IE55575B1 - Adjustable fill valve - Google Patents

Description

a s a v 5 a The present invention relates to a fill valve for water level control in toilet tanks and similar tanks.

Fill valves function to maintain a predetermined liquid level in a tank or reservoir, and are used widely 5 in toilet tanks and other tanks. A typical fill valve includes an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of pressurized liquid, an outlet communicating with the tank, a valve for controlling flow into the tank, a device for detecting the level of liquid in the tank and 10 structure for opening the valve when the detected liquid level is below the predetermined level. In the past, many fill valves have been of the ball cock variety wherein the valve is controlled by a float. US Patents No. 3,895,645 and 4,180,096 disclose fill valves having 15 advantages over ball cocks, including compactness and cost. Those fill valves are entirely submerged and use diaphragms responsive to liquid pressure to detect liquid level.

While the devices disclosed in said prior US patents 20 have been successful in achieving their intended purposes, it may be desirable in some instances that the fill valve not be entirely submerged to the end that an atmospheric vacuum breaker can be included in the liquid flow path.

One difficulty which has been encountered with ball cocks and other fill valves extending above the water level results from the wide variety of tank configurations in which such valves may be used. Variations in tank height make it desirable that the 30 height of the fill valve, as well as the water level, be adjustable so that the fill valve has universal application in different tanks. The object of the present invention is to provide a fill valve which is reliably and easily adjustable to accommodate tanks of 35 various depths. 3 According to the invention there is provided a fill valve for controlling the level of.uater or other liquid in a toilet or other tank comprising a valve head assembly.* inlet and outlet flout conduits extending generally parallel to one another away front said valve head assembly a riser including shank means adapted to be mounted . on a wall of the tank in use in.operative connection utith a supply of the liquidi said riser including an inlet section communicating utith said shank means, an outlet port, and an outlet section communicating utith said outlet port* said inlet and outlet flout conduits being telescopically supported utith respect to said inlet and outlet sections of said riser and movable utith respect to said riser for selectively varying the operative height of the valve head assembly in the tank* and valve means in said valve head assembly for isolating said inlet and outlet flout conduits from one another uthen the liquid in the tank in use reaches a selected level related to the height of the valve head assembly and for intercommunicating said inlet and outlet flout conduits rnhen the water levels falls belout a selected level related to said height.

The invention may advantageously be used in combination utith the invention described and claimed in our Patent Specification No. SSSltf- comprising a diaphragm operated valve means.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention may be best understood from the following detailed description of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with portions broken away, of a fill valve constructed in accordance with the invention: Figure 2 is another side elevational view of the fill valve, taken from the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale 4 taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and illustrating portions of the riser assembly of the fill valve; and Figure 4 is a sectional view of the head assembly and part of the riser assembly of the fill valve, taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Having reference now to the drawings, there is illustrated a fill valve constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated as a whole by the reference numeral 20. Fill value 20 is mounted to a wall 22 of a tank such as a toilet water tank, and functions to maintain the level of liquid within the tank at a preselected level. Although the fill valve 20 is intended to be mounted as illustrated in an aperture 24 in the bottom wall 22 of the tank, principles of the invention are applicable also to tanks having other types of inlet arrangements such as a sidewall inlet.

In general, the fill valve 20 includes a riser assembly generally designated as 26 by means of which a valve head assembly generally designated as 28 can be raised or lowered to accommodate tanks of different heights. The valve head assembly includes a main or control valve assembly generally designated as 30 (Figure 4) controlled by a water level responsive pressure detecting system generally designated as 32 (Figure 4) for admitting water to the tank when the water level falls below a selected level. A subsidiary valve assembly generally designated as 34 (Figure 4)-resists backflow through the fill valve 20, provides an atmospheric vacuum breaker, and contributes to operation of the fill valve 20 in a positive on and off manner.

The valve head assembly and its main and subsidiary valve assemblies are, in this example, as described in our said co-pending patent application “2-460184 to which reference is directed for details.

The main components of the fill valve 20 are preferably formed of moulded plastic material and are readily assembled together without separate S fastener* or the like to define the various operating sections of the head assembly 28. These sain coapo-nents include a body 100 adjustably related to a riser 200, and a cover 300, cap 400 and diffuser 500 assembled with the upper portion of body 100 to fora the head assembly 28. To assist in interrelating the . accompanying drawings with this written description, elements of the valve components 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 respectively are designated by three digit reference numerals beginning with the same digit 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.

Riser 200 (FIGS. 1-4) includes a shank portion 202 extending through the tank wall aperture 24. The shank is threaded to receive a mounting nut 35 for supporting the riser 200 and a coupling nut 36 cooperating with a thrust washer 37 and seal 38 to connect the riser shank 202 to a conduit 39 supplying water or other liquid under pressure to the fill valve 20. A gasket 40 held in compression by a-lower flange 204 of riser 200 seals, the aperture 24 in the tank wall 22.

Within bhe tank, the riser 200 includes a generally circular cylindrical inlet section 206 and outlet section 208 extending generally parallel with one another. The inlet section communicates with supply conduit 39 by way of shank 202, and the outlet section 208 communicates with the interior of -the tank by way of an outlet port 210 adjacent the base flange 204 at the lowermost portion of the outlet section 208.

Inlet and outlet sections 206 and 208 arc elongated tubular structures extending parallel to one another upwardly from the tank bottoe. They are joined together at the bottom by a web portion 212 and at the top by an upper flange 214. Upper flange β 214 serges with a generally O-shaped wall 216 to define a generally rectangular opening or window 218 at the top of the outlet section 208. The opening 218 is accessitie from J>oth sides of the riser 200 and also is open to the upper portion of the inlet section 206 (see FIGS. 1 and 4).

The body 100 includes an upper head portion 102 generally of an open-topped, cup shape (FIG. 12). Descending from head portion 102 are an inlet conduit 104 and an outlet conduit 106 which, along with riser 200, constitute the riser assembly 26. Conduits 104 and 106 extend parallel to one another and are stiffened with respect to one another and with respect to head portion 102 by a number of webs 108. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the inlet and outlet conduits 104 and 106 are intended to be vertical, and the head portion 102 is inclined at an angle of 45*. The non-horizontal orientation of the head assembly 28 and of the head portion .102 provides an important function .in the operation of the fill valve 20 as discussed in more detail below.

Inlet and outlet conduits 104 and 106 are telescoped within the inlet and outlet sections 206 and 208 of the riser. An 0-ring 41 seals the exterior of the inlet conduit 104 against the interior of the inlet section 206. A strainer 42 and flow restrictor 43 are mounted at the end of the inlet conduit 104. When the main valve assembly 30 of the fill valve 20 is open, liquid flows free the supply conduit 39 into the inlet section 206 and then into the inlet conduit 104 toward the head assembly 28. From the head assembly 28, liquid flows through the outlet conduit 106 into the outlet section 208 and into the tank through the outlet port 210. 7 Fill valve 20 nay be installed in tanks of various heights, and in accordance with the invention the height of the fill valve is readily adjustable.

Riser assembly 26 includes not only the riser 200 and parts of body 100, but also an adjustment nut 44 located within the opening 218 of the riser 200. Both the inlet conduit 104 and the outlet conduit 106 include thread structure in the form of teeth 110 extending a substantial distance along a their length. The teeth 110 form rack gear structures threadedly engaged by an external thread 44A and an internal thread 44B of the adjustment nut 44, the threads 44A and 44B each including slightly less than 1 complete convolution.

The body 100 is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 in substantially its lowermost position with respect to riser 200. In order to adjust the height of the fill valve 20, nut 44 is grasped at the open sides of opening 218 and rotated. Engagement of threads 44A and 44B with teeth 110 causes"the body 100 to be raised or lowered with respect to the riser 200 to the desire^ height. Due to the mechanical advantage of the threads and teeth and to the friction provided by 0-ring 41, the body 100 will remain in any position to which it is adjusted.

The height of the body 100 may be adjusted while the fill valve 20 is subjected to liquid pressure. If the body 100 is raised to an extreme upper position, the O-ring 41 moves past a pressure relief port 213 and inlet liquid is bypassed directly to the interior of the tank. This prevents inlet pressure from forcefully ejecting the body 100 from the riser 200 in the event that the body 100 is raised too far.

Adjustment of the relative positions of body 100 and riser 200 varies the overall height of the fill valve 20 and determines the elevation of the 8 head assembly 28 above the tank wall 22. The water level maintained by the fill valve 20 within the tank is determined with respect to the position of the head assembly 28, so that adjustment of the height of the head assembly 26 also adjusts the water level.

In addition to the head portion 102 of body 100, the assembly 28 of the fill valve 20 includes the cover 300, the cap 400 and the diffuser 500. As seen in Figure 4, whe- the fill valve 20 is assembled, the diffuser 500 is captured within the cup shaped head portion 102 of the body 100 by the cap 400. The main valve assembly 30 and the acuum breaker valve assembly 34 are located beneath the cap 400 and above the diffuser 500. The cover 300 is attached over the open top of the body head portion 102 and cooperates with the body head portion 102 and cap 400 to provide a diaphragm cavity 52 of the pressure detecting system 32.

Operation of the fill valve 20 will now be described. The fill valve is installed in a liquid containing tank with the supply conduit 39 interconnected with a source of pressurised liquid. The elevation of the head assembly 28 is adjusted by operation of the adjustment nut 44 as described above to accommodate the height of and to select the liquid level to be maintained in the tank. The interior of the inlet conduit 104 below the main valve member 51 is continuously and directly communicated with pressurised liquid. The fill valve 20 functions to maintain a predetermined water-level, and to refill the tank when the water level falls.

When water level within the tank is at the predetermined level, the main valve member 51 is closed. When water level falls sufficiently, the main valve member will be reopened to effect refilling of the tank.

In this example the opening and closing operations of the fill valve 20 are offset from one another relative to liquid level in the tank. This provides a latching or detenting operation preventing unstable opening and closing operation of the valve. This offset in operation a is accomplished in a uery reliable and simple> automatic manner by hydraulic loading of the diaphragm S3 when the main ualve assembly 30 is open to refill the tank as described in our said co-pending application.

The reference, numerals in the drawings which are not identified in the foregoing description relate to items identified and described in our said co-pending application to which reference is made. ·

Claims (6)

1. 0. D-AII'iS

2. 1. A fill valve for controlling the level of water or other liquid in a toilet or other tank comprising: a valve head assembly: inlet and outlet flow conduits extending generally parallel to one another away from said valve head assembly: a riser including shank means adapted to be mounted on a wall of the tank in use in operative connection with a supply of the liquid, said riser including an inlet section communicating with said shank means, an outlet port, and an outlet section communicating with said outlet port: said inlet and outlet flow conduits being telescopically supported with respect to said inlet and outlet sections of said riser and movable with respect to said riser for selectively varying the operative height of the valve head assembly in the tank: and valve means in said valve head assembly for isolating said inlet and outlet flow conduits from one another when the liquid in the tank in use reaches a selected level related to the height of the valve head assembly and for intercommunicating said inlet and outlet flow conduits when the water levels falls below a selected level related to said height.

3. 2. A valve as in Claim 1 further comprising an adjustment nut rotatably supported on said riser and engageable with said inlet and outlet flow conduits.

4. 3. A valve as in Claim 2, said flow conduits including longitudinally extending thread structures, and said adjustment nut including thread means engaging said thread structures. A. A valve as in Claim 3, said thread means including internal and external threads on said nut, said nut surrounding one of said flow conduits.

5. A fill valve according to Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this the 22ndday of June, 1988 F. R. KELLY & CO., By x Executive.

6. 27 Clyde Rd., Biyflsbridge, Dublin 4 AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS.