Control Valve

This invention relates to control valves and in particular it relates to control valves for controlling the flow of fluid in response to the temperature of said fluid.

In many applications it is desirable or necessary to restrict the flow of fluid when the temperature thereof exceeds or falls below a certain predetermined value. For example, in a residential shower system it is advantageous to restrict the flow of water through the shower head to the point that water is no longer sprayed onto the person taking a shower whenever the temperature of the water entering the shower head becomes so hot as to cause discomfort, scalding or burning of the person taking the shower. The sudden increase of the water temperature can occur whenever the flow of cold but not hot water into the shower system is for any reason prevented or restricted. For example, a rapid discharge of cold water caused by flushing a toilet might cause the cold water pressure to drop momentarily thereby causing a sudden increase of the temperature of water sprayed from the shower head. Similarly, a malfunction in the water supply system or of the mixing valve can result in a sudden increase of the water temperature. The dangers of thermal shock in showers have been recognized by ASTM's committee on Consumer Product Safety which proposed safety specifications for thermal shock preventing devices (ASTM Committee F-15 on Consumer Product Safety Designation F-444 and F-445).

A number of approaches have been proposed to alleviate the problem of thermal shock and to efficiently control the flow of fluid depending on the temperature of the fluid. None of them has been entirely satisfactory, generally because the systems are expensive, bulky, difficult to maintain and/or have a slow response time.

The present invention provides an improved valve for controlling the flow of fluid depending on the temperature thereof. Thus, one object of the invention is to provide an improved control valve for restricting the flow of fluid, which valve contains a minimum number of moving parts and is easy to construct and install.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flow restricting valve which is highly reliable and inexpensive to construct, install and maintain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control valve which rapidly responds to the temperature of the fluid passing therethrough and rapidly restricts the flow thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a restricting valve which in restricted position responds rapidly to the change in the temperature of the incoming fluid and reopens the flow of fluid therethrough.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon studying this disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts a shower head assembly that includes a control valve constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a control valve shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the control valve of FIG. 1 taken along lines 3--3 thereof, the valve being shown in a position permitting full flow of fluid therethrough.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the control valve of FIG. 3 taken along lines 44 thereof.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the control valve as shown in FIG. 3 in position restricting the flow of fluid.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the control valve constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a crosssectional view of the control valve of FIG. 6 taken along lines 7--7 thereof, the valve being shown in a position permitting a full flow of fluid therethrough.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the control valve of FIG. 7 taken along lines 8--8 thereof.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the control valve of FIG. 7 in a position restricting the flow of fluid therethrough.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the valve as shown in FIG. 3 further including a tube in the inlet port.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the valve of FIG. 10 taken along lines 11--11 thereof.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the valve of FIG. 10 in a position restricting the flow of fluid therethrough.

A control valve for restricting or permitting full flow of fluid depending on the temperature thereof includes a chamber which is subdivided into an inlet compartment communicating with a fluid inlet and an outlet compartment communicating with a fluid outlet. The two compartments are partitioned by a deflectable plate which has apertures therethrough. Whenever the temperature of the fluid flowing through the restricting valve is outside a predetermined acceptable range of temperatures, the plate deflects so as to partially restrict with its surface the flow of fluid out of said outlet compartment and remains in that position until the temperature of the fluid in said control valve returns to the acceptable level.

The control valve of the present invention and operation thereof will be described in detail in connection with two preferred embodiments depicted in the FIGURES. Referring now to FIG. 1, the control valve of the present invention is designated generally by a numeral 20. The control valve 20 is threaded at one end to a shower head 22 and at the other end to a water pipe 25.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the control valve 20 includes a housing 27 which defines a chamber 30. The chamber 30 communicates through an inlet port 32 with an inlet cavity 35 which in turn communicates with the interior of the water pipe 25. The water pipe 25 is threaded to the housing 27. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, on the side opposite from the inlet port 32, there are defined in the housing 27 outlet ports 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 which provide a communication between the chamber 30 and an outlet cavity 42. The outlet cavity 42 in turn communicates with the interior of the shower head 22 threaded to the housing 27. A partition 47 inside the chamber 30 subdivides said chamber 30 into an inflow section (compartment) 49 and an outlet section (compartment) 51. As shown in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 3, the partition 47 has a concave-convex shape and a substantially uniform thickness. In the preferred embodiment the partition is bimetallic, i.e., the upper surface thereof composed of a metal having a different temperature coefficient of expansion than that of the lower surface, and it has a flexivity of 110.times.10.sup.-7 as tested using American Society of Testing Materials test No. B106 (ASTM B106). The bimetal can be commercially purchased from Hood & Co. in Hamburg, Pa. and is designated as No. 1521 alloy. Accordingly, as the temperature of the partition 47 reaches a predetermined level, the partition 47 "snaps" (deflects) into a position where the surface that was concave becomes convex and the surface that was convex becomes concave.

The partition 47 has an aperture 53 through the center thereof and a plurality of holes 55 spaced around said aperture 53. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition 47 is positioned in the chamber 30 so that the aperture 53 is aligned with the inlet port 32. When the partition 47 is in the position shown in FIG. 3, the convex surface is in contact with portions of the wall of the chamber 30 around the inlet port 32. The edges of the partition 47 are held tightly between the walls of the chamber 30 so as to provide a seal. Thus, the outlet section 51 communicates with the inlet port 32 through the aperture 53. The holes 55 provide a communication between the inlet section 49 and the outlet section 51. The outlet ports 37, 38, 39 and 40 are offset with respect to the hole 55 in the partition 47 when said partition 47 is in a position where the surface thereof closest to the inlet port 32 is concave. In that position, as shown in FIG. 5, the convex surface of said partition 47 restricts outlet ports 37, 38, 39 and 40.

The control valve 20 is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble. As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the housing 27 of the control valve 20 includes two sections 60 and 62 which can be easily and inexpensively molded from plastic. To assemble the control valve 20, the partition 47 is placed in position either in section 60 or 62 and the two sections 60 and 62 are then threaded together. The valve 20 is also easy to install in either new shower units or in the existing shower units. The threaded portion 64 of section 60 is threaded to the shower pipe 25 and the shower head 22 is then threaded to the threaded portion 66 of section 62.

In operation, the partition 47 is normally in a position permitting a full flow of fluid through the valve 20 as shown in FIG. 3. The user of the shower selects the water temperature by adjusting the mixing valve (not shown) and turns the water on. The water then flows through the water pipe 25 into the inlet cavity 35, and from the inlet cavity 35 and also through the inlet port 32 into the inlet section 49. The water from section 49 flows through holes 55 of partition 47 into outlet section 51. This assures that the incoming water is in contact with both sides of the partition 47 and provides a large area for heat transfer from the incoming water to the partition 47. Since the bimetallic partition 47 is a good conductor of heat, and since the area of contact between the water in sections 49 and 51 of chamber 30 and the partition 47 is large in comparison to the volume of said partition, any change of the temperature of incoming water is rapidly transmitted to the partition 47. As long as the temperature of the water in chamber 30 is below a first predetermined temperature (for example, 115.degree. F.), the partition 47 remains in the position shown in FIG. 3. The water from chamber 30 flows through outlet ports 37, 38, 39 40 and 41 and through outlet cavity 42 into the shower head 22 from which it is sprayed onto the user of the shower.

As the temperature of the water flowing into chamber 30 increases to a first predetermined level, heat is rapidly transferred to the partition 47 whose temperature rapidly reaches the temperature of the water and "snaps" (deflects) to a position in which the concave surface thereof becomes convex and vice versa. It should be emphasized that the control valve constructed in accordance with the present invention restricts the flow of water through the shower head in less than five seconds from the time water having a temperature above the first predetermined value first enters the control valve 20. In the position shown in FIG. 5, the convex surface of the partition 47 restricts the outlet ports 37, 38, 39 and 40. The water is permitted to flow out in an unrestricted manner of the chamber 30 only through the outlet port 41, but the total flow rate out into shower head 22 is not sufficient to permit spraying of the water from the shower head 22. The water trickles down from the shower head 22, which permits inflow of water from pipe 25 and assures that when the temperature of the inflowing water falls to a second predetermined temperature (e.g., 85.degree. F.), that the heat is transmitted from the partition 47 to the water in chamber 30 and as the partition 47 reaches the second predetermined temperature the partition 47 "snaps" (deflects) to the normal position permitting a full flow of water through said valve. When the control valve of the present invention is used in showers, the partition 47 is chosen generally so that the first predetermined temperature is in the range from about 115.degree. to 120.degree. F. and the second predetermined temperature is in the range from about 85.degree. to about 95.degree. F. Of course, the second predetermined temperature may be higher, lower or approximately the same as the first predetermined temperature, depending on the choice of materials for partition 47, and the particular application of the control valve.

Another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIGS. 6-9, inclusive. The only significant difference between this embodiment and the one shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 (the first embodiment) inclusive, is the construction of the housing. Accordingly, the parts of the control valve 120 depicted in FIGS. 6-9, inclusive, corresponding to the parts of the first embodiment are designated by numerals which are the same as those of the first embodiment except they are preceded by a digit 1. For example, the chamber in the second embodiment corresponding to chamber 30 is designated by the numeral 130. The sections 160 and 162 are held together by bolts 180.

Although the control valves 20 and 120 depicted in FIGS. 1-9 are fully operable, it has been discovered that the performance of the control valve can be unexpectedly improved by providing a tube 299 that extends from the inlet port into said chamber 30. The tube 299 should extend at least to the leading edge of said partition 47 and preferably beyond said edge. The use of the tube in the control valve of the present invention is described in detail and claimed in the U.S. patent application of G. Sekiya assigned to Mark Controls Corporation. The disclosure of Sekiya's application is incorporated herein by reference.

The control valve constructed in accordance with this invention and additionally including a tube 299 is depicted in FIGS. 10-12. The parts of that control valve corresponding to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same numeral preceded by the digit 2, so that the chamber designated by numeral 30 in the first embodiment is designated by numeral 230 in the control valve depicted in FIGS. 10-12, inclusive.

The embodiments described above and depicted in the FIGURES are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. For example, although the partition in the embodiments described above is bimetallic, the invention is not restricted to bimetallic partition and any partition which deflects at a predetermined temperature in the manner described in this disclosure can be used in the valve constructed in accordance with this invention. It should also be noted that the temperatures at which a partition deflects is a predetermined characteristic of that partition and it is predetermined prior to the assembly of the control valve. The choice of the partition to deflect at a particular temperature depends on the application and can vary even within a particular application. For example, when the control valve of the present invention is used in showers as in the embodiments described above the partition should deflect to restrict the flow of fluid through the valve at a temperature at which the water becomes uncomfortably hot to the user. This temperature, of course, can vary depending on the user, but the temperature at which the valve is restricted is generally in the range from 115.degree.-120.degree. F. The specific partition selected for a particular use can readily be replaced with a partition deflecting at a different temperature which is another important advantage of this invention. In some applications it may be advantageous to install the control valve constructed in accordance with the present invention inside a shower head.

It should also be noted that the valve can also be used to restrict the flow when the temperature of the fluid passing therethrough falls below rather than above a predetermined value. In that case, the valve presents flow of fluid which is too cold rather than too warm.

Many changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon studying this disclosure. All such changes and modifications that fall within the spirit of this invention defined the appended claims are intended to be included within its scope.