrane (28) located between the
obturator (24) and the wall (12a) of the nozzle (11, 50) facing the obturator (24)
so that said obturator (24), said wall (12) and said membrane (28) define a chamber,
characterized in that said nozzle (11, 50) is provided with at least one passage (32,
52) designed to connect up the interior of said chamber (30) with the suction duct
(20) such that, via said passage (32, 52), the vacuum generated by the pump is transmitted
inside said chamber (30) in order to open said closing member (22).
2. Nozzle according to Claim 1, characterized in that said membrane (28) has an opening
inside which the obturator (24) is sealingly fixed and a peripheral edge sealingly
fixed to the wall (12a) of the body (12) of the nozzle (11, 50).
3. Nozzle according to Claim 2, characterized in that the peripheral edge of the membrane
(28) is sealingly fixed between the edge of an opening (29) formed in the wall (12a)
of the body (12) and the edge of a cover (27) designed to cover the opening itself.
4. Nozzle according to Claim 3, characterized in that said resilient means (26) are located
between the obturator (26) and the cover (27).
5. Nozzle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at
least one passage consists in at least one hole (32) formed in the obturator (24).
6. Nozzle according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said passage (52)
is provided with a shut-off valve (54).
7. Nozzle according to Claim 6, characterized in that said shut-off valve (54) is operated
by an electromagnetic device (58) in opposition to the action of resilient means (64).
8. Nozzle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises
controlled-opening means (104,154) for connecting up the interior of the nozzle (100,150)
with the suction duct (20).
9. Nozzle according to Claim 8, characterized in that it comprises an electromagnetic
device (114) for the displacement of the float (112) into said lowered position when
the nozzle (100) is full of water with controlled opening of the valve (104) and consequent
introduction of water into said suction duct (20) in order to favour triggering of
the circulation pump.
10. Nozzle according to Claim 9, characterized in that said electromagnetic device (114)
comprises a ferromagnetic element (116) mounted on the lever element (110) and facing
an electromagnet (118) located outside the body (12) of the nozzle (100), excitation
of said electromagnet (118) with the nozzle (100) full of water, causing attraction
of said ferromagnetic element (116) with consequent displacement of the float (112)
into the lowered position in opposition to the action of the hydrostatic thrust exerted
by the water thereon.
11. Nozzle according to Claim 10, characterized in that said valve (104) comprises an
obturator (106) and said ferromagnetic element (116) is mounted in an intermediate
position between the flaot (112) and the obturator (106) of the valve (104).
12. Nozzle according to any one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the electric
power supply line of the circulation pump contains a delay component designed to allow
energization of the said pump only after a predetermined period of time from the start
of excitation of the electromagnet (118).
13. Nozzle according to any one of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the electromagnet
(118) is excited for a period of time of predetermined duration corresponding substantially
to the triggering time of the circulation pump.
14. Nozzle according to any one of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the electromagnet
(118) is kept excited for the entire period of operation of the circulation pump.
15. Nozzle according to Claim 8, characterized in that said means for connecting up the
interior of the nozzle (150) with the suction duct (20) consist in a through-hole
(152) formed in the sleeve (20) and associated with a closing valve (154).
16. Nozzle according to Claim 15, characterized in that said closing valve (154) is operated
by an electromagnetic device (158) opposing the action of resilient means (164).
17. Nozzle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises
a control device (202) comprising an elastically deformable means (218) subject to
the pressure generated by the water contained in the bath when it reaches a predetermined
level and to an opposing counter-pressure exerted by resilient means (224), said elastically
deformable means (218) being provided with magnetic means (226) interacting with sensor
means (228) designed to detect the presence of said magnetic means (226) and contained
in the electric circuit controlling operation of the circulation pump.
18. Nozzle according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said control device
(202) comprises a casing (216) which has arranged inside it said elastically deformable
means which consist in a membrane (218), the edge of which is sealingly fixed to the
internal wall of the casing (216) thus defining a chamber (220) communicating with
the bath by means of ducts (204,212) provided inside the nozzle (200) and a sealed
chamber (222) inside which said resilient means (224) are located, between the membrane
(218) and the wall (216a) of the casing (216) facing it, said membrane (218) having
associated with it said magnetic means (226) while the wall (216a) is provided externally
with said sensor means (228) which, when there is no water inside the bath tub, remain
inactive and do not allow activation of the pump, whereas, when the water level in
the bath reaches said predetermined level, thus displacing the membrane (218) and
said magnetic means (226) towards the wall (216a), they are activated, thus allowing
start-up of the pump.
19. Nozzle according to Claim 18, characterized in that said duct (204) is arranged inside
the body (12) of the nozzle (200) and is formed by two horizontal rectilinear sections
(206) and (208) arranged perpendicularly with respect to one another, the first section
(206) extending perpendicularly and centrally from a grille-type cover (210) located
in the vicinity of the wall (18) of the bath tub by way of protection for the nozzle,
penetrating inside the sleeve (20) and joining the second section (208) which extends
coaxially with respect to the sleeve itself, passing through the obturator (24) of
the closing member (22) and terminating in the region of the cover (27) where it is
connected, by means of a duct (212), to the chamber (220).
20. Nozzle according to Claim 19, characterized in that the obturator (24) is provided
with a tubular element (206) inside which the second section (208) passes, the obturator
(24) sliding on the latter when it moves from the closed position to the open position
and vice versa, ensuring at the same time the water-tightness of the chamber (30).