US3376013A - Mechanism for delivering predetermined fluid quantities - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent 3,376,013 MECHANISM FOR DELIVERING PRE- DETERMINED FLUID QUANTITIES Lawrence George Mallett, Walled Lake, MiclL, assignor to American Standard Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,255 6 Claims. (Cl. 251--38) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention contemplates a liquid flow valve which can be manually drawn open rather quickly, but which can then only close rather slowly under the control of an air dashpot mechanism. The rate of valve closing (dashpot movement) is controlled by a manually adjustable metering valve element which controls the admission of air into the dashpot chamber. Power for the dashpot movement is provided by a spring mechanism which is loaded incident to manual opening of the liquid valve.

This invention relates to mechanism for delivering predetermined fluid quantities, as for example water or other liquid to a tank such as a bathtub or clothes washing machine.

In automatic clothes washing machines it is desired to automatically fill the tub to various water levels according to the weight of the load. Similarly, in the case of bathtubs it would be desirable to automatically fill the tub to various different water levels to permit the housewife to attend to other chores during the filling operation and to prevent the tub from overflowing.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view taken through one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through a portion of a second embodiment of the invention.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology em ployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a water valve 10 having an inlet 12, an outlet 16 and a valve seat 18. Cooperating with seat 18 is a poppet valve element 20 carried by a stem 22, said stem having a swivel connection at 26 with a second stem 28. Stem 28 extends through a second cup-shaped housing 30 to a fixed connection with a knob 32. A manual pull on knob 32 draws valve element 20 away from seat 18 to permit water or other fluid to flow from inlet 12 to outlet 16.

As stem 28 is drawn rightwardly it draws a diaphragm 36 and diaphragm-reinforcement cup 38 with it, thereby compressing and loading a compression coil spring 50. Rightward movement of the diaphragm causes the air in chamber 52 to be forced out of the chamber past the check valve 56. The partial vacuum thus created in chamber 52 retards the leftward movement of the diaphragm under the impetus of spring 50. To permit a gradual refilling of chamber 52 there is provided a passage 58 and an adjustable metering element 60. The size of the opening provided by element 60 and passage portion 58a thus regulates the rate at which air is drawn into chamber 52 to thus control the rate of movement of diaphragm 36 in the leftward direction. By varying or adjusting the position of metering element 60 I can vary the rate of movement of diaphragm 36 to thus vary the time required to close valve element 20.

In the illustrated mechanism the metering element is provided with a threaded stem area 62 which meshes with a threaded bore in housing 30 so that rotation of the stem moves the conical portion of the metering element toward or away from passage 58a. Rotation of the stem may be effected by a drive connection which includes a pinion gear 66 carried on the stem and a splined portion 68 formed on stem 28. Thus, manual rotation of knob 32 may be utilized to rotate stem portion 62 of the metering element to provide different air flow rates through passage 58. As previously noted, the rate of flow through passage 58 determines the rate at which diaphragm 36 moves leftwardly and thus the rate of closing of valve element 20.

When the apparatus is utilized in a bathtub installation it may be located behind a conventional. building wall 70 and escutcheon plate 72. In such an arrangement knob 32 can be provided with a pointer portion registering with a suitable tub level dial on the escutcheon plate Thus, knob 32 may be rotated to a particular selected tub water level and then pulled outwardly to open valve element 20. As previously noted, outward movement of the knob causes air to be vented from chamber 52 past check valve 56. Thereafter the air is allowed to gradually refill the chamber 52 through the metering passage 58 to close valve 20 at a controlled rate. The illustrated valve is preferably located downstream from the conventional manual mixing valve so that element 20 handles a single stream of water of any selected temperature. The illustrated valve depends on the time-fill principle; therefore the inlet pressure should be fairly uniform or a suitable flow control device provided in the fluid system. A suitable flow control device is shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,141,477.

It will be understood that illustrated metering element 60 can have its own adjustment knob separate from knob 32, in which case the metering element stem 62 would be extended through escutcheon plate 72 in lieu of the illustrated splines 68 and gear 66.

During service it is conceivable that liquid could leak past the O-ring seal 76. A more positive seal such as a bellows could be provided to preclude the accumulation of liquid in chamber '78. In the illustrated arrangement however a passage is provided to remove such liquid accumulations as may occur. Passage 80 is provided with a Venturi throat 82 which, when liquid is flowing through outlet chamber 16, acts to create a partial vacuum in passage 80 to draw liquid accumulations out of chamber 78. The Venturi precludes flow from chamber 16 into passage 80.

As shown in FIG. 1, check valve 56 and passage 58 communicate with the atmosphere. It is possible of course to construct an arrangement wherein these passages communicate with a separate chamber formed as part of the control mechanism. Thus, during rightward movement of stem 28 the air in chamber 52 could be expelled into the separate chamber for subsequent return to chamber 52 through passage 58 after the manual pull on knob 32 had been released.

FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement wherein main valve element 20 is directly connected with diaphragm 36 by a mechanical connection comprising stem22. It is possible, however, to interpose a pilot valve element between the main valve element and diaphragm as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the main valve element may be constructed as a diaphragm 86 having a bleed port 88 for allowing water in inlet chamber 90' to flow into a diaphragm chamber 92. Flow from chamber 92 to the main outlet chamber 96 takes place through a central diaphragm opening 98 which is normally closed by a pilot valve element plunger 100. Plunger 100 is slidably positioned in a tubular guide 102 which extends into a cylindrical recess in stem 22 to guide said stem for reciprocal movement. Carried on plunger 100 is an annular magnetic element 106, which cooperates with a second magnetic element 108 carried on stem 22. One or both of elements 106 and 108 may be formed as a permanent magnet; one of them can be formed of magnetically permeable material such as soft iron. The arrangement constitutes a magnetic drive coupling which ensures that movement of stem 22 will produce a corresponding movement of plunger During service, a manual pull on knob 32 (not shown in FIG. 2) causes stem 22 and plunger 100 to be drawn rightwardly, thus permitting liquid to flow from chamber 92 through opening 98. The pressure in inlet chamber 90 is thus enabled to open diaphragm 86 and permit a main flow of liquid past seat 110. As stem 22 moves leftwardly under the impetus of spring 50 it causes plunger 100 to close opening 98 and permit liquid to flow through bleed opening 88 into chamber 92 to apply a closing pressure on diaphragm 86.

The arrangement of FIG. 2 is advantageous in that it insures against leakage of liquid out of the valve, and further in the fact that relatively low operating pressures on diaphragm 36 are effective to control relatively large liquid flows past valve seat 110.

It will be seen that the illustrated forms of the invention include a manual means for opening a fluid valve or 86, spring means 50 tending to close the liquid valve, and dashpot means at 52 operable to control the closing rate of movement of the valve under the impetus of the spring means. In the illustrated forms of the invention the mechanism includes a housing 30 positioned on the valve housing 10 and having the cavity 52 facing the interface 37 between the two housings. Diaphragm 36 is mounted in interface 37 to cooperate with the aforementioned cavity in defining the dashpot air chamber.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for filling a container with predetermined liquid quantities comprising a liquid valve; manual means for opening said liquid valve; spring means tending to close said valve; and dashpot means operable to control the closing rate of movement of the valve under the impetus of the spring means; and an operating connection between the manual means and liquid valve; said operating connection including a pilot valve element arranged to control liquid pressure on the upstream face of the liquid valve, and a magnetic drive coupling between the manual means and pilot element.

2. Means for delivering predetermined liquid quantities comprising a valve housing; a valve element movably mounted within said housing for controlling fiow therethrough; a second housing positioned on said first housing to define an interface therebetween; said second housing having a cavity therein facing said interface; a diaphragm mounted in the interface and cooperating with the cavity surface to define an air chamber; slidabl-e stern means operably connected with the movable valve element and extending through the diaphragm and air chamber in the second housing, whereby movement of the stem means in one direction opens the valve element and contracts the air chamber; a check valve associated with said second housing for permitting air to escape from the chamber as the chamber contracts; compression spring means encircling the portion of the stem means within the air chamber in the second housing for urging the stem means to a position expanding the air chamber; and means associated with the second housing for admitting air to the chamber at a controlled rate, whereby to retard the movement of the stem means in the valve element-closing direction.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the valve element is mechanically connected with the stern means.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein the valve element is connected with the stem means by means which includes a pilot valve element and a magnetic drive coupling between the pilot valve element and stem means.

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein the air-admitting means comprises a rotary metering stem located in the second housing for rotary motion about an axis paralleling the axis of the aforementioned stem means.

6. The combination of claim 5 and further comprising gear means between the stem means and metering stem whereby rotation of the stem means serves to rotatably adjust the metering stern.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,513,830 11/1924 LaCasse 251- 1,461,163 7/1923 Robinson 254-55 FOREIGN PATENTS 798,844 3/1936 France.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

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