OA18177A - Filling valve of a toilet tank with hydraulic assistance - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a filling valve (1) for a toilet tank which comprises: (i) a body (6) in which is formed a chamber (20) having an upstream orifice (21) adapted to be connected to a pipe water inlet (2), and a downstream port (22) designed to be connected to a filling line (4) of a toilet tank, (ii) a piston (30) comprising a head (32) and a rod, adapted to be moved between an open position in which the head (32) of the piston (30) allows the circulation of a liquid through the downstream orifice (22) and a closed position in which the head ( 32) of the piston (30) closes the downstream orifice (22) in a sealed manner. In addition, the head (32) of the piston (30) has at least one undercut zone (38), adapted to allow the exercise of a hydraulic back pressure, assisting the passage of the piston (30) towards its closed position. An elastomeric membrane (40) is positioned in the chamber (20), and covers the head (32) of the piston (30) and an annular cavity (34), to seal the blockage of the downstream orifice (22) by the head (32) of the piston (30).

Description

The present invention relates to a valve for filling a toilet tank with hydraulic assistance.

Most often, the filling valves of a mechanical closing toilet tank have a large float connected to a long lever arm, or a system of links, to ensure the closing force and fight against the hydraulic pressure. .

These taps are therefore bulky. In addition, the closing force being provided only by the lever arm, these valves can only be used at low hydraulic pressures. In addition, the force provided by the lever arm does not allow rapid closing of the valve. Thus, during the final phase of closing this type of tap, a whistling sound occurs for several seconds which can be a nuisance for the user.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the filling valves of a toilet tank. Another object of the present invention is to provide a faucet for filling a toilet tank which is operative with hydraulic pressures above three bars and which can be closed quickly while reducing noise pollution for the user.

In this document, the term “tightness” is used to define tightness against water and against aqueous solutions.

According to a general definition, the invention relates to a valve for filling a toilet tank which comprises, (i) a body in which is formed a chamber having, an upstream orifice designed to be connected to an inlet pipe of water, and a downstream port adapted to be connected to a filling line of a toilet tank, (ii) a piston comprising a head and a rod, adapted to be moved between an open position in which the piston head allows the circulation of a liquid through the downstream orifice and a closed position in which the head of the piston closes the downstream orifice in a sealed manner.

In addition, the head of the piston has at least one undercut zone, adapted to allow the exercise of a hydraulic back pressure assisting the passage of the piston towards its closed position. The body has at least one oblique surface with respect to the axis of movement of the piston, juxtaposed with said at least one undercut zone. Said at least one undercut zone and said at least one oblique surface form an annular cavity. An elastomeric membrane, positioned in the chamber, covers the piston head and the annular cavity, to seal off the plugging of the downstream orifice by the piston head.

Thus, the filling valve of a cistern uses an undercut area to generate hydraulic back pressure which assists in closing the filling valve.

The force required to close the upstream orifice is shared between the lever 10 and the back pressure generated on the undercut zone. The filling valve according to the invention can therefore use a lever of reduced dimensions compared to the levers present in most of the devices of the prior art.

In addition, the back pressure generated on the undercut zone makes it possible to accelerate the closing of the filling valve, which reduces any noise nuisance for the user. The advantageous use of a hydraulic back pressure to assist the closing of the downstream orifice, allows the filling valve according to the invention to be operational regardless of the pressure of the water coming from the pipeline. water inlet.

In addition, the oblique surface of the body allows the hydraulic back pressure exerted on the head of the piston to be increased, by directing the flow of liquid towards the undercut area, to move the piston.

According to a preferred embodiment, said at least one undercut zone and said at least one oblique surface form an annular cavity.

In addition, the annular cavity formed by the undercut zone and the oblique surface allows the optimal generation of the hydraulic back pressure, to assist the descent of the piston.

Furthermore, the elastomeric membrane can be designed to match the shape of the annular cavity, to form a concavity allowing the transmission of a back-pressure force on the head of the piston.

In addition, the concavity of the diaphragm can be designed to be stretched, to allow movement of the piston.

According to one embodiment, the body can include at least one opening closed by a cap.

The assembly of the filling valve according to the invention is thus easy.

According to the same embodiment, the membrane can be positioned between the cap and the body, to ensure the tightness of the closure of the opening by the cap.

Further, the piston may be designed to be operated by a lever having a cam at a first end and linked to a box containing a float at a second end.

Thus, the filling valve according to the invention uses an inexpensive actuator of simple manufacture. In addition, the hydraulic assistance makes it possible to use a small lever which makes it possible to reduce the size of the filling valve 10 and the manufacturing costs.

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the description which will follow with reference to the appended drawings which represent, by way of non-limiting example, an embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the valve according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a sectional view of the valve body;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the body when the valve is open;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the body when the valve is closed.

20. Figures 1 and 2 show a valve 1 for filling a toilet tank.

The filling valve 1 is adapted to be introduced into a toilet device not shown here.

The filling valve 1 comprises a body G forming a chamber 25 20 connected to a water inlet pipe 2 and a filling pipe.

4. A housing 5 covers the body 6 and the filling pipe 4.

In addition, the filling valve 1 comprises a lever 7 connected in rotation at one of its ends forming a cam 11, to the filling valve 1, by a yoke 8.

A second end of the lever 7 is connected to a box 9 containing a float 9a.

The float 9a slides on the housing 5 which thus performs a translational guide function.

The float 9a is fixed to the lever 7 by means of an adjustment screw 10, as illustrated in figure 1. The rotation of the adjustment screw 10 makes it possible to adjust the height of the box 9 and of the float 9a in a hunting tank. It is thus possible to adjust the desired volume of water in the tank by varying the height of the box 9 and of the float 9a.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the chamber 20 has an opening 23 and two orifices: an upstream orifice 21 and a downstream orifice 22.

The chamber 20 also has a substantially cylindrical internal wall 25 coaxial with the filling pipe 4, and a lower wall 26.

The upstream orifice 21 is connected to a water inlet pipe 2. The water inlet pipe 2 can also be connected to a running water network to supply the water filling tap 1. .

The upstream orifice 21 is positioned in the internal wall 25 near the lower wall 26.

The downstream orifice 22 is connected to the filling pipe 4, which allows the water coming from the water inlet pipe 2 to circulate to a tank of a toilet device.

The filling pipe 4 opens into the chamber 20 so that the volume of the chamber forms a ring.

The opening 23 is closed by a membrane 40 which will be described later. The opening 23 is surrounded by a shoulder. The membrane 40 is held on the shoulder of the opening 23, by a cap 12.

The cap 12 is substantially circular, a bore 13 is arranged substantially in its center to allow the passage of a piston 30.

The cap 12 has an internal face 14 against which the membrane 40 is positioned. The internal face 14 has a circular groove 15 concentric with the bore 13. Likewise, the internal face 14 has a groove 16 which is concentric with the bore 13 and having a diameter. greater than the diameter of the circular groove 15. It is remarkable that the groove 16 comprises an oblique surface 16a relative to the axis of the bore 13.

The cap 12 is fixed on the opening 23 by a nut 18, as shown in Figure 1.

The piston 30 has a rod 31 and a head 32. The rod 31 is adapted to cooperate with the cam 11 of the lever 7.

The head 32 of the piston 30 is positioned inside the chamber 20. As can be seen in FIG. 2, in the embodiment shown here, the head 32 of the piston 30 has a conical end.

The head 32 of the piston 30 has the geometry of a cylinder, the diameter of which is substantially equal to the diameter of the downstream orifice 22.

The head 32 of the piston 30 comprises a conical needle 33 intended to be introduced into the downstream orifice 22.

Head 32 includes a cylindrical return 36 whose outer surface has an undercut area 38. However, in other embodiments, head 32 could have a plurality of distinct undercut areas.

The cylindrical return 36 is adapted to slide in the circular groove 15, to ensure the guiding in translation of the piston 30. In addition, it can be observed in FIG. 2 that the undercut zone 38 is positioned opposite the oblique surface. 16a, to form an annular cavity 34.

As can be seen in detail in Figure 2, the membrane 40 is positioned on the underside of the cap 12 and the head 32 of the piston 30.

The membrane 40 has a specific geometry formed of four consecutive and concentric surfaces. Thus, in the embodiment presented here, the membrane 40 comprises an outer bearing surface 41, an intermediate flat surface 42, a concavity 44 and a protrusion 45.

The protrusion 45 has a substantially cylindrical geometry and a conical end 46 designed to close the downstream orifice 22.

The conical end 46 guarantees optimal hydrodynamic penetration, which makes it possible to reduce the forces exerted on the piston 30 when closing the filling valve 1, and which also makes it possible to increase the closing speed of the filling valve 1.

It can be seen, in FIG. 2, that the protrusion 45 is adapted to envelop the head 32 and the flange 33 of the piston 30. Thus the protrusion 45 has an internal shape complementary to the head 32 of the piston 30. In addition, it is visible that the conical end 46 has a greater thickness than the thickness of the rest of the membrane 40. In fact, the extra thickness of the conical end 46 makes it possible to guarantee the sealing of the closure of the downstream orifice.

In addition, it is notable that the concavity 44 has substantially three walls 44a-44b-44c. The first wall 44a and the second wall 44b are adapted to match the shape of the groove 16. The second wall 44b matches the shape of the oblique surface 16a. The third wall 44c is shaped to match the shape of the undercut zone 38 of the piston 30.

This is an important point of the invention. As will be developed later, the specific conformation of the concavity 44 allows the exercise of a hydraulic back pressure which accelerates the closing of the filling valve 1 and allows the use of a lever 7 of short length.

Preferably, the membrane 40 is made of an elastomeric material suitable for providing sealing in a humid environment.

The operation of the filling valve 1 is as follows, it is specified that the description which follows starts from a situation in which the filling valve 1 is open, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, and positioned in a tank of a toilet device.

In the open position, the downstream orifice 22 is free, the water coming from the water inlet pipe 2 fills the chamber 20 and enters the filling pipe 4 to be then discharged into the tank, It is notable that the conformation of the chamber 20 only allows the water from the water inlet pipe 2 to enter the filling pipe 4 when the chamber 20 is almost entirely submerged. The immersion of the chamber guarantees a substantially constant circulation of water in the concavity 44. Thus, the hydraulic assistance when closing the filling valve 1 can be applied permanently, regardless of the volume of water. present in the tank.

When the water reaches a high level in the box 9, the float 9a slides along the casing 5 and exerts a force on the lever 7. Under the pressure exerted by the float 9a, the lever 7 pivots in the yoke 8. In pivoting, the cam 11 of the lever 7 pushes the piston 30 into the chamber 20 and initiates the closing of the filling valve 1.

In addition, the water present in the groove 44 exerts a back pressure on the third wall 44a of the concavity 44. The back pressure exerted by the water on the third wall 44a of the concavity 44 is transmitted over the zone in undercut 38 of the piston 30, which accelerates the descent of the piston 30 in the chamber 20 and the closing of the downstream orifice 22, as can be seen in FIG. 4.

Thus, the use of a hydraulic back pressure to assist the closing of the filling valve 1 allows the use of a lever 7 of shorter length than most of the levers present in the devices of the prior art. Indeed, the piston 30 is brought into the closed position under the combined action of the force exerted by the lever 7 and the hydraulic back pressure.

The filling valve according to the invention therefore offers the advantage of using hydraulic assistance which allows the use of a lever of reduced size, and which can operate over a wide pressure range of the water coming from the pipe. water inlet. In addition, the back pressure generated in the area against 18177 undercut makes it possible to accelerate the closing of the filling valve, which reduces any noise pollution for the user.

As goes without saying, the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above by way of example. On the contrary, it embraces all the 5 variant embodiments.

Claims (6)

1. Filling valve (1) for a toilet tank comprising, (i) a body (6) in which is formed a chamber (20) having an upstream orifice (21) designed to be connected to an inlet pipe of water (2), and a downstream port (22) adapted to be connected to a filling line (4) of a toilet tank, (ii) a piston (30) comprising a head (32) and a rod (31 ), designed to be moved between an open position in which the head (32) of the piston (30) allows a liquid to flow through the downstream orifice (22) and a closed position in which the head (32) of the piston (30) closes the downstream orifice (22) in a sealed manner, characterized in that the head (32) of the piston (30) has at least one undercut zone (38), adapted to allow the exercise a hydraulic backpressure assisting the passage of the piston (30) towards its closed position, the body has at least one oblique surface (16a) relative to the axis of movement of the piston, juxtaposed with said at least one undercut zone (38), said at least one undercut zone (38) and said at least one oblique surface (16a) form an annular cavity (34), a membrane ( 40) elastomer, positioned in the chamber (20), covers the head (32) of the piston (30) and the annular cavity (34), to seal the plugging of the downstream orifice (22) by the head (32) piston (30). 2. Filling valve (1) for a toilet tank according to claim 1 characterized in that the membrane (40) is designed to match the shape of the annular cavity (34), to form a concavity (44) allowing the transmission of 'a counter-pressure force on the head (32) of the piston (30). 3. Filling valve (1) for a toilet tank according to claim 2 characterized in that the concavity (44) of the membrane (40) is designed to be stretched, to allow movement of the piston (30). 4. Filling valve (1) for a toilet tank according to one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the body (6) comprises at least one opening closed by a cap. 5. Filling valve (1) for a toilet tank according to claims 1 and 4 characterized in that the membrane (40) is positioned between the cap and the body, to ensure the sealing of the closure of the opening by hat. 6. Filling valve (1) for a toilet tank according to one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that the piston (30) is designed to be operated by a lever (7) having a cam (11) at a first end and linked to a box (9) containing a float (9a) at a second end.