GB2086542A

GB2086542A - Mixing valve

Info

Publication number: GB2086542A
Application number: GB8131581A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Friedrich Grohe Armaturenfabrik GmbH and Co
Current assignee: Grohe Water Technology AG and Co KG
Priority date: 1980-11-04
Filing date: 1981-10-20
Publication date: 1982-05-12
Also published as: IT8124826A0; DE3041509A1; IT1139679B; JPS57127172A; FI813179L; DK485281A; FR2493462A1; NL8104844A; ZA817300B; ES261197U; ES261197Y; DE3041509C2

Abstract

In a mixing valve, the valve control element has its centre axis offset from the centre line of the valve by a short distance (22). The operating lever (3) is movable on a pivot pin (35) fixed to a partially-rotatable top housing (2). The inner end (31) of the lever carries a forkshaped member (34, 36) slidably engaging a member (5) coupled to the valve actuator. In this way, the valve control element can be rotated by rotation of the lever and the top housing, and can also be raised and lowered by vertical pivotal movement of the lever about the pivot pin (35). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Mixing valve This invention relates to a mixing valve of the kind having a valve actuator movable in a plane parallel to the centre axis of the mixing valve housing, and rotatable about an axis parallel to the centre axis, to regulate the outlet flow and the mixture ratio respectively, which is provided with a head element offset from the centre axis projecting out of the valve housing on which an actuating device acts which consists of a top housing located on the valve housing rotatable about the centre axis and a lever mounted in the cylindrical portion of the top housing so as to permit upward and downward movement.

Mixing valves of this kind are described in publications DE-PS 26 58 022 and DE OS 27 40 205. Such mixing valves are used, in particular, for mixing hot and cold water in sanitary applications since, with the valve actuating device, mixed water can be particularly accurately set in the temperature range from approximately 30 to 45"C.

When erecting buildings, for reasons of cost for example, bathrooms, kitchens, wash rooms and the like, particularly in high buildings in general, are frequently located in such a way that a common partition wall is provided for two bathrooms, kitchens or washrooms etc., in or along which corresponding supply pipes are led up and the tap and mixing valves are located on both sides of the wall in a "back to back" arrangement. With a direct supply pipe of hot and cold water, a mixing valve will of necessity be connected to the supply main laterally transposed so that the direction of operation is also opposite to that customary. To remedy this anomalous situation it is common practice to insert additional pipes with suitable fixtures and adapters to provide reversing pipes etc., but this is relatively time-consuming and costly.In addition it can quite easily occur in the installation of a flush laid pipe system that the connections for the mixing valve are transposed, this frequently only being noticed during fitting of the mixing valve after completion, i.e.

plastering and tiling, of the building wall. To correct the connections it is then necessary to break open the building wall, at least in the vicinity of the pipe system, and to relay the instailation.

An object of the invention is to improve a mixing valve of the kind referred to in such a way that in the case of transposed hot and cold water connections the mixing valve elements can be used in the pipe fitting turned through 1800, but leaving the position and directions of operation of the valve actuating lever the same, it being another object of the invention to provide a low wear linkage for the actuating lever on the head element of the valve actuator and constant efficiency.

According to the invention in its broadest aspect a mixing valve of the kind referred to is characterised in that the lever arm of the lever located in the top housing is provided with a locating guide for a sliding member connected to the head element, that the sliding member lies at right angles to the lever centre axis and parallel to the pivot pin, and extends approximately symmetrically on both sides of the lever centre axis, and that the head element is positioned offset from the lever centre axis.

These measures have the effect that with laterally transposed connections it is only necessary to use the valve actuator mechanism turned through 1800 in the valve housing. The locating guide for the sliding member connected to the head element of the valve actuator extending symmetrically on both sides of the lever centre axis has the effect that no additional or different components at all are required for transposed fitting. In another form of the invention the locating guide ca take the form of a forkshaped slotted link on the lever arm in which the head element of the valve actuator is pivotally mounted.

Ideally, linkage of the head element is by means of a sliding member movably retained in the slotted link which is positively located on the one hand with a hole on a spherical increase in cross-sectional area of the head element and rests with its cylindrical increases in cross-sectional area on the flanges formed on both sides of the sliding member. Alternatively linkage of the head element to the sliding member can be effected by means of a gimbal action deflectable metal-rubber-metal pivot bearing or other suitable joints.

Ideally the outer flange of the head can be screwed on to the head by screw thread to ensure convenient mounting of the operating lever. The lever arm inside the top housing can to advantage be made of flat material whereby the slotted link guide can be matched to the inside radius of the top housing with the necessary clearance in the area of the projecting end faces for optimum space utilisation. In addition, for additional space saving, the slotted link guide can be made semi-circular on the closed end face, the sliding member also being made semi-circular in this area and being provided with a suitable allround groove.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 'shows a longitudinal section through the top section of a mixing valve; Figure 2 shows a section through plane II of the top section as per Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a sliding member in two views and a sectioned view as per Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a head element of the mixing valve actuator as per Figure 1.

In a pipe fitting 1 is located a mixing valve housing 11 in which the individual valve elements are combined to form an integral unit such as is described for example in detail in patent specification P 30 24 454.3. A top housing 2 is retained so as to permit it to have limited rotation on pipe fitting 1.

In the cylindrical face of the top housing 2 is mounted a lever 3 for operation of the mixing valve, being movable up and down about a pivot pin 35.

Inside the top housing 2 on lever 3 is formed a lever arm 31 of flat material which, at right angles to the lever centre axis 32 and parallel to the pivot pin 35, bears a slotted link 33 formed by two limbs 34 joined at one end face by a cross piece 36.

The valve actuator (not shown in the drawing) is fitted with a bar-shaped head element 4 which projects laterally beside the lever centre axis 32 into the top housing 2. The head element 4 has, in its linkage section, a spherical increase in crosssectional area 41 on which is retained a sliding member 5 with a hole 51. The sliding member 5 is movably mounted on the limbs 34 with U-section grooves 54. In addition, the sliding member 5 is provided with cylindrical increases in cross-sectional area whose radius is the same as the radius of spherical increase in cross-sectional area 41 as can be seen, in particular, in Figure 3. The cylindrical increases in cross-sectional area rest on the end faces 43 of the flanges which are formed on both sides of the spherical increase in cross-sectional area 41.As can be seen particularly in Figure 4, the outer flange takes the form of a head 44 of a cheesehead screw which is detachably connected to the head element 4 by means of a screw thread 45. The head element 4 and the sliding member 5 are so designed that, in the assembled state, the centre point 42 of the spherical increase in cross-section 41 is intersected by the centre axis 53 of the cylindrical increase in cross-sectional area 52.

On lever 3 being moved up and down, the head element 4 is moved in the opposite direction whereby cylindrical increases in cross-section 52 slide in rotary motion along the end faces 42 of the flanges.

The total rate of discharge of the mixed water is determined by this axial movement.

If, on the other hand, the lever 3 is rotated in conjunction with the top housing 2 about the centre axis 21 then, on account of the offset distance 22 between the centre axis 21 and the head element 4 vertically beside the lever centre axis 32, the head element 4 is swivelled in one direction or the other proportionately to the angle of rotation. This varies the mixing ratio. If now the hot and cold water connections for the mixing valve are transposed, it is only necessary to remove the top housing 2 from the pipe fitting 1 and to use the mixing valve housing 11 turned through 180". Afterwards, the top housing 2 can be fastened on the pipe fitting 1 in the same way.

In this case the head element 4 with its sliding member 5 wilt not be located above the lever centre axis 32, as shown in Figure 2, but underneath. By virtue of the slotted link 33 which is essentially symmetrical on both sides of the lever centre axis 32, the same function is also ensured in this position.

For optimum utilisation of space, the sliding member 5 is semi-circular on one end face and provided with an all-round groove 54 so that even cross piece 36 only requires relatively littie space.

Claims

1. A mixing valve of the kind having a valve actuator movable in a plane parallel to the centre axis of the mixing valve housing, and rotatable about an axis parallel to the centre axis, to regulate the outlet flow and the mixture ratio respectively, which is provided with a head element offset from the centre axis projecting out of the valve housing on which an actuating device acts which consists of a top housing located on the valve housing rotatable about the centre axis and a lever mounted in the cylindrical portion of the top housing so as to permit upward and downward movement, characterised in that the lever arm (31) of the lever (3) located in the top housing (2) is provided with a locating guide for a sliding member (5) connected to the head element (4), that the sliding member lies at right angles to the lever centre axis (32) and parallel to the pivot pin (35) and extends approximately symmetrically on both sides of the lever centre axis (32), and that the head element (4) is positioned offset from the lever centre axis (32).

2. A mixing valve in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the locating guide on the lever arm (31) takes the form of a forkshaped slotted link (33) open on one end face and formed by parallel positioned limbs (34) to provide a sliding way for the sliding member (5) rotatably attached to the head element (4) during the upward and downward movement of lever (3).

3. A mixing valve in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that the bar-shaped head element (4) has a spherical increase in cross-section area (41) in the linkage area between two spaced flanges (43, 44), at least one flange (44) of which is detachably mounted; on this spherical increase in crosssectional area is located the sliding member (5) with a hole (51) whereby on the end faces of the sliding member (50) in the vicinity of the inlet and outlet sides of hole (51) cylindrical increases in crosssectional area (52) are formed parallel to the slotted guide (33); the centre axes (53) of these cylindrical increases in cross-sectional area intersects the cente point (42) of spherical increase in cross-sectional area (41) and both increases in cross-sectional area have the same diameter and with their cylindrical surfaces make sliding contact with the flat end faces (43) of the flanges facing one another and that on the other hand sliding member (5) is non-rigidly mounted in the slotted link (33) of the lever arm (31).

4. A mixing valve in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the lever arm (1) is made essentially from flat material and the side end faces of the slotted link (33) are fitted with the necessary clearance to the inside radius of the top housing (2) whereby the sliding member (5) with U-section grooves (54) overlapping the flat material is non-rigidly mounted in the slotted link (33) open on one end face.

5. A mixing valve in accordance with claim 4, characterised in that the recess in the slotted link guide (33) is semi-circular on the side opposite to the' open end side and the sliding member (5) is also semi-circular in shape in this area with a corresponding surrounding groove (54).

6. A mixing valve in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the outer flange of the head element (4) is formed by the head (44) of a cheesehead screw which is retained by a screw thread (45) in the spherical increase in crosssectional area (41).

7. A mixing valve in accordance with any one of claims 1,2,4 and 5, characterised in that the sliding member (5) is joined to the head element (4) by means of a gimbal-action pivot bearing.

8. A mixing valve substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.