AU595031B2

AU595031B2 - Tap for the delivery of liquids for the conversion from automatic to manual

Info

Publication number: AU595031B2
Application number: AU73261/87A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Pasquale Ferrante
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-05-21
Filing date: 1987-05-21
Publication date: 1990-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-21
Also published as: AU7326187A

Description

r*r~nrsrrrrausrrrrm~ COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Form Patents Act 1952-1969 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application Number 7 5ol"1 Lodged Complete Application No.

Specification Lodged Published 595031 Prfority: I tl^. ll.

Related art: This document contains the amendmer,ts made uinder Section 49 and is correct lui printing.

Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Pasquale FERRANTE of Via dei Maestri del Lavoro, 64100 TERAMO, ITALY Pasquale FERRANTE COLLISON CO., Patent Attorneys, 117 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "TAP FOR THE DELIVERY OF LIQUIDS FOR THE CONVERSION FROM AUTOMATIC TO MANUAL" The following statement Is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:

I

2 This invention relates to a tap for the delivery of water or other liquids, and in particular to a tap that can be converted from automatic to manual operation.

Automatic taps provided with a sensor are known in the art and are particularly useful in sanitary services, The sensor consists of an emitter or receiver of infrared or visible rays, or any other device for surveying a space for the presence of bodies, such as a person's hands placed in a wash basin on which the tap is mounted, When the hands are placed into the wash basin near the water outlet, the tap operates by means of an electronic circuit and an electronic valve without manual intervention or an opening handle, The operation of automatic taps of this type are subject to interruption in the event of an electronic or electro-mechanical break-down or a black-out of electric current. This results in considerable inconvenience to the user.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tap that is automatically operable and which can be easily converted to manual operation in the event of damage to the tap or electrical black-out.

This invention provides a tap with electronic and electro-mechanical components in which a by-pass operated by an electronic valve is provided, and in which a water opening and closing mechanism that will not be used St during normal automatic operation is provided. The opening and closing mechanism can be in a warm and cold water mixer, More particularly, this invention provides a fluid delivery system, which can be alternately manually or automatically controlled, The fluid delivery system comprises a body for directing fluid to a desired location.

Means for supplying fluid to the body are provided, Also provided are regulator means for manually controlling flow of fluid through the body.

Locking means for releasably locking the regulator means in an open positio so that fluid can flow through the body are included in the fluid delivery system, An electrically operated valve means in the fluid supply means is comprised of an automatically controlied fluid flow circuit and a manually controlled fluid flow circuit, Sensor means for detecting the presence of an 3 object proximate the body and for providing an electrical signal response thereto are included in the system. Controller means regulates opening and closing of the valve, Means are provided for transmitting the electrical signal from the sensing means to the controller for opening the automatically controlled fluid flow circuit in the valve, The locking means for the regulator is engaged when the manually controlled fluid flow circuit in the valve is closed, On the other hand, the locking means is released when the manually controlled fluid flow circuit in the valve is open, In the event of damage of an electronic or electro-mechanical component in the system, the locking means for the regulator may be released and the by-pass of the electronic valve may be opened by a key, screw-driver or similar device, thereby transforming the automatically operated tap to a traditional tap without the need of electronic and electromechanical parts, This invention will be described in more detail v ith reference to the Figures in which some possible embodiments of the invention are shown, and wherein: FIG. 1 shows the layout of an automatic tap with an electronic valve and with points A and B, which can be adjusted for converting the tap from o. automatic to manual operation: FIG, 2 depicts a tap with an electronic valve in which a direct by-pass is S. obtained by unscrewing screw A'; FIG, 3 shows the same scheme of FIG, 2 with an electronic valve in which a by-pass on a servo control causes the continuous opening of the electronic valve by unscrewing screw A'; FIG, 4 depicts another embodiment with an electronic valve in which a direct by-pass is obtained by unscrewing screw A': S0 FIG, 5 depicts the same electronic valve scheme of FIG. 4 in which a bypass on the servo control causes the continuous opening of the electronic 30. valve by unscrewing screw A': FIG, 6 depicts another tap in which a mixer is held by screw B in a position of rotation only and therefore of mixing only; and t *Ie .r FIG, 7 depicts an embodiment for releasing the mixer by unscrewing screw B thus allowing the control lever of the mixer to be raised. Upward movement of the lever stops the flow of the water as in a single control tap.

With reference to FIG. 1, a fluid delivery system of the invention for delivering liquids is depicted, The delivery system can be converted from automatic to manual operation. The fluid delivery system is provided on a wash basin 4, and the system comprises a mixing handle 1, body 2, electronic sensor 3, electric cable 5, water conduit 6 electronic valve 7 having a water regulation handle 8 on a capacity regulator 9, and an electronic circuit 10 with a transformer 11, According to the present invention, unscrewing screw A results in a bypass in electronic valve 7, which allows the water entering electronic valve 7 to freely flow towards body 2 of the tap, Unscrewing screw B on the mixer handle 1 permits upward and rotative movement of the handle, which stops the flow of water through the body 2, In all of the embodiments of FIGS, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the electronic valve is shown in a de-energized state in which the water does not flow.

During automatic functioning of the fluid delivery system, if coil L is Senergized, a pin or small piston M moves to the left thereby opening hole C, 2p. The water in chamber D freely flows through hole C toward the outlet and the pressure in chamber D diminishes with respect to the pressure in *e chamber E, This results in membrane F moving to the left in the figures thus opening outlet G. All the water entering the inlet then freely passes from the chamber E to the outlet through hole G, 25. In -the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, unscrewing the screw A' results in a continuous functioning of the electronic valve due to the opening of hole H, All the water entering the inlet flows directly to the outlet through hole H.

SIn the figures, the dashed lines show the flow of water when the electronic valve is energized and the membrane F is open, The alternate

A

I _1 dash-hot line shows the flow of water when the manual by-pass is being employed, In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, unscrewing screw A results in continuous functioning of the electronic valve so that the water in chamber D freely flows through the manual by-pass, and the pressure in chamber D is diminished with respect to the pressure in chamber E. This results in membrane F being moved to the left, thus opening outlet hole G. The direction of water flow is shown with broken lines as in FIG. 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the tap normally functions automatically. The flow of water i, otarted and stopped by the electronic valve. By keeping screw B tight, the upper handle rotates only and effects mixing of the water only. With reference to FIG. 7, by unscrewing screw B, the handle is permitted to rotate for mixing of the water, and in addition, the handle may be lifted for stopping the flow of water and lowered for initiating the flow of water through the faucet depicted in the figure.

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Claims

1. A tap for the delivery of liquids, said tap being convertible from automatic operation to manual operation, said tap including a body having an inlet and an outlet and a mixing handle controlling a mixing and flow control valve in the tap, said tap also including an electronic sensor to actuate an electrically operated valve to control the flow of water to the inlet to the tap, said electrically operated valve being provided with an adjustable flow regulator, characterized by a manual by-pass valve on the electrically operated valve to allow water entering the electrically operated valve to pass directly to the inlet to the tap and means to free the mixing handle to control the liquid flow through the tap in the event of the automatic operation of tap being inoperable. o a °o

2. A tap according to Claim 1, characterized in that the manual by-pass valve 0 comprises a screw closing a port on the electrically operated valve, and the mixing handle is freed on the tap by a further screw. a,

3. A tap according to Claim 1, characterized in that the mixing control valve has the function of mixing warm and cold water, and a water opening and closing mechanism placed before or behind said mixer, that normally is not used and will be actuated in the case of malfunction of the automatic operation. .9*9 o*

4. A tap according to Claim 1, characterized in that the conversion is effected acting at one point by means of a screw, a lever or similar. S 30

5. A tap according to Claim 1, characterized in the presence of only the water opening and closing mechanism, without the mixer.

6. A tap according to Claim 2, characterized in that unscrewing said first all all screw the water directly flows from the inlet to the outlet of the electrically operated valve with direct by-pass.

7. A tap according to Claim 2, characterized in that unscrewing said first screw the water freely flows from a chamber through th a by-pass and in said chamber the pressure diminishes with respect to a further chamber, moving a membrane separating said chambers that opens a passage so that all inlet water freely passes from said further ,,hamber to the outlet of the electrically operated valve. m i. c 7

8. A tap according to Claim 2 characterized in that keeping said further screw tight, the mixing handle rotates only and effects the mixing of the water, while unscrewing said further screw said mixing handle may be lifted for stopping the delivery and let down for opening to allow passage of the water.

9. A tap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 28th day of December 1989. PASQUALE FERRANTE By his Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO, 4. 4, 1 p 4t 44 p ull ib