A mixer valve o _f the single lever type incorporating means for avoi _d ing _p ressure surges during the final stage of lever move¬ ment in the valve closing direction

5 Field of Invention

The present invention relates to single lever type mixer valves.

An example of single lever valves is found described in 10 SE-B-432 651 (F M Mattsson).

This known valve is provided, inter alia, with an adjustable stop member which is intended to limit rotary movement of a dogging device in a direction in which the supply of hot

15. water through the valve increases, and an abutment member which restricts the extent to which the lever can be lifted, thereby enabling the output of water through the valve to be regulated. This enables the mixer valve to be adjusted fully, without needing to dismantle the valve. 0

The flow control unit is located at the top of the mixer valve and is covered by a cap and a cover plate. The lever, with cover plate, need not be permanent fixtures of the flow control unit, but may be stored separately and may be fitted 5 and replaced independently of each other.

The actual core of the flow control unit, i.e. the valve plates which incorporate the throughflow pørts and which can be rotated and displaced linearly relative to one another, 0 is preferably made of ceramic material, such that the valve will deliver the precise flow for which the valve is ad¬ justed, over an almost unlimited period of use.

Those parts of the flow control unit which are responsible 5 for encapsulation and guidance of the valve plates are pre-

-2-

ferably made of a thermoplastic material.

Resilient seating seals, capable of permitting sprung move¬ ment of up to 1 mm, are conveniently provided at the bottom 5 of the flow control unit, such as to seal the unit effect¬ ively against opposing surfaces of the housing fitting.

Background Prior Art

One drawback with mixer valves of the kind described is that 10 harmful pressure surges are liable to occur in thefeed pipes when closing the valve, especially when, as is often the case, the valve is closed by simply striking the lever with the palm of the hand.

L5 Measurements have shown that these pressure surges subject the feed pipes of the water supply system to very high loads, from which it will be understood that repeated pres- -sure surges may easily lead to serious damage of the pipes, or may even cause the pipes to burst in time. This risk is

2-0 particularly high in the case of water supply systems to which a large number of such mixer valves are fitted. The possibility can not be excluded that several pressure surges will be generated in one and the same water supply system or network when several of the valves incorporated therein are

25 . in use at one and the same time, and that the forces exerted by these surges will be superimposed upon each other. In order to safeguard against the risk of damage due to such causes, the pipes and pipe system as a whole must be of more robust construction than otherwise necessary, which

30 greatly increases the costs of such systems.

SE-A-8603942-7 (Hansa Metallwerke) describes a mixer valve of the kind recited in the preamble of claim 1. This valve is constructed such that when the valve lever is struck 35 harshly in the valve closing direction, pressure is built

up in part of the valve and the final phase of the valve closing movement of the lever takes place against a higher resistance, which requires the exertion of a greater closing force and which extends the duration of the valve closing 5 phase. The valve is also constructed so as to exclude this build up of pressure when the valve lever is moved gently in the valve closing direction, so that the lever can be moved when needing to overcome an additional resistance.

10 Incorporated in the known valve is a plunger which is ar¬ ranged to move in one direction in an auxiliary chamber such that the volume of the auxiliary chamber will increase sole¬ ly as a result of the pressure of secondary water which enters the chamber when a chamber communication inlet part

15 is exposed.

If the pressure of the water is unsatisfactory or if lime deposits or like- deposits have had time to form on parts of the plunger during its use, there is a risk that the plunger

2.0 will jam or bind, i.e. it cannot be sure that the plunger will move in the intended manner. When the plunger is activated by a pressure rod and is intended to move in the opposite direction when closing the valve, there is a cer¬ tain amount of dead movement, since the pressure rod does 5 not initially lie against the valve part concerned.

The extent of this dead movement will, of course, increase should the plunger stick or bind in the auxiliary chamber, thereby preventing the chamber from taking up the intended 0 amount of water. This in turn will prevent the intended pressure build-up from taking place. In any event, this known valve can not be considered to be totally reliable.

The object of the present invention is to provide a mixer 5 valve which has none of the aforementioned serious draw-

backs .

Other types of valves are known to the art which are con¬ structed, in one way or another, to reduce the occurrence 5 of pressure surges when closing the valve, therewith to extend the useful life of the valve. Examples of such valves are found in GB-A-2 160 950 (Agnew et al) and EP-A- 81302496 (Publication No 43 188, Neles). However, the risk that pressure surges will occur when closing valves of the 10 kind described in these publications is not as pronounced as that in a mixer valve of the single lever type.

Brief Description of the Drawing

The inventive mixer valve is of the kind set forth in the

L5 ^: preamble of claim 1 and is mainly characterized in that the main body of the valve plate dogging or driving device is connected with the valve plunger such that the plunger is immovable in relation to said main body when the actuator is displaced linearly in either directions.

2D-

The inventive valve construction is such as to ensure that the volumetric capacity of the auxiliary cylinder chamber is always changed when the actuator is displaced. When the lever is moved in the valve opening direction, the volumet-

25 ric capacity of the chamber increases, wherewith fluid is drawn into the chamber through the fluid passage. When the actuator is moved rapidly in the opposite direction, there¬ with decreasing the volumetric capacity of the chamber, the fluid passage will be essentially closed, so as to restrict

30 the inflow of fluid and to build up pressure.

The requisite pressure build-up can be readily achieved, with the provision of a throttling device of this kind which moves in the chamber under the influence of the fluid there- 35 in. The throttling device may also be designed so that it

will not close the fluid passage when the lever is moved carefully or gently. Instead, fluid may flow from the cham¬ ber via the passageway in not inconsiderable quantities, this fluid passing to one side of the throttling device. This is possible provided that the throttling device is not pressed against the passage orifice.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the throttling device includes a throttling plate which incor- porates a fine channel and which is guided for movement in the chamber under the influence of fluid flow between a position in which fluid can flow freely into and out of the chamber through the fluid passage and a throttling position in which the plate covers the passage and fluid can flow solely through the fine channel in said plate.

The fine channel preferably extends radially outwards in the throttling plate and exits at the periphery thereof, and enables the desired pressure build-up to be achieved in a particulnrly simple manner. In order to enable the valve lever to be moved to its valve closure position when closing the valve rapidly, it is necessary for a large amount of fluid to be forced through this fine channel during the actual final stage of movement. This results in a marked increase in fluid pressure in the chamber, and it is not possible to move the lever to its fully closing position without applying additional force in this final closing stage. This additional force is not normally applied when the lever is simply struck in order to close the valve. In this latter case the greatest force is instead applied to the valve lever when first striking the lever, i.e. at the initial closing stage.

In principle it is possible within the scope of the inven- tion, to use different arrangements for effecting the flow

of fluid to and from the chamber.

In the case of one such device the fluid supplied to the chamber through the fluid passage is water delivered to the 5 valve.

In this case, water is drawn into the mixing chamber through a channel located in the actuator part of the valve as the valve is opened and the volumetric capacity of the chamber 10 subsequently increases.

In the case of another arrangement, which is in principle different to the former, the chamber is sealed off from the water to the mixing chamber and accommodates a separate

15 fluid, e.g. air, oil or secondary water. In this embodiment the passage extends through the plunger part to a further chamber on the opposite side of the plunger, such that the volume of one chamber decreases and the volume of the other chamber increases in response to movement of said actuator

20 part.

Thus, in this case, the two chambers and the fluid, e.g. air, by means of which pressure is built up during the final valve closing stage, form a separate, closed system which is 25. isolated from the water in the actual mixer valve.

In the case of a third arrangement, in principle different to the other two, the fluid ^' used to establish a pressure build-up in the valve when the valve is closed rapidly is 30 air. The inventive mixer valve which incorporates this particular arrangement is characterized in that the chamber communicates with air-filled space in the valve through a channel in the plunger part of the valve.

3.5. According to one such embodiment in which a seσondary fluid

is fed to the auxiliary chamber, the throttling device is guided centrally on a pin or stud which projects out from the plunger part of the valve and which is provided with an abutment means for restricting movement of the throttling device ,in the valve opening direction, the passage in this case having an annular configuration with an internal diam¬ eter which exceeds the outer diameter of the pin.

In the case of this embodiment, the throttling device, e.g. the throttling plate, is provided with a centrally located hole and is fitted onto the pin or stud. The annular pas¬ sage ensures that the pressure exerted on the throttling de¬ vice during its movement from respective abutments towards the passage orifice is both symmetrical and uniform.

The throttling plate guide means has the form of an element having two or more peripherally and axially extending tongues whose outer diameters correspond to the inner diam¬ eter of the auxiliary chamber. The throttling plate is mounted between the tongues of the guide element in a manner to leave between the tongues an open passage through which fluid can flow and act on the throttling plate.

In addition to an actual throttling device in the form of a throttling plate, the valve may include a seperate, tongued element which is operative in guiding the throttling plate for movement in the auxiliary chamber. This further tongued element is preferably immovable in the auxiliary chamber and ensures that the throttling plate is not skewed or twisted so as to jeopardize the intended function of the auxiliary chamber and thus also the valve.

The further tongued element may also be provided with a centrally located hole which will assist in ensuring that the throttling plate is pressed reliably against the chamber

wall incorporating the passage orifice, in the final stage of a rapid valve closing movement.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to a number of exemplifying embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a partially cut-away side view of an inventive mixer valve of the single lever kind;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of part of the valve in larger scale, with the lever in its valve open position;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a throttling plate and an associated guide means which form an embodiment of a throt¬ tling device for the valve according to this invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view which corresponds to Figure 2 and which illustrates the position taken by the throttling device towards the end of a valve closing opera¬ tion effected by striking the valve lever;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of part of an inventive mixer valve of different construction, said valve being shown in an open position;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the mixer valve of Figure 5 and illustrates the valve in the final stage of a rapid valve-closure movement;

Figure 7 illustrates in cross-section part of a further em¬ bodiment of a throttling device for use with the inventive valve, the throttling device being shown in an open position

and the pressure generating secondary fluid of this embodi¬ ment being air taken from the valve; and

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 and illustrates the throttling device upon completion of a rapid valve-closure operation.

A Description of Preferred Embodiments

The mixer valve 1 of all the illustrative embodiments com- prises a valve housing 2 which incorporates a tap nozzle 2a and mutually parallel inlet pipes for hot and cold water, although only the hot water pipe 3 is shown in Figure 1.

Arranged in the central part of the valve housing 2 is a flow control unit 5 which is activated by the single lever 4 of the mixer valve and which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The flow control unit is protected by a top cap 6 and a cover plate 7, which shield the unit from the ingress of water and contaminants liable to disturb the function of the flow control unit. The lever 4 with the cover plate 7 can be removed and replaced independently of the flow control unit 5.

The flow control unit 5 is embraced by an essentially cylin- drical valve sleeve 9 made of thermoplastic material. The valve sleeve has a bottom 10 which carries a stationary valve plate 11 which co-acts with a rotatable and displace- able valve plate 12. The two valve plates 11 and 12 are made of a ceramic material.

The valve plate 11 is provided with a cold water inlet open¬ ing and a hot water inlet opening (not shown) which communi¬ cate with respective cold and hot water inlet channels. The cold water inlet channel is referenced 17 in Figure 2.

The movable valve plate 12 is so arranged that when rotated the undersurface thereof, which is in abutment with the up¬ per surface of the stationary valve plate 11, will cover more of one inlet opening that the other. Rotation of the 5 valve plate in one direction will result in the supply of a greater amount of hot water through the hot water inlet opening to an elongated bore 13 located centrally of the valve plate than the amount of cold water supplied through the cold water inlet opening. This relationship is reversed 10 when the valve plate is turned in the other direction. The bore 13 in the valve plate 12 is fitted with a filter or sieve 14.

The water flows through a hole 15 in the stationary valve TE5 plate 11 and a hole 16 located in the bottom 10 of the valve sleeve in register with the hole 15, into a mixing chamber (not shown) in the valve housing 2, and from there to the discharge orifice of the tap spout 2a.

2.0 The movable valve plate 12 is also displaceably mounted, so as to enable the amount of water delivered by the tap to be controlled. When the valve plate is displaced in one di¬ rection, the respective areas of the two inlet openings are increased proportionally by equal amounts and the tempera-

25 ture of the water discharged is therefore not changed.

Conversely, linear displacement of the valve 12 in the other direction results in a proportional decrease in the areas of respective inlet openings/ such that the amount of water discharged is decreased without changing the temperature of

30 the water.

The rotatable and linearly displaceable valve plate 12 is moved through the medium of a dogging device 31 which is provided with an actuator 21 and which is operated by means 35 of a drive arm 20 on the valve lever 4.

The drive arm 20 is pivotally mounted in bifurcate projec¬ tions 7a which extend downwardly from the cover plate 7 on both sides of the drive arm. The bifurcate projections engage in corresponding recesses in the main body of the dogging device 31, which main body includes a sleeve-like element which can be rotated in the valve sleeve 9 between stop abutments not shown.

The sleeve-like element 32 has provided therein a screw- threaded bush 33 which receives a screw 34, one purpose of which is to secure the setting of an anti-scolding device which comprises, inter alia, a plate 35, and which enables the amount of hot water delivered through the valve to be adjusted. Another purpose of the screw 34 is to enable ad- just ents to be made to the setting of a flow restricting plate 36 which controls vertical movement of the lever 4 and therewith also the total amount of water which can be dis¬ charged from the valve.

Since the components whose settings can be adjusted by means of the screw 34 form no part of the present invention they will not be described in detail here.

The actuator 21 of the dogging device 31 is rotatable to- gether with the dogging device to any selected angle and can be displaced linearly between two terminal positions, as shown in Figures 2 and 4 respectively.

This linear displacement of the actuator 21 is effected through the drive arm 20 which is connected to the lever 4 and the end 20a of which is part-spherical in shape and fits into a recess 22 in the actuator 21.

The actuator terminal position illustrated in Figure 2 cor- responds to the position of the actuator when the valve is

fully open, whereas Figure 4 illustrates the position of the actuator when the lever is moved to its valve closing posi¬ tion by being struck sharply or roughly, as explained in more detail hereinafter. 5

In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1-4, the actuator 21 presents an open-ended cylindrical surface 21a which de¬ fines a cylindrical, auxiliary chamber 23. Arranged in the auxiliary chamber is a plunger 42 which has fitted thereon a 0 seal 43 and which has on one end thereof a flange 42a which defines inwardly a groove 42b. The groove 42b is in engage¬ ment with a projection 32a on the dogging device 32, this projection coupling the plunger 42 to the dogging device 32 such as to pivotally connect said components together and to 55 the actuator 21 but to remain stationary in relation to the actuator when said actuator is displaced linearly. Linear displacement of the actuator results in a change in -volume of the cylindrical chamber 23, which communicates through a passageway or channel 24 with the bore 13 in the movable 0 valve plate 12.

When the actuator 21 is moved to the position illustrated in Figure 2, which corresponds to upward movement of the lever 4 to the valve opening position, the volumetric capacity of 5 the cylindrical chamber 23 will change, causing water pres¬ ent in the bore 13 to be drawn into the chamber 23, as il¬ lustrated by arrows in Figure 2.

Also arranged in the cylindrical chamber 23 is a throttling :0' plate 25 which has a fine channel 25a provided therein. The throttling plate 25 is encircled by a guide means, which comprises a guide element 26 which is secured in the cham¬ ber and which is provided with three peripherally and axial¬ ly extending tongues 26a which embrace the throttling plate 5 25. The portions of the guide element located between the

tongues 26a have a concave, arcuate shape 26b which permit water to pass the guide element. The guide element is also provided with a central hole 26c, which also permits water to pass through the guide element.

The actuator 21 is sealed against the valve plate 12 by means of seals 27. The passageway or channel 24 of the actuator 21 communicates with the bore 13 in the valve plate and widens into a centrally located, cylindrical orifice 24a.

When the actuator is moved to the Figure 2 position, such that water is drawn into the cylindrical chamber 23 via the passageways 24, 24a, the throttling plate 25 will be dis- placed linearly in the surrounding guide element 26 to the position illustrated in Figure 2, in which water can be freely drawn into the chamber 23.

When the valve is then closed by applying a careful closing force, water is able to pass the guide element 26 and the throttling plate 25 and exit through the passageway 24, via the widened part 24a thereof. In this case, the throttling plate 25 has no significant effect on the valve closing action.

If, however, the valve is closed by striking down on the valve lever 4, as illustrated in Figure 4, the volume of the chamber 23 will be reduced and the throttling plate 25 en¬ circled by the guide element 26 will be urged rapidly into sealing contact with the orifice 24a of the passageway pro¬ vided in the end wall of the chamber 23, thereby sealing off the passageway. The water present in the chamber can now only exit through the fine channel 25a in the throttling plate. The pressure in the chamber 23 will consequently rise very quickly and it becomes impossible to force the

lever 4 to its terminal valve closing position without exerting a comparatively large, additional force on the lever in the final valve closing stage.

5 This build-up of pressure in the chamber 23 ensures that no valve impacts will occur in the valve delivery pipes.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a modified embodiment in which the cylindrical, auxiliary chamber 23 is sealed against the 10 ingress of water delivered to the mixing chamber. In the case of this embodiment the medium used to build up pressure in the final stage of a valve closing operation is a sepa¬ rate fluid, e.g. air, oil or secondary water.

153 The plunger of this embodiment is referenced 42' and, simi¬ lar to the plunger of the aforedescribed embodiment, is im¬ movably connected at one end to the dogging device 32, through the medium of two flanges 42'a and 42'b. The other end of the plunger is located in the chamber 23 and is pro-

20' vided with a stop abutment 42'c for the throttling plate 25. Furthermore, the actuator 21 of this embodiment is provided at one end thereof with a separate closure element 44 which is fitted with a seal 45 that bears against the plunger 42* .

5 In the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6 an annular passageway 24' extends axially through the plunger unit and exits in a further chamber 23' on the opposite side of the plunger. Consequently, movement of the actuator 21 will result in increased volume of the one chamber 23 or 23' and a decrease

30 in the volume of the other chamber.

When the mixer valve is opened to the position illustrated in Figure 5, in which the actuator 21 is displaced as far as possible to the right in the Figure, fluid has been drawn 35. from the chamber 23' into the chamber 23. In this valve

position, the throttling plate 25 is located against the stop abutment 42'c, the throttling plate of this embodiment being guided centrally on the pin or peg 42'd extending from the plunger.

Figure 6 illustrates the positions taken by the respective valve components when the valve is closed rapidly. In this case, the throttling plate 25 is pressed against that part of the piston 42' which surrounds the annular passageway 24', wherewith pressure is built up in the chamber 23.

Thus, the fluid present in the chamber 23 can only pass to the oppositely located chamber 23' through the fine-bore channel 25a in the throttling plate 25.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a valve embodiment in which the pressure-generating fluid used in the valve is air. As with the aforedescribed embodiments, the actuator 21 co-acts with a plunger element, here designated 42". An annular seal 43" seals against the actuator 21. As with the afore- described embodiments, the plunger 42" is connected at one end thereof with the dogging device 32.

The plunger 42" has extending axially therethrough a pas¬ sageway 24" which communicates with an air-containing space 28 in the mixer valve. Similar to the aforedescribed em¬ bodiments, the actuator 21 is moved to the right in Figure 7 when the valve lever is moved to its valve open position, resulting in an increase in the volume of chamber 23. Air is then drawn in to the chamber from the air space 28, through the passageway 24". Mounted on the other end of the plunger 42" is a guide 26" for a throttling plate 25 of the kind illustrated in Figure 3, i.e. a throttling plate which incorporates a fine-bore channel 25a.

When the valve lever 4 is struck heavily, wherewith the

actuator 21 is urged to the left to the position illustrated in Figure 8, the volume of the chamber 23 decreases and the throttling plate 25 is displaced linearly to the left, so as to seal off the passageway 24". As with the aforedescribed embodiments, this will result in a pressure build-up in the chamber 23, therewith rendering it impossible to move the valve lever to its valve closing position without exerting additional force to the lever.

The throttling plate 25 is not pressed against the passage¬ way orifice when the valve is closed carefully, in the in¬ tended manner, and hence the air present in the chamber 23 is able to depart through the passageway 24", subsequent to having passed through the recesses i ^" n the guide element 26" peripherally outside the throttling plate 25.

It has been shown in the aforegoing that pressure build-up in the chamber 23 in the actuator 21 can be achieved in principally different manners within the scope of the basic inventive concept. The plunger with which the actuator co- acts has respectively different configurations. In all of the aforedescribed embodiments there is no build up of pressure in the actuator when the valve lever is moved carefully in the valve closing direction, and consequently the valve lever can be moved unimpeded to the end of its valve closing stroke.

On the other hand, if the valve lever is struck heavily or moved swiftly in some other, careless manner, pressure will build up in the actuator such as to make it impossible to move the lever to its final valve closing position without exerting additional force on the lever. This delays the closing of the valve and avoids the occurrence of valve knocks in the valve delivery pipes.

Because the main body of the dogging device is connected to the plunger, such that the plunger is immovable relative to said main body, it is always ensured that the volume of the auxiliary chamber will increase when the actuator is dis- placed in either direction during a valve opening movement, therewith enabling water to be drawn effectively into the chamber, the largest volume of which is always precisely defined.

It will be understood from the aforegoing that there is no dead movement in the valve, but that the volume of the auxiliary chamber is reduced from the very beginning, and that the desired pressure build-up which prevents the occurrence of pressure surges in the pipes will always be " ^* obtained when the valve is closed so rapidly that the fluid present in the chamber has insufficient time to depart through the throttled passageway of the throttling device.

The risk, for instance, of lime deposits liable to jeopar- - dize the intended valve function does not exist with the in¬ ventive valve arrangement, since relative movement always takes place between the valve components, therewith prevent¬ ing the formation of deposits in thicknesses liable to jeo¬ pardize the valve function.